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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/12/2012 - Workshop Minutes City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP CITY OF COLLEGE STATION JANUARY 12, 2012 STATE OF TEXAS § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Nancy Berry, Mayor Council: Blanche Brick Jess Fields Karl Mooney, arrived after roll call Katy-Marie Lyles Julie Schultz Dave Ruesink City Staff: David Neeley, City Manager Kathy Merrill, Deputy City Manager Frank Simpson, Deputy City Manager Carla Robinson, City Attorney Sherry Mashburn, City Secretary Tanya McNutt, Deputy City Secretary Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present With a quorum present, the Workshop of the College Station City Council was called to order by Mayor Nancy Berry at 3:13 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012 in the Council Chambers of the City of College Station City Hall, 1101 Texas Avenue, College Station, Texas 77842. 1. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on items listed on the consent agenda. Item 2i was pulled for clarification. 2i: David Schmitz explained that we can't always use volunteers in those roles; the contract covers local leagues and tournaments. Tournament play requires real officials, and in other leagues, it can become a safety issue. We do use some volunteers outside the scope of this contract. The cost fluctuates year to year due to the number of leagues and tournaments. WKSHP011212 Minutes Page 1 2. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on the scope of the Citizens Charter Review Commission and provide direction regarding the charter provisions to be reviewed. NOW Sherry Mashburn, City Secretary, reported the Citizens Charter Review Commission had just begun its review of the City Charter last spring when Senate Bill 100 was approved. Due to the immediate need to address the election date, the Commission focused its energies only upon that one issue in order to place a possible amendment to the Charter on the November 2011 ballot. The Commission is ready to complete its review of the Charter, and staff is requesting input from the Council as to when the Council expects to hold the Charter amendment election. The earliest date we can hold the election is November 2012, which will also be a presidential election year. The other dates available are May 2013 and November 2013. Lynn McIlhaney, chair of the Citizens Charter Review Commission, reported there are major issues that the Commission has not yet addressed; for instance, referendum and recall will take a lot of time, as well as other major issues. Once those have been reviewed, they will have to prepare the ballot language for the Council's consideration. The legal side has already been addressed as far as conflicts with state law. An additional goal of the Commission was to have public hearings during the process. When asked her preference for an election date, she stated that she is more concerned with a shorter time frame than a longer time frame because of the major changes to be reviewed. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Councilmember Ruesink and a second by Councilmember Schultz the City Council voted seven (7) for and none (0) opposed, to direct the Commission to work toward a November 2012 election date, with Public Hearings at the Council level, and with the proviso that if the Commission determines they cannot meet the timeline, the Council will reconsider the election date. The motion carried unanimously. 3. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding the benefits of the Automated Street Light Monitoring System initially installed in 2009. Timothy Crabb, Assistant Director of Electric Utilities, reported on the Street Light Monitoring System. An initial investigation into street light outages started in 2007, and an RFP was put out by the City in August, 2008. ROAM nodes and new bulbs on all Thoroughfare lighting (2000 units) were installed in April, 2009. An additional 775 nodes using CSU Crews were installed in 2009-2010, and in March 2010 the City installed ROAM nodes and new bulbs in Residential lighting (approx. 2000 units). We have far exceeded any city in Texas with the amount of operational lights. System benefits include a reduction in street light maintenance O&M by about $60,000/year. There has also been a reduction in power usage by approximately 300,000 kWh/year. Street light calls from customers are now almost nonexistent. CSU is gathering information and has learned that LEDs are seven to ten times more expensive, and we know we lose about ten to twenty lights per major lightning storm. We are the first complete street light monitoring system in Texas, and presentations have been made by CSU to several groups about our system. We have been working with ROAM to "tweak" the system and to solve critical problems. The system has performed as expected, and we are still on track for it to pay for itself in savings in less than five years. WKSHP011212 Minutes Page 2 4. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding the College Station Utilities (CSU) tree trimming contract and to define services available to our customers for tree removal near power lines. This item is also on the ConsentAQenda - Item 2b. Timothy Crabb, Assistant Director of Electric Utilities, this a new three-year contract with Rios. This contract will include right-of-way trimming for overhead power lines on a three-year cycle; sixteen weeks of "other" work outside maintenance trimming; trimming transmission rights-of- way; an additional eight weeks of "other" work to account for additional tree removal. They are required to have an English-speaking person on site with each tree trimming crew. The Customer Safety Assistance Tree Program assists customers in safely removing trees from areas with overhead power lines by topping trees that need to be removed near overhead power lines, and temporarily removing the overhead service to a home so that the customer can remove a tree. CSU makes sure the program is communicated to customers through the "Featured Content" in the January Utility Bill Insert, blogs and news stories, and social media. They are creating a video showing aspects of the program. Mr. Crabb stated that CSU is committed to maintaining service quality through an aggressive tree trimming program. They are committed to safety, for the system, and for the public. 5. Council Calendar • January 16 City Offices Closed - HOLIDAY • January 18 Greenways Tour at City Hall - Main Entrance, 3:00 p.m. • January 19 BCS Chamber of Commerce - Business After Hours at Briarcrest Country Club - 1929 Country Club Drive - Bryan, 5:30 p.m. • January 19 P&Z Workshop/Meeting in Council Chambers at 6:00 p.m. • January 23 IGC Meeting at BVCOG, 12:00 p.m. • January 26 City Council Workshop/Regular Meeting at 3:00 & 7:00 p.m. Council reviewed the Council calendar. Staff was requested to attach the Council assignment to the P&Z meeting. 6. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on future agenda items: a Council Member may inquire about a subject for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting. Councilmember Fields requested a workshop regarding the ICLEI to review our membership and if it represents the interests of our citizens. Staff was directed to provide some information on this to see if a workshop item is warranted. Councilmember Mooney requested an item to discuss street widths and on-street parking. 7. Discussion, review and possible action regarding the following meetings: Animal Shelter Board, Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, Audit Committee, Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board, Brazos County Health Dept., Brazos Valley Council of Governments, Brazos Valley Wide Area Communications Task Force, BVSWMA, BVWACS, Cemetery Committee, Code Review Committee, Convention & Visitors Bureau, WKSHP011212 Minutes Page 3 Design Review Board, Historic Preservation Committee, Interfaith Dialogue Association, Intergovernmental Committee, Joint Relief Funding Review Committee, Landmark Commission, Library Board, Metropolitan Planning Organization, National League of Cities, Outside Agency Funding Review, Parks and Recreation Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, Research Valley Partnership, Regional Transportation Committee for Council of Governments, Signature Event Task Force, Sister City Association, TAMU Student Senate, Texas Municipal League, Transportation Committee, Zoning Board of Adjustments. Councilmember Ruesink reported on Sister Cities. They will be sponsoring students (ninth and tenth graders) for a visit to Greiswald, Germany. Mayor Berry reported that the MPO met to discuss priorities. She will be attending the US Conference of Mayors next week. Councilmember Mooney reported on CVB meeting and the impact to the community from the renovation of Kyle Field. 8. Executive Session In accordance with the Texas Government Code §551.071-Consultation with Attorney, and §551.072-Deliberation Regarding Real Property, the College Station City Council convened into Executive Session at 5:01 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012 in order to continue discussing matters pertaining to: A. Consultation with Attorney to seek advice regarding pending or contemplated litigation; to wit: • City of Bryan's application with TCEQ for water & sewer permits in Westside/Highway 60 area, near Brushy Water Supply Corporation to decertify City of College Station and certify City of Bryan • Rachel Rahn v. Alma Martinez, The Arkitex Studio, Inc. et al, cause No. 09-000656- CV361 • Chavers et al v. Tyrone Morrow et al, No. 10-20792; Chavers v. Randall Hall et al, Case No. 10 CV-3922 • College Station v. Star Insurance Co., Civil Action No. 4:11-CV-02023 • Woodruff v. College Station, Cause No. 10-000515-CV-272 • Legal issues related to Public Works' employee complaint • Shirley Maguire and Holly Maguire vs. City of College Station, Cause No. 11-002516- CV-272, in the 272"d District Court of Brazos County, Texas B. Consultation with Attorney to seek legal advice; to wit: • Legal issues related to the Borrowed Employee Agreement between College Station and BVSWMA, Inc. C. Deliberation Regarding Real Property; to wit: t` • 204-220 Holleman Dr WKSHP011212 Minutes Page 4 • Property located at or near University Drive and Tarrow/East Tarrow Streets in College Station. • Property located generally southwest of the intersection of Dartmouth Street and Holleman Drive in College Station. The Executive Session adjourned at 6:58 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012. No action was required from Executive Session. 9. Adjournment MOTION: There being no further business, Mayor Berry adjourned the workshop of the College Station City Council at 6:58 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012. Nancy Berry, Mayor ATTEST: Sherry Mash , City Secretary WKSHP011212 Minutes Page 5