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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/10/1987 - Regular Minutes City Council MINUTES CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: STUDENT GOV'T LIAISON: VISITORS PRESENT: Mayor Ringer, Councilmen Boughton, Brown, Jones, McIlhaney, Gardner, Haddox Assistant City Manager Ragland, City Attorney Locke, City Secretary Jones, Director of Capital Improvements Ash, Purchasing Agent McCartney, City Engineer Pullen, Director of Planning Callaway, Public Information Officer Calliham Kevin Buchman See guest register. Agenda Item No. 1 - Signing of a proclamation designating the week of September 17-23, 1987 as "Constitution Week". [~. Evelyn King, representing the Daughters of the American Revolution, accepted the proclamation signed by Mayor Ringer. Agenda Item No. 2 - Approval of the minutes of the City Council Regular Meeting, August 27, 1987. Councilman Boughton moved approval of the minutes; the motion was seconded by Councilman McIlhaney and was approved unanimously, 7-0. Agenda Item No. 3 - CONSENT AGENDA. Bids: 988-3 - Forklift 988-5 - 1/2 ton pickup truck, mini-van, mid-size pickup truck ~88-7 - 38' steel dump trailer ~88-8 - Sixteen-yard scraper #88-9 - Police Motorcycles (three) Councilman Brown removed Bid ~88-5 from the consent agenda. other items were approved by common consent. A11 , '06 559 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 Page 2 Councilman Brown stated a concern about the selection of low bid- der for the mid-size pickup truck and the 1/2 ton pickup truck. He pointed out the small difference in bid price between the local dealer and the out-of-town dealer and expressed his belief that the City should keep the business local in order to receive proper warranty service. Assistant City Manager Ragland responded that it would be hard to justify not accepting the low bidder. After further discussion, Councilman Brown directed staff to re- search the specifications for warranty agreements with out-of- town bidders. He emphasized that the local car dealers would want the "local bid business". Councilman Brown moved approval of the low bid as recommended by staff. Councilman Boughton seconded the motion which was ap- proved unanimously, 7-0. AGenda Item No. 4 - Consideration of a resolution expressing the appreciation of the Cit~ of College Station for the State Highway 30 project completed b~ the Highway Department of the State of Texas. Councilman Boughton moved approval of the Resolution expressing the appreciation of the City of College Station for the State Highway 30 project completed by the Highway Department. Councilman McIlhaney seconded the motion which carried unanimous- ly, 7-0. Mayor Ringer read the resolution and presented it to Carol Ziegler, District Engineer of the State Highway Department. Mr. Ziegler stated that the Highway 30 Project was a cooperative one, and he appreciated the efforts of the city staff. AGenda Item No. 5 - Consideration of an ordinance to amend Chapter 4, Section 7 of the Code b~ deleting Subsection 7.H relating to an Ambulance Advisory Committee. Mayor Ringer stated that the staff has recommended that the com- mittee be abolished. He noted that the city now employs a med- ical doctor to direct the EMS operation, and the need for the committee no longer exists. 06 60 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 Page 3 Councilman Boughton asked the staff to recognize the members for their service to the comunity. Mayor Ringer responded that a letter of appreciation or a certificate of appreciation could be sent. Councilman Jones moved approval of Ordinance No. 1724 abolishing the Ambulance Advisory Committee. Councilman McIlhaney seconded the motion which was approved unanimously, 7-0. Agenda Item No. 6 - Consideration of approval of Woodcreek - Sebesta 12" waterline project. City Engineer Pullen described the project. He stated that this request is for funding the installation of a 12" waterline from the Woodcreek Subdivision to Sebesta Road. He explained that this item is a result of the State Highway Department project re- lating to the Dartmouth Street Interchange. He gave the back- ground of the project and pointed out advantages to placement of the waterline as currently proposed, instead of placing a line down the Highway 6 road frontage. He noted that this 12" water- line will provide a more reliable water service to Emerald Forest, Sandstone, Estates of Indian Trails, and Foxfire. Mr. Pullen stated that the costs associated to this project are approximately $94,000 and can be funded with 1981 Revenue Bond unallocated interest. Councilman Brown inquired about the ap- proximate starting date. Mr. Pullen replied that consideration of the bids may come before Council during the latter part of November or first of December. Councilman Brown moved to approve the Woodcreek - Sebesta 12" waterline project in the amount of $94,000. The motion was seconded by Councilman Boughton and was approved unanimously by a vote of 7-0. Agenda Item No. 7 - (Follow-up on Professional Service Proposals made at the Workshop Meeting, September 9, 1987). 7A. Discussion of Consultants for Wolf Pen Creek Project. Councilman Gardner noted that only one of the three consulting firms was represented in the audience. He stated his opinion that unless all firms or no firms were present for the discus- sion, the council should enter executive session to conduct their basic discussion on the comparison of firms. Mayor Ringer pointed out that the city attorney had advised the council that the item could be discussed in closed session. 06561 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 Page 4 Hugh Nations, reporter from the EAGLE, was given permission to address the council. Mr. Nations asked that the discussion be held in open meeting. His request was endorsed by other members of the media present. Mr. Nations expressed his opinion that the Open Meetings Act provision on personnel matters covers city per- sonnel only, and that the buying of services from an independent contractor should be treated the same as a bid purchase of equip- ment. Pointing out that the procedure to select consultants is not a bidding process, City Attorney Locke disagreed with Mr. Nations and explained that the Open Meetings Act does not say a specific type of personnel. After further discussion, the council voted on the question of debating the item in open session. The vote was 6-1, with Coun- cilman Gardner dissenting, to hold the discussion in open meeting. Councilman Brown asked for a report from the staff. Assistant City Manager Ron Ragland stated that the staff did not have a formal report; he noted that the staff had originally prioritized the submittals from twenty-seven firms, to determine the top ten. He commented that the council committee had narrowed the ten down to three, and the staff felt that any one of the three would be capable of doing the work. Councilman McIlhaney stated that after reviewing all of the material and listening to the presentations, she thought that the J.T. Dunkin firm from Dallas clearly stood out as being able to work with the major drainageway involved. She complimented their approach to the project, mentioned the well-written information they provided, and noted that their price was within an accept- able range. Councilman Haddox stated that all three firms were well-qualified technically to do the project. He stressed that successful com- pletion of the project could depend upon the involvement and sup- port of the community, and stated his belief that Walton and As- sociates would provide an extra plus through their ability to present an outstanding demonstration to sell the program. He commented that J.T.Dunkin's firm did a great job with their writ- ten proposal but the other two firms presented theirs better. He indicated that his choice would be Walton. 06362 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 Page 5 Councilman Gardner stated that after studying all of the propos- als, he placed Dunkin's first. He commented that although the presentations carry a lot of influence, he believed most of the weight of the decision should be based on the written materials. He noted his disagreement with some of the emphasis that all three firms placed on the basic project as being a drainage proj- ect. He gave several reasons why he considers Wolf Pen Creek primarily to be a job for landscape architects and planners rather than one for engineers, and he noted that the Walton firm is essentially an engineering firm. Councilman Gardner continued by referring to the project plan submitted by J.T. Dunkin, and stated that it was well-organized. He pointed out that the overall task is large and has time con- straints requiring the expertise of people like Dunkin with ex- perience in this type of project. Councilman Brown stated that he was impressed with all three of the firms and is excited about the project. He emphasized that his concern is for the need to sell the public, and he believes that someone local will be more effective in this role. He also expressed his opinion that the previous involvement of Walton and Associates with the city's storm water management program would be beneficial, and that he would personally vote for Walton. Councilman Boughton agreed with Councilmen Brown and Haddox on the advantage of local personnel to carry the program to the citizens. She stated that all three proposals were excellent, but she was particularly impressed with Walton's skill in getting the message across. She referred to the experience that Walton has obtained through previous jobs. Councilman Jones stated that she regarded Dunkin's presentation as being the most professional and thorough, and she felt quite comfortable with his proposals for funding. She emphasized that she also has strong feelings toward support of the local business community. She requested additional input from the staff con- cerning their evaluation of the firms. Mayor Ringer agreed on the importance of keeping business local but noted that council needed to retain the ability to get out- side bids. 06363 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 Page 6 City Planner Jim Callaway reported that he met with Mark Smith and Tony Cisneros to review the three presentations, and the staff thought that all three were good. Mr. Callaway listed the individual strengths of each organization as recognized by the staff, then concluded that overall the J.T. Dunkin firm had the broadest range of strengths. 7B. Executive Session to discuss Personnel [6252-17 (2)(g)] 1. Discussion of Consultants for Wolf Pen Creek Project. The Council did not hold an executive session. AGenda Item No. 8. Consideration of Consultants for Wolf Pen Creek Project. Councilman Haddox moved to accept the proposal furnished by Walton and Associates. The motion was seconded by Councilman Brown. Councilman McIlhaney pointed out that Walton and Associates is still working with the city on the drainage project, and will continue to be involved through that job. She stated her opinion that adding the strength of the J.T. Dunkin company would be a plus for the city. The vote on the motion to award the project to Walton and As- sociates was defeated by the following vote of 4-3. FOR: Councilmen Boughton, Brown, and Haddox AGAINST: Mayor Ringer, Councilmen Gardner, Jones, and McIlhaney Councilman McIlhaney moved to accept the proposal furnished by J.T. Dunkin. The motion was seconded by Councilman Jones. Following a general discussion concerning the need to sell the project and the ability of the firms to present it to the public, the council voted on the motion to award the project to J.T. Dun- kin. The motion was approved by the following vote of 4-3. FOR: Mayor Ringer, Councilmen Gardner, Jones, and McIlhaney AGAINST: Councilmen Boughton, Brown, and Haddox A~enda Item No. 9. Hear Visitors. No one spoke. , 06364 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1987 Page 7 Agenda Item 10. - Closed session to discuss pending litigation [6252-17 (2)(e)] , land acquisition [6252-17 (2)(f)], and personnel [6252-17(2)(~)]. The council conducted an executive session from 6:10 p.m. to 6:55 p.m. to discuss pending litigation and land acquisition. This earlier session was held after the situation was explained to the media, and no objections were raised to the early discussion on the litigation and land acquisition. No discussion was held con- cerning personnel. Agenda Item No. 11. - Action on closed session. No action was taken. Agenda Item No. 12. - Adjourn. Mayor Ringer declared the meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m. APPROVED: Larrl~.) R~.~ M~ ATTEST: ~o~ty Secretary .".06365