HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/27/1981 - Special Minutes City Council MINUTES
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY, JULY 27, 1981
12:00 NOON
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mayor Halter, Councilmen Jones, Prause, Runnels, Ringer
Dozier
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: Councilmen Boughton
STAFF PRESENT:
City Manager Bardell, Asst. City Manager/Finance Director
VanDever, City secretary/Tax Assessor-Collector Schroeder,
Utilities Administrator Piwonka, Citizens Service Representa-
tive Jones
VISITORS PRESENT:
See guest register.
Agenda Item No. 1 - Consideration of Utility Billing under Ordinance No. 1303.
Assistant City Manager/Finance Director VanDever explained to the council how the
utility billing system is set up. He explained that there are 4 cycles in the billing
system and the city bills and reads the meters accordingly. The controversy of
this issue is that the last cycle (cycle 4) would be affected by the new electrical
rate as of June 25, 1981 on the electricity they used before that date.
The council discussed if the rate actually went into effect on July 1, 1981 or
did the rate affect the electricity used before the date it was passed.
Assistant City Manager/Finance Director VanDever stated that the reasons most
residents are concerned now is because electricity rates had gone down over the last
few years.
He stated that if the utility department changes their procedure, it would be rather
difficult in the future to read all meters in one week and bill all accounts of
College Station at the old rate due to the cycle problem. One way he suggested to
organize this would be to inform customers of the effective date when new rates
are passed.
Councilman Dozier asked how much it would cost and how much trouble it would be to
refund the money to the customers in Cycle 4.
Finance Director VanDever stated that there were two ways to do this. One would be
to write a credit to each account or to run a program on the computer to credit
each account in cycle 4, eigher one would be very complicated.
City Manager Bardell stated that if anything is to be done to credit these accounts,
this needed to be before the fall session begins when approximately 5000 new accounts
would be opened.
City Manager Bardell suggested that in the future when the city came up with a
new rate adjustment, an effective date for billing be clearly stated.
Councilman Ringer asked how long the computer is run on a daily basis.
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SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING PAGE 2
MONDAY, JULY 27, 1981
12:00 Noon
Finance Director VanDever stated that it now runs 8 hours during the day and
approximately 4 to 5 hours at night.
Councilman Ringer stated that if the city went back and re-billed the accounts,
this could put the city back in the trouble that occured before the customers
receiving two bills in the same month.
After further discussion, Councilman Ringer moved to keep the procedures the
utility department is currently using for utility rate adjustments and in the
future specify a date for new billing rates to become effective.
Councilman Jones seconded the motion.
Councilman Dozier stated that an adjustment should be made for the accounts in
Cycle 4, yet since there was no solution at this time to the problem, he feels
the council should keep the procedure as it is.
The motion was voted on and passed as follows:
FOR: Mayor Halter, Councilmen Jones, Ringer, Runnels, Dozier
AGAINST: Councilman Prause
A~enda Item No. 2 - Council Concerns.
Finance Director VanDever stated that there could be a problem in the city depository
bid form due to a tie between banks occuring.
He stated that they were going to attach an addendum to the bid form that states
a change in the way some of the categories were weighted.
City Manager Bardell stated that the City of Bryan's number 1 Water Pump was broken
down. He had advised the City of Bryan, that in an event of a fire or a serious
emergency, authorization would be made to open the water valves of the City of
College Station for Bryan.
Councilman Dozier asked if our pumps could put pressure into their system.
City Manager Bardell stated that we could not put much pressure in it but would
provide some water.
After further discussion, the council had no objections in helping the City of Bryan.
Agenda Item No. 3 - Adjourn.
The Mayor adjourned the meeting.
Glenn Schroeder, City Secretary
Gary H~lt~ayor
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GUEST REGISTER
SPECIAZ CITY C~UNCILMBETING
MONDAY, JULY 27, 1981
12:00 Noon
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