Minutes - 1/03/2019
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MINUTES FROM THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING HELD ON THE 3 DAY OF JANUARY 2019, IN THE
CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M, IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS, AT 6:00 P.M.
The Council met in a regular session with the following:
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Andy Brauninger, Joe Emmett, Tish Humphrey, Ronald Allen, Joe P. Rodriquez, Paul Davidhizar,
Clyde D. Loll, Mari Montgomery, Dee Howard Mullins
COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: None
OFFICERS PRESENT: Aron Kulhavy, City Manager; Lee Woodward, City Secretary; Leonard Schneider, City Attorney
WORKSHOP \[5:00 P.M.\] The City welcomed new Councilmember Dee Howard Mullins and thanked outgoing Councilmember
Tyler McCaffety.
MAIN SESSION \[6:00 p.m.\]
CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Brauninger called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGES
U.S. Flag
Texas Flag: Honor the Texas Flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state, under God, one, and indivisible.
Councilmember McCaffety gave the invocation and Samantha Spence led the pledges.
The Mayor read a statement thanking the council for their service.
1. ELECTION MATTERS
a. Administration of the Oath and Statement of Office to the duly-elected City Councilmember At-Large Position 2,
Dee Howard Mullins, and City Councilmember At-Large Position 3, Clyde D. Loll, by Walker County Judge Danny
Pierce.
b. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to elect a Mayor Pro Tem. \[Mayor Brauninger\]
Councilmember Rodriguez nominated Councilmember Joe Emmett as Mayor Pro Tem. The motion was adopted, 9-0
2. PUBLIC HEARING - The City Council will receive comments from all interested persons on the proposed annexation of
14.95 acres: Lot 1 (14.95 acres) of the Johnny Q. Griffin, II 31.12 Ac. Tract, a subdivision situated in the Alexander
Brown Survey, A-94 and the H. D. Ripley Survey, A-489, Walker County, Texas as shown on the plat recorded in Volume
4, Page 151 of the Plat Records of Walker County, Texas. Said Lot 1 (14.95 acres) conveyed by Johnny Quincy Griffin,
II to Weatherford U.S., L.P. by Special Warranty Deed dated August 25, 2008 and recorded in Volume 871, Page 881 of
the Official Public Records of Walker County, Texas.
The Mayor opened the public hearing at 6:11 p.m. The Mayor announced that the public hearing closed at 6:12 p.m.
3. CONSENT AGENDA
Public Comments will be called for by the presiding officer before action is taken on these items. (Approval of Consent
Agenda authorizes the City Manager to implement each item in accordance with staff recommendations. An item may
be removed from the Consent Agenda and added to the Statutory Agenda for full discussion by request of a member
of Council.)
a. Approve the minutes of the City Council meeting held on December 18, 2018, and December 26, 2018. \[Lee
Woodward, City Secretary\]
b. Authorize the City Manager to approve payment to TML MultiState Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool
(IEBP) for health insurance administrative fees. \[Julie O’Connell, Human Resources Director\]
c. Adopt Ordinance 2019-10 to amend the budget for FY 18-19 and the CIP budget. \[Steve Ritter, Finance Director\]
d. Adopt Resolution 2019-15 to allow the Deputy City Secretary to act in the absence of the City Secretary. \[Lee
Woodward, City Secretary\]
e. Adopt Resolution 2019-16 designating the signatories, the Civil Rights Officer, and the Labor Standards Officer for
the 2017-18 Texas Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Award # 7218221 from the Texas Department of
Agriculture. \[Steve Ritter, Finance Director\]
f. Authorize the City Manager to approve the purchase and installation of aftermarket equipment for FY2019 police
vehicles in the total amount of $55,822.00. \[Robert Pearce, Purchasing Manager\]
Councilmember Davidhizar moved to approve the consent agenda; the motion was seconded by Councilmember
Montgomery. The motion was adopted, 9-0.
4. STATUTORY AGENDA
a. FIRST READING - Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to consider authorizing the City
Manager to enter into a contract for the construction of 2018 AJ-12 Basin Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project
Nos. 18-10-01 and 18-10-02, and adopt Ordinance 2019-12 for the associated budget amendment, first reading. \[Y.
S. Ram Ramachandra, City Engineer\]
First reading, no action taken.
5. CITY COUNCIL/CITY MANAGER/CITY ATTORNEY
a. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action on nominations of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem
for the City Council 2019 representative and alternate, respectively, to the General Assembly and Board of Directors
of the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). \[Mayor Brauninger\]
The Mayor nominated himself and Mayor Pro Tem Emmett to the General Assembly and Board of Directors of the Houston-
Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). The motion was adopted, 9-0.
b. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action on the Mayor’s nominations for Council
committees. \[Mayor Brauninger\]
The Mayor moved his nomination of Tish Humphrey, Paul Davidhizar, Joe Emmett, and Joe Rodriguez to the Finance
Committee; and Clyde Loll to the Communication and Service Committee. The motion was adopted, 9-0.
c. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to consider opposing state legislation that
interferes with local services and local revenue or that limits local control. \[Mayor Brauninger\]
A video was shown from TML’s Our Home, Our Decision campaign. The council passed a resolution on the matter on
December 18, 2018.
d. FIRST READING - Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to consider adopting Ordinance
2019-11, authorizing annual participation with other Entergy service area cities in matters concerning Entergy
Texas, Inc., at the Public Utility Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2018, first reading.
\[Leonard Schneider, City Attorney\]
First reading, no action taken.
6. REQUESTS FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
An opportunity for citizens to be heard on any topic and for the City Council to participate in the discussion. No action will be
taken.
No requests were received by noon on Thursday, December 27, 2018.
7. MEDIA INQUIRIES RELATED TO MATTERS ON THE AGENDA
No media inquiries were made.
8. ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST
(Hear announcements concerning items of community interest from the Mayor, Councilmembers, and City staff, for
which no action will be discussed or taken.)
Mayor Brauninger invited citizens to join Council and staff for refreshments to thank City Secretary Lee Woodward for her service
to our city. The reception will be held at City Hall from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Lee has been our City Secretary since September 2009
and is going to join the City of La Porte.
Councilmember Humphrey encouraged the public to join H-E-B’s It’s Time Texas initiative begins January 8. There is still time
to register to participate by tracking physical activity, uploading healthy selfies, and so much more. Keep up the challenge through
March 3rd! Get started at ITTCommunityChallenge.com. The Mayor and Council have already pledged our support.
Councilmember Montgomery announced the Wynne Home will continue showing FM 405, Works by Lee Jamison through
January 17th. Stop by the Wynne Home to see all the wonderful artwork. For more information, visit TheWynneHome.com.
Councilmember Howard Mullins asked citizens to start their weekend with fun for the whole family! The Huntsville Public Library's
Family Movie Night will be held at 5:30 p.m., Friday, January 4th in the Staggs Community Room. Enjoy complimentary snacks
and remember to bring your own child-friendly drink and pillow or blanket. For more information, call 291-5910.
Councilmember Rodriquez announced that the Huntsville Girls Softball Association will be at Academy from 10-2 this Saturday
and the next two Saturdays, for registration. Find out more at HuntsvilleGirlsSoftballAssoc.org. The program is for girls between
the ages of 4 and 16. He also praised Huntsville Fire Department for their response to a Dec. 26 fire alarm event, in which Capt.
Tim Buehler and firefighters Donnie Smith and Derek Davis responded. HFD was on scene and handled the situation with
professionalism, resulting in no damage. He thanked the entire department on their level of efficiency.
8. EXECUTIVE SESSION
a. City Council will convene in closed session as authorized by Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, Section
551.071 to receive legal advice on the City of Huntsville Transfer Station facility.
The Council adjourned to Executive Session at 6:52 p.m.
9. RECONVENE
a. Take action on items discussed in executive session, if needed.
The Council reconvened at 8:05 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Brauninger adjourned the meeting without objection at 8:05 p.m.
Brenda Poe, Deputy City Secretary