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MIN CC 11/10/2010City Council Meetings of November 2010 Book °V9 MINUTES FROM THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 10TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2010, IN THE CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS AT 6PM. The Council met in a special session with the following: COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: J. Turner, Mac Woodward, Jack Wagamon, Lanny Ray, Dalene Zender, Melissa Templeton, Wayne Barrett, Tom Cole COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: Charles Forbus OFFICERS PRESENT: Bill Balne, City Manager, Leonard Schneider, City Attorney, Lee Woodward, City Secretary SPECIAL SESSION'" [6 :00PM1 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Turner called the meeting to order at 5:03pm. 2. PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE 3. INVOCATION Councilmember Barrett gave the invocation. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT Dick Lindeman thanked the outgoing Couneiimembers for their service, and presented a fist of significant Council achievements, working with the City Manager and City staff, In their tenure, (below). CITY COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENTS • Stopped Raising Property Taxes and Utility Rates. 0 Lowered Property Tax Rates the Last Four Years. 0 Lowered the City Water and Sewer Rates. • Balanced the Budget - Stopped Deficit Spending. • Cut the Cost of City GovemmenL O Cut back or eliminated questionable projects. 0 Cut Administrative and Overhead Costs of the City. • Paid Off Some of the City's Debt 0 No New Debt Unless Specifically Approved by the Voters. • Made Essential Services the First Priority of the City. 0 More Patrolmen and Fully Equipped Patrol Cars on the Streets. O Hired and Equipped More Professionally Trained Firemen. 0 Built and Equipped a New Fire Station — No Tax increase. O Expanded the City Library — No Tax Increase. 0 Improved Streets and Roads. 0 Put Streetlights in Elkins Lake. 0 Upgraded Existing Water and Sewer Facilities. 0 Improved Water Quality. 0 Built Sidewalks Near Schools and Needed Areas - More Coming. 0 Improved City Parks — Kate Barr Ross and Eastham Thomason. 0 Successful Solid Waste Recycling Pilot Program. • Developed a Sound Approach to Economic Development • Stopped a Proposed Power Grab over Private Property. • A More User - Friendly Development Code is in work. • Selective Tax Breaks for New or Expanded Industry. • No Tax Breaks for Outside Competing Retail. • Reduced Risk of Loss from Ravenwood Village by $6.0 Million. • Retained $10 Million for Ravenwood Village Commercial Area. 0 Eliminated the ineffective Part of the TIRZ. • Provided More Open City Government. 0 Televised and Video-Archived City Council meetings. O Easier Access to Public information - Improved City Web Site. 0 City Charter Changes Give Power Back to the People. • Stopped the misuse of City HOT Tax Funds. • Brought Control of these Funds back Inside the City. • Initiated Action to Recover Misspent Funds. • Put the City, County and State on Track to fix Highway 19. • Put Town Creek on a Path for Major Upgrade. Glen Carter thanked the outgoing Councilmembers for their time, dedication, courage, and honesty. William Elmer said he had come to love the outgoing Counclimembers. He said the voters had spoken, that they wanted change, but change from what, he wondered. He said he thought the public wanted 'unity in the community" and questioned what the compromise City Council Meetings of November 2010 Book of the voters would bring the City. Delora King thanked all the Coundimembers, saying she thought they had done a magnificent job, and that this was the best Council the City had ever had or was ever likely to. Karl Davidson said he didn't know how to express his appreciation adequately, but that he liked Councilmember Ray's statement about • doing the 'hard right rather than the easy wrong.' Mr. Davidson said he could count a minimum of thirty-three things for the community. He said that eleven years ago, he and others had seen nine [Coundlmembers] vote in lock step and rarely ask questions, and take orders from others. He said the legacy of the outgoing Councilmembers would be one of achievement, and that he hoped the incoming Councilmembers would have the courage and skills to continue. George Russell said he had waited for decades for four At -Large Coundlmembers who believed in "liberty, and justice for all." He said he wanted it on the record that the 'harassment of George Russell" would begin again, although he said he hoped that would not be the case. Mr. Russell went on to donate a couple of his educational DVDs on abstinence to the library, as he said that he and Councilmember Ray had been portrayed as °child - killers° in this election. He said that neither of them had ever promoted abortion, and that to him, in America, votes cast based on lies and deceit were not valid votes. 5. ELECTION MATTERS a. Presentation, discussion, and possible action to approve Ordinance # 2011 -05, canvassing the returns of the Regular Municipal Election held on the 2nd day of November 2010, for the purpose of electing four At -Large Councilmembers. [Lee Woodward, City Secretary] Mayor Turner made a motion to approve the canvass ordinance. Counciimember Ray seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 8-0 (Councilmember Forbus absent). 6. PUBLIC COMMENT William Elmer said the Council now had the opportunity to be gracious and to be mentors to the incoming Councilmembers, and that there needed an expression of the mentality that involved saving taxpayers dollars. Richard Watkins thanked the outgoing Coundimembers, who, he said, had shown professional courage and courage under great odds at great personal sacrifice. He said it was unfortunate that more citizens did not avail themselves of truth, and recognize the contributions that occur 'when courageous people do the right thing." He thanked the Council, and said he hoped the Incoming Coundimembers would be as transparent as they had been. Charles Wagamon said public service was not an easy thing, and that the real test of the outgoing Councilmembers' legacy would be having peace when they woke at night and asked themselves if they had made the right decisions. He assured them that they • would be at peace. John Strickland said he was there simply to show the Council one of the highest degrees of respect that can be received, and saluted them. 7. MEDIA INQUIRIES RELATED TO MATTERS ON THE AGENDA There were no media Inquiries. S. 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.) Counciimember Templeton said she appreciated everyone coming to support the Council, and how proud she had been to serve the community. She thanked the citizens for electing her four and a half years ago, and appreciated their trust and confidence. She said she felt she had served them faithfully and honorably. Councilmember Templeton said she had teamed a lot, and was open to helping and mentoring the incoming Councilmembers. She said she had been honest and ethical, and that as it said on her mother's tombstone, "it is well with my soul." Counciimember Zender thanked the public for her four and a half year tens, describing it as "an absolute pleasure" to have been a servant to the citizens of Huntsville. She said she had learned a lot about compromise, and about doing the right thing every time for the right reasons. Councilmember Zender said it had been an honor, that the Council had done great things, and how much she appreciated the other Councilmembers for their advice, mentoring, debate, and respect given her. She thanked the City Manager for his bluntness and honesty, and said the City staff and employees were great She said she would certainly be willing to work with the incoming Councilmembers as well. Coundlmember Ray thanked those who had come out, and assured Judge Wagamon that he was already at peace with his decisions. Councilmember Ray said that he had done everything he said he was going to do when he first ran, and then some. He said the Council took the "hard rights over the easy wrongs; and what was best for the citizens, and that he believed Huntsville was a better place for the actions of all of the Council. He said the election was over, but now was the time to set aside hurt feelings and seek education and common ground for a shared goal of making Huntsville a better place to live. 9. AOURNM The DJ meeting s EiiFZ jour6d at 5:33p.m.