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MIN CC 07/27/1982BOOK "N" -- PAGE 225 MINUTES OF THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 27TH DAY OF JULY, A.D., 1982 IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS AT 7:00 P.M. The Council met in regular session with the following members present: William V. Nash, Mayor Larry Corley Stephen E. Davis Jerry L. Dowling Bill Hodges Delora King Goree McGlothen Jane Monday Member absent: Murray A. Brown The meeting was called to order by the Honorable William V. Nash, Mayor. The invocation was presented by the Reverend Rick Blake of the Elkins Lake Baptist Church. PUBLIC HEARING Gulf States Utilities Proposed Rate Increase Mayor Nash asked if anyone was present who wished to speak to the proposed GSU rate increase. No one came forward to speak. Mayor Nash then asked each Councilmember for their comments. Councilmember Monday asked the staff to pursue information regarding the "Lifeline" program which provides a rate break for the retired and fixed income people and said she would support a resolution of this Council in support of this concept to be forwarded to the Texas Municipal League. Councilmember McGlothen wished to know the net income of GSU and also expressed his interest in the Lifeline program. Councilmember King asked to go on record as opposing the 29% rate increase and she noted three citizens had contacted her with this same opposition: Ruth Irwin, Virginia Irwin and Tom Blackard. Councilmember Dowling expressed his concern that the Council is more or less powerless to take action on this rate increase other than to rely on the PUC for their determination. Councilmember Hodges noted his interest in the Lifeline program for the elderly, fixed income and small users and felt conservation should be stressed in the use of electrical energy. He noted also that the PUC's job is to review these rate structures and he felt the Council must rely on their expertise and knowledge in this area. Councilmember Davis noted he is very much opposed to this rate increase of almost 30% at this time in the present state of the economy which sees businesses going out of business and fixed income people having to do without air conditioning, which is a real necessity in this part of the country. He noted the PUC should be asked to look closely at the amount of increase requested and consider the economic conditions in existence today. He indicated he too would be in favor of the Lifeline Program. Councilmember Monday noted in some cases the electricity bills are higher than the house payments and we could see people driven out of their homes because of electrical costs. Mayor Nash noted he too had been contacted about the rate increase by his wife, Una Grace and by Mr. Sid Ramsey, both indicating the rates are too high. Mayor Nash then recognized Mr. Joel Jeffcoat of the local GSU office and Mr. John Conley of the Conroe office who were in attendance. There being no further comments from the public, Councilmember King then made the motion to close the public hearing and Councilmember Corley seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Councilmember Corley made the motion to accept and approve the minutes of July 13, 1982 and Councilmember Monday seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. ATTENDING CITIZEN Tourist Council Chairman, Mr. Bob Tavenner, to review Budget Mr. Bob Tavenner, Chairman of the Tourist Council, presented the Chamber of Commerce Tourist and Information Bureau Budget request to the City Council, in the amount of $107,185. He then briefly reviewed the salient features of the proposed budget for FY1982 -1983. No action was taken on this budget. The Council will act upon this budget request when it considers the entire City budget in the coming weeks. CONSIDER A CONTRACT FOR SERVICES WITH THE HUNTSVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Mayor Nash then presented the Agreement for Fire Protection Service between the City of Huntsville and the Huntsville Volunteer Fire Company. City Attorney Scott Bounds noted he has made a few changes to the contract to add the statement and outside the City Limits as provided in Section XII" to Section I. He noted still to be added to the contract was the list of equipment the city will permit the volunteers to use (Section VII b). He asked the Council to change, in Section VIV, the reference to Section XVI should be Section XV. Councilmember King then made the motion to approve the agreement with these changes and Councilmember Monday seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT Councilmember King made the motion to approve the quarterly financial report for the period ending June 30, 1982 and Concilmember McGlothen seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 30, 1982 Councilmember King made the motion to approve the various funds budget adjustments for the quarter ending June 30, 1982 and Councilmember Corley seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER THE QUARTERLY TAX REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JUNE 30, 1982 Councilmember King made the motion to approve the quarterly tax report for the period ending June 30, 1982 and Councilmember Corley seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 226 PAGE 226 -- BOOK "N" Minutes of July 27, 1982 CONTINGENCY FUND EXPENDITURE AND BALANCE REVIEW The Council then reviewed a memorandum from Patricia Allen, Director of Finance, recapping the activity of the contingency funds, dated July 21, 1982. Councilmembers were advised that no action is required on this report but that it is provided for their information only. There were no questions about this report. CONSIDER A REQUEST TO PURSUE BIDS FOR PURCHASE OF A COMPUTER FOR FINANCE DIVISION Councilmember Monday made the motion to authorize the staff to go out for bids for the finance computer and to approve of the proposed plan to transfer the processor'the Finance Division currently has to the Police Department. Councilmember Corley seconded the motion. Councilmember DOWLING voted OPPOSED to the motion. All other councilmembers voted in favor. The motion therefore'passed 7 to 1. (Councilmember Brown absent) CONSIDER A REQUEST TO PURCHASE A VENDING MACHINE FOR USE AT'THE SERVICE CENTER Councilmember Corley made the motion to approve the purchase of a vending machine for use at the Service Center and Councilmember King seconded the motion. Councilmember Monday urged the stocking of health foods in this machine to insure good health in our employees. Mayor Nash noted the staff may wish to research the use of other machines such as this for use in the city as opposed to the current arrangement. All were in favor of the motion and it passed unanimously. CONSIDER AMENDING THE JUST COMPENSATION SCHEDULE FOR THE HUD PROJECT Councilmember McGlothen made the motion to approve the staff appraiser's recommendation (Robert Smith) that the six easements in question be valued at 100% of fair market value so as to be in compliance with HUD regulations and Councilmember King seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Progress in the Water Tower Land Acquisition Project Gene Pipes, City Manager, then reviewed the progress in the acquisition of land for the construction of a water tower. He presented the Council with copies of notices of the intent to issue certificate of obliga- tion for the purchase of two parcels, notice of exchange of parcels, the certificate of obligation documents, and the contract for the exchange of land for the Council's review. He noted the notices were advertised in the newspaper on July 24 and will again appear on August 1. He then gave a brief review of the events leading to this development. Mayor Nash noted that water revenues had been adjusted a year ago in preparation to build a fund for this two million dollar project. Mr. Pipes noted action will be taken on these procedures in the upcoming meeting of August 3, 1982. Review of Water and Sewer Revenues for 1982 The City Manager distributed copies of water and sewer revenue comparisons for the last several years for the Council's information. Consider Approval and Funding of a Proposal to Conduct an Assessment Center for the Vacant Position of Police Captain. The Council was then provided with information on proposals from various consultants to conduct an assess- ment center for the observation and evaluation of participants being considered for advancement to the captain's position. Mr. Pipes, City Manager, noted it is the staff's recommendation that the Council accept the low bid of Matthews, Moore & Oettmeier in the amount of $2,000 and that it be funded from General Fund Contingency, which has a balance of $107,248. After some discussion, a motion was made by Councilmember Hodges to accept the bid of Matthews, Moore & Oettmeier and Councilmember Monday seconded the motion. Councilmember Monday noted her second was a "qualified yes" noting she would like additional information from the Chief of Police and felt this was an expensive way to fill one position. Councilmember Hodges and Davis agreed with Council- member Monday and Mayor Nash noted he too would probably not have done it this way in his business. However, the general consensus seemed to be that since this policy was established in the Personnel Rules, it would be used in this instance and that if the Council wished to change the assessment center concept after this first experience, that it would feel free to do so. Councilmembers McGlothen, Davis and King voted OPPOSED to the motion. Councilmembers Monday, Corley, Hodges, Dowling and Mayor Nash voted for the motion. Councilmember Brown was absent. The motion therefore passed by a vote of five to three. Budget Packet Updates Gene Pipes then distributed to the Council their latest updates to their budget packet information. He noted it was a summary of the budget based on a 51d tax rate, which is less than a 3 percent increase to the general fund for this new fiscal year. He noted it includes a 5 percent cost of living increase. He also pre- sented a water and sewer and sanitation fund summary. The Council was also provided with the recalculation of all personnel sheets based on the 5 percent adjustment. Police Division Car Plan Gene Pipes presented to the Council for their information an "individual car plan" involving Department of Public Safety units from Austin. He noted it would cost $52,350 to fund this program if the Council approves. Commendation of Fire Department The City Manager then shared a letter of commendation and thanks from Mr. Jack Kyle expressing his appre- ciation for the diligent and conscientious work of the local volunteer fire department in fighting a fire at his personal residence. H.U.D. Project Update An update on the Community Development Project was received from Kathy James which brought the Council - up - to-date on the current status of this work. 1 1 JULY 27, 1982 MINUTES PAGE 227, BOOK N City Participation in Funding of Dixie League's Trip to Florida Gene Pipes, City Manager, passed along the request of Ms. Barbara McGinty for assistance from the City for funds to send the Dixie League Softball Team to the tournament in Florida, noting it would cost some $4,000 and that some $2,000+ has already been raised. After some discussion, the Mayor conveyed the general feeling of the Council in this regard is that it would not be appropriate for the City to fund this project and that this Council did not wish to set a precedent. MAYOR'S REPORT Huntsville Housing Authority Mayor Nash noted he will adhere to his policy of not "re- appointing" people to boards as he felt this would be an infringement on their willingness to assist the City. Therefore, he noted three members of the Huntsville Housing Authority had served the City well and their terms were expired and these members are Valree Patrick, Jeff Pipes and Percy Howard. He noted he wished to make three new appointments to carry on with the work of the Housing Authority, as follows: Ms. Bettye Weatherall 1982 -1984 Mr. Dennis Baker 1982 -1984 Mr. Bob Eubanks 1982 -1984 He noted these terms are for two years. Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve the Mayor's appointments and Councilmember Corley seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Region 14 TML Annual Meeting Mayor Nash noted the Region 14 TML annual meeting would be held in Houston at the Summit Club on August 19, 1982, a Thursday night. He noted formal invitations would be sent out during the first week in August. High Noon Concerts Advised the Council the Huntsville Arts Commission was sponsoring the high noon concerts on the Courthouse Square east lawn the last Thursdays of the summer months. He noted this Thursday's performance will be by the Percussion and Marimba Ensembles at 12:00 Noon. Chamber of Commerce Morning Meeting Mayor Nash noted David Farrar, Chief of Police, spoke to the Chamber of Commerce relating to crime prevention and the need for each citizen to be involved in crime prevention. He noted Mr. Farrar stressed that the action of citizens many times can prevent a crime from happening. COUNCIL ACTION Delora King noted efforts are underway to organize a Humane Society in Huntsville. She noted the first meeting is scheduled for August 4 at 7:00 P.M. in the City Hall Conference Room, should anyone be interested in attend- ing. Jerry Dowling asked the City Staff to study what role the City should be playing in the area of Parks and Recreation. Does it want to provide the facilities and then let the people to their own thing, or does it want to provide the facilities and organize and operate the baseball, softball, etc., events as well. Mayor Nash asked the staff to do some research in this regard. Jane Monday asked Mr. Allen Hightower, the Democratic candidate for State Representative present in the audience, to investigate the record of the Texas Public Utilities Commission. She noted it is her understanding that our PVC in Austin is the second most favorable to utilities. Jane Monday asked for a work session to discuss the City's recreational philosophy. Larry Corley expressed his dismay, along with Councilmembers Dowling and McGlothen that although it is the consensus of everyone on the Council that it is opposed to the big GSU rate increase, it is frustrating to them to sit there and not do anything about it. Councilmember Corley noted 100 percent of the group here at this meeting is against the rate increase. Councilmember McGlothen felt we should make our feelings known through the Texas Municipal League. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business of the Council for the formal meeting, the Mayor then adjourned the meeting. Respectfully submitted, uth DeShaw, City Secretary July 27, 1982