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MIN CC 09/25/1984MINUTES OF THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 25TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, A.D., 1984 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 0. Eugene Barrett Murray A. Brown Stephen E. Davis Jerry L. Dowling Bill Hodges Percy Howard, Jr. Jane Monday Bob Tavenner EXECUTIVE SESSION The Mayor called the meeting to order and then recessed the Council into executive session to discuss personnel and real estate matters. FORMAL SESSION Mayor Nash then reconvened the regular meeting of the City Council. Gene Pipes, City Manager, gave the invocation. CONSIDER THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve of the minutes of September 18, 1984 as prepared and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. ATTENDING CITIZEN Mr. Gary Collins, HISD Superintendent, to discuss a joint city /school district resolution imposing a time limit on school night activities for youth athletic groups using public facilities Mr. Collins and Mr. James Chase, President of the School Board, were present. Mr. Collins advised the Council of the educational reform movement that is taking place in the State of Texas and that H1SD is involved in this movement as well as every other district in the state. He noted House Bill 72 and-House Bill 246 have placed a great deal of accountability on school districts and have made a number of changes, not only in curri- culum,.but in every aspect of the schooling profession. He noted everything from discipline, extracurricular activities, ways students are graded, and exit exams before diplomas are issued have been changed. He noted the HiSD has rescheduled some of its basketball games and after school activities so that the youngsters can return home at a decent hour, noting two games are played simultaneously on the road (one at Junior High and nne at the Varsity Gym); noting this eliminates approximately a two hour delay in returning to Huntsville. He asked the Council to consider a joint resolution with the School Board to establish a rule on game time for little league, soccer, etc. to the effect that all games will cease at,10:00 P.M. He noted it is important that these young people get home and to sleep on school nights so that they can perform well in school the next day. He noted more accountability has been placed upon the district and upon the teachers because of the reform measures and he feels that through this request and with the city's cooperation,the school district will be able to meet that accountability measure with much more success. Councilmember Hodges noted his concern also for setting a stopping hour by perhaps turning out the lights at 10:00 P.M. Mayor Nash noted he would not have a problem with this request if the school board will also have a similar policy on other activities outside of city facilities. Mr. Collins noted this will address all program, on school nights sponsored by the school and those activities which involve children using city facilities. Councilmember Dowling made the motion that city recreational facilities (non -adult facilities) have their• lights terminated at 10:00 P.M. or earlier as a city policy. Councilmember Hodges noted he would rather rave this request come from the school board (in writing). Councilmember Monday noted it may be better for the school board to draw up a resolution, pass it, and then send it to the Council for our action in conjunction with them. Mayor Nash noted he feels better about doing this through a joint resolution with the school board, rather than setting a city rule apart from the school board. Councilmember Dowling saw no problem with the vehicle used to achieve the end result, however, he was concerned about how practical it might be to "turn the lights off." City Manager noted all lights on the fields could be turned off, but the security lights could be left on Councilmember Monday noted the field lights could be on timers so that they would automatically turn off at 10:00 P.M. on school nights. Councilmember Davis commended Collins for bringing this to the Council's attention at this time when everyone is becoming aware of the changes in the education legislation and prior to ball season. He asked that the joint resolution be brought back for the Council's consideration at the next meeting. Mayor Nash noted the Council seems to have a consensus of agreement with the joint resolution concept. Mr. Collins said he would be back in the near future with the Resolution, as soon as the School Board can take action on it. CONSIDER ORDINANCES Consider Ordinance approving and adopting FY 84 -85 Budget ORDINANCE N0. 84 -23 AN ORDINANCE FINDING THAT ALL THINGS REQUISITE AND NECESSARY HAVE BEEN DONE IN PREPARATION AND PRESENTMENT OF AN ANNUAL BUDGET; APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1, 1984 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 1985; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. [$14,235,138] Councilmember Hodges made the motion to approve of Ordinance No. 84 -23 and Councilmember Monday seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Consider Ordinance setting the tax rate for FY 84 -85 ORDINANCE NO. 84 -24 AN ORDINANCE FIXING THE TAX RATE AND LEVYING TAXES FOR THE CiTY OF HUNTSVILLE FOR THE ENSUING FISCAL YEAR UPON ALL TAXABLE PRUi'LRTY LOCATED WITHIN AND SUBJECT TO TAXATION IN THE CiTY; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. [56c/$100 of assessed value] Councilmember Hodges made the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 84 -24 setting the tax rate to be the same as last year's rate and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unani- mously. Consider ordinance establishing water and sewer rates for FY 84 -85 ORDINANCE NO. 84 -25 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, INCREASING RATES FOR WATER AND SEWER SERVICE FURNISHED BY THE CITY; MAKING VARIOUS FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED THERETO; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. Councilmember Monday made the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 84 -25 which increases the water and sewer rates by 10 percent over last year's rate and Councilmember Howard seconded the motion. City Manager noted power costs are going up substantially and a major portion of this increase is made up there and the remainder of the increase is to take care of inflation. Mayor Nash noted approximately 5a of this increase is to make the revenues equal to the expenditures estimated and the other 5Q was to increase the reserve. Mayor Nash emphasized that this is a proprietary fund and the Council acts as a board to adniinister it. He noted it is important that the Council be prudent in handling this so that it does not go in the "red "; noting it is a non - profit fund. All were in favor of the motion on the floor and it passed unanimously. CONSIDER SOLID WASTE COLLECTION CONTRACT Consider approval of a contract for supplemental solid waste collection with Refuge Service Specialties at the current rate structure The City Manager, Gene Pipes, advised the Council this contract is in existence now and the Council is asked to approve it for another year at the same rates. He noted the contractor is Walter Cheney, Jr., dba Refuge Service Specialties. Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve of this contract for another year and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER REVISED SERVICE PLAN Consider a revised service plan proposed for the areas to be considered for annexation. Scott Bounds, City Attorney, advised the Council of the changes made in the service plan since the Council first reviewed it. Mayor Nash asked that a sentence be modified for clarification under "Street and Drainage Maintenance," to delete the words "or capital improvements" and "and prioritized," in the fourth sentence, so that this sentence now reads: "Major rehabilitation or upgrading to the street and drainage facilities, if needed, will be included in future capital improvements programs of the city," adding the words "rehabilitation or upgrading," and "future." He also removed the word "capital" from the fifth sentence as it appeared in the sentence: "Actual construction of capital street and drainage facilities . Mr. Bounds continued his review of his changes. He then reviewed some of the existing utilities contracts the city has with individuals and /or corporations in the proposed annexation areas. Mayor Nash noted then a vote is needed to approve this service plan, as amended. Councilmember Monday posed several questions regarding annexation. Mayor Nash asked that the service plan be adopted before we go into a discussion of Councilmember Monday's questions motion in approve nf�hp s.a.CYi . . . • .0 -.. . ... • ... . . '-u. M.- ! •• . r- u. . Council- member Hodges felt that before the Council votes on this motion, Councilmember Monday's questions should be discussed in case they have a bearing on the plan. Mayor Nash then asked Councilmember Monday to proceed with her questions. Gene Pipes, City Manager, clarified that some of Councilmember Monday's questions are at variance with the service plan and they should be considered now. Councilmember Monday then read off her questions: 1. Do we plan to leave streets in the newly acquired areas in their present condition? If we do, what will be the additional cost or dilution to our present level of service for pothole repair, two - course penetration, blading or rocking? Do we still have a co«unito nt to paving all the streets in the City of Huntsville? Are we going back to our annual list? if so, how will the newly annexed areas affect the cost and dilution of this program? Mayor Nash noted according to the service plan, the streets would be left in the same condition, but will not be allowed to deteriorate. They will be maintained in that condition or a better condition. He noted the City is committed to maintaining them, but not to upgrading them. Mr. Pipes said this is consistent with the present service plan. Mayor Nash noted an exception to this would be in the Boettcher's Mill area, which can be considered a poverty area in need of revitalization, where we would seek to acquire a HUD grant to bring to that area basic needs. Mayor hash noted preliminary estimates indicate an additional eight miles would be annexed if all of the areas are taken in, which is an 11% increase over the existing 74 miles of paved streets, which would cause a dilution of the budgeted funds for this year wherein each street would receive only about 89 or 88% of the maintenance it would have received without annexa- tion.[assuming all areas are annexed.] Mayor Nash noted the annexation would take place by January, which means these areas would only be in the city three- fourths of a fiscal year, therefore, the percentage would be more like 93 or 94 %. He noted in subsequent years, were talking about another budget that will have additional ad valorem taxes coming in to compensate for this. Mayor Nash also noted that of the 2.8 miles of road in the annexation areas, 1.2 miles of that 1s in the Boettcher's Mill area where we are planning to ask for a grant. 2. How much additional geographical area will be included requiring police protection? Will these distances cause a need for additional officers and equipment? If not, what will the dilution factor be? Are there areas that will demand more police time? Mayor Nash advised that it is difficult to judge how annexation will affect the police department. He noted he learned at a recent TML meeting that one officer per every 1,000 people is standard. He noted too that much is dependent upon the type of areas annexed in that an area in which there is a bar or bars may require more police surveillance as opposed to an area that has no bars. He noted if we exclude prisoners and at least some student population, we come into the range of 500 people to one police officer now, but he noted we can't really figure it that way due to the needs in particular areas as opposed to numbers of people. Will we contract out additional areas for garbage collection? If so, does our present contractor have that capability or will he accept the additional areas? If not, what will be the city's obligations in manpower and equipment if we handle the new areas? Will the sparse density affect these costs? Mr. Pipes, City Manager, noted the present contractor will have no problem picking up additional areas. He noted when the contractor reaches a saturation point, the city will add a truck and crew for the same amount of money that is being budgeted under the current rates to pick up the slack; noting that by design, this is the whole plan on which the sanitation division operates. 4. What will be the additional cost to our present budget for both the cost of electricity per year for street lights? What will be the cost of providing street lights upon request where transformers do net presently exist? Mr. Pipes noted that if the lights are presently overhanging the city's right of way, the city would assume the operating costs of those street lights. He noted there are very few of those in the area projected to be annexed. He noted the city's criteria is that street lights cannot be placed within 300 feet of each other. He noted this criterion and the availability of a 0513 pole is subject to how much money is budgeted for street lights in that year. He noted the city pays for the power expense and the installation. He noted Mr. Brown studied the proposed annexation areas and there are no street lights in the area to be projected that we would absorb and therefore it would simply be a matter of request and the availability of poles. Mr. Pipes noted if someone wants a street light, they simply call in their request and if there is not a street light within 300 feet and if a pole is available for GSU to mount the light on and if we have the looney budgeted, this request is put on the list and when GSU gets to it, they mount it He noted when our budget for this purpose is expended, we quit mounting lights for tnat year. He noted we had around 1U requests last year and we budgeted the same amount this year as we did last year. He noted fund, are still available in this budget for this purpose. He noted we will pay the bills on existing street lights as soon as the area is annexed. Do we plan to leave the level of service as is with any expansion of service to be at the owner's expense regarding water and sewer? What will be possible city expense in oversizing, design, construc- tion, or will we need to issue revenue bonds to handle sunk of these areas? Is the city willing to consider additional revenue bonds to expand water and sewer into these areas? How will these be prioritized with present needs? Mayor Nash noted the service plan reveals that we intend to leave the level of service just exactly as it is. He noted if a resident is on a septic tank, he would continue on a septic tank. He noted in all of these areas, there is either water, sewer, or sanitation service already available. He noted any changes would be done in a future capital improvements program on a prioritization schedule. Mayor Nash noted we are out into many of these areas with water already and we will use the utility extension policy for any requests for service from those lines whether a person is in or out of the city limits in the ETJ. Mayor Nash noted in regard to expansion of services into these areas, again, all needs will be prioritized as with any other service needs. Mayor Nash asked if there were any other cements about these questions. Councilmember Brown noted he felt it is important for the Council to analyze these questions carefully and to have this information before the final decision is made, including how annexation will affect the city's revenues in general fund, water and sewer funds, and in the sanitation fund. Mr. Pipes, City Manager, advised the Council should also study what services of the city areas adjacent to the city have been using for years as non - paying taxpayers and benefiting from. He noted what a city gains from annexation is basically an increased planning area, noting that very seldom does the annexation of an area pay for itself. Mayor Nash surmised then that we should not look at annexation from a profit and loss standpoint, but at the same time, the city should not "bite off more than it can cner-i." 5. Mayor Nash then asked for a vote on the motion on the floor to accept the service plan as amended in the Street and Drainage Maintenance paragraph. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT- -GENE PIPES Various Rate Increases Mr. Pipes presented to the Council various suggested fees increases for insufficient fund checks, reconnect fee (reinstatement), transfer fee, broken lock fee, meter pulled due to cut -off for nonpayment, charge for removed meter head, softball field rental, Emancipation Park rental. He noted these fee increases need to be approved concurrently with the budget. After some discussion, the Council asked the City Manager to bring these fee changes back to the Council in ordinance form for action, or by resolution, as may be appropriate to authorize these rate increases. Mayor Nash noted, however, that he was not in favor of increasing the fee for insufficient checks but to increase more dramatically those fees that are more a misdemeanor offense, such as removing a meter head or breaking a meter lock. October 2, 1984 Gene Pipes noted there will not be a council meeting on the 2nd of October, unless something pressing occurs. He reminded the Council of the two public hearings on annexation scheduled for October 9 at 7:00 P.M. and on October 16 at 8: 00 P.M. immediately following the Mayor and Council's reception for board members which will,be conducted from 5:30 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the Flag Room of First National Bank on the 16th. MAYOR'S ACTAVITY REPORT -- William V. Nash Planning Commission Appointment Mayor Nash then submitted into nomination the name of Sue Martin to fill one of the three terms open on the Planning Commission. He noted she would fill the position being vacated by Mr. Earnest Grover, Jr. and that her term would be for three years. Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve of Sue Martin for this position and Councilmember Hodges seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Arts Commission Appointments Mayor Nash advised the Council the Commission is composed of three commissioners who serve three year terms and eight advisory members who serve two year terms. He noted one commissioner's post is open and four advisory members positions are open plus part of an advisory member's term created because of a resignation. He then nominated the following citizens to serve in these positions: For Commissioner (a three year term) Mrs. Betty Herlong For Advisory Members (a t w.o year term) Mrs. Gretchen Durham Dr. John Paul Mrs. LuEllen Gibbs Mr. Art Giroux Dr. Mary Ellen Montague to replace D'Anne Crews to replace Mrs. Susan Dickens to replace Dr. Walter Foster to replace Dr. W. E. "Brick" Lowry to replace Mrs. Sam Sandel to assume remaining unexpired term of Elsie Davis (and to be eligible for appointment to a full two -year terns in October of 1985). Councilmember Brown made the notion to approve of these appointments and Councilmember Monday seconded motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Appointment of Auditors for 1983 -1984 Councilmember Brown Picnic Councilmember Davis Chairs Councilmember Davis Picnic Councilmember Barrett Monthly Police Report Councilmember Dowling Picnic Councilmember Hodges COUNCIL ACTION the made the motion to re- appoint the firm of Briedenthal 8 Reynolds for one more year as the City's auditors. Councilmember Hodges seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. noted he thoroughly enjoyed the city picnic this year. He noted his appreciation for John Keys and his wife, Elizabeth and Gene Pipes for putting this event together. asked when the new chairs would be delivered for the Council Chambers and Confer- ence Room. Mr. Pipes noted the delivery date was 30 days, however, there has been some delay due to his selection of fabric tones, which were not available, and a change had to be made. noted this was his first year to participate in the city picnic and he thought it was great and something that everyone should attend each year. He said it was good for city employees and good for the city council. He noted he especially enjoyed the horseshoes, noting he did not win, but he came close. noted the DWI STEP program is doing quite well in contrast to last year, noting we have 102 DWI's this past year in contrast to 68 for 1983, or an increase of not quite 40 which he felt was commendable on the Police Department's part. He noted we are catching fewer and fewer DWI's each time we do this which leads him to believe perhaps the program is having an effect. noted everyone had such a good time at the picnic, especially at the horseshoe event. He boasted that he and Councilmember Barrett were teammates with Gene Pipes as the Captain of this team and they beat a team from city administration, a team from the water and sewer departments and the street department. He noted when he got to the quarter finals, Mr. Pipes said to "let up," because it is not fair if we win. He noted next year he's coming back with the intention to win the whole thing. Historian for State Association Mayor Nash Telecable - -ESPN Schedule Mayor Nash noted the City Secretary, Ruth DeShaw, has been nominated by the Texas Association of City Clerks and Secretaries to become the Historian of that association for the new year. He advised she is asking for the Council's approval of this assignment. Mayor Nash indicated he felt this was a great honor and he then endorsed this nomination. He noted that this must be a consensus of all councilinenibers as well. He then congratulated Mrs. DeShaw on the appointment. noted the Council has been advised by the Manager of Telecable that ESPN will no longer be carried by Telecable locally as of midnight September 30, 1984. He said they have since advised us that the date has been postponed until October 15, 1984 due to certain negotiations. Mr. Bounds, City Attorney, felt the Council should take a wait- and -see stance at this point. He noted however that if ESPN is taken off the air, Telecable will be looking at alternate programming to replace ESPN. He noted ESPN has been recently purchased by ABC Sports Network and as a result of this acquisition, changes have been made at ESPN including a hefty increase in their subscription rates to the local Telecable Company which is, in part, one of the reasons for the program being subject to cancellation by TCI (Telecommunications Incorporated). Mayor Nash noted TCI, by having given notice to its subscribers of ESPN's cancellation, is now in a better position to negotiate with ABC. He noted however, that in the absence of ESPN, the City will need to get a comparable sub- stitute or the current rate should not stay at the same level. ADJOURNMENT De.; raw, ty S c September 25, 1984 • MINUTES OF THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF H SV XAS AT 7:00 P.M. The Council met in regular session with the following members present: WILLIAM V. NASH, MAYOR 0. Eugene Barrett Murray A. Brown Stephen E. Davis Jerry L. Dowling Bill Hodges Percy Howard, Jr. Jane Monday Bob Tavenner EXECUTIVE SESSION The Mayor called the meeting to order and then recessed the Council into executive session to discuss personnel and real estate matters. FORMAL SESSION Mayor Nash then reconvened the regular meeting of the City Council. Gene Pipes, City Manager, gave the invocation. CONSIDER THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve of the minutes of September 18, 1984 as prepared and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the notion passed unanimously. ATTENDING CITIZEN Mr. Gary Collins, HISD Superintendent, to discuss a joint city /school rict resolution imposing a time limit on school night activities for youth athletic groups using public facilities Mr. Collins and Mr. James Chase, President of the School Board, were present. Mr. Collins advised the Council of the educational reform movement that is taking place in the State of Texas and that HISD is involved in this movement as well as every other district in the state. He noted House Bill 72 and -House Bill 246 have placed a great deal of accountability on school districts and have made a number of changes, not only in curri- culum, but in every aspect of the schooling profession. He noted everything from discipline, extracurricular activities, ways students are graded, and exit exams before diplomas are issued have been rhanyed. He noted the HBO has rescheduled some of its basketball games and after school activities so that the youngsters can return home at a decent hour, noting two games are played simultaneously on the road (one at Junior High and one at the Varsity Gym); noting this eliminates approximately a two hour delay in returning to Huntsville. He asked the Council to consider a joint resolution with the School Board to establish a rule on game time for little league, soccer, etc. to the effect that all games will cease at$10:00 P.M. He noted it is important that these young people get home and to sleep on school nights so that they can perform well in school the Went day. He noted more accountability has been placed upon the district and upon the teachers because of the reform measures and he feelsthat through this request and with the city's cooperation,the school district will be able to net that accountability measure with much more success. Councilmember Hodges noted his concern also for setting a stopping hour by perhaps turning out the lights at 10:00 P.M. Mayor Nash noted he would not have a problem with this request if the school board will also have_ a similar policy on other activities outside of city facilities. Mr. Collins noted this will address all programs on school nights sponsored by the school and those activities which involve children using city facilities. Councilmember Dowling made the motion that city recreational facilities (non -adult facilities) have their lights terminated at 10:00 P.M. or earlier as a city policy. Councilmember Hodges noted he would rather have this request come from the school board (in writing). Councilmenber Monday noted it may be better for the school board to draw up a resolution, pass it, and then send it to the Council for our action in conjunction with them. Mayor Nash noted he feels better about doing this through a joint resolution with the school board, rather than setting a city rule apart from the school board. Councilmember Dowling saw no problem with the vehicle used to achieve the end result, however, he was concerned about how practical it might be to "turn the lights off. " City Manager noted all lights on the fields could be turned off, but the security lights could be left on. Councilmember Monday noted the field lights could be on timers so that they would automatically turn off at 10:00 P.M. on school nights. Councilmember Davis commended Collins for bringing this to the Council's attention at this time when everyone is becoming aware of the changes in the education legislation and prior to ball season. He asked that the joint resolution be brought back for the Council's consideration at the next nieeting. Mayor Nash noted the Council seems to have a consensus of agreement with the joint resolution concept. Mr. Collins said he would be back in the near future with the Resolution, as soon as the School Board can take action on it. CONSIDER ORDINANCES Consider Ordinance approving and adopting FY 84 -85 Budget ORDINANCE N0. 84 -23 AN ORDINANCE FINDING THAT ALL THINGS REQUISITE AND NECESSARY HAVE BEEN DONE IN PREPARATION AND PRESENTMENT OF AN ANNUAL BUDGET; APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1, 1984 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 1985; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. [$14,235,138] Councilmember Hodges made the motion to approve of Ordinance No. 84 -23 and Councilmember Monday seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Consider Ordinance setting the tax rate for FY 84 -85 ORDINANCE N0. 84 -24 AN ORDINANCE FIXING THE TAX RATE AND LEVYIiIG TAXES FOR THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE FOR THE ENSUING FISCAL YEAR UPON ALL TAXABLE PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN AiiD SUBJECT TO TAXATION IN THE CITY; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. [56C/$100 of assessed value] Councilmember Hodges made the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 84 -24 setting the tax rate to be the same as last year's rate and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unani- mously. Consider ordinance establishing water and sewer rates for FY 84 -85 ORDINANCE N0. 84 -25 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, INCREASING RATES FOR WATER AND SEWER SERVICE FURNISHED BY THE CITY; MAKING VARIOUS FINDINGS AND PROVISIOi1S RELATED THERETO; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. Councilmember Monday made the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 84 -25 which increases the water and sewer rates by 10 percent over last year's rate and Councilmember Howard seconded the motion. City Manager noted power costs are going up substantially and a major portion of this increase is made up there and the remainder of the increase is to take care of inflation. Mayor Nash noted approximately 54 of this increase is to make the revenues equal to the expenditures estimated and the other 54 was to increase the reserve. Mayor Nash emphasized that this is a proprietary fund and the Council acts as a board to administer it. He noted it is important that the Council be prudent in handling this so that it does not go in the "red "; noting it is a non- profit fund. All were in favor of the motion on the floor and it passed unanimously. CONSIDER SOLID WASTE COLLECTION CONTRACT Consider approval of a contract for supplemental solid waste collection with Refuge Service Specialties at the current rate structure The City Manager, Gene Pipes, advised the Council this contract is in existence now and the Council is asked to approve it for another year at the same rates. He noted the contractor is Walter Cheney, Jr., dba Refuge Service Specialties. Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve of this contract for another year and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER REVISED SERVICE PLAN Consider a revised service plan proposed for the areas to be considered for ,annexation. Scott Bounds, City Attorney, advised the Council of the changes made in the service plan since the Council first reviewed it. Mayor Nash asked that a sentence be modified for clarification under "Street and Drainage Maintenance," to delete the words "or capital improvements" and "and prioritized," in the fourth sentence, so that this sentence now reads: "Major rehabilitation or upgrading to the street and drainage facilities, if needed, will be included in future capital improvements programs of the city," adding the words "rehabilitation or upgrading," and "future." He also removed the word "capital" from the fifth sentence as it epeeared in the sentence: "Actual construction of capital street and drainage facilities . . ' Mr. Bounds continued his review of his changes. He then reviewed sane of the existing utilities contracts the city has with individuals and /or corporations in the proposed annexation areas. Mayor (lash noted then a vote is needed to approve this service plan, as amended. Councilmember Monday posed several questions regarding annexation. Mayor Nash asked that the service plan be adopted before we go into a discussion of Councilmember Monday's questions. fnun r Hnwnrd made the 'option to apprnve thf__sprvirp plan at ampnrPd ahnvp anti fnunriimPmhpr nivis cernn Pd the merjeue. Council - member Hodges felt that before the Council votes on this motion, Councilmember Monday's questions should be discussed in case they have a bearing on the plan. Mayor Nash then asked Councilmember Monday to proceed with her questions. Gene Pipes, City Manager, clarified that some of Councilnember Monday's questions are at variance with the service plan and they should be considered now. Councilmeruber Monday then read off her questions: 1. Do we plan to leave streets in the newly acquired areas in their present condition? if we do, what will be the additional cost or dilution to our present level of service for pothole repair, two - course penetration, blading or rocking? Do we still have a commitment to paving all the streets in the City of Huntsville? Are we going back to our annual list? If so, how will the newly annexed areas affect the cost and dilution of this program? Mayor Nash noted according to the service plan, the streets would be left in the same condition, but will not be allowed to deteriorate. They will be maintained in that condition or a better condition. He noted the City is committed to maintaining them, but not to upgrading them. Mr. Pipes said this is consistent with the present service plan. Mayor Nash noted an exception to this would be in the Boettcher's Mill area, which can be considered a poverty area in need of revitalization, where we would seek to acquire a HUD grant to bring to that area basic needs. Mayor IJash noted preliminary estimates indicate an additional eight miles would be annexed if all of the areas are taken in, which is an 11% increase over the existing 74 miles of paved streets, which would cause a dilution of the budgeted funds for this year wherein each street would receive only about 89 or 88% of the maintenance it would have received without annexa- tion- [assuming all areas are annexed.] Mayor Nash noted the annexation would take place by January, which means these areas would only be in the city three - fourths of a fiscal year, therefore, the percentage would be more like 93 or 94 %. He noted in subsequent years, were talking about another budget that will have additional ad valorem taxes coming in to compensate for this. Mayor Nash also noted that of the 2.8 miles of road in the annexation areas, 1.2 miles of that is in the Boettcher's Mill area where we are planning to ask for a grant. 2. How much additional geographical area will be included requiring police protection? Will these distances cause a need for additional officers and equipment? If not, what will the dilution factor be? Are there areas that will demand more police time? Mayor Nash advised that it is difficult to judge how annexation will affect the police department. He noted he learned at a recent TML meeting that one officer per every 1,000 people is standard. He noted too that much is dependent upon the type of areas annexed in that an area in which there is a bar or bars may require more police surveillance as opposed to an area that has no bars. He noted if we exclude prisoners and at least some student population, we come into the range of 500 people to one police officer now, but he noted we can't really figure it that way due to the needs in particular areas as opposed to numbers of people. 3. Will we contract out additional areas for garbage collection? If so, does our present contractor have that capability or will he accept the additional areas? If not, what will be the city's obligations in manpower and equipment if we handle the new areas? Will the sparse density affect these costs? Mr. Pipes, City Manager, noted the present contractor will have no problem picking up additional areas. He noted when the contractor reaches a saturation point, the city will add a truck and crew for the same amount of money that is being budgeted under the current rates to pick up the slack; noting that by design, this is the whole plan on which the sanitation division operates. 4. What will be the additional cost to our present budget for both the cost of electricity per year for street lights? What will be the cost of providing street lights upon request where transformers do not presently exist? Mr. Pipes noted that 11 the Hunt', are pw,ent ly ow•rhantlinnl the r Ily''. rlpt 01 way, Inn rily Would ass UDC ulrr r'al.1n..1 ur;, 1•, of Ihu•,r •.Irr,•I light ,. Ile nelr.d 1 h,!rr a,e very few nl Ih In Lh4 orud PrOlf:CtUO to 1e aIIIl1I. 11,' !Mind 11.1. rlly'•. trlterin 1. l.hat .Irr!•I 11111,1; r,innul hu placad within 'NU lent ul ea, 1 nt.hne, Ill noted 1.111•, ,rller'Inn ,nut I.hn ,Ivnllahlllty i,l a ILII pule If sut,JeLl lo how nuuh munry 1•, I l hJ ted Iur •.1Il.eI I IghLL In t.hal. year. II.; noted I.tn. ,.Ily pays for the power expete.e and the 1n.1al tatl un. He Muted Mr. brown •, lu•llcd the pr'ulur'.ad anncioll0u areas and there are nn .trt' t light!, In the aria to h,• projected I.h.it we would atr.orb and tin n l „r, Il would simply be d nmltl:r• ul ra,Iu,,r :l end the dv,il l,.d,l ll l,y u1 bole'., Mr. Mon. Holed 11 wants a street Iiyht, they Simply call In their retlue...1 and 11' there I, net a street Ityht 0iU,lr, 300 feet and If a pole is available for GSU to mount the light on and if we have the money budgeted, this request i5 put on the list and when GSU gets to it, they mount it. He noted when our budget for this purpose is expended, we quit mounting lights for that year. He noted we had around 10 requests last year and we budgeted the sane amount this year as we did last year. He noted funds are still available in this budget for this purpose. He noted we will pay the bills on existing street lights as soon as the area is annexed. 5. Do we plan to leave the level of service as is with any expansion of service to be at the owner's expense regarding water and sewer? What will be possible city expense in oversizing, design, construc- tion, or will we need to issue revenue bonds to handle sone of these areas? Is the city willing CO consider additional revenue bonds to expand water and sewer into these areas? How will these be prioritized with present needs? Mayor Nash noted the service plan reveals that we intend to leave the level of service just exactly as it is. He noted if a resident is on a septic tank, he would continue on a septic tank. He noted in all of these areas, there is either water, sewer, or sanitation service already available. He noted any changes would be done in a future capital improvements program on a prioritization schedule. Mayor Nash noted we are out into many of these areas with water already and we will use the utility extension policy for any requests for service from those lines whether a person is in or out of the city limits in the ETJ. Mayor Nash noted in regard to expansion of services into these areas., again, all needs will be prioritized as with any other service needs. Mayor Nash asked if there were any other comments about these questions. Councilmember Brown noted he felt it is important for the Council to analyze these questions carefully and to have this information before the final decision is made, including how annexation will affect the city's revenues in general fund, water and sewer funds, and in the sanitation fund. Mr. Pipes, City Manager, advised the Council should also study what services of the city areas adjacent to the city have been using for years as non - paying taxpayers and benefiting from. He noted what a city gains from annexation is basically an increased planning area, noting that very seldom does the annexation of an area pay for itself. Mayor Nash surmised then that we should not look at annexation from a profit and loss standpoint, but at the same time, the city should not "bite off more than it can chew.” Mayor Nash then asked for a vote on the motion on the floor to accept the service plan as amended in the Street and Drainage Maintenance paragraph. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT - -GENE PIPES Various Rate Increases Mr. Pipes presented to the Council various suggested fees increases for insufficient fund checks, reconnect fee (reinstatement), transfer fee, broken lock fee, meter pulled due to cut -off for nonpayment, charge for removed meter head, softball field rental, Emancipation Park rental. He noted these fee increases need to be approved concurrently with the budget. After some discussion, the Council asked the City Manager to bring these fee changes back to the Council in ordinance form for action, or by resolution, as may be appropriate to authorize these rate increases. Mayor Nash noted, however, that he was not in favor of increasing the fee for insufficient checks but to increase more dramatically those fees that are more a misdemeanor offense, such as removing a meter head or breaking a meter lock. October 2, 1984 Gene Pipes noted there will not be a council meeting on the 2nd of October, unless something pressing occurs. He reminded the Council of the two public hearings on annexation scheduled for October 9 at 7:00 P.M. and on October 16 at 8: 00 P.M. immediately following the Mayor and Council's reception for board members which will ,be conducted from 5:30 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the Flag Room of First National Bank on the 16th. MAYOR'S ACTIVITY REPORT -- William V. Nash Planning Commission Appointment Mayor Nash then submitted into nomination the name of Sue Martin to fill one of the three terms open on the Planning Commission. He noted she would fill the position being vacated by Mr. Earnest Grover, Jr. and that her term would be for three years. Councilmember Monday made the motion to approve of Sue Martin for this position and Councilmember Hodges seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Arts Commission Appointments Mayor Nash advised the Council the Commission is composed of three commissioners who serve three year terms and eight advisory members who serve two year terms. He noted one commissioner's post is open and four advisory members positions are open plus part of an advisory member's term created because of a resignation. He then nominated the following citizens to serve in these positions: For Commissioner (a three year term) Mrs. Betty Herlong For Advisory Members (a t w:o year term) to replace D'Anne Crews Mrs. Gretchen Durham to replace Mrs. Susan Dickens Dr. John Paul to replace Dr. Walter Foster Mrs. LuEllen Gibbs to replace Dr. W. E. "Brick" Lowry Mr. Art Giroux to replace Mrs. Sam Sandel Dr. Mary Ellen Montague to assume remaining unexpired term of Elsie Davis (and to be eligible for appointment to a full two -year term in October of 1985). Councilmember Brown made the notion to approve of these appointments and Councilmember Monday seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Appointment of Auditors for 1983 -1984 Councilmember Brown Picnic Councilmember Davis Chairs Councilmember Davis COUNCIL ACTION made the motion to re- appoint the firm of Briedenthal b Reynolds for one more year as the City's auditors. Councilmember Hodges seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. noted he thoroughly enjoyed the city picnic this year. He noted his appreciation for John Keys and his wife, Elizabeth and Gene Pipes for putting this event together. asked when the new chairs would be delivered for the Council Chambers and Confer- ence Room. Mr. Pipes noted the delivery date was 30 days, however, there has been some delay due to his selection of fabric tones, which were not available, and a change had to be made. Picnic Councilmember Barrett noted this was his first year to participate in the city picnic and he thought it was great and something that everyone should attend each year. He said it was good for city employees and good for the city council. He noted he especially enjoyed the horseshoes, noting he did not win, but he came close. . Monthly Police Report Councilmember Dowling noted the DWI STEP program is doing quite well in contrast to last year, noting we have 102 DWI's this past year in contrast to 63 for 1983, or an increase of not quite 40 which he felt was commendable an the Police Department's part. He noted we are catching fewer and fewer DWI's each time we do this which leads him to believe perhaps the program is having an effect. Picnic Councilmember Hodges noted everyone had such a good time at the picnic, especially at the horseshoe event. He boasted that he and Councilmenber Barrett were teammates with Gene Pipes as the Captain of this team and they beat a team from city administration, a team from the water and sewer departments and the street department. He noted when he got to the quarter finals, Mr. Pipes said to "let up," because it is not fair if we win. He noted next year he's coming back with the intention to win the whole thing. Historian for State Association Mayor Nash noted the City Secretary, Ruth DeShaw, has been nominated by the Texas Association of City Clerks and Secretaries to become the Historian of that association for the new year. He advised she is asking for the Council's approval of this assignment. Mayor Nash indicated he felt this was a great honor and he then endorsed this nomination. He noted that this must be a consensus of all councilmembers as well He then congratulated Mrs. DeShaw on the appointment. Telecable - -ESPN Schedule Mayor Nash noted the Council has been advised by the Manager of Telecable that ESPN will no longer be carried by Telecable locally as of midnight September 30, 1984. He said they have since advised us that the date has been postponed until October 15, 1984 due to certain negotiations. Mr. Bounds, City Attorney, felt the Council should take a wait -and -see stance at this point. He noted however that if ESPN is taken off the air, Telecable will be looking at alternate programming to replace ESPN. He noted ESPN has been recently purchased by ABC Sports Network and as a result of this acquisition, changes have been made at ESPN including a hefty increase in their subscription rates to the local Telecable Company which is, in part, one of the reasons for the program being subject to cancellation by TCI (Telecommunications Incorporated). Mayor Nash noted TCI, by having given notice to its subscribers of ESPN's cancellation, is now in a better position to negotiate with ABC. He noted however, that in the absence of ESPN, the City will need to get a comparable sub- stitute or the current rate should not stay at the same level. ADJOURNMENT uti DeShaw, ity 5 c September 25, 1984