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MIN CC 09/22/1992CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 22, 1992 _MINUTPE3.. 'il, '5 THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS AT 5:15 P.M. The Council met in a regular session with the following members present: W. H. Hodges, Mayor Officers: Dan S. Davis William H. Knotts, Jr. Gene Pipes, City Manager Ronald L Lange Gary Bell Scott Bounds, City Attorney William B. Green James L Carter Melba Byers, City Secretary ABSENT: Charles Robinson Ila G. Gaines BOOK "R" 117 CITIZENS INPUT(INQUIRY None. REGULAR SESSION - CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hodges called the regular session to order. Invocation by Councilmember Lange. CONSIDER MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 15, 1992 !I Councilmember Knotts made a motion to approve the minutes of September 15, 1992, and Councilmember Davis seconded the motion All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. NOTE: Councilmember Robinson was absent. ATTENDING CITIZENS II Councilmember Bell announced that Ms. Betty Williams would be late since she was delayed due to presentations at Sam Houston State University and requested Council continue with agenda items and welcome Ms. Williams later. Mayor Hodges j stated, that is fine. � I At 5:39 P.M., Ms. Williams arrived. Councilmember Bell introduced her to Council and citizens. Ms. Williams is currently associated with the Political Science department for visiting professors. Ms. Williams is the recipient of the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the situation in northern Ireland. After taking a brief vacation and writing a book Ms. Williams !i is continuing to work with peace movements and various programs to try to stop violence and promote peace throughout the world Ms. Williams was impressed with Huntsville and graciously agreed to join the faculty of Sam Houston State University. Ms Williams would like to share some of her insights and some her experiences and plans for the future of the City of Huntsville. Ms. Williams stated she had just left the students who were very excited about the things they are going to do. We have started on campus the group called Reconciliation International because there are divisions in the community as well as on the '!'! campus of S.H.S.U. I believe you cannot live in a community if you are not going to add something to it. One of the areas we want to get deeply involved with will be probably the northeastern sector where I see enormous poverty. I think the way we are going to go about that is we are going to show people how to help themselves. In Ireland, we had the worst housing conditions, unemployment problems, awful social violence, and injustice in the law in Western Europe. The people couldn't see a way out j of it and were not getting any answers. So, we decided to go into these areas and ask the people - street by street, town by town, village by village - what that area needed economically, socially and culturally to make it a better place to live. Then we went about collecting charitable trust funds which could be released to assist in solutions to verified ideas /answers which came from the community. When a community gets involved in its own problems, then it starts solving them. I feel if we could do that in j Ireland, we can do that anywhere. When I addressed the students today, I asked them to give up one meal one day a week. I put them all on their honor to do this. They will contribute a dollar and feel hunger so they will know what it is like for people in Ethiopia and Cambodia. We must stop turning commodities out of universities and start turning out well rounded human beings j who go out into the world knowing problems - not just thinking I've got this degree now I'm off and running and I'll be comfortable for the rest of my life. We know that life isn't like that and when they get the knocks, they can't take them. I want Sam Houston University to become a model that other universities will look at and say, if they did that at Sam Houston, we can do that too. We can make Huntsville a better place to live by teaching people how to help themselves through the university, city fathers, city government, people like myself, and volunteers. There are people who have lost the work ethic and self worth. We can retrain people. I am really excited about this because I know it is going to work. The students are excited and the President of the university is delighted that this is going to happen in this community. I would like to come back to Council in a few months and let you know what we have done.i! Mayor Hodges thanked Ms. Williams for her very positive approach and added, it is exciting. CONSIDER CITY EMPLOYEES HEALTH PLAN Consider the recommendations of the Board of Trustees of the City Employees Health Plan concerning rates, re- insurance coverages, and proposed changes to the plan. City Attorney Bounds brought to Council's attention several CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 22, 1992 - - BOOK "R" H8 medical plan is in good financial shape. Changes recommended me: (1) social security numbers for each patient/claim, (2) award pre - certification to Crawford and Co, (3) change stop loss carrier to Hartford Insurance, (4) leave employee and dependent ' contribution levels as is, (5) increase the wellness benefit from $100 to $200 per individual per year, with a limitation of $100 on !. eye prescriptions, (6) alter "coordination of benefits" of coverage with other carriers, (7) adopt an employee assistance program '! to manage severe mental illness claims, required by State Law, and (8) extend the pre - existing conditions limitation from one year ' to two years. Councilmember Green made a motion to approve these recommendations with the additional wording "secondary' coverage, with a second by Councilmember Gaines. The motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER LANDFILL LINER Consider excavation and placement of liner at the Landfill. Mayor Hodges stated that information had been provided at each Councilmember's place. This is on Project No. 87- 10 -02, Trench 87 -1, Phase V, Liner and Protective Cover. This is a I! re -bid on this project and there is some urgency that we pass this tonight due to the deadline of October 1, 1992. Low bid is from Grisham Construction for $62,335. Staff recommends this bid. Councilmember Knotts made a motion to accept this bid with a second by Councilmember Green. The motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER BID NO. 92 -22 Consider bid for Ultrasonic Flow Meters and Circular Chart Recorders to Pan -Tech Controls. City Manager Pipes stated that the bid is for $9,300. Staff had estimated $9,000 but recommends approval of this bid with $9,000 in available funds -. from the Water and Sewer Operating Budget plus a transfer of funds in the amount of $300. Councilmember Knotts made a motion to approve this bid with a second by Councilmember Lange. The motion passed unanimously. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Consider request from Karolvi's Gym. Krrolyi Gymnastics is requesting the City loan bleachers to accommodate the spectators for the Judges Cup Meet to be held October 16th through 18th at the Waverly Hills Complex. This is the same request as last year which was approved by Council. No problems were encountered last year, but we do need Council action. Councilmember Gaines made a motion to approve this request with a second by Councilmember Bell. The motion passed unanimously, Consider recommendation to remove two parking places downtown. Doug Byrne, City Traffic Engineer, is requesting the elimination of two parking places on North Sam Houston at the corner of 11th Street on the West side which is in front of the Education Building of the Methodist Church. Due to the light synchronization, there is a dangerous situation to pedestrians, -. it would allow a right turn lane and a through lane. Councilmember Green made a motion to approve this recommendation with -, - a second by Councilmember Knotts. The motion passed unanimously. Request from HISD to use the Martin Luther King Center. This request is for use of the Center beginning October :. 5, 1992 through May 6, 1993 for the HISD Home Study Center program. The program will run on Mondays from 4:15 to 6:45 and on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:30. Programs will not be held on school holidays or teacher preparation and staff development days. Staff does have the authority to grant this request however, the Martin Luther King Center is by reservation and this j program would tic up the Center for the next eight months. This request was approved by Council last year and staff wanted to ' make Council aware of this and obtain their direction. There was consensus of Council to approve this request. No further action required. An Engineering Report Addressing Existing and Future Wastewater 'treatment Plant Needs. This report outlines Improvements and modifications to the South and Northwest Water Treatment Plants to come into compliance with the new permit standards. This is what was previously discussed in conjunction with the budget. This is the technical report which backed up the conclusions at that time. We need to modify the South Plant for $1,130,000 this year and then in the future we will need ! to do the same type modifications at the North Plant and wanted Council to have access to this report. This is for Council information only and does not require any formal action. MAYOR'S AC I"TY REPORT Request from S.H.S.U. Bicentennial Birthday Celebration Committee. This request is to rename 17th Street to Margaret Lea Houston. Mayor Hodges stated that this is an unusual request since 17th Street doesn't have historical significance in that area. I suggest we deny this request and suggest that they consider naming the "unnamed street" through Sam Houston Park by 5.. that name. Councilmember Lange noted that Council set a precedent last year by denying a request to rename a street at the airport and felt that precedent should be upheld. Councilmember Gaines stated that Council might give consideration to honor this request for Bicentennial Week, only, if that would be helpful to them. Mayor Hodges requested City Manager Pipes offer .. this solution to their request and report back to Council. Councilmember Bell noted that a number of precedents had been set whew Council did name streets and he would like to sec the street renamed since Margaret Houston played an important role CITY COUNCIL MEEPING OF SEPTEMBER 22, 1992 BOOK "R" 119 in the -background and histoncat i e ot our city. Mayor Hodges stated a e road be much more appropriate. Councilmember Lange made a motion to deny this request with a second by Councilmember Green. The motion passed 7 to 1. Councilmember Bell voted "against'. NOTE: Councilmember Robinson was absent. CITY COUNCILMEMBER ACTION Councilmember Bell stated he thought the Citizen Input/Session was to begin at 5:15 P.M. and the Regular Session at 5:30 P.M. due to work schedules and ability to arrive at City Hall on time. Mayor Hodges stated we did do this last Spring. Councilmember Bell stated he would like to see Council return to the 5:30 schedule. Mayor Hodges stated Council could discuss that, but he did like the current schedule since the regular session could begin immediately if there were no citizens present to address Council instead of Council and staff just sitting for 15 minutes. Councilmember Knotts asked if there was going to be any signaling where 2821 and North Loop goes into Old 75. There is fast traffic and it is dangerous. Mayor Hodges requested City Manager Pipes have staff look into this and keep Council informed. 'i MEDIA INQUIRIES None. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hodges recessed the regular session to an executive session to review: (A) Compensation Package and (B) Emergency Withdraw Policy from I.C.M.A. Deferred Compensation Program. Melba 81 rs, City Secretary 1 Ll