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MIN CC 05/22/1990CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "O" 109 MINUTES OF THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 22ND DAY OF MAY, 1990 IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS AT 5:30 P.M. The Council met in a regular session with the foLLowing members present Jane Monday 0. Eugene Barrett City officers present: Gary Bell James L. Carter Gene - Pipes, City Manager ILa G. Gaines William B. Green Scott Bounds, City Attorney William L. Hammock Percy Howard, Jr. Ruth DeShaw, City Secretary WiLLiam H. Knotts, Jr. FORMAL MEETING CONVENED The meeting was called to order by the Honorable Jane Monday, Mayor. The Mayor then recessed into executive session to consider a real estate acquisition matter on Highway 75N and Avenue M. CITIZEN INPUT Jim Standefer Mr. Standefer thanked the Council and the Planning Commission for all of the work they did on the Zoning Ordinance. He begged the Council's indulgence in allowing him at this Late date to address a couple of items of the proposed zoning ordinance that concerns the downtown area so that they might forego problems that might arise in the future. He said these were items that were recently brought to his attention by friends and cohorts in the downtown area, whose opinions he highly respects. He said having Looked into these items personally, he feels that they bear addressing before finalization or left open for verification or revision should the ordinance be adopted. He said he took the liberty of reviewing these items yesterday with Scott Bounds, City Attorney and Date Brown, City Planner, so they might be prepared to address these tonight. He said the first item concerns paragraph 402.2 addressing the requirement for off-street parking downtown. He said as the revision stands, it caLLs for off - street parking not presently in existence to be provided for in the event of construction of a new building downtown. He said since land in the downtown area is finite, this would eventually annihilate all buildings downtown because as each building is eventuaLLy lost to fire, storm, obsolecense, or whatever cause, the limited amount of Land and Limited Lot sizes nearly all being about 25 feet wide, would prevent the replacement of any building. Also, this change only addresses construction, he said, and would not enforce the enforceable under a change of use. An example would be a loss of Goolsby Drug. To replace the building, were it Lost to a fire or tornado, he said, would be impossible since 4.5 off - street parking spaces would be required. He said there would only be enough for the parking and not for the replacement of the building. Due to the unique situation and finite amount of land and lot size in the downtown area the Council might consider not requiring off - street Parking in the downtown area or possibly requiring only off - street Parking for residential and tenant dwellings, which, by nature, entail long term parking. The second issue he Said is to possibly implement a more stringent sign ordinance in the downtown area that would fall within the confines of the downtown study done in 1982 In that study, beginning on page 4 -5, he said, paragraph 4.3.2, some guidelines are given that could be used in creating a more stringent sign ordinance downtown, one that would compliment the character of downtown and what is trying to be achieved for the downtown area. He said it is his understanding that Galveston has an excelLent ordinance that covers the Strand area that would be worth looking at and possibly implementing. He thanked the Council for their time. Steve Bodman, Associate Director- General Sam Houston Folk Festival Mr. Bodman expressed his appreciation to the many volunteers who worked to make the 1990 General Sam Houston Folk Festival a success. He particularly expressed his thanks to Councilmember Ila Gaines, Mayor Jane Monday, City Manager Gene Pipes, PoLice Chief Hank Eckhardt, Fire Chief Joe French and EMS Director Paul Alexander. CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "g" 110 FORMAL MEETING RECONVENED Mayor Monday reconvened the formal session. Councitmember and Mayor Pro Tem Howard presented the ion. Councilmember Howard made the motion to approve the minutes of May 1. 1990 as presented and Mr. Smither said he is opposed to the institution of zoning for the City of Huntsville. He said is is probably clear from some of his previous statements. He said if the majority of the citizens, as presented by the City Council, is in fact, desirous of instituting zoning upon the City of Huntsville, he opposed to the proposal being presented because he does not believe that the details and interactions and her parts of the development code have been researched sufficiently and that the affected citizens have t had sufficient time to study the final proposal to determine what effect wilL occur to them,their operty, and their neighbors. He noted there have been some articles in the Houston paper concerning enforcement of deed strictions and apparently Huntsville is unable to enforce deed restrictions; the reason he does not derstand. This might be an alternative to the zoning proposal, he said. In previous meetings, there are ferences made to the White Addition and the attempt to keep a liquor store from opening up in that ail bdivision. He said he has looked at the Walker County Appraisal District Tax Roll and of 45 properties in at subdivision, approximately 27, or 60 percent have qualified for the homestead exemption. He said this so indicates that probably 40 percent of the subdivision is not owner- occupied. Times change, he said, d a growing city must be willing to recognize and deal with those changes. The imposition of use strictions affects the value of land, he said, as everyone knows. He said in single family residences, uaLLy the price per square foot is much Less than for multi -use projects. He said in the zoning Line oposals on the map, at the previous meeting, some citizen from Avenue P spoke for the reason of trying to t included in the zone because basicaLLy he felt he was a part of the neighborhood, he had acquired the operty from the same original source as the others who were included in the zoning and he wished to be forded the same treatment as the houses behind him and beside him. He said this is perfectly derstandable. He said other property owners in similar situations have not publicly spoken, among others. said he is speaking precisely to the area between Avenue T, Normal Park, 20th Street and 22nd Street. He id all of these properties were acquired from the same source, approximately the same time, are in the me subdivision, and have similar or exact residential deed restrictions, yet those properties facing enue T are in the Neighborhood Conservation Zone and those facing Normal Park are not. He said there has an some reference previously to deed restrictions being broken: one unit subdivisions, etc. In his inion, he felt any breaking of deed restrictions for those existing properties facing Normal Park was done the city through its permit process. All property owners should be afforded adequate time to determine ether they should be included or excluded from these neighborhood conservation zones. He said this should based on a uniform set of rules for inclusion or exclusion, not on a flip of a coin determination by the ty staff. On a line by line inspection of the proposed plans, there are many new terms, special terms, eciaL words used, but there are not definitions to clarify and explain those terms. He said this is an ea for future problems. Section 104.5 mentions a code compliance officer, he said, and he was unable to determine who that ficer will be, what department he will be in, whether it would be applied to the current building Spector, or an entirely new officer independent with checks and balances between that and the building Spector. He said Section 105.1 mentions a fee for a home occupation permit; maybe someone forgot to put e fee on the fee List. The same thing on Section 111.1 for non - conforming use permit, he said. He noted has heard it said that the intent would be now to have a grace period, and asked why not be up front with and say the fee is going to be $50 or $100 but there will be a six month waiting period after the CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK aQ" 111 effective date of the ordinance. He said let the citizens know the whole story before the final vote. In relation to Section 402.2 in downtown, the parking situation has already been addressed to some degree, he said. In his unscientific sampling of 35 buiLdings downtown around the square, only seven of those would qualify for the exemption, as written, if the standards that he feels should apply, do apply, he noted. In section 402.3, on the neighborhood conservation zones, the summaries in the April 24, 1990 city council meeting addressed single family residential purposes only. He said the way he reads the fine print, this allows six or seven additional things that might not be what comes to mind from a normaL citizen when he says its for single family residential purposes only. Construction of a church or school next door or across the street, he said, would be a shock to many homeowners. He said these are just a few of the things that he noticed in trying to understand the proposal that has been placed before the Council. Mr. Smither said he understands a lot of people have done a lot of work m this plan. He said he did not get involved early enough perhaps to be making some of the judgments that he has made, but that is about all we can do is work with it as best we know how. He said he is requesting that if the Council is not certain of what they are voting on, of what it means, and how it affects the citizens, to take a "go slow approach" with the final passage of this proposal. He said he understands the City of CoLLege Station took a year in explaining their proposal to the citizens before it was voted upon. He said he would Like to see a sufficient amount of time for the citizens of Huntsville to make their feelings known. CONSIDER FINAL REPORT OF THE ZONING PLAN Presentation of the final report of the zoning plan as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission Mr. Dan Davis. Vice Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission Mr. Davis advised he is appearing on behalf of Mr. Grady Manis, Chairman of the Plaming and Zoning Commission, who is not able to be present tonight because he is also the head of the Southern Region of the ' � Trinity River Authority and he is tending to flood concerns in the Trinity River area. He called the Council's attention to the second page of the final report, and Grady Mania' memo of May 17, 1990. He said as Mr. Manis' memo points out, the final report differs from the preliminary report in both the text and the map; actually very minor differences, but the Council does need to be aware that there are some final adjustments. He said the boundaries on the map were amended to foLlow more exactly the deed restricted boundaries. He said there was one area that Charles Smither, Jr. alluded to a moment ago, when he mentioned the Avenue P area. He said after a great deal of research into the deed records of that property, it was the unanimous opinion of the zoning commission that that particular strip should be incLuded in the originaL neighborhood conservation district. He said although it is correct to say that some of the residents of that area came before the City Council and the Planning Commission in the open hearing held recently and caused them to focus on the original deed language that had been included in those properties, one might conclude as a result of this that this is an arbitrary decision on their part; but he will say that upon reviewing it more closely that the Commission did feel it was the original intent of the property owner to treat that property as the other property had been in that neighborhood. Enforcing that, he said was the fact that the current owners of the property had expressed a desire to be included in the neighborhood conservation district. He said as a result of all of those facts, it was the decision of the zoning commission that that piece of property should be included. He said Mr. Manis' memo points out other amendments to the text. He said there is nothing of any great significance; they did try to pickup sane of the typographical errors that were pointed out earlier. He said additionally, the second change, which was Section 103.3 (3), they deleted the amortization section which had to do with grandfathering non- conforming uses in the neighborhood conservation district. He said the other changes are relatively minor. He said he will be happy to attempt to respond to any questions the Council may have at this time and he will also refer questions to Dale Brown, City Planner. Questions Councilmember Green noted that Mr. Davis has researched areas that are labeled neighborhood conservation and that every single piece of property, with the exception of the area around Avenue P, is in fact under deed restrictions. Mr. Davis said that is the information he has, based on a great deal of research on the part of the city staff; that has been their representation to them and this is his CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK ..Q.. 112 resentation to the Council. He said it has entailed an enormous amount of research on the part of staff it is not easy to go back in a city as old as the City of Huntsville and research every deed record and is entirely possible that there have been some judgment calls or some errors or omissions. But this is to best of their knowledge. CounciLmember Green asked if this means single family duelling in the ditional sense, in terms of deed restrictions; i.e., does it include things like outhouses, condominium es, apartment houses, or things of that sort. Mr. Davis said it could and there are some condominium parties that are included in the neighborhood conservation district and to his knowledge there are some Hickory. Councilmember Green said he sees that on Hickory there are some areas that are left out and e that are included and it is not clear to him. Gene Pipes, City Manager, said the ones on the west side of the street on Hickory are condominiums, awnhouse type, single ownership sites. He said some of the properties on the east side of the street, ijoining Bush - Miller park, are apartments and they have been left out- -they are in the management zone. Duncilmember Green said it Looks to him like the areas on the west side of Hickory are also in the anagement zone. Mr. Pipes said except for a strip immediately adjacent to Hickory itself, there is a large partment project south of that and that is in the management district- -the Rollingbrook Apartments. He aid there are all apartments along that street and there are duplexes adjacent to the Sleepy Hollow ubdivision and these have been left out specifically. CounciLmember Green asked, in terms of the eighborhood Conservation District, if something were to happen to a piece of property in there, then we can eplace what is currently existing. CounciLmember Green said for instance, if we call it neighborhood Dnservation, then if it is a townhouse and a townhouse is destroyed, a townhouse can be replaced. Mr. toes said if it is a non - conforming use, it can be replaced from that non - conforming use up to certain riteria. He said non-conforming use, or the stipulation of a hone- office business, if interrupted for some ' ime, can still be maintained, dating back five years in that sort of situation. Most conditional ituations are very detailed. Mayor Monday advised that a townhouse is defined as a single family residence, according to Dale n, City Planner. It was noted, however, that a duplex is not defined as a single family residence. r Monday noted then those rules do not apply to it. She asked if the duplexes along Hickory going down rd 11th Street are included and Mr. Brown said they are not. She noted then they are in the strip along edge excluded from the neighborhood conservation district. CounciLmember Green asked on 20th Street there is a little V area notched out of a large section at is in a neighborhood conservation area. He asked if this area can be identified. Mr. Pipes said this ea represents approximately two apartment complexes on multiple lots. Councilmember Green noted the map not clear in this area, and there are a rxmber of different things in this area and he wants to make sure at if something is being changed from the way it is, that the owners have some knowledge of it. Mr. Davis id he did not think there were any changes in the areas of which he is inquiring. CounciLmember Carter ted even if it were different from single family residents, however, and we include it and zone it, it Ad continue to exist as it is as it would be grandfathered. In other words, he said, we would not be anging the use of any property. CounciLmember Green noted we would be changing its value. CounciLmember rter noted possibly we may be increasing it. Councilmember Green noted if it were apartments and we made a single family dwelling area, the value would not go up. Councilmember Carter felt that would depend on e lot and the location and how much someone wanted it. CounciLmember Green stressed it would not go up. uncilmeaber Carter noted then it would be a judgment call. Barrett noted while he arrived a little late for this nw!eting, he did hear Mr. Charles :her, Jr.'s comments and his reluctance for the Council to adopt this plan this evening. He said he A like to see the Council table this ordinance and have a work session on this so that the Council can into all of the details to be sure it knows what it is passing before it passes this ordinance. ADOPT A ZONING PLAN rider Ordinance No 90-05-22.1 adopting a Zoning Plan as recommended by the Planning and Zoning m ssnon , CounciLmember Barrett noted while he arrived a little late for this nw!eting, he did hear Mr. Charles :her, Jr.'s comments and his reluctance for the Council to adopt this plan this evening. He said he A like to see the Council table this ordinance and have a work session on this so that the Council can into all of the details to be sure it knows what it is passing before it passes this ordinance. CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "0" 773 the motion passed unanimously. Discussion: CounciLmember Carter said he does not understand this because over the past severe years, on various occasions, he has asked the Council to hesitate about items that have come before the Cit Council and CoumiLmember Barrett has said by now we should know what is going on; by now you ought to L ready to make a decision on this matter. He said he can remember going back and discussing zoning as fe back as the Zoning Study Commission's hearings four-five years ago. He said he does not understand wh anyone thinks we are rushing into zoning. He said he can remember running four elections for city counci over a period of eight years in which every election, every campaign, zoning was discussed. He said this i not a new item, this is not rushing, this is not pushing things onto people too quickly. He said we ce wait another ten years to do this and then maybe someone wiLL be ready. He said he does not understand th hesitation at this point. Councilmember Barrett said the Planning and Zoning Commission mode changes in this plan just 1. week. He said he feels in all due respect to them and the citizens of Huntsville, that the Council needs review this document, because it is long; a work session wiLL not hurt a thing. He said all we need to is look at it to be sure that any attending citizens can attend if they would like to have input on parts of it. He said he didn't feel a week or so is going to matter if it has been going on for years. CounciLmember Bell asked Mr. Dan Davis if he has any serious reservations about any part of this am does he feel that what is being done is out of bounds or should wave a red flag. Mr. Davis said this report does reflect the unanimous opinion of the Planning and Zoning Commission and they are comfortable with it and have been Looking at it for the last two to three months. CounciLmember BeLL noted then this document is what the Planning and Zoning Commission considers to be in the best interest for the City of Huntsville. Mr. Davis said that is correct. Councilmember Bell then asked the Council why we are wanting to have more public hearings as we had that two weeks ago and those who had strong feelings about zoning expressed those feelings. He asked if the Council was not just delaying, through public hearings, something that has beer dealt with rather effectively for the Last four months by the City Council, the Planing Commission am especially the staff who has put in an inordinate number of hours. CounciLmember Barrett said he did not want to downgrade the Planning Commission's activities because they have certainly worked hard and done a good job, but this is a very implicated matter and he felt they owed it to the citizens to Look at it one more time or however many more times they need to look it. He said it is Like Charles Smither, Jr, said, the City of Bryan took over a year to adopt its zoning policies. He said it is not that he wants to drag his feet or slow down the process or anything Like that, but he felt the Council ought to be thorough and look at this to make sure it doesn't make a mistake. He said it is always better to do it right the first time than to have to go back and make corrections. CounciLmember Gaines said she agrees with CounciLmember Barrett on this and she has spent this week trying to digest this document because she wants to be very sure about what the Council is doing and to understand it all. She said there are some things she wants to be sure she understands. She said it is not that they are saying they are not going to pass it or anything of that nature. She said they are saying they need another week to understand what they are doing and to be sure that everything is Like we think it ought to be to the best of their knowledge. Councilmember Carter asked if this item can be put on the agenda for next Tuesday night. Mayor ' Monday rated the motion is for a work session for next Tuesday night if that is possible with the City Manager. Mr. Pipes noted it will be possible to have a work session. CounciLmember Carter said he was talking about voting on this next Tuesday night. Mayor Monday noted the motion on the floor now is for a -- work session. CounciLmember Carter asked for a work session between now and next Tuesday. Counci lmember Barrett felt Mr. Pipes should decide wh n the work session will be held. CounciLmember Bell noted some of them have advocated zoning for quite a Long time and he would like to see it come and they would like for CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "O" 114 the rest of the counciL to be comfortable with it when it does come. He said perhaps a delay is appropriate and he can well support that if he could have a clear idea of what the scheduLe will be so that it does not drag out to August or September. Additionally, in any future discussions, CounciLmember Bell encouraged whomever is involved to make sure that aLL Councilmembers are involved in whatever is expected to take place. He felt it is imperative that they alL understand and appreciate the various concerns and discussions that have taken place and will take place on the zoning issue. Mayor Monday advised they may also, at a work session, invite the ambers of the Planning Commission to come in case they have comments. Councitmember Carter noted he is going to vote against the motion, but if they are going to have a work session and if there are hesitations, asked those people who say they have questions to present them this evening or to the city staff, so those can be addressed in the work session so the Council will know exactly what the problems are. Mayor Monday said they can ask the Councilmembers if there are special problems to present them to staff so they can bring the data. She imagined it would be a matter of working through it so there is a complete understanding and she would envision they would start at the beginning and come all the way through to be sure everyone has a thorough understanding of all of the aspects. She said it would be appropriate if there are any councilmembers who have special information that they might want to get that to staff ahead of time. CounciLmember Green said since we know something about the benefits, could we find out the costs of zoning. Mayor Monday asked him to define that in more specific terms and referred him to the staff for research. Councilmember Green said this is an area that is not ever addressed with regard to regulations. He said we always talk about things to benefit, but we seldom ever talk about the cost of a reguLation. He said since there are some benefits of this, he asked how this might impact the cost of Living in Huntsville. Mayor Monday noted if this is an area of particular interest to him and he wants to address it, he might ' need to define that so that the staff can deal with it. CounciLmember Bell asked for a specific schedule upon which zoning might be acted upon. Mayor ay asked Mr. Pipes if we could envision this would be on the agenda for a work session next Tuesday. Pipes said there is no problem with that scheduLe. He said the next formal session could be June 5. cilmember Knotts asked that the Council be open to the public and allow people to come in to give input. r Monday noted it will be termed a work session and everything the Council does in a work session in to the public. She noted we have already had the public hearing. She noted people can come into this ing any time. Mayor Monday asked for a vote on the motion to table action on this ordinance at this time CONSIDER ORDINANCE Mr. Gene Pipes, City Manager, presented this ordinance, the caption of which is as follows: ORDINANCE NO. 90 -8 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, ANENDING CHAPTER 12, MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC, OF ITS CODE OF ORDINANCES BY ESTABLISHING NO PARKING ZONES, ALONG F.M. 1374 FROM SAM HOUSTON TO IH-45; PROVIDING A PENALTY OF UP TO $200 A DAY FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS; MAKING OTHER RELATED FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED THERETO; AND PROVIDING FOR THE PUBLICATION AND EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF r. Pipes recommended this ordinance for approval. There was some discussion for information and Larification. Councilmember Barrett asked if the FM 1374 overpass over I -45 will have sidewalks on each ide with a cover so that no one can fall off into the traffic. He said he cannot see that the SDHPT would CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "Q" 115 build an overpass without a walkway on both sides. He said white he understands this is a state highway project, he feels that the city should have some input to try to get that walkway on either side. He said while it may be too late to make this request, he felt it was needed. Mayor Monday noted the city can certainly make this request. Councilmember Bell noted he spoke with Mr. Allen Pritchard, District Engineer, who advised it is not in the plans because of budgetary probLems. He too felt the walkway is needed. Councilmember Knotts felt the walkways are needed on Highway 30 as well. Councilmember Howard made the were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER BIDS of $478.486.65. plus $32.000 for concrete replacement reserve Mr. Pipes, City Manager, presented the eight bids received and recommended acceptance of the from SUR Construction in the amount of $478,486.65 and that an additional $32,000 be held in reserve by City for future concrete replacement during the highway construction. COUnciLmwmber Knotts made the mo motion passed. CONSIDER CHAMBER REQUEST "Permanent Attraction" promotion through a contract for services j Mr. Guy Klingensmith, Director, Huntsville Tourist Council, introduced other Chamber of Commerce ' officials present: Dee McFarland, Vice President; Don Kraemer, Vice Chairman; and Dave Cich, President. Mr. Klingensmith made a proposal for additional funds to support the permanent attractions in the City of Huntsville and Walker County. He noted people will spend a longer time in Huntsville if we have more permanent attractions open. He noted the tourist industry is rapidly picking up in Huntsville and their goal is to have visitors spend a day here and perhaps stay overnight and therefore they will spend more money in Huntsville. He said they are asking for money out of the reserve fund. He noted this money has already been approved for $15,000 for the 1990 budget. He said they are requesting $2,400 of this amount for for the Texas Prison Museum as seed money. He said this money will hopefully get the museum open longer and than more tourists will come in and eventually it will be self - sustained. He said the funds will be used to offset some of their utility bills, etc. He said this expenditure is subject to the approval of the Chamber Board. Mayor Monday rated the motion would be to approve this contract and to amend the Chamber's budget and to authorize the expenditure of these dollars as stated in this contract in the amount of $400 a month for six month, beginning April 1 and ending September 30, 1990. Councilmember Gaines made the motion to approve of this contract and budget allocation of $2.400 out of the $15.000 reserve fund to assist the Texas Prison Museum and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. Discussion: Councilmember Carter asked why this cannot be made a part of the regular budget. Ms. McFarland advised when they came to discuss the Tourist Council's $90,000 operating budget with the Council several months ago, and the fact that most of that amount was set for marketing the attractions; the extra $15,000 was designated specifically to help our permanent attractions keep their doors open longer because every hour we keep tourists here means more dollars will be spent in Huntsville. She said the museum directors have already started opening their doors longer. She said this is why they feel this is a one time, seed money expenditure and they do not plan to come back to ask for funds from this reserve for severaL years. She said we may have to extend it for another six month period, but they don't know that yet. She said we do want to see the museums operate on their own. She said they want to do this not only for the Prison Museum, but also for the Gibbs- Powell Home, and they are working on their volunteer support now, and hopefully the Black History Museum wiLL come in behind them. CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF NAY 22, 1990 BOOK "G" 116 Councilmember Carter said the part he does not Like about this is that this is a one time seed money mount. He said what we have asked for severaL years is that we make regular contributions to permanent ttractions in the city, not that we give them a six month attempt to find money on their own. He said he could much prefer to see us take some of that marketing money and put it into permanent attractions because f we get peopLe here and have something for them to see and it is open and available to them, then they ill stay longer. He said it seems to him that the Chamber is marketing there. He said the Chamber romised him when they talked about this that they were going to make a real commitment in this budget to and permanent attractions. He said this doesn't seem to him to be a real commitment to fund permanent ttractions in the City of Huntsville. He said he Likes the fact they are going to give the Prison Museum a ouple thousand dollars for six months, but that is not enough. Ms. McFarland asked what he considers to be nough. Councilmember Carter said enough to keep them operating on a year around basis at around $400 a onth, year in and year out. Ms McFarland said the good news is that $2,400 is all they say they need. ouncilmember Carter noted if that is aLL they are asking for, he supposes he can't say anything, but that s not what he hears. Mayor Monday asked Mr. KLingensmith to go through the procedure of why this item is here tonight. Klingensmith said they did a very extensive research study with the Texas Prison Museum and also one th the Gibbs Powell House. He said in looking at the Texas Prison Museum's costs of operations over the at year -- utility bills, phone bills, etc., the figure of $2,400 was decided. Councilmember Carter said is asking for a permanent commitment from the Chamber of Commerce through tourism money for the permanent tractions. He said the city has already given the Chamber $90,000 in addition to $15,000, and he thought ey were willing to commit some of that money to these permanent attractions. Ms. McFarland said the line em budget reflects their plan. Councilmember Carter noted we nay need to discuss the line item budget xt year. r Councilmember Carter asked what kind of money they are taking in now and do they perceive the i ssibility of being self- sustaining. Mayor Monday then recognized Dr. Bob Pierce and Mr. Jim BaLzaretti, presenting the Texas Prison Museum, and asked them to respond to this question. Dr. Pierce said they are rrently not operating in the red, but they are storing up for a lean winter as there is a time in the urism business where there arelean months. He said they had been open on weekends primarily for 10,000 opts. He said Last Sunday they had a group return from the motorcycle convention that was here and these re people from that same motorcycle club bringing other friends who were not at that conference back to ntsville to see the prison museum. He said they are paying their bills and putting a little away for the nter months, and that is about it. Dr. Pierce said they can be self- sustaining if they continue to erate on the current level of hours and exhibits. Mayor Monday noted this is the proposal Dr. Pierce omitted to the Tourist Council for consideration and this is the one they approved. She assumed nothing ecludes him from making another proposal in the future for additional funds. Mayor Monday noted some of ese questions my be answered with experience by that time, and wiLL help them make another request for atever help the Museum needs after it has had experience with these dollars. Dr. Pierce said they have t, as a whole community, aside from the Chamber's assistance, made a concerted effort for a variety of asons, funding being a part of this, to maximize all the potentiaL to market the Texas Prison Museum. He id because they are new, they are one of the best kept secrets in the state. He said they anticipate as e word gets out that more people wiLL come and the need for additional revenues will decrease, but they ve not reached that point at this time. Mayor Monday asked since the hours were expanded to six days a week as opposed to just the weekend, t type of traffic are they seeing. Dr. Pierce said it has ranged from eight people in the afternoon at beginning to 110 between the hours of 1:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.N. on weekdays. He said in Looking through signature and address roster, the number of out -of -town people has increased [Amarillo, Canada, Brazil, Waverly, etc.]. Councilmember Barrett noted what he is hearing Mr. Klingensmith say is that in six the they are going to Look at this again- -they are not saying they are going to cut them off at the end six months, but they are going to see if they can make it on their own; and wi LL not totally dump them in CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "O" 117 six months. He felt this was a good way to look at it. He said they'll help them, along and if they help themselves, fine, if they can't, they'LL help them again. Mayor Monday congratulated Dr. Bob Pierce and Mr. Jim Balzaretti for the Texas Prison Musen volunteer force. She said this is an excellent example of the fact that in order to make this happen, thi had to go out and get volunteers. She said they have done that, they are not paid- -this is a voLuntet effort. She said this is one more example in this wonderful town of how volunteers can make things happen. House. He noted Mary Frances Park is looking for volunteers, and any one of the Council who would like volunteer, should contact her. He said this will be the same type of program. The more attractions we get open, he said, the better we will be. Mayor Monday advised she has been visiting with Mr. Stanford Douglas and they are working on the Samuel Houston Cultural Activities Center and there is some hoce that we may see their doors open this year. Mr. Don Kraemer advised in talking to these permanent attraction groups, they initially envisioned a year of assistance, but selected a time frame to coincide with the city's fiscal /budget year. He said they intend to come back when the Council goes through the regular budget process to talk about extending that project. He said they talked to the groups in terns of a one year funding sequence. Councilmember Barrett asked about the amount being considered for the Gibbs Powell House in relation to what was considered for the Texas Prison Museum. Mr. Klingensmith said their needs are going to be very similar. Ms. McFarland said their initial request was about $20 Less than the Prison Museum. Mr. Klingensmith said they were amazed at how close the operating costs were. He said they don't have the volunteers yet to open up the extra hours and that is why their request is not presented now. Ms. McFarland said they have their request ready and are waiting for the volunteer force to be in place. All were in favor of the motion on the floor and it passed unanimously. to be paid from CIP funds City Manager, Gene Pipes, advised there were four bidders on this project. He said this is one of the three areas that was included in this year's capital improvements program funds for unsewered areas that had been without service for some time. This is the area just west, southwest of Dr. Gerald Etheredge's veterinary office on the south side of Possum walk LFM 13741 and will open up a large area there. He said there are older houses there that have not had sewer in the past and some additional areas that my develop when sewer service is available. He said this is an area with a new road and with utility and water service available, so the addition of sewer will be a valuable economic boost to the area. Councilmember Barrett made the motion to approve of the bid from Palasota Construction of Bryan in the amount of $13.400 to be paid from CIP funds and Councilmember Howard seconded the nation All were in favor and the nation passed unanimously. CONSIDER EASTHAM-THOMASON PARK DEVELOPMENT Consider the recommendation of the Parks Board to develop Eastham - Thomason Park The Council was advised of the recommendations of the Parks Advisory Board for a six step plan for the development of Eastham- Thomason Park, as foLLows: 1. Prior to proceeding with the work, parks personnel, under the supervision of the city's arborist, Mark Erb, would flag aLL of the desirable plants. An example of this is the way the city has j approached the sewer Line easement. 2. Remove the undesirable growth that has taken over the areas between two creeks. This would include the sewer Line easement that is not in the park. It is recommended this be done with a small dozer CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "G" 118 because of the hazard that the honey locust would pose, to workers trying to hand clear the area, and the density of the undesirable growth. 3. The engineering department could start their surveying and design of the facilities that were proposed in the grant received by the City. 4. It is recommended that a 20' wide area be cleared of undesirable growth around the perimeter of this donated property so that the property Line can be surveyed and monumented. This cleared area would also act as a fire break. 5. It is recommended that the remaining area in the park, approximately 25 acres, be broken up into small tracts of approximately five acres each, according to the types of vegetation and terrain contained in them for future individual analysis. 6. Try to save as much desirable vegetation as possible through transplanting or Leaving "as is ". Mr. Pipes advised the city has received a grant to develop the first phase of the Eastham- Thomason Park, which includes some 22.6 acres out of the 47 total acres in the park. He noted fourteen acres of the 22.6 acres is property that was in the oLd sewer plant site, and the remaining 8.6 acres is property along and between the two creeks that was donated by the Thomason estate. CounciLmember Hammack made the motion to approve of this six stem development plan and Councilmember Carter seconded the nation i Discussion: It was noted the city's Landscape technician has flagged many of the desirable plants and the city's contract arborist will verify them for their desirability. Mayor Monday asked that Mr. Zeller be Present when the park is cleared Mr. Pipes advised Mr. Zellar may not be in town during this period of time. Mayor Monday asked that someone else then oversee that Proiect in his absence She asked that this item be included as another recommendation. Councilmember Carter noted he thinks they are doing a good job on this as far as he can tell. ALL were in favor of the motion as amended and it passed unanimously. Mayor Monday asked the Parks Board to consider implementing a time frame for the development schedule. Mr. Pipes advised the Parks Board minutes reflect that the city will be in contact with the University department that will be doing the planning and designing of this particular project as a class project for the second semester of summer school. He said the city can initiate the formal dedication of the park prior to that time. He noted Mrs. Bush has been kept abreast of the situation, but in terms of a particular date, the city has almost always dedicated some park facility for the last several years on the city's birthday, July 12. He noted if that date is comfortable with the majority of the Council, that date can be set as a preliminary target date and this can be suggested to Mrs. Bush and the Parks Board. He said the park can then be turned over for the class project and in the fall budget, we can implement some of the their recommendations. Mayor Monday asked Mr. Pipes to visit with Mrs. Bush about all of these details first. CONSIDER DISPOSAL AGREEMENT FOR VEGETATION Consider a disposal agreement for vegetation with Barry Kelley, as recommended by the Sanitation - Public Mr. Pipes, City Manager, advised the city wishes to reduce solid waste in the Landfill and to recycle trash and yard waste into a usable product. Ms. Cindy Kellgren, Sanitation Superintendent, advised in a memorandum of May 9, 1990, that initially the Sanitation Department planned to compost the yard waste ' using its own crews and equipment plus a contracted shredder company. She noted the shredder company would charge 5.85 per cubic yard to shred the yard waste. Men and equipment, she noted, would be pulled from their regular landfill duties to prepare and maintain the composting piles. After much expense, she noted, the yard waste would compost in two to four months. She advised the Sanitation Department has what nay be a better plan. Mr. Barry Kelley, owner of Large greenhouses in Cut IN Shoot, will accept Huntsvilte's yard CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "0" 119 waste, she advised, and turn it into compost. The Sanitation Department will deliver the yard waste to Cut IN Shoot and in return, the city will receive special consideration for the compost it needs, she said. This plan saves the city approximately $1,000 a month grinding fees as well as man hours and equipment, she said. Ms. KeLlgren said the yard waste is removed from the landfill area and the yard waste is recycled into compost. Mr. Pipes recommended the Sanitation Department's request for approval of a contract with Barry Kelley to accept Huntsville's yard waste for composting. He noted this contract meets both goals of the recycling plan, reduction of material going into the landfill and the converting of waste into a usable product. Councilmember Carter made the motion to approve of this contract with Mr. Barry KeLLev and Councilmember Howard seconded the motion. CONSIDER RESTRUCTURE OF TDCJ SEWER RATE CHARGES Consider a request from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to restructure sewer rate charges by metering of effluent from the pretreatment facility rather than by water consumption calculations Mr. Pipes, City Manager, advised the city has been visiting with Mr. Ton Merka, Administrator of Purchased Utilities for TDCJ, concerning the institutional rate for sewer service. He said TDCJ is currently paying the institutional rate for sewer service, which amounts to $1.35 per thousand gallons of water used. He said with the sewer rate based on the amount of water used, the user pays for the waste that returns to the sewer system as well as the amount that does not return. Mr. Boyd Wilder, Director of Public Utilities, said in his memorandum of May 17, 1990 that Mr. Merka is requesting to be invoiced for sewer service based on the actual flow from the TDCJ pretreatment plant, located at the Diagnostic Unit, instead of using the volume of water purchased as a basis for sewer service. Mr. Wilder noted this request would involve the Walls Unit, the Wynne Farm, and the Diagnostic Unit. He noted according to Mr. Merka's figures for 1989,. 37,008,000 gallons were bilLed for sewer which did not return to the city sewer system, which wouLd calculate to approximately $50,000 per year in reduced revenue to the City. Mr. Wilder said the revenue from the TDCJ pretreatment plant is 22 percent of the totaL sewer revenue. With this in mind, he said, he would think that the city shouLd install a meter that is owned and operated by the City of Discussion: Councilmember Carter felt this sounds Like a wonderful idea and things could not have worked out better for us. Councilmember Hammock asked what the difference would be in costs of hauling it to Cut IN Shoot and composting it on -site. Mr. Pipes said the major item is having someone avaiLabLe to turn the material and to work it, etc. With this contract, it is paid on the front end and rid of and space is not consumed nor handling required. Councilmember Hammock feLt there will be quite a bit of expense in hauling it to Cut IN Shoot - -it is not going to be free. Councilmember Carter said what we are saving is some type of salary and manhours. Councilmember Hammock said there are also costs in putting it in the landfill and this new method wilL probably work out to the city's advantage. Mr. Poteete said he feels the city wiLL avoid $1,500 every two months when the city has to have someone cane in to grind the waste before the city ever starts the composting process. He said he feels the amount of equipment time and labor it will take to haul the material to Mr. KeLLey wiLL be about equal to what it would take the city to maintain the compost pile on a daily basis. He said the cost of the grinding and the other two costs are going to be a "wash"- -the cost of hauling versus the cost of maintaining the compost pile. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER DISPOSING OF WOODEN PALLETS Consider authorization for staff to dispose of wooden pallets from the landfiLL for use as backyard compost bins or similar application Mr. Pipes, City Manager, advised the city has been stockpiling wooden pallets for the past two months at the landfill in order to save space in the pit and for their possible resale. He said while the city has not been able to find a buyer, it has received severaL requests from citizens that wish to have them to make backyard compost piLes, etc. He presented a request from Mr. Johnny Poteete, Director of Public Works, for authorization to give these pallets away to the public. He said the city will continue to seek a buyer, but in the meantime, would be achieving one of its goals of reducing waste going into the pit. Counci Lmenber Carter made the motion to approve of this request to give away these PaLLets until a buyer can be found and Councilmember Howard seconded the motion. ALL were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. CONSIDER RESTRUCTURE OF TDCJ SEWER RATE CHARGES Consider a request from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to restructure sewer rate charges by metering of effluent from the pretreatment facility rather than by water consumption calculations Mr. Pipes, City Manager, advised the city has been visiting with Mr. Ton Merka, Administrator of Purchased Utilities for TDCJ, concerning the institutional rate for sewer service. He said TDCJ is currently paying the institutional rate for sewer service, which amounts to $1.35 per thousand gallons of water used. He said with the sewer rate based on the amount of water used, the user pays for the waste that returns to the sewer system as well as the amount that does not return. Mr. Boyd Wilder, Director of Public Utilities, said in his memorandum of May 17, 1990 that Mr. Merka is requesting to be invoiced for sewer service based on the actual flow from the TDCJ pretreatment plant, located at the Diagnostic Unit, instead of using the volume of water purchased as a basis for sewer service. Mr. Wilder noted this request would involve the Walls Unit, the Wynne Farm, and the Diagnostic Unit. He noted according to Mr. Merka's figures for 1989,. 37,008,000 gallons were bilLed for sewer which did not return to the city sewer system, which wouLd calculate to approximately $50,000 per year in reduced revenue to the City. Mr. Wilder said the revenue from the TDCJ pretreatment plant is 22 percent of the totaL sewer revenue. With this in mind, he said, he would think that the city shouLd install a meter that is owned and operated by the City of CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "O" 120 ntsville, if this proposal is to be considered. The metering station would most likely need to be near e manhole in which the TDCJ discharge enters the city system, he said, near Town Creek adjacent to the agnostic Unit property. The proposed metering station would cost approximately $21,000, he advised, wever, if power is not available at this location, the costs my exceed this figure. Mr. Pipes then presented Mr. Wilder's recommendation to install the metering station at the expense TDCJ, which would give the City total control over the metering of the sewer discharge. This particular ,nnection, he noted, generates approximately $425,000 per year. Mr. Pipes said since this is such a mpLete departure from the city's current utility billing system and it is such a potential loss of revenue the City, he wanted the Council to be made aware of this situation. He noted it wiLL take some time to pLement this. Ideally, he noted, budget changes such as this will be dovetailed with the rate ordinances id budget adoption ordinances in September when we begin our new fiscal year; however, because of the ture of this request, he wished to make the Council aware of it well ahead of the situation. He felt it a reasonable request because TDCJ is a major customer of the City's utility billing system and the City shes to cooperate with its existing industries while it Labors strenuousLy to attract new industries. He ted several years ago, SHSU undertook a similar project and segregated a Large portion of their water line their fiscal plant so that all of the water use for lawn watering and outdoor uses that didn't normally turn to the sewer system was then deleted from their sewer bill because it was not metered for sewer rvice. He said TDCJ does not have this capability and they are the only ones that have an active etreatment system. He felt this is a logical proposal. He asked for the Council's specific questions out this so that the city can respond in the next few weeks to the TDCJ staff and indicate a general rection so they, in turn, can go to their leadership to ask for authorization for the funds to install the ter and the city can target for the October 1 fiscal year, the establishment of a new billing process ' thin the rate ordinance. Mayor Monday asked if there is a motion to accept TDCJ's request, as outlined ove. Mayor Monday said this authorization will allow Mr. Pipes to communicate the city's wiLLingness to rsue this and set this up for approval in the new budget and rate ordinances. Councilmember Howard made Discussion: Councilmember Knotts said if we do this for TDCJ we may need to look at every citizen n town. Mr. Pipes said the difference is that it would be impossible to meter a four inch line. ouncilmember Knotts said the principle is the same as a lot of people use a lot of water watering their awns and get charged for sewer. Mr. Pipes said many people have separate meters for their sprinkler ystems, swimming pools, etc. and those bills do not reflect the sewer expense. He said TDCJ is the only ntity with a pretreatment and a specific discharge point for a major volume that can be electronically etered. Mr. Bounds, City Attorney, said his understanding of this proposal is that this is an agreement to ring back to the Council a contract for the installation of a meter at the sewer plant to be installed at DCJ's expense on city property and that formal contract will be voted upon and will address the metering no the date for the implementation of the rate change to take place. He said all we are doing at this oint is authorizing an agreement to be brought back to the Council. Mr. Pipes said the city does not want ny customer reading his own meter and writing his own bill. All were in favor and the motion passed CONSIDER ORDINANCE Mr. Gene Pipes, City Manager, presented this ordinance, the caption of which is as follows: I I CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "Q" 121 ORDINANCE 90 -7 AN ORDINANCE DESIGNATING THE CITY MANAGER AS RECORDS MANAGEMENT OFFICER FOR THE CITY; AND MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED THERETO Mr. Pipes advised in the early 19801s, the City Council designated the City Manager as the Custodian of Records for the City of HuntsviLLe for court purposes and for other reasons. He noted the Local Government Records Act requires that a Records Management Officer (RMO) be designated by June 1 and there are a number of other implementation dates that follow over the next year. He said he is not keen on inventing the wheel and expects a number of cities, or in fact, the Texas Municipal League, to develop a very specific set of performance criteria in the foreseeable future. Councilmember Green made the motion to approve Ordinance No. 90 -7 and Councilmember Barrett seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. Discussion: Councilmember Bell felt the position is still undefined, there is no job description, no particular idea of who they want in this position, and he frankly felt it would be premature to approve a position about which they are stiLL in some discussion stage about what they are going to do and about who they are going to be in terms of a job description. Councilmember Knotts said he is mainly concerned about code enforcement and he didn't understand what this position's duties would be. Councilmember Barrett said he does not mind tabling this matter if there is need for more discussion. All were in favor of the motion to table and it passed unanimously. Councilmember BeLL said he would like to see the Council move toward a time line and asked if they could call for a personnel committee meeting or if that is not the sense of what the Council wants to do then they have a period designated for discussion. Mayor Monday suggested the Personnel Committee should meet to define the position. She asked the Council to get their questions to Mr. Pipes and the Committee wiLL then consider this and perhaps bring it back on June 5. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT - -GENE PIPES Consider Director of Community Development Position Mr. Pipes advised this position was discussed on May 1, 1990 and referred to the Personnel Committee. He noted the primary focus of this Department will be "One Stop Shop" coordination and communication with the private sector for development projects as well as news and information dissemination to the general public. He said the Personnel Committee did meet yesterday and had some discussion at length about this particular position. He said he will be happy to answer any questions at this time. Mayor Monday calLed for a vote on this motion. Councilmember Barrett made the motion to approve this position and Councilmember Gaines seconded the motion. Discussion: CouncUmember Green asked if there is a report from the Personnel Committee relative to this position. Councilmember Howard, Personnel Committee Chairman, advised he will have a report next week. Mayor Monday advised it was discussed, but there was no official vote of the Personnel Committee. She said Councilmember Bell had asked to have it explained specifically and that was done. Councilmember Bell suggested postponing this item because there are still some questions. Mayor Monday asked for those questions. Scott Bounds, City Attorney, noted the money for the position has already been budgeted and the job description is what the Council needs to consider now. Councilmember Carter made the motion to table this item because he is unclear about this position. He said he sees this position has the primary focus of the "one stop shop" and he turns over a few pages and sees that the city has only had 18 total permits in the last four months. He was not sure how much time is needed for a position of that sort. He said the Personnel Committee met but they do not have a report and he doesn't know what was discussed or what direction they might give at this point. Additionally, he said, he does not know what the qualifications might be or should be for the person who is to hold this position. He said when all those questions are answered satisfactorily, perhaps we can vote on it, but didn't see how they couLd take action on it without a report from the Personnel Committee. Councilmember Carter then formally made the motion to table this item and Councilmember Bell seconded the motion. Discussion: Councilmember Bell felt the position is still undefined, there is no job description, no particular idea of who they want in this position, and he frankly felt it would be premature to approve a position about which they are stiLL in some discussion stage about what they are going to do and about who they are going to be in terms of a job description. Councilmember Knotts said he is mainly concerned about code enforcement and he didn't understand what this position's duties would be. Councilmember Barrett said he does not mind tabling this matter if there is need for more discussion. All were in favor of the motion to table and it passed unanimously. Councilmember BeLL said he would like to see the Council move toward a time line and asked if they could call for a personnel committee meeting or if that is not the sense of what the Council wants to do then they have a period designated for discussion. Mayor Monday suggested the Personnel Committee should meet to define the position. She asked the Council to get their questions to Mr. Pipes and the Committee wiLL then consider this and perhaps bring it back on June 5. CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "0" 122 Request for summer vacation schedules for calendar setting Mr. Pipes asked the Council to report their vacation schedules so he can set up the budget sessions, council meetings, and give consideration for vacations. Notification cards for solid waste collection problems Mr. Pipes presented a yellow card designed by the Sanitation Department that will be a door hanger for missed garbage. He said it gives an opportunity for the collection crew to quickly designate what seems to be a problem if there is a problem collecting the garbage. He said it is offered for the Council's consideration and the department has not started using them yet; it is just an idea. Mayor Monday said she Likes the idea because it is a communication tool, but suggested a statement saying if the resident wants to get rid of the garbage before the city can come back, that he can take it to the landfilL or some other option. Mr. Poteete said the city has not been picking it up and is depending upon the resident to call them to question why there is a problem. Consider a follow -up audit of electric and phone bills by Tri -Stem Inc Mr. Pipes advised Tri -Stem, Inc. did a good job for the City a few years ago in auditing the city's utility bills and determining some overcharging that was eventually refunded. He said their consultant agreement calls for a fee relationship based on the amount of recovery and no other costs other than staff time to get the bills. He advised since the city already has its data on diskette, the recovery fee will be 35 percent rather than 50 percent. He said he is not suggesting there is a great deal of money that has been overcharged, but felt there should be a follow -up after the initial effort some years ago. Councilmember Green made the motion to approve of this follow-up audit by Tri -Stem Inc and CounciLmember I� Carter seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. MAYOR'S ACTIVITY REPORT - -JANE MONDAY Report on the Hinhwav 19 Meeting in Athens on May 16 Mayor Monday advised Mr. Tom RandLe was recognized for his outstanding year as President of the Highway 19 Association and Gene Pipes for his help as Secretary. She advised the presidency was turned over to Bill McCOOI of Sulphur Springs. There were 43 people in attendance representing almost all of the cities and counties along Highway 19. She said everyone is still very interested and enthusiastic. Mayor Monday advised Highway 19 did not get on the trunk system as reported on May 21 by the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. She noted, however, the good news is that Highway 190 from Huntsville to the Louisiana border has been approved and is included in the trunk system. She advised Association officials are encouraged to push this project with each of their particular districts to get their work accomplished and therefore fill in the gaps. Mayor Monday noted the section of Highway 19 in Walker County is virtually completed except for a small section on the east loop. She said the Highway 19 Association is going to make a very active response to the Highway 19 issue. She said Mr. Pipes has been in touch today with Mr. McCool who will be contacting all of the cities and counties to initiate a Letter writing campaign to the Highway Department asking them to support Highway 19. She said the Association will be discussing this with each of the CounciLmembers and will ask for their support. She said Highway 30 was also excluded from the trunk system [four lanes between Huntsville and Bryan) and the Association feels strongly about this and has sent a letter on behalf of Highway 30 for its inclusion in the trunk system. She said Letters have been sent to the state, over her signature and that of Judge Frank Robinson and Jerry Nemec (who is director of transportation for the Chamber of Commerce). She said there will be an additional hearing in June and a final hearing in September. She concluded by saying both Highways 30 and 19 will be addressed and Huntsville will be included in the effort to address their inclusion. Appointment of Medical Solid Waste Committee Mayor Monday advised she would like the Council's consensus this evening on appointing a committee ' with a representative from the community, the hospital, a nursing hone and any other area not yet identified to put together a committee who can provide a report for the Council. Councilmember Carter asked if two or three non- practicing components of that committee could be added. He said we are talking about asking the CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 22, 1990 BOOK "0" 123 ADJOURNMENT Respectfully submitted, Ruth DeShaW, City May 22, 1990 profession to regulate the profession. He suggested adding three general citizens who have no ties whatsoever to the medicat profession. Mayor Monday said she will sure do that. KSAM News Reporter Mayor Monday advised the news reporter from KSAM is Allan Williams. COUNCIL ACTION Pothole on Autism Drive Councitmember Bell reported a pothole on Autumn Drive. Avenue 0 Paving Councitmember Barrett noted he is pleased to see that Avenue g is about to receive its top paving coat. Mr. Pipes said the final course should be placed within the next two weeks. Mr. Poteete said since the seal coat is down, he thinks the city will be able to start on the level -up as soon as the hotmix plant switches back from what they are running from Madisonville, which is not acceptable for our streets. Councitmember Barrett noted Avenue 0 is a busy street and will cause some traffic problems when it is blocked off. He hoped the paving could be accomplished very rapidly. Lone Star Lunker - -State Fish Hatchery Program Councitmember Knotts said he called Austin concerning the Lone Star Lunker program. He said he talked with Gene McCart, who used to be at the Huntsville Fish Hatchery. He advised the plans are progressing well and they should be able to start something in about nine months. He said they are trying to work out a flood easement with Gibbs Brothers and the National Forest for the 40 -50 acre lake that they were adding to their plans. He said they are working with various individuals about a colony of the red cockaded woodpecker that has been found on the land. Councilmember Knott& reported the plans look good. Mayor Monday asked Councitmember Knotts to bring Mr. Dave Cich, Chamber President, up -to -date on this project as he may not be aware of it. Councilmember Knotts said some of the funds raised in the October 6 and 7 bass tournament will be dedicated to this Lone Star Lunker Program. He said if one wants to pay $200 a day entry to fish in Lake Raven on Saturday and Sunday, and one catches the biggest bass, his prize will be $500,000. He said part of the $200 will go to this program. He said with that Large a first prize, there wilt probably be 10,000 to 12,000 entries. ADJOURNMENT Respectfully submitted, Ruth DeShaW, City May 22, 1990