Minutes - 06/05/2012 MINUTES FROM THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 5T" DAY OF JUNE 2012, IN THE CITY
HALL, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER,TEXAS AT 6:OOPM.
The Council met in a regular session with the following:
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Mac Woodward, James Fitch, Lydia Montgomery, Don H. Johnson, Keith D. Olson, Joe Emmett, Tish
Humphrey,Ronald Allen,
COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT.Clyde Loll
OFFICERS PRESENT:Chuck Pinto,Interim City Manager Leonard Schneider City Attorney Lee Woodward City Secretary
REGULAR SESSION[6:OOPM]
1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Woodward called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
2. INVOCATION AND PLEDGES — Councilmember Montgomery led the invocation. Devin Cruson of Huntsville High
School and Kali Pavelock of New Waverly High School led the pledges.
3. PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS
- Presentation of Devin Cruson and Kali Pavelock, 2012 recipients of the City of Huntsville Employee Scholarship
Fund scholarships. Like Weger and Charlie Kilgore were also recognized as graduating seniors.
- Proclamation recognizing June as Optimist International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
- Introduction of Lt. Margil Flores as a new member of the City of Huntsville,Texas Veterans Affairs Advisory,Board
and Master Sergeant Joseph Brooks as the new commanding officer at the National Guard Armory.
- Presentation of 2012 SHSU Student Government representatives — Mayor Woodward introduced Student Body
President Shane Rankin and his board
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
Kendall Scudder spoke in support of the Farmer's Market grant and in opposition to Councilmember Johnson's and
Olson's discussion of the item at the last meeting.
5. CONSENT AGENDA
a. Approve the minutes of the City Council Regular Session held on May 15, 2012 and the Special Session
held on May 19,2012.[Lee Woodward, City Secretary]
b. Approve Ordinance 2012-27 amending the traffic schedule to ratify No Parking signs on Avenue J between
15th Street and Bearkat Boulevard,2nd reading. [Aron Kulhavy,Director of Public Works]
c. Consider the award of contract for construction of several low income housing developments within the
city limits of Huntsville,TX. [Dr.Sherry McKibben,Community Development Specialist]
Councilmember Montgomery made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda and the motion was seconded by
Councilmember Johnson The motion passed unanimously.
Councilmember Humphrey asked for acknowledgement in the minutes of the May 15, 2012 meeting that Main
Street did not actually have two interns, discussion followed that one part-time position was paid with funds raised
by Main Street. She also confirmed with Dr. Sherry McKibben that the City's guideline for completing the project
was stricter than that provided for in the grant.
6. STATUTORY AGENDA
a. (Presentation, discussion, and possible action to approve Ordinance 2012-30, authorizing the City of
'Huntsville to enter into all necessary agreements with the Employees Retirement System of Texas(ERS)to
extend federal health insurance benefits(Medicare)to the officers and employees of the City of Huntsville,
1St reading. [Winston Duke,Finance Director]
Councilmember Allen filed a Conflict of Interest and left the room for the discussion. Winston Duke, Director of
Finance,told the Council the item was an application to provide an option for 18 active employees to vote to have
access to the Medicare system at age 65, allowing the City to purchase supplemental policies. He noted it would
be an individual referendum with a possible maximum cost to the City of$143,000 or five quarters, a reduced cost
to the City compared to full insurance.
7. MAYOR/CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER REPORT
a. Presentation, discussion,and possible action to discuss the selection of a permanent City Manager.
[Mayor Woodward]
Councilmember Olson, chair of the ad hoc search committee, said the committee had met and decided as a body
to have five firms contacted for presentations at the June 19 Council meeting. He noted the committee wanted
specific directives from Council and with public knowledge. The Mayor announced the presentations would begin
at 5 pm and the meeting at 8 pm, and that the presentations would be filmed.
Councilmember Fitch said the ad hoc committee's consensus that the firm selected would perform with the
Council and as they decided, basically that the firm would initially vet the applications. and reduce them to a
workable number, after which the Council would take the lead. Councilmember Humphrey said the deliberations'
were lengthy, deciding the staff would not have the time to take on the project in-house, and also that the Council
would want to take an active role.
City Attorney Leonard Schneider suggested the Council move for the changed meeting times on June 19th.
Councilmember Olson made a motion that on June 19th the Council meet in a workshop beginninq at 5 om and
have the meeting at 8 pm and was seconded by Councilmember Humphrey The motion passed unanimously.
Councilmember Olson told Councilmember Johnson the five firms were selected due to reputation and prior
experience with members of the committee. Councilmember Fitch said the committee asked for a broad
prospectus of how the firms do business. Councilmember Olson concurred, saying they did not want to limit the
scope until they saw what firms could do. Councilmember Fitch said cost was also a factor in "picking and
choosing"from the services they could provide.
Councilmember Humphrey noted the 19th would provide an opportunity to see the culture of each firm.
Councilmember Fitch added that companies would show if they did their homework and wanted to work for the
City.
b. Presentation,discussion, and possible action to discuss the FY12-13 budget. [Mayor Woodward]
Councilmember Olson expressed an appreciation of Mr. Pinto's method for the prior week's budget sessions, and
the ability to visit directly with the staff and hear their reasoning for what was in the budget requests.
Councilmember Montgomery agreed, calling it an"eye-opener"and expressed amazement at the staff's hard work
and diligence with such limited funds, commending them and saying it was a great learning experience. Mr. Pinto
said the staff would be bringing back a balanced budget in a little while.
c. Presentation, discussion, and possible action to approve the nomination of Dessie Cherry for
reappointment to the H-GAC Aging Programs Advisory Committee and appointment of Rhonda Hanks to
the H-GAC Solid Waste Management Committee. [Mayor Woodward]
The Mayor nominated Dessie Cherry for reappointment to the H-GAC Aging Programs Advisory Committee and
appointment of Rhonda Hanks to the H-GAC Solid Waste Management Committee The motion passed
unanimously.
d. Presentation, discussion, and possible action to approve the nomination of Bill Gibson to the City of
Huntsville,Texas Veterans Affairs Advisory Board. [Mayor Woodward]
The Mayor made the nomination and the motion passed unanimouslv.
e. Presentation, discussion, and possible action to ratify nominations for the PEB Trust Trustees of Thomas
Heidt of the Port of Houston Authority, and Winston Duke, Finance Director, of the City of Huntsville.
[Mayor Woodward]
The Mayor made the nomination and the motion passed unanimously.
f. City Manager's Report
1. Updates on City construction, grants,studies,City projects,City purchases,and economic
development.
Mr. Pinto discussed the proposed SHSU research park in relation to annexation and planned unit
development(PUD)and the Council's options. He showed a map of the area to be considered for annexation
and mentioned its possible relation to a local liquor option election, noting that an election would only cover
are in the City at the time of the election and its impact on the placement of a full-service hotel. He addressed
the time constraints needed in a typical annexation schedule, noting there was plenty of time to engage the
public. He suggested the process begin to leave the option open for the Council, not that the staff was
recommending annexation.
Mr. Pinto then also recommended a parallel process including the Planning and Zoning Commission(P&Z)to
allow for a PUD in the zoning ordinance. He said this would allow the City to work with developers to
establish a strictly controlled land use plan. He said the procedure would go through P&Z and then to Council
to use as an additional development tool. Mr. Pinto asked the staff be allowed to begin following these
courses, with the understanding the research project was still in a planning process, but would give the
Council choices.
The Mayor said SHSU had asked the City to look into what would be involved to provide services to the area
under discussion, regardless of annexation, and that a grant to pay for roughly 80% of the water supply had
been applied for. He said he understood the University was moving forward with its master plan for University
and private property areas and had later asked the City to consider annexation. The Mayor confirmed that
annexation following a local liquor option election would not allow for it to be a"wet"area without an additional
election. Mr. Pinto noted having City services in the area could be something to consider. The Mayor noted
PUD was new to the Council and different from previously used by the City and suggested more discussion
and education while keeping the process moving forward. The Mayor noted the City had not made any,
commitments yet.
Councilmember Humphrey compared the Council to a Board of Directors and having a CEO provide an option
to them. She said she thought it very critical that public discussion take place and noted how fortunate the
Council was to have this brought before them. The Mayor said the University had placed a job posting for the
director of the research park and suggested an item be on each agenda to continue the conversation.
Councilmember Olson asked if contiguous land was required and Mr. Pinto said it was for annexation but not
PUDs. Mr. Pinto said Aron Kulhavy, the Director of Public•Works, and his staff would be bringing more
information on this. Mr. Pinto said a PUD would be more of a negotiated effort. He said the staff would begin
to follow the timeline unless there was other direction from the Council.
8. PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
9. MEDIA INQUIRIES RELATED TO MATTERS ON THE AGENDA
There were no media inquiries.
10. ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST
(Hear announcements concerning items of community interest from the Mayor, Councilmembers, and City staff for
which no action will be discussed or taken.)
- The Mayor reminded everyone to cast votes for the 2012 Communities Take Root program, a program sponsored
by Dryer's Fruit Bars.The City could win its own fruit orchard with enough citizen votes, and citizens may vote for
Huntsville daily at http://www.communitiestakeroot.com.
- The Mayor noted the City had received a message from Mike Heinz and Cher Grande of Seattle,WA,who were in
Huntsville recently. Cher left her purse at Starbuck's here, but didn't realize it until they were in Corpus Christi.
Employee Clay Williams was kind enough to send it to their next stop in San Antonio. He said really, really
appreciated this and wanted to thank him and let the newspaper know about his excellent service.
- The Mayor announced The Huntsville Item recently named the winners of its Readers Choice contest.
Councilmember Clyde Loll was selected as the Best City Councilmember and Officer Kevin Hammond was chosen
as the Best Police Officer. Congratulations to them both!
- The Mayor showed a photo of FireWise event at Elkins 5/19 from Asst.Fire Chief Hobbs
- The Mayor encouraged the public to go by the Wynne Home to see their recent exhibition by local Bill Haveron in
the main gallery. We are also pleased to note that City employee Dennis Hickman is another local self-taught
artist whose pieces are being featured in the Friends of the Wynne Sales Gallery and throughout the Wynne
Home.
11. ADJOURNMENT
The Ma or ad'ourned the.meetin 7:06 m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Woodward, City Secretar