Minutes - 12/19/2017
MINUTES FROM THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING HELD ON THE 19 TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2017, IN
THE CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M, IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS, AT 6:00 P.M.
The Council met in a regular session with the following:
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Andy Brauninger, Joe Emmett, Tish Humphrey, Ronald Allen, Joe P. Rodriquez, Paul
Davidhizar, Tyler McCaffety, Keith D. Olson, Clyde D. Loll
COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: None
OFFICERS PRESENT: Matt Benoit, City Manager, Leonard Schneider, City Attorney; Lee Woodward, City Secretary
MAIN SESSION \[6:00 p.m.\]
1. CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Brauninger called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. INVOCATION AND PLEDGES
U.S. Flag
Texas Flag: Honor the Texas Flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state, under God, one, and indivisible.
Councilmember Davidhizar gave an invocation and Taliyah Blount of HHS led the pledges.
3. CONSENT AGENDA
Public Comments will be called for by the presiding officer before action is taken on these items. (Approval of Consent
Agenda authorizes the City Manager to implement each item in accordance with staff recommendations. An item may
be removed from the Consent Agenda and added to the Statutory Agenda for full discussion by request of a member
of Council.)
a. Approve the minutes of the City Council meeting held on December 5, 2017. \[Lee Woodward, City Secretary\]
b. Authorize the City Manager to reduce the Garney Construction contract by $242,685.98. \[Dr. Sherry McKibben,
Director of Neighborhood Resources\]
c. Adopt Ordinance 2018-08 to amend the budget for FY 17-18 and amend the Capital Improvement Projects budget.
\[Steve Ritter, Finance Director\]
d. Authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Fugro Geospatial, Inc. for professional services to
deliver aerial, planimetric, and topographic mapping for the City of Huntsville and its extraterritorial jurisdiction
(ETJ) limits. \[Y. S. “Ram” Ramachandra, City Engineer\]
e. Authorize the City Manager to waive a debt of $720.40 owed by Mr. Juan Hernandez of 1029 Hazel, Huntsville,
Texas. \[Daryl Uptmore, Public Works Director\]
f. Authorize the City Manager to sign Amendment No. 1 to the Development Agreement between the City of Huntsville
and 1 Texas Grand Ranch LLC. \[Matt Benoit, City Manager\]
Mayor Pro Tem Olson moved to approve the consent agenda; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Davidhizar.
Councilmember Allen asked to pull item b. The motion for items a, c, d, e, and f was adopted, 9-0.
Councilmember Humphrey moved to approve item b; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Davidhizar. The motion
was adopted, 9-0.
4. CITY COUNCIL/CITY MANAGER/CITY ATTORNEY
a. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to consider adopting Ordinance 2018-09,
authorizing annual participation with other Entergy service area cities in matters concerning Entergy Texas, Inc.,
at the Public Utility Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2018, first reading. \[Leonard
Schneider, City Attorney\]
First reading, no action taken.
b. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to consider the nomination of the 2018 TIRZ #1
Board of Directors Chair. \[Mayor Brauninger\]
Mayor Brauninger moved his nomination of Don Johnson. The motion was adopted, 8-1, Councilmember Allen voting
against.
5. REQUESTS FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
An opportunity for citizens to be heard on any topic and for the City Council to participate in the discussion. No action will be
taken.
No requests were received by noon on Tuesday, December 12, 2017.
6. MEDIA INQUIRIES RELATED TO MATTERS ON THE AGENDA
There were no inquiries.
7. 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.)
Mayor Brauninger announced: Congratulations to Huntsville Fire Department Captain Greg Mathis who recently graduated from
the Fire Executive Management Training Program at the Bill Blackwood LEMIT Center at SHSU. He was one of 20 chosen for
this flagship class. Captain Mathis is a highly-trained and well-respected member of the department and we are honored to have
him with the City of Huntsville. The Mayor also offered congratulations to the Sam Houston State University Bearkats on a
memorable 2017 season, reaching the FCS playoffs for the fifth time in seven years.
HISD Minute! from Mayor Pro Tem Olson – We are excited to note the Mance Park 8th Grade Boys A basketball team won the
New Waverly tournament this weekend – congrats to them! Maybe we can get City Manager Matt Benoit to tell us what’s next
for the team? Please remember that kids are out of school for the next couple of weeks. It may be nice to see fewer cars on the
road, but we still need to be aware and safe on the streets and in neighborhoods. Let’s help everyone in our community have a
happy holiday season.
CoH Clean Minute! Councilmember Humphrey -Thanks for helping keep Home Sweet Huntsville clean by being thoughtful about
disposal of garbage and trees. You will see this infographic on our website and on social media for tips during this holiday
season. It includes things to think about such as using and reusing gift bags, since most gift wrap is difficult to recycle. Choose
rechargeable batteries, which can be recharged up to 1,000 times.
Councilmember Rodriquez announced the City of Huntsville Police Department partnered with Target’s Heroes and Helpers
Program on Saturday, December 9. One hundred children from area low-income families arrived at the store before opening and
were given a $100 Target gift card to shop for a toy of their choice. First responders from the Huntsville Police Department,
Huntsville Fire Department, Walker County Sheriff’s Department, TDCJ’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Department
of Public Safety helped the children shop.
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Councilmember Davidhizar announced that holiday trash schedules are in your City Connection. January 1 Monday residential
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pickup will be picked up on January 3. There will be no heavy trash pickup on January 3. Please check our website and follow
us on our social media to be sure you understand the holiday schedule for solid waste pick-up and Christmas tree disposal.
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Councilmember Joe Emmett – Don’t you love that new digital sign!? It went live December 1 and people can’t stop looking at
it. Make sure you see our special message for a text number to get a response from Santa Claus. He said he was also surprised
over the weekend to see the City’s portable digital signs letting residents know about the TxDOT traffic along I-45. The Mayor
also lauded HPD and other local agencies for their assistance in traffic control this weekend.
Mayor Brauninger congratulated City Secretary Lee Woodward on recent awards from the TMCA Salt Grass Chapter.
8. EXECUTIVE SESSION
a. City Council will meet in Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 – consultation
with counsel on legal matters and 551.072 – deliberation regarding purchase, exchange, lease or value of real
property, concerning Proposition 1 properties.
b. City Council will meet in Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 – consultation
with counsel on legal matters and 551.072 – deliberation regarding purchase, exchange, lease or value of real
property, concerning an area generally bounded by Highway 19, Old Colony Road, Geneva Road, and Highway 190.
c. City Council will convene in closed session as authorized by Texas Government Code Chapter 551, Section 551.074
- personnel matters regarding the evaluation and job duties of City Manager Matt Benoit.
The Council adjourned to Executive Session at 6:19 p.m
11. RECONVENE
The Council reconvened at 7:17 p.m. Councilmember Loll moved to authorize the City Manager and the City Attorney to pay a
combined total of $24,732 for easement and timber value for an easement comprising +/- 1.52 acres of land located within a
56.749-acre tract, situated in the Harvey Gray survey A-212, recorded in Volume 173, Page 114 of the official public records of
Walker County, Texas, and a 1.166-acre tract, situated in the Thomas Gibbs Survey, A-220, recorded in the Volume 350, Page
743, of the official public records of Walker County, Texas; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Humphrey. The motion
was adopted, 8-0, (Councilmember Emmett did not attend Executive Session for item a and did not return to the dais after
Executive Session).
12. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Brauninger adjourned the meeting without objection at 7:19 p.m.
Lee Woodward, City Secretary