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Minutes - 03/03/2015 RD MINUTES FROM THE HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 3 DAY OF MARCH 2015, 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: Mac Woodward, Andy Brauninger, Lydia Montgomery, Don H. Johnson, Keith D. Olson, Joe Emmett, Tish Humphrey, Ronald Allen, Joe P. Rodriquez 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 Woodward called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. INVOCATION AND PLEDGES – Councilmember Rodriquez gave an invocation and Keaton Davidson of the YMCA led the pledges. 3. PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS - Proclamation for Severe Weather Awareness Week 4. 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 February 17, 2015. \[Lee Woodward, City Secretary\] b. Consider authorizing the City Manager to approve a revised Interlocal Agreement with TML MultiState Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool (IEBP) to reflect a name change to TML MultiState Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool. \[Julie O’Connell, Human Resources Director\] c. Consider the abandonment of a sanitary Sewer Easement on Smyth/Gibbs property, Tax ID No. 4404-001-0-00100, described in Volume 258, page 729 and Volume 331, page 080, Official Public Records of Walker County, Texas. \[Y. S. Ramachandra, City Engineer\] Councilmember Olson moved to approve the consent agenda and was seconded by Councilmember Montgomery. The motion was adopted unanimously, 9-0. 5. STATUTORY AGENDA a. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to adopt Ordinance 2015-15, allowing the City Manager to approve amendments to the City’s Personnel Policies and Procedures Policy Manual after notice is given to the City Council, second reading. \[Matt Benoit, City Manager, and Julie O’Connell, Human Resources Director\] Councilmember Humphrey moved to adopt Ordinance 2015-15, allowing the City Manager to approve amendments to the City’s Personnel Policies and Procedures Policy Manual after notice is given to the City Council and was seconded by Mayor Woodward. The motion was adopted unanimously, 9-0. b. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to authorize the City Manager to sign a contract with Infrastructure Management Services to perform a Street Condition Assessment for an amount not to exceed $94,000. \[Matt Benoit, City Manager, Y. S. Ramachandra, City Engineer, Carol Reed, Director of Public Works\] Councilmember Montgomery moved to authorize the City Manager to sign a contract with Infrastructure Management Services to perform a Street Condition Assessment for an amount not to exceed $94,000 and was seconded by Councilmember Olson. The motion was adopted, 8-1. c. FIRST READING - Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to authorize the City Manager to sign an Engineering Agreement with Freese and Nichols, Inc. for Condition and Capacity Assessment Studies (CCAS) of the City’s Water Distribution System and Wastewater Collection System, first reading. \[Y. S. Ramachandra, City Engineer\] (First reading, no action taken.) City Engineer Ramachandra, in response to Council questions, said the study would evaluate the complete system, old and new, and would help evaluate ways to improve throughout, as had been done on the east side with the elimination of lift stations for gravity feed systems. 6. MAYOR/CITY COUNCIL/CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY REPORT a. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to approve nomination of Stan Foley to the Board of Adjustments and Appeals. \[Mayor Woodward\] Mayor Woodward moved his nomination. The motion was unanimously adopted, 9-0. b. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action to approve new contract with the City Attorney. \[Mayor Woodward\] The Mayor moved to approve the new contract with Liles Parker for City Attorney services and was seconded by Councilmember Allen. The motion was adopted unanimously, 9-0. c. Presentation, public comment, discussion, and possible action on request from Councilmember Allen to review the proposed use of two separate allocations of $49,999 of Street Fund Future Appropriations to complete topographical survey and design engineering services to apply for a TXDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant. \[Councilmember Allen\] Councilmember Humphrey moved to adopt Ordinance 2015-16 amending the 2014-2015 Budget, allocating $100,000 of Future Appropriations in the Street Fund for topographical survey and design engineering services to apply for a TXDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant and was seconded by Councilmembers Johnson and Montgomery. Councilmember Allen said he had placed the item on the agenda to discuss rotating the membership of the City Council Finance Committee. Tyler Livezey and Spencer Copeland of the SHSU Student Government Association (SGA) expressed their support of the appropriations. Debra Durda spoke in concern about whether the item should have been placed on the agenda. Mayor Woodward noted the Council had been fully briefed on the item previously and that the grant was a significant opportunity for the city. The motion was adopted unanimously, 9-0. d. City Manager’s Report 1. Updates on City construction, grants, studies, City projects, City purchases, and economic development. There was no report. 7. 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 February 24, 2015. 8. MEDIA INQUIRIES RELATED TO MATTERS ON THE AGENDA There were no media inquiries. 9. 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 Woodward presented the following items: - Registration is starting now for Spring Classes at the Wynne Home, for both children and adults. Call 291-5424 for more information. - Authors with the National Book Awards will be coming to SHSU. Please join them at the Gaertner Performing Arts Center from 5:45-8:30 p.m. on March 23 for book signings and public readings. - The City of Huntsville Solid Waste and Recycling Division, in cooperation with a number of local businesses and service groups, is hosting the annual Trash Bash on Saturday, March 7. See the flyer on the City web site. - The Veterans Task Force of Montgomery, Walker, and Liberty Counties will be holding a Veteran’s Expo on March 17 from 9-2 at the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center in Conroe. Veterans can receive legal and employment aid and connect with area employers. stndst - The HEARTS Museum, the 101 Airborne 502 Able Company, and the W Coy 1 Airborne Division will be holding a thst WWII Living History Enactment & Display at the Museum on March 20 & 21, including authentic camp facilities, vehicles, and weaponry. - The annual All Paws In community event will be March 21. Please visit the SHSU SGA web or Facebook pages to sign up projects or volunteer your help or call 936-294-1933. - HPD is accepting applications for the 2015 Citizen’s Police Academy through March 23. Call 291-5480 for information. - The Senior Center is hosting a Medicare Fraud Awareness luncheon on March 25 at 11 a.m. Call 295-6151 for more information. - The Huntsville Public Library & the SHSU LEAP Center will present a free Citizenship Preparation Course in April. Please call the library to sign up. st - SAAFE House is hosting a bowling tournament at Huntsville Lanes on March 21 and hopes you will join them for fun and good cause. They will also start selling tickets in March for their annual Crawfest, scheduled for May 21st at the Walker County Fairgrounds. For both of these events they are seeking sponsors and donors for the auctions. - Congratulations to bareback rider Taylor Price of Huntsville, who tied to win the RDF-TV rodeo in Ft. Worth over the weekend, and scored half of the top prize of $1 million. - Next week is Spring Break, be safe and have a good time. Councilmember Rodriquez said the Cabin on the Square, staffed by Friends of the Cabin, is having a grand re-opening on March 14 from 10-2. Councilmember Brauninger expressed his enjoyment of the events yesterday for the Texas Independence Day, General Sam Houston’s Birthday, and the dedication of the Gene Pipes Amphitheater. Councilmember Humphrey lauded Public Works Director Carol Reed for her recent recycling guidelines meeting, and encouraged the public to use the blue bins responsibly. She urged groups to invite Ms. Reed to come speak. 10. EXECUTIVE SESSION a. City Council will meet in Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.074 – personnel matters regarding the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee, concerning City Secretary Lee Woodward. \[Mayor Woodward\] The Mayor adjourned the Council into Executive Session at 7:01 p.m. 11. RECONVENE a. Take action, if necessary, on items handled in Executive Session. The Council reconvened at 7:58 p.m. Councilmember Olson moved to authorize the Mayor to enter into contract negotiations with the City Secretary and was seconded by Councilmember Brauninger. The motion was unanimously adopted, 9-0. 12. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Woodward adjourned the meeting at 7:59 p.m. Lee Woodward, City Secretary