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HomeMy WebLinkAbout111113 CC MinThe City of West University Place A Neighborhood City CITY COUNCIL Bob Fry, Mayor Susan Sample, Mayor Pro Tem Ed Heathcott, Councilmember Joan Johnson, Councilmember Dick Yehle, Councilmember STAFF Michael Ross, City Manager Alan Petrov, City Attorney Thelma Lenz, City Secretary CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES The City Council of the City of West University Place, Texas, met in special /workshop and regular sessions on Monday, November 11, 2013, in the Municipal Building, 3800 University, West University Place, Texas beginning at 5:30 p.m. SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP (5:30 p.m. in the Conference Room) Call to Order. Mayor Fry called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Council and Staff in attendance were: Mayor Pro Tem Sample, Councilmembers Heathcott, Johnson and Yehle, City Manager Ross, ACM /Public Works Director Peifer, City Secretary Lenz, City Attorney Petrov, Parks and Recreation Director O'Connor, Assistant Public Works Director Beach and Police Chief Walker. Agenda items are as follows: 1. Green Waste Matters related to green waste. City Manager Ross presented this item and stated that staff is bringing this item before Council for consideration. He said the issue has been discussed during several budget workshops, but it had not gained traction until now, largely due to recent discussions on the subject and the approval to close the Recycling Center. He said the cost to collect green waste is still roughly $125,000 annually which, if approved, would include the hiring of an employee to maintain the green waste recycling effort. Orval Marlow, Chair of the Recycling Solid Waste and Reduction Board, spoke to say that one of the 2013 -2015 Council goals was to evaluate and recommend ways to increase recycling participation. He said this can be accomplished by increasing the amount of trash that is diverted from the waste stream (i.e. sent to landfill) and one of those things that can be diverted is yard waste. Mr. Marlow provided some history on yard waste in the City, which included: • 2005 was the last full year the City collected yard waste separately (the service was ceased after the vendor sold their property close to West U). • In 2005, the volume of yard waste was 1,508 tons. • In 2005, the total volume of garbage was 5,789 tons. • In 2005, the City's recycling /diversion rate, including waste recyclables and yard waste was approximately 40% • In 2012, the total volume of garbage was 7,059 tons. • In 2012, the volume of yard waste was estimated to be 1,500 tons. • In 2012, the City's recycling /diversion rate, including only recyclables, was approximately 25 %. City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Regarding the cost to add a separate collection route for recycling yard waste, he said it is estimated that it would cost each West U household approximately $2 more per month, which is based on the following annual costs: • Staff: $88,000 • Equipment & Maintenance $23,500 • Composter fees $21,000 • Hauling: $40,500 • Less Solid Waste savings on tipping fees ($48,000) $125,000' 'Total monthly cost per household = $2 ($125,000 divided by 5,300 homes West U divided by 12) Regarding why recycling yard waste is worth it, Mr. Marlow provided the following points: • Yard waste is 100% recyclable and is full of nutrients that can be reused for compost or mulch to improve soils. • Diverting yard waste from landfill saves the City $17 /ton tipping costs and prolongs the life of landfills. • The City does not own any landfills so it must constantly renegotiate with third parties as to the cost per ton to deliver garbage to their landfill. • Currently, West U's recycling rate is about 25% which is 10% below the national average. By adding yard waste recycling, West U's recycling rate would be well above the national average and quite possibly the highest in Texas. • As responsible citizens protecting the environment, we can reduce the City's carbon footprint. As to why the City should do this now, Mr. Marlow stated that Living Earth Technology Company recently opened a site which can take West U's yard waste and it is located close enough to the City for it to be economically viable to transport yard waste there. Assistant Public Works Director Beach spoke to say that until Living Earth opened its facility at Highway 6 and 288, the cost was not feasible, because the only location before then that could handle the City's volume was located at Highway 290, past Beltway 8. He said originally, the cost of collection was $1.05 to $1.10, but the $2 per month includes third party hauling. He said the City only has one truck that could be used for the program and if it spends 2 -3 hours on the road, depending on how many times it has to make the trip, it cannot be on the route collecting yard waste; so, the total cost includes adding a dumpster at one of our locations, loading the dumpster and then having it hauled off by a private contractor. City Manager Ross pointed out that the cost would be $2 for non - seniors and $1 for seniors. Councilmember Heathcott asked if a separate container would be required for the yard waste. Mr. Marlow said a composting plastic bag will probably be required. Mr. Beach said Living Earth prefers the compostable bag. He said previously Kraft bags were used, but because they were not see - through, people tended to throw trash in them and the bags actually take longer to break down than the compostable bags. However, the one negative is that, depending on how long the compostable bags have been on the shelf in a non - climate controlled environment, the resident may only get 1 -2 weeks life out of the bag before they begin to decompose. 2 of 9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Councilmember Heathcott said it would be great if the City gets value for the $2 per month, but his main concern is for people to get behind this and he doesn't have a sense that they will at this point. In response to Mayor Pro Tern Sample's question as to how many residents participate in recycling, Mr. Beach said based on two phone surveys, 91 percent of the homes participate in recycling, but at different levels. He said the City's placement rate (i.e. those setting out waste on a given day) is approximately in the 60 to 80 percent range. Councilmember Yehle said it was stated in the presentation that the City has a 25% diversion rate compared to national standards, but asked if green waste was removed from the national standard, where would the City fall in comparison? Mr. Beach responded that the 25% is for all recycling, because there aren't any real numbers on the percentage of recycling, minus green waste. Councilmember Johnson suggested trying the program for a year as a trial period and asked if the City's only ongoing cost would be the salary of an employee. City Manager Ross responded that is correct. City Manager Ross informed Council that the City's fee schedule will be brought forth to Council at the next meeting for first reading and green waste will be included as part of the fee schedule. Councilmember Yehle said he is troubled by this for a number of reasons. He said for those that cut their own lawns, the bags would be a mess compared to another vehicle to contain it. Secondly, he said the City struggles mightily to minimize the small increase in the solid waste fee and, yet, then thinks about a 10 percent increase for this, which seems inconsistent. In addition, he said that residents who pay their yard service to haul off their green waste would be paying for other residents who put their green waste out for collection, which isn't fair. Councilmember Heathcott said he agrees with Councilmember Yehle. He said he believes the Council will be asking the majority to subsidize the desires of a few and he doesn't think there will be a broad base participation, so he is dubious about proceeding with it. Mayor Pro Tern Sample said she believes the City should do it at the cost of $2 per household. She said she feels there will be a lot of people behind it, especially if the City gets behind it and advertises it. She said everyone cuts their yard and they have to do something with those bags. She said the City closed the Recycling Center and so the City should do this at a minimum. Councilmember Heathcott asked if the bags would be given to the residents by the City. Mr. Beach said the homeowners would have to purchase them. Councilmember Heathcott said he thinks that is a deal killer. Mayor Fry said he thinks it is worth trying, but if the City does this, it is on the Recycling Board to make it work. Councilmember Yehle asked if the success of the program will be measured by tonnage or cost. He said the estimate is $2 per month, but if it becomes $3 per month would that mean it's not working? He said the same theory can be used for tonnage. City Manager Ross said there definitely has to be enough participation and revenue to justify staff expense and annual operations. He said these are the things staff will monitor next year and report to Council during the budget process for the following year and make its recommendation accordingly. 3of9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Mr. Marlow said the Board is concerned about the 1,500 tons because the number is from 2005, but a quarterly evaluation of a test program should help to control the costs as much as possible. City Manger Ross noted that green waste is pretty much a seasonable program, so certain months of the year will have larger volumes than other months. After discussion, Mayor Fry directed staff to plug in green waste fees into fee schedule. 2. Memorandum of Understandina with Tri- Sports Matters related to the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding with Tri - Sports. City Manager Ross presented and said the primary changes to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), in addition to the request for additional fees, are: Requested that Tri -Sports provide its annual IRS form, as well as its latest financial statements generated by the different sports organizations each year. Making sure all of the electrical meters are accounted for. He said when looking at the meter numbers, it was realized that the City was not quite paying a 100 percent, so the City has added what it believes is 100 percent of the meters to the fee schedule. Adding the clause that Tri -Sports will provide an individual that will oversee recycling efforts. Bob McLamb, resident and Tri -Sports president, spoke to say that the partnership between West U and Tri -Sports is one that many other cities around the country are trying to emulate. Mr. McLamb said in the last 6 years, Tri -Sports has spent $1,000,000 redoing Pershing Middle School, $3,000,000 at McGovern Park and $4,000,000 at the South Campus via a combination of fundraising and taking on some depth. Mr. McLamb said in the past the City's annual cash contribution has been $80,000, along with other in -kind items and said Tri -Sports is requesting a $40,000 increase to help maintain all of the fields. He said he understands that it is a big increase, but he thinks it is money well invested in the children of this community. Parks and Recreation Director O'Connor spoke to say that he supports the request. He said Tri - Sports bring a lot of intangible benefits to the table. Councilmember Heathcott said he is not comfortable with a $40,000 increase and will need to think about it. Mayor Pro Tern Sample said a fifty percent increase is significant. Regarding Councilmember Johnson's inquiry as to how many participants are in the program, Mr. McLamb said there are approximately 4,000, but, conservatively, there are only approximately 1,200 West U residents. In response to Councilmember Johnson's question as to whether there are any other communities giving Tri -Sports financial assistance other than West U and Southside Place, Mr. McLamb responded no there are not. 4 of 9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Mr. McLamb confirmed that some of the funds are used for scholarships for those that can't afford the fees. Councilmember Yehle said in the agreement with Tri- Sports, there is a clause that Tri -Sports will undertake having a contract/paid employee dedicated to recycling efforts. Mr. McLamb said he/she would not be an employee because the league doesn't allow them to have an employee, but there will be someone contracted to handle that. 3. Schedule of Fees Matters related to the City's Schedule of Fees, including but not limited to matters related to senior services fees. City Manager Ross presented and stated that staff understands that the debt to build the facilities is built into the tax rate, but for operational expenses, staff feels that the City should try to recover as much of those fees as is reasonable. Mr. Ross said that the Parks and Recreation Director has surveyed fees charged by other cities and found that the City is anomalies in not charging fees for recreational facilities to residents 65 and older, so the recommendation from staff is to begin charging seniors the same rate as all other residents. He said the Parks Board made the recommendation that seniors receive a 20 percent discount. Mr. Ross said that whatever Council decides to do, it is important to note that staff recommends that seniors could complete a form /application indicating they have a need for a discount and one would be granted with no questions asked. It would be solely based on the honor system. Councilmember Yehle said conceptually he feels that it is appropriate for the seniors to pay something, but said he is concerned about the large increase — having them go from paying nothing to paying 80 percent. He said he feels that 50 percent is a better number. Regarding the dispensation, Councilmember Yehle said he doesn't like that idea. He said he is uncomfortable with having no parameters. He said relatively a few numbers would be affected and that seniors do use the facilities off -peak, which justifies the smaller increase. Councilmember Johnson said she agrees with Councilmember Yehle that going from free to having to pay 80% is a big jump. She said she agrees that perhaps they should pay something, but she's not sure what that something is. Mayor Pro Tern Sample said she is not sure how 50% is going to make it any better. Councilmember Heathcott said he believes seniors should pay and he is okay with what staff suggested. He said seniors typically receive discounts and he is okay with that, too. Councilmember Yehle reiterated that there needs to be a basis for someone who claims they are in need of a discount. After further discussion, Mayor Fry directed staff to plug in 50% discount for seniors to discuss at next meeting. With no further discussion, Councilmember Johnson moved to close the Workshop at 6:31 p.m. Councilmember Yehle seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. 5of9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heathcott, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None REGULAR MEETING (6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers) Mayor Fry called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. Council and Staff in attendance were: Mayor Pro Tern Sample, Councilmembers Heathcott, Johnson and Yehle, City Manager Ross, Assistant City Manager /Public Works Director Peifer, City Secretary Lenz, City Attorney Petrov, Parks and Recreation Director O'Connor, Assistant Public Works Director Beach and Police Chief Walker. City Secretary Lenz confirmed that the meeting agenda was posted in accordance with the law. With it being Veterans' Day, Mayor Fry recognized the veterans in attendance. Veteran Councilmember Yehle lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda items were as follows: 4. Public Comments This is an opportunity for citizens to speak to Council relating to agenda and non - agenda items. Spyros Maragos, 5932 Auden, spoke regarding West U Elementary Magnet Program. He said several schools have lost the magnet designation and funding, but none have lost more than West U Elementary. He said the reason for the loss is because West U Elementary could not accommodate the mandated 20% of its students outside the local area, but there are other schools that do not meet the 20% requirement who have still maintained their funding, so the rule is not applied equally. Mr. Maragos said the high property taxes of West U have been subsidizing other schools of HISD for a while and the loss of the magnet program makes it even more lopsided. He said he hopes HISD will reconsider their decision and the support and advocacy of the West U mayor and City Council will be really appreciated. Mary Lee Gray, 4124 Albans, spoke regarding the proposal to add fees for seniors 65 and over to use the recreational facilities. She said the number of seniors that will be paying for the fees due to the costs will not break or add to the recreation program. She said it will, however, make a difference to the seniors. Ms. Gray asked Council to talk to the seniors before a decision is made to find out what it's like to keep a budget on a small amount of money a day. She said it is important to keep the fees as low as possible for the seniors. She said there is less participation by seniors because of the increases in prices and facilities should not be closed to seniors because of costs. Dianne Wells, 3804 Coleridge, spoke regarding the proposal to add fees for seniors 65 and over to use the recreational facilities. She said it is to the advantage of the community for senior citizens to remain healthy and live independently and many seniors with joint problems depend on the pool for exercise. She also said excluding seniors from the pools would make the community socially less diverse. Ms. Wells said the City has a moral obligation to its senior citizens. She said not every retiree in West U is affluent, especially those that have lived here for 40 or 50 years, paying taxes and voting the whole time and who voted for the new pool with the understanding that seniors would continue to be allowed free access. She said she hopes the City will continue its time honored policy of letting seniors swim for free. 5. Memorandum of Understanding with Tri- Sports 6 of 9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Matters related to approving and authorizing staff to execute the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding with Tri- Sports. City Manager Ross presented and stated that this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) defines the roles and expectations of the two entities and is intended to protect the best interest of both parties. He said the MOU has been updated in cooperation with the Tri -Sports Association President and its Board of Directors and is for the period beginning January 1, 2014 and ending December 31, 2014. Mr. Ross said staff recommends that Council authorize the execution of the 2014 MOU between the City of and Tri - Sports as discussed in the Workshop. Bob McLamb, resident at 3908 Milton and President of Tri- Sports, spoke to reiterate what he said in the Workshop. He said this is a great partnership between the City and Tri -Sports that allows the children of West U a safe environment to participate in athletic events. He said Tri - Sports is requesting an increase of $40,000 over the prior years and said they have not requested an increase in several years because they have tried other means to raise funds, including raising registration fees to $350 on average, per child, per sport, because they know how precious tax dollars are. He said these costs do not cover the costs of maintaining the fields and providing the safe environments. Mayor Pro Tem Sample wanted to confirm that fewer than 50 percent of the users are West U residents. She said it has been very disturbing if people from other cities are using things that the residents of West U might be paying for. Mr. McLamb said the numbers he provided are very conservative and believes that it is a greater percentage than the 50 percent stated in the Workshop. Mayor Fry said being a past president of Tri -Sports he knows where the money comes from and where the money goes. He said he supports them asking for an increase, because Tri -Sports serves a very large portion of the West U population. He said the City is a city of families and Tri -Sports is a very strong component of bringing young families into the City. Mayor Fry said it is very expensive to maintain the fields and said, although HISD owns the property, everything that goes into that property comes from someplace else. He said this is a legitimate function of municipal government to fund youth sports activities and said this is cheap funding of youth sports activities with some good people running it. Councilmember Johnson said she appreciates what Tri -Sports does and thinks there is a need to support them, but she has a problem with $40,000. She said she can agree to $20,000. Councilmember Heathcott said he would also support an increase of $20,000. He said the budget is so tight compared to expenditures versus income and so he is concerned about adding anything to it. He said he thinks 12 months from now, property values may be up and there may be a little more flexibility to spend more. City Manager Ross stated that if Council wanted to approve the additional funding, the City can look to some of the contingency accounts for the funds, as long as Council directs the City Manager to make the appropriate transfer. Councilmember Yehle said Tri -Sports is a core piece of the community. He said he is troubled by the large percentage of non -West U people that benefit from it, but is perfectly comfortable with the $20,000 that has been suggested. 7of9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Councilmember Johnson moved to support Tri -Sports on this value of $80,000 and increasing it to $100,000. Councilmember Yehle seconded the motion. Councilmember Johnson amended the motion to include authorizing the City Manager to make the transfer from the appropriate account. Councilmember Heathcott seconded the amended motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heathcott, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None 6. Consent Agenda All Consent Agenda items listed are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Council member requests in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. A. City Council Minutes Approve Minutes of October 28, 2013 City Council meeting. Ms. Thelma Lenz, City Secretary B. Memorandum of Understanding with the West University Baptist Church Matters related to approving and authorizing staff to execute the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding with the West University Baptist Church. C. Memorandum of Understanding with the Piranhas Swim Tim Matters related to approving and authorizing staff to execute the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding with the Piranhas Swim Tim. D. Appointment of H -CAD Board Representative Matters related to a resolution casting Council's ballot for the election of a person to represent cities other than Houston on the Board of Directors of the Harris County Appraisal District. E. Friends Funding of Park Projects for 2013 -2014 Matters related to a request to Approve Friends Funding of Park Projects for 2013/2014. F. College Street /Bellaire Boulevard Detention Matters related to the purchase of 9.1 acre -feet of detention capacity for the College Street/Bellaire Boulevard storm water project. Councilmember Yehle moved to remove items B and C from the Consent Agenda for discussion. Regarding Item B, Councilmember Yehle said this MOU partially addresses shared parking with the Baptist Church. He said the parking issue may lead to a bigger issue that the City Manager is looking into and formally asked that staff once again reconsider the allocation of land between the two entities with the idea of doing something more permanent in the future with the land, especially for parking and other things. City Manager Ross informed Councilmember Yehle that this MOU is not exclusively related to parking, but rather the MOU for the sharing of classroom space. He said there is a parking MOU that is not renewed annually and that it continues as is until changed. He said, however, that Councilmember Yehle's point is taken on bringing facilities back up for discussion with Council, which will probably be during the first quarter of 2014. 8of9 City Council Minutes, November 11, 2013 Regarding Item C, the MOU relating to the Piranhas Swim Team and its use of the City's facilities, Councilmember Yehle said it mentions things that the Piranhas need to do. He asked if there were issues that were discovered in the course of the last season or so that have to do with scheduling and parking that need to be adequately addressed in the MOU? Parks and Recreation Director O'Connor said parking is an issue that needs to be addressed just about everywhere within the City limits. He said no matter how hard staff looks at the parking issue, he doesn't know if there is an option. He said staff has exercised the courtesy of letting the immediate neighbors to the West U Rec Center property have benefit of the swim schedule. He said the parking lot can't accommodate the numbers that the Piranhas draw on their three annual meets. Councilmember Yehle said during the Tri -Sports discussion, there was an issue where the City didn't think there was adequate support of recycling and that was codified in the MOU in a very positive way. He said there is an issue with parking during the swim meets and so he wants to know if the Piranhas are doing what the City asked them to do. Mr. O'Connor said yes, he is comfortable with saying that both Tri -Sports and the Piranhas are doing what they need to do. City Manager Ross said staff has began including the Texas Transportation Code and parking requirements in the MOU as part of the approval process, so that everyone can see what is expected and understand the City's enforcement requirements. With no other questions or concerns regarding the Consent Agenda, Councilmember Yehle moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Johnson seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heathcott, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None 7. Reports by Council /Staff There were no reports by Council or staff. With no further business, Mayor Pro Tern Sampled moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:58 p.m. Councilmember Heathcott seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Heathcott, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: None O� BEST 101 yj`F9 s CJ A. Lenz, i y Secretary cps Date Approved 9of9