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HomeMy WebLinkAbout042202S CC Min CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2002 MUNICIPAL BUILDING 3800 UNIVERSITY BLVD. 6:30 P.M. The City Council convened in Special Session in the Municipal Building Conference Room (3800 University Blvd.) on April 22, 2002, with the following members present: Mayor Lewis presiding, Council Members May, Farley, Griffin and Jackson. The City Manager, City Secretary, City Attorney, Public Works Director, Police Chief, Building Official and Utilities Superintendent were also present. The notice for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Texas Government Code, th Chapter 551, on the 19 day of April 2002 at 5:00 p.m. Report from Boards and Commissions. Matters related to reports from the Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Adult Services Board (including changing the name of the Adult Services Board to Senior Services Board). Rick Jenkins, Chair of the Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board, reported that the Board was working on a recycling initiative for residents and the collection of cardboard from construction sites. He stated that heavy trash day was scheduled for Saturday, April th 27 and that a goodwill truck would be on hand for residents. Mr. Jenkins also reported that the recycling center needed some minor repairs. Anne Hershiser, Chair of the Adult Services Board, reported that the annual Health Fair rd was being held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Community Building. The Senior Services Department is also looking for volunteers to answer the phone or provide transportation to senior citizens. Mrs. Hershiser stated that the Board had unanimously approved a request that the City Council change the name of their Board back to the Senior Services Board. Steven Segal, Chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, reviewed applications for variances that were approved by the Board. 2002 Bond issue. Matters related to a finance schedule for the 2002 Bond issue. Frank Ildebrando from RBC Dain Rauscher, Inc. presented a schedule of events and the preliminary official statement for the sale of the Series 2002, Permanent Improvement and Refunding Bonds. The sale of the $28,720,000 in bonds will take place on May 13, 2002. City Council Special Session, April 22, 2002 Street narrowing and infrastructure improvements. Matters related to a policy statement regarding street narrowing including Duke Street. City Manager Sherman Yehl outlined the City’s current policy as presented in the March 2001 meeting regarding street narrowing. Part of the policy included a compromise that if streets were narrowed then parking may have to be restricted to one side of the street or possibly consider making the street one-way. Mr. Yehl stated that there was a general consensus from the residents on Duke Street to narrow the street. Council Member Griffin presented photographs that she had taken showing the challenge the fire trucks have in trying to maneuver on the narrow streets especially when cars are parked on the streets. She stated that she was against narrowing any streets in West University but would agree to narrow Duke Street because of the prior agreement with the residents. Council Member Jackson stated that he concurred with Council Member Griffin. Council Member Farley commented that there was an agreement with the homeowners on Duke Street and to change the course now would corrode the tenuous bond the citizens have with their government. Mayor Lewis called for a motion relating to Duke Street. A motion was made by Council Member Farley, seconded by Council Member Jackson, to approve a 21 foot curb to curb on Duke Street extending from 3200 block to the 3500 block. Council Member May commented that, regarding safety, if the parking is limited to one- side of the street then that would hopefully accommodate the turning radius for the safety vehicles. A vote was taken on the motion with the following result: Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members May, Farley, Griffin and Jackson Voting Nay: None Absent: None Mayor Lewis stated that the next part of this issue is to adopt a policy on the future of narrowing streets. 2 City Council Special Session, April 22, 2002 Council Member May addressed a request received from a resident to narrow Annapolis Street. He suggested not narrowing any street less than 27 feet. Mayor Lewis stated that the Annapolis area was already under contract. A motion was made by Council Member Griffin, seconded by Council Member Jackson, to adopt a policy in West University Place to not narrow any streets. Council Member May asked if the motion included University Boulevard as it relates to the city center. Council Member Griffin amended her motion to exclude University Boulevard only in front of the elementary school. Council Member Jackson seconded the amended motion. Council Member Farley stated that philosophically he was in complete disagreement because the residents were capable of making up their own mind. He stated that the reason some people live in West University Place is to have a responsive government and be able to perhaps designate change in their surrounding environment. Mayor Lewis called for a vote on the amended motion. A vote was taken on the amended motion with the following result: Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members May, Griffin and Jackson Voting Nay: Council Member Farley Absent: None The amended motion was approved. The City Council recessed the Special Session at 7:30 p.m. to convene in Regular Session. The Special Session reconvened at 8:10 p.m. Staff support and assistance for Boards and Commissions. Matters related to providing support and assistance to the Boards and Commissions from staff liaisons and the City Attorney. Charles Nelson, Chair of the Zoning and Planning Commission, requested that the Commission have direct access to the City Attorney for legal opinions. Mayor Lewis stated that the City has a professional staff and should not be bypassed and should always be included in any communication with the Boards and Commissions. 3 City Council Special Session, April 22, 2002 Public Works Director Michael Ross commented that the City Staff can sometimes answer the Commission’s questions and that the Staff should take a pro-active role. He stated that direct interaction with the City Attorney minimizes the Staff’s role in planning and procedures. The City Council agreed that the questions should first come to a member of the Staff before requesting an opinion from the City Attorney. Development of engineers evaluation system. Matters related to developing an engineering check system and registration requirement. Mr. Ross reported that the Building and Standards Commission is of the opinion the city has experienced excessive failure of residential foundations due to improper designs by Professional Engineers. As a result of this belief they have made a request that the City Council discuss the possibility of requiring the city to hire a consulting engineer to review the engineering of foundation plans submitted for permits. Mr. Ross stated that it was the Staff’s opinion that the city should not proceed with this proposal because it is believed that there are soil conditions in the area that may be the contributor to foundation failure. However, there are some changes that can be made to insure that the Professional Engineers that are requesting permits are licensed engineers. Mr. Ross stated that the Staff has requested a PE Directory of all the engineers that are licensed to practice in the State of Texas. The directory is broken down by discipline and the Staff will actively pursue engineers who violate the rules. The City Council agreed that the City should not hire a consulting engineer to review the engineering of foundation plans but should work with the Building and Standards Commission on further development and return at a later date with a recommendation. Inventory and replacement of water meters. Matters related to the inventory and replacement of water meters. Utilities Superintendent Patrick Walters stated that the West U water system has operated for several years with an approximate 29% in unaccounted for water. This is primarily the difference between the amount of water metered and the amount of water pumped into the system. A well-maintained and operated system should be able to expect an unaccounted for water rate between 5% and 10%. The target is to achieve an unaccounted for rate of 5% with an estimate of three to five years to reach this objective. Funding for this project was included in the 2002 budget in the amount of $110,000. There are two phases remaining to be implemented to achieve this goal. One phase is a leak detection program to be budgeted for initiation in the 2003 budget year. The other 4 City Council Special Session, April 22, 2002 phase is an aggressive metering program. The Staff anticipates this will achieve an 8% to 12% reduction in unaccounted for water in the first three years of the program with the most reduction achieved during the second year. There are two priorities in the metering program — (1) develop an accurate meter inventory and maintain it and; (2) install accurate meters, monitor accuracy of meters, and maintain a system of accurate meters perpetually. The results of the metering program will be to reduce the cost of purchased water by 7% to 12% per year, and increase the water fund revenues by 7% to 14% per year. Both estimates are based on historical annual average water consumption. This should be realized fully during the fourth year of the program. It is Staff’s recommendation that City Council authorize the Public Works Department to proceed with the metering program at a maximum cost for the first year of $110,000.00 with following years to be determined during the budget process. The City Council authorized the Staff to proceed with the metering program. Edloe Street clean-up. Matters related to Edloe Street clean up and cost including ongoing maintenance of the area and oleanders. Mr. Yehl reported that the oleanders along Edloe and Poor Farm Ditch are overgrown and projecting into the street area. Visibility is limited in some areas due to the vegetative growth and many undesirable volunteer trees have grown in between the oleanders. The proposed work would enhance the aesthetics of the oleanders and also remove the unsightly vegetation. The oleanders would only be pruned back two-three feet and shaped on top. However, the pruning of the oleanders at this time of year would remove most of the flower buds so the flowers would be limited. The pruning could be done in the fall after the blooming season. The City Council agreed to delay the project until Fall. Improvement and construction of Edloe bridges. Matters related to the improvement and construction of the Edloe bridges including sidewalk approaches. Mr. Ross reported that based on resident concerns, staff has revised the drawings for the pedestrian bridge sidewalk approaches for Council consideration. In addition, staff met with residents of the 3600 blocks of Tangley, Robinhood, and Plumb to review the revised concept drawings. Funding in the amount of $50,000 has been included in the 2002 budget for these improvements. 5 City Council Special Session, April 22, 2002 Mr. Ross presented drawings of the revised plans. The City Council approved the revised concept drawings for Edloe Pedestrian Bridge site improvements. City Manager resignation and recruitment process. Matters related to the resignation of the City Manager and authorization to begin a recruitment process. Mr. Yehl presented his resignation letter effective June 4, 2002. The City Council requested that the City Secretary begin accepting proposals for executive recruitment services. Report from Board or Commission Liaisons. The City Council reported on Board or Commission meetings attended by the liaisons. Council Member Farley distributed applications from individuals interested in serving on the Drainage Committee. Adjournment. With no further business to come before the City Council at this time, a motion was made by Council Member Jackson, seconded by Council Member Farley, to adjourn. The Special Session adjourned at 9:32 p.m. 6