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CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION
MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2001
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 August 13, 2001, with the following members present: Mayor
Lewis presiding, Council Members May, Farley, Griffin, and Jackson. The City Manager,
City Secretary, City Attorney, Fire Chief, Police Chief, Finance Director, Public Works
Director and Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director were also present.
The notice for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Texas Government Code,
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Chapter 551, on the 10 day of August 2001 at 4:00 p.m.
Agenda Review:
The City Council reviewed the regular meeting agenda and discussed items under
consideration with the Staff.
Matters related to Ordinance No. 1686.
Mayor Lewis suggested changing the name of the Senior Services Board to Adult Services
Board and decreasing the number of members from 15 to 11. She also pointed out that
when the City Council discussed creating the Public Safety Board the number of members
would be 9 not 7.
Council Member Griffin objected to the adoption of the term limits proposed in Ordinance
No. 1686 because the City Council appoints new members every two years anyway.
Council Member Farley suggested changing the language in Section 2.012 (a) to apply not
only to permanent board and commissions but all other bodies also.
Mayor Lewis proposed that the term limits do not apply to the members currently serving
in order that they may serve one more term on their current board.
Speed humps on Ruskin.
Matters related to the permanent installation of a speed hump on Ruskin Street.
Ken Hoffman, 4212 Ruskin, presented a petition signed by all residents in the 4200 block
of Ruskin requesting the permanent installation of the speed hump on their street.
City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
Chair of the Traffic Task Force Joe Studlick presented a report supporting the permanent
installation of the speed hump.
The City Council addressed the possibility of setting a precedent in the City.
Mr. Studlick stated that the 4200 block of Ruskin was unique and isolated and all
residents in the block signed the petition.
A motion was made by Council Member Griffin, seconded by Council Member Farley, to
permanently install the speed hump on Ruskin Street.
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
Buffalo Speedway esplanade.
Matters related to the installation of an esplanade on Buffalo Speedway from Holcombe to
Bissonnet.
City Manager Sherman Yehl reported that on December 11, 2000, the City Council
approved a recommendation from the Traffic Task Force to investigate the feasibility,
design, and cost of a series of islands or esplanades on Buffalo Speedway in Priority Area
11A (University north to Robinhood) and Priority Area 11B (Robinhood north to
Bissonnet). Area 11A is currently under design and Area 11B will begin design late this
year. While there are no plans to replace Buffalo Speedway as part of the infrastructure
work, spot repairs will be made and it would be appropriate to include all improvement
work in these two contracts. Buffalo Speedway south of University is included in Area 10,
also scheduled for design in late 2001.
Buffalo Speedway is 50’ wide curb to curb except at the northern and southern blocks
where it is 60’ wide. A typical driving lane is about 11’ wide such that the street could
accommodate a 5’ wide median and still permit the safe and orderly flow of four lanes of
traffic. Currently parts of Buffalo Speedway have painted “medians” and there are center-
turning lanes at University, Rice, Georgetown, Sunset and Albans.
Staff has completed its review of the feasibility of the median installation and determined
that a system of medians could be installed with a cost ranging from $210,000 for a simple
raised brick median to $340,000 for medians that would include irrigation and allow for
landscaping.
There appear to be no rules requiring medians to be a certain length. Due to the offsets of
the east-west streets intersecting Buffalo Speedway medians would not be installed
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
consistently between blocks and could still restrict some left turn traffic both off of and
onto the street and driveways. In addition to separating traffic flows, it is believed that the
medians could serve as a traffic-calming device and reduce speeds on this section of the
street. A more residential look would also be achieved by the use of medians and
landscaping. Medians would probably eliminate parking along Buffalo Speedway,
particularly during daytime hours.
Mr. Yehl stated that should City Council desire to include medians then it is recommended
that Claunch & Miller be authorized to design landscaped medians for Buffalo Speedway
and that such design be coordinated with a landscape architect and traffic engineer.
The City Council recessed the Special Session at 7:26 p.m. to convene in Regular Session.
The Special Session reconvened at 8:28 p.m.
The City Council continued the discussion of a Buffalo Speedway esplanade.
After a brief discussion, the City Council agreed that the esplanade on Buffalo Speedway
should not be installed.
Edloe Street parking restrictions.
Matters related to parking restrictions in the 6200 block of Edloe Street.
Mr. Yehl reported that during discussions with merchants in Town Center regarding the
layout and design of the 6200 block of Edloe, there was consensus that parking
restrictions be instituted when infrastructure work was completed.
The redesign of Edloe eliminated some parking on the east side of the street, although a
substantial number of angled, head-in parking will be created on the west side of the
street. At the time this design was being considered, City staff indicated that they would
support a request for restricted parking if desired by the merchants association. Parking
limitations would provide that parking for the general public is available on a regular basis
during the course of the business day. Due to the upcoming start of school, temporary
two-hour parking signs have been installed.
Mr. Yehl stated that it is the staff’s recommendation that a permanent two-hour, towing
enforced parking restriction be established for the 6200 block of Edloe.
Council Member May questioned the installation of wheel stops on the street. He
suggested moving the curb out instead of installing curb stops.
The City Staff agreed to review the installation of the wheel stops and possibly painting
the curb instead of installing more signage.
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
The City Council accepted the Staff’s recommendation to establish a permanent two-hour
parking restriction in the 6200 block of Edloe.
Parking restrictions in Priority Area 7A and 7B.
Matters related to parking restrictions on the North/South Streets in Priority Area 7A and
7B including parking and sidewalks near the area churches.
Mr. Yehl presented the previous recommendation from the March 5, 2001 Special
Session. He stated that the recommendation included restricting parking only on one side
of the street and that the residents in the area had agreed to the compromise. However,
the motion made at the time by Council Member Grubb and accepted by the City Council
restricted parking on both sides of the street.
A motion was made by Council Member Farley, seconded by Council Member Griffin, to
accept the staff recommendation as was presented during the Special Session held on
March 5, 2001 including expediting the review of Mercer Street’s designation as a minor
collector street.
Mayor Lewis commented that she was troubled with doing anything concrete at this time
because as the previous City Council addressed what needed to happen on those streets a
lot of concessions were made. She stated that she understood the concessions but that she
also understood why the last Council took a stringent approach in saying “no parking”
because they were concerned about safety issues.
Mayor Lewis commented that she would like the current and future City Councils to not
be reactive but rather to take a proactive stance in the hope of setting a policy that makes
sense throughout the City. The City needs to address issues having to do with parking not
just on those streets but also throughout the community. She stated that in her opinion,
the prudent thing to do at this time would be to get the whole city finished and then revisit
parking in the context of the needs of the City relating to parking.
Council Member May also recommended that they look at the City comprehensively in
terms of parking. He commented that he was concerned about the safety of a one-lane 2-
way street.
The City Council discussed the previous recommendation and action by the previous
council. They asked numerous questions regarding safety issues and parking.
Council Member Farley presented a report that stated narrow streets and on-street parking
was actually safer for children in the area because the cars are forced to reduce their
speed. He stated that after numerous meetings a compromise regarding the sidewalks and
on-street parking had been reached. The motion adopted by the previous City Council
disregarded this compromise.
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
Council Member Farley stated that he was seeking to restore the original agreement.
Mayor Lewis stated that no matter what the agreement was the ultimate decision rests
with the City Council and there were several parts to the agreement. One was to restrict
parking on both sides of the street and the other part was to review the situation once
everything was in place and see if there was a need for alternate one-way streets.
Council Member Griffin stated that since the no-parking signs have been installed on the
north and south streets, she has had numerous phone calls from residents who are
complaining that they are creating a worse hazard on the east and west streets because all
of the parking is being forced to their streets. She stated that she was appalled that the
City is disregarding an agreement that they reached after many hours of meetings with the
citizens in which the agreement was on the table.
Mayor Lewis allowed residents in attendance to make comments
After a lengthy discussion, Council Member Griffin requested that a vote be taken on the
motion.
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
Stop sign report.
Matters related to a report on stop signs.
Mr. Yehl reported that on October 23, 2000 the City Council adopted a street
classification map prepared by the Traffic Task Force. One of the purposes of developing
this map was to identify and classify arterial and collector streets to establish the right-of-
way at intersections. Council subsequently directed staff to review the City’s existing 602
STOP signs and prepare a recommendation for the elimination of some of these signs
based in the street classification system. On April 9, 2001 the Chief of Police submitted a
recommendation to convert nine intersections from four-way stops to two-way stops by
removing 18 STOP signs. As a result of comments received from the public no action was
taken, however staff was directed to work with a traffic engineer and resubmit a list of
potential locations for removal of the signs.
Since that time staff has reviewed the locations, the comments from the public and the
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The MUTCD notes that because the STOP
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
sign causes a substantial inconvenience to motorists, it should be used only where
warranted…also, STOP signs should not be used for speed control. The warrants include:
Intersections of a less important road with a main road where application of the normal
right-of-way rule is unduly hazardous;
1. Streets entering a through highway or street;
2. Unsignalized intersections in a signalized area;
3. Other intersections where a combination of high speeds, restricted views, and
serious accident records indicates a need for control by the STOP sign.
Multi-way or four-way STOP signs are to be ordinarily used where the volume of traffic
on the intersecting roads is approximately equal and any of the following conditions:
1. An accident problem is indicated by five or more reported accidents of a type
susceptible of correction by a multi-way stop installation in a 12-month period.
Such accidents include right- and left-turn collisions as well as right-angle
collisions.
2. The total vehicular volume entering the intersection from all approaches is at least
500 vehicles per hour for any eight hours of an average day;
3. A combined vehicular and pedestrian volume from the minor street or highway
averages at least 200 units per hour for the same eight hours, with an average
delay to minor street vehicular traffic of at least 30 seconds per vehicle during the
maximum hour.
Mr. Yehl commented that it is the opinion that very few of the current STOP signs would
meet these warrants. However, in light of the concern raised by residents over the removal
of even a limited number of signs, there appears to be little support for any change to our
current request-a- sign policy.
Mr. Yehl stated that the Staff is recommending that no further action be taken at this time
regarding removal of existing STOP signs. Council could require that future STOP sign
requests be required to meet the above warrants.
The City Council discussed the removal of a STOP sign placed at an intersection
temporarily due to construction in the area.
The Police Chief will review the removal of this STOP sign.
The City Council agreed with the Staff’s recommendation and that the City should be
required to follow the law.
Strategic priorities.
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
Matters related to the adoption of strategic priorities.
The City Council reviewed and agreed with the strategic priorities as presented.
Quarterly Report.
Matters related to the second quarter report
The City Council reviewed the Quarterly Report.
Houston Hills Golf Course.
Matters related to the authorization to terminate the contract with Houston Hills
Corporation.
Mr. Yehl reported that Houston Hills Corporation was in default of the contract with the
City of West University Place. He suggested that a joint meeting be set with the Staff of
the City of Bellaire to discuss the termination of the contract.
A motion was made by Council Member May, seconded by Council Member Jackson, to
authorize the City Manager to proceed with the termination of the contract with Houston
Hills Corporation.
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
Budget schedule.
Matters related to the schedule for developing the 2001 budget and tax rate.
Mr. Yehl reported that the formulation and adoption of the annual budget is the most
important financial responsibility of local government. As required by statute, a budget
should:
??Set goals and formulate a plan to achieve them;
??Establish priorities in the selection of city programs to achieve the goals;
??Determine the level of taxes and fees necessary to finance programs, activities, and
debt service;
??Estimate the City’s revenues and expenditures;
??Serve as a control for using City’s resources;
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
??Provide the public with a written document that describes activities that will be
undertaken during the budget year;
??Serve as a short- and long-term planning tool; and
??Serve as a day-to-day operations guide.
The budgeting process in Texas cities must comply with the requirements of Chapter 102.
The law requires the following:
??The city’s budget officer must prepare a proposed budget for the city council’s
consideration;
??The city council must adopt an annual budget and conduct the financial affairs of
the city in conformance with that budget;
??The budget for each fiscal year must be adopted before the first day of the fiscal
year;
??The budget must include all expenditures proposed for the next fiscal year and
compare the proposed expenditures with expenditures for the current and previous
fiscal years; and
??The budget must contain a complete financial statement of the city, which includes
the outstanding obligations, cash on hand to the credit of each fund, the total
revenue received from all sources during the previous fiscal year, the estimated
revenue for the current fiscal year, projected revenue for the next fiscal year, and
the estimated tax rate required to provide for the budget.
At the same meeting the budget is adopted, the City also approves the tax rate. Under
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state law the tax rate is to be adopted by September 30 or the 60 day after the date the
certified appraisal roll is received by the City. Staff anticipates receiving the roll on or
about August 17.
Mr. Yehl stated that the Staff has prepared a proposed schedule for budget review and
adoption. Under this schedule a preliminary budget will be prepared by September 7,
2001, and will provide for a minimum of two budget workshops with the public hearing
scheduled for October 1, 2001. Based on this schedule, the City would mail tax statements
on or before November 6, 2001.
The City Council agreed with the budget scheduled as presented.
Report from Board or Commission Liaisons.
The City Council reported on Board or Commission meetings attended by the liaisons.
Inquiries, requests and complaints.
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City Council Special Session, August 13, 2001
The City Council reviewed matters received from the public and referred them to the
appropriate department or will place them on a future agenda for consideration or action.
Matters related to the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property.
Utility Easements
The City Council recessed the Special Session and convened in Executive Session at 9:45
p.m.
The City Council adjourned the Executive Session at 10:00 p.m. and reconvened in open
session.
Property located at 4210 Bellaire Boulevard known as Y.M.C.A.
The City Council addressed the lease payments and the issuance of certificates of
obligation.
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 10:08 p.m.
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