HomeMy WebLinkAboutWUSSB 09-11-2014West University Senior Services Board Meeting September 11, 2014. Present: Pieter Vrancken (Chair), Stan McCandless, Michelle Moore, Sarah Ballanfant, Selby Clark, Janet Vrancken, John Palmer, Candyce Beneke, Virginia Lootens. Absent: George Baker, Philip Bryant, Becky Arnold, Mary Ryerson, Joe Mitchell. Staff: Tim O’Connor, Patricia Noren. Guests: Councilwoman Joan Johnson, Councilman Dick Yehle, Alida Drews. There being a quorum, the Chairman called the meeting to order at 2:04PM. The Minutes of the meeting on June 12 were presented although the meeting did not have a quorum. Activities (Patricia Noren): The Audubon Society trip attracted an attendance of 50 and wil l be repeated in 2015. The trip to the Janis Joplin museum in Port Arthur attracted 25. The Men’s Club has scheduled a visit to a Vintage Car Restoration Center for September 15. An Arts Festival will take place on October 18. A proof copy of the Hi Neighb or leaflet in its new format was shown to board members who approved it. APAC (Virginia Lootens): The July & August meetings of APAC were workshops. No report is submitted. COUNCIL (Joan Johnson): The five Boards and Commissions provided Council with updat es on their functions and issues (Building & Standards, Zoning & Planning, Board of Adjustment, Senior Services and Parks & Recreation). The Zoning & Planning Committee is working with a consultant to provide an updated zoning report on all non -residential properties. This will bring up -to -date the previous zoning code of 1987 and consider , among other items, the nature of a business, noise levels and parking. The Steering Committee reports to the Zoning & Planning Committee this evening. A town hall meetin g will take place on September 29 th to review any zoning change recommendations with residents and to answer questions. Fox Lawson Associates were commissioned by Council to compare employee compensation in West University with that of comparable cities su ch as Bellaire, Highland Park etc. Many city employees face a medium to long commute to work and there have been a couple of instances where employees have accepted a position with a city closer to home at a similar wage. Staff will provide the 2015 Budget to Council on Saturday September 13 beginning at 7:30AM. Council accepted the Total Appraised Value for property in West University Place as $4,824,935,368 an increase of 10.34% over 2013 Certified Values. The increase is due in part to new construction i n the city (60 houses have been permitted). The 2014 tax rate per $100 of value will be discussed and approved at the Budget Meeting. Our current WUP tax rate is $.374 and the “not to exceed” rate is $.36179 as approved by City Council. The City’s “Rainy D ay” Fund is healthy and conservatively invested. City employees’ pensions are invested with the Texas Municipal Retirement Fund and are funded as to 87.8%. Pensions do not enjoy Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). Immediately following the extensive drain & r oad works in the city debt service was equal to the operating budget but is now only 50% of the operating budget. Good Neighbor Team (Michelle Moore): No meetings were held over the summer. A meeting will be held on Sept ember 18 to address autumn cards and receiv e the schedule of meetings for next season. The number of seniors eligible for visits from the GNT is now 139 (previously 146). Some redistribution of visiting will be agreed. PARD (Tim O’Connor): Additional parking for West University Library is un der consideration on Auden between Rice Blvd. and Amherst. There are some engineering issues and a maximum of 5 spaces can be accommodated. The operating budget shows changes (from 2014 – 2015) of + 5%, -3% and +5.4% for the Recreation Center, Colonial Par k and Senior Services respectively. Fees for Seniors will remain at the same level as this year and the text of the waiver letter (for seniors over 65 but 74 and under was approved. At present 94 seniors in the foregoing category have availed themselves o f the waiver. The proposed fee structure for 2015 was distributed to board members. Previous Business : Name change – nothing to report. Copies of the presentation of the Senior Board activities to Council were distributed to members. The Chairman highlight ed the increase of individual programs from 111 to 160 between 2004 and 2014 and in ongoing programs from 15 to 35. He commended staff for the 85% success rate for new programs which compares with a nationwide average of 35%. Tim O’Connor said that any sug gestions for new programs from board members would be welcomed. The meeting adjourned at 3:04PM