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HomeMy WebLinkAbout062600R CC Min0 0I CITY COUNCIL REGULAR SESSION MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2000 MUNICIPAL BUILDING COUNCIL CHAMBERS 3800 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD 7:30 P.M. The City Council convened in Regular Session in the Municipal Building Council Chambers on June 26, 2000, with the following members present: Mayor Lewis presiding, Council Members Ballanfant, Bertini, Grubb and May. The City Manager, City Secretary, City Attorney, Finance Director, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Parks and Recreation Director, Public Works Director and Building Official were also present. The notice for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, on the 23`s day of June 2000 at 6:10 p.m. Citizen Comments. Mayor Lewis invited citizens who wished to address the City Council to come forward as their names were called. George Boehme, 3005 Robinhood, spoke in favor of pay increases for public safety employees. He stated that he was disappointed in the proposal relating to pay increases as presented by the City Staff. Rich Langenstein, 6528 Westchester, opposed the recommendation on salary adjustments for public safety employees and was critical of the City Manager. Allen Blakemore, 6445 Brampton, spoke in favor of pay increases for public safety employees. He criticized the City Manager for the recommendation he presented to the City Council. Recognition of millennium citizen. The City Council will make this presentation at a future council meeting. Resolution supporting 2012 Olympic Games. Matters related to Resolution No. 2000 -09 Mayor Lewis read the caption of Resolution No. 2000 -09 as follows: A resolution of the City Council of the City of West University Place, Texas supporting the Houston 2012 Foundation's efforts to bid for and receive the 2012 Olympic Games. A motion was made by Council Member Ballanfant, seconded by Council Member May, to approve Resolution No. 2000 -09 supporting the 2012 Olympic Games. City Council Regular Ses3f June 26, 2000 D A vote was taken on the motion with the following result: Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members Ballanfant, Bertini, Grubb and May Voting Nay: None Absent: None Fee Ordinance. Matters related to the first reading of Ordinance No. 1648 Mayor Lewis read the caption of Ordinance No. 1648 as follows: An ordinance establishing and reestablishing fees and charges for activities, goods and services provided by the City; containing a provision to authorize the City Manager to establish fees and charges in certain circumstances; and containing findings and provisions relating to the subject. Copies of Ordinance No. 1648, in the form proposed for adoption, were available in the Council Chambers. City Manager Sherman Yehl reported that a plan to eliminate several of the separate permits in the building division by consolidating them into one was being proposed. Separate building permits are issued for each of the various aspects of a construction project. Since each permit takes about twenty to thirty minutes to complete, contractors usually spend a significant amount of time at the building division each day. Reducing the number of permits and the time to enter the permit data into the computer would reduce the wait. This change also necessitates an adjustment in the applicable fees. As an example, sidewalks are authorized by separate permits. With the recommended changes, sidewalks would be authorized as part of and included in the building permit. The current $5.00 administrative fee assessed for these separate permits would be incorporated into the overall permit fee. Additionally new construction fees for new single family residential and all other occupancies should be increased to be consistent with a fee structure recommended in the 1997 Souther Building Code Congress hmtemnational code for the Houston Metroplex area. In the case of new home and commercial new construction the fee would be increased from $0.13 /sq. ft. to $.26 /sq. ft. The last increase in these fees was in November, 1998. Also included in Ordinance No. 1648, is an insufficient fund charge for automatic debiting for the payment of utility fees. A motion was made by Council Member May, seconded by Council Member Bertim, to adopt Ordinance No. 1648 on the first reading. 2 n City Council Regular Ses:..eh, June 26, 2000 A vote was taken on the motion with the following result: Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members Ballanfant, Bertini, Grubb and May Voting Nay: None Absent: None Public Safety salary adjustments and ordinance relating to salaries. Matters related to salary adjustments for public safety employees and Ordinance No. 1649. Mayor Lewis read the caption of Ordinance No. 1649 as follows: An ordinance relating to salaries; requiring surveys and schedules to set salaries at or near market for most employees, but five percent above market for public safety employees; amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of West University Place, Texas; and containing findings and provisions relating to the subject. Copies of Ordinance No. 1649, in the form proposed for adoption, were available in the Council Chambers. Mr. Yehl stated that at the request of Council, staff has been reviewing compensation levels for police and fire personnel. Several plans have been studied and staff is submitting a proposal that is cost reasonable but competitive so that new employees can be recruited and existing employees can be retained. The proposal separates public safety employees from the City's existing pay plan and establishes separate schedules for both police and fire personnel. It uses a step system so that employees have a clear understanding of where they will be in the pay plan at any given point of their career. For entry level police officers and firefighters, the plan includes seven steps and individuals should be at the top of the salary schedule at the beginning of their seventh year. Higher ranking officers will reach the maximum salary in three or four years, depending on the position. The plan also establishes a salary range for both the police and fire chiefs. The proposal has been modified from the alternatives submitted at the last special session. After further review staff has worked within a policy guideline that approximates the salary ranges to be 105% of both the starting and highest salaries in each classification. This approach reduces the salary value in. the ranges, but appears to be reflective of market conditions in this area. Projected costs for this plan are $691,000 the first full year of implementation, which will require a 3.5¢ increase in the tax rate. Mr. Yehl reported that an ordinance has also been prepared that would require the city manager to conduct an annual salary survey as part of the budget process. This ordinance would commit the City to paying market wages and to target public safety wages to ..- - 1 �,. - R, - - -- - -- ° -- -- ° - City Council Regular Sess A, June 26, 2000 /✓ market plus five percent. It is suggested that this language be passed to the Charter Review Commission for consideration as an amendment to the City's home rule charter. He stated that it is staff's recommendation that the attached salary plan identified as Scenario G be adopted and implemented beginning with the pay period of September 3rd, 2000. A motion was made by Council Member Grubb, seconded by Council Member May, to adopt Ordinance No. 1649 on the first reading. Council Member May inquired about the process by which the City Manager would obtain market wages. Mr. Yehl reported that the City Council has identified the cities by which the public safety employees wish to be compared with on salary levels. Prior to beginning the budget process each year, the staff would survey those cities and compute what the average salary is for each of the position classifications. Once that number is computed the staff would recommend during the budget process that a compensation level be established at both market rates for non - public safety employees and market rates plus 5% for public safety employees. Council Member Bertini commented that as he understood in Special Session that both the Police Chief and Fire Chief have endorsed the pay proposal and the City's Financial officer has verified the accuracy of the data. Mr. Yehl answered "yes" that Council Member Bertini comments were accurate. An amended motion was made by Council Member Grubb, seconded by Council Member May, to adopt Ordinance No. 1649 on the first reading and to adopt the proposed pay plan identified as Scenario G effective September 3, 2000. A vote was taken on the amended motion with the following result: Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members Ballanfant, Bertini, Grubb and May Voting Nay: None Absent: None City Council minutes. Matters related to the minutes of the Special and Regular Sessions :conducted on June 5 and June 10, and Special and Regular Sessions conducted on June 12, 2000. A motion was made by Council Member Bertini, seconded by Council Member May, to approve the minutes as presented. A vote was taken on the motion with the following result: 4 City Council Regular Sessou, June 26, 2000 J Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members Ballanfant, Bertini, Grubb and May Voting Nay: None Absent: None Council comments. Council Member Bertini commented that he wanted to welcome Vic Stanek back at JMH after recovering from his heart surgery. Council Member Grubb commented that with the adopted pay plan the Council has effectively raised the starting salary of police officers by over $600 per month per officer. This will leave the city in a position where West University is higher than many comparable cities including the City of Houston and with the quality of management already in the Police and Fire Departments, this will help solve the tenure problem. Council Member May stated that he agreed with Council Member Grubb's comments. Mayor Lewis commented that she felt honored to be a part of a community that is well served by quality employees at every level. She stated that it was her feeling that the City Staff including the City Manager, Police Chief and Fire Chief have worked very hard to come up with a plan that is satisfactory, at least as far as the market place is concerned, and that will help the Council justify this move to the citizens because it is in fact the citizens who will be paying for whatever changes are made in the budget. She thanked the officers who were attending the meeting and for supporting the council's decision. Adjournment. With no further business to come before the City Council at this time, a motion was made by Council Member May, seconded by Council Member Grubb, to adjourn. The Regular Session adjourned at 8:02 p.m.