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HomeMy WebLinkAbout091001S CC Min CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 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 September 10, 2001, with the following members present: Mayor Lewis presiding, Council Members May, Farley, Griffin, and Jackson. The City Manager, City Secretary, City Attorney, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Finance Director, Public Works Director, Parks and Recreation Director, Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director 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 7 day of September 2001 at 5:00 p.m. Municipal Court personnel. The City?s Municipal Court personnel introduced themselves and spoke to the City Council about their functions in the City. Agenda Review: The City Council reviewed the regular meeting agenda and discussed items under consideration with the Staff. Harris County Appraisal District Board of Directors. Matters related to the nomination of a member to the Harris County Appraisal District Board of Directors. City Manager Sherman Yehl reported that recently Bill Harry, who represents West U and the other 25 small cities of Harris County as a member of the board of directors for HCAD, announced his interest in re-election to another two-year term to the appraisal district board. The board is composed of six members and all of the terms expire on December 31, 2001. Members are appointed as follows: One member by Harris County Commissioners Court, one by Houston City Council, one by the Board of Trustees of the Houston Independent School District, one by the boards of trustees of the school districts other than HISD, one by the governing bodies of certain conservation and reclamation districts, and one by the city councils of the cities other than Houston. To be eligible for appointment a candidate must be a resident of the HCAD area and must have resided in the district for at least two years immediately preceding appointment. City Council Special Session, September 10, 2001 Each city and town has the right to nominate a single candidate for the position. To nominate, the governing body must adopt a resolution nominating the candidate by formal action and the name must be submitted to the chief appraiser by October 15, 2001. A ballot listing the nominees will then be prepared and provided to each governing body. Before December 1, 2001, each governing body must cast its vote for one of the nominees. Mr. Yehl stated that should the City Council decide to nominate a candidate for this position, a resolution would need to be submitted by October 15. Board vacancies and goals and objectives of Boards and Commission members. Matters related to Board vacancies and goals and objectives of Board and Commission members. The City Council discussed vacancies and requested that the City Secretary prepare resolutions for the next meeting appointing Gene Womack to the Public Safety Board and Anne Hershiser to the Adult Services Board. Chair of the Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board encouraged the Council to not fill the vacancies on his Board until a complaint filed by a resident was settled. Mayor Lewis distributed a list of suggested goals and objectives for the City?s Boards and Commissions. She asked that this item be placed on the next agenda for consideration. Police staffing. Matters related to a report on police shift staffing levels. Police Chief Kevin Begley stated that his report was prepared in response to concerns about the number of police officers on duty at any given time versus the number of officers employed and theoretically available for duty. The authorized sworn strength of the West University Place Police Department is currently 26 officers. This number includes the Chief and all subordinate ranks. There are three vacancies which the Department is recruiting to fill. Of the 23 current sworn personnel, 18 are assigned to Patrol operations. As the Police Department operates 24/7, there are 168 hours in a week for the Patrol Division to cover with these 18 officers. Assuming a 40-hour workweek, there are 720 man-hours available to cover the 168 hours. The Patrol Division is divided into three shifts, each working 10-hour days. This means that the officers work four days and then have three days off. While there are six persons assigned to each shift, there is no period when all six are on duty at the same time as would be the case in an 8:00 to 5:00 AMPM office environment. In addition, officers have regular days off, vacation time, sick time, 2 City Council Special Session, September 10, 2001 holidays, compensatory time, injury leave, training time, and court time which causes them to be away from work. This department requires a minimum staffing level of three officers per shift, one of which must be a supervisor, i.e. a Sergeant or Lieutenant. The current deployment system (working four ten hour days) results in six hours every day in which two shifts are on duty at the same time which means at least six officers are available for duty during those periods. The additional manpower can be used for such things as additional patrols, administrative duties, training, and vehicle maintenance without impacting the three minimum units on the street. This system also allows officers to use small amounts of compensatory time without impacting the minimum number of units on the streets. Lastly, the system allows the department in many cases to reduce the amount of overtime necessary to provide coverage for an officer who is out for some reason. The staffing levels and practices of the West University Place Police Department are in keeping with contemporary experiences and practices throughout the profession and are the result primarily of the necessity of providing continual around the clock coverage. Chief Begley distributed a typical monthly assignment/work schedule showing how officers are allocated among shifts. The City Council recessed the Special Session at 7:30 p.m. to convene in Regular Session. The Special Session reconvened at 8:13 p.m. 2002 Budget. Matters related to the 2002 Budget. Mr. Yehl commented that by separate action on the Regular Agenda, City Council has been requested to adopt a resolution regarding a notice and hearing for a tax rate of $0.425 per $100 of assessed valuation of which $0.225 is designated for debt service and $0.205 for maintenance and operations. Staff has prepared a budget that sets expenditures within these parameters. The City Manager presented the following report: General Fund expenditures are recommended at $9.25 million, an increase of just over 2.5% from the adopted 2001 budget. All of the increase is attributable to increases in salaries and health care benefits. Virtually all other city general fund expenditures will be at 2001 levels or less. This has resulted in a large number of unfunded requests for 2002; however resources have been targeted at the recruitment and retention of staff. Our approach has been to address Council policy relating to salaries and ensuring that public 3 City Council Special Session, September 10, 2001 safety employees are compensated at a rate approximately 5% above market and the remaining staff is brought to market levels. One service enhancement within the General Fund is proposed ? the hiring of a code enforcement officer. This individual will be responsible for weed, garbage, construction site, housing, and related environmental and community enforcement issues. The individual will also be assigned animal control functions. This is a revenue neutral position as fines, reinspection fees and license fees are anticipated to cover costs associated with this position. The budget also calls for a transfer of $250,000 from the General Fund balance to finance several capital projects for next year. This includes Town Center, Community Building repairs, street lighting, Gateway signage and several other projects. In accordance with Council direction staff has prepared a five-year capital improvements plan that identifies projects through 2007. The City Staff plans on selling approximately $6.0 million in infrastructure funds in 2002. Anticipated expenditures in the Debt Service Fund in 2002 will amount to $5.3 million with additional revenue needed to cover debt service costs through 2005 before some relief to this fund would be seen. The City Council and Staff reviewed the General Fund and Debt Service Fund. Report from Board or Commission Liaisons. The City Council reported on Board or Commission meetings attended by the liaisons. Inquiries, requests and complaints. 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. 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 May, to adjourn. The Special Session adjourned at 9:47 p.m. 4