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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/05/1981 City Council 00097 MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON OCTOBER 5, 1981 A REGULAR SESSION of the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 7:30 p.m. with the following members present: Richard Turner Mayor Scott North Councilman Norman Adeler Councilman Charles Dodds Councilman and with no members absent; thus, a quorum was established. 1. BRIEFING SESSION The Council did meet in a briefing session, and Mr. Savage reviewed the following agenda items; however, no action was taken at this time. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Councilman Adeler moved that the minutes of the regular Council meetings of September 8 and September 21 be approved as presented. Seconded by Councilman North, the motion was passed by the following vote: Ayes: Ail members present voted aye Noes: None Before moving to the regular agenda items, Mayor Turner announced that there were three visitors who he then asked Councilman North to introduce. Councilman North introduced these officials from Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas as follows: Mr. Rod Bell, President; Mr. Charles Boes and Mr. Dave Ashworth. Mr. Bell then spoke at some length regarding the history of Presbyterian Hospital from its founding sometime in 1960 to the present time. He advised the Council that Presbyterian Hospital does plan a facility to be located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Frisco and that a major fund- raising drive with a goal of approximately $t0,000,000 is under way at the present time. He also stated that Presbyterian Hospital would not be satisfied with anything but a first-rate facility and advised the Council not to settle for a building at the expense of a good hospital facility. Mr. Bell also presented some facts concerning their facility in Kaufman and stated that Councilman North had visited this hospital with him. When Presbyterian Hospital bought the Kaufman facility, it was very small with only eighteen Jtaff members and two physicians. They arranged to create a hospital dis- trict and secured a loan from FHA; they then designed a 50-bed hospital that is expandable to 100 beds in the future. Work is being conducted on setting up a school of nursing at this site. Mr. Bell then stated that their plans were to begin with an approximate 100-bed facility on the Frisco site if approved; however, they have not yet filed a Letter of Intent. Mr. Bell then asked if there were any questions. Mayor Turner asked if the Council had any questions, and Councilman North wanted to know if Mr. Boes or Mr. Ashworth had any comments at this time. Mr. Boes stated that they were willing to help The Colony in analyzing The Colony's health-care needs. Mayor Turner and the members of the Council then thanked them for coming. 3. CONSIDERATION OF AWARDING BID ON CODIFICATION OF CITY ORDINANCES AND AUTHORIZATION ORDINANCE ON SAME Mayor Turner at this time asked Dan Savage, City Manager, to explain codification to the Council and members of the audience. Mr. Savage first explained that money had been included in the City Secretary's budget for two years for this purpose; $4,000 in the 1980-81 budget, which has been encumbered as an expense that will be paid after September 30, 1981, and an additional $4,000 has been budgeted in the 1981-82 budget year. -1- 000976 The first year that this item was budgeted was 1979-80, and $4,000 was .carried over into the next budget year since the project had not been started. He stated that four firms had been invited to bid out of only a possible seven or eight in the country who do this type of work. One complete bid was received from the Municipal Code Corporation for $7,500. A second firm sent a letter indicating they did not wish to submit a bid due to a delay in the mail which caused them not to receive their invitation in time. A third bid was received two days late. Mr. Savage then gave an explanation of what is involved in codifi- cation: The very important first step is the editorial work which entails the complete analyzation of all existing ordinances of a general and permanent nature. All research and editorial work would be performed by an editor familiar with law (in the case of Municipal Code Corp. this would actually be an attorney). The ordinances would be classified according to subject matter and studied by the law editor for the purpose of eliminating obsolete provisions, duplications or inconsistencies. The ordinances would also be checked against state laws and court decisions pertaining to the ordinances of the City. Appropriate state law references, cr~oss references and other editorial notes would be prepared. Ail sections of the new Code would cite the ordinances from which they are derived. Mr. Savage then stated that Municipal Code Corporation could provide us with guidance based on their experience in other cities; however, the final decision as to what to include in The Colony's code would, of course, be up to the Council. Municipal Code Corporation felt that they could complete this work within one year if the City returns the final draft to them within a reasonable time. Mr. Savage then stated that staff does recommend that this bid be awarded to the Municipal Code Corporation. Councilman North asked Mr. Savage about the fact that they list the City of Baytown as one of their customers; he thought Mr. Savage might have had some personal experience in working with them since he was Assistant City Manager in Baytown prior to coming to The Colony. Mr. Savage stated that the work was handled by the city secretary's office. Councilman Adeler asked why staff recommended going with the 8½xll single-column page rather than the 6x9 inch page which he felt would be easier to handle. Mr. Savage stated that more could be put on each page with the 8~xll-inch size therefore making fewer total pages. Councilman Adeler then asked if there would really be a cost savings resulting from the lower number of pages. Mr. Savage answered that possibly there would be no difference in the cost but stated further that the 8½xll-inch sheets would actually be easier for us to handle, especially in regard to any copying, since this is a size which our copier can handle. Mayor Turner then read the following ordinance caption: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR CODIFICATION OF ORDINANCES WITH MUNICIPAL CODE CORPORATION; ATTACHING THE APPROVED FORM OF THE CONTRACT AS EXHIBIT "A"; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Councilman Dodds at this time moved to approve this authorization ordinance. Seconded by Councilman Adeler, the motion was passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None 4. CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A GROUP INSURANCE CONTRACT FOR ACCIDENT AND HEALTH INSURANCE Mayor Turner asked Mr. Savage to present this proposal to the Council and members of the audience. Mr. Savage directed the Council to his memorandum included in their packet on this subject. He stated that The Colony currently has group employee insurance with Aetna while the Municipal Utility District has Blue Cross coverage. He briefed the Council on his meetings with Mr. Tom Forrest, Director of the Municipal Utility District, concerning a combined employee insurance policy for the purpose of having a larger group and, thus, being eligible for experi- ence rating after the first year. The benefit package arrived at was based on provisions of both of the current policies with no loss of benefits already enjoyed by either. The joint coverage would be for a -2- 00O977 combined group of approximately 70 employees; 40 city and 30 Municipal Utility District. Three proposals were solicited for this coverage and they were covered in a memorandum from Mr. Savage presented to the Council prior to the meeting. Aetna came in low for both employee and dependent coverage premiums, and their rates were for 16 months which would give a true experience history for a full year considering the time lag in compiling the completed information on claims. The major difference in coverage for city employees under this proposal would be the hospitalization. City employees now have 80% coverage for this; however, the utility district has 100% hospitalization and their employees w~re not in favor of giving up this benefit. Mr. Savage stated that staff did recommend going with this joint package as a cooperative effort with the utility district, stating that there could be future benefits for the city due to the experience rating gained from the larger group. There followed a lengthy discussion concerned mainly with the $50.33 per employee per month premium cost of this coverage, which would be $.33 per employee per month over the budget. Councilman North was concerned with the fact that the proposed Aetna rate of $50.33 was actually more than the present premium of $45.37. Mr. Savage explained again that this was mainly due to the 100% hospitalization coverage which the city does not presently have. Councilman Dodds wished to know what premium the city would pay for employee coverage if they stayed with the plan as it is with the 80% hospitalization and the same life insurance. Mr. Savage stated that this would be the amount listed under "present Aetna" coverage in his memorandum or $45.37 per month per employee. At this time Mayor Turner read the following ordinance caption: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A GROUP INSURANCE CONTRACT WITH AETNA LIFE & CASUALTY FOR A POLICY OF GROUP ACCIDENT AND HEALTH INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXPEND FROM THE GENERAL FUNDS OF THE CITY SUCH AMOUNTS AS ARE NECESSARY TO PAY THE PREMIUMS THEREON BEGINNING ; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Councilman Adeler was concerned that the city might be over extending itself by going in with this 100% hospitalization with the premium over the budgeted amount. Mr. Savage explained that the major reason for this was that he had felt that he did not want the Municipal Utility District employees to lose coverage which'they already had. He also stated that after finding out how we stood after a year considering our experience, we might then change if this plan was not of benefit. Councilman Adeler stated that he would hesitate to reduce coverage already in effect at that point. Councilman North was concerned also about going with this 100% hospitalization. Mayor Turner wished to have clarified that the $50.33 per month per employee premium would provide the 100% hospitalization and Mr. Savage answered that it would. Councilman North then expressed his concern again that this amount was over the budget for this item for this year. Mr. Savage stated at this point that one important thing to remember was that we were trying to establish a cooperative effort with the utility district. Councilman North then asked if it would be beneficial to the utility district employees to join in a combined plan with us even at the 80% hospitalization coverage. Mr. Savage was not sure about this, but he did state that on October 15 the utility district is facing a fairly sizable premium increase, therefore, there is a possibility that they would benefit. Councilman Adeler then moved, in view of the expense being over budget for this combined coverage, to retain our present Aetna policy with or without combining with the Municipal Utility District. Mr. Savage advised him that a motion was not necessary to do this; this would be the result if the Council does nothing at this time. Councilman Dodds then asked if there was another regular Council meeting scheduled before the Municipal Utility District's October 15 renewal deadline. Councilman Adeler stated that there was not one, unless Council chose to call a special session. Councilman North then stated that it appeared to him to be the consensus of the Council to leave this group insurance as it is. Councilman Dodds asked what the consensus of the Council would be concerning another meeting between now and October 15 in order to try and work something else out with the utility district. Mayor Turner stated at this point that he did not -3- 0009?8 understand what advantage it would be for the utility district to join 'in with us at the lower hospitalization, and Mr. Savage advised that he was not sure what would happen with the utility district's premium if they did not combine their group with ours; however, he did state that he could talk again with Tom Forrest the next day and advise him of the Council's wish to stay with the 80% hospitalization. Mr. Forrest could then go back before the Municipal Utility District Board if he wished to see if they would agree to reduce their hospitalization to 80% in order to take part in this joint insurance group. Councilman Dodds stated that he did not wish to completely close the door on this merger of insurance plans. Councilman Adeler wished to know how much more the utility district was going to have to pay Blue Cross for their coverage. Mr. Savage stated that he was not sure of the exact figure, but he did say it would probably be considerably more than what we are talking about. The discussion was closed with the general consensus of the Council to direct staff to leave our coverage the same with the 80% hospitalization, and for Mr. Savage to meet with Mr. Forrest and see if the utility district would be interested in joining with us at the 80% rate. 5. CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NOMINATING CANDIDATES FOR THE DENTON COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD Mr. Savage presented to the Council the names of the present Board as follows: Carl Degan, Chairman; Raymond Pitts, Secretary; Joe Turner, Jr., Bill Weaver and Tom Harpool, Jr. He stated that all of these Board members had expressed an interest in serving on this Board again. As Mr. Savage had stated in his memorandum to the Council, per a letter from the County Clerk's Office, it would be necessary to nominate a person to serve on this board prior to October 15 of this year, and the Council did have the option of nominating by Resolution either one or up to five candidates. Nominations are all that are being asked for at the present time. According to information from Mary Jo Hill, Denton County Clerk, the voting entitlement of The Colony's taxing jurisdiction is 90, and each voting taxing unit must determine its vote by Resolution and submit it to her before November 15, 1981. These 90 votes can be divided in any way the Council wishes. The Council will need to determine the vote at the first regular meeting in November. At this time, Mayor Turner read the following Resolution: WHEREAS, THE CITY OF THE COLONY HAS JOINED IN THE FORMATION OF A DENTON COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND WHEREAS, THE DENTON COUNTY CLERK HAS NOTIFIED EACH TAXING ENTITY THAT NOMINATIONS ARE IN ORDER FOR THIS BOARD, AND WHEREAS, THE DENTON COUNTY CLERK HAS NOTIFIED THE CITY OF ITS VOTING ENTITLEMENT OF NINETY VOTES. - .... NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS: THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HEREBY NOMINATES CARL DEGAN, CHAIRMAN; RAYMOND PITTS, SECRETARY; JOE TURNER, JR., BILL WEAVER AND TOM HARPOOL, JR. TO SERVE SECOND TWO-YEAR TERMS ON THE DENTON COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON THE 5 DAY OF OCTOBER, 1981. (S) RICHARD TURNER, MAYOR ATTEST: (S) JANICE CARROLL, CITY SECRETARY Councilman Adeler moved to approve this Resolution, nominating the entire Board for a second two-year term. The motion was seconded by Councilman North. Mr. Savage stated, prior to voting by the Council, that, as he had stated in his memorandum to the Council, Mr. Joe Turner wished to meet with the Council at their October 19 meeting. Mayor Turner then called for a vote on the motion on the floor, and the motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None -4- 000979 6. CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN ENGAGEMENT LETTER WITH THE FIRM OF PEAT, MARWICK, MITCHELL & COMPANY Mr. Savage advised members of the audience that the Council had previously interviewed seven firms who were interested in providing this service to The Colony, and the Council had directed staff to ask for an engagement letter from Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company. This engagement letter had now been received, and the Council was being asked tonight to approve an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute same. Mr. Savage stated further that there would be two staff people from this firm working with the staff at city hall, Mr. Gary Witt and Cheryl Bershen. Mr. Witt is a CPA and has previously worked on the City of Greenville's audit, and Ms. Bershen is a staff accountant, a CPA, has an MBA degree, and she has previously worked on the Dallas County Community College District audit, Mr. Savage stated. Mr. Savage also advised the Council that Peat, Marwick, Mitchell had stated that the audit would be completed by December 1. The $10,500 fee quoted was the upper limit and could be reduced by staff members preforming some of the work, such as typing of the final report. Councilman North stated that he did recall that Peat, Marwick, Mitchell did state that if less hours were spent by their firm on the audit, our cost would be reduced. The amount in this year's budget for this audit was $2~700, and Mayor Turner asked where we were going to get the extra money. Mr. Savage explained there were several items which would combine to provide the needed amount; the contingency reserve, extra revenue sharing which the city did not expect to receive, and underspending in some accounts. Mr. Savage stated that by the end of the week, these figures would be available for the Council to review. Mr. Savage further advised that this' type of in-depth audit will be very beneficial for the city in the long run; when the city is ready to sell the bonds for widening of FM 423, it could help the city maintain our bond rating and it can also be a valuable learning experience for the staff. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. is one of the "big eight" accounting firms. Councilman North stated that he had felt this figure was high until he learned what the firm would be doing; for instance, they will be providing cost-saving services to various departments ~ich should help offset part of this fee. At this time, Mayor Turner read aloud the following ordinance caption:* AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PREPARING AN AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1981, WITH PEAT, MARWICK, MITCHELL & COMPAI~; ATTACHING THE APPROVED FORM OF THE CONTRACT AS EXHIBIT "A"; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Councilman North moVed to approve this ordinance. Seconded by Councilman Adeler, the motion was passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None Bob Lux, a member of the audience, stated that he felt this was the smartest thing the city had ever done. 7. RECEIVE REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER REGARDING LIBRARY FACILITY Mr. Savage presented to the Council several options for this facility, as outlined in his memorandum to t~em, and informed them that the Library Board had held an organizational meeting Thursday, October 1, at which time they discussed in detail these options. The primary care facility next to City Hall has 1200 square feet and is divided into approximately ten rooms which are small and would probably not work very well for a library; however, the major drawback of this location is the fact that we have only a verbal agreement with Mr. Parisi, Executive Vice President of Methodist Hospital, that we can use this facility for one year at no cost. Mr. Savage stated that he would be reluctant to go ahead with only this verbal agreement. Mr. Savage had talked -5- 0O0980 with the contractor who erected this primary care facility about the cost of a similar structure and was' given a figure of $50,000 to construct a new modular building on the same site. This could be done within 90 days, and if this building were lease purchased, the monthly payments would range from $t100 to $1700 per month depending on the term of the lease purchase contract. This new modular building could, of course, be designed so that it would be more suitable for our needs. There is also a 2000 square foot space available in The Colony Square Shopping Center which includes four separate offices, a conference room and a kitchenette as well as a large open area through the center of the building. The cost for this would probably be comparable to that of the new modular building, but no price negotiations have been conducted yet. Any facility which is considered must have two restrooms, fire exit signs and access for those with physical handicaps, Mr. Savage advised. Mr. Savage pointed out that one of the advantages of the new modular building would be that it would belong to the city at the end of the lease purchase process, and it could possibly be resold to recoup some of the expense. The shopping center has more space than the other two options and would be highly visible in the community. Mayor Turner asked if 'the figure Mr. Savage mentioned would include utilities. Mr. Savage answered that utilities would be in addition to this figure and that in the negotiations the city would have to decide what could be afforded at this time and work on this basis. Councilman Adeler stated that he felt that the Library Board should definitely be brought into this, as the Friends of the Library could share in the cost. Mr. Savage explained that he was hoping to get the funds for this facility for this year from last year's Entitlement 12 revenue sharing funds, which came in around $11,730 more than expected. Mr. Savage stated further that he would like direction from the Council in this matter in order to conclude an agreement in October or November with the view of hopefully having a functioning library operation in January of 1982. Councilman Dodds recommended pursuing negotiations with the shopping center for this facility because of the high visibility and also because of the possibi- lity of holding Council meetings at this same location when needed and stated further that he also was not in favor of using the primary care facility with no written agreement. Councilman North was concerned about the large amount of rental money; however, he stated also that he was not sure that a modular building could stand.up under the weight of the books and he also did not like the idea of another modular building in the city. He stated further that the shopping center might be a good option until we can come up with a permanent City Hall; there- fore, he was in favor of negotiating with the shopping center. This facility would be more sturdy as well as accessible to the community, Councilman North stated. CounCilman A-eler concurred and also wanted to be sure and get the Library Board involved. Mr. Savage reminded the Council that these options have been presented to the Library Board, and the Board members present at the time' were in favor of the shopping center and he stated further that this would be brought'back to the Council at the next meeting on October 19. Councilman Dodds directed staff to start negotiating with the shopping center. Helen Gray, a member of the audience, asked if we could ask Methodist Hospital to either move their facility or give us a written agreement regarding its use, a~ Council- man North asked that Mr. Savage pursue this matter, also. 8. CONSIDERATION OF DEPARTMENTAL TRANSFERS IN THE 1980-81 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET Mr. Savage presented for the Council a summary of the information in his memorandum to them on this subject. H,m explained that General Administra- tion was over their budget for the 1980-81 fiscal year, and the Police Department was under their budget for the same period; therefore, in order to balance the books for the end of the year, he was recommending this transfer of funds from the Police Department Salaries account in the amount of $14,698 to General Administration. This amount would be divided up among several line-item accounts in the General Administration budget as outlined in the information presented to the Council by Mr. Savage. Mr. Savage explained briefly what caused some of these line items in General Administration to go over budget; in legal services, there had been more court activity than expected; in the telephone expense item, some phone lines connecting The Colony with the Denton County Sheriff's Department had to be used longer than expected due to a delay in the installation of the communications equipment in The Colony's Fire Station No. 2, and in the Salaries account former city manager Tom Hart was paid for unused vacation time and City Secretary Janice Carroll was paid from this account while acting as Interim City Manager. Councilman -6- 000981 Dodds moved to approve this interdepartmental transfer of $14,698. The motion was seconded by Councilman North. Mr. Bob Brown, a member of the audience, asked if we had the balance forward figure from the 1980-81 fiscal year budget yet. Mr. Savage replied that this was not yet available because of some outstanding utility bills. He explained further that the net difference would probably be an approximate carryover amount of $30,000. Mayor Turner then called for a vote on the motion on the floor. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Ail members present voted aye Noes: None 9. REVIEW OF PROPOSED SIGN ORDINANCE Mr. Savage reminded the Council that they had been given, some time ago, copies of this proposed ordinance to review. Councilman Dodds opened the discussion by asking about the provisions for garage sale signs on page 18 under the Miscellaneous Sign section. He questioned the sentence beginning "No more than two (2) garage sales a year are permitted..." It was his opinion that a sign .ordinance is not the place to address the number of garage sales which may be held. Councilman Dodds directed staff to remove this statement from this section. Councilman Adeler had a question concerning animal signs from the same section also on page 18. He wanted clarified exactly what this referred to., Mr. Savage answered that he felt this probably would refer to animals which were being offered either free or for sale or .animals which had been lost or found. Mr. Savage stated further that during the process of codification of the ordinances a lot of these problems could be worked out. Councilman North stated ~that he felt that the animal sign reference should exclude signs on property owners' fences for the purpose of warning others to "beware of the dog". Councilman Adeler then stated that a large part of this ordinance had been discussed previously and there were no major problems~or objections at that time. Mr. Savage stated that he would like to send this ordinance into the city attorney for review and bring it back to the Council on October 19. Councilman North stated that he felt that Section I. on page 17 regarding political signs should be addressed at this time due to the upcoming election. Mr. Savage read this section aloud and stated that a draft of it could be sent to all of the candidates in this November 3 election. Mayor Turner directed that this be done by staff. Larry Sample, a member of the audience and one of the candidates in this election, asked what would be the amount of the fine for a violation under this section. Mr. Savage replied that it would depend on the length of .the period of violation and how many signs were involved. The maximum fine which could be levied on this by our Municipal Court would be $200. Councilman North pointed out that we are already into the 30-day period prior to the election in which these signs may be erected, and he felt that it would be fair to ask the candidates to comply with this section of the ordinance. Larry Sample asked who would be liable for the fine. Councilman Dodds pointed out that the section states "the person, party or parties responsible for the erection or distribution of any such signs shall remove said signs within ten (10) days after the primary, general or special election to which they refer"; therefore, this would also refer to the person liable for the fine. Bob Brown, a member of the audience, wished to have clarified the definition of "person responsible for the erection of the sign", and he also questioned how you could monitor stolen signs and signs without the disclaimer. Mayor Turner answered that our attorney could help with the definition of the person responsible,and he was not sure about the other problem. Mayor Turner then directed staff to have an adopting ordinance prepared for the October 19 Council meeting. 10. RECEIVE CITY MANAGER'S STATUS ~REPORT Mr. Savage advised that the trial date for the city vs. IBM had been 'reset to November 15. He also advised of two promotions in the Police Department; Mike Carroll from Sergeant to Lieutenant and Mike Pettus from Officer in Charge to Sergeant. There will now be a supervisor on duty for all except one shift during the week, which is the day shift on Sunday. -7- 000982 He then briefed the Council on requests received in the past and recently for additional crosswalk guards on Paige Road and stated that something would be brought back to the Council concerning this as an agenda item on October 19. There followed a discussion of this problem as well as the problems that will occur in the future when the new elementary school is completed west of FM 423, possibly by September 1, 1982, and children have to cross the highway to get to this school. There are as many as 300 students crossing at some locations in The Colony; for instance at Nash and John Yates. On Paige Road, there are approximately 80 children who have to cross in order to get to Peters Colony Elementary School. Due to the traffic and the high berm on Paige Road, there is good reason to investigate this problem, Mr. Savage stated; and he further advised that at the present time, the intersection of Paige Road and Gates would probably be the best place for a crossing guard. Mayor Turner asked when this needed to be done, and Mr. Savage~answered as soon as possible. Councilman North asked if Mr. Savage could meet with the traffic engineer during the coming week concerning this problem, and Mr. Savage replied that he could. Councilman Dodds asked if we could do something about a crossing guard right now even without a speed zone. Councilman North stated that it could be done by a consensus of the Council to direct staff to put one of the substitute crosswalk guards on duty at this location right now, and members of the Council concurred with this. Councilman Adeler asked about possible traffic signals on FM 423 at North and South Colony Boulevards. Mr. Savage was not sure of the status on these signals,.but he did state that it might still be necessary to have crossing guards~even with the signals. Councilman North expressed concern about the future four-lane highway, after the widening of FM 423, and stated that he was not in favor of his children or any others crossing this highway even'with guards and signals, and he stated further that he was interested in the possibility of a raised walkway such as the one over I35 in Lewisville. Councilman North advised that he would like for the staff to check into this as soon as possible since the projected date for the opening of the new elementary school is September 1, 1982. He suggested~that we might work with LISD on this. Mr. Savage stated that staff would.pursue this entire issue. Mr. Savage then reported on the ~fire at International Paper in Carrollton, stating that Fire Chief Ronnie Gothard and some of the volunteers spent the night at one of Carrollton's fire stations to cover for them while the Carrollton personnel were fighting the fire. He also briefed the Council on FQx & Jacobs' new "Idea House" located on Nash at FM 423, which is apparently now completed. Mr. Ron Walden, of Fox & Jacobs, has invited the Council,~ city staff, the Municipal Utility District Board and staff and any members of the various boards and commissions who might be interested to attend a special open house this week at this house. It was the consensus of ~the Council that this .Wednesday night would be appropriate. Mr. Savage stated further that this coming weekend as well as the following weekend, the house would be open for the general public to.inspect. Mr. Savage said that he would advise Mr. Walden that the Council would be interested in attending this open house so that he could have someone there to explain the various features in the house. Mr. Savage then discussed the upcoming TML conference scheduled for October 25, 26 and 27 in San Antonio. Mr. Savage advised the Council that their plans need to be firmed up at this time in order for the hotel reservations to be confirmed and so that any plane reservations needed can be made. Members. of the Council were advised to get in touch with staff by the end of the~week. He then advised the Council that The Colony has received a plea regarding revenue sharing from the Texas Municipal League and that they would like to secure The Colony's support in their effort to stop President Reagan from cutting back 12% on revenue sharing. They would like for the city to draft a letter to this effect. Councilman Adeler directed staff to draft this letter. At this time, Councilman Adeler inquired about whether a new captain had been hired in the fire department. Mr. Savage stated .that an offer had been made for this position to someone certified as a firefighter and an EMT. If hired, he will be coming to work October 12, and Mr. Savage advised further that he is from Gladewater, Texas. -8- 000983 11. CLOSED DOOR SESSION/BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT & APPEALS 12. CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENT TO BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT & APPEALS FOR ALTERNATE POSITIONS Mayor Turner announced that at this time the Council would meet in a closed-door session in accordance with Article 6252-17 VACS as amended and that no action would be taken at this time. Mayor Turner also stated further that no action would be taken on Agenda Item 12. after this closed-door session. Before the beginning of the closed-door session, Mr. Savage explained that the reason for appointing alternates to the Board of Adjustment & Appeals was because of the necessity of having an affirmative vote of four for any action. The city attorney had advised that these alternates be appointed for this reason at this time. Upon reconvening in open session, there being no further action to be taken by the Council, Councilman Dodds moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Councilman North, the motion was passed by the following vote: Ayes: Ail members present voted aye Noes: None Mayor Turner adjourned the meeting at 10:45 p.m. ATTzE ~ ' J~ C~Ai~ROLL, CItY SECRETAi~Y -9-