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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/13/1982 City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON APRIL 13, 1982 A SPECIAL SESSION of the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the CATV Building with the following members present: Scott North Acting Mayor Larry Sample Councilman Norman Adeler Councilman Charlie Parker Councilman Charles Dodds Councilman and with no members absent; thus, a quorum was established. 1. ISSUANCE OF PROCLAMATION ESTABLISHING APRIL AS FLY BRANIFF MONTH IN THE COLONY Acting Mayor North read aloud the following Proclamation and, at this time, presented to Mr. Howard Putnam, President of Braniff Airlines, a plaque which established April 1982 as Fly Braniff Month in The Colony. WHEREAS, the City Council is always concerned with the growth of private enterprise in the State of Texas and particularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area, and WHEREAS, the City of The Colony is located in close proximity to the Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport and approximately six hundred airline employees are residents of The Colony, and WHEREAS, many more of the residents of the City of The Colony use airline transportation on a daily basis for business as well as personal endea- vors ~ NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY, TEXAS: That the Monthof April, 1982, be proclaimed as "FLY BRANIFF MONTH" in the City of The Colony in support of Braniff Airlines, a Dallas based company. PASSED AND APPROVED THIS THE DAY OF , 1982. /s/ SCOTT NORTH, ACTING MAYOR ATTEST: /s/ JANICE CARROLL, CITY SECRETARY 2. CONSIDERATION OF CANVASS OF RECOUNT RESULTS OF MAYORAL RACE AT THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION HELD ON APRIL 3, 1982 Acting Mayor North read aloud the following Resolution: CANVASS OF RETURNS AND DECLARATION OF RESULTS, ELECTION FOR OFFICE OF MAYOR WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas, called an election to be held on April 3, 1982, for the purpose of electing municipal officers, and WHEREAS, immediately after said election a recount was requested for the votes cast for the office of Mayor, and WHEREAS, the City Council appointed a Recount Committee; NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas, after examining the returns of the Recount Committee, that the results of the election for the office of Mayor are as follows: That the following number of votes were cast for the following candidates for the office of Mayor, to-wit: NAME NUMBER OF VOTES Gene Pollard 450 Bill Longo 200 Nicholas G. Oprea 220 -1- 001124 It appearing that Gene Pollard received a majority of all votes cast for the office of Mayor and he is hereby declared elected to the office to serve after qualifying for the term commencing April 1982. It is further ordered that this Canvass and Declaration of Results be entered in the minutes of the City Council and that after said officer has qualified and has taken the Oath of Office, he shall serve for the term commencing April 1982, and thereafter until his successor is duly elected and qualified. This Resolution shall become effective immediately after its passage. ORDERED THIS DAY OF APRIL, 1982. /s/ SCOTT NORTH, ACTING MAYOR ATTEST: /s/ JANICE CARROLL, CITY SECRETARY Councilman Dodds moved to approve the Canvass for the recount of votes. Seconded by Councilman Parker, the motion was passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None B. ADMINISTER OATHS OF OFFICE Acting Mayor North administered the Oath of Office of Mayor to Gene Pollard. At this time, Mayor Pollard then administered the Oath of Office to Norman Adeler, Councilman District 3; Charlie Parker, Councilman District 4; Charles Dodds, Councilman District 5 and Marlene Poole, Councilman District 6. 4. CONSIDERATION OF ELECTION OF MAYOR PRO TEM Councilman Sample stated that in the past it has been a tradition to elect an at-large member of the Council as Mayor Pro Tern and, based upon the experience that Councilman Scott North has shown while serving in the capacity of Acting Mayor, he would like to nominate Scott North. This nomination was seconded by Councilman Parker. Mayor Pollard called for a vote on this nomination. The nomination passed by the following roll __. call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None There being no further nominations, Mayor Pollard called for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Councilman North was elected Mayor Pro Tern by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None 5. CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE CITIZENS OF PARIS, TEXAS Mayor Pollard read aloud the following Resolution: WHEREAS, the City Council is supportive of all endeavors by the Civic Organizations of The Colony to provide assistance and aid to people in times of disaster, and WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the urgent needs of the citizens of Paris, Texas due to the disaster caused by the tornado-which~struck their City and surrounding area on April 2, 1982. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY: That it fully supports all Colony Citizens and Civic Organizations in their efforts to aid the City of Paris and surrounding areas in their recovery, and further the City stands ready to help these groups in any way possible to assist those in need. PASSED AND APPROVED ON THE DAY OF , 1982. /s/GENE POLLARD, MAYOR ATTEST: /s/JANICE CARROLL, CITY SECRETARY 001125 Councilman Sample moved to pass the Resolution as presented. This motion was seconded by Councilman North. Prior to voting, Mayor Pollard recognized John Botkin, a member of The Colony Jaycees. Mr. Botkin expressed his appreciation for the support that the Council showed for the Jaycees and other civic organizations during this period of disaster for the citizens of Paris, Texas. He advised the Council that the major problems now of course were temporary housing and household necessities. He advised that they did have sufficient clothing but did need other household necessities. He stated that a truck would be in the shopping center the following Saturday for donations. Councilman North asked if it would help in their collections if the Fire Station could be used as a drop center until the following Saturday. Mr. Savage advised the Council that he would check with Chief Gothard to see if this would create any problems at all. At this time, Mayor Pollard called for a vote on the motion on the floor. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None 11. CONSIDERATION OF MERIT PAY PLAN Mayor Pollard stated that he would like for the Council to consider this item first before going into the lengthy discussion items on the agenda. Mayor Pollard then recognized Councilman North. Councilman North moved to give all employees a 5% increase in pay if performance is satisfactory, based upon the current evaluation process. If an employee is not a satisfac- tory employee, he can be reviewed in 60 days and receive the 5% raise at that time. He further noted in his motion that this will impact next year's cost of living raise by approximately 2½%. Further, employees hired after April 1st will be dealt with in the next budget year. This motion was seconded by Councilman Parker. Councilman North further explained that this represents an additional 2½% increase for employees in this budget year. Mayor Pollard stated that this is in addition to the 7½% cost of living raise granted in October 1981 and provides each employee a total increase of 10%. Councilman North stated that the Council has considered giving a 2½% retroactive raise but has been advised by the attorney that a city cannot pay retroactively, therefore, he is in favor of a straight 5% increase at this time. Councilman Dodds was concerned that this process of an additional review after 60 days makes this raise a true merit raise rather than a cost of living. Mr. Savage agreed that there was a merit element in this across- the-board 5% raise, however, he did advise the Council that in the past probations have been extended on certain employees, which does put an element of merit into the step plan. After discussion, Councilman Dodds did move that the motion presented by Councilman North be amended to eliminate any consideration of next year's budget at this time. Councilman Parker seconded this amendment motion. Councilman Adeler stated he was concerned that this plan does not deal adequately with merit and does not reward an exceptional employee. He did feel that a reward should be given to the exceptional employee after the review process was completed. Council- man Sample stated he felt that the intent of this program was to give the supervisor an option not to give a raise only to unsatisfactory employees, and he was in agreement with this plan. There was a brief discussion regarding the evaluation process, and Mr. Savage stated that he was presently meeting with all department heads regarding their evaluations. Mayor Pollard stated that the evaluation process is a separate issue at this time and he personally felt that an evaluation is important as a tool of management, whether it be related to a pay increase or not. He did emphasize that a department head must have the city manager's approval before a raise is given to any employee. Mayor Pollard then called for a vote on the amend- ment motion on the floor. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None Councilman Parker then asked the question that if this 5% raise is given, will it be compounded into the step plan. After discussion, Mr. Savage stated that all steps would be adjusted in accordance with this 5% increase, unless a person is held back due to unsatisfactory performance. The Council -3- 0011213 was in agreement with this plan. Mayor Pollard then called for a vote on the amended motion presented by Councilman North. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None 10. CONSIDERATION OF COUNCIL RETREAT PLANS Mr. Savage, City Manager, reviewed the past retreats that have been held and stated to the Council that he did agree with this process for budget preparation. Councilman North added that he did learn more as a new Councilman in this retreat than during any other process initiated by the city. Councilman Sample asked if there would be any budget work done prior to the retreat. Mr. Savage said yes that the department heads were presently keeping track of this year's budget, and estimates would be provided at the retreat for the Council to review. After a discussion, it was decided that May 22nd would be the retreat date and it would be held at the Holiday Inn in Lewisville. Mayor Pollard stated that this retreat would be a meeting open to the public and invited all to attend. At this time, Mr. Savage asked if he could present a letter to the Council from The Colony Little League. The letter did request the use of the City Hall parking lot and City Hall water for Saturday, April 17th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a community-sponsored car wash to raise money to fence the ball field at Bridges Park. This fencing would be donated to the city after completion. Mr. Savage felt that this would be an item the Council could consider as the improvement would accrue to the city. Councilman Adeler asked what would be the approximate size of this fence. He was advised that it would be a five-foot fence and the approximate cost would be $1,400. Councilman Adeler asked if there was adequate publicity in advance. Councilman North also noted that scoreboards had been donated by Dr. Pepper to The Colony Little League to be used in city parks. After a lengthy discussion of the car wash project as well as the scoreboards, Councilman Dodds moved to accept the seven scoreboards. This was seconded by Councilman Poole, and the motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None Jack Blalock, of The Colony Courier, asked if this was an agenda item that could be acted upon this evening. Mr. Savage advised Mayor Pollard that this had not been added as an emergency item and could not be voted on at this time. With this fact in mind, Councilman North moved to strike the motion from the minutes. The motion was seconded by Councilman Sample and passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Councilmen North, Sample, Adeler, Dodds and Poole and Mayor Pollard Noes: Councilman Parker Councilman Parker also withdrew the request to use the City Hall parking lot for this car wash and advised the Council that the bank parking lot would be used on April 17th. 6. DISCUSSION OF TRAFFIC PROBLEMS Mayor Pollard stated that he had put this discussion item on the agenda primarily as an educational process for himself and the new Councilmen. At this time, Mr. Savage advised the Council as to the status of the widening of FM 423 and the signalization project on State Highway 121. He then went on to explain to the Council the city's involvement with the Collin County officials in presenting a County-wide thoroughfare plan to the Highway Commission in Austin on April 22nd. They also discussed the upgrading of Old Denton Road, the elevation of the bridge on FM 423 north of Eastvale. Regarding the extenSion of FM 423 south to 544, Mayor Pollard -4- 00112? if the existing roadway would be used or a new realignment be designed. Mr. Savage advised that there had not been any meetings with the Carrollton officials regarding this extension at this time. Councilman Sample stated that he had talked with Carrollton Council members, and it is obvious that they do not want to open Josey Lane to FM 423 to encourage traffic through their city. Councilman Dodds suggested that the city consider renaming FM 423 Josey Lane in the near future. Councilman Sample then clarified the plans for State Highway 121. He advised the Council that 121 from 1171 to FM 423 was in a five-year State plan and that 121 from FM 423 to 289 was presently in a 10-year plan. He explained that the object of the Collin County officials was to include 121 from FM 423 to 289 into a five-year plan. Mayor Pollard then recognized Mr. Botkin, a member of the audience. Mr. Botkin requested that they reduce the speed zone at Paige and 121 to 45 mph and make this area a no-passing zone. He also advised that Josey Lane will only be extended from Carrollton as housing is developed. He also was concerned that there is limited access out of The Colony, and he would like for the Council to consider another thorough- fare that will allow another way to get out of The Colony or into The Colony. Mr. Savage advised that the North Colony extension is included in Frisco's master plan, however, this probably will take several years to complete. Mayor Pollard asked if there would be any potential for the extensio~ of North Colony while FM 423 is under construction. Mr. Savage felt like this would be economically impossible and that if this is done by Frisco, it will certainly be done at the developer's pace. Mayor Pollard asked that a series of meetings be arranged with the Cities of Frisco, Carrollton and Plano to discuss in detail their thoroughfare plans. Councilman Parker brought up a different problem that will be happening in the fall when Stewarts Creek Elementary School is opened. He asked what provisions will be made for children crossing FM 423 at North Colony. Mayor Pollard suggested that the options on this be discussed at the May 22nd retreat. The Council did suggest that Mr. Savage get a copy of the master plans from Frisco, Carrollton and Plano. 7. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE WATER SUPPLY IN THE CITY Mr. Savage advised the Council that the utility district has presented its application for the selling of bonds to the Texas Department of Water Resources Board. He stated that generally there is a six-month wait while the Board conducts its review of the application. During the discussion with the Council, Mr. Savage advised them that the area south of Arbor Glen and north of State Highway 121 was presently not in the MUD utility district. He also stated that the present water supply will serve adequately 5700 homes. Mayor Pollard clarified that the city is looking at a two-year period at the least before Dallas surface water will be a reality in The Colony. Mayor Pollard also stated that the city now had five wells and that one of these wells was not working properly while the fifth one was out completely. He asked what the status was regarding these problems. Mr. Savage told the Council that the well that is presently out should be back on line in one month, but he had no additional information at this time. Mayor Pollard requested that a meeting be set up with the MUD Board members some time in the near future. Mr. Savage suggested that this be mentioned to the MUD Board when they are complete after this upcoming appointment and recommended that the retreat might be a good time for both boards to meet. Further updating the Council, Mr. Savage stated that the MUD district is contesting the Certificate of Necessity that the City of Frisco has applied for. The Council then discussed a committee made up of representative members from the two governmental entities. Mr. John Twomey, a newly- elected member of the MUD Board, stated that he would be hesitant to set up a committee such as the Council is suggesting. He stated that both governmental entities have competent managers that have worked together in the past and are presently working together in new cooperative efforts. Councilman North stated that he did agree that the managers worked well together but, as a taxpayer, he was interested in eliminating any expenses that possibly could be shared. Councilman Sample agreed, stating that the Board and the Council set the policies that the managers must uphold. There being no further action to be taken by the Council, Councilman Dodds moved that the meeting be adjourned. Seconded by Councilman Sample, -5- 001128 the motion was passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None Mayor Pollard stated that Agenda Item 8 , Discussion of Residential, Commercial and Industrial Development, and Agenda Item 9, Discussion of Future Expansion of Present City Limit Boundaries, would be placed on the April 19th agenda for discussion. Mayor Pollard then adjourned the Council meeting at 10:30 p.m. GF~fE POLLARD, MAYOR ATTEST: JAN-I~E! 'CARROLL, CITY SECRETARY ?/ -6-