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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/27/1983 City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON JUNE 27, 1983 A SPECIAL SESSION of the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 6:30 p.m. with the following members present: Larry Sample Mayor Noel Long Councilman Norman Adeler Councilman Don Amick Councilman Charles Dodds Councilman Mar!ene Poole Councilman and with Councilman Scott North absent at this time; however, a quorum was established. Councilman North arrived at 7:30 p.m. 2. CLOSED DOOR SESSION AS AUTHORIZED BY ARTICLE 6252-17 OF VERNON'S ANNOTATED CIVIL STATUTES, AS AMENDED A. PERSONNEL B. LITIGATION Mayor Sample announced that the Council would now meet in a closed door session to discuss the above items. Upon reconvening in open session, Mayor Sample announced that no action would be taken as a result of the closed door session. !. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Sample led the Council and members of the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 3. CONSIDERATIOI~ OF ESTABLISHING MEETING DATES i~f THE gONTH OF JULY Janice Carroll, Acting City Manager, stated that the following meeting dates had been discussed by the Council and agreed upon: Wednesday, July 6th (at the Fire Station) Saturday, July 9th (Optional Meeting) Monday, July llth Monday, July 25th Councilman Dodds moved to approve the above City Council meeting dates. Seconded by Councilman Poole, the motion passed by the following roll Call vote: Ayes: Ail members present voted aye Noes: None 4. REVIEW OF PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 1983/84 FISCAL YEAR A. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT B. FIRE DEPARTMENT Mayor Sample announced that the Council would begin with the Community Development Department. Community Development Janice Carroll stated that Mr. I. R. Bradburry, Director of the Department, was present at this time to answer the Council's questions. Mayor Sample asked about the Salaries account and specifically the "new man" shown on the breakdown provided to the Council. Mr. Bradburry stated that this would be a replacement -1- for a position which was vacant at this time. Councilman North asked about the estimated expenditure for the 1982/83 budget year, and Mrs. Carroll stated that this should come in around $400 less than shown. Regarding the package request for a backhoe tractor, Councilman Long asked about how long a piece of equip- ment of this type would last. Mr. Bradburry stated that assuming it was in good condition when purchased, it should last eight to ten years. Mr. Bradburry explained that this backhoe was badly needed, stating that they had recently had to break out 160 feet of alley paving with hand tools. Mayor Sample asked about the city's current arrangement with the Municipal Utility District for the sharing of equipment. Mr. Bradburry advised that the district was very good about letting the city use their equipment when it was available, however, it was often in use by their personnel. Councilman North questioned the $14,300 salary budgeted for the new man, and Mr. Bradburry clarified again that this was a replacement position, and also that six months after this position was hired, the person would be elgible for a step increase of five percent. There was lengthy discussion concerning this Salary account and the reason for the difference between 1982/83 and 1983/84. Mr. Bradburry explained that for a portion of the 1982/83 budget year, he had not had a full crew, which made this account come in under budget. Mrs. Carroll stated that she would analyze this account for the Council. Councilman Amick asked about the package regarding the pickup truck and why there was no fuel budgeted for it. Mr. Bradburry explained that the fuel was already budgeted, as this would be a replace- ment for a pickup truck the department already has, which is worn out and requiring extensive maintenance at this time. Mayor Sample asked about the possibility of renting surveying equip- ment mentioned under Line Item 59, and asked Mr. Bradburry to get a cost to purchase these instruments. Councilman North asked about Line Item 22, Small Tools & Equipment. He was concerned with how often these have to be purchased. Mr. Bradburry stated that some of these have to be replaced every week because of broken parts. Councilman Poole asked about the requested Inspector and Health Officer, which Mr. Bradburry had given as the Depart- ment's number one priority. Mr. Bradburry briefly explained some of the work which would be handled by this person, including CO inspections and health inspections on restaurants, day-care centers and swimming pools. He stated that currently they have approximately.CO inspections and health complaints which need to be handled, Councilman Poole asked how many new inspections were handled in the Month of May, and Mr. Bradburry answered that here had been 12 permits issued but that this did not really indicate the full amount because of inspections performed on locations which had not yet passed completely and, therefore, permits had not been issued yet. Councilman Poole brought up the fact that it had been the Council's wish that the CO inspec- tion program pay for itself. Mayor Sample asked who was responsi- ble for the follow-up inspections on locations where a problem was discovered, and Mr. Bradburry replied that it was preferably handled by the same person who had made the original inspection. Mayor Sample then asked how much of Bob Hutchison's time might be freed if he did not have to do some of the work of trying to track down property owners, and Mr. Bradburry replied that Secretary Beverly Nopp was already doing a lot of this. Mr. Bradburry then explained that the most important thing about this new position would be obtaining someone capable of handling the health inspections. Mayor Sample asked about the health- inspection related duties which would be performed by this person, and Mr. Bradburry answered day-care centers, swimming pool complaints, restaurants and food stores. Councilman Amick asked if this health inspector would have any authority in cases involving private property, and Mr. Bradburry replied he would not unless the house was unoccupied or if there was a day-care facility in the home. Councilman Poole then asked what type of educational background would be required for this health officer, and Mr. Bradburry stated that a person would have to be certified. -2- Mayor Sample asked Mr. Bradburry if it would be better to hire someone who is already certified, and Mr. Bradburry answered that he thought someone who previous experience could gain this certification with a week or so through seminar training. Mr. Bradburry then clarified that this position would actually be better described as a health inspector rather than a health officer, as a health officer probably should be a medical doctor. After lengthy discussion concerning various options on the health-inspection functions, Mayor Sample asked if Denton County did any regular inspections of food establishments in the city. Mr. Bradburry replied that they only do this if it is requested. Mayor Sample requested that Councilman Poole check with our County Commissioner about having someone from Denton County do these inspections for the city or possibly sharing a health inspector with another area city. Mayor Sample asked about the cost of $7,500 budgeted in the package request for the pickup truck, and Mr. Bradburry advised that this would be for a truck with no extras, and he clarified again that this was a replacement for a present vehicle, therefore, the fuel was already budgeted. Councilman Poole suggested combining all of the truck purchases requested in the 1983/84 budget in order to obtain better pricing, and Mr. Bradburry agreed that this would be a good idea. Following a discussion of fuel usage in the city, Mayor Sample asked Janice Carroll to check on the price of gasoline at the Municipal Utility District. There was also discussion concerning the possibility of the city installing its own gasoline tanks. Mayor Sample then asked if the requested equipment operator position was tied in with the requested backhoe, and Mr.. Bradburry stated that ideally they would go together, however, he further advised that there was a city employee in the Parks and Recreation Department who could operate the backhoe if necessary. Before reviewing the budget further, Mayor Sample called for a brief recess. Fire Department Mrs. Carroll advised that Fire Chief Ronnie Gothard was present to answer the Council's questions. Mayor Sample asked why most of the firemen were near the maximum salary, since none of them have worked for the city that long. Chief Gothard explained that this was due to extra pay for the paramedic status, which was expected to be attained by four of the firemen in the 1983/84 budget year. Mayor Sample asked about the depart- ment's first priority package requesting emergency medical radios and equipment. Chief Gothard explained that this equip- ment was vital in order for the paramedics to be able to effec- tively carry out their duties. He advised that the paramedics could not give any treatment to a patient without specific orders from a doctor, and this' could be accomplished with the medical radio. He advised further that the requested heart monitor would allow the patient's heartbeat to be received at the hospital and, if the doctor ordered defibrillation, this would be possible. Councilman North clarified at this time that The Colony would be able at the present time to commu- nicate with three hospitals; Lewisville Memorial, Westgate and Flow in Denton without charge. He stated furtehr that Plano Hospital is on the Biotel System through Parkland in Dallas, and that there would be a fee to go through this system. Mayor Sample then asked Chief Gothard about the next two packages on his priority list; No. 2, reassignment of existing position work schedule (Captain) onto the day shift; and No. 3, establish two-man coverage 24 horus per day by using either Option A (overtime) or Option B (three additional firefighters). Mayor Sample asked which one of these "crucial" packages was the most important, i.e., would this be an "either/or" situation. Chief Gothard answered that he would prefer to have both of these, and he explained further that the No. 2 package would involve the hiring of only one additional firefighter, whereas No. 3 called for three additional firefighters in order to guarantee two-man coverage 24 hours per day. Councilman Amick -3- asked how realistic it would be to have the Captain fill in for the vacation times of the firefighters in order to guarantee the two-man coverage at all times. Chief Gothard explained that in addition to vacation time, the firefighters also get sick time and holiday time and can potentially be off 19 shifts in a year. He felt that some of this time could easily fall in consecutive shifts, and no one is going to want to work two 24-hour shifts in a row. Chief Gothard also explained that the Captain performs many administrative duties which are very important. Councilman Amick then asked if, in Package No. 3, only one firefighter were added instead of the requested three, how would this one man be utilized. Chief Gothard replied -- that if this one man were completely trained and also willing to work basically a day shift but with the potential of having to switch to a 24-hour shift, then this might work. He did not feel, however, that anyone would be willing to work on this basis. There was a lengthy discussion concerning the specialized problem of covering these Fire Department shifts and the fact that the absences are, of course, unpredictable. Councilman Poole then asked Chief Gothard what his top priority was, and Chief Gothard explained that the package numbers did specify his priorities. Councilman North then asked about Package No. 9, the one-ton grass fire truck with four-wheel drive. Chief Gothard explained that The Colony's area of responsi- bility does start immediately north of FM 544, and there is a great deal of grass in this area. Councilman Dodds then questioned the need for both Package No. 3 and Package No. 10, which called for three additional firefighters. Chief Gothard explained that Package No. 10 would be a further increase in coverage and, as specified by its number, was not as important as No. 3. Councilman Amick asked Chief Gothard how many times during the last year, the department had the problem of only one man on a shift, and Chief Gothard answered that he was not sure of the exact number of times. Mayor Sample then asked if any rules of procedure had been worked up in conjunction with the volunteer pay package, and Chief Gothard replied that __ they had not at this time. There was discussion of the funds received from Denton County and the fact that there was a possi- bility the base amount might be raised but the per-call amount would stay the same. Mayor Sample felt that the per-call amount was the one which more fairly compensated for actual time spent on these calls. Councilman Amick then asked about the requested water rescue services for the Stewarts Creek Park area, and Chief Gothard explained that The Colony does not presently ahve any equipment for water rescue operations and has to call Lewisvitle. Councilman Amick then asked about the requested full-time secretary for the Fire Department and inquired if this position could possibly be part time. Councilman Amick also asked how the department's paper work was presently being handled. Chief Gothard explained that at the present time, he either did his own typing or brought it to City Hall for whoever he could find who might have time to take care of it, coordinating with Janice Carroll, and he stated further that, of course, a part-time secretary would be better than what he presently has. Councilman Amick then asked, of the first two packages, which was the most important. Chief Gothard replied that No. 1, the emergency medical radios and equipment, was imperative, as the money has already been spent to train the paramedics and, without the equipment, they would not be able to function. Councilman Amick then asked if one set of __ equipment could be used, and it was clarified that the units were portable and could, therefore, be moved from one ambulance to another. Chief Gothard explained that it would be better to have two so that the equipment would always be available on either ambulance. Mayor Sample then asked Chief Gothard to check into how other counties set the per-call amount paid to fire department's for calls outside incorporated areas. Councilman Long asked if the State of Texas had any guidelines on the number of firefighters per population of a city, and Chief Gothard replied that the only guidelines of which he was aware were in connection with the key rate system. Councilman -4- Amick then asked how the efficiency of the Fire Department would be affected if the three additional firefighters were not hired. Chief Gothard replied that a specific answer would be difficult but he definitely felt that efficiency would decrease without extra personnel. At this time, Councilman Poole moved to recess the meeting until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 30th. Seconded by Councilman Dodds, the motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None The meeting was recessed at 10:07 p.m. 2. CLOSED DOOR SESSION AS AUTHORIZED BY ARTICLE 6252-17 OF VERNON'S ANNOTATED CIVIL STATUTES, AS AMENDED A. PERSONNEL B. LITIGATION Upon reconvening on Thursday, June 30th at 7:00 p.m., Mayor Sample announced that the Council would now meet in a closed door session, after which they would reconvene in open session. 4. REVIEW OF PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 1983/84 FISCAL YEAR A. PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT B. MUNICIPAL COURT Upon reconvening in open session, with Mayor Sample absent due to business, Mayor Pro Tem North announced that the Council would begin their budget review with the Parks and Recreation Department. Parks and Recreation Mayor Pro Tem North asked Mrs. Carroll to begin with a general discussion of some of the line items. She advised that the Salaries consisted of the existing employees with funds for step raises included, and that the Salaries Part Time figure needed to be adjusted to $27,500. Mayor Pro Tem North asked about the possibility of a separate account for some of these part-time salaries, in order to better be able to keep track of situations such as instructors for classes, in which cases the money for the salaries are made up from funds received in payment for the classes from the students, in other words, he stated, some of the $27,500 figure is not actually an expense to the city, as it is reimbursed. Sylvia Brantley, Recreation Supervisor, stated that this had been done at one time but that she had been advised it could no longer be done in this manner. Councilman Adeler agreed that there did need to be some way of determining what portion of this account did pay for itself, but he did not feel that separate accounts would be necessary, stating that this could be simply an internal system within the Parks and Recreation Department. Mrs. Brantley advised that a breakdown could be done on all revenue generated as a result of these classes and any other situations having this same effect, and Councilman Adeler stated that he would be interested in having this breakdown show specifically where the funds came from, i.e., a certain amount for tuition for an aerobics class, etc. Mayor Pro Tem North brought up the fact that this would be a good way to determine if these various programs did actually pay for themselves, so that the fees could be raised if necessary. Councilman Amick also agreed that separate accounts would not be necessary but that the Council did need to know which programs were self supporting. Councilman Long was concerned that one of the reasons the department might not always be breaking even was the difficulty of getting cooperation from the Lewisville Independent School District. Mrs. Brantley explained that this -5- situation had definitely changed since the District had initiated its Community Education program which was, in some cases, in direct conflict with the PARD programs. Mrs. Carroll then moved to Line Item 19, Medical Expense, and stated that this would need to be increased if new employees were hired to take care of employment physicals. Mayor Pro Tem North then asked about the Fuel account, Item 24, stating that he felt the increase from $4,600 in 1982/83 to $7,000 for 1983/84 was a significant jump. Jerry Van-Y, Parks Supervisor, explained that they now have an additional truck, more park land to mow and that the heavy mowing season is just beginning. Mayor Pro Tem North then asked if fuel for the requested new truck was included in this account, and Mr. Van-Y answered that it was not in the line item but was included in the package prepared on the truck request. Mayor Pro Tem North then asked if the acquisition of Wynnwood Park had been considered in this $7,000 figure, and Mr. Van-Y replied that it had not. Mayor Pro Tem North then explained that his concern with the fuel account involved the fuel used in driving to the Utility District to fill up and then having to drive the equipment to the location to be mowed, especially in the case of mowing at Stewarts Creek Park. He asked about the possibility of using a trailer to transport the tractor mower. Mr. Van-Y replied that the tractor mower actually used very little fuel at these times, and he did not feel that a trailer was necessary at present; however, he did state that when the city became involved with the mowing at Wynnwood Park, this would certainly be a necessity. Councilman Adeler asked Mrs. Brantley if she thought the department would need the $5,000 budgeted in 1983/84 for Item 49, which involves charges from the Lewisville Independent School District for use of their facilities. She replied that she thought this would be needed, as the PARD meeting room will not house many of the classes. Mrs. Brantley advised that LISD was charging $600.00 for air conditioning during the summer. Councilman Dodds asked about the possibility of using the middle school, so that all of the classes could be held at one place. Mrs. Brantley advised that the Community Education classes through LISD were being held there and that at the present time there was some competition between these classes and the PARD programs. Mrs. Brantley also stated that she felt it was important for the department to work with Community Education so that we would not lose the facilities we now have. Councilman Amick asked about PARD's relationship with the various sports leagues, and Mrs. Brantley replied that the department simply maintains the fields for them. Councilman Adeler then asked about the donation of a sprinkler system for Turner Street Park, and Mr. Van-Y stated that the Soccer Association would maintain the system for one year but the system would belong to the City as soon as it was in. There was a lengthy discussion involving this sprinkler system, after which it was decided that Mrs. Carroll should be given a copy of the contract, the contractor was to be asked if he could suspend work temporarily and this was to be brought back to the Council at their July 6th meeting, along with the contract and plan, for their consideration. The Council's main concern was that they had not been given the opportunity to review these plans prior to the beginning of work, and they felt this was necessary in order to avoid any possible liability to the City. Mayor Pro Tem North then referred to the department's package requests, and'he asked Mrs. Brantley why the clerk-typist was classified as crucial. Mrs. Brantley replied that the paper Work load had increased and she could not do all of it and also take care of her other responsibilities. She advised that the telephone call load was also very heavy. Mayor Pro Tem North then stated that he saw no problem with this as she was coming in under budget this year. Councilman Poole asked about the possibility of volunteer help for typing and phones. Mrs. Brantley advised that she had had a lot of volunteer help, notably for the chili cookoff, but she did advise that it was hard to get volunteers to do ongoing office work. Councilman Adeler asked if the permits -6- for Stewarts Creek Park could be purchased anywhere besides the PARD offices, and Mrs. Brantley answered that they could be purchased from the Police Communications Department in the evening and on weekends and that daily permits were sold at the park. Councilman Amick then stated that he felt PARD was missing some business by not making these permits more easily available, and he suggested having them sold at some of the stores, such as Stop and Go and the sports stores. Mayor Pro Tem North then determined that it would be the consensus of the Council to contact some of the stores regarding the sale of these permits. Mr. Van-Y then presented the department's second priority package, consisting of a tractor and implements for mowing. He stated this was needed because of the increase in park land which had to be mowed. Mayor Pro Tem North asked if this equipment could be shared with Community Development and if the present equipment was being shared. Mr. Van-Y replied that the present tractor was used only by PARD, and he advised that the new one could be shared if the parks mowing was ever caught up, which he felt would be very unlikely. There followed some discussion about Package 3, which requested that the depart- ment's two part-time maintenance personnel be made full time and well as Package No. 5, which requested two additional part- time personnel. Mr. Van-Y stated that the two part-time posi- tions would work staggered hours during the peak mowing season. Councilman Poole then asked if any projections had been done on the impact to the department of the possible lease of Wynnwood Park. Mr. Van-Y replied that this had not been done but that he would get some figures together. Mayor Pro Tem North then asked about Package No. 6, the requested crew leader, and Mr. Van-Y explained that he is often not out in the field with his personnel and needed someone to be in charge in these instances who would be compensated for this added responsibility. There was a discussion concerning this problem, after which it was the consensus of the Council that they probably would not approve this as a paid position but they did suggest appointing different workers on a rotating basis whenever the situation occurred to be in charge. Mayor Pro Tem North then asked about Package No. 4, requesting a pickup truck at $10,915, which included the cost of fuel, insurance, nine months' maintenance and a radio. There was discussion concerning used versus new vehicles, as well as the fact that if a new truck were approved, it would probably be combined with the ones in other departments in order to obtain better pricing. There was then some discussion concerning the possible use of chemicals to cut down on the weed problems and their possible effect on the environment if used, as the result of a question from Councilman Poole. Mrs. Carroll then advised that Line Item 57, Maintenance Parks, would probably need to be increased primarily because of the need for an additional dumpster. Mayor Pro Tem North then called for a brief recess. Mayor Sample arrived at the meeting at 10:25 p.m. and participated in the remainder of the meeting. Municipal Court Mayor Sample stated that the Council would now review the Municipal Court budget, and Mrs. Carroll stated that she did not see anything controversial in the line items. Mayor Sample asked about the increase in the printing cost from $100 to $300. Mrs. Carroll stated that Court Clerk Deanna Martin had begun having a lot of her forms printed rather than running all of them on the City's copier. Councilman Dodds asked if competitive pricing had been obtained, and Mrs. Carroll stated that it had. Mayor Sample then asked about the Professional Services account, and Mrs. Carroll explained that this increase from $5,200 to $6,480 reflected the extra court sessions now being held (three per month). Mrs. Carroll stated that at this point she wished to address the need for a clerk in this department, stating that she felt that the Court Clerk did have the biggest need in the city for extra help due to her work load. Councilman Poole stated that she felt that a reproduciDg typewriter would -7- work well in the Court area because of the need for originals. Councilman North felt that some sort of mini-computer or word processor would be better than the hiring of another person in Court. Councilman Amick then brought out the fact that in her package presentation, Court Clerk Deanna Martin had pointed out the fact that another person would be important from the standpoint of customer relations and work organization. Councilman North then asked why the jail fees had been put in the Court budget, as they used to be in the Police Department. Mrs. Carroll explained that these fees were paid through Court and, therefore, this was really the proper place for them in the budget. 2. CLOSED DOOR SESSION AS AUTHORIZED BY ARTICLE 6252-17 OF VERNON'S ANNOTATED CIVIL STATUTES, AS AMENDED A. PERSONNEL B. LITIGATION Mayor Sample announced that the Council would now meet in a closed door session, after which some appointments might be made. 5. CONSIDERATION OF BOARD APPOINTMENTS A. PARKS AND RECREATION B. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT & APPEALS Upon reconvening in open session, Councilman Dodds moved to approve the following appointments to the indicated boards, and Councilman Amick seconded the motion: Parks and Recreation Board Pat Aldinger Doug Megredy Board of Adjustment & Appeals Eric Stanton - as a Regular member Donald Haines - as an Alternate member Mayor Sample then called for a vote upon the motion on the floor. The motion passed by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Councilmen North, Adeler, Amick, Dodds and Poole, Mayor Sample Noes: Councilman Long There being no further action to be taken by the Council, Council- man Dodds moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Councilman Adeler, the motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: All members present voted aye Noes: None Mayor Sample adjourned the meeting at 12:06 a.m. ATTEST: JANICE CARROLL, CITY SECRETARY -8-