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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/12/1995 City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON June 12, 1995 The Joint Work Session of the City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors of the City of The Colony, Texas was called to order at 7:10 p.m. on the 12th day of June, 1995 at City Hall with the following Council roll call: William Manning, Mayor Present Bill Longo, Councilman Present Mary Blair Watts, Councilman Present Kay Hardin, Councilman Present Rob Burchard, Councilman Present John Dillard, Mayor Pro-tern Absent (Arrived 8:00 pm) G. David Heiman, Councilman Absent Also in attendance were Lyle Hilyard, Steve Swerdloff, Steve Wolfard and Barbara Crocker from the Planning and Zoning Commission and Martha Fujauski, Gary McClure and Tommy Thompson of the Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. With five Council members present, a quorum was established and the following items were addressed: 1. RECEIVE AND DISCUSS UPDATED PRESENTATION FROM THE COLONY BAY DEVELOPMENT GROUP REGARDING A PROPOSED MARINA IN THE CITY OF THE COLONY Mayor Manning opened the session by outlining the procedures for a work session. This is an informal setting to express ideas, exchange information and ask any questions. He asked that speakers identify themselves due to the large number of participants. He then introduced Mr. Norman Becker of The Colony Bay Marina Development Group. Mr. Becker gave a brief history of this development and stated that the financial backer would be made public in about a week. He then displayed an artist rendering of the layout of the marina and outlined the facilities and amenities to be offered. Discussion followed concerning the facilities and possible negative impacts on surrounding residential areas from noise and traffic and possible solutions to those problems. There were also questions raised about the depth of the water and boat traffic causing safety hazards on the lake. Mr. Becker indicated a marine engineer was being asked to prepare a report addressing these and other concerns raised by the City and the Corps of Engineers. A lengthy discussion followed concerning the location of the marina and other uses of this location, broken promises from past developers and whether this was really what the dty wanted to do. Mr. Tommy Thompson of the Economic Development Corporation stated that he was somewhat confused. The Council has already approved a Resolution 2 0.0872z supporting the construction of a marina in the City and a letter of intent to this developer. He suggested it was time to stop debating this issue and start supporting the stand already taken. Mr. Sam Chavez, City Planner and Barbara Crocker of Planning and Zoning expressed their appreciation for being included in the Work Session. Both agreed they had received valuable information and insight into the project and would be better able to review any plans and make decisions when/if they are submitted to P&Z in the future. 2. DISCUSSION OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES DOCUMENT FY 1995 Mayor Manning outlined the document and how it has evolved. Department Heads in attendance were then asked to bring everyone up to date. The following changes were noted: Plannine Update Survey Maps - Mr. Chavez asked why this item was included. Mayor Manning indicated this was a holdover from his predecessor and that we may still want to pursue the possibility of linking with the County G.I.S. at some point in the future. Library_ Repair of Library Building - is still being reviewed. Local access to the Internet is being looked at. This may be funded in part by a grant. Finance/Ufili _ty Mr. Tony Johnston asked Council to set a minimum fund balance. This is usually expressed as the number of working days we should have cash reserves to operate. He indicated somewhere between 30 and 90 days is normal. This figure will be used in setting the budget. Councilman Dillard asked Mr. Johnston to justify the Vehicle Maintenance Department (during the upcoming budget sessions). Parks and Recreation They are still researching enclosing the courtyard area of the Rec Center. Councilman Burchard asked if there were any development plans for Hidden Cove Park from Texas Parks and Wildlife. Ms Pam Nelson, Director of Parks and Rec indicated there were not. A separate committee has been proposed for Hidden Cove Park which would include residents of surrounding cities to develop a master plan for the park. The Colony Centre information was prepared prior to the current negotiations with the County for the old Denton County Building. It is still a concern that a site be available for use by the many different groups in our city. 3 Fire Chief Van Morrison again stated the need for a new ambulance. With the remount we will have only one good unit, the other is not dependable. He stated we are in the same position with the engine. We have the one new engine, but one of the other two is always in the shop. Regionalized Fire Service - There are ongoing discussions between the City Managers and Fire Chiefs of neighboring cities concerning the advantages of sharing facilities. The main obstacle is still "Who's in Charge". The Fire Marshal has inspected all city buildings and found only minor violations which have been corrected. Future Fire Station - There has been discussion of building a central public safety facility which would house the fire and police departments. This would be very expensive and would probably require a bond sale. Personnel - This item was left out in error in the March draft. Additional personnel would allow for a second response. Police Firing Range - Councilman Burchard asked if it would be possible to use this facility to train citizens under the new concealed weapons law. Chief Stewart indicated it would not be practical. Discussion followed concerning building an indoor facility and Chief Stewart said this was cost prohibitive due to regulations concerning ventilation and the recovery and removal of lead. Animal Control Full Time Clerk - Chief Stewart indicated a large number of complaints concern the necessity of closing the office if the officers have to go out on an emergency run. A full time office staff person would keep the office open. Indnerator - This has become a higher priority with the regulations concerning the disposal of deceased animals. Public Works Sidewalk Maintenance - Tom Cravens, Director of Public Works said the figure shown in savings is for materials only and does not include labor. This is a very time consuming job. Councilman Burchard asked if other dties require their citizens to repair the sidewalks, and Mr. Cravens indicated this is normal practice throughout the area. Offices/facilities - Mr. Cravens expressed a desire to have all of his staff at one location instead of spread out over the city. Water 4 French drains - Mr. Cravens indicated there were areas in the city which would benefit greatly from the placement of these drains. Major Capital Pro_iects Overhead storage - Councilman Dillard expressed his concern that a 500,000 gallon overhead storage tank in the Dal-Mac area might not be sufficient. Mr. Cravens indicated that research supported the size choice. Phone Message Center - Joan Sveinsson, Library Director, indicated that the cost figures gathered so far were too high. She said they are still looking for alternatives but it would save staff having to leave a patron to answer the phone for routine questions such as hours and fines. With no further business to address, Mayor Manning thanked all of the participants for their time and adjourned the meeting at 10:45 p.m. APPROVED: ~il~an~ W. Manning, Mayor ATTEST: Sandie Chance, Deputy City Secretary