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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/27/1996 City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON AUGUST 27, 1996 The Special Session of the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas was called to order at 8:00 p.m. on the 27th day of August, 1996, at City Hall with the following Council roll call: William W. Manning, Mayor Present Bill Longo, Councilmember Present Mary Watts, Councilmember At the EDC Meeting, arrived 8:45 David Stanwick, Councilmember Present Wilma Avey, Councilmember Present John Dillard, Councilmember Present Dave Kovatch, Councilmember Present and with seven present, a quorum was established and the following items were addressed: Mayor Manning directed the City Secretary to remove the Roll Call item from future agendas. The members present and absent will be recorded in the minutes. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. WORK SESSION TO DISCUSS BILLINGSLEY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AND AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPER Mayor Manning stated that at the last council meeting the funding for the water tower needed for this development had not been approved and that staff was to negotiate a developer's agreement. He continued stating that he felt it would be appropriate for the developer to meet with the council to discuss such an agreement. He opened the floor for suggested items to be included in the agreement. Mr. Smith said that the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee is working on getting population estimates in soon, then the impact fees can be established and since the developer knows our impact fees are low, that would be one item to be included in the agreement. He said there is a unique problem on this development with the railroad crossing. The Council has directed the city manager to pursue getting the crossing approved with the railroad company, however, the developer agreeed to be responsible for the cost of engineering, construction, and legal fees for that crossing. That also needs to be in the agreement. Mr. Smith continued, stating that it may not be in the best interest of the city for the developer to front the money for the construction of the water tower because the city can borrow the money at a lower rate. He said he has researched the types of towers in the surrounding areas and almost all of them are pedestal type towers. He said that since this tower will be visible from the Dallas North Tollway, that he recommends going with a pedestal tank. Mr. Smith said the cost difference between a legged tank and a metal pedestal is about $140,000. A composite type pedestal would be about $50,000 to $55,000 more than the metal pedestal. The metal tank would require more maintenance than the composite. 2 Discussion followed regarding time frame for construction of the tank, the bidding process and costs. Mr. Hal Jones, city engineer with Hunter Associates, advised that according to two sources the delivery time would be 9 to 12 months. He did say that a 65 month delivery could be put in the bid specifications but the cost would be at a premium. Mr. Henry Billingsley said since they are in the private sector, they can get the tank constructed in a faster time frame, probably 3 - 5 months. He said they can build the tank and the city can reimburse them. He said if they have to wait a year or more, they may miss the window of opportunity for development of their property. Councilman Avey asked Mr. Smith why we had not heard from our attorney regarding putting a performance bond in the developer's agreement. Mr. Smith advised that he spoke to Mr. John Hill, city attorney, after the meeting last week, who said we could place a mechanic's lien on the property which would insure our investment. Councilman Kovatch said if we can reimburse Mr. Billingsley with our bonds then, by the time they (Billingsley) get the tank built, our bonds will be in. He said that is a large investment and should ensure the development of the property. Mr. Smith agreed, stating the investment of building Plano Pkwy. is also assurance of the project. Mr. Blackwood advised the investment for Plano Pkwy. was around $12,000,000. Mr. Blackwood explained the plan to develop the property. This will be a high quality development with lakes and hills which make it unique in this area. He stated if the railroad crossing was built and the water tower was in place, they would be ready to start construction tomorrow. He said Windhaven Pkwy. will be entrance into the area from the tollway. The area will probably be named Stone Canyon. He said they have been working on this for quite a while and that they had come tonight to ask the city to build them a water tower. He said he was at the work session when the City Manager was directed to pursue funding for the Eastvale water lines and this water tower. Mayor Manning said he had told the developer that the difference between a legged tank and a pedestal tank would probably have to be put on the table, but seeing how the area will be developed and how many pedestal tanks are in our area, he has changed his mind. Mayor Manning said The Colony has always been perceived by outsiders as a "po-dunk" city and we, as citizens, have always been concerned about that. He said we have a chance to begin changing the image of the city by building a pedestal tank that we can all be proud of. Councilman Longo said The Colony is not a dump and he went on to say that changing the image south of 121 will not change what is north of 121. He said we just need to decide what to do and do it. He said if the developer wants a pedestal tank, then we should build a pedestal tank, but he wants to know where the fire station will be built and what kind of fire truck they will provide. Councilman Watts said if we place a high quality tower to be seen from the tollway, we will draw more people into The Colony and then they will know we are not "po-dunk". Mr. Blackwood agreed and said this will be an image change for The Colony. He said there is lots of interest in this development. Mayor Manning asked if the following five items were acceptable and sufficient for the developer's agreement: 1. Impact Fees for off-site improvements 2. Construction cost of railroad crossing (including engineering & legal fees) 3. Property for the water tower 3 4. Property for the fire station 5. Fire apparatus Mr. Blackwood said that the water tower will need to be located on the eastern portion of the property near old McKamy Trail. They will make one acre of land available to the city for the tank site if the city will build a pedestal type tank. He said they would like to recover the cost of the land through the developer's agreement. 4. CONSIDERATION OF AUTHORIZING FUNDING NECESSARY FOR ELEVATED WATER STORAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BILLINGSLEY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN THE SOUTHERN AREA OF THE CITY IN THE PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED BOND PACKAGE BEING PREPARED BY THE CITY'S FINANCIAL ADVISORS Motion to authorize the City Manager to proceed with the issuance of revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $1.7 million for the construction of a composite, pedestal type tower on the Billingsley property and the Eastvale water lines, with an amount not to exceed $950,000 to be allocated to the Billingsley water tower, further authorizing the City Manager to expedite the construction of this tower in the fastest, most economical way possible - Kovatch; second - Dillard, carried with all members voting Aye. With no further business to address, Mayor Manning adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m. APPROVED: William W. Manning, Mayor ATTEST: Patti A. Hicks, TRMC City Secretary 4