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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/20/2003 City Council January 20, 2003 MINUTES OF REGULAR SESSION OF COUNCIL HELD ON JANUARY 20, 2003 Prior to the meeting being called to order the Mayor made announcements regarding January 23, 2003 being Family First Day in The Colony, and that the Martin Luther King Day Celebration held at Friendship Baptist Church will be aired on government cable channel 17 at noon on Tuesday, January 21, 2003 and again at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 22ha. The Regular Session of the City Council of The City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 7:07 p.m. on the 20t~ day of January 2003, at City Hall with the following roll call: Bernetta Henville-Shannon Mayor Present John Gordon Councilmember Present (Arrived 7:10) Lewis Jue Councilmember Present Joe McCourry Councilmember Present Lynda Bayliss Councilmember Present Perry Schrag Councilmember Absent (Business) Joel Marks Councilmember Present and with six present, a quorum was established and the following items were addressed: I 1.0 I ROUTINE ANNOUNCEMENTS, RECOGNITIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS: Call to Order Invocation - Dale Cheatham, City Manager Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag Salute to the Texas Flag Presentation of award - Firefighter Association President (Morrison) Van Morrison presented an appreciation plaque to the Firefighter Association President David Cavins. Mr. Cavins then presented a plaque of appreciation to long-time supporter Andy Longo for his involvement with the firefighters and Firefighters Association. United Way Presentation (Morrison)- United Way representative Cris Schultz presented Fire Chief Van Morhson with two awards recognizing the City of The Colony employees for their contributions to the United Way for last year and the current year. Presentation by Hidden Cove Park Concessionaires (Nelson) Pam Nelson introduced J.T.'s Snacks and Rentals concessionaires who introduced several area businesses that participated in the Christmas Lights in The Park event held December 2002. They also presented plaques to lst, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the contest. They provided information on the number of visitors to the event and stated that the $2,500 raised was donated to Christian Community Action. Citizen Input- none 12.0 I CONSENT AGENDA 2.1 Consideration of approval of the minutes of the council meeting held January 6, 2003 (Hicks) Motion to approve the minutes as written- Gordon; second- Jue; carried with all ayes. January 20, 2003 2.2 Consideration of acceptance of bids for a 20" waterline along FM 423 (Main Street); award of bid to Jayko Development, Inc. in the amount of $186,840.00; and approval of an ordinance authorizing contract for same (Johnston/Leverich/Sparkman) Councilmember McCourry pulled this item from the consent agenda with a question about where the funds would come from for this project, as well as further explanation of the location and use of this line. Asst. City Manager Tony Johnston advised council that there is approximately $300,000.00 remaining from water impact fees. He also stated this water line will be providing water for the Legends subdivision and south of SH121 to the Pizza Inn area. He further explained that this 20" line, along with an existing 18" line, will connect to a 24" line, providing sufficient water pressure to the target areas. Mayor Henville-Shannon questioned the inclusion of only one fire hydrant and Ken Leverich advised there are already two in the area. Councilmember Marks referenced a letter included in the packet that stated the city has no prior experience with this particular company. Ken Leverich advised that a conference had been held with them and that staff felt very confident and assured that this company would do a good job. Motion to approve as recommended- McCourry; second - Jue; carried with all ayes. 2.3 Consideration of approval of an ordinance amending Chapter 19-11 relating to the school zones on Blair Oaks Road and Paige Road (Clark) Motion to approve as recommended- Gordon; second - Jue; carried with all ayes. 2.4 Consideration of approval of a resolution endorsing certain legislative changes to S.B. 7 supported by the cities aggregation power project regarding deregulation (Sparkman) Motion to approve as recommended- Gordon; second- Jue; carried with all ayes. 2.5 Consideration approval of council expenditures (Council) Motion to approve as recommended- Gordon; second - Jue; carried with all ayes. 2.6 Consideration of approval of cancellation of the February 24, 2003 council meeting due to attendance at Denton County Days in Austin (Council) Motion to approve as recommended- Gordon; second- Jue; carried with all ayes. 2.7 Consideration of ratification of changes made to Ordinance No. 02-1410 relating to the TXU Gas Franchise Agreement, as approved by the council on October 21, 2002 (Hikel/Cheatham) Motion to approve as recommended- Gordon; second - Jue; carried with all ayes. I 3.0 I REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS 3.1 Public Hearing regarding a proposed amendment to Appendix B, Section 4 of the City of The Colony Code of Ordinances, Subdivision Regulations, providing a new section 4.1 for the creation of a Development Review Committee for the City; and consideration of approval of an ordinance (Persaud) The Mayor opened the public meeting on this item. Mr. Harry Persaud spoke stating this ordinance will firmly establish the DRC. He explained there are no differences in this ordinance and what the City has already been practicing, only formalizing the process by an ordinance. The Mayor asked if the meetings are closed or open to the public. Mr. Persaud stated they are closed and only 2 January 20, 2003 those on the committee and invitees attend. The Mayor asked city attorney Gordon Hikel how the process will be streamlined by this ordinance. He explained that it establishes procedures and will eliminate developers and others from contacting committee members at random regarding sub-dividing land, etc. Councilmember Jue asked if there has been no ordinance establishing a DRC committee in the past, does it invalidate recommendations that have been made over the last 6 years. Mr. Hikel replied it does not. Mr. Jue asked Mr. Persaud if the committee has changed and was advised it has not, however additional personnel may be called in as needed. Mr. Marks asked if other cities have the same type make up of for this committee. Mr. Hikel advised it depends on the number of departments they have. No citizens requested to speak and the Mayor closed the public hearing. Motion to approve as recommended- McCourry; second- Jue; carried with all ayes. 3.2 Consideration of acceptance of bids for a 3 million gallon ground storage tank; award of bid to Preload, Inc. and approval of an ordinance authorizing contract for same (Johnston/Leverich/Sparkman) City Engineer Gordon Scruggs explained to Council this item involves the construction of a 2nd 3 million gallon ground storage tank at Office Creek Pump Station. He showed a site plan of the area and water flow and explained that the new tank will be situated north of the existing one. He explained the exterior will match the existing tank. He also noted the proposed construction company is the same one that constructed the existing tank, which has been in existence for 22 years. Councilmember Marks voiced a concern that the ground had settled under the existing tank and asked what measures would be taken to avoid a repeat situation with the soil. Mr. Scruggs advised proper engineering on the new tank should eliminate such problems. He stated that a strong foundation would be used along with proper sub-grade. Councilmember Gordon asked if 22 years is the normal life expectancy of a water tank of this type and Mr. Scruggs told him that 30 plus years is normal with some rehabilitation. Mr. Gordon asked if potentially we may have to replace the original tank in another 8-10 years and Mr. Scruggs replied that it is possible. Ken Leverich said that annual inspections are done and the existing tank is functioning well. Motion to approve as recommended- Jue; second-Gordon; carried with all ayes. 3.3 Discussion and appropriate action regarding Hidden Cove Park (Nelson) Pam Nelson addressed the council by giving an overview of the Operations Summary. She specifically mentioned the park is being operated by fewer people now than when the City took it over. She added that the Financial Report and Attendance Report results are directly related to weather patterns. Also, little marketing has been done in the past in order to hold down expenses. Ms. Nelson attributed the park's success directly to the dedication of the park employees. She also stated she believes the City's recent recognition from D Magazine and the Gold Medal Award received from TRAPS are related to HCP being in The Colony. The Mayor and councilmembers Jue and McCourry all advised they believe a work session is in order to discuss the park operations. Councilmember Gordon, though not opposed to a work session, believes that the park will soon support itself. HCP offers many opportunities and he is in favor of it. Councilmember Bayliss also expressed the park is an asset to the City and suggested more marketing for the park, perhaps include an article in the next city-wide news letter. She also suggested perhaps a contest among the citizenry for marketing ideas. Councilmember Marks complimented Ms. Nelson on the report she provided. He added that his concem is with the finances and believes that 3 January 20, 2003 needs to be addressed on a more regular basis, being more pro-active towards the park. He would also like a work session. Citizen Input- Mr. Richard Kuether, 4109 Driscoll, addressed the council in favor of the city continuing to support HCP. He also suggested using the city's website to advertise the city's parks. Councilmember Marks asked Ms. Nelson if she knew what the attendance at Stewart Creek Park was last year. She estimated over 200,000 and added that park is operated differently than HCP. Ms. Nelson advised the council that the mailing address for the park is still Frisco and believes that is confusing to people. She is actively working on that with the postal service. Ms. Nelson passed on information to the council she had received from a recent conversation with the executive director of the Texas Parks and Recreation Department. He told her that the state subsidizes 50% of state park operations. The City only subsidizes 20-30 percent of HCP operations and believes that is an indicator that they are being successful in the park operations. Motion to table any action and to schedule a work session- McCourry; second - Bayliss; carried with all ayes With no further business to address, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. APPROVED: ~~mll ~ S~hann~,~- ATTEST: t~ Christie Wilson, Deputy City Secretary 4