Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/09/2005 City Council 00814") Work Session May 9,2005 I MINUTES OF WORK SESSION OF COUNCIL HELD ON MAY 9, 2005 The Work Session ofthe City Council ofthe City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 6:40 p.m. on the 9th day of May 2005, at City Hall, 6800 Main Street, The Colony, Texas, with the following roll call: John Dillard Mayor Present Allen Harris Councilmember Present Scott Ward Councilmember Present Joe McCourry Mayor Pro-tern Present Lynda Bayliss Councilmember Present Perry Schrag Councilmember Absent (business) Joel Marks Councilmember Present Also present were city staff members Dale Cheatham, Tony Johnston, Harry Persaud, Gordon Scruggs and Mike Nolan. Representing the Billingsley Company were Lucy Billingsley, Henry Billingsley, Lucillo Pen a, outside council Charles Jordan, and other engineers and architects. And with six council members present a quorum was established and the following items were I addressed: 1. Work session for Council and staff to discuss wastewater, water, annexation and disannexation of property with the City of Carrollton related to the Austin Ranch development. Land Swap The Colony City Attorney Bob Hager told the council that no vote or action would be taken at this meeting. The purpose is to listen and ask questions regarding the material that is being presented by the Billingsleys. Lucy Billingsley spoke first regarding a proposed land swap they would like to negotiate with the city. They had asked for The Colony to swap 24.5 acres with the city of Carrollton. The land in The Colony presently is on the east side of Piano Parkway and Carrollton's on the west side of PIano Parkway. In the original proposal the Piano Parkway frontage for The Colony would be reduced from what it is currently. At this meeting Lucy presented a second proposal that would increase the city's frontage along Piano Parkway equal on the west side to what it is presently on the east. The purpose of their request is to help facilitate a development in Austin Ranch named Austin Waters. Lucy stated this is a high-income single-family neighborhood, and that residential developers are very interested. If The Colony agrees to the land swap (Carrolton has tentatively I agreed) then several issues the Billingsleys have now for Austin Waters will be resolved. She added 1 OU811~ Work Session May 9,2005 that the issue of creek management has not been resolved yet. Planning Director Harry Persaud told the council that there are some discrepancies on the Billingsley's maps compared to the city's regarding boundaries. He said that field surveys need to be done to resolve the differences. Lucillo Pena stated that the land swap will be equal acreage for Carrolton and The Colony. Sewer for Austin Ranch [The City of The Colony has begun significantly modifying its existing wastewater treatment plant. The purpose is for The Colony to manage all its own sewer in the future, to include Austin Ranch and Wynnwood Peninsula. This action was taken due to some unresolved issues about the ability of the North Texas Municipal Water District plant in Frisco to service the needs of The Colony in the future, which was the plan for several years past. The city has severed ties with the NTMWD and the contract with them will expire as of May 2008.] Charles Jordan, outside counsel for the Billingsleys, presented his interpretation of the Development Agreement between the Billingsleys and the city for Austin Ranch regarding sewage management. Though the city was at that time (1998) not a member of the North Texas Municipal Water District, Mr. Jordan stated that it was understood between all parties that the sewage for Austin Ranch would be handled by NTMWD. He presented a map that showed sewage line routes within Austin Ranch and north to S.H. 121 that the Billingsleys were responsible for, and lines from S.H. 121 north to the NTMWD wastewater treatment plant in Frisco that the city was to be responsible for. According to Mr. Jordan, ifthe sewage from Austin Ranch is not managed according to that plan, then the ultimate cost to the Billingsleys would be approximately three million dollars. To further explain, Mr. Jordan said that the Billingsley's sewage lines were to be financed by NTMWD paying them back through rate collections. Henry and Lucy Billingsley emphasized that Austin Ranch needs a resolution as to how the sewage is going to be handled. Both stated that the uncertainty could cost them some future development. Mr. Jordan summarized how the Austin Ranch sewage could be processed: 1) have The Colony process the Austin Ranch sewage; 2) have Carrollton or Lewisville do it; or 3) create a separate district that would allow NTMWD handle the Austin Ranch sewage without doing the rest of the city. Councilmember McCourry asked Henry Billingsley to review what has transpired between him and Frisco officials in an effort to find a resolution. According to Henry, the city manager of Frisco told him if there is a way The Colony would relinquish two parcels of land to Frisco (commonly known as the finger and lightening bolt) then Frisco might have some influence with NTMWD regarding Austin Ranch sewage coming to the Frisco treatment plant. Assistant city manager Tony Johnston said that the NTMWD was going to reach capacity and likely would not be able to handle the additional sewage. Also, that their plan is to send sewage further 2 .~~----- OU814..J Work SessIOn May 9,2005 I north to the Panther Creek treatment plant. He added that the cost to do that is extremely high. Mayor Dillard confirmed with city engineer Gordon Scruggs that the city's renovated wastewater treatment plant should be operating by spring of 2006, and that the new plant can handle Austin Ranch, The Colony, and Wynnwood Peninsula. Installation of needed sewage lines to Austin Ranch would take approximately eighteen months. Bob Hager added that costs of rerouting to the city's new plant and routing to Carrollton or Lewisville need to be calculated. City council and the Billingsleys will meet in another work session to go over possible solutions on May 31, 2005 at 6:30 p.m. And with no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. APPROVED: I ATTEST: ~j/)A4t~ [~ C she WIlson, CIty Secretary I 3