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HomeMy WebLinkAbout14 1111 Council minutesThe Plainview City Council met on November 11, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the Plainview City Hall at 901 Broadway. The agenda for this meeting was posted in City Hall at 5:10 p.m. on November 5, 2014. Mayor Wendell Dunlap presided. Councilmembers present were: Charles Starnes -District 1, Larry Williams - District 2, Norma Juarez -District 3, Teressa King -District 4, Susan Blackerby-District 5, Lionel Garcia -District 6 and Eric Hastey-District 7. Staff members present were: Jeffrey Snyder -City Manager, Leslie Spear -City Attorney, Ken Coughlin -Police Chief, Rusty Powers -Fire Chief, lsauro Gutierrez -Information Technology Specialist, Andrew Freeman -Assistant City Manager, and Belinda Hinojosa- City Secretary. News Media Present: Homer Marquez -Plainview Herald and Caleb Hatch - Plainview Radio Guests Present: Mike Fox, Rudd F. Owen, Gerald Autry, Clay Taylor, Jordan Cawley, Beverly McCaskill and Becky Summers Councilmember Norma Juarez delivered the invocation and led in the pledge of allegiance. Councilmember Williams moved to approve the consent calendar. The motion was duly seconded by Mayor Pro Tem King and carried by unanimous vote. Items approved on the consent calendar included the approval of the minutes of October 23 and 28, 2014. Mr. Jeffrey Snyder, City Manager presented for consideration and to take necessary action regarding Agreement for Industrial Growth and Developmental Services Between the City of Plainview and the Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation. This is the City's contract with the Plainview -Hale County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) for economic development services. The additional $72,500 the City has committed to the EDC for increased marketing and incentives to promote economic development in our community is included in this agreement. The EDC provides quarterly updates. Mike Fox gave an excellent quarterly report. Staff recommends approval. Mayor Dunlap asked for public comment. There was no public comment. Councilmember Starnes moved to take necessary action regarding Agreement for Industrial Growth and Developmental Services between the City of Plainview and the Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Juarez. Mayor Dunlap asked for public comment. Mayor Pro Tem King asked if the EDC defined incentives. Mr. Snyder stated the EDC is working with us to develop an incentive policy. Mayor Pro Tem King asked about the independent consultant. Mr. Rudd Owen stated the consultant issue was brought up in executive committee. They asked for more information and that information was received just yesterday. City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 1 of 8 379 380 Mayor Pro Tem King asked if there was a time frame when this is going to be considered. She was advised by Mr. Fox they are setting a meeting. Mayor Pro Tem King moved to amend the motion that the contract include that the EDC will collaborate with an experienced independent consultant. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Larry Williams. Councilmember Williams stated that everybody is new. He is very impressed with Mr. Fox. During campaigning he met with some folks who felt Plainview has stayed the same for so many years. He said it would not hurt to take some outside expertise. Mayor Pro Tem King stated she thinks Mr. Fox is doing a wonderful job. This is nothing personal but business. Councilmember Blackerby thanked the EDC. She reiterated the $50,000 was to be used for incentive and the remaining amount for marketing. Councilmember Starnes stated he was confused about the amendment. He stated the amendment needed to be more specific. Mayor Dunlap asked for a vote on the motion to amend the motion that the contract include that the EDC will collaborate with an experienced independent consultant. The vote was eight against. The motion failed. Mayor Pro Tem moved to amend the motion that the contract be amended to include that the EDC will collaborate with an experienced independent consultant and that this should be added as Section 2.06. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Starnes. Councilmember Lionel Garcia stated he does not understand why. We have all agreed Mike is doing a good job. He does not agree with adding additional requirements that he has to meet. He is going to abide by this Contract and by the Contract with the County in different ways. Until we both get on same page, he can't do what he needs to do. We need to get together with the County. Mayor Pro Tem King stated they are looking to consider this. Basically this seals the deal that it will be done. This is the second round, they have had a year to get an incentive program. Maybe they need some assistance to insure that it will move along as quickly as possible. Councilmember Garcia stated with the amount we have we are trying to create these other requirements of them, when they only have $50,000 plus whatever they could put in. If we have a company come in, $50,000 is nowhere near what they need. We don't have the amount of money that is required to do these incentives. If we want to do economic development, we have to come up with some kind of funding. He does not agree with having to put more requirements on the EDC. Councilmember Blackerby stated she agrees they won't have a lot of money to work with, but they are pieces of puzzle. She asked what the problem with the word collaboration is. City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 2 of 8 Mr. Owen stated to him collaborate is to chit chat. Mayor Pro Tem King stated she intends it to mean to actively engage and pay him. Mayor Pro Tem King stated she doesn't disagree that we need to fund economic development. They have to have a foundation and system in place. We could not offer anything today because we don't have a matrix set up. This is basically the accountability of the money. Councilmember Williams stated he foresees bringing in an outside consultant that will bring the County, the EDC and the City together. Councilmember Garcia stated we know what we have to do. Why do we have to pay anyone to tell us that? Councilmember Williams stated we don't have anyone that specializes in economic development. All education costs some kind of money. We need a party to bring us all together. Councilmember Garcia stated he does not agree in having a third party come in. Once we get together and iron out, the first thing they are going to tell us is we have to work together. Councilmember Williams stated he is watching children leave this town and he doesn't have the time to figure this out. Mayor Pro Tem King stated we need to move economic development along. Councilmember Blackerby stated with regard to Lionel's comment, we can sit and spin our wheels and talk about what we are doing; but until we have an action plan and do something specific, we are not going to see any growth or potential growth. She asked Mr. Fox how he felt regarding a consultant. Mr. Fox stated he has been in other businesses where he has worked with consultants in past. They can be very helpful. You just have to find the right consultant; check them out and go through process in selecting the consultant. It needs to be someone you have confidence in. They can bring a lot to the table. We all understand economic development is not just one guy working in an office. He is not averse to working with a consultant under the right conditions. Mr. Fox stated that the one thing he is a little disappointed in, is we have the Strategic Plan as a road map that we need to concentrate on. We need to focus implementing these five things, a part of which is the incentive matrix. His problem is that he has the City document regarding incentives; the document with the County regarding tax abatements and document they put together. We have three different things. We need one concise package to make available to prospects. Lionel Garcia mentioned county, we have a three legged stool. We all have different expectations and different criteria. We would like it more defined and uniform. We understand circumstances and can work with all just fine. Maybe outside consultant can help us become a team faster. City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 3 of 8 381 382 Councilmember Starnes stated if the inferred and imputed intent of this amendment is to hire a consultant, then that is not substantially supported by this amendment. To say collaborate is to cooperative willingly with the enemy or it could be just to work together. Working together does not imply payment, or hiring. If we want to hire somebody then it should be a totally and separate element. It should not be inferred and implied in an agreement. Consultants are not free. They get very expensive very quickly. He stated if the implication is you expect to hire somebody, where is that budgeted and who is going to pay for it? Do we use the $72,500? Where do those funds come from? Mayor Dunlap said he does not see the word collaborate to mean we are going to hire. It may be your intent, but that is not what it means. I am not in favor of this if it means they have to go and hire somebody. I am in favor if it means they get together, talk about it and come back to the Council and say this is what we would like to do and this is what the costs are going to be. Collaborate does not mean we have to go out and hire somebody. Mayor Pro Tem King stated she is on City Council and she is not an attorney. We have a hired attorney who can put that into the Contract. We can use her expertise to whip this into the correct verbiage. Collaborate can mean multiple things. She felt that if there were some great financial consequence, they would have mentioned it earlier. As she proposes the motion, she would like to go forward with the motion and leave it as stated and let Leslie put in the proper verbiage that she needs to. Mayor Dunlap stated you cannot do that. You can't pass a motion and then have someone put in what you want it to do. Mayor Pro Tem King stated then leave the motion as she stated before; that it would state "collaborate with" as stated earlier. Councilmember Starnes called for the question. Mayor Dunlap asked for a vote on the motion that the contract be amended to include that the EDC will collaborate with an experienced independent consultant and that this should be added as Section 2.06. The motion carried with Mayor Pro Tem King, Councilmembers Williams, Juarez, Blackerby and Hastey voting "for" the motion and Mayor Dunlap, Councilmembers Starnes and Garcia voting "against" the motion. Mayor Dunlap then asked for a vote on the original motion with the amendment. The motion carried with Mayor Dunlap, Mayor Pro Tem King, Councilmembers Starnes, Williams, Juarez, Blackerby and Hastey voting "for" the motion and Councilmember Garcia voting "against" the motion. Mr. Rusty Reese, Parks Superintendent presented to consider purchase of a Vermeer trencher through BuyBoard Contract. The equipment is 35 years old and has mechanical issues. We have budgeted $83,500. It would have a one year warranty. Staff recommends purchase through Vermeer through BuyBoard in the amount of $77,616. Mayor Dunlap asked for public comment. There was no public comment. Councilmember Starnes moved to purchase Vermeer Trencher with Backhoe City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 4 of 8 attachment through BuyBoard Contract #424-13 for Parks Department. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Blackerby. Councilmember Hastey asked since we are under budget, what about purchasing extended warranty. Mr. Reese stated the machines are pretty reliable and staff does not feel it worth the added expense. Mayor Dunlap asked for a vote on the matter. The motion carried by unanimous vote. Mr. Reese presented for consideration to award bid for one dump truck for Parks Department. This will replace a 2000 year dump truck that was lost due to equipment fire. Five bid packets were mailed out and two bids were received as follows: Lubbock Truck Sales — 2016 Freightliner M2106 - $90,038.00 and Summit Truck Group — 2015 International 4400 SBA - $90,394.04. Staff recommends bid be awarded to Lubbock Truck Sales in the amount of $90,038.00. Councilmember Starnes moved to award bid for one dump truck with dump bed option in the amount of $90,038 to Lubbock Truck Sales. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Hastey. Mayor Pro Tem King asked what would happen to the old truck. Mr. Reese stated it was a total loss and would be scrapped. Mayor Dunlap asked for a vote on the matter. The motion carried by unanimous vote. Mr. Rusty Powers presented for consideration Resolution R14-326, a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Plainview, Texas, Authorizing AeroCare to act as a Private Transfer Service for Emergency Medical Services in the City of Plainview, Texas After a Public Hearing Showing Clear and Convincing Evidence of the Community's Need for Additional Services; Granting AeroCare a Permit to Operate their Services Within the City; and Authorizing the City Secretary to Sign Such Private Transfer Ambulance Service Permit. We have received a request form AeroCare for a transfer ambulance permit. This permit must be granted by the City Council following a public hearing. This is for transfers only, it does not extend to 911 calls. We have always had a transfer service up until 2012, when Lubbock Aid Ambulance pulled out. It put a great burden on his department. There have been times when we have been unable to take transfers. They have utilized other services in the area. Sometimes there have been delays in getting patients out of Plainview. Our primary and legal obligation is to provide medical and fire services to the citizens of Plainview. Staff strongly recommends that you pass this resolution contingent upon completion of all requirements of application. Councilmember Starnes moved to open a public hearing regarding Resolution R14-326. The motion was duly seconded by Mayor Pro Tem King and carried by unanimous vote. Mayor Dunlap asked for public comment. Bobby Sanchez, Program Director for AeroCare of 6006 N. Cedar, Lubbock, stated his company has been servicing Plainview in helicopter service. We have identified that City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 5 of 8 383 384 there is a need for a transfer service. Our helicopters are extremely costly to run. We were contacted by Lubbock hospitals to facilitate transfers from neighboring rural communities and throughout the years, we started a discussion and found a need for services in the northern panhandle of Texas and that is why we decided to approach. We have had great support from the local hospital and your fire department and also outlying rural communities. We approached the City about the application. We have purchased two ambulances and are in the process of hiring people. We hope this Resolution passes so we can help. The helicopters will not fly in bad weather and we have no way to respond in these cases. One ambulance will be housed in Plainview and other will be housed in Lubbock. If there are any issues, we will move the ambulance. Councilmember Starnes stated it was very impressive information and a service that we need. The lack of service is a serious void for our community. Councilmember Hastey asked if the service was for non -emergency and not 24 hour service. Mr. Sanchez stated it is a 24 hour service that will be staffed 24/7 with its primary mission in the city of Plainview. Beverly McCaskill of 705 Broadway stated she got a chance to use AeroCare. These are fantastic people and asked the Council to consider having them here. Clay Taylor of 1625 8th St., CEO of Covenant Hospital stated the hospital supports this and hopes that Council supports this as well. It will expedite transfers and feels it to be very beneficial for patient care. Leslie Hackett of 2552 CR stated Bobby Sanchez and her attend regional advisory meeting. They do a lot of case studies. We have not had a transfer service for several years. The lack of transfer service can cause poor patient outcome because of delay in service. She does not want the people of our community to become a statistic. We need to ensure to have a process in place. Gerald Autry of 3609 SW 12th asked the Council if they had done any research in the deal. The previous ambulance service used to transfer three a day, then one a day. He called AeroCare and they stated they did not have any ambulances in town. He is not against it, but for it. Councilmember Starnes moved to close the public hearing. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Juarez. The motion carried by unanimous vote. Councilmember Starnes moved to approve AeroCare's application to operate a private transfer ambulance service within the City of Plainview contingent on their providing the City Manager all information required in the application and their complying with the City's ordinance as well as State and Federal laws and regulations. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Juarez. Councilmember Starnes stated that in the recent budget hearing, Mr. Almon gave why this is necessary in Plainview. AeroCare has done their due diligence. City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 6 of 8 Mayor Pro Tem King stated she hates we might not be able to use Hale Center EMS; however, their primary duty is to protect and serve citizens. She wanted to go on record that we are doing this to protect our citizens. Councilmember Williams asked about the time frame or length. Mr. Sanchez stated they have been in negotiations with the Hospital on a lease. Councilmember Garcia asked as far as costs, if it would be similar to now. Mr. Powers stated they had to submit their fee schedule. Their fee schedule is very competitive with other services in the area. Customers will see a separate bill. AeroCare would file a claim with their insurance company or if uninsured, they will bill customer direct. Patients are not screened based on financial status. Mayor Dunlap asked for a vote on the matter. The motion carried by unanimous vote. Ken Coughlin, Police Chief presented for consideration to consider and take necessary action regarding Police Department Motorola hardware and software upgrades to their radio communications system as a sole source procurement in accordance with Texas Local Government Code Ann., Section 252.022 (Vernon's 2014). Our radio system operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The current system was put in through a grant through Homeland Security over nine years ago. It was set up with one primary console station and two initial stations. The reason we have three stations is because we operate 12 channels. It covers Fire, EMS, Police Station and city. The host console has been shutting down arbitrarily. The other two continue to operate so long as system is not shut down. The XP software is no longer supported by Microsoft and the Motorola software is no longer supported by Motorola. We are asking to replace software and make all three computers independent so if one were to shut down we wouldn't have to depend on host computer. Mayor Dunlap asked for public comment. There was no public comment. Councilmember Starnes moved to authorize the sole source procurement to replace the radio communications computers and software for an estimated price of $70,000. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Blackerby. Mayor Dunlap asked for Council comment. Councilmember Williams stated the County is doing the same thing. Why is theirs less than half the cost? He was advised that the County operates on one console. The basically dispatch for themselves and DA investigators. Our system handles 12 channels. One station is for EOC. Councilmember Williams asked if this was bid out. It is listed as sole source because all of our equipment is Motorola based. No other system other than Motorola will work with this equipment. Therefore they are the sole source that we can go to. The vendor is a local vendor. City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 7 of 8 385 386 Mayor Pro Tem asked if the equipment is reused. She was advised that it was all brand new equipment. The way the system is designed, we are purchasing three new systems with each having individual licenses. Mayor Pro Tem King asked what would happen if we lost our tower. Mr. Gutierrez stated that we have a backup tower that we can switch to and still have services. We can switch to the County's tower. Councilmember Garcia asked if $70,000 was the max. Mr. Gutierrez advised that we confirmed with them today at $69,318 and we do not foresee any additional expenses. Councilmember Blackerby asked if there was an assurance that the hardware is going to support any future software upgrades. Implementation will be Windows 7 with a license issued up to 8.1. She was advised that the life expectancy for service pack for Windows 7 is 2020. Motorola will certify that we will able to transfer these licenses to Windows 10. Mr. Snyder stated this was a grant funded initiative. We had plans to move forward with updating this system. This may not last ten years, technology changes. But we tried to take as much assurance as we could working with Motorola to insure they are going to support Windows 7, 8 and10. Councilmember Williams asked what the cost for these licenses was. Mr. Gutierrez stated the cost is $31,500. The reason we have to buy other equipment is because it is Windows XP based. Mayor Dunlap asked for a vote on the matter. The motion carried by unanimous vote. Councilmember Starnes moved to go into closed session to deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property, the public discussion of which would not be in the best interest of the City's bargaining position with third parties, in accordance with Tex. Gov't Code, Section 551.072. The motion was duly seconded by Councilmember Blackerby and carried by unanimous vote. Mayor Dunlap recessed the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Mayor Dunlap called the meeting back in open session at 9:05 p.m. and announced that no action would be taken on the closed session item. There being no further business, Mayor Dunlap adjourned the meeting at 9:06 p.m. Belinda Hinojosa City Secretary City Council Minutes November 11, 2014 Page 8 of 8