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HomeMy WebLinkAbout98 0423 min MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION City of Plainview April 23, 1998 The Plainview City Council met in a regularly scheduled Work Session at 11:30 A.M. at the Plainview Country Club and Convention Center. Mayor Lloyd C. Woods presided. Councilmembers present were: Larry Dickerson - Precinct 1; Mary Virginia Kirchhoff- Precinct 2; Rey Rosas - Precinct 3; Ross Owen - Precinct 5; Bobby R. McGehee - Precinct 6; and, Irene Favila - Precinct 7. Councilmembers Mike Hutcherson was granted an excused absence. The notice and agenda for this meeting was posted on April 20, 1998. Staff members present were: Jim Jeffers - City Manager, Gary Glass - Chief of Fire Department, Ches Carthel - Director of Public Works, Will Mull - Chief of Police, Wally Hatch - City Attorney, John Castro - Director of Community Development, Cindy Gasaway - Main Street/Administrative Assistant, Norman Huggins - Director of Finance, Dale Simpson - Civil Service, Tina Davis - Deputy City Secretary. News media present was: Richard Orr. Guest present: Cyndi and Bryan Walter, Rafel Lopez, Sam Parker, and Wally Chavez. THIS IS A WORK SESSION AND NO ACTION CAN BE TAKEN: 1. Call to Order. Mayor Woods called the meeting to order at 11:30 A.M. and Ches Carthel gave the invocation. 2. Review Agenda for April 28, 1998. The Mayor and the Council reviewed the agenda posted for the regular City Council Meeting of Tuesday, April 28, 1998. 3. Liaison Reports. Councilmember Kirchhoff reported on the most recent meeting of Pitch in Plainview. In an effort to recruit more volunteers, a clean up day has been set for April 30, 1998 from 5:00 PM til 7:00 PM. 4. Multiple family housing project - review the Everett and Corplan proposals and consider a course of action. John Castro informed the Mayor and the Council that the development companies will allow the City to seek and develop an independent feasibility study in preparation for a housing development. However, if a company other than one designated by either development company performs the study, in order to satisfy the developers, a contract must be executed between the City and the respective development companies. A discussion was held among the Council and the Mayor regarding specific questions regarding this project. Cindy Gasaway presented an informal commuters survey performed by the warden of the TDCJ. The results were somewhat inconclusive. A request was made that the City Manager put together a proposal for possible feasibility studies. Page 1 of 4 These studies would be used for the information of the Council and the Mayor as a preliminary determinant of any future action. 5. Review recommendation of Parks Advisory Board for 'user fees' for community centers and electrical access. The Parks Advisory Commission has made a through review of the revenue and expenses associated with the lease of City owned facilities such as the Shelter House and the Rotary Building. Ches Carthel presented to the Mayor and Council a proposal for an increase in user fees and the deposit for the lease of public facilities. The original proposal is as follows: For use of Broadway Shelterhouse, Regional Park Rotary Building and the proposed Joliet Street Community Center the fees would be: Usage fee by public for family reunions, birthdays or general type gatherings: $75.0O USage fee by corporate organizations for company parties, picnics, training seminars or any type activities: $100.00 Usage fee by any organization or activity that will be having a dance in the facility: $100.00 Usage fee for churches or any licensed activity or organization that is tax exempt under the provisions of 501 C3: $50.00 A deposit fee for damage or cleanup of facility after use which is fully refundable if all requirements are met: $200.00 The use of any electrical supply panel at any park for a one day period from 8:00 AM to Midnight: $25.00 for each panel The Council and the Mayor discussed the fees and deposits and were provided comparison information from Mr. Carthel compiled from cities of comparable size. Upon preliminary review, some members felt the $200.00 deposit was not affordable for citizens and suggested that the deposit be reduced from the proposed $200.00 to $100.00. The City Manager stated that this proposal would be making its way into ordinance form and would be presented to the Mayor the Council for formal action at a later date. 6. EPA Notice of Proposed Assessment of Class H Civil Penalty (Waste Water Treatment Plant). The City Manger presented the Council and the Mayor with a status report regarding the pending EPA action against the City. The EPA has requested that the City meet for an informal hearing with their agency in Dallas. This meeting will take place on May 12, 1998 at 1:00 PM. Among the many strategical options discussed, the City Manager requested that the Council and the Mayor begin to contemplate a settlement that would be acceptable for future negotiations. Page 2 of 4 7. Personnel - Tuition Reimbursement for College/University Credit. It has been a long standing policy of the City to reimburse employees, in part, for their pursuit of higher education, if said efforts benefit their position and employment contribution to the City. The City Manager has proposed that the policy continue with some economic modifications. Once an employee has completed semester studies at an institution of higher learning, he/she may present the City with receipts and grade reports. If the employee is an undergraduate student the course grade must be at least a "C" and if the employee is a graduate student the course grade must be at least a "B". The maximum reimbursement per semester is $100. The Council did not object to administrative policy change. 8. Paving Scoring system for low income areas. John Castro presented the Council and the Mayor with a proposed scoring system for paving assistance to be provided for low income areas. As the current City policy states, home owners must contribute for the cost of street paving. However, low income home owners are from time to time unable to bear the burden of paving expenses. In an attempt to fairly evaluate the need of the homeowner and the priority o£the proposed street paving, Mr. Castro has developed a subjective scoring method for evaluation of need. In this system, the Council and the Mayor would receive the weighted score that would allow for the majority of the points. For example, staffhas a total maximum point scale of 200 points, the Council and the Mayor have a maximum point scale of 200 points. The minimum score for paving assistance consideration would be 300 points. Further discussions are needed by the Council and the Mayor before a policy is implemented. 9. South Plains College - Vocational Training. Jim Jeffers presented a report from a meeting he had with Dr. Davis of Wayland Baptist University and Dr. Greene, Superintendent of Plainview Independent School District regarding the possibility of South Plains College conduction vocational classes in Plainview. One of the major concerns is facility and conflict with Wayland and PISD. Dr. Davis and Dr. Green both expressed to Mr. Jeffers their willingness to support South Plains Efforts as long as the space was available and the classes do not conflict with the core classes of Wayland. The Council and the Mayor expressed a desire to see statistical data for the need of vocational training in Plainview~ Specifically, the Council and the Mayor wish to see data regarding the potential job openings and possibilities afforded by this training. 10. Review or recommendation of Parks Advisory Board for restricting livestock in City parks. Ches Carthel reviewed a recommendation forwarded from the Parks Advisory Board that specifically addresses livestock and the City park system. Among the documentation presented were letters from Lucile Davis, Chairperson of the Parks Advisory Board, Rusty Reese, Superintendent of Parks Department, Plalnview Chamber of Commerce, and The Plalnview Rodeo Association. The Parks Advisory Board found a need to address the restriction or abolition of livestock in City parks. Proposed to the City were two possible policies. One would not allow livestock in any City park without special permission from the parks superintendent. This would allow for special events as permitted. The second option is to restrict livestock to a portion of Regional Park. The proposed site is North of K-Mart and South of the Westridge Addition, West ofi-27. Upon informal review, the Council and the Mayor were most in favor of restricting livestock to the portion of Regional Park. Page 3 of 4 A formal proposal will be submitted to the Council and the Mayor at a later date for their consideration. 11. City Manager Report. Jim Jeffers presented updates on: (1) SW 3ra and Ennis - TxDOT has responded with a Traffic Light to be positioned at this intersection. Completion date of this project is unknown. (2) Chief Glass, Fire Department, was scheduled to conduct a mock tornado disaster drill immediately following the Worksession. The drill was to be held at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center parking lot. 12. Topics for future agendas. Councilmember McGehee requested that a timeline for completion of pending City projects be compiled for distribution to the Council and the Mayor. Mr. Jeffers stated that said update would be compiled for distribution at the staff's earliest convenience. 1:3. Adjournment. MayOr Woods adjourned the meeting at 1:10 P.M. PASSED AND APPROVED on 12th day of May, 1998 Tina Davis, Deputy City Secretary Page 4 of 4