Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout97 1023 minWORK SESSION MINUTES PLAINVIEW CITY COUNCIL October 23, 1997 The City Council of the City of Plainview met in a Work Session on Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 11:30 a.m. at the Plainview Convention Center. Mayor Lloyd C. Woods presided. Notice of this meeting was posted at 5:00 p.m. on October 17, 1997. Councilmembers present were: Larry Dickerson-Precinct 1, Mary Virginia Kirchhoff-Precinct 2, Rey Rosas- Precinct 3, Mike Hutcherson-Precinct 4, Ross Owen-Precinct 5, Bobby McGehee-Precinct 6 and Irene Favila-Precinct 7. Staff members present were: Jim Jeffers-City Manager, Gary Glass-Fire Chief, Ches Carthel-Director of Public Works, Cindy Gasaway-Administrative Assistant, John Castro- Director of Community Services, Wally Hatch-City Attorney, Norman Huggins-Director of Finance, Pat Hernandez-Municipal Judge, Will Mull-Police Chief and Karen McBeth-city secretary. News media present: Phil Hamilton-Lubbock Avalanche Journal. Guests present were: Pete Strom, general manager of TCA Cable TV. THIS IS A WORK SESSION AND NO ACTION CAN BE TAKEN' Mayor Woods called the meeting to order at 11:30 a.m. The Council and Staff reviewed the agenda for the scheduled meeting of October 28, 1997. Retreat - Mr. Jeffers informed the Council that after all of the Retreat Calendars were turned in, the date open for a Retreat was Monday, November 10. It was determined the meeting would begin at 9:00 a.m., lunch would be brought in and a time for adjournment would be left up to the Council on the day of the meeting. Mr. Jeffers distributed a copy of the Council Relations Policy. The new Charter requires the Council to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the use of public office for private gain, and other ethical stipulations. Mr. Jeffers said the Council could adopt all, part of, or additions to the present Council Relations Policy as ordinance. He asked the Council to study the policy and bring suggestions to the next Work Session. Director of Community Services, John Castro, reviewed the notification process used when zone request cases are addressed by the Planning and Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustment and City of Plainview. Every property owner within 200 feet of the subject property is notified. The case number assigned designates which property is subject to requested change. All pertinent information C:\MyFiles\Work Session Minutes\97 1023 wD~l~p~l of 3 is sent to property owners within the 200 feet area along with a form for them to express any concerns or opinions, and the form is to be returned by mail. Mr. Castro said some cities state why the property zoning may be changed, while others do not. He said this information can sometimes be misleading. Some include a map of the area, with the area highlighted. Some cities send a post card (with prepaid postage) to return with comments rather than a form letter. The City of Plainview's form letter tells the property owner to call the City if they have any questions. Mayor Woods asked if the planning department had received any complaints about the forms, or the way they are used. Mr. Castro said no. Councilmember Rosas said he has received complaints from people who could not understand the letter, and some have gotten two letters. Mr. Castro explained that every parcel of land involved precipitated a letter sent to the owner, so if a person owned more than one lot or parcel of land, he received a letter for each piece of property within the 200 foot radius. Councilmember Owen stated he believed the map was a good idea. Castro said he could send a map with the property in question highlighted. Castro said the postcard to be returned would add about $5 per zone case, but could be included in the information packet. 5. Cable TV Franchise - Wally Hatch, City Attorney, told the Council that the franchise agreement had been extended one year and is not quite ready yet. It is in the process of being reviewed. Mr. Nichols is the new owner of TCA Cable, the local franchise, and its chief executive officer. He said TCA is making some financial changes. TCA has entered into a partnership with TCl. TCl wanted the financial management and TCA wanted access to the TCl systems. Mr. Hatch told the Council that Amarillo and Canyon have a joint agreement with TCA. One question that needed to be addressed was what defined "gross receipts." The courts have determined this and it will raise the amount of money the City receives. Mr, Hatch said TCA and the City disagree on some aspects, but he will elaborate on these later. The new fiber optic equipment will be an excellent quality change as well as the stand-by power supply. Emergency alert capabilities are being looked at also. Councilmember Owen asked about the "boxes" now used by subscribers. Mr. Strom said the boxes are used primarily to control theft of the programming. Mr. Strom said his company is again looking at "traps" located outside subscriber homes for this purpose. He said the premium channels will be converter managed. Wally Hatch said the City will need to pass an ordinance making the theft of cable services a Class "C" misdemeanor. C:\MyFiles\Work Session Minutes\97 1023 WO~l~ of 3 Pete Strom said TCA owns 64 cable systems with 700,000 subscribers. He told the Council that TCA owns 80% of TCI, with an option to buy TCI out. Mr. Hatch said TCI has many problems, while TCA has an excellent reputation. The franchise agreement between the City and TC^ comes up for renewal on January 12, 1997, and the City Attorney is reviewing all aspects of the proposal. Mr. Hatch will keep the Council up to date on any changes. Mayor Lloyd Woods asked if there was anything further to be discussed. Councilmember Rosas asked if one of the hOuses recently sold by the Housing Authority was occupied by a Iow income family and they were moved out? City Attorney Wally Hatch said none of the homes have been transferred, and won't be until the titles have all been cleared and no one has been "moved out." There is a clause in the title, placed there by RTC, stating the property has to be used for a "public purpose" but the title attorney says this can be cleared up. MalCOlm Tisdel, a local attorney, is handling all of the deed transfers and title insurance. MaYor Woods declared the meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m. PASSED AND APPROVED on November 11, 1997. Karen McBeth, city secretary C:\MyFiles\Work Session Minutes\97 1023 wO~ of 3