City Council Special Meeting

March 20, 2012 The Bastrop City Council met in Special Workshop Meeting on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the Bastrop City Hall Council Chambers, 1311 Chestnut Street, Bastrop, Texas. Members present were Mayor Terry Orr and Council Members Dock Jackson, Joe Beal, Ken Kesselus and Kay Garcia McAnally. 1. CALL TO ORDER At 6:00 p.m., Mayor Terry Orr called the meeting to order with all members present with the exception of Julie Hart who was absent. 2. WORKSHOP SESSION – THE BASTROP CITY COUNCIL WILL ADJOURN SPECIAL SESSION AND CONVENE INTO A WORKSHOP SESSION TO DISCUSS: 1. COUNCIL PLANNING WORKSHOP MEETINGS: HOW OFTEN AND HOW LONG? - MAYOR ORR 2. COUNCIL PLANNING RETREATS: WHEN, WHERE AND HOW LONG – MAYOR ORR. 1) STRAGETIC PLANNING SESSION – MIKE TALBOT 3. TAX REVENUE IMPACTS OF THE FIRE: PROPERTY TAX REVENUE LOSS, SALES TAX REVENUE GAIN, THE OFFSET BETWEEN LOSS & GAIN – LEGALLY AND FINANCIALLY, AND REBATE TO THE FIRE VICTIMS – JOE BEAL. 4. PROVIDING MORE DIRECT “BOARD-LIKE” LEADERSHIP OVER BASTROP POWER & LIGHT: ESTABLISHING A COUNCIL COMMITTEE – KEN KESSELUS. 5. CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: SHOULD CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS BE VOTING MEMBERS? – KAY GARCIA MCANALLY 6. JOINT MEETINGS WITH BASTROP COUNTY AND BASTROP INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT – DOCK JACKSON. 7. PRIORTIZE LIST OF ITEMS SUGGESTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR DISCUSSION AT COUNCIL SPECIAL PLANNING WORKSHOPS – TERRY ORR. At 6:02 p.m., Mayor Orr convened the Bastrop City Council into a Workshop session to discuss: 1. Council Planning Workshop Meetings: How often and how long? - Mayor Orr Mayor Orr and Council discussed the Council scheduling quarterly Planning Workshop Meetings. Dock Jackson stated he was not on the Council when the Council Calendar was approved by Council but May 29, 2012, a date scheduled for a Special Council Workshop Meeting is the date for the Election Primaries and June 19, 2012 is a scheduled holiday for most employees. Council Member Jackson asked that the Council be sensitive to staff’s three-day weekends. It was the consensus of Council that the first Council Special Workshop Planning Session be held on May 29, 2012 for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours and that a light meal be provided.  2. Council Planning Retreats: When, where and how long? - Mayor Orr. 1) Strategic Planning Session – Mike Talbot Mayor Orr and Council discussed the Council scheduling Planning Retreats. City Manager, Mike Talbot stated he thought it was important that the Council have some direction regarding the items Council submitted as topics for discussion as the planning sessions and other items they have discussed at Council meetings and asked to be completed. Mr. Talbot stated he had contacted Katherine Ray and she is willing to facilitate a Council Strategic Planning Session on a Saturday for approximately 6-8 hours for approximately $8,000 to $10,000. Mr. Talbot stated after the Strategic Planning Session Ms. Ray will prepare a Strategic Plan, distribute it to Council, meet with Council to discuss it and then finalize the report. Discussion was held among Council and Mr. Talbot regarding the scheduling of a Strategic Planning Retreat. It was the consensus of Council that the Strategic Planning Retreat be scheduled for May 5, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at a location other than City Hall Council Chambers. It was the consensus that prior to the Retreat each Council Member will submit a list of their items and prioritizing them. Ms. Ray will then collect the items and prepare for the Strategic Planning Retreat. After the Retreat, Ms. Ray will meet with the Council on May 29, 2012 at the Special Planning Workshop Meeting to review her report with Council. 3. Tax Revenue Impacts of the fire: Property tax revenue loss, Sales tax revenue gain, The offset between loss & Gain – legally and financially, and Rebate to fire victims – Joe Beal. Council Member Joe Beal stated this was his top priority item because he feels like the City has the potential of a tax revenue change. Mr. Beal stated he would hope that the Council would agree that they have as much advance notice as possible so they can respond and not react. Mr. Beal stated this is going to be important in the budget planning and he wants to get in front of the budget process and wants the Council to be aware of the financial implications from the fire. Mr. Beal stated regarding the tax rebates to fire victims only but it on the Agenda because he has had several citizens ask about it. Discussion was held among Council and Mr. Talbot regarding 380 Agreements that can be utilized to assist fire victims who are going to rebuild, and other aspects of how this would affect the City’s budget. Willie DeLaRosa, Bastrop Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) Board Member, stated the BEDC would be willing to participate with this. City Manager, Mike Talbot stated he will try to come up with a policy regarding the rebate to fire victims and he will work on the revenue impact regarding this. 4. Providing more direct “board-like” leadership over Bastrop Power & Light: Establishing a Council Committee – Ken Kesselus. Council Member Ken Kesselus stated the City has a 7 million business that it runs called Bastrop Power and Light and the Council is the Board of Directors and for almost three years now he has been trying to figure this out. Mr. Kesselus stated there is very little policy and he is not satisfied that the Council is exercising as Board of Directors. Mr. Kesselus stated he thinks they would be talking more about Bastrop Power & Light and it occurred to him that the Council should have a Bastrop Power & Light Committee and allow them to meet regularly regarding policies and procedures and make recommendations to Council. Mr. Kesselus stated he is convinced that one Utility Committee made up of three Council Members who would deal with the City Manager and staff would be sufficient. Mr. Kesselus stated he would like the Mayor to appoint those members. Mayor Orr stated he liked the idea of a Utility Committee which could incorporate the Water Committee. Mayor Orr asked if Mr. Beal, Mr. Kesselus and Ms. Garcia McAnally would be willing to serve as the Utility Committee. Mr. Beal, Mr. Kesselus and Ms. Garcia McAnally stated they would be willing to serve as the Utility Committee along with the City Manager and staff. 5. City boards and commissions: Should City Council Members be voting members? – Kay Garcia McAnally. Council Member Kay Garcia McAnally stated she would like to talk about “Best Practices Policies” regarding Council Members serving as voting members on City Boards and Commissions. Ms. McAnally stated she believes the City’s Boards and Commissions should be as independent as possible from the Council. Discussion was held among Council. Council Member Kesselus asked if there was a City Policy in place regarding this since it seemed to be the tradition that when a person was elected to Council they resigned any other position they served on City Boards or Commissions. City Manager Mike Talbot stated that in the City’s Charter Section 3.05 Prohibitions it states: “Except where authorized by law, no Council Member shall hold any other City office or City employment during the term for which that member was elected to the Council…….”. Mayor Orr stated the Charter was pretty clear on this issue. 6. Joint meetings with Bastrop County and Bastrop Independent School District – Dock Jackson. Council Member Dock Jackson stated he felt joint meetings with Bastrop County and Bastrop Independent School District was something the City needed to do. Mr. Jackson stated this joint meeting would allow all entities to look at the various priorities of each entity and work toward meshing the priorities together and possibly joint funding of projects. Mr. Jackson stated he was proposing that such a joint meeting be done at least once a year. Discussion was held among Council. Mayor Orr stated that at the next Council meeting he will appoint Mr. Jackson as the Council’s liaison to the Bastrop Independent School District. Mr. Jackson stated he will visit with Bastrop County and Bastrop Independent School District and see what their thoughts are regarding a joint meeting. 7. Prioritize list of items suggest by Council Members for discussion at Council Special Planning Workshops – Mayor Orr. City Manager, Mike Talbot then called the Council attention to a handout regarding the City’s various Boards and Commissions. Mr. Talbot stated Mr. Kesselus had asked for this and a lot of time had been spent preparing and reviewing this in order to make sure it was accurate. Mr. Talbot called the Council’s attention to his Memorandum attached to the handout listing Council Member Kesselus suggestions regarding Boards and Commissions. Council Member Kesselus stated he would like to have this done by June and wherever possible have three-year staggered terms for members of the Boards and Commissions. Discussion was held among Council and Mr. Talbot. Mayor Orr stated that the Council will expect Mr. Kesselus and Mr. Talbot to have a proposal for the Council on the April 24, 2012 Council Meeting Agenda. Mayor Orr then asked that the Council Members prioritize what items they would like on the next Council Special Workshop Meeting. Council Member Jackson stated he will submit his ideas to the Mayor and he would also like to discuss the City creating a Hotel Occupancy Tax Board. Council Member Garcia McAnally stated she would like to discuss Form-based codes, the pros and cons and whether the City wants to do it or not. Council Member Kesselus stated that the Council should hear from the City Manager regarding the Council’s priorities and what the Council is missing. It was the consensus of Council that the following items be listed for discussion as the next Special Council Workshop: 1) How can we formalize the City Manager performance evaluation process so we do it the same time and at the correct time – Joe Beal; 2) Discuss parameters creating new and maintaining existing boards. Particularly examine if requirement is ongoing or short term, can the subject be addressed by an existing board. Has the purpose of an existing board diminished? – Mayor Orr. This could also include Council Member Kesselus submitted item regarding boards/commissions; 3) Emergency Preparedness: What do we need to prepare for and how will we do it? – Kay Garcia McAnally; 4) Dock Jackson will submit his item to the Mayor. C. THE BASTROP CITY COUNCIL WILL ADJOURN WORKSHOP SESSION AND RECONVENE INTO SPECIAL SESSION TO TAKE ANY NECESSARY ACITON(S). At 8:25 p.m., Mayor Orr reconvened the Bastrop City Council into Special Session to take any necessary action(s). D. ADJOURN At 8:26 p.m., Dock Jackson moved to adjourn. Seconded by Kay Garcia McAnally and carried unanimously. APPROVED: ATTEST: _________________________ ___________________________ Terry Orr, Mayor Teresa Valdez, City Secretary