City Council

Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019-5:30 P.M. The Belton City Council met in regular session in the Wright Room at the Harris Community Center with the following members present: Mayor Marion Grayson, Mayor Pro Tern Craig Pearson and Councilmembers David K. Leigh, Guy O'Banion, John R. Holmes, Sr. and Wayne Carpenter. Councilmember Dan Kirkley was absent. Staff present included Sam Listi, Gene Ellis, John Messer, Amy Casey, Brandon Bozon, Chris Brown, Matt Bates, Paul Romer, Bob van Til, Bruce Pritchard, Kim Kroll, Judy Garrett, Angellia Points, Charlotte Walker, Cheryl Maxwell and Kelly Atkinson. The Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag was led by Councilmember Wayne Carpenter, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Texas Flag was led by Public Information Officer Paul Romer. The Invocation was given by Teon Bass, Pastor of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. 1. Call to order. Mayor Grayson called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. 2. Public Comments. Director of Library Services Kim Kroll said the Library will sponsor a Spring Break event called "Come Touch a Truck" on March 13, 2019, and she invited the public to attend. 3. Proclamation: National Vietnam War Veterans Day- March 29, 2019 Riley Minor, a local Vietnam War Veteran, received the proclamation on behalf of all area Vietnam War veterans. He said receiving this type of recognition is very important to veterans, and thanked the Council for the honor. Consent Agenda Items 4-5 under this section are considered to be routine by the City Council and may be enacted by one motion. If discussion is desired by the Council, any item may be removed from the Consent Agenda prior to voting, at the request of any Councilmember, and it will be considered separately. 4. Consider minutes of February 26, 2019, City Council meeting. 5. Consider a resolution appointing election officers for the May 4, 2019, General Election. Upon a motion by Councilmember Carpenter and a second by Councilmember Holmes, the Consent Agenda, including the following captioned resolution, was unanimously approved by a vote of 6-0. RESOLUTION NO. 2019-09-R A RESOLUTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELTON, TEXAS, APPOINTING ELECTION OFFICERS FOR CITY GENERAL ELECTION. Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019 - Page 2 Miscellaneous 6. Consider authorizing a Facade Improvement Grant (FIG) to City of Belton - Central Fire Station, 203 South Penelope Street. The Mayor announced that Item #6 has been withdrawn. 7. Consider authorizing the City Manager to accept offers and take all necessary steps to conclude right-of-way acquisition for parcels to be acquired by TxDOT for the Loop 121 widening project as follows: A. Parcel 56, located adjacent to the City's Water Tower, at the northeast corner of Loop 121 and Huey Road; B. Parcel 48 and 48E located on the east side of Loop 121, south of the intersection of Avenue 0; C. Parcel 46 and 46E, located at Loop 121 and Old Avenue D; and D. Parcel 4, located at the northeast corner of Loop 121 and Sparta Road. City Manager Sam Listi explained that the City has identified the Loop 121 widening project, between FM 439 and IH 35, as its highest TxDOT priority project. TxDOT has surveyed and appraised ROW parcels needed for the Loop 121 widening project, and has identified four City-owned parcels needed for the project. He said the proposed compensation to the City for each parcel is: A. Parcel 56: Loop 121/Huey, west of water tower site a. 0.0692 ac ROW (approx .. 15'x200') $18,782 b. Cost to cure +1,748 $20,530 TOTAL 8. Parcel 48 and 48E: a. 0.1513 ac ROW $33,933 b. 0.0399 ac Permanent Drainage Easement + 7,748 c. Cost to cure + 1,919 $43,600 TOTAL C. Parcel 46 and 46E: Loop 121/Old Avenue D a. 0.0087 ac ROW $2 ,863 b. 0.0091 ac Permanent Drainage Easement +1,867 c. Cost to cure + 703 $5,433 TOTAL D. Parcel 4: Loop 121/Sparta a. 0.0816 acre $5 ,330 TOTAL Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019 - Page 3 Listi added that in each case, an additional $3,000, ($12,000) total, will be provided to City in conjunction with a "Possession and Use Agreement" to take the property immediately. This increases total compensation to the City to $86,893. [Notified on March 14, 2019, by Lone Star Right of Way Services, ROW Agent for TxDOT, that the Possession and Use Agreement amount on Parcel 48/48E will be $4,360, raising the additional compensation to $13,360 and the corrected total compensation to $88,253.] Mayor Grayson asked if the corner of Sparta Road and Loop 121, where the City has recently widened and rebuilt the right turn lane, will be taken by TxDOT. Mr. Listi said that the City coordinated with TxDOT when the Sparta widening/turn lane was designed and constructed . He believes that the Loop 121 widening project will not change this area. Councilmember Carpenter asked Mr. Listi if construction is still estimated to start in 2021. Mr. Listi said, "That's our hope." Councilmember O'Banion asked if the "Welcome to Belton" sign near the old Avenue D location will be affected by the widening. Mr. Listi responded that it will not be affected. Councilmember Leigh questioned whether the "Cost to Cure" included the cost of relocating the fence. Mr. Listi answered that it is included. However, Mr. Leigh did not feel that the amount presented was high enough to include the fence. Mr. Listi found the detailed amount in the appraisal, and read it to the Council, outlining that the fence relocation is included within the numbers provided. Upon a motion by Councilmember Holmes, and a second by Councilmember Leigh, Item #7 was unanimously approved by a vote of 6-0. 8. Consider authorizing the City Manager to approve a one-year extension, exercising the renewal option of the Lease Agreement on Miller Springs Nature Center property, between the City of Belton, City of Temple, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Director of Parks and Recreation Matt Bates explained that Miller Springs Nature Center contains approximately 258 acres of scenic natural area located between the Leon River and 110-foot high bluffs, immediately east of the Lake Belton Dam. It is located within the boundaries of the City of Belton and City of Temple, and the land is owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Bates said the Nature Center was opened in November 1993 when the Miller Springs Alliance entered into a lease agreement with the Corps. The agreement between the Corps and Miller Springs Alliance ended in August 2017, and the facility was indefinitely closed. Belton and Temple citizens expressed an interest in seeking to re-open this regional facility, and this was achieved in May 2018. The first year of Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019 - Page 4 the five-year lease is expiring and all parties - Belton, Temple, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - believe it is in the public interest to extend it for another year. Mr. Bates added that in Belton's first year collaborating with the City of Temple to re- open Miller Springs Nature Center, five Volunteer Days were directly coordinated by City of Belton staff resulting in over 605 volunteer hours being spent at the facility. Staff also participated in a joint work day between Belton and Temple in April 2018 that helped ready the facility for its re-opening in May of last year. Potential projects identified for this upcoming year are permanent trail signage, repair of the old boardwalk, and restoration of some of the trails. Councilmember Carpenter thanked Mr. Bates and his Staff for their work in getting Miller Springs opened again. Councilmember Holmes asked if bikes are allowed at Miller Springs. Mr. Bates said that bikes are allowed in certain areas of Miller Springs. Upon a motion by Councilmember Holmes, and a second by Mayor Pro Tern Pearson, Item #8 was unanimously approved by a vote of 6-0. Work Session 9. Receive a presentation and discuss the City's contract for residential Solid Waste Collection Services. Director of Finance Brandon Bozon explained that on September 10, 2013, the City of Belton and Waste Management entered into a Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation Agreement. The original term of the Agreement ended on December 31, 2018, and the City exercised the first of two 1-year renewal options in November of 2018. Mr. Bozon said that input from the Council is needed on two points: first, direction for 2019. The current Agreement with Waste Management contains a final, 1-year extension option. With concurrence from Waste Management, the existing Agreement could be extended to December 31, 2020. Alternatively, the City could conduct a Request for Proposals process for a new, multi-year agreement to begin on January 1, 2020. Should Council preference be to conduct an RFP process, the second point of discussion involves the elements of the City's current Agreement, and what changes Council desires to see in a new agreement. The table below summarizes some key elements of the current contract. Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019 - Page 5 Key Garbage Recycling Element Frequency of Weekly Bi-weekly pickup Oates/times M, T , Th & F (6:00am - 6:00pm) Wednesday (6:00am - 6:00pm) of pickup Bulky waste 3 items or bags under 50lbs Not allowed Hazardous At-your door collection (as-requested) waste Mr. Bozon explained that the current Agreement provides the following benefits to the City annually: • $2,000 scholarship to a graduating senior • $2,000 recycling education grant • $2,000 beautification event sponsorship • Six thirty-yard roll-offs for cleanup events (3 roll-offs per event, two event maximum) • Service to City facilities at no cost Under the current Agreement, Waste Management bills the City based on customer count and service type, and the City bills residents as part of their monthly utility bill. The City collects a 7% billing fee for these services, as well as a 5% franchise fee. The current fee schedule for solid waste collection rates is as follows: Residential Current Rates Curbside $17.16 per month Curbside Additional Container $6.18 per month per additional container Door-to-Truck Service $28.80 per month Door-to-Truck Service Additional $11 .25 per month additional container Container Residential Recycling Service $5.62 per month additional container Additional Container Commercial Hand-Cart Current Rates Once per week service $28.10 per cart Commercial Cart Collection $16.87 per additional cart Additional Cart Commercial Recycling Cart $9.00 per month Institutional Recycling $9.00 per month Mr. Bozon added that the current contract includes an opportunity for a rate adjustment based on annual CPI increase, typically implemented in January. Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019- Page 6 Bozon reviewed a possible schedule should the Council decide to issue a Request for Proposals. Councilmember Leigh said he thinks that requesting an internal bid from City staff, in addition to requesting bids from other providers, will allow the Council to know if bid prices are good or not. He added that over the last five years or so, the service from Waste Management, in his opinion, has not been good. He has heard many complaints from his neighbors. Recycling is good, but it is not picked up often enough. He suggested looking into establishing a cardboard recycling center in the City. He recommends issuing a Request for Proposals. Mayor Pro Tern Pearson said there is a need for additional capacity for recycling, especially at certain times of the year. He said he understands that additional containers can be added to the account, but the need is not great all the time. In his opinion, the service from Waste Management has been "flawless." Mayor Grayson asked if there are any rumors that costs may be increasing, especially as it relates to recycling. Mr. Bozon said that a cost adjustment to the rates was made recently by the Council, but he is unaware of anything additional. Mr. Bozon said he is concerned about bulky waste. Waste Management wants to eliminate bulk waste since they have gone to automated sideloader trucks. They don't want to pick up anything outside of the can. Councilmember Leigh suggested opening the Public Works facility on Saturdays from 8:00-noon to allow citizens to bring their bulky waste. This will help eliminate the amount of bulk waste that gets dumped into dumpsters throughout the City. He recognized that some citizens will need help getting their items to the facility, so Staff will need to work with them. Mayor Pro Tern Pearson said, "To just say we are not doing bulk waste, is not acceptable." Councilmember Carpenter said the folks in his neighborhood are happy with the service they receive. He said that bulky waste is the issue for him because he believes the residential service is working well. Councilmember Leigh said that the City-provided brush collection is going well. He said that Staff should review the rates to make sure that it is paying for itself. Councilmember O'Banion asked why recycling can't be done every week. Mr. Listi said he is sure that the contractor would do that, but it would be at an additional charge. O'Banion suggested that maybe that could be a trade-off for not allowing any items to be placed outside the can . Mr. Bozon said more frequent recycling pickup could be included in the RFP, but he reminded Council that if that is the direction the City goes, everyone will be paying the higher price to allow for weekly pickup whether it is needed or not. Belton City Council Meeting March 12, 2019- Page 7 Councilmember Leigh said that there are many different views as to the scope. He thinks developing the scope will be the hardest part of the process. He suggested some public awareness campaigns to solicit feedback from citizens to be able to aid in developing a good scope for the RFP. Councilmember Holmes said he does not think the citizens understand how recycling works. He added that there needs to be some education provided to help alleviate confusion. He asked if there has been a solution to getting rid of construction debris. Mr. Bozon said not at this time. Mayor Grayson added that Waste Management has a program for that, but it is not available in our area, yet. City Manager Sam Listi said Staff will bring information to the Council at a later date to help develop a scope for the RFP. No further action was required of the Council on this item. Executive Session At 6:14 p.m., the Mayor announced the Council would go into Executive Session for the following item: 10. Executive Session pursuant to the prov1s1on of the Open Meetings Law, Chapter 551, Govt. Code, Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated, in accordance with the authority contained in Section 551.087, Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations. The Mayor reopened the meeting at 6:34 p.m., and there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. ATTEST: A~~. ~