City Council Meetings

MINUTES REGULAR MEETING MINERAL WELLS CITY COUNCIL CITY HALL ANNEX February 2, 2016 – 6:00 pm City Councilmembers present were Mayor Mike Allen, Mayor Pro-Tem John Upham, Councilmembers Clif Wright, Brian Reagan, Thomas Lively, Tammy Underwood, and Wayne Johnson. A quorum of City Councilmembers was present. Staff members present were City Manager Lance Howerton, Police Chief Dean Sullivan, Fire Chief Mike Pool, Finance Director John Moran, Public Works Director Kelly Jones, and City Clerk Juanita Formby. City Attorney George Gault was absent. Mayor Allen called the meeting to order, Pastor Mark Alcorn of Calvary Baptist Church of Mineral Wells gave the invocation, and the Pledges of Allegiance to the U.S. and Texas were recited. CITIZEN COMMENT No one was present to speak. Mr. Upham moved and Mr. Reagan seconded to approve the following Consent Agenda and the motion carried 7-0: 1. Consider minutes of previous meeting held January 19, 2016. 2. Consider approval of budgeted expenditures over $500. 3. Consider Order of Election for May 7, 2016 election for City Councilmembers. (Consideracion de orden de eleccion en 7 de mayo 2016 para las elecciones del Concejo Municipal.) 4. Consider approval of Uniform Election Joint Resolution and Joint Election Agreement and Contract for Election Services between City of Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County Elections Administrator for Election to be held on May 7, 2016. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 5. Chief Sullivan gave a statistical report regarding activities at the Mineral Wells Animal Shelter. He presented numbers between 2012 and 2015, which indicated some very positive trends at the Shelter. He said that there was a decrease in impounds, but that number was probably skewed because some of the kennels were closed for several months, pending repairs from storm damage at the shelter. Phenomenal improvements in adoptions are evident, with a 211% increase in adoptions since 2012, when new procedures were Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 02/02/2016 Page 1 of 3  put in place at the shelter. Regarding euthanasia rates 18% fewer animals were put down in 2015 compared to 2014. Looking farther back, the numbers are more impressive, with a 100% reduction in the euthanasia rate between 2012 and 2015. Chief Sullivan gave the credit for this to Animal Shelter staff, volunteers, and rescuers and rescue groups who work the shelter. Mr. Reagan asked that the record reflect that the City Council recognizes the work and diligence of animal shelter workers, one of the least desirable jobs in City employment, as well as the volunteers who work hard to find homes for shelter animals. No action was required for this informational report. 6. Chief Sullivan gave a presentation regarding the 2015 Uniform Crime Reporting Part 1 Crime Statistics. Offenses tracked include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and auto theft. He said violent crimes are down 8% and property crimes are down 19%. Burglaries of vehicles are still a concern. Overall crime in 2015 decreased by 18% compared with 2014. The Council complimented the Chief and the Police Department on these positive trends. No action was required for this informational report. Chief Sullivan then presented the 2015 Racial Profiling Report submitted to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. State law required that the report be submitted to the governing body. The analysis of the data indicates that Mineral Wells Police officers have not resorted to racial profiling in their contacts, searches, or arrests during 2015; and there were no reported incidents of racial profiling or complaints. Following the presentation, Mr. Reagan moved and Mr. Upham seconded to accept the 2015 Racial Profiling Report. Motion carried 7-0. 7. At the previous meeting, the City Council had discussed at some length the carrying of open or concealed weapons on City premises. The Council instructed the City Attorney to prepare a resolution designating that 1) the City Council Chambers as a “courtroom” only when municipal court is in session, and thereby prohibiting handguns on those occasions; and 2) to indicate that the open carry of weapons by appropriately licensed individuals into open government meetings subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act is prohibited, and that signage appropriate to those circumstances be displayed. Mr. Johnson expressed concern that the Council may be acting too soon, that there was still much discussion about open/concealed carry on the State level, that the Texas Municipal League was still unsure about the specifics of the law, and that the Council should postpone action on the point of weapons being carried into open meetings. Mr. Reagan expressed that in the previous meeting, the two points had been discussed separately and separate action had been taken on them, and that the City Attorney should have prepared two separate resolutions, rather than one as was presented. Mr. Howerton said that although the nuances of the Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 02/02/2016 Page 2 of 3  law are still being debated, this resolution tracks the Attorney General’s opinion regarding the law; and although discussions are still on-going, it was highly unlikely that the law itself will change. Following discussion, Mr. Johnson moved and Mr. Reagan seconded to pass the first paragraph of the resolution; to designate the City Council Chambers as a courtroom only when court was in session; and to strike point No. 2, regarding carry in open meetings. This motion carried 7-0. Council asked staff to continue to track and investigate appropriate actions regarding possession of weapons in meetings, and to report back to the Council on that point. 8. For the past several months, Mr. Bill Currin had been videotaping the City Council meetings and uploading the video to YouTube online to be viewed by the public. Mr. Currin recently accepted employment and would no longer be available. This item was posted to give the Council and opportunity to discuss alternatives. Mr. Howerton presented information on a vendor who would install camera(s) and upload the video; but the fee for this service was significant; $5,000 for one camera and $200 monthly. Councilman Reagan said that it was desirable for the public to have access to this service, but in view of the expense, perhaps it should be postponed until the City’s financial picture was brighter. Discussion also centered around how much the YouTube videos were accessed, and Council asked if the IT Department could download stats so we could see if this was indeed popular with the public. Another option would be to purchase a single camera and tripod relatively cheaply, and have a City employee man it during meetings. Mr. Howerton also raised the issue that 1% of the cable television franchise is earmarked for public access television, and provision of meetings via public access might be an option. Staff was asked to return with that information, as well as statistics from YouTube revealing public usage. 9. There was no further business to come before the City Council, so the meeting was adjourned at 6:56 p.m. /s/ Mike Allen, Mayor ATTEST: /s/ Juanita Formby, City Clerk APPROVED: February 16, 2016 Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 02/02/2016 Page 3 of 3