City Council Meetings

MINUTES REGULAR MEETING MINERAL WELLS CITY COUNCIL CITY HALL ANNEX December 20, 2016 – 6:00 pm City Councilmembers present were Mayor Mike Allen, Mayor Pro-Tem John Upham, Councilmembers Clif Wright, Jerrel Tomlin, Tammy Underwood, and Wayne Johnson. Councilmember Brian Reagan was absent. A quorum of City Councilmembers was present Staff members present were City Manager Lance Howerton, Police Chief Dean Sullivan, Finance Director John Moran, Public Works Director Kelly Jones, Fire Chief Mike Pool, City Clerk Juanita Formby, and City Attorney George Gault. Mayor Allen called the meeting to order, Pastor Brian Nierman of First Christian Church of Mineral Wells gave the invocation, and the Pledges of Allegiance to the U.S. and Texas were recited. CITIZEN COMMENT No one had signed to speak. Mayor Allen made a special presentation to City Attorney George Gault, who is retiring at the end of December 2016. Mr. Gault has served as City Attorney for thirty-seven years. 10. Mayor Allen moved agenda item No. 10 up to be considered first, as representatives of the law firm Messer, Rockefeller, and Fort were present. A subcommittee of the City Council (Mayor Allen, Councilmembers Clif Wright and Wayne Johnson) had interviewed firms and individuals who responded to the City’s Request for Qualifications and now recommends this firm to replace Mr. Gault to serve as City Attorneys. Messer Rockefeller and Fort is a firm in Frisco, Texas who specialize in Municipal Law. Partners in this firm who were present were Brenda McDonald, Mack Reinwand, and Courtney Kuykendall. They introduced themselves to the City Council and told a little about their firm and the extensive municipal experience of their associates (though they acknowledged that none of them had thirty-seven years of municipal practice, as did Mr. Gault). Ms. Kuykendall lives in Weatherford, and she will attend the City Council meetings. It was offered to the City Council that the full City Council be given an opportunity to interview this firm and their runners-up, but that was declined by the remaining Councilmembers; Mrs. Underwood said she was comfortable to accept the recommendation of the committee. Mr. Howerton said that a formal agreement between the parties will be presented to the City Council at their next meeting. Also, the Committee received a recommendation from City staff that the appointed City Attorney(s) be relieved of the duty of municipal court prosecutor, and that responsibility be reassigned to local attorney Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 12/20/2016 Page 1 of 3 Eddie McClendon, who is currently serving as Associate Municipal Court Judge. Mr. Upham moved and Mr. Wright seconded to approve the following CONSENT AGENDA, and the motion carried 6-0: 1. Consider minutes of previous meetings held December 6, 2016. 2. Consider approval of budgeted expenditures over $500. 3. Consider approval of Independent Building Consultant’s invoice in the amount of $5,992.50 4. Consider approval of a resolution to accept a donation of two 40- inch TV monitors from Walmart. 5. Consider approval of financial reports for the month ended September 2016. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 6. Mr. Howerton said that for a number of years the City has had a surplus T-38 aircraft from the United States government on static display at the Municipal Airport, the cost of which was borne by the Kessler Family Foundation as a gift to the City. The aircraft has sustained hail and storm damage over the past couple of years and is in need of repair, at an anticipated cost of $20,000. Insurance proceeds will cover $10,000 of that, and the Kessler Family Foundation has agreed to donate $5,000 towards the repairs. The Airport Board has met and now recommends that the City use funds from the Airport Fund to make up any difference in the cost of repairs, not to exceed $7,500. Mr. Wright moved and Mr. Upham seconded to approve an expenditure from the Airport Fund not to exceed $7,500 to effect repairs to the T-38 static display aircraft at the Airport. Motion carried 6-0. 7. Mr. Moran reminded the City Council that on November 1, 2016 they authorized staff to advertise and receive bids for Master Lease Financing for police vehicles, and a tractor for the Municipal Airport, in the total amount of $250,000. Two bids were received and opened on December 1, 2016, from First Financial Bank and First National Bank of Texas. Mr. Moran recommended that the City Council accept the bid of First National Bank of Texas at an interest rate of 1.76%, and authorize the Mayor to execute associated contractual documents. Mr. Upham so moved, Mrs. Underwood seconded, and the motion carried 6-0. Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 12/20/2016 Page 2 of 3  8. Mrs. Formby reported that staggered terms of the Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1 Board expire on the last day of December each year, this year it is the terms of Board members Dr. David Turk and Mr. Don Crawford. Each of these gentlemen has asked to be reappointed to new terms which will expire 12-31-2018. Staggered terms on the Mineral Wells Housing Authority Board expire on the last day of January 2017. Ms. Carolyn Shipp, Mr. Carl Turner, and Ms. Eva Davis have each agreed to serve additional terms which will expire January 31, 2019. The Mayor’s Committee on Boards and Commissions (Councilmembers Underwood and Upham) has recommended the reappointment of these sitting members. Mr. Wright moved and Mr. Upham seconded to accept the recommendations of the Mayor’s Committee on Boards and Commissions and make the subject reappointments. Motion carried 6- 0. 9. Mr. Howerton, Chief Sullivan, and Kelly Jones discussed a new traffic control system being considered for the intersection of S.E. 25th Avenue and S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. This location had seen a number of accidents, the two-way stop sign is not enough control. However, a full signal is very expensive and the City of Mineral Wells does not install and maintain traffic signals, as they are confined to state highways. The City has researched a warning system and recommends it for purchase and installation, which will employ radar sensors that will activate flashing warning lights for the north and southbound traffic on S.E. 25th Avenue; and flashing lights on the existing “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” warning signs on S.E. MLK Jr. Street and S. Murco Drive. There is $25,000 allocated for this purchase in the Street Department budget for 2016-2017. Mr. Wright moved and Mrs. Underwood seconded to approve the purchase of the enhanced traffic control safety devices for the intersection of S.E. 25th Avenue and S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Street/S. Murco Drive. Motion carried 6-0. 11. There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:33 pm. /s/ Mike Allen, Mayor ATTEST: /s/ Juanita Formby, City Clerk APPROVED: 01-03-2017 Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 12/20/2016 Page 3 of 3