City Council Meetings

592 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING MINERAL WELLS CITY COUNCIL CITY HALL ANNEX August 8, 2017 - 6:00 pm City Councilmembers present were Mayor Mike Allen, Mayor Pro-Tern Tammy Underwood, Councilmembers Brian Shoemaker, Regan Johnson, John Upham, Jerrel Tomlin, and Doyle Light. 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, and City Clerk Juanita Formby. Mayor Mike Allen called the meeting to order, City Councilman Jerrel Tomlin gave the invocation, and the Pledges of Allegiance to the U.S. and Texas flags were recited. 1. Mayor Allen said that, because the City is proposing to set a tax rate for the year 2017 that is higher than the effective rate, public hearings are required. This is the [ _' first such public hearing, and those present are invited to address the City Council regarding the proposed 2016-2017 city budget, or the tax rate. This public hearing is not for the purpose of discussing the upcoming bond election, and that subject is off the table for discussion at this particular time. Mayor Allen instructed those who wish to speak to approach the podium, state their name and address and they will have two minutes to make their remarks. With that, Mayor Allen opened the public hearing at 6:04 pm. Ginny Milliken of 605 N.E, 39th Avenue said she was opposed to a water rate increase. Regarding the tax rate, she said that the tax rate remained the same for several years, and wondered why. She said that in last year's budget, some streets were scheduled for repair at a certain cost, and now that cost had gone up significantly, and why was that? She gave some statistics that she said indicated that the population of the state of Texas has increased, but the population of the City of Mineral Wells had decreased. She said that the City of Mineral Wells was not as transparent as it claims to be, that they are not telling the people everything. L Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 08/08/2017 Page 1 of3  593 No one else was present to speak regarding the budget or the tax levy, and the Mayor closed the public hearing at 6:14 pm. Councilman Light said he had talked with the Fire Chief and the Police chief, and had done some calculations, and it was his opinion that the tax rate should be set higher than the 58¢ that the City Manager was recommending, and higher even than the roll-back rate of 61¢. He invited Chief Sullivan and Chief Pool to talk about their personnel needs. Chief Sullivan said that closest competitor for law enforcement employees is the Palo Pinto County Sheriff Department, and their starting salary is $12,000 annually more than the startin.g salary for a Mineral Wells Police Officer. He said that the City's entry level pay for firefighters is about $3500 below market. He said that even much larger departments who can pay much more are struggling to · hire enough employees to fill all their positions. Incentiv~s · for recruiting and maintaining employees was discussed, and Chief Pool said it was a double-edged sword, that when incentives are given for education and certification, and employees- acquire that, it makes the even more marketable to larger departments who can pay more. Chief Pool said he is concerned that he has few employees with 20+ years of experience; that most of his firefighters, though very competent and trained, ·are comparatively young and inexperienced. He said if a crew is on the fire engine, they're not manning an ambulance, and vice versa. He's very worried about a major event and not having enough people to cover it. Councilman Light said that if a tax rate of 66¢ were adopted, the extra money generated would be sufficient to fund five new employees in public safety, three firefighters and two police officers; and also increase salaries for several public safety personnel, making it more likely they will stay. Additional personnel will also improve the City's ISO rating. Mr. Light said he appreciates Mr. Howerton's practice of crafting a conservative budget, but we need to do this. Voters may choose to petition an election to roll the tax rate back, but it is the Council's responsibility to find ways to move forward. Following a detailed discussion, Mr. Upham moved and Mr. Light seconded to set dates for public hearings on the 2016-2017 annual budget for August 22 and September 5 at 6:00 pm. Motion carried 7-0. Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 08/08/2017 Page 2 of 3 594 Mr. Howerton asked Councilman Light to provide a written report of his proposal to be shared with the remainder of the City Council. 2. There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:04 pm. ATTEST: Mike~ [ L Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 08/08/2017 Page 3 of 3