City Council Meetings

624 MINUTES REGULAR MEETING MINERAL WELLS CITY COUNCIL CITY HALL ANNEX September 19, 2017 - 6:00 pm City Councilrnernbers present were Mayor Mike Allen, Mayor Pro-Tern Tammy Underwood, Councilrnernbers Brian Shoemaker, Regan Johnson, John Upham, Jerrel Tomlin, and Doyle Light. A quorum of City Councilmernbers was present. Staff members present were City Manager Lance Howerton, Police Chief Dean Sullivan, Public Works Director Kelly Jones, Fire Chief Mike Pool, Finance Director John Moran 1 City Clerk Juanita Formby, and City Attorney Mack Reinwand. Mayor Mike Allen called the meeting to order, Pastor Randy Anderson of First Nazarene Church of Mineral Wells gave the invocation, and the Pledges of Allegiance to the U.S. and Texas were recited. Mayor Allen presented a proclamation to Mr. Nate Starmer and Mr. Jim Rhodes naming September 2017 as "hunger action month" in Mineral Wells to fight childhood hunger. CITIZEN COMMENT Two people had signed to speak, and Mayor Allen recognized each one in turn. Terri Blevins of 2807 N. Murco said he is still not happy about the new budget and the taxes the City Council intends to levy on the citizens of Mineral Wells. He said the City Councilrnernbers are immoral and reprehensible for setting the proposed tax rate. He has asked several times for them to reconsider and to find another way other than levying taxes. He said their Facebook page protesting the City has many followers and people are paying attention. He said that the City Council is doing irreparable harm to the City and it will never recover, and he shamed each Councilmember. Ginny Milliken of 605 N.E. 39th Avenue said that she had viewed the demolition and clearance liens filed on real property in Mineral Wells in the past 18 months. She suggested that people who do not clean their property should be subjected to the same method used in warrant roundups, that their names should be publicized, perhaps that would serve as a deterrent. Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 09/19/2017 . Page 1of6  625 Following a motion made by Mr . Upham, seconded by Mr. Tomlin, the following CONSENT AGENDA was approved by a vote of 7-0: 1 . Consider minutes of previous meeting held September 5, 2017. 2 . Consider approval of budgeted e x penditures over $500. 3. Consider approval of Financial Report for the month ended July 2017. 4. Consider approval of a renewal for Investment Advisory Services. 5 . Consider authorizing B&L Construction Company's Application for Payment in the amount of $47,795.00 for Genesys Hangar drainage project. 6. Consider resolution authorizing execution of Te x as Department of Transportation Grant for Routine Airport Maintenance Program (RAMP), TxDOT Project ID Ml802MNWL. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 7. Mayor Allen opened a public hearing at 6:11 pm regarding a request from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, who is asking for closure of a one-block portion of N.W. l 5 t Street between N.W. 3~ Avenue and N.W. 4~ Avenue. The Church owns the property on either side of this street, and frequently requests its closure to accommodate its outdoor festivals held on its parking lot north of the church, and of this street. Mr. Howerton reported that in 2004, the church had approached the City and gained approval from the City to install gates on either end of the subject street, closing it to public traffic. The gates could be opened to allow emergency vehicles, or Public Works to maintain the utilities located in the street. Oncor also has utilities therein, and must retain right of entry . . Ordinance No . 2004-23 was passed by the City Council allowing the Church to commence with installation of the gates. However, in 2004, this work was not accomplished by the set deadline; therefore, in order to install the gates the Church must again get permission from the City. The Planning and Zoning Commission had met on September 11, 2017 to consider this matter, and now M ineral Wells City Council Minutes CB/19/2017 Page 2 of 6 626 recommends that it be approved, with some conditions. The Mineral Wells Fire Department asks that a gate with a Knox box be installed allowing the Fire ·Department required that the gates can be secured in the open positon when not in use and have a KNOX box for access when closed and locked, so that emergency vehicles can access the buildings on the south side of the street. Location of the gates should be reviewed in consideration of the location of the fire hydrant.located on the west end of N.W. 1st Street, and signs should be installed or the curb painted to indicate that there is a fire lane. The City of Mineral Wells and Oncor Electric Delivery have utilities in the street, and retain a utility easement for access. No one was present to speak, and the public hearing was closed at 6:15 pm. Mrs. Underwood moved and Mr. Shoemaker seconded to pass and approve an ordinance of the City of Mineral Wells, Texas closing that portion of N.W. 1st Street between N.W. 3rct Avenue and N.W. 4th Avenue to public vehicular travel subject to certain conditions; and providing for an effective date. Mayor Allen, a member of the Church, abstained from the vote, and the motion carried 6-0-1. 8. Mayor Allen opened a public hearing at 6:16 pm regarding a requested replat of lots in the Springhill Addition to the City of Mineral Wells. The applicants and property owners, Jeffery and Lauretta Poole and Jerry and Ronda VanNatta, sought to combine Lots 17, 18, and 19 to create larger lots 17R and 19R. Mr. Howerton said that the Planning and Zoning Commission had met on September 11, 2017 to consider this request, and now recommends that it be approved. No one was present to speak, and the public hearing . was closed at 6:18 pm. Mr. Upham moved and Ms. Johnson seconded to approve the replat of Lots 17, 18, and 19 of the Springhill Addition to the City of Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas to Lot 17R and 19R of the Springhill Addition to the City of Mineral Wells. Motion carried 7-0. 9. Chief Sullivan presented a request from the Crazy Water Festival Committee to temporarily close certain downtown streets in order to accommodate the 38th Annual Crazy Water Festival. The Festival will again be held in the N.W. 6th Street area around the Famous Water Company on October 14, 2017. Following a brief discussion, Mr. Upham moved and Mr. Light seconded to pass and approve an ordinance providing for the temporary closing of certain streets to Mineral Wells City Council Minutes 09/19/2017 Page 3 of 6  627 public travel during the Crazy Water Festival, and the motion carried 7-0. 10. Mayor Allen opened a public hearing at 6:20 pm regarding proposed increases to the 2017-2018 annual budget for the City of Mineral Wells. The proposed increases were precipitated by the City Council at a previous meeting, when it was proposed by Councilman Light that a higher tax rate than what was being recommended by the City Manager was needed in order to provide higher salaries and more personnel for the Police and Fire Departments. Ms. Ronda Wilkinson of 1201 SE 4th Avenue in Mineral Wells spoke, saying she opposed the proposed new tax rate. She said she had done a lot of research, and people were not aware of what was about to happen to them; that the public does not know that the Water District recently gained approval to construct a water reservoir that will cost $74 million, which must be paid for, in addition to the cost of City operations. She told the Council they better think about this, because their homes were also subject to the tax. No one else was present to speak, and the public hearing was closed at 6:23 pm. 11. Mayor Allen asked the City Council for action which would adopt the 2017-2018 Budget for the City of Mineral Wells. The 2017-2018 Budget is a 28 percent decrease in the amount budgeted for all funds compared to the preceding fiscal year. Public hearings had been held on this budget, with a total allocation of all fund in the amount of $23,208,677, on August 8, 2017, August 22, 2017, and September 5, 2017. Mrs. Underwood moved and Mr. Upham seconded to pass an approve an ordinance setting forth an itemized estimate of the expense of conducting each fund for the municipal government of the City of Mineral Wells, Texas for the period of time beginning October 1, 2017 and terminating September 30, 2018; appropriating money for the various funds; setting out the purposes of each estimate; adopting and approving the budget; and providing for an effected date. All City Councilmembers voted aye by a show of hands. Motion carried 7-0. 12. Mayor Allen asked the City Council for action regarding the proposed tax levy for 2017. The proposed ordinance will adopt a tax rate of $0.60500, which is a 7.5 percent increase above the 2017 effective tax rate. Mr. Light moved and Mr. Upham seconded to pass an approve Mineral Wells City Council Minutes C8/19/2017 Page 4 of 6 628 an ordinance levying ad valorem taxes on both real and personal property in the City of Mineral Wells for the year 2017, providing for apportionment of such ad valorem taxes, providing for occupation taxes on every person, firm or corporation pursuing any occupation, profession, or business in the City of Mineral Wells subject to such taxes. All City Councilmembers voted aye by a show of hands. Motion carried 7-0. 13. Mr. Moran said that because the 2017-1018 budget includes a property tax rate that is higher than the effective rate, a resolution is necessary to comply with State law, which requires a separate vote on the adopted budget to ratlfy the increase in total property tax revenues over the prior year. This vote in in addition to the votes to adopt the budget and set the tax rate. Mr. Upham moved and Mr. Light seconded to adopt a resolution ratifying the increase in property tax revenue reflected in the approved FY 2017-2018 Budget. 14. Mr. Moran presented an ordinance regarding water and sewer rates, saying that the proposed ordinance would increase all water rate categories by 7% to cover increasing costs of providing water. These new rates, should they be adopted by the City Council, will become effective with billing rendered after November 1, 2017. Mr. Shoemaker moved and Mr. Upham seconded to pass and approve an ordinance amending Article II of Chapter 90, Utilities, of the Mineral Wells Code of Ordinances by revising water rates and providing for an effective date. Motion carried 7-0 . 15. Mayor Allen opened a public hearing at 6:30 pm regarding the 2017-2018 Mineral Wells Area Chamber of commerce Tourism Division Budget. Mr. Moran said that the Code of Ordinances requires the Chamber to submit its tourism budget for approval, inasmuch as the tourism division is funded through hotel/motel taxes collected by the City, and by Palo Pinto County. Mr. Ryan Roach of the Chamber was present, and spoke about some of the Chamber's activities, and responded to questions about branding. Following the discussion, Mrs. Johnson moved approval of the budget as presented, Mr. Tomlin seconded, and the motion carried 7-0. Mineral Wells City Council Minutes CB/19/2017 Page 5 of 6  629 16. Mr. Moran said that the Mineral Wells Community Development Corporation is required to submit its annual budget to the City Council for approval in accordance with state law. Staff reminded the City that the Community Development Corporation and its Board was created in response to the 4B sales tax reallocation for economic development projects (and particularly for the Baker Hotel renovation) approved by the voters in 2014. The budget was approved by the MW CDC Board of Directors on August 28, 2017. Ms. Johnson moved and Mr. Light seconded to approve the 2017-2018 budget of the Mineral Wells Community Development Corporation as presented, and the motion carried 7-0. 17. There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:46 pm. Mike Allen, Mayor ATTEST: Mineral Wells City Council Minutes CB/19/2017 Page 6 of 6