City Council

CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES CITY OF ODESSA, TEXAS March 17, 2020 On March 17, 2020, a work session meeting of the Odessa City Council was held at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 411 West 8th Street, Odessa, Texas. City Council present: Mayor David R. Turner; Council members: Dewey Bryant, District Two and Detra White, District Three; Tom Sprawls, District Four; Mari Willis, District Five; and Peggy Dean, At-Large. City Council absent: Council member Malcolm Hamilton, District One. Others present: Michael Marrero, City Manager; Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo, City Secretary; Natasha Brooks, City Attorney; Phillip Urrutia, Assistant City Manager; Cindy Muncy, Interim Assistant City Manager; and other members of City staff. Council member Sprawls gave the invocation. Police Department to accept LEOSE funds ($10,742). Mike Gerke, Police Chief, stated that that the funds were for training for $10,742. PSA with Kimley-Horn and Association for development of Impact Fee Study. Tom Kerr, Director of Public Works/Utilities, stated that the agreement with Kimley Horn was for an impact fee study. The Water Master Plan and Transportation Master Plan would provide information to utilize in the study. The cost was $181,000. Funds would need to be appropriated out of the General Fund, Water Fund and Sewer Fund. The study would be from six to eight months. A committee would review the data and make a recommendation to the Council. Floyd Gwin presentation. Steve Patton, Director of Parks and Recreation, stated that the CIP set aside $9.1 million for park improvements. He reviewed the Parks Capital Improvement Projects that included Floyd Gwin Park for $ 6 million, Sherwood Park for $850,000, University Gardens Park for $750,000, Eastside Park for $1.5 million for a total of $9.1 million. He reviewed the proposed amenities for Floyd Gwin Park for a total cost of $5,999,466. Amenities included family pavilions, additional volleyball and basketball courts and expanded parking lots. The senior league field will be removed and the area would become an open park area. The senior field has not been used for four years. Mr. Patton reviewed the two other proposed designs which was for $8.25 million and and $8.9 million that would provide additional improvements for Floyd Gwin Park. He stated that three sites were possible for the Eastside park but one site did not have an access road. He reported that Memorial Gardens’ bridge had water erosion and would need to be repaired. Mr. Patton stated a contractor was at a park and more amenities with additional funding could be added at Floyd Gwin since the contractors were on site. Council member Willis stated that the pavilions and fields should be included with the amenities and utilize the contractor that was at Sherwood. Mr. Patton gave a status of the pool at Floyd Gwin. The pool has been there since the 1940s and kids want amenities, such as the aquatic facilities. The Floyd Gwin community park needed an aquatic pool and was a future project at a cost of $14 million. Mrs. Muncy stated that the land was not secured for the Eastside park and the Work Session Minutes March 17, 2020 Page 2 funds could be used for the additional amenities for Floyd Gwin. Council member Dean stated that Sherwood Park was utilized by the citizens and funds should not be taken from that park. The contractor on site would be most efficient use of funds to make the additional amenities to Floyd Gwin. Discuss Certificate of Obligation Issuance. Ms. Muncy, stated that fact sheet and map were approved to provide information to the citizens on the Certificates of Obligations issuance. It was not recommended to have a video. She stated that Line P could be started by using other funds and repay the fund back out of the issuance. She stated that the market needed to be stabilized before the issuance was made. Line P’s design was almost complete and would to bid. Line Q was three months out for design completion. Construction for Line P would be eight months. The fact sheet would be placed on the City’s website and in the lobby of City Hall. Discussion regarding the emergency purchase of items necessary to preserve or protect the public health or safety of the City of Odessa’s residents as it relates to the COVID-19 virus. Mr. Marrero stated that the city had the authority to buy items necessary on an emergency bases. The purchases may exceed the $50,000 that is authorized by the City Manager but Council would be informed of the items purchased. Discuss how the City Council would like to conduct meetings in the future. Mayor Turner stated that the State allowed flexibility with the open meetings due to the coronavirus. The requirements were relaxed to allow for provisions to limit the number of people in an area. Staff was looking at capabilities on options. Council member Bryant stated that it needed to be implemented as a precautionary measure. Mayor Turner stated that there were changes regarding the coronavirus every day and we must be flexible. Discuss possible Mayoral Declaration of Emergency and the imposition of a fine and inclusion of events that are considered an essential gathering. Mayor Turner reported that the coronavirus placed fear in the community as raised by the national media. He explained the testing on the virus. At this time, no area communities had a confirmed case. He recommended a Mayoral Declaration of Emergency which was effective for seven days. The Council would consider to extend the declaration if needed. A draft of the declaration was passed out. He highlighted that no gatherings of 50 or more be in the city unless it was changed by the Council. For the health and safety of the citizens a limit was needed to be set for enforcement. He reviewed the gathering exemptions. Guideline recommendations were added to the declaration. Mayor Turner stated that other area cities have declared a local disaster emergency due to public health. Council member Bryant stated that that we should self-practice the recommended guidelines. Mayor Turner stated that there was information on the City’s website. There was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:12 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED: Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo, TRMC, CMC David R. Turner City Secretary Mayor