City Council

CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES CITY OF ODESSA, TEXAS October 4, 2022 On October 4, 2022, a work session meeting of the Odessa City Council was held at 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber, fifth floor, City Hall, 411 W. 8th St., Odessa, Texas. City Council present: Mayor Javier Joven; Council members: Mark Matta, District One; Steven P. Thompson, District Two; Detra White, District Three; Tom Sprawls, District Four; Mari Willis, District Five; and Denise Swanner, At-Large. Others present: Michael Marrero, City Manager; Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo, City Secretary; Natasha Brooks, City Attorney; Cindy Muncy, Assistant City Manager; and other members of City staff. A quorum being present, Mayor Joven called the meeting to order, and the following proceedings were held: Council member Swanner gave the invocation. Update on Crime Statistics. Mike Gerke, Police Chief, reported the crime statistics from January through October 2022. He reviewed the numbers for the persons in crime. Connie Sims, Criminal Intelligence Analyst, defined intimidation. The property crimes were also reviewed. Burglary, shoplifting and motor vehicle thefts were down. The persons in crime and property crimes were reduced. The police concentrated on theft. He stated that there were the same people that did different crimes which may have resulted in several areas crime numbers being reduced. The crimes not reported were not included in the report. He stated that juvenile crimes have increased. OPD from switching cellular services from Verizon to T-Mobile. Chief Gerke stated that there was a request to switch cellular services from Verizon to T-Mobile for the handheld phones only. The connectivity was tested. There would be a cost savings. T-Mobile provided incentives and would give new phones. The program was for first responders. Discuss rejection of bid for the 4th Street and Jackson Parking Lot Construction Project. Scott Anderson, Director of Building Services, stated that two bids were received for the parking lot construction. One bid was incomplete, and the other bid was over the architect’s estimate. He recommended to reject the bids. The parking lot would add 41 parking spaces. Discuss award of contract with Credit Systems International for ambulance collection services. Marisa Rodriquez, Utility Billing Supervisor, stated that bids were reviewed for the ambulance collection services. She stated that Credit Systems was the current provider and negotiated and monitored the accounts. She recommended the contract to Credit Systems with a three-year term with options to renew. In 2021, there was a 42% collection rate. Discuss amending 12-2-8, Temporary Speed Limits. Hal Feldman, Traffic Engineer, stated that there were two removal of construction speed limits as the projects were Council Work Session Minutes October 4, 2022 Page 2 complete on University and Parkway and Loop 338. He recommended a construction speed limit be reduced on Faudree for the project from 45 MPH to 30 MPH during construction. Discuss and seek direction regarding amending the City of Odessa Fire Code, Chapter 5 “Fire Prevention and Protection” Article 5-3-1. John Alvarez, Fire Chief, stated that this would adopt the 2021 International Fire Code. Staff meet with some contractors. Omar Galindo, Assistant Fire Marshal, stated that The Fire Code ensured fire safety on commercial structures and reduced the chance of loss of life and property. The current code was 2012 and the International Fire Code was updated every three years. He stated that a drawback for not being adopted was not taking advantage of technological advances. The pros for adoption was progression and ISO ratings. Chief Alvarez explained the ISO ratings which was for insurance and Odessa was rated a 2 with 1 being the best. He was concerned that there was no fire station near Parks Bell. The ISO rating would be reviewed at the end of October. The ISO rating helped with the homeowner with insurance. He stated that the contractors were receptive to the change of the fire code. Council member White stated that not having the current code could work against the ISO rating and it helped with businesses’ insurance. Fire Chief Alvarez stated that Parks Bell had a lack of coverage and the average response varied. He stated that if the ISO rating was low there would be a loss of access to Federal funding. Council member Swanner requested the redline changes for each of the codes of 2015 and 2021. Mr. Galindo stated that there were a lot of changes, but the big items remained the same. Council member White stated it was a tedious process to read and compare. Michelle Cervantes, Fire Marshal, stated that construction materials had changed and was not covered under the current 2012 code. Mayor Joven stated that there were a lot of complaints and was concerned with issues such as the cost and time. He stated that the 2018 Building Codes were adopted and the developers did not have an easy transition. Ms. Cervantes stated the City would work with the contractors. Council member Willis stated the City was getting further behind and there was a need to look out for fire protection. Mr. Marrero stated that a predevelopment meeting to help understand the project was very successful. He stated that the Building Codes would need to be addressed. Mayor Joven stated that there was an impact in cost incurred by the developers which had a cause and effect. Discuss and seek direction regarding the adoption of the 2021 Odessa Fire Marshal’s Fee Schedule in relation to the IFC inspections conducted by the Fire Marshal’s Office. Ms. Cervantes stated that a fee schedule for inspections were not uncommon in cities. The fee schedule included operational and construction permits. The fees would help with recouping the wear and tear of vehicles and time. She reviewed the fees and the permits were in the International Fire Code. She stated that there would be a transition period for the contractors and fees could be effective January 1, 2023. She stated that customers were being told that fees would be implemented in the future. Council member White thanked staff for moving forward with the codes. She stated that it was the cities responsibility to maintain minimal level with the standardize codes. She stated that the liability falls on the city and must do its due diligence. The City needed to protect lives and financial interest. Council had a consensus to move forward. Discuss bid award for Tanglewood Lane reconstruction from Penbrook St. to 52 nd St. Yervand Hmayakyan, City Engineer, stated that the project would construct payment, remove and replace curb and gutter and sidewalk and install alley approaches. He recommended the bid award to Permian Paving for $1,915,187.60 which was under the estimate. The project completion was 120 days. Council Work Session Minutes October 4, 2022 Page 3 Discuss bid award for Meadow Ave. reconstruction from Murphy St. to I-20 Service Rd. Mr. Hmayakyan stated that the project would reconstruct the roadway to improve the drainage. He recommended the bid to Permian Paving for $750,046. References were checked. The project completion was 120 days. Discuss contract renewal with Weaver and Tidwell, LLP., to provide professional auditing services. Mrs. Muncy stated the renewal was for the City audit. The billing conversion and payroll system were made last year to the Munis System. She recommended to extend the contract to follow with the new system. There was a 4.7% cost increase. Weaver was not the only audit firm that could handle large cities. Mrs. Muncy reported that the last proposal did not have any proposals with experience in the size of our City. An RFP can be done for the next fiscal year. Discuss the Black Cultural Council of Odessa lease agreement. Mrs. Muncy stated that renovations were made to the Gertrude Bruce building. She reviewed terms of the lease which would be for public purpose. The building would be turned over to Black Cultural Council once all the required documents were submitted to the City. The total cost of the renovations was $114,589 plus an $8,403 change order. Mr. Anderson stated a checklist would be performed by Building Services on an annual basis. Council member Willis stated that all city leased buildings be required the checklist requirement. Council member Matta stated that it was a great addition to the Southside as it would be an educational benefit. Council member Willis stated that it was vital to our community and applauded the Black Cultural Council for its endeavor of the building. Discuss to deny the May 13, 2022 filing of Oncor’s Intent to Increase rates. Mr. Marrero stated that Oncor filed a rate increase of $251 million to cover its cost of its system. Customers would have a 11.2% rate increase. The Oncor Cities Steering Committee recommended to deny the rate increase for negotiation of a lower rate. Motion was made by Council member Sprawls and seconded by Council member Swanner to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved by the following vote: Aye: Joven, Matta, Thompson, White, Sprawls, Willis, and Swanner Nay: None The meeting adjourned at 4:42 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED: Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo, TRMC, CMC Javier Joven City Secretary Mayor