City Council Regular Meeting

Minutes of City Council Regular Meeting The City Council City of Richwood A City Council Regular Meeting of the City Council of City of Richwood was held Monday, June 11, 2018, beginning at 6:00 PM in the Richwood City Hall, 1800 N. Brazosport Blvd. Richwood, Texas. CALL TO ORDER AT 6:00 PM ROLL CALL OF COUNCIL MEMBERS Mayor - Mark Guthrie Council member Position 1 – Mike Johnson Council member Position 2 – Frank Blanks Council member Position 3 – Sarah Reed Council member Position 4 – Mark Brown II - ABSENT Council member Position 5 – Katie Johnson Others present: Michael Coon, City Manager; Giani Cantu, City Secretary/Finance Director; Kenny Williams, Building Official; Clif Custer, Public Works Director RECOGNITIONS Richwood Police Department accreditation by Texas Police Chief Association Foundation Gary Adams, Police Chief City of Richmond, presented the certificate of TPCA for Richwood Police Department accreditation. PRESENTATIONS Volunteer Fire Department Quarterly Update Mayor Guthrie presented the Volunteer Fire Department update. CONSENT AGENDA Approval of Minutes of Previous Meetings Payment of Bills Resolution appointing Michael Coon, City Manager; Giani Cantu, City Secretary/Finance Director and Linda Pace, Administrative Asst as point of contacts on all Bank of America accounts Reject all submitted proposals for RFP 18-004P Solid Waste Disposal On motion by Sarah Reed second by Mike Johnson with all present members voting “aye” all consent agenda items were approved. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Appoint Mayor Pro-Tem On motion by Sarah Reed second by Mike Johnson with all present members voting aye Katie Johnson was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem. Consider and discuss designating the Facts as the official newspaper of the City of Richwood On motion by Sarah Reed second by Katie Johnson with all present members voting aye the Facts was designated as the official newspaper. Set regular Council meeting days and times On motion by Sarah Reed second by Frank Blanks with all present members voting aye the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm was set as Council regular meeting days and times. Discuss and consider request for extension to previously granted variance to the animal ordinance by Carol and Byron Norsworthy at 1201 N Brazosport Blvd #8 Mr. Coon reported that the resident is asking for a second extension to comply to the City ordinance. Sarah Reed moved to approve the extension. Frank Blanks seconded. Mayor Guthrie stated that originally the residents were granted a variance until June to place 2 of the dogs, granted a variance for keeping the 2 older dogs and needed to have the five dogs they would be keeping registered. Did they comply with the requirements? Mr. Coon said originally the residents were working to get the dogs vaccinated and registered and the other dogs placed. However, to date, none of the dogs have been placed or registered and he is unsure if they have been vaccinated. Mayor Guthrie stated that the residents have not met the previous variance granted. With 3 ayes and Katie Johnson voting “nay” the extension through June 30, 2018 was granted to comply with the animal ordinance. Discuss and consider an ordinance amending Section 3 Definitions of Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance to add the definition of gas station and amending Section 4 Districts to add gas stations as conditional uses in B-1 Business and C-1 Commercial zones Mr. Coon presented the ordinance based on council’s previous recommendation. Frank Blanks moved to discuss the ordinance. Katie Johnson seconded. With all present members voting “aye”, discussion began on ordinance amending Section 3 Definitions of Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance to add the definition of gas station and amending Section 4 Districts to add gas stations as conditional uses in B-1 Business and C-1 Commercial zones. Sarah Reed asked what happens to existing gas stations if this is not adopted. Mr. Coon stated the city should probably consider another avenue to grandfather them in. On motion by Katie Johnson second by Frank Blanks, with all present members voting “aye” the ordinance amending Section 3 Definitions of Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance to add the definition of gas station and amending Section 4 Districts to add gas stations as conditional uses in B-1 Business and C-1 Commercial zones was passed and adopted. Discuss and consider amending water and sewer rate fees and charges for RV/Trailer parks and multi-family dwellings serviced by one meter Mr. Coon reported currently the City ordinance treats multi-family dwellings (apartments) and RV/trailer parks the same when it comes to assessing water and sewer rates. When either of these two types of developments uses a shared meter to provide water, the development is required to pay the full base rate for each apartment or pad serviced by the shared meter. It was discovered that the two RV parks currently being serviced are only being charged one base rate. After visiting with the owner regarding the ordinance and the fee charges, the City was asked to consider revising the ordinance so that RV/trailer parks are only charged half of the base rate for each pad that is serviced by a shared meter. Historically, RV/trailer parks do place less of a demand on the City’s infrastructure. It’s estimated that each RV or trailer uses about half as much water as your typical apartment. Sarah Reed moved to approve the reduction of base rate for RV parks. Mike Johnson seconded. Katie Johnson asked what the impact on the owner is going to be with this change. Mr. Coon it is an increase in charges of approximately $1,500 per month. With all present members voting “aye” the recommendation to approve the reduction of base rate for RV parks to half is approved. Discuss and consider an ordinance amending Article II – Public Park Lands creating Section 14-1 – Definitions; Creating Section 14-2 Fees for rental of public park lands and amending Appendix C – Fee Schedule to add fees for park and facility rentals On motion by Mike Johnson second by Sarah Reed with all present members voting “aye” ordinance amending Article II – Public Park Lands creating Section 14-1 – Definitions; Creating Section 14-2 Fees for rental of public park lands and amending Appendix C – Fee Schedule to add fees for park and facility rentals was passed and adopted. Award RFP 18-006P Solid Waste Disposal to Waste Connections On motion by Mike Johnson second by Sarah Reed with all present members voting “aye” RFP 18-006P Solid Waste Disposal was awarded to Waste Connections. Award RFQ 18-003Q Water and Wastewater Impact Fee Study to Freese & Nichols Michael Coon stated the first RFQ received no proposals. After a second go round the City received 3 proposals. One was not received in time. Kendall Ryan, Freese & Nichols, stated they look forward to working with City of Richwood and was present to answer any questions. Sarah Reed moved to award RFP 18-003Q to Freese & Nichols. Frank Blanks seconded. Mike Johnson asked if the scoring was subjective or objective. Mr. Coon advised that staff, Clif, Giani and myself, reviewed and evaluated all the submittals. The group ultimately felt that Freese and Nichols’ proposal was more tailored to the City of Richwood’s request. With all present members voting “aye” RFQ 18-003Q for Water and Wastewater Impact Fee Study was awarded to Freese & Nichols. Discuss and consider releasing funding for remaining Capital and Equipment replacement items approved in the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget Michael Coon stated due to the uncertainty of the fiscal impact from Hurricane Harvey, during the process of adopting the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Budget City Council requested that the budgeted items in the capital projects and equipment replacement funds be brought back to City Council for approval before expending the funds. City Council has already approved staff to move forward with the server replacement project and with replacing the enterprise software. Staff is projecting the funds will be available to fund the remaining capital and equipment replacement items and is now asking permission to expend the funds for the items listed below. • Replace Sewer Jetter ($59,999) • Replace Chlorine Room ($20,255) • Water & Sewer Impact Fee Study ($66,831) • Relocate & Replace Fire Station Hydrant ($8,550) • Reskin the Service Center ($39,200) • Replace Public Works Truck ($30,610) Frank Blanks moved to grant permission to proceed with the purchase of all capital items. Sarah Reed seconded. Mike Johnson asked are there enough funds in this year projection to fund these? Mr. Coon reported that at last month’s Council meeting, projections showed the funds are available. Mayor Guthrie asked with these purchases, does it put us right at budget or with reserves. With 4 months of hurricane season yet remaining, he wants to ensure adequate reserves in the event of a natural disaster. Mr. Coon stated it puts the City right at budget. Any hurricane can always put us over. However, reserves remain in contingency. With all present members voting “aye” funding for the remaining Capital and Equipment replacement items approved in the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget was released and authorized for spending. Update on review of Indoor Gun Range & Noise Control Ordinances Michael Coon reported there is no progress on revised ordinance to report. Mike Johnson asked how many new complaints. Michael Coon stated there has been none since the variance was issued. Sarah Reed asked when the variance expires. Mr. Coon stated he believes it is around August. Sarah Reed asked if he was confident that’s enough time to get an ordinance together. Mr. Coon stated he is just waiting to hear from Mesquite on implementation. Mayor Guthrie asked what he is leaning towards. Mr. Coon stated staff is looking at setting a sustained decibel limit of about 50-55 decibels, or the ambient noise level, with a scheme where someone could be 10 decibels, or so, above the limit for about 10 minutes or 5 decibels above for about 15 minutes. Update on Flood Mitigation Efforts Staff continues to work with the Flood & Drainage Advisory Committee to try discus and consider our options for trying to mitigate the risks from future flooding. This month staff has submitted a proposal to the Texas Department of Emergency Management to fund a phased project to (1) further study the feasibility and environmental impact and (2) potentially fund 75 percent for the proposed $6 million diversion channel. Staff has also been working with Strand Engineering to develop a proposal to examine the feasibility of installing flood gates on the City’s drainage ditches that are connected the Bastrop Bayou. This proposal will be presented to the Flood & Drainage Advisory Committee at their next meeting. Approve items removed from Consent Agenda No items were removed from consent. PUBLIC COMMENTS All public comments will be subject to the following rules: All speakers will be permitted to speak no longer than 3 minutes; all speakers will only be permitted to speak once; speakers cannot defer their 3 minutes to another speaker. Discussion is not allowed on items not posted on the agenda. Pat Taylor, realtor in the area for 34 years, stated she would like to open the door for discussion of a school for Montessori education. A pre-development meeting with staff and the director and funding was held. The developer wants to be on the agenda for use of land 3.14 acre tract of land behind Brazos National Bank. They feel it brings smart growth and tremendous educational growth with students in our area. Hoping to start at around 100 students and would like to grow to around 250 students. Packets were made available for Council to review prior to the next meeting. We’re so proud to be here. EXECUTIVE SESSION in accordance with Subchapter D of the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government code Section 551.001, et. Seq., to review and consider the following: Under authority of Section 551.074 to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; or to hear a complaint or a charge against an officer or employee: Police Chief appointment Under authority of Sec. 551.072. to deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property: Property located along the Magnolia Lane right of way in Glenwood Subdivision also identified as property 211913 by the Brazoria County Appraisal District Mayor Guthrie convened into executive session at 7:21 p.m. RECONVENE FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION and take action on the following: Mayor Guthrie reconvened to open session at 8:03 p.m. To deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; or to hear a complaint or a charge against an officer or employee: Police Chief appointment On motion by Sarah Reed second by Katie Johnson with all present members voting “aye” Stephen Mayer was appointed as Chief of Police. To deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property: Property located along the Magnolia Lane right of way in Glenwood Subdivision also identified as property 211913 by the Brazoria County Appraisal District On motion by Sarah Reed second by Frank Blanks, with all present members voting “aye” the lease of property located along the Magnolia Lane right of way in Glenwood Subdivision also identified as property 211913 was approved for use to develop drainage for the new residential development with exception to complying with all other City requirements. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT Staff will be busy working on the proposed budget for FY 2018-2019 over the next few weeks. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS No items were recommended. COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS & REPORTS Sarah Reed stated she was extremely proud of the Police Department. MAYOR’S REPORT Mayor Guthrie asked that staff make sure we’re doing things safely and keeping our employees safe. He also advised staff to review the plan in the event of a natural disaster or emergency. He reiterate how productive the workshop on Saturday, June 2 was and stated he feels very confident with current Council. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m. These minutes were read and approved on this 9th day of July, 2018. Mark Guthrie, Mayor Attest: Giani Cantu, City Secretary