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CITY OF BUNKER HILL VILLAGE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BUNKER HILL VILLAGE, TEXAS NOVEMBER 18, 2008 – 5:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Essary called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 11977 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas. Present: Also in Attendance: Mayor Derry D. Essary Ruthie Sager, City Administrator Councilman Keith Brown Loren Smith, City Attorney Councilman Dave Ellis Kelly Johnson, City Secretary Councilwoman Cooky Mays Steve Smith, Director of Public Works Councilwoman Susan Schwartz Councilman Jay Smyre A boy scout, Alex Hotze a ninth grader at St. Thomas High School, was asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. II. GREET GUESTS, MAYORS’ REPORT A. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING COST ESTIMATE FOR PHASE I LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND SIGNAGE FOR THE GESSNER ROAD PARK IN THE AMOUNT OF $11,736.00; $1,650 FOR CAD DRAWINGS; $9,900 FOR SIGNAGE AND $2,800 FOR ELECTRICAL SERVICE Mayor Essary presented Phase I of the Gessner Road Park which includes the sign, lighting, irrigation, and the boring under Memorial Drive. The Mayor stated Phase I will be expensed from the 2009 budget. Motion was made by Councilman Ellis and seconded by Councilwoman Mays to approve moving forward as outlined in the amount of $26,086 under item II A on the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. B. SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATIVE REPORT PRESENTED AT THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO Mayor Essary said probably the most interesting session he attended was the legislative agenda for general law cities concerning caps on appraisals and revenue. Mayor Essary said he heard of the 800+ cities in TML the average percentage attributable to ad valorem taxes is 45%. He said if you contrast that to Bunker Hill Village ours is more on the order of 90% ad valorem taxes. The Mayor stated that other cities are thinking about it in terms of “it could hurt us" but they could make up the difference in franchise fees or sales tax. That is obviously not an option for Bunker Hill Village. Councilman Ellis stated he attended a TMRS session. He was very impressed with the new executive director and hoped they will straighten things out. Councilman Smyre stated his general observation was that it was a weak conference. C. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING REQUEST FROM THE CITY OF PINEY POINT VILLAGE FOR BUNKER HILL VILLAGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ANNUAL CAROL TREE CELEBRATION BY FUNDING PARTIAL PAYMENT FOR SNOW IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,500 Motion was made by Councilman Brown and seconded by Councilwoman Mays to approve $1,500 to participate in the annual Carol Tree celebration. Motion carried 5-0. D. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING CANCELLATION OF DECEMBER 2008 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Motion was made by Councilman Smyre and seconded by Councilman Ellis to approve cancelling the December 2008 regular council meeting. Motion carried 5-0. E. DISCUSSION OF ANNUAL HOLIDAY DINNER ON DECEMBER 16, 2008 Mayor Essary wanted to remind council that on December 16, 2008, Bunker Hill was having their annual holiday dinner with city staff, boards, and commissions. F. RIGHT-OF-WAY AND CLEAN-UP ISSUE ON GREENBAY SOUTH OF FLINTDALE ROAD AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT ON THE RIGHT-OF-WAY FROM COACHMAN TO GREENBAY Mr. Smith stated that currently the section of Greenbay south of Flintdale Road is designated on city maps as a private street. Mr. Smith did research on this item and found it is a public street not a private street. Mayor Essary stated the significance of this is that it is the city’s responsibility to clean up and maintain that section of Greenbay. III. COUNCILMEMBER KEITH BROWN TO REPORT ON NOVEMBER 5, 2008 MEETING REGARDING ISSUES RELATED TO HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT W151 DRAINAGE STRUCTURE WHICH IS LOCATED WEST OF STREY LANE Councilman Brown attended a meeting on the morning of November 5th with Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) regarding drainage issues as relating to W151. Councilman Brown said HCFCD finally acknowledged they’ve been working with inaccurate data. Councilman Brown stated HCFCD did a half of dozen different variations on how to resolve the flooding problems with W151. He stated that some of the alternatives involved either eliminating or cutting back the benches that exist in the channels now. All of the scenarios HCFCD presented at the meeting involved increasing the size of the storm sewers along Taylorcrest and Barryknoll and finding retention areas north of Taylorcrest. The ideal areas for the retention ponds were at the mall and possibly Bunker Hill Elementary. Councilman Brown was very appreciative that HCFCD realized there is a drainage problem north of Bunker Hill. All of the scenarios are based on a 10 year flood event. He also stated the bad news was that all the ideas were very expensive. More expensive than our bonding capacity and we would have to look to other funding sources. Councilman Brown said after the first of the year he would like HCFCD to present all the different alternatives to council for discussion. Mayor Essary said that the encouraging thing in the meeting for him was that they talked about what they had seen before, during and after Hurricane Ike and the fact that Bunker Hill Village saw sheet flooding on September 13th as a breach from the channel. IV. CONSENT AGENDA: “ALL MATTERS LISTED UNDER CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND WILL BE ENACTED BY ONE MOTION, THERE WILL NOT BE SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF THESE ITEMS. IF DISCUSSION IS DESIRED, THAT ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND WILL BE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY” A. MINUTES OF THE FOLLOWING MEETINGS: OCTOBER 21, 2008 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING B. OCTOBER 2008 FINANCIAL REPORT C. KLOTZ ASSOCIATES, INVOICE NO. 1008116 DATED OCTOBER 22, 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $386.37 IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLANNING MEETING FOR W151 DRAINAGE STRUCTURE D. AAA ASPHALT APPLICATION FOR PAYMENT #5 DATED NOVEMBER 13, 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $195,335.94 FOR MEMORIAL DRIVE IMPROVEMENTS E. LANGFORD ENGINEERING, INC., INVOICE NO. 14097, DATED NOVEMBER 12, 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $11,513.91 FOR SURFACE WATER SUPPLY TO WATER PLANT #2 AT CITY HALL F. LANGFORD ENGINEERING INC., INVOICE NO. 14098, DATED NOVEMBER 12, 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $204.39 FOR SURFACE WATER RATE ANALYSIS G. LANGFORD ENGINEERING INC., INVOICE NO. 14099, DATED NOVEMBER 12, 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $613.15 FOR REWORK OF WATER WELL NO. 2 Motion was made by Councilwoman Mays and seconded by Councilwoman Schwartz to approve the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried 5-0. V. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS Bob Newman presented a thank you note from the residents on Chapel Belle Lane for achieving the excellent “AAA” bond rating from Standard & Poor’s. VI. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF BUNKER HILL VILLAGE, TEXAS, BY DELETING ALL OF SECTION 16-26 OF ARTICLE II OF CHAPTER 16 THEREOF AND SUBSTITUTING THEREFOR A NEW SECTION 16-26; ESTABLISHING RATES TO BE CHARGED BY THE CITY FOR WATER, SANITARY SEWER AND SOLID WASTE SERVICES; REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT OR IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY The Mayor stated at the last council meeting Mr. Smith went over the numbers and what is being presented is the same as what was previously discussed. Mayor Essary said that Bunker Hill Village has been running the Water Department at a break even to slight deficit until this year with the well repairs that cost $250,000. The Mayor also stated that as Mayor and Council they have a fiduciary responsibility to keep a healthy water system. Councilman Ellis asked if Bunker Hill was still relatively lower to City of Houston and very competitive to Memorial Water Authority, the Mayor answered yes. Motion was made by Councilman Ellis and seconded by Councilman Smyre to approve the rates as presented in ordinance 08-378. Motion carried 5-0. VII. REPORT FROM STEVE SMITH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS A. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING SPECIFICATIONS FOR DUMP TRUCK SCHEDULED FOR DELIVERY IN 2009 Mr. Smith stated Bunker Hill Village has in the 2009 budget $66,000 for the purchase of a dump truck. Mr. Smith stated the cost of a new dump truck through HGAC would be $49,199. Mr. Smith said once Bunker Hill Village orders the dump truck it would take 30-45 days before delivery. Mr. Smith said that time frame would put us in the 2009 budget year. Motion was made by Councilman Ellis and seconded by Councilwoman Schwartz to approve the expenditure of $49,199 for the purchase of the dump truck as recommended. Motion carried 5-0. B. PUBLIC HEARING - UPDATE ON STORMWATER PROTECTION PROGRAM INCLUDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTICIPATION FROM THE AUDIENCE Mr. Smith wanted to make council aware and to meet legal requirements as part of the Storm Water Protection Program that Bunker Hill Village has filed their annual report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Mr. Smith said one of the things Bunker Hill Village has to do is to mention in meetings, like we have been doing, that Bunker Hill Village is moving forward with the Ground Water Protection Plan. Mr. Smith also stated that early in 2009 inserts will go out in the water bills to let the public know more about what is going on to protect our waterways. C. COMPLETION OF INFRASTRUCTURE AT GREYTON PLACE SUBDIVISION Mr. Smith stated the first punch list has been developed for Greyton Place. He stated essentially the project is complete. The infrastructure is complete. Mr. Smith said Mr. Abercrombie is currently constructing the fences and walls as we speak. Mr. Smith stated they will probably start seeing homes when the city gives them the okay on the infrastructure. D. UPDATE ON REPAIRS TO WATER WELL #2 LOCATED BEHIND CITY HALL Mr. Smith stated he received word today that the water well behind city hall has been tested and is ready to go back on line and supply drinking water. Councilman Smyre asked about the screen testing and what was found. Mr. Smith said they did flow testing and found no substantial variances from top to bottom. E. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING REPAIRS TO APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET OF CONCRETE PAVEMENT, SOUTH OF GESSNER ON THE NORTHBOUND SIDE OF THE STREET Mr. Smith stated from the Memorial Drive Overlay Project Bunker Hill Village has $72,000 left to spend. Mr. Smith is requesting that the remaining funds be used to repair approximately 1,500 feet of concrete on Gessner Road, south of Memorial Drive where there has been substantial concrete failure. Ms. Sager said they hoped to repair approximately 1,500 feet but with the walls and driveways that have been built, the cost would exceed $72,000. Mr. Smith stated that he was requesting to do as much as possible with available funds. Motion was made by Councilwoman Mays and seconded by Councilman Smyre to approve using the money to repair concrete on Gessner Road, south of Memorial Drive. Motion carried 5-0. VIII. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING RECONCILIATION OF DUE TO/FROM ACCOUNTS Ms. Johnson stated the due to/from accounts have been on the balance sheet prior to 2002. She said it appears that the expenditures were posted and coded correctly but the way the accounting system works the actual money was not transferred from the bank accounts. She stated she spoke in depth with the auditors and their recommendation was to clean up the accounts by a money transfer or writing off the accounts and show a loss. It was her recommendation to do the transfers and clean up the accounts. The Mayor also recommended doing the transfer. Motion was made by Councilman Ellis and seconded by Councilwoman Schwartz to approve the transfers as proposed under tab VIII. Motion carried 5-0. IX. FIRE COMMISSIONER’S REPORT A. PERSONNEL INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR 2009 Councilman Brown stated that the Fire Commission approved insurance for 2009. This was done through the Villages Insurance Coop with a 15% increase from last year. B. UPDATE ON ACTION REGARDING TEXAS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM UPDATED SERVICE CREDITS Councilman Brown said the Fire Department is virtually the only entity in TMRS that is not approving automatically the updated service credits and cost of living adjustments to TMRS. He said instead the decision has been made to attempt to use that amount of money to reduce the Village Fire Departments total debt to TMRS due to the fact when the Village Fire Department came into the TMRS system they incurred a lot of debt. Councilman Brown stated the Commission suspended the updated service credits and the cost of living adjustments. C. SUB-COMMITTEE REVIEW OF BY-LAWS No discussion D. SUB-COMMITTEE REVIEW OF ADMINISTRATIVE RULES OF PROCEDURE No discussion E. BIDS RECEIVED FOR 2008 AUDIT Councilman Brown stated they put out for bid their annual audit. He stated they received three bids back. Warren and Assoc. were the low bidders and they do all the other work for the Village Fire Department so the Commission elected to go with the next bid from Belt & Harris for the annual audit. It will cost approximately $2,000 more. F. SUCCESSION PLANNING Councilman Brown and Councilman Smyre both stated they were told there is a succession plan but it was in Chief Calagna’s head. Councilman Brown stated there was a lot of work to be done in the next 18 months to determine who would be the best Chief. X. POLICE COMMISSIONER’S REPORT A. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING 2008 BUDGET AMENDMENT #1 TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF $123,425.00 FROM HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR PURCHASE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT Chief Brye asked Council to approve budget amendment #1 in the amount of $123,425. He stated it was money that has been secured from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to buy capital items that will not need to be funded in the future by tax dollars. Councilman Ellis commended Memorial Villages Police Department senior staff for securing the funds. Motion was made by Councilwoman Mays and seconded by Councilwoman Schwartz to approve. Motion carried 5-0. B. PERSONNEL INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR 2009 Chief Brye stated the insurance bids came in and based on their agent she is recommending to stay with the current carrier. The bids came back slightly higher offering three different health insurance plans. The three medical plans included a HMO, PPO, and a Health Care Savings Account. The increase was approximately 5% from last year. The Mayor asked Chief Brye what the difference between their plan and the Village Fire Department was. The chief stated aggregate the Police Department insurance costs were less however our HMO costs were higher and our PPO costs were lower and the Village Fire Department did not offer a Health Care Savings Account. The Village Fire Department increase was 15% where the increase for the Village Police Department was 5%. XI. CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT A. FIRST SOUTHWEST HOLDINGS, INC. TO MERGE WITH PLAINSCAPITAL CORPORATION Ms. Sager said she was a little concerned when she saw that First Southwest Holdings, Inc. merged with Plains Capital Corp. She spoke with Drew Masterson and he assured her he was not going anywhere and that the merger would not do anything but help First Southwest. B. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING OFFICE CLOSURE ON DECEMBER 26 Ms. Sager said our policy states that Christmas Eve is a holiday. She stated that employees requested instead of taking Christmas Eve as a holiday they wanted to switch it to that Friday creating a four day weekend. Motion was made by Councilman Ellis and seconded by Councilwoman Schwartz to approve the recommendation to move the holiday from the 24th to the 26th for the calendar year 2008. Motion carried 5-0. C. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING EMPLOYEE INSURANCE COVERAGE Ms. Sager stated that the city pays 100% of employee’s coverage and 50% of dependent care coverage. Councilman Ellis stated this was the first year Bunker Hill Village was offering their employee’s a Health Care Savings Account (HSA). Councilman Ellis stated a feature that is being proposed with the Health Care Savings Account is the city putting an agreed upon amount in the employee’s account to help offset the higher deductible. He stated the HSA is a PPO plan with a high deductible and no co-pays. The money that goes into the employee’s account stays with them. Motion was made by Councilman Ellis and seconded by Councilman Brown to approve as presented under tab XI. Motion carried 5-0. XII. WORKSHOP SESSION A. PLANS FOR ANNUAL RETREAT 1. 2009/2010 COUNCIL/STAFF FOCUS/GOALS No action taken B. POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT 1. SUCCESSION PLANNING No action taken 2. 2010 BUDGET PROCESS No action taken 3. OPERATIONAL REVIEW No action taken XIII. ADJOURN Motion was made by Councilwoman Mays and seconded by Councilwoman Schwartz to adjourn the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Motion carried 5-0.
Approved and accepted on January 20, 2009.
_______________________________________ DERRY D. ESSARY, Mayor ATTEST:
_______________________________________ Kelly Johnson, City Secretary
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