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CITY OF SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
JANUARY 3, 2006 7:00 p.m.
Mayor Clay Walker called the regular meeting of the Sulphur Springs City Council to order at 6:17 p.m. Councilman Brown moved to adjourn to executive session in accordance with Texas Government Code 551.074, deliberations on personnel matters, specifically relating to the Human Resources Director and the Airport/Tourism Director. Councilman Larry Powers seconded the motion. There was no one present to speak to the issue. The vote was unanimous. The following council members and staff were present:
Mayor Clay Walker Mayor Pro Tem Freddie Taylor Councilman Garry Jordan Councilman Joe Crouch Councilman Larry Powers Councilman Chris Brown Councilwoman Yolanda Williams
Staff: Marc Maxwell, City Manager Gale Roberts, City Secretary James Litzler – Acting City Attorney Johnny Vance, Dir. Community Development – 7:00 p.m. Peter Karstens, Finance Director – 7:00 p.m. Craig Vaughn, Director of Utilities – 7:00 p.m. Robert Lee – Assistant Director of Utilities – 7:00 p.m. Gordon Frazier – Assistant to the City Manager – 7:00 p.m. Joey Baker – Airport Manager – 7:00 p.m.
OPEN SESSION Mayor Walker reconvened the meeting in open session at 7:00 p.m.
PLEDGE AND INVOCATION Mayor Walker led in the pledge to the flag and Councilman Garry Jordan led the invocation.
MANAGER’S REPORT
COOPER LAKE – Cooper Lake is now more than 11 feet low. We’ll be reviewing our drought contingency plan on a staff level this month. We may be looking at water conservation measures as early as this spring.
In the meantime we will continue to pump from Cooper Lake for as long as we can which should be at about 25 feet below full. A word of caution, the last 15 feet will go quicker than the first 10 feet.
When Cooper Lake is 25 feet low, it will be time to switch to Lake Sulphur Springs water. Lake Sulphur Springs is currently 4 feet low, and it should yield about a 9-month’s supply of water if we are conserving.
OLD LIBRARY BUILDING - It looks like the County Commissioners aren’t interested in the old library building after all. The estimates came in at $1.1 million. According to Judge Millsap, that would not cover the cost of a complete restoration. So, where do we go from here?
The downtown revitalization plan, which is on the agenda tonight, calls for the restoration of this grand old building. Indeed, if we are serious about downtown redevelopment it is important for us to set an example. The old library building and the fountain should both be restored. This would be a good discussion topic for a future meeting.
WHITWORTH REALIGNMENT – The Whitworth Street project is nearly
completed. I This is not a part of our capital improvements plan. The project is a result of a prior agreement between the City, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and Kansas City Southern (KCS). Under the agreement, the City would close Magnolia Street and realign Whitworth Street. TXDOT and KCS would reimburse the City for the cost of the Magnolia Street, and Whitworth Street projects, and they would install crossing arms at the remaining crossings in town.
The estimated cost of the Whitworth Street project is $235,046. The Magnolia Street project was completed last summer.
The completion of these projects along with the new crossing arms should significantly reduce the number of train crossing casualties over time.
TATE STREET - Work continues on this street replacement and utilities project. The City is replacing 450 feet of Tate between League and Craig with reinforced concrete. We are also installing an underground drainage system and performing some minor utility work. The drainage work is completed, and the Capital Construction Division is presently working on the road base. This project has a budget of $101,300.
AIRPORT TAXIWAYS AND SEWER - The Capital Construction Division has completed construction of 375 feet of new taxiway and 550 feet of new sewer improvements at the Municipal Airport. The total cost of this project was budgeted at $36,500. I expect the project to come in on budget, but I won’t have actual cost figures for another month or so. A TXDOT grant paid for 50% of the project.
MARK STREET - Next up will be a complete reconstruction (reinforced concrete) of Mark Street. This project has a budget of $203,900 which includes water and sewer improvements and some drainage improvements.
ACCIDENTS AND CLAIMS - We had one minor liability claim in December. A woman was bitten by a stray dog at Buford Park, and she filed a claim against the City. I expect TML to deny the claim.
A city employee strained his back while fueling an aircraft. After a couple of days he was back at work with a few restrictions.
SENIOR CITIZENS BUILDING - I converted the Senior Citizens Center Coordinator Position to a full-time position in December. I had resisted this move for quite awhile, but it became apparent resistance was futile. Much of the responsibility for the operation of the Meal-a-Day program has fallen to the City. The result is that our coordinator, Karon Weatherman, was working full-time anyway.
FINANCIAL REPORT - Finance Director, Peter Karstens will present a year-to-date summary of revenues and expenditures.
MISCELLANEOUS – Elsewhere around the City, employees:
CONSENT AGENDAThe following items on the Consent Agenda were reviewed: Consider for approval: regular City Council minutes of December 6, 2005; Planning and Zoning Commission minutes of December 19, 2005; Zoning Board of Adjustments minutes of December 20, 2005; Park and Recreation minutes of November 17, 2005; Tourism and Promotion minutes of August 10, August 31, September 28, October 19, November 2, and November 30, 2005; and the Economic Development Corporation minutes of December 19, 2005. Councilman Jordan moved to approve the consent agenda as presented. Mayor Pro Tem Taylor seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON PUBLIC HEARING FOR SECOND AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 2429 PROPOSING TO ANNEX 3.432 ACRES OF LAND CONTAINING SEVEN LOTS THAT ADJOIN THE STONEBRIAR PHASE II ADDITION A public hearing was held for the second and final reading of Ordinance No. 2429 which annexes 3.432 acres of land containing seven lots that adjoin the Stonebriar Addition Phase II. This property has been divided into seven lots and these lots are a part of the approved plat. The property is contiguous and within the extra territorial jurisdiction of the City of Sulphur Springs, Texas. This ordinance extends the boundaries of said city so as to include the described property within the city limits, and granting to said territory and all future inhabitants of said property all of the rights and privileges of other citizens and binding future inhabitants by all of the acts and ordinances of the said city, as requested by petition of the property owner. There was no one present to speak to the annexation. Councilman Powers moved to approve the ordinance on second and final reading as presented. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE SECOND AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 2431 REZONING PROPERTY LOCATED AT 203 RADIO ROAD Jay McClendon has requested to rezone property located at 203 Radio Road, being further described as Lot 12 of Block 204-1 from Multiple Family (MF) to Light Commercial (LC). Community Development Director Johnny Vance presented the staff report. There was no one else to speak to the issue. Councilman Powers moved to approve the ordinance on the second and final reading as presented. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and the vote as follows:
Ayes: Crouch, Taylor, Powers, Brown, and Williams Nays: None. Abstain: Walker, Jordan
The motion carried.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE SECOND AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 2430 REMOVING THE STATUTORY MAXIMUM CONTRIBUTION RATE LIMIT This ordinance removes the statutory maximum contribution rate limit which is imposed on the state limit so we can continue to fully fund the retirement benefit. There was no one to speak to the issue. Councilman Powers moved to approve the ordinance on the second and final reading as presented. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON SPECIFIC USE PERMIT REQUEST FOR 1495 EAST INDUSTRIAL DRIVE Sucha Dhillon, owner of the Days Inn, has requested a Specific Use Permit for the Bright Star private beverage club. The facility is located at 1495 East Industrial Drive and is zoned Light Industrial which meets the requirements to apply for a Specific Use Permit. Sucha Dhillon and Joe Lang were available to answer questions. There was no one else to speak to the issue. Councilman Powers moved to approve the Specific Use Permit. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and the vote was as follows:
Ayes: Powers, Brown, Walker, Crouch, and Williams Nayes: Jordan, Taylor
The motion carried.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON FINAL PLAT OF LAKE PARK ESTATES Gary and Deborah Stokes have requested to replat property located east of Reservoir Street and south of Booker Street, being further described as Lot 16R of Block 23-3 into six (6) lots. This is a revised approach to the previous 8-lot plan of this area. The plat complies with the subdivision ordinance. Community Development Director Johnny Vance presented the staff report. There was no one else to speak to the issue. Councilman Powers moved to approve the final replat. Councilman Jordan seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON RESOLUTION NO. 906 AUTHORIZING APPLICATION FOR THE TEXAS RECREATION AND PARKS ACCOUNT SMALL COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM AND APPOINTING A DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE This resolution authorizes the City of Sulphur Springs to make application for the Texas Recreation and Parks account small community grants program and appoints the City Manager as the designated representative. The City Council has approved $100,000 for Buford Park improvements. This grant is $50,000 and the city would have to match the $50,000. In essence this would give us an extra $50,000 for park improvements. There was no one to speak to the issue. Councilman Jordan moved to approve Resolution No. 906 as presented. Councilman Powers seconded and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON RESOLUTION NO. 907 DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION MASTER PLAN The Downtown Revitalization Master Plan will set standards for revitalization and provide the city with a comprehensive plan for going forward with other ordinances and resolutions to make the downtown area a thriving business and residential community within Sulphur Springs. Director of Community Development Johnny Vance presented the staff report. Mr. Vance also commended the Planning and Zoning Commission for their work on the plan. Councilman Brown commended Johnny Vance and his staff for their hard work on the plan. There was a general discussion regarding the issue. There was no one else to speak to the issue. Councilman Brown moved to approve Resolution No.907 as presented. Councilman Powers seconded and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON CREATION OF AN AIRPORT/TOURISM DEPARTMENT AND THE APPOINTMENT OF JOEY BAKER AS AIRPORT/TOURISM DIRECTOR Creating an Airport/Tourism Department and appointing Joey Baker as Director would allow the city to fund half of Mr. Baker’s salary from the airport and the other half from hotel occupancy tax revenues. This would leave extra money available for the airport and for tourism. It would allow us to finally open the airport terminal on Sundays and it would also leave money for the promotion of events in Sulphur Springs. Mayor Walker indicated this was a great idea and Mayor Pro Tem Taylor stated he would like to see more retail. There was a general discussion regarding the issue. There was no one to speak to the issue. Councilman Jordan moved to create an Airport/Tourism Department and appoint Joey Baker as Airport/Tourism Director. Mayor Pro Tem Taylor seconded and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON CREATION OF A HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT AND THE APPOINTMENT OF GORDON FRAZIER AS HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR The Human Resources Department would be a 1-person department responsible for the development and implementation of safety policies and procedures. If Gordon Frazier were appointed as Director, his duties would be expanded to include safety. The department head status would give him the power to shut a job down if any egregious safety risks were present. There was a general discussion regarding the issue. There was no one else to speak to the issue. Mayor Pro Tem Taylor moved to create a Human Resources Department and appoint Gordon Frazier as Human Resources Director. Councilman Jordan seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
DISCUSSION/ACTION ON BIDS AND AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR WATER TOWER REPAIR AND PAINTING The city advertised for bids to clean, repair, repaint, and prepare to return to service the College Street water tower, install cathodic protection in the College Street water tower, install cathodic protection in the Carter Street water tower, and an alternate bid to repaint the Coleman Park water tower. Utility Service Company in Houston, Texas, submitted the low bid for the work. Councilman Crouch moved to approve the low bids for the work to be performed on the College Street and Carter Street water towers in the amount of $299,200 but not the alternate bid for repainting the Coleman Park water tower. Councilman Powers seconded and the vote was unanimous. + DISCUSSION/ACTION ON RENEWAL OF ANTENNA LEASE AGREEMENT CITY NATIONAL BANK Finance Director Peter Karstens presented the staff report. This is a renewal of the non-exclusive agreement with City National Bank to use the Carter Street water tower for communications antenna. There was no one else to speak to the issue. Councilman Crouch moved to approve the agreement as presented. Councilman Powers seconded and the vote was unanimous.
VISITORS/PUBLIC FORUM City Manager Marc Maxwell welcomed Joey Baker and Gordon Frazier to their new positions. The Mayor and City Council concurred and welcomed them as well.
Mayor Pro Tem Taylor wanted information about Certificates of Occupancy and the City Manager Marc Maxwell explained that in order to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy a building has to be safe. Director of Community Development Johnny Vance stated that there is a list available at the Service Center but that it is not all-inclusive.
ADJOURN With all business complete the meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m. |
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