04-12-2016 MinutesMINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
April 12, 2016
A Regular Meeting was held by the Schertz City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas, on April 12,
2016, at 6:00 p.m., in the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex Council Chambers, 1400 Schertz
Parkway, Building #4, Schertz, Texas. The following members present to -wit:
Mayor Michael Carpenter
Councilmember Grumpy Azzoz
Councilmember Robin Thompson
Staff Present:
Executive Director Dudley Wait
City Secretary Brenda Dennis
Councilmember Fowler was absent.
Call to Order — City Council Regular Session
Mayor Pro -Tem Cedric Edwards
Councilmember Daryl John
Executive Director Brian James
City Attorney Charlie Zech
Assistant to the City Manager Sarah Gonzalez
Mayor Carpenter called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Opening Prayer and Pledges of Allegiance to the Flags of the United States and State of Texas.
(Councilmember John)
Councilmember John provided the opening prayer followed by the pledges of allegiance to the flags
of the United States and the State of Texas.
Mayor Carpenter announced that those students here this evening who are participating in the Hal
Baldwin Scholarship program, to please be sure to sign in on the sheet in the vestibule or see the City
Secretary.
City Events and Announcements
Announcements of upcoming City Events (B. James/D. Wait/S. Gonzalez)
Mayor Carpenter recognized Assistant to the City Manager Sarah Gonzalez who provided the
following announcements:
• Thursday, April 14, Northeast Partnership (NEP) Meeting, Olympia Hills Golf
Course and Conference Center, Universal City, 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, April 14, Community Volunteer Fair, Schertz Civic Center, 5:30 -7:00 p.m.
Visit Schertz.com under the events tab for a list of participating vendors.
• Friday, April 15, Ribbon Cutting, Charlotte's Country, 820 Main St., 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 19, The Chamber monthly luncheon, Schertz Civic Center, 11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, April 20, Blood Drive, in front of Community Center, 8:00 -11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, April 21, The Chamber Monthly Mixer (Re/Max Corridor), 17156 IH -35
North, 5:30 -7:00 p.m.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 1 -
• Friday, April 22, Lions Club Casino Night, Schertz Civic Center, 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 23 & Sunday, April 24, Aviation Heights Cleanup Day, Pickrell
Park Baseball Field, 8:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m.
• Announcements and recognitions by City Manager (J. Kessel)
Mayor Carpenter recognized City Manager John Kessel who stated he wanted to highlight
Fire Marshal John Perry who recently assisted a company with a problem with their Fire
Sprinkler System. Fire Marshal Perry was instrumental in solving their issues. Mr. Kessel
thanked him for his assistance.
Mr. Kessel also stated on a sad note, this is Ms. Cindy Raleigh's last City Council meeting
with the City of Schertz. He stated that he is proud of the work that she has done and now she
will be leaving us to do similar work closer to home. Mr. Kessel stated she will be missed and
wished her well. Mayor and Council concurred.
Mayor Carpenter stated that he would like to move the next item to the end of the agenda.
• Announcements by Mayor and Councilmembers
• City and community events attended and to be attended
• City Council Committee and Liaison Assignments (see assignments below)
• Continuing education events attended and to be attended
• Recognition of actions by City employees
• Recognition of actions by community volunteers
Proclamation
• Proclamation recognizing the week of April 10 — 16'b as National Public Safety
Telecommunicators Week. (Mayor/M. Hansen/R. Rutkowski)
Mayor Carpenter read and presented the proclamation to Police Communications Manager
Ronnie Rutkowski and staff members present. Mayor Carpenter commented on the great job
they do for the City and thanked staff for their hard work and dedication. Communications
Manager Ronnie Rutkowski also thanked his staff.
Presentations:
Mayor. Carpenter stated that staff indicated that the Wilenchik CTRC check presentation and awards
presentation is not ready and will be on the next meeting's agenda.
• Check presentation to CTRC regarding proceeds from the 2016 Wilenchik Walk/Run. (J.
Kessel/L. Klepper/M. Spence)
Mayor Carpenter announced that staff has postponed this item to the next meeting.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 2 -
• Presentation awards regarding the 2016 Wilenchik Walk/Run. (J. Kessel /L. Klepper/M.
Spence.
Mayor Carpenter announced that staff has postponed this item to the next meeting.
• Sweetheart Court Fiesta Medal Presentation. (J. Kessel/L. Klepper/E. Matlock/M. Spence)
Mayor Carpenter recognized Events Manager Mary Spence who introduced Miss Schertz,
Morgan Gaitan, Miss Jubilee Regina Deason, and Miss Friendly City Sydney Fischer who
came forward thanking the City for the opportunity to serve as their 2016 Sweetheart Court ,
highlighting events they attended and were involved in. Miss Schertz Morgan Gaitan invited
Mayor and Council and those in attendance to attend the upcoming April 23, 2016 Fiesta
Flambeau parade. Ms. Spence stated that this year as in the past, the Sweethearts designed the
City's Fiesta Medal and this year's them was "Long Live Texas ". The Sweethearts provided
each member of Council and those present with their designed Fiesta medal. Mayor and
Council thanked the Sweethearts for serving as ambassadors this year for the City.
HearinI4 of Residents
Mayor Carpenter recognized the following who spoke:
• Ms. Jeanne "Wiederstein Rawe, 7993 Trainer Hale Road who spoke in opposition of the
proposed Woman Hollering Creek Wastewater line project, providing her comments on
how it would damage their land that has been in the family for many years.
She stated that in November of 2015 the property that has been in their family for many
years received the designation of a Texas Family Heritage Farm by the State of Texas and
the Texas Department of Agriculture for having continuous agricultural production by the
same family for 100 years. She stated that their family has continued the desire to farm
this land as their great- grandfather envisioned 100 years ago. Their family has worked the
land producing crops, raising livestock, planting trees and providing an environment for
wildlife. The sewer line project is not condoned by their family. She stated that they had
no say in this project running through their land. It will scar and disrupt everyday farm
activity during construction. She expressed her concern regarding the manhole covers that
will be every 500 feet, not to mention the possible malfunction of the line and
contamination of the creek and soil. She stated that they rely on the creek every day for
watering their livestock. She stated that she sees this as poor planning allowing large
subdivisions to build with no plans for sewer treatment prior to the first house being built.
She indicated that the developers have big money so why can't the treatment plant be in
their backyard. She stated that they will not benefit from this project whatsoever. She
stated that they did allow the survey crew on their property to do a GPS survey. They
provided transportation with their ATV; ladders and cutting tools. She stated that on two
other occasions they did not show up as promised, and no phone calls were made. Two
days of work were lost waiting on them; they have little trust in the engineering company.
She asked did anyone ever think of how this would affect them living there, do you want
this in your backyard? When you mark down the feelings of this landowner, put her down .
as heartbroken and mad.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 3 -
• Miss C.C. Myers with Kung Jung Mu Sul who came forward providing information on
their recent activities as well as invited Council to their upcoming promotion events.
Mayor Carpenter commented that one of the tenants of their organization is an abdominal
spirt and he recognized and commended C.C. for coming this evening.
Workshop
• Conduct a Public Hearing and presentation/discussion regarding the Woman Hollering Creek
Wastewater Line Project. (B. James/K. Woodlee /C. Raleigh)
PH
Mayor Carpenter recognized Public Works Project Manager Cindy Raleigh and City Engineer
Kathy Woodlee who provided a Power Point discussion regarding the Woman Hollering
Creek Wastewater Line Project.
Ms. Raleigh provided the following information:
Project Information:
• Wastewater line is to feed the new CCMA Wastewater Treatment Plant and will serve
the Southern Sewer shed.
• The City and CCMA are building this plant together.
• Completion date is set for mid -year 2017 — the plant cannot come online without this
wastewater line in place.
• Consists of a gravity main, force main, and one lift- station.
• This project is necessary to provide sewer service to the areas in Southern Schertz.
Septic Systems are not an option due to experience with failures.
• Estimated Project Cost: $5.9 Million
• Council awarded a contract for Engineering & Design to Cobb Fendley & Associates
on September 29, 2015.
Engineering & Design Phase:
• First step: Acquire Right -of -Entry from 26 property owners. This allows the surveyor
to enter the property and conduct testing.
- Testing includes line location confirmation, geotechnical testing and
environmental testing
- 26 properties are affected by this project
- 20 Rights -of -Entry have been acquired
- 1 Property Owner initially indicated interest but has since become
nonresponsive: 2 Property Owners have been nonresponsive; 3 have
indicated their unwillingness to grant permission to enter.
- Staff is working with the Property Owners and Cobb Fendley to resolve the
missing permissions to enter.
- Not acquiring Rights -of -Entry could be problematic, but historically the
City has had these issues with other projects.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 4 -
Concerns Expressed by Property Owners:
( Not interested in development of the area; rural and farmland and will remain as such.
• Environmental concerns:
Will the property be destroyed and trees removed?
Will wetlands be disturbed?
What about the risk of sewer line breakages and backups?
• Will property taxes increase?
• Will there be manholes and other structures on the property?
• What about the safety and privacy of our property and equipment during the survey and
construction phase?
Staff actions and response:
• Staff held a public forum at the Council Chambers to address questions from affected
property owners.
• Staff met with property owners one -on -one at City Offices, businesses and at private
residences per property owner requests.
• Property owners requested that staff look into alternative routes for the line that would
avoid affecting their property.
Mayor Carpenter recognized City Engineer Kathy Woodlee who came forward addressing the
proposed Route and the various Alternative Route Evaluations and how it would affect the
areas served. Ms. Woodlee stated that staff is recommending the proposed route. Ms.
Raleigh came forward providing the following next steps:
Next Steps:
• Finish acquiring Rights -of -Entry
• City may have to exercise their right of Eminent Domain
- May include injunction to allow survey on property to proceed
- Staff will return to Council in approximately two weeks to seek approval to proceed (if
necessary)
• Complete Engineering and Design
• Acquire Easements (May include eminent domain actions)
The process of condemnation to acquire property to complete project
• Release project for bid
• Construction
• Complete Goal date — Late 2017
Mayor Carpenter stated that before he opens the public hearing he would like to recognize Boy
Scouts Spencer Behunin and A. J. Walker with Troop 624 who are in the audience this evening.
Mayor and Council welcomed them.
Mayor Carpenter opened the public hearing and recognized the following who spoke:
• Mr. Allen Wiederstein, 8175 Trainer Hale Road, who spoke in opposition of the sewer
project. His concern was of placing manhole eovers on the land and who would be
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 5 -
responsible if any of his cattle breaks a leg? Are you going to put the land back exactly
the way it is now? Another concern is that it is being placed along the creek. Any
breakage can cause his cattle to get sick; is the city going to pay for that? Mr.
Wiederstein stated that he is totally against this project and is sorry that the other
routes won't serve as many as the proposed. He requested that the city consider the
residents that live out in the area and has nothing to do with this wastewater line. He
believes that the developers should find a way to pay to accomplish this and find
another route and not go through their land.
• Mr. Andy Herrera, 8215 Trainer Hale Road, neighbor of Allan, who spoke in
opposition of the project and the disrespect he received and the lies that were told.
• Mr. Reagan Rawe, 7993 Trainer Hale Road, who spoke on the following objections:
- Displeasure of the Management Company and the project management the
city chose
- Displeasure of courtesy seen by the Director of Development and the
Engineering representative
- Destruction and contamination of wetlands and the creek and the projects
impact
- Lack of answering questions by residents that met one - one -one
- Addressed concern regarding a recent breach of leakage on the north line.
• Mr. Rod Ellison, 12762 Woman Hollering who also spoke in opposition. He stated
that they were out of town when their notification came. He stated that he has learned
more from his neighbors and feels he is not getting the full picture and not getting all
the information. He would like a single point of contact who they can address
questions to and have them answered. He would like to know the fall impact of this
project. He stated that he is totally against allowing the line to go through. He
expressed concern regarding the safety and being misled. Again, he requests a single
point of contact that they can speak with regarding the project.
• Ms. Maria Ellison, 12762 Woman Hollering, who also spoke in opposition stating that
they live in the ETJ and that Schertz does not service them other than water and
electricity. She expressed her concern of the city taking their property. She stated that
as she understands it, the cities usually have the lines that run along the side of the
road and not through individual's property. She questions why this is not going to be
placed along 1518 and if the City decides to place the line through their property and
there is a breakage and floods their yard, there's no regaining what they had there
before.
As no one else spoke, Mayor Carpenter closed the public hearing and recognized City
Engineer Kathy Woodlee who began by addressing residents' concerns. Ms. Woodlee stated
they did mail out letters to property owners requesting entry permission. The response
timeframe was kept short so that decisions /progress would not be stalled unnecessarily.
Because they have not done the property surveys yet, staff is unable to address concerns and
questions regarding where the manholes will be, how close they will get to any wetlands, etc.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 6 -
Main sewer trunk lines need to run along a low point in the topography of ground. This is
why they don't just go along the rights -of -way. These are typically laid along creeks.
As for the question regarding who is the single contact person for the property owners to call,
Ms. Woodlee stated it should be her. They did have a point of contact with the consulting firm
to discuss the property acquisition activities. She said they could change that and she would
gladly be the point of contact for everyone moving forward. They will make every effort to
address further concerns. Once they have the survey results, more information will become
available such as, where will these manholes go, what trees will be removed, how deep is it
going to be, and what is my property going to look like afterward. She stated they make
provisions during and after construction to deal with fencing situations, etc. They do as much
as possible to restore the property to its original condition or better.
Mayor Carpenter opened the discussion with Council with the following thoughts:
He stated that this is always a very difficult thing to undertake, whenever we say we are going
to potentially infringe on the rights of a property owner; it is always a challenging position to
take. It is difficult to balance the needs of the community in aggregate- and the rights of
individual property owners. In Texas, the rights of individual property owners are held very
high under the law and well protected. If any proceedings that have gone on to date are
perceived as being rude or declaratory in nature, he apologizes. That is not our desire nor is it
our intended way of doing business. He recognizes the delicate balance that we have in
supporting the interest of the entire community and still supporting, retaining and protecting
the individual rights of the property owners. As Mayor, he has responsibility and if that is
what has happened, he apologizes. He encouraged further commentary from Staff,
Engineering, City Management and Council.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councihnember Thompson who requested to be brought up to
date with the aforementioned line breach in northern Schertz. Executive Director Dudley Wait
responded saying it was about 6 -8 weeks ago that there was a line running from the Schwab
Road area to where we connect with New Braunfels Utility (NBU) for them to process that.
Several thousand gallons of raw sewage were spilled. It occurred because of a failure in the
New Braunfels lift station where we joined it in. The matter was rectified in a few days and
TCEQ was right there with us the whole time. We have since added this line to a list of others
that we do routine inspections on to ensure we don't have a spill that may go unrecognized for
an extended period of time. Councilmember Thompson stated in previous conditions where
trunk lines have been built where cattle are, what precautions or what measures are put in
place to protect the cattle and are such precautions being considered. Ms. Woodlee stated that
during construction, fences would be relocated and they would work with the property owner
to see if there are certain pastures where the cattle could be kept or we could put in temporary
fences to keep them out of the work areas. After construction we will certainly do whatever
the property owner is requesting provided it's reasonable, perhaps putting a fence around
manhole covers would be an option. The property owners would know what is adequate for
their stock. Another option could be that we fence off the entire easement.
Councilmember Thompson also requested that when staff comes back to Council could they
double check the JLUS Study we entered into to see if the development that is coming north
would impact those lines and if so how.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 7 -
Mayor Carpenter recognized Mayor Pro -Tern Edwards who stated he echoed the Mayor's
comments regarding how we do business here in Schertz. He thinks that going forward we
should look into if there are any case studies that show what we do when there is a spill and
how we handle that. He thinks this is something we need to address with the public. The
second thing he heard someone ask earlier was why the developers couldn't contribute. He
wants staff to address this as well. The third thing is he feels the residents, city staff and
CCMA staff should get together and discuss this some more, listen to all concerns; and then
proceed.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember Azzoz who stated he thinks the manholes could
be worked without doing too much harm, but he sees the concern about livestock and the
creek. It is good to preserve what the property owners have had for a hundred years. He hopes
there is an alternative. He doesn't like the words `eminent .domain' and hopes we don't have
to go through that.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember John who echoed Councilman Azzoz' concern
over eminent domain use. He would definitely like to explore any other possible options.
In response to Mayor Pro -Tern Edwards question about the number of properties who are not
willing to participate, City Engineer Kathy Woodlee stated these are property owners who are
not even willing to grant the `right of entry' to just do the survey. Staff has tried to make it
clear this is not a right of easement, but simply just a right to do the surveys so they can
determine for sure that they are doing this in the right locations while avoiding trees and
wetlands, thus establishing the easements in just the right locations.
Ms. Woodlee provided additional comments making it clear that ultimately they would just be
seeking easements (20 -30 ft.) to lay the lines across the property (no purchase of property will
occur) and once all construction is done, the property owners would again have full use of
their land. She described reasonable assistance options available to property owners regarding
pre - construction, construction and post - construction to protect their livestock.
Mayor Carpenter stated he thinks it is the will of Council (collectively, of Councils previously
as well) that we reduce the density of development throughout the city. He stated we got rid of
the R -5 and R -6 smaller lot developments years ago. These developments then went to
surrounding cities, but development is still going to come. Council tries hard to manage this.
Just as property rights are protected for those who own the property today, the future owner's
rights are protected as well. What has already happened is that heirs of certain long held
family properties have decided'to cash out and sell. They have to also have equal protection.
The point is Council is trying to balance and control that development because it will come.
Part of this control/balance is to not set up a development situation (long term) that would rely
on septic systems because septic systems are a greater risk than a city sewer system. It is a
balance and mitigation effort.
Mayor Carpenter stated it sounds like so far we haven't done a really good job (in regard to
the current proposed sewer project). He apologized for that. The good news is right now you
(the concerned. property owners) are in Schertz or the Schertz ETJ, not in the San Antonio
ETJ; and we listen. He suggested we put the brakes on a bit and make sure we do this right
and in a very courteous manner.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 8 -
He recommended there be a briefing for Council regarding advantages /disadvantages, cost
differences, impacting how many parcels, etc. He also would like to see a copy of the letters
( that went out and know what we have done to date. He would like to keep a dialogue with
these individuals (Kathy has agreed to be the single point of contact). Let's keep working a
dialogue through a Schertz staffer.
Mayor Carpenter provided his phone number to the audience which is 210- 452 -8003. He
stated it was their desire (as a city in the aggregate) to protect everyone's short term and long
term interest. He feels we can get to a better place than we are today.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember Azzoz who stated we live in a world where
things have to get done and development is coming. He encouraged the land owners to stick
to their guns but think of ways for this to work for themselves ' and also for their future
generations. Have an open mind. He respects their property and hopes we can work together.
Mayor Carpenter recognized City Manager John Kessel who stated some land had been
annexed off of FM 1518 years ago and more recently now from San Antonio. ETJ land is
property that is going to be in a city's limits and it simply designates which city. Previously,
this area was in San Antonio's ETJ, but they have released that area to Schertz now. This was
done with the condition that we develop a master plan that met city standards including
provisions for water, sewer, streets and land use. This was a decision of Council probably six
or eight years ago. In late 2010 -early 2011, there were a series of land discussions that began
taking place on what land uses would be there. Simultaneously, City Council contemplated a
sanitary sewer treatment plant at our furthest and lowest point in the city that would serve the
southern Schertz area in conjunction with CCMA. That is the facility this particular line
would serve.
The first big policy question is should this be in the city limits? The next question is should
we provide sanitary sewer? Other residents in subdivisions that have septic tanks have pleaded
with the city to not go the septic route moving forward in newer areas of development. Three
or four years ago there was a push to bring this plant to realization. This was the driving
motive; responding to our citizens and the bigger idea of meeting future development needs.
Mr. Kessel explained briefly what City Engineer Kathy Woodlee already touched on
regarding the general overall typical placement of sewer and trunk lines. The reason is that
they try to `gravity feed' so we are not pumping; we want to limit the number of pump
stations or the distance that we pump. A number of reasons are: fewer parts to fail, greater
reliability, lower costs /less use of electricity. He explained the depth of placing these lines and
the need of a specific length of easement. Since FM 1518 is a state road, the state will not
allow us to place utility lines in the right of way of a state facility. Therefore, we need to get
the wider easement from the property owners adjacent to that. Regardless of what we choose
we will have to acquire easements from the property owners. He encouraged Council and the
citizens to think about the big pictures: San Antonio vs. Schertz, whether we want to have
sewer lines or septic tanks, shallow or deeper lines. These are policy questions we need to
consider. Staff would like to have these workshops, knowing what the questions are that
Council has had and that citizens have raised. There are certain deadlines to open the plant
within a certain time frame. The longer we spend on the front end, the more we will have to
push on the back end.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 9 -
Mayor Carpenter summarized that staff will be asked to come forward again with a
presentation and also ask anyone else to come as well, such as representatives from CCMA.
Staff should walk everyone back through all the steps in more detail. We need to make sure
that the path we chose is the correct one, engineering -wise. It should be cost effective and
have all the things we need in it for Council, the Staff and the Property Owners to come to an
acceptable consensus on. How can we minimize the land owners concerns? How can we have
the least impact on the land? His personal desire to have a huge plantation of septic tanks is
very small. He feels we can come to a better place with more communicating. We will have
another discussion workshop in two weeks with more facts and dialogue with the landowners.
Discussion and Action Items
1. Minutes — Consideration and/or action regarding the approval of the minutes of the Special
Retreat Meeting of March 24, 2016. (J. KesselB. Dennis)
Mayor Carpenter recognized Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards who moved, seconded by
Councilmember Thompson to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting of March 24, 2016.
The vote was unanimous with Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards, Councilmembers Azzoz, John
and Thompson voting for and no one voting no. Motion passed. Councilmember Fowler
was absent.
2. Minutes — Consideration and/or action regarding the approval of the minutes of the Regular
Meeting of April 5, 2016. (J. Kessel/B. Dennis)
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember Thompson who moved, seconded by Mayor
Pro-Tern Edwards to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 5, 2016. The vote
was unanimous with Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards, Councilmembers Azzoz, John and
Thompson voting for and no one voting no. Motion passed. Councilmember Fowler was
absent.
3. Boards, Commissions and Committee Member Resignations and Appointments —
Consideration and/or action ratifying the resignations of Mr. Jeff Sanna, Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board and Mr. William Dandy, Historical Preservation Committee and ratifying the
appointment of Mr. John Sullivan as a regular member to the Parks and Recreation Advisory
Board. (B. Dennis)
Mayor Carpenter read the following recommendation: ratify the resignations of Mr. Jeff
Sanna from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the resignation of Mr. William
Dandy of the Historical Preservation Committee. Also ratify the appointment of Mr. John
Sullivan to a Regular member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember Azzoz who moved, seconded by Mayor Pro-
Tern Edwards to approve the ratification of the resignations of Mr. Jeff Sanna and Mr.
William Dandy and the appointment of Mr. John Sullivan as a regular member to the Parks
and Recreation Advisory Board. The vote was unanimous with Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards,
Councilmembers Azzoz, John and Thompson voting for and no one voting no. Motion
passed. Councilmember Fowler was absent.
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 10 -
4. Ordinance No. 16 -D -06 — Consideration and/or action approving an Ordinance providing that
the Code of Ordinances of the City of Schertz, Texas be amended by revising Chapter 86,
( Section 86 -41, Stop Intersections — Designated regarding the installation of a stop sign at the
intersection of Tractor Pass and Planters Pass. First Reading (B. James/K. Woodlee/D.
Letbetter)
The following was read into record:
ORDINANCE NO. 16 -D -06
AN ORDINANCE BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS
PROVIDING THAT THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ,
TEXAS, BE AMENDED BY REVISING SECTION 86 -41, STOP INTERSECTIONS -
DESIGNATED; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Mayor Carpenter recognized City Engineer Kathy Woodlee who said the Traffic Safety
Advisory Commission (TSAC) received a request from representatives of the Kramer Farm
Home Owners' Association (HOA) in January to investigate possible traffic calming measures
within the Kramer Farm Subdivision.
Staff (including Public Works, Engineering, and the Police Department) investigated,
conducted a vehicle volume and speed study and is continuing to monitor traffic in the
Kramer Farm Subdivision. Given the variety of issues, staff recommended a one- step -at -a-
time approach to addressing identified issues in the subdivision.
One particularly troublesome spot is the intersection of Tractor Pass and Planters Pass. This
intersection experiences congestion during peak periods and has been observed to cause
confusion due to its unusual layout and stop sign placement. (Note the wye shape of the
intersection on the attached exhibit.) There is an existing stop on the north -bound leg of
Tractor Pass. It is recommended that a second stop sign be installed at the intersection on
Planters Pass.
The TSAC voted unanimously to recommend approval of the addition of this stop sign at the
March 3, 2016 meeting. Staff recommends approval.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards who moved, seconded by
Councilmember Thompson to approve Ordinance No. 16 -D -06, first reading. The vote was
unanimous with Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards, Councilmembers Azzoz, John and
Thompson voting for and no one voting no. Motion passed. Councilmember Fowler was
absent.
5. Resolution No. 16 -R -32 — Consideration and/or action approving a Resolution authorizing
the City Manager to sign a Contract for mutual aid between the City of Schertz and Bexar
Metro 911 for access and operation of the Regional Emergency Alert Network. (D. Wait)
The following was read into record:
RESOLUTION NO. 16 -R -32
A RESOLUTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO SIGN A CONTRACT FOR MUTUAL
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 11-
AID BETWEEN THE CITY OF SCHERTZ AND BEXAR METRO 911 FOR ACCESS
AND OPERATION OF THE REGIONAL EMERGENCY ALERT NETWORK; AND
OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Mayor Carpenter recognized Executive Director Dudley Wait who stated frequently during
times of emergency, it is necessary to notify citizens who are potentially at risk. One of the
most efficient mechanisms for doing this is the use of an Emergency Alert Network (aka
Reverse 911). Our 911 provider has had such a tool in place for over two decades and the
City has utilized it on several occasions to either warn citizens of impending danger or to ask
them to assist authorities during an emergency such as a lost child.
Additionally, the City has also utilized another tool, Amatra, that is a web -based tool that can
not only be used to notify our citizens of emergencies but also to notify them of other City
related issues such as water outages and street closures. This Amatra system can also be used
to recall or notify staff during times of emergency such as recalling public safety personnel
during a disaster or calling non - essential employees telling them to remain at home during an
ice storm.
The City has struggled utilizing Amatra to its fullest potential because of privacy issues that
require our citizens to consent to having their contact information placed in the Amatra
system. Additionally, the Amatra program does not have an efficient mechanism of allowing
our citizens to "self - enroll" thereby leading to staff having to be the point of contact.
Now, in an effort to utilize the latest technology, Bexar Metro 911 has implemented a new
Regional Emergency Alert Network (REAN) that not only is a very efficient "Reverse 911"
but will also have the functions like Amatra that will allow the City to use it for contacting
city employees as well as assisting our citizens in self - enrolling their non -land line phones.
Additionally, this new REAN will allow authorized City staff to initiate the "Reverse 911"
without having to go through Bexar Metro 911 thereby leading to faster and more efficient
notifications. Staff recommends approval.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Mayor Pro -Tern Edwards who moved, seconded by
Councilmember Thompson to approve Resolution No. 16 -R -32. The vote was unanimous
with Mayor Pro -Tent Edwards, Councilmembers Azzoz, John and Thompson voting for
and no one voting no. Motion passed. Councilmember Fowler was absent.
Roll Call Vote Confirmation
Mayor Carpenter recognized City Secretary Brenda Dennis who provided the roll call votes for
agenda items 1 -5.
Requests and Announcements
6. Announcements by City Manager
• Citizen Kudos
• Recognition of City employee actions
• New Departmental initiatives
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 12 -
No further announcements were provided.
7. Future Agenda Item Request for City Council: This is an opportunity for City Council
members to request that items be placed on a future agenda. No discussion of the merits of
the item may be taken at this time. Should a Council Member oppose placement of the
requested item on a future agenda, the Mayor, without allowing discussion, shall ask for the
consensus of the other City Council members to place or not place the item on a future
agenda.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember Thompson who requested that we add to the
next agenda moving their retreat workshops back to Fridays, due to a higher attendance rate.
Mayor Carpenter stated that we would place this on the agenda and discuss it.
Mayor Carpenter recognized Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards who had a question and wanted to
know if staff could answer it this evening. He stated that he was driving up by Pollo Tropical
and noticed that there was no interconnectivity between the parking lots again where Pollo
Tropical, Wendy's, Whataburger, and Valero are. He stated that we had this issue once before
on the corner and requested that this be looked into. Executive Director Brian James stated
that he would look into the issue and get back to him.
8. Announcements by Mayor and Councilmembers
• City and community events attended and to be attended
• City Council Committee and Liaison Assignments (see assignments below)
• Continuing education events attended and to be attended
• Recognition of actions by City employees
• Recognition of actions by community volunteers
Mayor Carpenter recognized Councilmember Thompson who commended Events Manager,
Mary Spence and her team as well as the Park and Recreation team for a great Jazz & Blues in
the Park event. Mayor Carpenter concurred that it was a great event with great bands.
Adjournment
Mayor Carpenter adjourned the meeting at 7:44 p.m.
Mehael Carpenter, Mayor
X ST: �1
r
renda Dennis, City -Secretary
04 -12 -2016 Minutes Page - 13 -