ccreg 09-03-1996
REGULAR SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER 3, 1996
The Schertz City Council convened in Regular Session on
Tuesday, September 3, 1996 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council
Chambers of the Municipal Complex, 1400 Schertz parkway,
Schertz, Texas. The following members were present: Mayor
Pro Tern Charles McDonald presiding; Councilmembers Joe
Potempa; Earl Sawyer; Timothy Swinney and Ken Greenwald.
Absent: Mayor Hal Baldwin. Staff present were City Manager
Kerry Sweatt and Deputy City Secretary Dolores Butler.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald welcomed everyone and asked them to
rise and join him in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald introduced Mr. Raymond Munoz of
Church's Fried Chicken and presented a proclamation to him for
Church's participation in Habitat for Humanity and declaring
September 18 as Church's Chicken Habitat Day of Dreams.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald then introduced members of the Veterans
of Foreign Wars Post 8315: Commander Mary Marsh; President
Dolly Edwards; Voice of Democracy Chairman Dave Young; and,
Ladies Auxiliary Chairwoman Martha wright for the purpose of
presenting a proclamation declaring October 28 through
November 1, 1996 as "Voice of Democracy Week in Samuel Clemens
High School."
Commander
scheduled
the charge
Marsh announced another
September 15 at 2:00 p.m.
is $3.00 per person.
line dancing class is
in the Hall of Flags and
#1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Regular Session 7-16-96
Special Session 7-31-96
Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the minutes, as written, for the
Regular Session 7-16-96 and the special Session 7-31-96. Mr.
Greenwald seconded the motion which carried with the following
votes:
7-16-96
AYES: Councilmembers Greenwald, Sawyer and Potempa.
NAYS: None.
ABSTENTION: Councilmember Swinney.
7-31-96
AYES: Councilmembers Greenwald, Sawyer, Swinney and Potempa.
NAYS: None.
f2
speak on
items not
HEARING OF RESlu~~~S: Those citizens wishing
agenda items (other than public hearing items)
on the agenda, will be heard at this time.
to
or
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No one had signed up to speak.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald recognized a group of high school
students who stated their names and stated they were attending
the City Council meeting as an assignment for a government
class to learn about municipal government, to see democracy in
action and to get a better grade.
#3 Consider request from FM 3009 Partners to rezone 121
acres from PUD/GB/M-l to R-6 gated.
Mr. Barry Sanditen, the managing partner for FM 3009
Partners, Ltd., owner of the proposed Forest Ridge
Subdivision, stated he wanted to reiterate one point that he
believed everyone was aware of - that there might need to be a
variance read into the minutes. When he had presented the
project he thought he had expressed to everyone involved that
there would be large lots and small lots with the small lots
section consisting of 55' and 60' lots and the large lots
section consisting of 65' and 70' lots. He believes the City
ordinance does not allow 55' lots and understood it was voted
at the final Planning and Zoning meeting that so long as they
did not exceed 30% of the total of the lots, they would be
allowed to build on 55' lots. On another note, they are
exceeding the minimum square footage, and just because it's a
55' lot doesn't mean that they are building small houses.
They are building on 55' x 120' lots so they will have 6,600
square feet. Sam Bledsoe with MBC Engineers is here to answer
any questions.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald asked if this is a zoning
consideration. Mr. Sweatt said it is part of the platting,
but it is necessary Council be aware that it was included in
the recommendation that came forward from the Planning and
Zoning Commission.
Mr. Swinney commended Mr. Sandi ten on the job he did last
week in alleviating a lot of Council's concerns.
#4 ORDINANCE: Consider and take action on first reading
of ordinance rezoning 121 acres from PUD/GB/M-l to R-6 gated.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald introduced an ordinance and read the
caption as follows:
AN ORDINANCE
BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS,
AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 87-S-l BY
REZONING APPROXIMATELY 121 ACRES OF LAND OUT OF
GUADALUPE COUNTY AND REFLECTING SUCH CHANGES ON
CERTAIN ZONING MAPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCHERTZ
ZONING ORDINANCE.
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Mr. Swinney moved to approve the first reading of an
ordinance rezoning approximately 121 acres of land from
PUD/GB/M-l to R-6 (gated). Mr. Potempa seconded the motion,
which carried with the following votes:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Sawyer, Swinney and Greenwald.
NAYS: None.
#5 ORDINANCE: Consider and take action on final reading
of ordinance authorizing a Tax Abatement and Tax Abatement
Agreement with Security Capital Investment.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald introduced an ordinance and read the
caption as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 96-T-27
BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS,
APPROVING A TAX ABATEMENT AND A TAX ABATEMENT
AGREEMENT FOR AND WITH SECURITY CAPITAL INDUSTRIAL
TRUST, A PROPERTY ~j...~R IN THE CITY OF SCHERTZ.
Mr. Sweatt reminded Council this property is 12+ acres in
Tri-County Business Park. Current value on the land is
$156,490, the proposed improvements are $6,000,000, land value
is projected at $535,000 and personal property of $250,000 for
a total proposed improvements and tax value of $6,785,000. At
the current tax rate, the property brings in ad valorem taxes
of $637.23 per year. With the new improvements, the total ad
valorem taxes would be $27,628.52. Additionally, there is a
payroll multiplier that was considered as a part of the
abatement. The Economic Development Commission reviewed and
made recommendations to the City Council, and Council adopted
on first reading, an abatement agreement that would abate 90%
of the real property capital improvements value of $6,000,000
for a period of 10 years. It should be pointed out that even
with the abatement, the City would still receive approximately
$5,000 per year in ad valorem taxes from personal property and
other benefits. The building proposed is a 244,000 square
feet, tilt wall building of which half is set to be
redistribution headquarters for a Fortune 100 company, and
roughly one-half the building is under speculative development
and is anticipated to be leased in a short period of time.
Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the final reading of an ordinance
authorizing a Tax Abatement and Tax Abatement Agreement with
Security capital Investment. Mr. Greenwald seconded the
motion, which carried with the following votes:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Sawyer, Swinney and Greenwald.
NAYS: None.
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#6 ORDINANCE: Consider and take action on final reading
of ordinance approving the Unified Development Code (UDC).
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald introduced an ordinance and read the
caption as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 96-S-28
BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS,
ADOPTING A UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE (UDC), IN
ACCORDANCE WITH ALL REQUIREMENTS PRESCRIBED BY LAW,
TO TREAT IN ONE UNIFIED TEXT THE RULES AND
REGULATIONS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, SUBDIVISION
ORDINANCE, SIGN ORDINANCE, MOBILE HOME ORDINANCE
AND FLOOD PLAIN ORDINANCE; PROVIDING VIOLATIONS
AND PENALTIES; PROVIDING A REPEALING 'CLAUSE;
PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND, PROVIDING AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
Mr. Sweatt advised that corrected replacement pages 68, 69,
199, 200, 201, 202 and 203 were provided in the Council
packet. This Code embodies all the regulations in place
dealing with development, zoning, signs, subdivisions, flood
plain and park dedication ordinances that relate to
development. The UDC Ordinance was passed on first reading
subject to changes dealing with R-6 gated community issues.
Mr. Greenwald stated we owe a debt of gratitude to the
Planning and Zoning Commission, and Mr. Willman in
particular, for a five-year project they undertook which could
have cost the City considerable money.
Mr. Sawyer stated he appreciated the hard work Mr. Willman
did, knowing he was the power behind the work, and suggested a
letter be written by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tern to the
Planning and Zoning Commission expressing their gratitude for
this document.
Mr. Swinney moved to approve final reading
adopting the Unified Development Code. Mr.
the motion, which carried with the following
of the
Sawyer
votes:
ordinance
seconded
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Sawyer, Swinney and Greenwald.
NAYS: None.
#7 BID AWARD: Consider and take action regarding bid
for hospitalization insurance program.
Mr. Sweatt noted after review of bids on hospitalization
insurance for employees, they investigated proposals received
and felt that a new company (to Texas), WellChoice HMO
represented the best overall proposal and they recommend the
bid be awarded to that company. A tabulation of benefits and
premium costs as affects employees was discussed. They also
discussed the sliding balance in the employee and children,
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employee and spouse, and employee and family adjustments. The
cost to cover a child would be $110 per month, the cost to
cover the spouse would be $125 per month, and the cost to
cover spouse and dependents would be $253 per month. The
City's premium of $117.96 to cover the employee remains the
same. Representatives from WellChoice are in attendance to
answer any questions.
Mr. Feike (insurance broker) introduced representatives of
WellChoice: Tom Jackson, Chief Operating Officer, Jean Scott,
Marketing Supervisor, and Jeff Richardson, Director of
Marketing and Member Services.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald said he had no questions but commented
he was impressed with the two-year guarantee on the rates with
a 5% increase cap in the third year.
Mr. Sweatt remarked one of the provisions they were impressed
with is that this is a physician referral plan.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald asked if there are doctors in the
immediate area in the WellChoice program and Mr. Feike
advised there are two doctor's offices in the City - Schertz
Family Practice on FM 78 and the new Cibolo Creek Medical
facility on FM 1518, along with some of the existing doctors
on Walzem Road. Also, the local pharmacy is in the program.
Mr. Sweatt stated the question regarding the dental coverage
has been resolved - WellChoice does offer a dental discount
plan similar to our current coverage. In answer to Mr.
Potempa's inquiry regarding cost of premiums for member and
family, Mr. Sweatt stated the plan is not exactly like dental
insurance, it's a discount arrangement for those members of
that particular group. The standard rates for those
businesses belonging to that particular association are
discounted to members, anywhere from 30% to 70%. The premium
rates for medical coverage include the dental plan.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald inquired if there is eyeglass coverage
and was assured visual care is provided, one pair of glasses
or contacts per year.
Mr. Swinney moved to award the hospitalization insurance to
WellChoice with the employee premium of $117.96. Mr. Sawyer
seconded the motion, which carried with the following votes:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Sawyer, Swinney and Greenwald.
NAYS: None.
#8 BID AWARD: Consider and take action regarding
for hand-held meter reading computer.
bids
Mr. Sweatt advised they solicited proposals for two
hand-held computers used in the meter reading department.
bid of $6,598 was received from the company that has
(2)
One
our
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software arrangement. It is recommended awarding the bid as a
single source item to that company. They had originally
budgeted $6,000 and the additional $598 is expected to be made
up from other budget accounts in the Water Department.
Mr. Greenwald asked why we went out for bids and Mr. Sweatt
replied they wanted to see if they could find anyone who could
compete.
Mr. Sawyer moved the
computer be awarded
Greenwald seconded
following votes:
contract for the hand-held meter reading
to CPS in the amount of $6,598. Mr.
the motion, which carried with the
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Sawyer, Swinney and Greenwald.
NAYS: None.
#9 BIDS: Consider and take action regarding rejection
of bids for Xeriscape Park Lighting Project.
Mr. Sweatt expressed disappointment in the only bid received
by the deadline from Tower Electric Company in the amount of
$18,840, a difference of $7,840 in the LCRA grant of $ll,OOO,
the estimated cost of installing decorative lighting fixtures
in the Xeriscape Park on Borgfeld Road. They were led to
believe that was an adequate amount of funding to complete the
project. They recommend rejection of that bid so they can go
back and look at the design and either make some adjustments
in the specifications or see if they can do some of the force
account work and come back and bid on the fixtures to stay
within the $ll,OOO.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald asked if the City could be the
contractor and do the work themselves. Mr. Sweatt replied
they could do the trenching work and they might get GVEC to do
part of the pedestal work - they want to put the feeds
underground then buy the fixtures. Public Works is bogged
down but that may be the only way to stay within the money
allotted.
Mr. Sawyer moved to reject the bids received for the
Xeriscape Park Lighting Project. Mr. Greenwald seconded the
motion, which carried with the following votes:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Sawyer, Swinney and Greenwald.
NAYS: None.
no
upcoming
requested
CITY MANAGER'S REPORT: A. Reminded
TML meeting (November l3 through noon
attendance plans be confirmed.
Council of the
the 16th) and
B. Stated it appears, from information received from AACOG,
that a change is going to be authorized by the PUC regarding
Southwestern Bell area codes. They're meeting with AACOG
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on September 9 to review action by PUC and will have a
definitive report afterward. Right now it does appear that
all of our exchanges will be retained in the San Antonio Metro
210 or whatever they change us to. All of San Antonio could
conceivably be changed to another area code. It is believed
that will simplify E911 and other issues.
C. Asked the Councilmembers to select a proof from the
photographer to be enlarged and framed.
III ITEMS BY COUNCIL: Mr. Greenwald: Reported he had
given Mr. Sweatt a letter from Bill West of GBRA and asked
that it be put on next Wednesday's workshop agenda with a
possibility of a resolution supporting the original Senate
Bill 1477 and their charge versus what EAA has proposed as far
as pumping.
~r. Potemoa: Stated he had read the Planning and Zoning
Commission meeting minutes and is upset with the comments to
P&Z. He suggested a joint meeting of the City Council and the
Planning and zoning Commission to resolve this issue.
Mr. Greenwald suggested a meeting be scheduled after the
budget process is completed.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald asked for a show of hands of who
expressed that the P&Z was inefficient and incompetent as
reported by Mr. Willman. He did not recall anyone saying
that. He recalled only that Council expressed their
appreciation for them and their work.
Mr. Swinney asked Mr. Willman what was stated last month
that gave him the feeling that City Council felt the P&Z was
inefficient and incompetent. Mr. Willman said one thing was
that it was said that P&Z is giving away too much commercial
property.
Mayor Pro Tern McDonald stated he had heard the complaint from
several quarters that we are giving away too much commercial
property, and he had made that statement as well, apologizing
to Mr. Willman if he took that to mean the P&Z was
inefficient and incompetent; however, we all have a right to
our own opinions.
Mr. Swinney suggested there has been a misunderstanding and
Mr. Willman and Mr. Greenwald (ex officio to P&Z) should
take back to P&Z the message that Councilmembers are
responsible to our citizens and our opinions sometimes differ,
but we need to be on the same side of the fence, not
adversarial.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald adjourned the Regular Session at 8:30
p.m. to the Conference Room to resume the Budget Workshop
agenda item and called that session to order at 8:40 p.m.
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tl3 BUDGET WORKSHOP
Mr. Swinney asked where the four police vehicles are going
that are being replaced and Mr. Sweatt responded one is
anticipated to stay in the police service, and depending upon
the condition of the others, one will probably be rotated over
to SAFES and one will stay somewhere in the organization,
either building inspection or one of the departments that have
a lighter vehicle use. They are not sure they will have three
usable vehicles, they may just be traded off. Chief Smith
wants to keep one for the additional Lieutenant position. Mr.
Swinney aSked when the new vehicles are anticipated to be
delivered and Mr. Sweatt said the bids are coming in
September 5 and hopefully, with approval of the bids, it
should be in October.
Mr.
Mr.
time
(drug
Potempa asked about the old vehicles at the water yard.
Sweatt advised all of them are to be disposed of the next
the City has an auction. They are holding the Suburban
forfeiture) before it can be converted to use.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald asked if they have
insurance expense on those vehicles and Mr.
those vehicles are not covered.
an additional
Sweatt advised
Mr. Sweatt noted on page 46, (Capital Recovery reference)
there is participation on the water line on Ware-Seguin from
FM 1518 to west of Pfeil Road and participation on the Pfeil
Road water line project. Also, purchase of a new backhoe and
force account work on the Ware-Seguin project.
The new (additional) backhoe will stay at the Water Department
and the old one will be moved over to the Street Department.
Page 48 is revenue estimates for SAFES and there are
substantial changes in this area that need to be discussed.
Currently SAFES charges $l45 for advanced life support
transport and $125 for basic life support transport. They are
recommending an increase in the advanced life support
transport cost from $145 to $175 and a change to the BLS
transport from $125 to $150. Those increases are incorporated
in the revenue estimates. They do not currently charge a
mileage fee to transport from the pickup location to the
hospital. All other comparable services they have
checked with, e.g., Alamo Heights, Seguin, Converse, Frio
County, Luling, Kerrville, Bulverde, Canyon Lake, and even New
Braunfels, have mileage charges ranging from a low of $3.89
per mile up to $6.33 per mile. They recommend beginning that
mileage transport fee, which is reflected in the revenue
estimates, at $3.00 per mile. That is shown in revenue
estimates of $36,830. In response to Mr. Swinney's inquiry
as to how the $3.00 figure was arrived at, Mr. Sweatt replied
it was thought that it was best to set the new charge at a
beginning rate. They will have to go through the
medicare/medicaid allowables for those portions anyway. They
felt that to jump it up to a comparable amount to begin with
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(around $4.00) would probably be too big of a step. They need
to fund three additional paramedics in SAFES operation and
these increased fees will help fund those additional full-time
personnel.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald asked if this fee will deter some
people from using the service that really don't need it, such
as the nuisance calls that are not EMS driven. Are we cheaper
than anyone else in town?
Mr. Sweatt explained these rates will continue to be cheaper
because among other things, SAFES receives a per capita
payment from each of the cities participating which
essentially pays for the readiness to serve charge. A private
ambulance service has to incorporate that in their rate.
There is no doubt about it, they need ultimately to move
non-emergency transport service away from EMS. That should
not be a function of our EMS operations. The problem is
defining what is an emergency and when it is an emergency.
Mr. Sweatt said he felt, after this budget is passed, they
may want to begin looking at establishing some way to solicit
proposals for transfer service and define transfer service
separately from emergency service. This might be a slight
deterrent because very frankly, a private service charge
is still going to be higher than SAFES.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald asked what the private service charges.
Mr. Sweatt mentioned they have a complaint they have not been
able to resolve occasioned when all of the ambulances were
tied up and could not respond to the sixth call. A private
company was dispatched. The private company carried an
individual and their charge was over $600 whereas the SAFES
charge, including ALS plus drugs and other service, would have
been somewhere in the neighborhood of $345. The customer in
this case says they are being billed by the private company,
but they called SAFES, and now SAFES should pay the
difference.
Mr. Sweatt went on to say the readiness to serve charge is to
a great degree picked up by these per capita charges to each
of the supporting entities. The SAFES volunteer organization
has committed up to $35,000 to put in a temporary modular
facility at the back of the community center to house the
additional crew. They have $8,000 budgeted in SAFES operating
budget for the cost of acquiring materials to run a sewer line
to make that work. It is believed when the public safety bond
issue is put together, the long-term answer is going to be
improved facilities and then SAFES can sell the modular
building.
Mr. Sawyer stated he believes SAFES is due for a mileage fee.
They don't charge enough for any kind of medical service.
Remember, it is not a volunteer service anymore, it's a paid
service.
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Mr. Sweatt noted one of the real problems which the Council
is aware of is there has been a reticence on the part of the
volunteer organization to raise charges because they get
donations and funds. However, those are unpredictable and
just don't pay the cost of providing full-time EMS services.
Mr. Sawyer remarked people who don't use the service are
still paying the per capita fee. How many total complete
volunteers do we have who draw no salary at all? Mr. Sweatt
replied no more than four.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald interjected he is paying whatever his
share is of $63,000 and has never used the service. The whole
idea is that if EMS becomes self-supporting, they can start
reducing the per capita fee.
Mr. Sweatt pointed out the idea of the per capita
essentially to cover the readiness to serve charge.
the service is an additional cost.
fee
Use
is
of
Mr. Potempa asked why charges have gone up to all entities
except Randolph Air Force Base. Mr. Sweatt responded RAFB
insists the 8,300 population per capita has not changed.
Mr.
from
not a
Potempa inquired how much
Randolph Air Force Base.
great deal.
of the $78,275 is a write-off
Mr. Sweatt responded it is
Mr. Sweatt mentioned a couple of things (in no particular
order) not included in the budget, but significant enough to
call to Council's attention. He was asked to put a dollar
amount on adding a senior citizen additional exemption. They
currently have a $lO,OOO ad valorem exemption. State law
provides a maximum of $20,000. A quick study indicates that
for each $5,000 exemption, the City loses about $20,000 in
revenue. If they exempt another $5,000, the loss would be
$60,000, and if an additional $5,000 it would be an $80,000
loss. One of the other items not in the budget that he
thought quite significant is the increase in the retirement
participation from either 5% to 6% or a 1 1/2 to 1 match.
Either one of those would cost another $65,000. They did some
rough calculations based on cost of living increases (as per
Council's request) regarding across the board salary
increases. For each one percent increase in salary they're
looking at about a $22,000 increase in the General Fund, a
$4,000 increase in Water, a $300 increase in Fleet Services,
and about a $3,400 in SAFES for a total increase of about
30,416. That doesn't include health care and longevity.
The continuing problem is, even with the Council's approval of
a salary increase in May, it did not make a substantial change
when compared to other cities in the area.
Mr. Potempa
broken down
paid.
mentioned he would like to see a comparison chart
by positions as to how much everyone is getting
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Mr. Sweatt advised they have access to salary surveys that
are done state-wide, region-wide and area-wide but they pick
selective positions. An across the board increase was not
included this year because I) they didn't feel like they had
the money until they got to mid-year to see where they are,
and 2) to give them the time to put together some sort of a
better proposal. Frankly, an across the board increase to
some amount, because of the cost of living, is appropriate but
they did not include anything until mid-year. Merit increases
are included based on performance evaluation of a maximum of
two steps at two percent. Unfortunately, because of salary
rates, sometimes a supervisor gives an employee the benefit of
the doubt and gives them a 45 rather than a 43 because they
feel they really need a raise.
Mr. Swinney commented they need to reward performance more
than they do longevity.
Mr. Potempa asked what the City would have to
down .02 on tax. Mr. Sweatt answered each
about $36,000 so it would take $72,000. You
step increases, take out Capital, and not hire
give up to come
penny produces
could cut out
new people.
Mr.
ju~,
sales
.01.
Swinney stressed he was not ready to take that big of a
but he was intrigued by the fact if they bumped up the
tax revenue by $36,000, they could drop the tax rate
Mr. Sawyer said he still thought the revenue on that should
be raised 7% to 8%, feeling that at the end of the year
they've taken at least 7% to 9% more in revenue than what's
listed in the budget.
Mr. Swinney preferred to see a compromise. If they wipe all
that out, they don't have as much to play with on salaries at
mid-year.
Mayor
made.
voters
raise
taxes
Pro Tem McDonald made the same proposal Mr. Swinney
They don't know when they are going to be asking the
to consider a bond issue for public safety which will
their taxes. It may be more palatable to them to lower
this year.
Mr.
they
sales
Sweatt emphasized last year the sales tax failed
said they were going to fund the bond issue with
tax increase.
when
the
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald and Mr. swinney both commented that
was due to the marketing and lack of educating the public.
Mr. Sweatt noted the City is recommending an effective tax
rate of $0.38l9 based on new growth from last year and they
believe this is a conservative budget. It doesn't include
some things they believe are important. Mid-year is the time
to take a second look at revenues. They believe part of what
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Council pays them to do is give their best opinion, and one of
the ways they have been able to build fund balances is to
under spend the budget and over collect revenues. Between the
two they have been able to produce a reserve that is
approaching what they believe is minimal to the organization.
Mr. Swinney commended Mr. Sweatt on an outstanding budget
but said he would like to see the Council reduce the tax rate
by .01, sending the citizens a signal that they are trying to
keep taxes down.
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald agreed with Mr. Swinney that they add
$36,000 to sales tax revenue and should there be a short-fall
there, they still wouldn't be seriously hurt. It is his
opinion they are still going to be way over budget in sales
tax revenue.
Mr. Potempa had suggested a .02 tax cut but was willing to
concede to just .Ol.
Mr. Sawyer stated he would go along with .Ol.
Mr. Greenwald didn't feel comfortable reducing the tax rate,
having been here when Garden Ridge burned down and they lost a
lot of revenue. Should there be a fire or disaster, it is a
lot harder to come back and raise taxes .03 rather than
keeping it level.
Mr. Swinney remarked they have a broader economic base than
they did three or four years ago.
Mr.
40%.
they
open
Greenwald said when H.E.B. goes in all they
Mayor Pro Tem McDonald acknowledged that's
are going to do a hundred million dollars or
the building.
will get is
true, but
they won't
Mr. Sawyer liked Mayor Pro Tern McDonald's political
explanation on the way you raise taxes to pay for a good bond
issue. It is his belief that people will accept a tax
increase for what is needed in the City, but he thinks you
have to show people you are at least trying to lower taxes. A
guy with any common sense will realize that when taxes are
raised to pay for bonds.
It was the general consensus of Council to put another $36,757
in sales tax revenue and lower the overall tax rate by .01.
Mr. Sweatt related they have advertised the public hearing
date of September l7, 1996 and all of the charts and normal
information will be provided prior to the meeting. If it is
the wish of the Council to delay that, the 24th is absolutely
the last day. Council did not wish to delay.
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Mr. Sawyer declared he will be absent the next three
meetings.
fl4 ADJOURNMENT
and
p.m.
On a motion by Mr. Potempa and seconded by Mr.
unanimously carried, the meetin was adjourned
Swinney
at 9:45
&d.
Mayor, City of Schertz, Texas
ATTEST:
j) tUfJ(:r J~ 0/dhL
Deputy City Secretary, City of Schertz
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