ccswks 09-25-1990
x
~rQ
U~L.1
SPECIAL SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER 25, 1990
The Schertz City Council convened in Special Workshop Session.
Tuesday, September 25, 1990 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers,
1400 Schertz Parkway, Schertz, Texas. The following members were
present: Mayor Earl W. Sawyer. presiding; Joe Potempa; Hal
Baldwin; Barbara Stanhope; Mary Marsh and Ken Greenwald. Staff
present were City Manager Kerry Sweatt and City Secretary June
Krause.
Mayor Sawyer led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
#1 HEARING OF RESIDENTS: None
#2 PUBLIC HEARING: The City Council to receive citizen
comments on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 1990-91.
Mr. Sweatt said in Council packets there was a total proposed
budget, for consideration, for $4,512,997. Of that. $2,400,662
are proposed expenditures in the General Fund and $1,821,227
proposed expenditures in the Water/Wastewater Fund and $291,108
in SAFES Department operations. Mr. Sweatt then showed some
overhead slides showing the breakdown of the General Fund in
percentage by departments. The second chart showed the General
Fund breakdown by character and object, giving a comparison with
the previous year.
Some of the particular items of interest in the budget this year
include the acquisition of data processing hardware and software,
on a three to four year program, for all our departments. We
plan to replace one truck in the Street Department. The proposed
expendi tures incl ude one new patrolman, in the first year of a
two-year program, to increase personnel in the pol ice service.
While not included in the General Fund, over in the
Water/Wastewater Department we are adding the position of a
mechanic to begin a new maintenance program. There is included
one new part-time employee in the Library, in Finance and
Building Maintenance; and a part-time Economic Development
Coordinator. The major categories of increases are in all areas
of insurance, ranging from Worker's Compensation to Liability and
spreads equally across all departments. Revenue projections, in
addition to taxes which is considered as a separate item on the
agenda, are proposed increases in swimming pool daily admission
charges i some anticipated grants for economic development
activities; and a projected water rate increase in the latter
part of this calendar year.
Mr. Sweatt advised that franchise receipts this year represent
8.04% of the budget; permits 1.95%; Municipal Court fines 12.87%.
This is the second year of a program in which we have made
accounting changes to better identify expenditures by department.
In some cases this represents large amounts of changes between
years.
x
54
Mayor Sawyer then asked for comments from the audience.
Mr. Brown said he wanted to point out one thing about the budget
being continually going up. Using a population of 10,200 as
estimate, this budget represents $236.00 per man, woman and child
in the City of Schertz. That is $19.00 over last year and we
cannot afford for this to continue.
Mr. James Harris Schaefer Road at FM 1518 Schertz. He
apologized for not being at some of the budget meetings. He
asked why the fines are going down.
Mr. Sweatt said that basically our estimate last year was overly
optimistic. We made a mid-year adjustment and reduced that
estimate down and our estimate this year is more closely related
to what we believe will be actually revenue received.
Mr. Harris said another question is that the pool admission rate
is being increased 100% and he asked if that was really
necessary.
Mr. Sweatt said our Municipal Pool estimated expenditures this
year are $64,000. Past year receipts in the swimming pool
admission are running between $11,000 and $16,000. It was just
felt that it was needed to bring those revenues slightly more in
line. We would like to encourage more season pass use.
There being no further comments from the citizens, Mayor Sawyer
declared the public hearing closed at 7:12 p.m..
#3 ORDINANCE: Mayor Sawyer introduced an ordinance and
read the caption as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 90-M-27
AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FUNDS FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 1990 AND ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 1991, BY APPROVING THE BUDGET
FOR SAID PERIOD AND APPROPRIATING THE
NECESSARY FUNDS OUT OF THE GENERAL AND OTHER
REVENUES OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS, FOR
SAID YEAR FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION
OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND FOR VARIOUS
ACTIVITIES AND IMPROVEMENTS OF THE CITY; AND
DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Mrs. Marsh moved to approve the ordinance approving the budget
for Fiscal Year 1990-91 as an emergency measure. Mr. Greenwald
seconded the motion, which carried as follows:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Baldwin, Stanhope, Marsh and
Greenwald.
NAYS: None
/
x
55
#4 ORDINANCE: Mayor Sawyer introduced an ordinance and
read the caption as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 90-T-28
AN ORDINANCE LEVYING AND ASSESSING ALL
TAXABLE PROPERTY WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS
OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS, FOR THE YEAR
1990; PROVIDING THE BASIS OF ASSESSMENT OF
100% APPRAISED VALUE AND PROVIDING FOR THE
COLLECTION THEREOF AT THE RATE OF $0.3689 ON
THE ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR ($100.00) ASSESSED
VALUATION AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Mr. Greenwald mQy~g to approve the ordinance levying and
assessing all property wi thin the corporate I imi ts of the city
and declaring an emergency. Mr. Baldwin seconded the motion.
which carried as follows:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Baldwin. Stanhope, Marsh and
Greenwald.
NAYS: None
#5 Discussion of a resolution objecting to the storage and
burning of hazardous waste in Comal and Guadalupe Counties, to be
presented by Mrs. Linda Suggs.
Mrs. Suggs from Garden Ridge said she was prompted to come
forward and speak because of her son's health. She said she has
lived in Garden Ridge for fourteen years and air pollution just
never occurred to her. Her son goes to school less than three
miles from the Lafarge-Balcones Cement Plant. They started
burning tires and formaldehyde treated wood waste products under
variance #118 issued by the Texas Control Board as a supplemental
fuel. She said she has been told that if Lafarge is issued a
Proposed Hazardous Waste Permit before the first of the year.
they will be "grandfathered" to any new stronger pollution
control laws that may come into effect in the future, including
the hazardous waste they are now proposing.
She went on to say that businesses should not be allowed to
control our rights as human beings to clean air - our air and
water belong to everyone.
She then urged the Council to consider passing a resolution to go
on record against the storage and burning of the hazardous waste
at any location in the Counties of Comal and Guadal upe. She
added that this plant / if issued a permit, and other cement
plants in Texas could dump tons of toxic waste into our air and
still meet all the current rules and regulations set by the Texas
Air Control Board and EPA for cement plants in Texas.
>(
56
Mayor Sawyer thanked Mrs. Suggs for her presentation. He then
asked Council if they wanted this item to be on the next agenda
or on the next workshop. After Council discussion, it was
decided to discuss this again at the next workshop.
#6 Discussion of the final reading of an ordinance amending
the subdivision ordinance by revising Section 24 Parks and
Recreational Areas.
Mr. Sweatt reminded Council this ordinance had been accepted on
the first reading. This ordinance basicall y provides for the
dedication of land or the payment in lieu of land in certain
instances where land is being subdivided for residential
purposes. The wording of the ordinance would prescribe the means
by which the City Council would be in a position to receive
payments for improvements to existing facilities, payments for
new facilities or dedication of land for new facilities for those
subdivisions that meet the criteria of impacting on parks and
open space requirements. This would apply throughout the
community. It embodies the recommendations of the Planning &
Zoning Commission and those things that were found necessary in
support of constitutional questions that were raised in earlier
issues. He added that staff recommends it be adopted on final
consideration at the next meeting.
There being no further questions, Mayor Sawyer asked that this
item be placed on the next action agenda.
#7 Discussion of amending the Traffic Code in Greenshire
Subdivision.
Mayor Sawyer advised it was brought to our attention by Mr. Behne
that there are no traffic signs in Greenshire Subdivision.
Mr. Sweatt said we propose several additions to the Traffic
Code - Bent Tree Drive and Greenshire should be stop streets at
Woodland Oaksi provide that Oak Tree Circle and Mount Laurel be
designated as yield streets to Bent Tree Drive; to extend the 30
mile speed I imi t on Woodland Oaks from the eastern city I imi ts
all the way to Cotton King Drive. In addition to those items, we
have since discovered two additional items that should be added
for consideration. One is that Greenshire should be considered
as a through street at its intersection with Bent Tree. We also
need to add that FM 3009 is a through street to Green Valley as a
stop street. We recommend this be placed on the next action
agenda.
#8 EXECUTIVE SESSION: Called under Article 6252-17
Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes, Section 2 (g) for the purpose of
discussing annual evaluations of City Manager and City Secretary.
Mayor Sawyer called the executive session at 7:47 p.m.
The Special Meeting was reconvened at 8:46 p.m.
J.
/x
57
#9 Consider and take action, if any, on the above Executive
Session discussion.
Mrs. Stanhope lJLQy~_g to ask the Mayor to prepare a concensus of
the Council on the City Manager, Mr. Sweatt, and City Secretary,
Mrs. Krause, as discussed by the Council in Executive Session.
Mr. Potempa seconded the motion, which carried with the following
vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Potempa, Baldwin, Stanhope, Marsh and
Greenwald.
NAYS: None
#10 CITY MANAGER'S REPORT: A. Remind Council of the
Chamber of Commerce planned Commerce Fair for October 11th at the
Community Center to run from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.. He added
that this is the same date as our Business Appreciation Dinner,
which will be at the VFW at 7:00 p.m.
# 11 ITEMS BY COUNCIL: M;u;_~__Mar~b: A Reported on the San
Antonio-Austin Corridor Council meeting. They discussed the
strategy plan for the corridor. The meeting was divided into two
sections - the first at Motorola and then they had a reception in
the northernmost part of Austin. They discussed the Super
Colider coming into Round Rock, with 1100 possible new jobs; the
Commerce Fair; an executive report with budget revision. They
have opened a State of Texas office in Frankfurt, Germany to be
manned by two people. Discussed the Corridor trip to France and
Japan in earl y October; another International Trade Conference
February 18-20th in Monterrey, Mexico.
B. Metro Chamber of Commerce meeting They have had the
Economic Development and Tour ism as a combined committee and
found it did not work so broke it out into two committees. They
announced that Creative Trophies won the Business of the Month
award. They also discussed about the newspapers wanting to have
exclusives and decided to not do that but use both papers. The
Economic Development Committee is still working hard on the study
of the formation of a foundation. They will be asking for a
representative from each city. There will be a UTSA seminar on
September 27 at the Kountry Kitchen from 7 to 8 p. m.. They are
having problems with their directory. They are instituting
something called "Cities Liaison" and they will invite City
Managers to quarterly meetings. Then every sixty days a member
of their Board will go to City Council meetings.
C. Business CI ub Meeting - Rhoda gave a Chamber of Commerce
report, saying there will be an October 10th luncheon and Allen
Schoolcraft will talk on "School Financing". She also talked
about UTSA seminars and the Commerce Fair. Mr. Sweatt gave the
finance report, saying there was a slight profit on the 4th of
Jul y function. They decided the scholarship would not be given
this year and the $500 would be designated as the Scholarship
\
58
Fund and would be put in a saving's account to build the fund for
the future. Mr. Sweatt gave a City update. Mr. Potempa reported
on the Christmas Decorating Committee - it is going great and
they want to get more businesses involved this year. Under new
business, they reported there would be the opening of a
Republican Headquarters next to Kountry Kitchen on 10 October.
They are gOing to amend the bY-laws to split the
Secretary /Treasurer positions. She then 1 isted some parades as
Converse - 6 October with the Mayor, Business Club President and
the Smith family on the floati October 13th in Live Oak - the
float will be manned by firefighters from Schertz; on November
10th Veteran's Day parade in Universal City and on the float will
be the City Council in their military uniforms.
Mr. Greenwald mentioned the new paint job at the Fire Department.
#12 ITEMS BY MAYOR: none
#13 ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Sawyer declared the meeting to be
adjourned at 9:07 p.m..
ATTEST:
/