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03-15-2017 MinutesMINUTES REGULAR MEETING March 15, 2017 A Regular Meeting was held by the Committee of Committees Advisory Board of the City of Schertz, Texas, on March 15, 2017, at 3:00 p.m., at the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex Council Chambers Conference Room located at 1400 Schertz Parkway, Schertz, Texas. The following members present to -wit: Chair Richard Dziewit Board Member Floy `Fae' Simmons Staff Present: Executive Director Brian James Assistant to City Manager Sarah Gonzalez Deputy City Secretary Donna Schmoekel Guests Present: William Bosch Members Absent: Barbara Hall, Tim Brown Call to Order Board Member Shonale Burke Board Member Michael Dahle City Manager John Kessel Executive Director Dudley Wait City Secretary Brenda Dennis Environmental Health Manager Jesse Hamilton Chair Richard Dziewit called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. Discussion and /or Action Items 1. Minutes. Consideration and /or action regarding the approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of February 15, 2017. Chair Dziewit recognized Board Member Simmons who moved, seconded by Board Member Burke to approve the February 15, 2017 minutes. The vote was 4 -0 -0. Motion passed. Reports/Updates/Discussion and /or Action 2. Boards, Committee, Commission report/updates. Chair Dziewit asked each board member to look at the boards /commissions update document that Executive Director Brian James was passing out which listed the recent activities of the various city boards. He asked if anybody had anything else to add to it. No one did. Board Member Simmons stated that she is trying to get her board members to utilize the city website more often and to go out there and read some of the latest information such as the Citizens Survey Results. She is hoping this will result in a convenient way for her fellow committee members to update themselves on a variety of other current events in the city. She also said the committee/board handout they get each month at this meeting is now a `permanent item' for discussion at their regular monthly Park and Recreation meetings. She recommended the other board members consider adding it to their agendas as well. 3 -15 -2017 Minutes Page - 1 - Chair Dziewit said that the TSAC board members did get the engineering report last time and what it has to do with the roads, how they are designated and categorized for repair. They will be going over this report in the next few months or so. 3. City Manager report/updates. Chair Dziewit recognized City Manager John Kessel who said staff is beginning to prepare for the pre- budget season. One of the steps is to look at our five year goals. It is kind of going from a goal to a strategy with emphasis in certain areas. They are also trying to take some of the citizen survey input and add that to their plans. For instance, we need to attain a balance, such as staffing compensation versus staffing levels and having the right number of staff members. Our turnover rate is not significantly different than what they have been before. There are many outside circumstances that are continually changing that affect job seekers. He offered as examples, the police department /officers, retirements, and others seeking advancement opportunities, etc. He said they are always looking closely at our reserves and always want to have capital replacement and capital maintenance. Rescue vehicles are expensive, building maintenance /repair and roads and parks are a challenge as well as code enforcement. Priorities are different for each city department, citizen and their neighborhood, versus other items. The first pre- budget meeting is at the Council Retreat on the 24th of March at the Fairfield Inn at 8:30 a.m. It is open to the public. They will be talking about a number of things. He encouraged all the committee members to come by if they can. Board member Simmons stated that like in the military, leadership is important to the other staff members. They have to have confidence in their leaders and need to know they care. Mr. Kessel said he has seen where good opinions of leaders can be lost quickly (i.e., one event in about a two week window) – it can all be gone. In a lot of instances, it is simply because of a poor communication issue. In today's world it is necessary to utilize a variety of media and be well thought out. One of the city's goals is to work toward a better communication network. Council on the Go meetings are a good example of a new tool the city is using. The crowds are getting larger and each agenda is specifically targeting that area of the city's hot topics of interest and concerns which are helping bring more people out to the meetings. We are fixing to enter one of two cycles – our rainy cycles (spring & fall). This year we are taking city crews to some high prone flooding areas and asking residents to sign up for the Regional Emergency Alert Network (BEAN) program, where you can get a text when danger is imminent. They have already started as of two days ago —face to face, block by block. This is another example of improving and extending our communications network with residents. We are also stepping up our training of staff with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). We are trying to move staff from their basic level to intermediate, to advanced and master levels. Board Member Dahle also suggested putting an article about this in the Schertz Magazine. Discussion continued regarding the existence of other community watch/help programs. Mr. Kessel said the more citizens who take on ownership and responsibility, the 3 -15 -2017 Minutes Page - 2 - more the neighborhood feels like a community. This results in other benefits for everyone in the area. Another example is the National Night Out program we do each October. 4. Overview of the Code Enforcement Process. (D. Wait/M. Harris /J. Hamilton) Chair Dziewit recognized Environmental Health Manager Jesse Hamilton who provided information to members via a powerpoint presentation. He addressed previous questions and /or concerns by the committee which were: 1) Is there a lack of proper enforcement of the city ordinance? 2) Is there enough `teeth' in our laws? 3) HOA's - do we reach out to them? 4) How does code enforcement work? 5) What is the current city practice or policy in reference to code? 6) How does code enforcement select areas to investigate (complaint vs. proactive, data)? Board members asked questions and engaged in more discussion regarding the adequacy or lack of enough city staff members to handle the reported violations, specific areas with a high volume of complaints, working with repeat offenders, the process and timeline of opening and closing a case, and different approaches to resolving the issues depending on the priority or seriousness of the alleged violation. Executive Director Brian James spoke to clarify a few points such as categorizing the type of complaints into commercial, residential, or rural violations and the different ways to approach a solution based on the circumstances of that category. Overall, in looking at available statistics there is probably an 80% compliance end result. Mr. James suggested this subject be put back on the agenda for the next meeting in April so staff can provide some additional statistical data regarding the types of complaints received, the number of repeat offenders, and developed or proposed strategies for code enforcement nuisances that are problematic and /or repetitive. 5. Future Agenda Items Requested —This is an opportunity for the Board 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. No items were requested. 6. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Dziewit recognized Board Member Burke who moved, seconded by Board Member Dahle to adjourn the meeting. The vote was 4 -0 -0. Motion passed. As there was no further business, Chair Dziewit adjourned the meeting at 5:10 p.m. "-Vchard Dzie it, Chair ATTEST: onna Schmoekel, Deputy City Secretary 3 -15 -2017 Minutes Page - 3 - March 15, 2017 CCAB reports from boards and commissions (Last CCAB meeting February 15, 2017) BOA — February 27, 2017 (scheduled) The Board of Adjustment meets on the 0 Monday of the month, but only if they have a variance request to hear. They did not have a meeting in February. Planning and Zoning Commission — February 22 and March 8, 2017 At their February 22 meeting, the Commission approved plats for commercially zoned property. They also discussed amending the Unified Development Code (UDC) to required signs to be placed on property for which a rezoning request has been submitted to better inform nearby property owners and impacted residents of the request. They asked that staff develop proposed language to amend the UDC based on best practices of our benchmark cities. At the March 8 meeting, the commission considered plats for the proposed Rose Garden Elementary School and some residential plats. TSAC — March 2, 2017 The engineering department provided and overview of the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) project. Staff provided updates on a few pending projects including the crosswalks on Elbe) in front of Clemens High School and work to reduce speeding on Fairlawn Avenue, Historic Preservation — January 26, 2017 The Committee meets quarterly and did not meet in February. Parks and Recreation Advisory Board — February 27, 2017 Parks Board received an update on work on Heritage Oaks Park and also recommended naming the park in the Rhine Valley residential development, Rhine Valley Park which is anticipated to be accepted by the City in March. Library Board — March 6, 2017 The library Board reviewed the Treasurers', Librarian's, Bookstore and CCAB reports for the past month. The board discussed budget priorities for Library for the upcoming 2017 -18 budget. Economic Development Corporation — February 23, 2017 The SEDC board heard a presentation on the City's MicroPaver Roadway Assessment report which utilizes the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). The overview helped the SEDC Board better understand the City's plan that will use to maintain our existing residential and commercial roadways. The SEDC board heard a report on the 2016 Annual Certification process for all active economic development agreements. Currently the City and SEDC have seven active agreement and all of the companies are in compliance to their agreements. Amazon.com was excluded from this report because they are not required to report until April 15, 2017 for the 2016 calendar year. The SEDC board and staff discussed a proposed plan for business retention in Schertz. Under the proposed plan, a framework would be established that would require staff to focus on those primary -job creating companies that help induce new money into the Schertz economy. Under the business retention plan a systematic approach would be laid out under which staff would engage existing businesses to help them expand in Schertz. Input from the SEDC board will be incorporated into the plan and presented at the next SEDC board meeting. The SEDC board heard an update on staff's efforts to recruit new economic development into the City of Schertz. Staff presented an overview of the current strategy and direction for the City's recruitment efforts.