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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 04/12/2000 - Public HearingI HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Bond Program Public Hearing of the City of Corpus Christi of April 12, 2000, which were approved by the City Council on April 18, 2000. WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, this 18th day of April, 2000. SEAL Armando Chapa City Secretary MINUTES CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS Bond Program Public Hearing April 12, 2000 6:10 p.m. PRESENT Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr.* Mayor Pro Tem Mark Scott Council Members: Javier D. Colmenero* Henry Garrett Dr. Arnold Gonzales Rex A. Kinnison Betty Jean Longoria John Longoria ABSENT Melody Cooper City Staff: City Manager David R. Garcia Deputy City Manager George Noe Assistant City Attorney Jay Reining City Secretary Armando Chapa Recording Secretary Rachelle P. Ramon Mayor Pro Tem Scott called the hearing to order at the Northwest Senior Center. City Secretary Chapa called the roll and verified that the necessary quorum of the Council was present. Mr. Scott thanked those who were present for attending the second of five public hearings concerning the 2000 bond program for the city. He said the format of the hearing that night included an overview of the bond program by staff followed by public comment. Deputy City Manager Noe gave a detailed computer presentation of the bond program, including the property tax proposals and the three sales tax proposals. *Mayor Neal arrived at 6:20 p.m. He then called for public comment. Mr. A.C. Johnson said it is going to be difficult to get northwest residents to support the bond program because there are no items in the program that are located in the northwest. He said the Northwest Branch Library needs to be expanded and they need a golf course and drainage improvements. In addition, the 1986 bond program has not been completed. Mayor Neal pointed out that the bond program does contain items in the northwest, such as the FM 624 and McKinzie Road projects. Mr. Johnson went on to say that the seawall needs to be repaired but the multi-purpose arena is unnecessary. Mr. Kinnison said the bond program contains projects in areas throughout the city that should be substantially completed in three years. He said since there are so many unmet needs, the Council will need to go back to the voters in three years for another bond program which could include the expansion of the Northwest Library. Mrs. Longoria said she was supportive of the bond program but she was concerned about the Minutes Bond Program Public Hearing April 12, 2000 Page 2 projects that are not included because there was no guarantee in writing that those projects will be included in an upcoming bond program. She commented that a 1997 bond program, called the Community Progress Partnership, contained too many projects and was not approved by the voters. Mr. Scott said the original 2000 bond proposal presented to Council contained almost $53 million in projects, including the expansion of the Northwest Library in the sixth year of the program. The Council decided that in order to make the program more feasible, they should limit the number of projects and the time period in which they would be completed; consequently, this $29 million, three-year program is being proposed. Mr. Virgil Hurst, School Board President of Calallen ISD, said he and other people recognize that the city has many needs and they hope that a means can be found to address those needs. Mr. Hector DelTorro, a member of the Tuloso-Midway ISD School Board, agreed that repairs to the seawall are needed. He said Mrs. Longoria, the Council representative for District 1, has heard complaints about the needed projects. He said the Council should consider removing the arena proposal from the ballot. Mr. Scott pointed out that each item will be voted on separately. Ms. Lisa Hancock, a member of the Leadership Corpus Christi class, said she was optimistic about the bond program. Judge Manuel Banales said he was appearing as a private citizen and not as a judge. He said he has lived in Annaville for 21 years and he voted for the 1986 bond program because it contained projects in the northwest. However, he said nothing was done with that program for a long time and the Leopard Street improvements are still not completed. As a result, he said there is a great measure of distrust in the community. He expressed concern that there are more projects on the south side in this proposed bond package. Judge Banales said he would like to say he will support the 2000 bond program but in the past things have been promised but not delivered. Mr. Kinnison said the Council needs to get information out to the public about how much will be spent in each district. Mayor Neal said that none of the current members were sitting on the Council in 1986. He said this Council has worked very hard to complete the 1986 bond program; in addition, some programs such as Leopard Street have increased in scope from the original proposals. The Mayor also discussed the need for the arena, which will be used for many different purposes, such as graduations, sporting events, and large conventions. In addition, there is a cost savings by locating it next to the convention center and building it at the same time that facility is expanded. *Mr. Colmenero arrived at 7:10 p.m. Mr. Warren Albrecht, President of the Northwest Business Association (NWBA), said they supported the county bond proposal in 1999. He said they would like to have a golf course located in the northwest. He said they need to educate the voters and encourage them to participate in this bond election. He agreed that the library, the golf course, and drainage needs are a concern. Minutes Bond Program Public Hearing April 12, 2000 Page 3 Ms. Anna Mercado -Flores, a board member of the NWBA, thanked Mrs. Longoria for working to identify the needs in the northwest area. She agreed that a better listing is needed of the projects that are planned for the northwest. Mr. Paul Hanna, also a member of Leadership Corpus Christi, said their class project is to support the sales tax initiatives. He said valid points have been made during the hearing about the arena project that have not been discussed by the media. He said many other cities have passed an economic development sales tax and Corpus Christi is lagging behind in that area. Mr. Dan Viola, Athletic Director at Texas A&M University -Corpus Christi, said the university has a lot of interest in the arena project and he discussed the importance of having a larger facility like that. He said if the entities are already in place that will use the facility, they can provide the revenue to pay the operational costs. Mayor Neal said the comments that were made that evening indicate that the Council and staff still have work to do to disseminate information about the 2000 bond program. Mrs. Longoria said the Council is trying to educate the citizens. She said the arena is needed and she noted that the convention center is too small to host another Texas Municipal League state convention. Mr. Angel Escobar, Director of Engineering Services, discussed the Leopard Street project as well as other capital improvement projects in the northwest, such as drainage and road projects. Dr. Gonzales said five concerns that were raised during the evening's hearing were the library, golf course, drainage, Leopard Street, and parks. He said that when people go out to vote, they should look at the separate items on the ballot. He said the arena is very important to the economy of this area, as is the economic development sales tax. Dr. Gonzales said it is the Council's job to sell each item individually and as a unit and he encouraged citizens to continue to express their opinions. Mr. Garrett said he was concerned that people he respects say they do not trust the Council. He said they are trying to do what is right and balance the bond program out so it benefits all areas of the city. He also encouraged people to give the Council their input. Mayor Neal said the next bond program public hearing will be held on April 26th at Grant Middle School, followed by hearings on May 10th at Moody High School, May 17th at Flour Bluff High School, and May 22nd at the Bayfront Plaza Convention Center. There being no further business to come before the Council, Mayor Neal adjourned the hearing at 7:40 p.m. on April 12, 2000. * * * * * * * * * * * * *