HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 03/15/2002 - RetreatI HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the City
Council Retreat Meeting of the City of Corpus Christi of March 15, 2002, which were approved by
the City Council on March 26, 2002.
WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, this 26th day of March 2002.
SEAL
Armando Chapa
City Secretary
MINUTES
CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
City Council Retreat
March 15, 2002
8:30 a.m.
PRESENT
Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr.
Mayor Pro Tem Brent Chesney*
Council Members:
Javier D. Colmenero
Henry Garrett
Bill Kelly
Rex A. Kinnison
John Longoria
Jesse Noyola
Mark Scott*
City Staff:
City Manager David R. Garcia
Deputy City Manager George Noe
City Attorney James R. Bray Jr.
City Secretary Armando Chapa
Recording Secretary Rachelle Parry
Mayor Neal called the retreat to order in the Watergarden Room of the Museum of Science
and History. City Secretary Chapa checked the roll and verified that the necessary quorum of the
Council and the required charter officers were present to conduct the retreat.
Mr. Scott Elliff, retreat facilitator, asked the Council to devise group norms for the meeting
(which are included in Mr. Elliffs attached report). Mayor Neal noted that he would not be seeking
public comment during the retreat but he welcomed the public to be in attendance.
*Council Member Chesney arrived at approximately 8:35 a.m. and Council Member Scott
arrived at approximately 8:40 a.m.
City Manager Garcia referred to the agenda, and the first presentation was made by Mr. Mark
McDaniel, Director of Management and Budget, regarding the city's five-year financial forecast. He
outlined the revenue assumptions made in preparing the forecast, including a 3% annual growth in
property and sales tax revenues; stabilization of Solid Waste revenues; elimination of the hospital
district health cost reimbursement; use of the hotel tax to offset beach safety and maintenance costs;
approximately $500,000 in new ad valorem tax from the annexed areas; half of Nueces County's
historical beach parking permit revenues; and 2% growth in most other revenues.
With regard to expenditure assumptions, Mr. McDaniel said staff prepared the forecast based
on 0% annual increase in salary adjustments; 5% annual increase in health insurance premiums; no
capital expenditures except for regular patrol car, fire engine and ambulance replacements; a full year
of new ambulance staffing and equipment; staffing for the new fire station on Mustang Island; no
increase for the continued phase-in of the automated residential Solid Waste collection; and centrally
budgeted "drag -up" pay (2% annual increase). Mr. McDaniel then discussed specific forecast figures
and emerging fiscal issues for the General Fund and all operating funds, including the continued use
of target budgeting.
Minutes - City Council Retreat
March 15, 2002
Page 2
The Budget Director also discussed the budget calendar, noting that the City Manager will
submit the FY02-03 proposed budget to the City Council on May 28, 2002. Several budget
discussions will follow, including a public hearing on June 25th. Several staff members then
responded to questions from the Council.
The second agenda item was a staff presentation and consideration of capital improvement
program (CIP) funding. Mr. Garcia pointed out that the CIP is generally overstated, unlike the
operating budget. Mr. McDaniel said the objectives for the long-range CIP project review are to:
further examine the scope and desirability of specific projects; evaluate project phasing and
scheduling; determine appropriate and acceptable levels of utility rate increases versus pay-as-you-go
funding; and discuss the process for development of the next bond election program. He summarized
the long-range CIP amounts and the current debt by category. The Budget Director also discussed
the combined utility debt capacity and projections based upon the utility rate model, as well as the
tax rate and the general obligation debt capacity.
Mr. McDaniel said staff had developed two options for discussing the long-range CIP: three
41/2 -hour sessions on March 26th, April 9th and April 16th, or an all -day workshop on April 2nd
(which is not a regular Council meeting day). There was consensus of the Council to have the CIP
discussion session on April 2nd and to cancel the regular Council meeting on April 9th.
The next items for discussion were the Council business procedures and the calendar for the
remainder of 2002. City Secretary Chapa said staff was recommending canceling the following
Council meetings: July 30th, August 13th, November 26th, December 24th and December 31st.
There was consensus of the Council to adopt staffs recommendation on the canceled meetings. The
Council members also discussed and reached conclusions on other procedural issues (delineated in
Mr. Elliff's report).
The redistricting proposal was the next item for Council consideration. Mr. Chapa explained
that the current composition of the Council is five single -member district representatives, three at -
large representatives, and the Mayor. That plan was adopted under court order in 1983. He said the
court order provided that the city have two districts (Districts 2 and 3) where there is a high
probability of a Hispanic being elected and one district (District 1) that would be a "swing" district,
in which a Hispanic or Anglo could be elected.
Mr. Chapa said the City Charter requires that the districts be equalized when population
changes occur. He said that in 1990 there were significant population changes that dictated a
redistricting plan and in 2000 the census data shows a total population growth in Corpus Christi of
approximately 7.8%. He said major growth occurred in Districts 4 and 5; some growth occurred in
District 1; little growth in District 3; and a population decline occurred in District 2. He said the
Hispanic population in each district grew by about 5% while the total Hispanic population grew
about 16.2%.
Mr. Chapa said in order to equalize the population among the five districts, staff took the
total population (277,450) and divided it by five, resulting in 55,490, which is the optimum number
Minutes - City Council Retreat
March 15, 2002
Page 3
for each district. He said staff also had to take into consideration population growth and decline; i.e.,
having fewer people in Districts 4 and 5 since that is where the growth trends are occurring and more
people in District 2 since there has been a population decline in that area. In addition, staff needed
to keep in mind the correct deviation from the average (plus or minus 5%). He said if they were to
go beyond that deviation, they would have problems receiving Justice Department clearance unless
there is a strong argument to support it.
The City Secretary then referred to staffs recommended single -member redistricting plan,
which he believes is the minimum change that would be the least disruptive to the voters and to the
districts. He said the recommended plan is as follows: District 1 - no changes; District 2 - add voting
precincts 48, 84 and 109; District 3 - add voting precincts 70 and 89 and remove voting precinct 48;
District 4 - no changes; and District 5 - remove voting precincts 70, 84, 89 and 109. He said that
would result in the following population numbers: District 1 - 54,668 (deviation of -1.48% from the
current composition); District 2 - 57,379 (deviation of 3.40%); District 3 - 56,540 (deviation of
1.89%); District 4 - 55,019 (deviation of -0.85%); and District 5 - 53,844 (deviation of -2.97%). He
said if the Council wishes, he can provide additional options for redistricting.
Mr. Chapa said staff will send the proposed plan to several entities for their review and he
is recommending that two public hearings be held: on April 1 lth and during the Council meeting on
April 16th. He said there will be two readings of the proposed ordinance (on April 23rd and April
30th); if it is approved, staff will send it to the Justice Department for clearance, which should take
about 60 days. Responding to Council questions, Mr. Chapa said there were proposals from
consultants for them to conduct the redistricting at a cost of $60,000 to $100,000; however, the plan
was developed in-house.
Following additional discussion, Mayor Neal suggested that the Council members seek the
input of their constituents on the redistricting proposal, and he commended staff for their efforts. Mr.
Chapa thanked Mr. Willie Pulido of the Planning Department, Ms. Mary Juarez, Assistant City
Secretary, and Mr. Michael Gunning, Director of Planning. It was the consensus of the Council to
proceed with the proposed redistricting plan as discussed by Mr. Chapa.
The next item on the agenda was regarding the charter revision process. City Attorney Bray
referred to a detailed memo he had provided to the Council dated March 12, 2002 regarding charter
amendments, which he said are regulated by the Texas Constitution and a provision of the Texas
Local Government Code. Since the charter is basically the Constitution of the city, any amendments
to it have to be approved by the voters.
Mr. Bray said that pursuant to Section 9.004 of the Texas Local Government Code, the City
Council may submit a charter amendment to the voters and shall submit a charter amendment to the
voters upon a petition signed by at least 5% of the qualified voters of the municipality. He noted that
under the Constitution, a charter may not be amended more often than every two years. Mr. Bray said
presently there is a charter amendment being circulated that would change the charter to read: "The
municipal government provided by this charter shall be a `Mayor Council Form of Government.' The
elected mayor shall be the chief executive and administrative officer of the city."
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March 15, 2002
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The City Attorney also discussed possible charter amendments that have been discussed over
the years, including those recommended by staff and some that were proposed in 1997 by a Charter
Revision Commission. He said the Council at that time chose not to put those amendments on the
ballot and that was the last revision commission the city had; the last amendments to the charter
occurred in 1993. He said the possible charter amendments encompass several issues, including the
tax cap; transfer of utility funds; initiative and referendum; election dates; runoff elections; clerical
corrections; Mayor's veto; Council compensation; clarifying the effect on voting requirement of a
Council member being disqualified; filling the Mayor's office in the event of a resignation or other
cause; date of a recall election; capital budget; time for effectuating a lease or franchise; termination
of leases; and the procurement process.
The Council specifically discussed the current petition for a charter amendment to change
the form of government. Mr. Bill Kopecky, one of the citizens organizing that petition drive,
responded to Council members' questions, saying that they cannot count signatures that are older
than 181 days. It was noted that if the petitioners submit a sufficient number of valid signatures, the
charter amendment election would have to be held on the next available election date. Depending
on the timing of the submission of their petition, that could be September 14, 2002. Additional
discussion ensued, including the advantages and disadvantages of holding a charter election with a
sales tax election.
Mayor Neal recessed the retreat for lunch. Upon reconvening, the Council discussed the next
items on their agenda --possible election dates for the Crime Control and Prevention District renewal
and the 1/8th cent sales tax. The Mayor referred to a letter from Ms. Linda Bridges, President of the
Board of the Crime Control District, in which she said that the board unanimously supports a five-
year renewal of the district through a continuation referendum in November 2002. Mr. Bray said the
last date to have an election to renew the district before it expires is February 1, 2003. The Mayor
also referred to a letter from Mr. David Engle of Forward Corpus Christi regarding a four -point plan
for a 1/8th cent sales tax for economic development.
Responding to Council members' questions, Police Commander Bryan Smith, Crime Control
District Coordinator, said that $100,000 has been set aside for administrative expenses associated
with an election. Mr. Chapa said the intention is to have a separate ballot from the general election
ballot in the same way as the 1997 election, which established the Crime Control District.
Council Member Noyola said that students at Moody High School are proposing a petition
to place a referendum on the ballot for a 1/8th cent sales tax to fund several improvements. A
discussion ensued and Mayor Neal noted that there are only two 1/8th-cent increments left of the
sales tax.
Each of the Council members offered their opinions about the election issues. Mr. Elliff
summarized the discussion, saying that the Council had agreed to put the Crime Control District
renewal and the I/8th cent sales tax items on the November 5, 2002 ballot and they want to seek
input from Forward Corpus Christi and the Moody High School students in order to formalize what
the economic development piece will look like. Mayor Neal suggested that staff organize a meeting
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March 15, 2002
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with the Moody students and post it to state that there may be a quorum of the Council present.
The next agenda item to be discussed was an overview of past Council priorities and
consideration of priorities for the remainder of the term. Ms. Susan Cable, Director of
Communications and Quality, referred to the action plans prepared by staff for the current City
Council priority issues.
Council discussion ensued about both the current initiatives (including three additions to
them) and new initiatives for 2002. The Council members were asked to prioritize the new initiatives
by placing "dots" next to each one; those with six or more dots were considered the priority new
initiatives. (These are also included in Mr. Elliff's attached report.)
Mayor Neal thanked Mr. Elliff for again facilitating the annual retreat and the Council for
their participation. He also commended city staff, in particular the Engineering Department, Mr.
Garcia and his staff, and Mr. Chapa for the recommended redistricting plan.
2002.
There being no further business, the Mayor adjourned the retreat at 3:55 p.m. on March 15,
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
City of Corpus Christi
2002 City Council Retreat
Friday, March 15, 2002
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
Group Norms
1. Stay informal and open to dialogue
2. Stay on schedule.
3. Keep focused on the agenda.
4. Encourage input and participation from all.
5. Not seeking public comment today --though they are welcome to be here!
Council Procedures and Calendar
• Cancel 4/9/2002 meeting
• Consensus: "Yes" on Mr. Chapa's calendar recommendation.
• "Summer Casual" through September (see how it's going in August)
• Avoid pre -Council Meeting luncheon meetings on consecutive Tuesdays, if
possible.
• Consider scheduling joint meetings with other governmental entities (County,
ISDs, etc.)
• Redistribute the "Council Rules" resolution. Consider distributing it to all
Council members subsequent to each election.
• Staff should consider Council requests for information via Mr. Chapa's office
as "urgent" and should respond accordingly.
Additions to Existing / Carryover Priorities and Action Plans from 20011
Trashy Neighborhoods
• add: "Explore San Antonio (or other) model to see applicability here for
enforcement
Housing Emphasis
• add: Explore options for developing low-income home ownership, including
private partnerships
• add: Streamline Emergency Grant Program and HOMES
Inner City Improvements
• add: Explore additional means for funding infrastructure improvements in
neighborhoods, including private partnerships
Priority New Initiatives for 2002
1. Animal Control facility issues and improvements (including study of
cost for euthanasia) (9)
2. Formalized legislative agenda / initiative (State and Federal) (8)
3. More CVB funding (7)
4. Establishing a Neighborhood Services Division (6)
Additional Initiatives
• Marina master plan --stand alone
• Additional 9 holes at Oso Golf Course
• Plan for "liveaboards" at Marina
• North Beach Pedestrian Plan
• Improve maintenance at Gabe Lozano Golf Course
• Increased emphasis on cultural affairs / "sense of place"
• Downtown re -development / Master Plan
• Improve "Open Government" perception
• EMS Reimbursements from County
• CIP Council Participation increase
Council members pointed out that these three additions would possibly be an integral part of the
new 2002 initiative of adding a Neighborhood Services Division.
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