HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 08/15/2017 - Workshop L1SC.
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I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Workshop
Meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council of August 15, 2017 which were approved by the City
Council on August 22, 2017.
WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, on this the 22nd day of August, 2017.
Re ecca Huerta
City Secretary
SEAL
INDEXED
Ci of CorpusChristi 1201 Leopard Street
c� t ty Corpus Christi,TX 78401
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Meeting Minutes
Merit
City Council Workshop Session
Tuesday,August 15,2017 9:00 AM Council Chambers
Public Notice -- ITEMS ON THIS AGENDA ARE FOR COUNCIL'S
INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. COUNCIL MAY GIVE DIRECTION TO THE
CITY MANAGER, BUT NO OTHER ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AND NO PUBLIC
COMMENT WILL BE SOLICITED.
THE USE OF CELLULAR PHONES AND SOUND ACTIVATED PAGERS ARE
PROHIBITED IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS DURING MEETINGS OF THE CITY
COUNCIL.
A. Mayor Joe McComb to call the meeting to order.
Mayor McComb called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
B. City Secretary Rebecca L. Huerta to call the roll of the required Charter Officers.
City Secretary Rebecca L.Huerta called the roll and verified that a quorum of
the City Council and the required Charter Officers were present to conduct the
meeting.
Charter Officers:
City Manager Margie C.Rose,City Attorney Miles K.Risley,and City Secretary
Rebecca L.Huerta.
Present 9- Mayor Joe McComb, Council Member Rudy Garza, Council Member
Paulette Guajardo, Council Member Michael Hunter, Council Member
Debbie Lindsey-Opel, Council Member Ben Molina, Council Member Lucy
Rubio, Council Member Greg Smith,and Council Member Carolyn Vaughn
Council Member Hunter arrived at 9:07 a.m.
C. BRIEFINGS TO CITY COUNCIL:
1. Proposed FY2017-2018 Budget Presentations -General Fund,
Internal Service Funds, Debt Service Funds, Enterprise Funds and
Special Revenue Funds
Mayor McComb referred to Item 1. City Manager Margie C.Rose stated: the
purpose of this workshop is to complete presentation of the proposed FY
2017-2018 budget;and should time expire before presentations are concluded,
the remaining presentations will be made during a City Council workshop on
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August 24,2017.
Director of the Libraries Department Laura Garcia,Director of the Public Health
District Annette Rodriguez,Director of Human Resources Steve Viera,Director
of Financial Services Constance Sanchez,City Attorney Miles K.Risley(City
Attorneys Office and Human Relations),and Director of Management and
Budget Eddie Houlihan(General Government and Internal Services)each
presented the following information:mission and mission elements;key
services and related full-time equivalents(FTEs);efficiencies achieved in FY
2017 and planned in FY 2018; number of employees;total revenues;and
expenditures.
Following Ms.Garcia's presentation,the following items were discussed in
response to questions from council members: what comprises allocations;an
evaluation of libraries; health insurance and information technology(IT)
allocations;a request for detailed budgets for Internal Service Funds;that
there are six libraries in the Libraries Department;the previous evaluation
conducted on libraries and a council member's request for that information;
library utilization data;the reason for Fleet Allocation in the Library
Department's budget;the difference between group and self-insurance costs;
the partnership between certain schools and two libraries; reasons for the
increase in the IT Department's allocations being attributable to a change in
the allocation methodology and the Library Department's use of leased
computers versus computers previously purchased with grant funds;and a
council member's recommendation regarding a City grant writer.
Following Ms.Rodriguez'presentation,the following items were discussed in
response to questions from council members: reasons for the decrease in
operating revenue;Zika-related issues;where vital records are stored;
protecting vital records in the event of a natural disaster;allocation
methodologies;the percent of allocations attributable to health insurance;
allocations based on FTEs,repairs,etc.;and nurse practitioner salaries.
Council members did not have questions following Mr.Viera's presentation.
Following Mr.Risley's presentation regarding the City Attorney's Office,the
following items were discussed in response to questions from council
members: that the FY17 Achieved and FY18 Planned efficiencies are the same;
and on-going training for City departments to reduce claims and lawsuits.
Following Mr.Risley's presentation regarding Human Relations,the following
items were discussed in response to questions from council members: the
annual number of Fair Housing and Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission(EEOC)cases investigated in relation to the number of FTEs.
Following Mr.Houlihan's presentation regarding General Government,the
following items were discussed in response to questions from council
members: the Communication Department's functions;that some
Communications functions are imbedded in individual City departments and
the associated number of FTEs;a request from a council member for the
number of employees with a Communications function,enterprise-wide;
development of a city council policy on who in the City speaks for the City;and
a request that a"City Council"tab be added to the budget book to include the
City Council's budget.
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Following Mr.Houlihan's presentation regarding Internal Services Fund,Mr.
Houlihan and City Manager Rose responded to questions from council
members regarding: the use of the unreserved fund balance to pay for Police
and Fire personnel;and a previous City Council Motion of Direction regarding
maintaining a 3 percent fund balance and the remainder to be presented to City
Council in a decision package.
MOTION OF DIRECTION
Council Member Vaughn made a motion directing the City Manager to
appropriate the$2,575,022 from the Internal Services Unreserved Fund
Balances,saved from a unanimous vote by City Council on Agenda Item 9,July
25,2017,for the following: 1)fund the one-time costs recommended in the
Decision Packages,page 7: a)Municipal Court reporting software$140,000,b)
Parks and Recreation-Corpus Christi Independent School District(CCISD)
Natatorium$500,000,c)Police replacement vehicles$390,294;2)and needed
facility repairs up to$150,000 for Animal Control,for example,the building
currently used for storage and the dangerous gate system for the animals;in
summary,this motion uses one-time funding for one-time costs,approves
recommended items from the City Manager and leaves the City Council the
remaining one-time funds of$1,394,729,seconded by Council Member Rubio.
Council members and staff discussed the following additional topics: use of
monies for capital improvement projects,not operating costs;City priorities
and public safety;elimination of STEP increases for civilian employees in
order to fund increases in Police and Fire;that the proposed budget does not
increase the number of FTEs in Police and Fire;returning certain revenue to
the Police and Fire Departments;using excess revenues from ad valorem taxes
to meet Police and Fire collective bargaining obligations;sustainable sources
of revenue;the need to allow City Manager Rose to determine the fiscal impact
of returning certain revenue to the Police and Fire Departments;staffing Fire
Station 18;using monies from the unreserved fund balance;a desire to
increase the number of police officers;the cost of a fire truck and personnel
for Fire Station 18;that equipment and staffing costs for Fire Station 18 are not
in the proposed budget; plans to move staff from existing fire stations in order
to staff Fire Station 18 within the existing budget;use of the Fleet Replacement
Fund;the fiscal implications of the above-stated Motion of Direction;the cost
of and schedule for future Police and Fire Academies;when the Crime Control
and Prevention District first began funding police officers and the number
added to the ranks through such funding;use of reserves for increases in
public safety FTEs;that the cost per officer of a first-year officer,including
equipment,is$127,000,increasing to$133,000 per year for second-year
officers,with increases each year thereafter associated with collective
bargaining agreements;the average number of vacancies in Police and Fire
each year;historical staffing levels for Police;the Fire Department retaining
the Texas Ambulance Supplemental Payment Program reimbursements;
rebating monies in the Internal Services fund balance in excess of 3%to
departments;that in the FY2017 budget,$5.7 million in reserves is to be used
to pay for health insurance for Police and Fire as compared to$2.3 million for
civilian employees;that in the FY2018 proposed budget,Police and Fire
employees,under collective bargaining contracts,are asked to pay$137,000
and$40,000,respectively,for health care costs,while asking civilian
employees pay$4.6 million;the current and historical fiscal burden of Police
and Fire collective bargaining agreements;and the net change in sworn police
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officers over past fiscal years.
City Manager Rose advised City Council that Police and Fire need to make
adjustments to their health care plan design or the City will face additional
health care costs for Police and Fire in FY18 that will require the appropriation
of additional funding in lieu of civilian employees compensating for the health
care costs of Police and Fire;and discussed the need for City Council to know
the impact of the above-stated Motion of Direction before a vote is taken.
Council members and staff went on to discuss the following topics: relying on
increased ad valorem tax revenues versus taking money from City
departments to fund the increasing costs of Police and Fire collective
bargaining agreements;increased ad valorem tax revenue from new projects
and appreciation in the value of existing properties;the potential decrease in
revenue streams,necessary to meet Police and Fire collective bargaining
commitments,that may result from decreasing other City departments'
budgets in order to fund current Police and Fire collective bargaining
commitments;the importance of the provision of potable water,street repairs
and City functions other than Police and Fire;investing in technology as a
means of increasing efficiencies;use of drone technology as a means of
realizing efficiencies in Police and Fire;a request from a council member that,
pursuant to a motion passed by City Council on July 25,2017,the City
Manager was to bring a decision package to City Council regarding the use of
the unreserved fund balance in the Internal Services Fund for City Council's
consideration;and clarification by City Manager Rose that those decision
packages were presented to City Council as part of this presentation.
AMENDED MOTION OF DIRECTION
Council Member Vaughn made a motion directing the City Manager to
appropriate the$2,575,022 from the Internal Services Unreserved Fund
Balances,saved from a unanimous vote by City Council on Agenda Item 9,July
25,2017,for the following: 1)fund the one-time costs recommended in the
Decision Packages,page 7: a)Municipal Court reporting software$140,000,b)
Parks and Recreation-Corpus Christi Independent School District(CCISD)
Natatorium$500,000,c)Police replacement vehicles$390,294;2)and needed
facility repairs up to$150,000 for Animal Control,for example,the building
currently used for storage and the dangerous gate system for the animals;in
summary,this motion uses one-time funding for one-time costs,approves
recommended items from the City Manager and leaves the City Council the
remaining one-time funds of$1,394,729;and,adding$650,000 for a fire truck
for Fire Station 18,seconded by Council Member Rubio.
Mayor McComb discussed: affording the City Manager time to determine the
fiscal impact of the proposed Amended Motion of Direction;the role of City
Council as policy makers versus management;and recommended that the
proposed Amended Motion of Direction be tabled or not passed.
The Amended Motion of Direction was approved with the following vote:
Council Members Molina,Rubio,Vaughn,Garza,Guajardo,Hunter and
Lindsey-Opel voting"Aye"and Council Members McComb and Smith voting
"No".
D. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:14 a.m.
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