HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet City Council - 04/12/2005 (SP2)Note: A reception for outgoing Mayor Loyd Neal will be held in the City Hall 6th Floor
Conference Room immediately after this Special Council meeting.
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AGFNDA
CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
1201 LEOPARD
APRIL 12, 2005
11:00 A.M.
Mayor Samuel L. Neal, Jr. to call the meeting to order.
Presentation of the Colors by the Corpus Christi Police Honor Guard.
National Anthem to be sung by Andrew Moore.
Pledge of .adleglance to the Flag of the United States led by Mayor Samuel L. Neal, Jr.
Invocation to be given by The Most Reverend Edmond Carmody, D.D., Bishop of Corpus
Christi.
Mayor Samuel L. Neal, Jr.
Mayor Pro Tern Bill Kelly
Council Members:
Brent Chesney
Javier Colmenero
Melody Cooper
Henry Garrett
Rex Kinnison
Jesse Noyola
Mark Scott
G.
1.
H.
2.
Poeting of the Colors by the Corpus Christi Honor Guard.
City Secretary Armando Chapa to call the roll of the required Charter Officers.
City Manager George K. Noe
City Attorney Mary Kay Fischer
City Secretary Armando Chapa
MINUTES:
Approval of Regular Council Meeting of March 29, 2005. (Attachment #1)
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION ITEMS:
Ordinance declaring the results of the General Election held on Apdl 2, 2005 in the City of
Corpus Christi for the purpose of electing the Mayor and eight Council Members. (Attachment
#2)
Resolution commemorating the public service of Samuel L. Neal, Jr. as Mayor, 1997-2005.
PRESENTATIONS:
Outgoing Council Members speeches and presentations.
Benediction to be given by Reverend J. Keith Wyatt, Senior Paster, First United Methodist
Church.
ADJOURNMENT.
POSTING STATEMENT:
This agenda was posted on the City~ official bulJ,etin board at the front entrance to City Hall,
1201LeopardStreet, at Il'..~..~ ~_~/p.m., ~J~ ~/~.~ ~ ,2005.
Armando Chapa
City Secretary
1
MINUTES
CITY OF CORPUS CH1LISTI, TEXAS
Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - 10 a.m.
PRESENT
Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr.
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Kelly
Council Members:
Javier Colmenero
Brent Chesney
Melody Cooper
Henry Gamett
Rex Kinnison
Jesse Noyola
Mark Scott
City Staff'
City Manager George K. Noe
City Attorney Mary Kay Fischer
City Secretary Armando Chapa
Mayor Neal called the meeting to order in the Council Chambers of City Hall.
The invocation was delivered by Pastor Damon Relder with the Wesley United Methodist
Church and the Pledge of Allegcance to the United States flag was led by Council Member Garrett.
City Secretary Chapa called the roll and verified that the necessary quorum of the Council
and the required charter officers were present to conduct the meeting.
Mayor Neal called for approval of the minutes of the regular Council meeting of March 22,
2005. A motion was made and passed to approve the minutes as presented.
Mayor Neal called for consideration of the consent agenda (Items 2-12). There were no
comments from the public. A motion was made and passed to approve Items 2 through 12,
constituting the consent agenda. City Secretary Chapa polled the Council for their votes as follows:
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 3
5.a. RESOLUTION NO. 026183
Resolution authorizing the City Manager or his designee to accept a grant in the amount of
$69,538 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the purchase of
industrial firefighting equipment and specialized mining.
The foregoing resolution was passed and approved with the following vote: Neal, Chesney,
Colmenero, Cooper, Garreth Kelly, Kinnison, Noyola and Scott, voting "Aye".
5.b. ORDINANCE NO. 026184
Ordinance appropriating $69,538 fi.om the Federal Emergency Management Agency's
Assistance to Fimfighters Grant Program for industrial flrefighting equipment and
specialized training in the No. 1062 Fire Grants Fund.
An emergency was declared, and the foregoing ordinance was passed and approved with the
following vote: Neal, Chesney, Colmenero, Cooper, Garrett, Kelly, Kinnison, Noyola and
Scott, voting "Aye".
6.a. RESOLUTION NO. 026185
Resolution authorizing the City Manager or his designee to accept a Clean Cities Grant from
the State Energy Conservation Office in the amount of $17,500 for development of a Clean
Cities Program and related services.
The foregoing resolution was passed and approved with the following vote: Neal, Chesney,
Colmenero, Cooper, Gan-eth Kelly, Kinnison, Noyola and Scott, voting "Aye".
6.b. ORDINANCE NO. 026186
Ordinance appropriating $17,500 fi.om the State Energy Conservation Office in the No. 1071
Community Enrichment Grants Fund for development of a Clean Cities Program and related
services.
An emergency was declared, and the foregoing ordinance was passed and approved with the
following vote: Neal, Chesney, Colmenero, Cooper, Garreth Kelly, Kimfison, Noyola and
Scott, voting "Aye".
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 5
10.b. ORDINANCE NO. 026187
Ordinance appropriating $61,683.50 from the Water Arterial Transmission and Grid Main
Trust Fund No. 4030-540450 to pay developer reimbursement request for the installation of
1,090 linear feet of a 12-inch PVC water distribution grid main to develop Monte Verde at
Terra Mar Unit 1.
An emergency was declared, and the foregoing ordinance was passed and approved with the
following vote: Neal, Chesney, Colmenero, Cooper, Garrett, Kelly, Kirmison, Noyola and
Scott, voting "Aye".
I 1. FIRST READING ORDINANCE
Amending Section 10-86, Code of Ordinances, City of Corpus Christi, and the Corpus
Christi, Texas, Dune Protection and Beach Access Regulations to adopt the City of Corpus
Christi Beach User Fee Plan; increasing the beach parking permit fees; providing for
penalties.
The foregoing ordinance was passed and approved with the following vote: Neal, Chesney,
Colmenero, Cooper, Garreth Kelly, Kinnison, Noyola and Scott, voting "Aye"_
12. ORDINANCE NO. 026188
Approving the FY 2005 Capital Budget in the amount of $178,074,800. (First Reading -
3/22/05)
The foregoing ordinance was passed and approved on its second reading with the following
vote: Neal, Chesney, Colmenero, Cooper, Garrett, Kelly, Kinnison, Noyola and Scott, voting
"Aye".
Mayor Neal referred to the presentations on the day' s agenda. The first presentation was Item
13, an update on the 2005 Buc Days event. Buccaneer Commission Executive Director Barry Box
stated the Buc Days celebration was in its 67~ consecutive year. He said the event was one of the
largest and most established festivals south of San Antonio. In addition, the event had experienced
double digit growth every year, and he expected this trend to continue.
Mr. Box discussed the scholarship component of Buc Days. Traditionally, the Buccaneer
Commission awarded a $20,000, four-year college scholarship to the winner of the Ms. Buc Days
Pirate Queen contest_ This year, the Buc Commission decided to expand the program to disburse
over $50,000 in scholarships, with the goal of reaching $100,000 in the next two to three years. He
said t[ds goal could only be reached if the Buc Commission continued to attract sponsors. In
addition to increasing the available scholarship funds, Mr. Box said other scholarship goals were to
touch a broader base of reeipients and to include more colleges and universities. Mr. Box stated the
chairman of the Scholarship Committee was Mr. Eddie Garcia_
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 7
Mr. Box stated Mr. Miles Graham was chairman of the parades this year_ The Jtmior Parade
would be held on April 23, 2005, and would run along northbound Shoreline Boulevard to the
coliseum_ The Illuminated Night Parade would take place on April 30, 2005 would have an
abbreviated route this year due to the construction in the downtown area_ The parade route would
run down Leopard Street to Upper Broadway, and end on Mesquite Street near the Laredo and Agnes
Streets interchange.
Finally, Mr. Box stated the Pre-Parade Stadium Show would be chaired by Mr. David
Berlanga_ The event would take place on April 30, 2005, and the theme was a salute to the city's
"Hometown Heroes".
Mr. Box thanked ail city staff for their assistance, especially the Park and Recreation,
Engineering, and Solid Waste departments.
Mr. Box concluded by briefly discussing future plans for the Buc Days Festival as follows:
make the festival more regional; add new events; develop a better understanding oftheh- customers;
increase sponsorships; and create scholarship growth and diversification_ Mr. Box then showed a
video testimonial promoting Buc Days
The second presentation was Item 14, an FY 2005 second quarter (period ended January 31,
2005) report of the Health Benefits/Risk Management Fund. Director of Human Resources Cynthia
Garcia fwst provided a status on the Health Benefits fund. She reported the number of claims filed
by plan in the second quarter of this year were higher than the claims filed during the same period
last year. She noted first quarter claims were also higher this fiscal year than last fiscal year. She
said staffwould study the claims numbers closely to see if staxff could take any additional measures
to slow the pace down_
Ms. Garcia also reported the dollars paid by plan including prescriptions were higher than
dollars paid in the second quarter last year_ Specifically, the total dollars paid this year amounted
to $7,900,000, which was $670,000 more than the fzrst half of last year_
Ms. Garcia stated the average cost per claim in this quarter was $214.39, compared with
$191.09 for the second quarter last year. The FY year-to-date average per member cost are $363.50
for Citicare; $378.78 for Fire; and $505.34 for Public Safety. Ms. Garcia said premiums were
increased and budgets were adjusted in anticipation of these increases predicted by the city's actuary.
She said the city had just received the actuarial report that will help determine changes in the next
fiscal year. Staffwas in the process of reviewing the report, and would report their findings to the
Council in the near future.
Ms. Garcia provided an update on the workers' compensation fund. She said staff was
exta-emely pleased and cautiously optimistic with the status of the fund this quarter. She reported the
number of c!almn filed in the first six months of this fiscal year was 480, compared to 511 claims
filed last fiscal year at the same t/me. The total cost incurred was $565,031, compared with
$1,139,845 for the six months last year. She said the city had currently paid 49 percent of the
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 9
Mr. Kelly remarked that he expected to see a decrease in injuries in the Solid Waste
department due to the automation of the city's trash collection. Mr. Nce answered the city has
already implemented the first two phases of the automated trash collection, where the bulk of the
collection was automated. The final phase, which was implemented last year, was not fully
automated. Thus, Mr_ Noe said the city would not see the same potential reduction in injuries from
the last phase of automation as seen in the prior phases. He said staff was analyzing the data now
and would follow-up.
Regarding the claim and cost increases in health benefits, Mr. Kinnison asked staffto better
educate employees about the difference in costs between service providers, He told Ms_ Garcia he
would provide her with documentation on his family's experience with this issue.
Mr. Colmenero asked staff to provide data on how many employees use out-of-network
services. Ms. Garcia replied staffwould provide this information in the next quarterly report. Mr.
Noe added there was an incentive for employees to seek services in the network because the cost was
lower than out-of-network. There was no incentive at this point, however, for employees to seek
services from lower-cost service providers (e.g. pediatrician vs. clinic).
Mayor Neal asked how the city's health benefits plan covered employees 65 years of age and
older. Health Benefits Manager Quentin Masters replied the city's plan would supplement Medicare
- i.e. Medicare would be the primary payer, and the city plan would be the secondary payer.
Mayor Neal referred to Item 15.a., and a motion was made, seconded and passed to open the
public hearing on the following right-of-way closure:
15.a.
Public hcarmg to consider abandoning and vacating an 81,172-square foot portion of an
undeveloped and unsurfaced 60 foot wide dedicated public right-of-way out of Lots 5 and
12, Section 5, Range VIII, Gugenheim and Corn' s Farm Lots (intersecting with the southern
portion of the Junior Beck Drive right-of-way, south of Bear Lane).
There were no comments from the audience. Mr. Chesney made a motion to close the public
heating, seconded by Mr. Scott, and passed. City Secretary Chapa polled the Council for their votes
as follows:
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 11
with Engineering Services.
Since the proposed project was an affordable housing development, Mr_ Kelly said one of
his primary concerns was the neighborhood's reaction to the project. He asked who was going to
manage the project once it was complete. The applicant, Mr. Charles Tryon, replied he was not
going to manage the project, but would continue to own the project. He said he would hire at least
one or more individuals to maintain and manage the project. The project was designed to construct
a 20-unit apartment complex to provide affordable housing in the area_ There were four cottages
existing on the property in question. He said they planned to relocate the four cottages and replace
them with the apartment complex. He said Oak Park Elementary School was being built in the area,
so he felt a new housing complex would be needed as families relocated to this arem
Mr. Kelly asked if there had been any recent economic development in the area. Mr_
Gunning mentioned one project, but he was uncertain about the status of the project. Mr. Kelly felt
the affordable housing project was a good economic development project for the area, and he said
the area leaders he had spoken with agreed.
In response to Mr. Colmenero's question, Mr. Tryon replied there would be adequate lighting
on the property itself. He agreed with Mr. Rangel that the area was in need of more sidewalk and
lighting improvements, and he hoped the city would do their part to address the problems.
Mr. Abel Alonzo spoke in support of the affordable housing project.
Mr. David Noyola, 4433 Valdez, spoke in opposition to placing an apartment complex in a
residential neighborhood
A motion was made, seconded, and passed to close the public hearing. City Secretary Chapa
polled the Council for their votes as follows:
16. ORDINANCE NO. 026190
Amending the Zoning Ordinance, upon application by Advanced Housing Alternatives
Corporation by changing the zoning map in reference to the Woodlawn Subdivision, Block
2, Lots 8A and 8B from "R-2" Multiple Dwelling District to "A-2" Apartment House
Dwelling District; amending the Comprehensive Plan to account for any deviations from the
existing Comprehensive Plan.
An emergency was declared, and the foregoing ordinance was passed and approved with the
following vote: Neal, Chesney, Colmenero, Cooper, Garrett, Kelly, Kimxison, Noyola and
Scott, voting "Aye".
Mayor Neal referred to Item 17, and a motion was made, seconded, and passed to open the
public hearing on the following zoning case:
Case No. 0205-02. Kiko's Restaurant: A change of zoning f~om a "R-IB/SP" One-family
Dwelling District-Special Permit and "AB" Professional Office District to a "B-I"
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 13
could re, apply, since he understood the applicant normally had to wait one year before reapplying.
City Attorney Fischer confirmed that Mr. Barrera would be able to reapply with/n the 12 months
since this case did not involve the denial of a zoning change. Mr. Kinnison spoke in favor of staffs
recommendation.
Mr. Kinnison made a motion to amend the ordinance to reflect staffs recommendation for
a new Special Permit in the "R-1B"/SP District and a Special Permit in the "AB" District, seconded
by Ms_ Cooper, and passed. City Secretary Chapa polled the Council for their votes on the amended
ordinance as follows:
17. ORDINANCE NO. 026191
Amending the Zoning Ordinance, upon application by Kiko's Restaurant by changing the
zoning map in reference to the Gardendale Subdivision, Block 3, Lots 3 and 18 (Lot 3 -
currently zoned "R- 1B"/SP One-family Dwelling District with a Special Permit and Lot 18 -
currently zoned "AB" Professional Office District) by granting "AB" Professional Office
District on Lot 3 with a Special Permit for a banquet hall and parking lot subject to eight (8)
conditions and by granting a Special Permit with the same conditions on Lot 18; amending
the Comprehensive Plan to account for any deviations from the existing Comprehensive
Plan.
An emergency was declared, and the foregoing ordinance was passed and approved as
amended with the following vote: Neal, Chesney, Colmenero, Cooper, Garrett, Kelly,
Kinnison, Noyola and Scott, voting "Aye".
Mayor Neal called for a brief recess to present proclamations and commendations.
The Council returned from recess, and Mayor Neal called for petitions from the audience.
Ms. Becki Jones, C.R. 32, spoke regarding her concerns that the Animal Control department was
allowing pit bull-mix dogs to be adopted. Ms. Sherry Dunlap, 5825 Hopkins Road, announced that
the animal fights organization called CCARE decided to drop the animal contxol petition it had
previously filed with the City Secretary's Office.
Mayor Neal referred to Item 18, and a motion was made, seconded, and passed to open the
public hearing on the following zoning case:
Case No, 0205-03, Steven Krol: A change of zoning from a "R-lB" One-family Dwelling
District to a "B- 1" Neighborhood Business District, resulting in a land usc change from low-
density residential to a neighborhood business in Alameda Park Subdivision, Block 6, Lot
22, located along the northeast comer of Everhart Road and Han-y Slxeet.
City Secretary Chapa said the Planning Commission and staffrecommended the denial of
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 15
19.
ORDINANCE NO. 026193
Amending the Zoning Ordinance, upon application by BL Holding Company by changing
the zoning map in reference to the Tyler Subdivision, Block 1, Lots 2 and 12 referred to as
Tract 1, and Tyler Subdivision, Block 2, Tract C referred to as Tract 2, (currently zoned "R-
lC" One-family Dwelling District) by granting a Special Permit for an event center subject
to eight (8) conditions and site plan for Tract 1 and by changing the zoning on Tract 2 fi.om
"R-lC" One-family Dwelling District to "AT" Apartment Tourist; amending the
Comprehensive Plan to account for any deviations from the existing Comprehensive Plan.
An emergency was declared, and the foregoing ordinance was passed and approved with the
following vote: Neal, Chesney, Cooper, Garrett, Kelly, Kinnison, Noyola and Scott, voting
"Aye"; Colmenero was absent.
Mayor Neal opened discussion on Item 20, a contract with Maverick Engineering for the
Airport Industrial Park. City Manager Noe explained the industrial park project was a joint project
between the city, the Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and the Corpus Christi
Business and Job Development Corporation (4A Board). He said this item authorizes the execution
of the next step in the process, the contract for engineering.
Director of Aviation Dave Hamrick reported the airport staff negotiated an agreement with
the EDC to provide commercial non-aviation development services. He said the EDC had advised
the airport that there was a lack of sufficiently sized industrial/warehouse facilities available inside
the city. He said the city has identified approximately 50 acres of property west of the airport
entrance that was being recommended for use as a light industrial park.
Mr. Hamrick stated the fast phase of the development was the design of the infi'nstructure,
including stxeets, street lighting, water, wastewater, and storm water, to support the anticipated future
growth of the site. He said staff?had negotiated a cona'act with Maverick Engineering to design the
infrastructure and provide engineering services, including preparation of bid specifications, cost
estimating, and bid evaluation. He asked EDC President/CEO Ron Kitchens to discuss the
importance of the project.
Mr. Kitchens emphasized the city's need to invest in infrastructure for potential industrial
sites in order to be more competitive with other cities. He said the city had the second lowest
availability of commercial buildings in the U.S., and the city's rating for available commercial sites
was nearly as low. Regarding the proposed airport industrial park, he said the EDC was focusing
their efforts on locating a developer for the initial property construction. If these efforts were
unsuccessful, then Mr. Kitchens stated he would ask the city and the 4A Board to assist with the
funding.
There were no comments from the audience. City Secretary Chapa announced that Mr.
Noyola was abstaining fxom the vote and discussion on this item. Mr. Chapa polled the Council for
their votes as follows:
Minutes - Regular Council Meeting
March 29, 2005 - Page 17
Council meeting at 12:47 p.m. on March 29, 2005.