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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN JAN 13 1987 REGULAR SESSION CITY COUNCIL - CITY OF BEAUMONT HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 - 1:15 P.M. BE IT REMEMBERED that the City Council of the City of Beaumont, Texas, met in regular session this the 13th day of January, 1987, with the following present: HONORABLE: Maurice Meyers Mayor Bob Lee, Jr. Councilman At Large Andrew P. Cokinos Councilman At Large Nell Pruitt Weisbach Councilman, Ward I Mike Brumley Councilman, Ward II Audwin Samuel Councilman, Ward III David W. Moore Councilman, Ward IV Albert E. Haines City Manager Lane Nichols City Attorney -000- The Invocation was given by Bishop Marshall Hayes, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Pro Tem Moore. -000- Mrs. Thelma Smith, 995 Legion, presented a "Spindletop 50th Anniversary" necktie, purchased by a member of her family in 1951 as part of that celebration of Beaumont's history, to the Mayor for the City's use during it's Sesquicentennial celebrations during 1987. Mayor Meyers responded that Al Pollans, Chairman of the Sesquicentennial, he and members of City Council would each wear the necktie during the year's celebration and hoped to return the necktie to her in good condition at the end of the year. -000- MAYOR MEYERS: Next I'd like to ask JoAnn Polk, representing the Beaumont Symphony as it's president, to come forward. I believe she had some comments that she wanted to make today. MRS. JOANN POLK: I'm JoAnn Polk, president of the Beaumont Symphony Society. We are here today for a very special reason and I am going to ask John French to come forward. You all know John French. He's operations manager for IBM but he is our president-elect for the Beaumont Symphony Society. -8- January 13, 1986 MR. JOHN FRENCH: I'm John French, 4450 Thomas Court, Beaumont. I feel it's my pleasure, Mayor Meyers and City Councilmen, to extend an invitation to you and to the department heads of the City government to be our guests at the January 22nd concert of the Beaumont Symphony Orchestra. It is our belief that the City Council and the department heads are doing an outstanding job in providing the leadership of this community and also for the continued support of the Arts in our community and for that we would like to invite you to be our guests at that particular performance. In addition to that, if you have an opportunity either at 9:00 a.m. or 11 :00 a.m. on the 22nd we will be conducting two separate youth concerts. These concerts will allow 4,000 students in the local school districts to come and hear some quality music and I think it will be a wonderful experience for you to see the contribution the Symphony is making to the education in this community. So, please, be our guests and if you would, let the secretary in the City Manager's Office know if you are able to attend and we will make sure you get the tickets. Thank you. MAYOR MEYERS: Thank you very much, John, JoAnn, both of you and to the entire Symphony, we deeply appreciate your expression towards Council and the comments you made both in your letter and what've you've said today, John, and I think Council does have a very deep appreciation for the strength the Arts play in the viability of communities - not now, but always, but I think perhaps more so now than ever as we work to try and improve our economy. How a community addresses the Arts and appreciates and assists the Arts I think is a great reflection on the community itself and I know that we will all certainly try and be there as well as at the youth programs because to indoctrinate the young people to that level of art at that time in their lives is most important. We thank you for that and we thank you for your expression today. -000- One proclamation was issued: "Jaycees Week in Beaumont" - January 11-18, 1987. The proclamation was received by Mrs. Tiffany Barnett, president of the Beaumont Jaycees. Mayor Meyers asked Mrs. Barnett and as many members as possible of the Jaycees to participate in the First Economic Summit to be held February 17th in the Beaumont Civic Center. Mrs. Barnett agreed and also asked that a member of the Jaycees be allowed to join the Sesquicentennial Commission. -000- Mr. [tic Warchol, Chairman of the Convention and Visitors Bureau Committee, and Mrs. Bonnie Cokinos, Chairman of Hospitality, presented plaques of appreciation to Mrs_. Jan Allred for the Beta Sigma Phi Convention held recently with 611 delegates equating to 1 ,800 hotel room nights, $183,000 actual dollars spent in Beaumont with a rollover amount of $916,000 for the community and Mr. Bill Clark for_ the Texas Pest Control Convention, held December 2-5, 1986, with 325 delegates equating to 975 hotel room nights, $97,500 actual dollars spent with a rollover amount of $437,000. -9- January 13, 1987 The following Consent Agenda items were considered: Approval of the Minutes of the regular City Council session held January 6, 1987; Resolution 87-4 reappointing Shirley Bartos and Roberto Flores to the Clean Community Commission, with terms to expire September 30, 1989; Robert Pollard and Ed Moore to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, with terms to June 30, 1989; Naaman Woodland to the Library Commission, with term to expire October 31, 1989; Michael Ryals to the Transit Advisory Committee, with term to expire June 30, 1989; Milton Bell, Chairman, Ron Lanier, Preston Shaw and Whitfield Outlaw to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, with terms to expire September 30, 1989 and appointing Charles Thompson and Bettye R. Smith (Alternate) to the Zoning Board of Adjustment with terms to expire September 30, 1989 and Frank Rojas, Sr. , to Sesquicentennial Commission, with term to expire December 31 , 1987; Resolution 87-5 granting a license to encroach with Dr. & Mrs. Thomas F. Pugh for a swimming pool extending five (5') feet into a ten-foot-wide utility easement in the rear of their residence on the northeast corner of Sheridan Lane and Sheridan Place and described as Lot 9, Sheridan Park Addition, for a one-time license fee of $500.00; and Resolution 87-6 authorizing the conveyance of an easement out of Parcel 78 to the Kansas City Southern Railway Company across property purchased for the Martin Luther Ring, Jr. , Parkway Spur 380 Project (Parcel 78, 18,722 square feet out of the David Brown League, Abstact 5, purchased from Miriam Burns and Ronald D. Harvey at States's appraised value of $14,142.00) and transfer of the property to the State subject to the easement. The Consent Agenda was approved on a motion made by Councilman Samuel and seconded by Councilman Moore. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: 'done -000- No one wished to address City Council on Agenda Items B through D. -000- Resolution 87-7 reappointing John Paul Davis as Chief Magistrate and Wendell Radford as Alternate Magistrate for two year terms at the Municipal Court with terms beginning January 13, 1987 and ending January 13, 1989 was approved on a motion made by Councilman Cokinos and seconded by Councilman Moore. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- -10- January 13, 1987 Resolution 87-8 accepting the work performed by Merrill Construction Company under the Carroll Street Park Drainage and Landscape Plan and authorizing final payment to' the contractor in the amount of $40,293.83 (Change Order No. 1 at $900.00 added removal of old concrete and chain link fencing, clearing of trees and installation of a new chain link fence. Change Order No. 2 deducted $160.00 for 80 square feet of unacceptable sidewalk, reducing final cost of the work to $53,144.00 - funded through the Community Development Block Grant) was approved on a motion made by Councilman Weisbach and seconded by Councilman Lee. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Resolution 87-9 authorizing the Public Works Department engineering staff to negotiate professional services contracts with consulting engineers for three projects of the Comprehensive Plan: Mark Whiteley & Associates for the Cartwright-Terrell Street Box (estimated at $3,035,400 for a system of underground boxes and storm sewers to relieve the loaded drainage structures serving 1 ,288 acres of the Cartwright-Terrell drainage area extending from Interstate 10 to Avenue A); Bob Shaw Consulting Engineers for the High School Ditch - 9th Street Relief Project (estimated at $1,653,800 including new storm sewer system and other improvements to serve 600 acres between Interstate 10 and First Street and extending from Ashley Avenue to the Southern Pacific tracks) and Garrod and Dartez for the Fannin Street Box (estimated at $1,407,000 for improvements including new underground box along Fannin from Interstate 10 to Fourth Street and a storm sewer on Sixth Street north to Crockett to relieve flooding in a 490-acre area drained by the Fannin Street Box System) was approved on a motion made by Councilman Brumley and seconded by Councilman Cokinos. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None Councilman Samuel questioned whether the Minority Business Enterprise policy would be addressed with these contracts. Mr. Tom Warner, Director of Public Works, responded that Council had just approved negotiations to establish contract prices for these contracts and that during these negotiations, the MBE policy will be considered. -000- Resolution 87-10 approving the allocation of $26,290 in historic museum grants budgeted from the Hotel-Motel Transient Room Occupancy Tax Fund to five (5) local historic museums: $7,630 for operations and maintenance of the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum; $10,000 for continuation of the Beaumont Heritage Society tours; $7,630 to pay docent guides to explain and interpret exhibits for the Spindletop Museum and Gladys City Boom Town and $1 ,030 improving display cases and hardware for the Fire Museum of Texas, was considered: After a lengthy discussion concerning $4,000 of the $26,290 being directed to the Fire Museum of Texas, City Manager Haines told Council that he had recommended the original amounts for the *Museums as the same amounts received by these Museums last year because their budgets had been prepared to include these anticipated amounts. He further said that in preparation for the City's 1987-88 budget, these groups would be asked to submit applications for funding which would become part of the budget planning. -11- January 13, 1987 Councilman Cokinos made a motion to reduce the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, Beaumont Heritage Society and the Spindletop Museum and Gladys City Boom Town each by $750 to be added to monies for the Fire Museum - Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum to receive $6,880; Beaumont Heritage Society, $9,250; Spindletop Museum and Gladys City Boom Town, $6,880 and the Fire Museum of Texas to receive $3,280; motion died for lack of a second. Resolution 87-10 accepting the City Manager's recommendation for the allocation of the $26,290 was approved on a motion made by Councilman Moore and seconded by Councilman Weisbach. Question: Ayes: Mayor Meyers Nayes: Councilman Cokinos Councilman Lee Councilman Weisbach Councilman Brumley Councilman Samuel Councilman Moore -000- Councilman Samuel announced that the next City Council Town Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. , February 3, 1987, in the Douglas Memorial CME Church, 1370 Ewing Street, and urged all to attend. -000- Councilman Moore reported the poor condition, huge potholes, on E. Virginia from 4th Street and the railroad tracks and also that he has been told the buses traveling on S. 8th Street near the Mental Health Mental Retardation facility are causing rolls in the pavement and that area needs attention also. Councilman Lee reported that on Thursday evening, the 16th Region of the Texas Municipal League will host its annual meeting in Beaumont, with Mr. Bob Bolin, Mayor of Fort Worth, who is also the president of the Texas Municipal League, here to visit with City officials. Councilman Samuel reminded all of the Ground Breaking Ceremonies for the Martin Luther King, Jr. , Parkway (Spur 380) project to be held Sunday, January 18th at 3:00 p.m. at the intersection M. L. King Parkway and Threadneedle. A reception for viewing the Model of the completed project will be held at the Montagne Center at Lamar University. -000- Mr. Henry Dannenbaum, 1557 Wall, presented Councilman Weisbach with a box of chocolates. In addition, he again spoke about the need for halfway houses to be certified. Mr. Lindsey Walker, 2537 Calder, addressed Council to suggest that the Beaumont Art Museum release their 99--year lease on the 'Delaware Street property, but retain the right to use the property for Kaleidescope activities, display of sculpture or museum-type uses in order to allow volunteers right-of-entry onto the premises to clean the litter and debris left by Hurricane Bonnie and to use the property as a passive park. -12- January 13, 1987 There being no further business, the meeting was recessed before continuing with the City Council Workshop Session. -000- I, Rosemarie Chiappetta, Secretary in the City Clerk's Office, certify that the above is a true copy of the Minutes of the regular City Council session held January 13, 1987. Rosemarie Chiappetta Secretar - -13- January 13, 1987 EXCERPT FROM REGULAR u� Y COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 CITY MANAGER HAINES: The next item is a resolution approving the allocation of grants to historic museums from the amount of $26,290. Those funds were budgeted for the purpose from the Hotel-Motel Transient Occupancy Tax Fund. This resolution would authorize dispursement of grant funds to local historic museums as follows: to the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, $7,630; Beaumont Heritage Society, $10,000; Spindle tap Museum and Gladys City Boom Town, $7,630. Those three amounts are the same as they were in the previous year and then finally to the Fire Museum of Texas, $1,030. I might make, a brief comment that in the future, we will be requesting museums to file applications as part of the City's regular budget process so that the allocation decisions could be made during the budget period by Council. We recommend approval of the resolution. MAYOR MEYERS: Are there any questions of Council? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Yes, I've got a question. Mr. City Manager, Beaumont has the rare distinction of being the home of the Fire Museum of Texas and this is an invaluable tourist attraction to the City of Beaumont. It's the only one of its kind in the State of Texas. I've seen many school children, many visitors go through the Fire Museum and it's very an outstanding Fire Museum. It's my understanding that more than 6,000 tourists and children go through this Fire Museum here in Beaumont and furthermore, there will be a tv show on the Eyes of Texas on KPRC in Houston honoring the Fire Museum of Texas. My question is why was this allocation reduced from $4,000 to $1,030? CITY MANAGER: Thank you, Councilman. That's I think an appropriate question. As you will recall there had been a previous submittal to Council that called for a different distribution of funds. As we reviewed the previous proposal that was being considered, we realized that the three museums, particularly the Zaharias, Beaumont Heritage Society and Spindletop had already entered into a budget year with a fully anticipated perception that they would receive funding equal to that amount which they had received in the prior year. The Fire Museum of Texas has never been funded out of this particular source of funds in the past and neither had the Edison Museum which also submitted a proposal. We felt that the first responsibility we had was to retain a . . at least a perceived committment to the three museums that had previously been funded at the levels that they had been and if there were funds remaining that we would make those available first to the Fire Museum of Texas and secondly to the Edison Museum, which is what we have done here. So, essentially, I would rather respond by saying we have not reduced funding from $4,000 to $1 ,000; we have increased funding to the Fire Museum from zero to $1 ,000. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Who made this decision to cut the allocations. EXCERPT FROM REGULAR t,.-fY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 Page 2 CITY MANAGER: The allocations were not cut, Mr. Cokinos. The decision was my decision, it was made to maintain a funding level to those three museums equal to what they had been in the previous years and then to make any surplus available to the Fire Museum. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: According to the Council letter of December 26th, it showed that the Fire Museum of Texas was to receive $4,000 to be used for improving display cases and purchasing hardware and furthermore I think they were planning on buying harnass so they can pull the old fire wagon with. Now, you say that $4,000 originally wasn't committed to the museum . . . ? CITY MANAGER: No, sir. . . . . . . COUNCILMAN COKINOS: It says right here . . . . . . CITY MANAGER: No, sir, Mr. Cokinos. If you will recall, I pulled that item from the agenda. It was not a recommendation. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: You pulled that item for another reason. It wasn't because of the Fire Museum of Texas. CITY MANAGER: I pulled the item because there was not sufficient funding for the other three museums. The only way there could be a $4,000 allocation made to the Fire Museum is if we reduced funding to the other three museums and I could not recommend it. Council may do that, that's fine. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, you increased the others but you decreased the Fire Museum. Yes you did. CITY MANAGER: Mr. Cokinos, I think if you will look at your tabulation sheet you will find that the 1986 funding amount for Zaharias, Beaumont Heritage Society and Spindletop Museum are exactly the same as they are being proposed here today. EXCERPT FROM REGULAR t,LTY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1986 Page 3 COUNCILMAN COKINOS: $5,000 on December 26th and this time it was $7,000 . . . let's see, you reduced . . I mean you increased the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum to $7,630 and according to the Council letter, it was originally scheduled for $5,395. Isn't that right? CITY MANAGER: I think if you will look at the column. I'm not interested in what I submitted to you because I pulled the item. I did not make that recommendation to you, Mr. Cokinos, or to the Council. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Okay, the Beaumont Heritage Society was originally for $8,000. You increased it to $10,000. CITY MANAGER: That was a recommendation that came to me from staff. I . . it went on the agenda. I pulled it from the agenda and requested Council not to discuss the item, that I was not making that recommendation. So, I would certainly apprecsiate it, Mr. Cokinos, if you would look at the funding level from the previous year. You will there find that the amount is exactly the same as it is being presented to you today and I think I have explained to the Council why. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: I've got different figures. The Spindletop Museum shows $5,000 and you increased it on this particular . . . . . . I mean I have no objections about the other museums. I'm just wondering why the Fire Museum of the State of Texas, the only one in the State of Texas, was cut from your original $4,000 to $1,030? That's all I want to know. CITY MANAGER: Mr. Cokinos, that was not my recommendation. That was a letter that came to me from another department that had reviewed the applicaltions. I met with that Department Head after I had pulled the item from Council. I said we will not cut funding levels for museums that already anticipated a certain funding level equal to the prior year. We will therefore grant those funding levels as they were last year and fund whatever may be left over to the Fire Museum. I didn't cut anything. I added a $1 ,000 to the Fire Museum. EXCERPT FROM REGULAR uiTY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 Page 4 MAYOR MEYERS: I get paid a lot of money to run this show and knowing that that's a bunch of baloney, let me make a suggestion here. The grants last year, other than I think just a typographical error, show $7,360 or probably $7,630 for the Babe and the same for the Heritage Society had requested $16,856 and they were adjusted to the same level and the Spindletop also requested $15,000 and they were kept at the same level which I think you are stating. So, really, it left $1,030; but I think beyond that . . . have we had a motion? No, that's good. I think the key here is if in fact, Councilman, if you would want to suggest something otherwise, there's no reason not to and the Council does have the final action on how this money is allocated and you are more than welcome to speak to that now, if you want to. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, the . . . Mr. Mayor, thank you very much. I'm just going back to this letter of December . . . the recommendation for this year for the Fire Museum of Texas was $4,000 - grant you, this is the first year . . first time that they have asked for money from the City. They didn't receive any grants last year and then here today I noticed that the Fire Museum of Texas, the only one in the State of Texas, is receiving $1,030 and all I want to do is I want to find out why. I think I am entitled to know why it was reduced almost $3,700 whatever. . . . MAYOR MEYERS: The request was reduced, as I understand it, because at the time the Manager brought forward, whenever that was, that other proposal, those amounts that would have been allocated for the other three would have been lesser than they received last year and had already wheeled into their budgets and, as a result, I assume to permit them to continue to operate at a funding level that they were locked into, he readjusted that - is that correct? And, that was what brought about the $1,030; but, again, I say that if we understand that as the process, we can stop right at this point and change it in any way that Council would care to. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: I would like to see the recommendation that the City ?Manager submitted for this year for the Fire Museum of Texas where it be raised back to $4,000 . . . MAYOR MEYERS: Would you read the other amounts and how it would effect those. I don't have that with me. You've got it right there. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: I have . . . I have . . . MAYOR MEYERS: You've got it right there. Isn't that all the originals? It's the same totals, right? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Yes, sir. The recommendation for this year . . . MAYOR MEYERS: What would the Babe get? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: $5,395. MAYOR MEYERS: All right. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Now, this is from the . . . . . . MAYOR MEYERS: I understand. And the Heritage Society? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: $8,000. MAYOR MEYERS: Even? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Yes, sir. MAYOR MEYERS: Okay, and Edison Plaza? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, I think that's been . . . . . . MAYOR MEYERS: I know but did they have zero there, too? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: They had $3,500. MAYOR MEYERS: Okay. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: And the Fire Museum of Texas is $4,000 and the Glayds City Spindletop Museum is $5,395. MAYOR MEYERS: Okay, does Council understand what we are doing here. Okay. Now what? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Now, I'd like to see this Fire Museum of the State of Texas raised back to the original $4,000. MAYOR MEYERS: And, do you want to do that with the other amounts as it was on that sheet? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Yes, sir. I have no qualms about the Babe Didrikson or . . . I'd just like to see the Fire Museum back where it originally was . . . $4,000. Yes, sir. EXCERPT FROM REGULAR CITY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1957 Page 6 MAYOR MEYERS: Now, does Council have any questions? I think, if I understand it, and then I will ask for a motion if you would care to make it or you can make it now and we can discuss it. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Yes, sir. MAYOR MEYERS: You are suggesting that the Babe Zaharias Museum be allocated $5,395 . . . COUNCILMAN COKINOS: No, sir. Let's go ahead with the recommendation just like it is on the sheet - $7,630 for the Babe Zaharias just like you have it, Mayor, and the Heritage Society the $10,000 and what I want to do is to put the $4,000 back in the Fire Museum of Texas. MAYOR MEYERS: Where are you going to take it from? COUNCILMAN LEE: Where are you going to take it from? COUNCILMAN BRUMLEY: Where are you going to get the money? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: I don't know. I mean I don't want to cut anybody. I don't want to cut the Heritage Society; I don't want to cut the Babe Zaharias . . . MAYOR MEYERS: We have a total of $26,290 that we are working with. COUNCI;_:MAN COKINOS: That's the total. COUNCILMAN BRUMLEY: Yes, we just have a set amount. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, let's work it out. MAYOR MEYERS: Good. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: All right. What do we need? About $3,000? COUNCILMAN LEE: Yes, we need $3,000. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Okay, let's take $1,000 from each one . . from each one of the other museums or even $3,000. I don't know. I don't want to hurt any of the other museums, Mr. City Manager. All I want to do is give the Fire Museum, which is a rarity, money to operate. MAYOR MEYERS: Well, let's let you put it together so that you can put it in the form of a motion, if you will. EXCERPT FROM REGULAR CITY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 Page 7 COUNCILMAN COKINOS: All right, sir. And, if it's not fair for them to go back up to $4,000, I would say let's give the Fire Museum $3,000, which the original allocation was $4,000. MAYOR MEYERS: All right. So you are proposing $3,000 for the Fire Museum. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Yes, sir. Take a $1,000 from the others to make up the difference there. MAYOR MEYERS: Well, that would be $2,000. Who do we take it from? COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, I'm open for suggestions. MAYOR MEYERS: This is your baby. COUNCILMAN LEE: I have a little bit of a problem with what you are suggesting, though, and that is because, in the budget process, we allocated the $26,000 for the Museums and because the museums that are being funded under this proposal have already wheeled into their budgets the dollars that are allocated as shown here that are essentially exactly the same as was received last year, it's going to create a problem for those museum properties to have any difference than is . . . difference from that that is shown here, Councilman, and the fact that the Fire Museum will get an additional $1,000 - which they have not ever gotten before - is certainly going to be beneficial to the Fire Museum itself. So, I would speak in favor of the proposal that we have on our desks rather than to rearrange the dollars as you are proposing. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, I would say let's take . . of course, . . . may we continue on this? Okay, I would suggest you take say $500 and $500 and $500 and raise that up to $1,500. Is it possible to . . to save $750 from each one of the recommendations of this year to apply to the Fire Museum, Mr. City Manager? I not only want to be fair with the Fire Museum. I want to be fair with the Heritage Society and the Spindletop Museum and Babe Zaharias. COUNCILMAN BRUMLEY: I would agree with what Councilman Lee has said that you've got three organizations that have made a, you know, just like the City makes a budgetary committment. They've committed themselves for a budget that . . of which revenues include in the Babe Didrikson Zaharias, $7,630 and they set their expenditures along the lines that they will receive from the City $7,630. Not to give them back what they've budgeted would be asking them to realign their budget. EXCERPT FROM THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 Page 8 COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, the same falls for the Fire Museum. They have been anticipating .. . they say their request for this year was $6,000. COUNCILMAN BRUMLEY: No, see, the Fire Museum . . . . . . COUNCILMAN COKINOS: I know it . . . I know COUNCILMAN BRUMLEY: Okay. CITY MANAGER: I guess to respond to your question, Councilman, I think our dilema is exactly the dilema that you are talking about here now. You've got $26,000, you've got three organizations that are essentially well into their budget year. You know, $500 or $1 ,000 may not appear to be a lot of money but I am sure it is substantial to them and our dilema, frankly, was that we would have preferred to have seen increased funding for Fire Museum but we had difficulty reconciling the only way that could have been done would have been to have cut it. Now, that certainly could be the case if we enter into . . . if we can deal with that during the budget process rather than after the fact, but this is my best shot, you know, given the fact that I wanted to keep funding at 100 percent of what it had been the year before; but, if you wanted to change it, I know that the Heritage Society is represented here. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: My request that in order to give the Fire Museum of the State of Texas a little breathing room theirselves, that I'd like to see $750 taken from each of the three to give to the Fire Museum, which would give them $3,250, which I think is very reasonable. And, they have people from all over the country coming there at that museum. CITY MANAGER: I guess I don't feel as sympathic to the Fire Museum as I should because, frankly, they anticipated nothing going into their budget. They weren't even a part of this until about two months ago. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: That's not even in question, Mr. City Manager. That's not fair at all. CITY MANAGER: I think it is compared to what the other organizations . . . . . . EXCERPT FROM REGULAR uITY COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 Page 9 MAYOR MEYERS: I think the other major question, Councilman, is if you want to put that in the f arm of a motion, this Council will determine . . . we might not . . . somebody might want to give all $26. . . whatever to somebody. I mean, we have that prerogative. We are asking the Manager, sure, my point is if you have a desire to direct the funds in some specific way, it's the Council that's going to determine where the money goes. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Well, I hope the Council is receptive on this because I would like to see . . they have a lot of programs that they want to proceed with and it would really be a helpful thing to the Fire Museum to get some additional money and I would suggest, if you want me to put it in the form of a motion, I will, that we take $750.00 from each of the above and place it in the Fire Museum of Texas which will make it a total of $3,250.00 and I hope I get a second. MAYOR MEYERS: All right. Let me see if I have this correct. The motion is that the Babe would be reduced by $750, the Heritage Society by $750, Spindletop by $750 and that $2,250 would be added to the $1,030 . . . COUNCILMAN COKINOS: That would be $3,250. MAYOR MEYERS: $3,280. Now, we have that motion. Is there a second? Okay, being no second, the motion dies for lack of a second. Now I would entertain any further discussion that Council would have on the subject. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. COUNCILMAN SAMUEL: I would like to make a suggestion. I have a problem with making cuts at this point because the budgets are in place. I think one way we might be able to deal with this is in the upcoming budget. We remember that the Fire Museum had requested more money and we can do it at that point but in cutting a budget that's already in place, I feel very uncomfortable about it and I do recognize the need for the Fire Museum and I don't think that's the sign that's coming from the Council - that we are not concerned . . . . . . so, that's my feeling. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Councilman Samuel, the recommendation this year were increased on everybody but the Fire Museum. It was originally recommended that $5,395 go to Babe Zaharias and you increased it to $7,630. I don't see how you are going to hurt their budget. EXCERPT FROM REGULAR CITY COUNCIL SESSION FIELD JANUARY 13, 1987 Page 10 COUNCILMAN SAMUEL: From the information that I have before me at this point, what the City Manager has stated, he is going by what was given last year and he is giving the same thing over the year— this year. Last year, the Fire Museum received no funds and therefore they are getting $1,030 this year that they didn't get last year. No one has been . . I don't think that is being cut when you add $1000 to a budget. I can't understand that. COUNCILMAN COKINOS: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. MAYOR MEYERS: Are there any other questions? Do we have a motion? COUNCILMAN MOORE: So move for approval. COUNCILMAN WEISBACH: Second. MAYOR MEYERS: We have a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Those in favor signify by saying Aye. (Ayes: Mayor Meyers, Councilmen Lee, Weisbach, Brumley, Samuel and Moore) Opposed? (Councilman Cokinos) CITY MANAGER: Mayor, that concludes this part of the agenda. END OF EXCERPT EXCERPT FROM REGULAR (.,.t'Y COUNCIL SESSION HELD JANUARY 13, 1987 MR. LINDSEY WALKER: Mr. Mayor, members of Council. My name is Lindsey Walker; my office address is 2537 Calder Avenue. The reason I came down this afternoon, Roberto Flores last week brought to the attention of Council and, through the media, to the City that we do have a problem still existing with the Delaware Street property. And, in line with the same problem which has come up that Councilman Cokinos has just brought to your attention, you can always do a lot of things if you have a lot of money and if you don't have a lot of money, you are constricted in what you can do. The group of people with whom I am associated have enough funds to clean up the Delaware Street Park. The problem is they will not clean it up for the Beaumont Art Museum. They would clean it up for the City of Beaumont. They raised the point with me that if the Art Museum is not, in fact, going to utilize the property for museum purposes - if the City is, in fact, going to fund the downtown Art Museum, that there is no justifiable reason in equity . . . . . . (tape turned at this point) relinquish its lease on the 20-acre tract. It is my understanding that they have two things in mind which may preclude that thought but I believe that Mr. Nichols can work something out along that line. Firstly, they are not certain that in the future they may not require the use of that tract for their Kaleidescope operation and, secondly, the thought has been advanced that perhaps they may wish to use it as a sculpture garden. In view of the peculiarities of the title of the reservations and restrictions imposed thereon by the original basic leases, I, as an attorney, would see no problem with them relinquishing their lease as to all purposes save and except for these two limited items. This raises again the interesting question, and with the help of Martin Broussard, I have secured a release or subordination agreement whereby if I bring a group of volunteers out there and they clean it up, they would relinquish any claim which might result against the Museum under the liability possibilities but the Museum, in owning this property, is confronted with the same problem of maintenance that you and I have on our property and the Environmental Protection people are ultimately going to jump on their neck if they don't keep it cleaned and maintained. As a long-time resident of this City, I am deeply interested in the maintenance of that tract of land as green space. My solution might not be acceptable to the City because, frankly, I don't think the City wanted the piece of property at the time that we were successful in having the dedication made through the electoral process. The Art Museum does have three hundred and some odd thousand, perhaps four hundred thousand dollars invested in it and they feel completely justified in asking that that money be returned to them. My personal thinking as a tax payer is that we are returning that money to them by the support and so forth of the downtown Art Museum. I would like to see this Council in the future direct itself and its attention to perhaps requesting a quid pro quo and ask them to relinquish its control over that tract of land in consideration for the City's support of the downtown museum; but, at the same time, retain unto themselves the on-going right to utilize it for museum purposes at any time in the future. Under those circumstances, the City could then legally permit me and other folks to enter in and upon the land to sit and enjoy the birds, the bees and the trees and perhaps even to pick up some sticks and stones and if Mr. Haines would loan us one of his trucks over a weekend perhaps to park it out there and let's get rid of all the downed timber that Sister Bonnie left with us. .lust a thought I would like to leave with you Gentlemen. Thank you. END OF EXCERPT