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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN MAY 09 2000 M I N U T E S - CITY OF BEAUMONT Lulu L.Smith DAVID W. MOORE,MAYOR Guy N.Goodson,Mayor Pro Tem Andrew P.Cokinos CITY COUNCIL MEETING Becky Ames Bobbie J.Patterson May 9,2000 Audwin Samuel Lane Nichols,City Attorney Stephen J.Bonczek,City Manager Barbara Liming,City Clerk The City Council of the City of Beaumont, Texas, met in a regular session on May 9,2000, at the City Hall Council Chambers, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas, at 1:30 p.m. to consider the following: OPENING * Invocation Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call * Presentations and Recognition * Public Comment: Persons may speak on scheduled agenda items * Consent Agenda Mayor Moore called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. The Reverend Sidney Speaks, Our Mother of Mercy Church, gave the invocation. City Manager Stephen J. Bonczek led the pledge of allegiance. Present at the meeting were: Mayor Moore, Mayor Pro Tern Goodson, Councilmembers Smith, Cokinos, Ames, Samuel, and Patterson. Also present were: Stephen J. Bonczek, City Manager; Lane Nichols, City Attorney; and Barbara Liming, City Clerk. ELECTION CERTIFICATION-MAYOR/AT LARGE COUNCILMEMBERS *Consider approval of an ordinance canvassing the results of the May 6, 2000 City General Election Councilmember Samuel moved to approve Ordinance No. 00-40,ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE CANVASSING THE RETURNS OF THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN THE CITY OF BEAUMONT ON THE 6TH DAY OF MAY 2000, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING A MAYOR AND TWO COUNCILMEMBERS AT LARGE; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY. Councilmember Smith seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Mayor Moore, Mayor Pro Tern Goodson, Councilmembers Smith, Cokinos, Ames, Samuel, and Patterson Noes: None *Administration of the oath of office Municipal Court Magistrate Lupe Flores administered the oath of office to Councilmembers Cokinos and Ames and Mayor Moore. Councilmember Cokinos stated, "I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warm thanks and gratitude to the citizens of Beaumont. I have been privileged to demonstrate the dedication of this office to the citizens of Beaumont, and I extend my commitment to continue as a partner of the progress and growth of this great city." Councilmember Ames commented that"I just want to say thank you to all the citizens of Beaumont who cast your vote in my favor again. I have totally enjoyed serving our great city for the last six years and I look forward to another two. I appreciate you so much, and I hope that these next two years will be just as wonderful for you all,and for me, as the last have. We have a lot to do. We have a lot of things to be excited about, and I certainly am, and I hope you will join with me and help all of the Council to succeed for the next two years in many endeavors that we hope to achieve,and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Councilmember Cokinos on his victory, and also our Mayor on getting the most votes, thank you." Mayor Moore stated, "I stand before you very humble and very appreciative of the fact that you have given me the opportunity to serve once again as Mayor of the City. I thank you for your prayers,your support,your friendship, and the fellowship that we have shared over the past years. Today, I think is significant in many ways,because it gives us an opportunity to continue the outstanding progress that we have made. As we have sat in this chamber here today, and we look out around us, progress is being made, projects are coming to a point of completion. Excited about anew one that is going to startup in just a week or so, that we will all have the opportunity to participate in, and our community has made a bold statement that we want progress at every level. Be it here at City government,be it here in the school district,be it in your local neighborhood, and that I am truly thankful for. But I would like to say this, I think it is a time for us to try to shift gears a little bit, and to kind of change the direction a little bit in the manner of which we have proceeded. The challenges out there are great, but I think Beaumont's best days are certainly in front of them, and we have the opportunity by working together to actually overachieve those things. I have never been more excited as I have been the last couple of months, in terms of working with various prospects. Prospects that we hope soon we will be able to announce are moving to Beaumont. But that is because of the attitude of the Beaumont citizens and in the spirit of Southeast Texas. It is also because of the attitude of the City Council and its willingness to work on behalf of business and to make communities better. I think also it is important that citizens have a strong voice. We have always thought that, through our neighborhood associations,but we will be taking that to another level. I am hoping in the next month or so to get our Communities 2000 initiative off the ground and running, so people won't feel that they have to wait for the news lines or for the T.V. cameras to be active participants in those things that make a difference in our community. What you think and say everyday makes a difference. If we express it in such a manner that we can work on it collectively and work on it from a position of being able to comprise, I think we will be all the better. Another point I hope to get achieved over the next two years is to enhance and increase the voice of our youth in this community. I will be meeting with them this week. We have been working the last several months to figure out the best way to get that component into our program. Hopefully, not hopefully, this summer, you will be able to sit down with your teenager and talk to them and let them share with you of how the city will grow. We are going to develop their own web page. Our Youth Commission has been working on it, we are going to follow up on it this week. I will be able to explain these things,even if you go off to college, outside of our City, you can still be a constructive member of this community by communicating with us. We must use technology to our advantage and not allow it to be a hindrance to our progress. Those are just a few of the things I am looking forward to. But I guess more importantly than anything, the dedication of this group speaks for itself. I think the direction in terms of where this City Council is going is one of the things that we can all collectively work on and work to make better, and we must utilize and take advantage of the one thing that is certainly our strength and that is our diversity. If you look up on the faces of this council,they are very different. The size,the shapes,the whole nine yards,the way some of us wear our hair, it is all different. But that is what makes us significant, and that is what makes a great community. In making a great community,we have the opportunity to let people know that Beaumont,Texas, is a City that is waiting, not on each other to show us the way, but waiting to show the world that we can be a great community. I want to be a part of that, along with each and everyone of you. On yesterday, I had the opportunity along with the County Judge,and a couple of Chamber members, and two of the plant managers Minutes;May 9,2000;Page 2 from Goodyear, to visit the Chairman of the Goodyear Board. I was so excited to be able to talk about the things that are happening in our community,and I was so excited to be able to thank them for the$192 million investment they have brought to our community, and the commitment to stay in our community. I am excited about the fact that we will have another project coming on line as a result of cooperation within the City of Beaumont. It is a good time,but it can be a better time, if all of us pull and work together. To Mr. Lee and to Mr. Lewis, I genuinely invite you to come and to meet with me. There are things I think we all can do. There is a place for everybody in this community to serve, to work, and to make this community a better place. I will certainly look forward to the challenge of serving you, and I will ask your continued prayers and the blessings of God, this city will continue to prosper as it has. Thank you so very much, and we will recess out in the hall for a short recess." *Recess RECONVENE MEETING OPENING *Presentations and Recognitions - "National Tourism Week," May 7-13, 2000; and "Nursing Home Week," May 14-20, 2000. *Public Comment: Persons may speak on scheduled agenda items. Citizen comment was invited on the Consent and Regular Agendas. No one wished to address these subjects. *Consent Agenda * Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting held April 25, 2000. • Confirmation of committee appointments: Appointments:Velina Johnson, Sister City Commission, for a term expiring May 8, 2002; and James Martin, Drug Free Beaumont Commission, for a term expiring May 8, 2002. - Resolution No. 00-118 A) Approve the acquisition of property in the Crary Addition and authorize the City Manager to execute a deed conveying the property to Southeast Texas Community Development Corporation,Inc.,for the construction of homes for the Neighborhood Revitalization Project (Lots 205 and 206, Block 18, Crary Addition (1134 Avenue B) from Gethrel Franke, in the amount of$5,000). - Resolution No. 00-119 Councilmember Cokinos moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Patterson seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Mayor Moore, Mayor Pro Tern Goodson, Councilmembers Smith, Cokinos, Ames, Samuel and Patterson Noes: None GENERAL BUSINESS Minutes;May 9,2000;Page 3 Approve an agreement with Gayle W. Botley&Associates for auditing services related to the 2000 fiscal year. Councilmember Smith moved to approve Resolution No.00-120. Councilmember Cokinos seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Mayor Moore, Mayor Pro Tem Goodson, Councilmembers Smith, Cokinos, Ames, Samuel, and Patterson Noes: None WORKSESSION 1) Receive a report from the Partnership of Southeast Texas Mr. Steve Buser distributed Partnership of Southeast Texas packets to Council that included a copy of POST, a promotional magazine highlighting the various amenities of Southeast Texas. Dr. Sam Monroe, Lamar University - Port Arthur and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Partnership of Southeast Texas, reviewed the organization's birth and history, and highlighted the progress and promotion of the area as shown in Exhibit A. Dr. Monroe requested that the City of Beaumont continue support in the amount of$25,000. 2) Water and Wastewater Rate Study Public Works Director Tom Warner presented a brief history of water and wastewater service, improvements, and evolution to rate study. Mr. Warner outlined the presentation elements and introduced Water Utilities Manager Joe Majdalani and representatives from Freese Nichols, Inc. Mr. Majdalani reviewed components of completed and proposed Water and Wastewater Capital Improvements, discussed Sanitary Sewer Collection, the Water Distribution System, the Water Treatment Plant,and the Wastewater Treatment Plant and made recommendations as shown in Exhibit B. Mr. Majdalani emphasized that a rate increase will be necessary to fund the improvements and EPA mandates. Mr. Tom Gooch and Ms. Amy Corella of Freese and Nichols gave a Power Point presentation of the results of a rate study performed by their company as shown in Exhibit C. The study included addressing background information, water and wastewater improvements, projected rate increases, impact on a customer's monthly bill, and comparisons of water and wastewater costs. Council commented about need for repairs, federal mandates, equalizing improvements throughout the City, making public fully aware of the need for improvements and projects, a bond issue and meeting with the City's financial advisor. COMMENTS *Councilmembers comment on various subjects Minutes;May 9,2000;Page 4 Councilmember Patterson congratulated Mayor Moore,Councilmember Cokinos and Councilmember Ames on their re-election. Mayor Pro Tern Goodson congratulated Ms. Taylor Bernsen for being selected as the Neches River Festival Queen. Councilmember Smith congratulated Mayor Moore, Councilmember Cokinos, and Councilmember Ames on their re-election,and stated she looks forward to working with them in the coming two years. * City Manager's Report-Keep Beaumont Beautiful Commission,Port Interchange Project and Gates Foundation Grants for Library The City Manager reported that he has a proposed agenda for the Budget Summit scheduled for May 19, 2000, requested that Council provide comments, and outlined items that will be covered during the Summit. He stated there have been team meeting discussions regarding applications for the All- American City Award, and plans are being made to apply in the future. Mr. Bonczek reported that the Keep Beaumont Beautiful Commission is considering incorporation,and have requested that the Mayor and Council appoint the members. The City Manager stated that he attended a meeting on the Port Interchange Yard Project at Senator Bernsen's office; they discussed the Livable Communities Initiative T-21 and were supplied beneficial information by a consultant. He said information will be supplied at a later date regarding potentiality of a feasibility study for waterfront development. Mr. Bonczek reported that a specific use permit has been issued to the Youth Rescue Mission and commented on attending various community events. * Public Comment (Persons are limited to three (3) minutes) Mr. Bill Proctor, 4340 Westridge, addressed Council to inquire about community involvement in Census 2000 and was informed by Mayor Moore of increased responses since the last update and of the benefits to the City. Mr.John Jenkins addressed Council regarding property at 560 Giles Street to request an extension of time to finish renovations. He stated that without this home, he would be homeless and that he now has resources to complete rehabilitation of the structure. Mayor Moore instructed Mr. Jenkins to speak with Councilmember Samuel after the meeting to ascertain the status of this property. A minister accompanying Mr. Jenkins commented that Mr. Jenkins has been a member of his congregation since December, 1999, explained events that led to the current situation, outline Mr. Jenkins' involvement with the church, stated that Mr.Jenkins is making great strides in changing his lifestyle, and requested that Mr. Jenkins be granted time to complete rehabilitation of the structure. Mr.Leroy Lewis, 1201 Euclid Street,congratulated Mayor Moore and Councilmembers Cokinos and Ames on their reelection,thanked City Clerk Barbara Liming for her assistance during the election, addressed Council to complain about excess grass in the drainage system, HUD homes causing problems in low-income areas,the need for additional assistance for the homeless,the need for more Minutes;May 9,2000;Page 5 police protection, and activities taking place at local businesses making it necessary to patronize businesses in other neighborhoods. Mayor Moore requested that Mr.Lewis speak to him further regarding his complaints and accompany him to some of these places to open up avenues to assess what can be done. Mr. Mark Williford, Westgate Drive, addressed Council in favor of increasing the minimum age for nude and semi-nude dancers from 18 to 21,presented a letter from Mr. Lou Bright, General Counsel for TABC,which states that an ordinance raising the age to 21 that applies to all establishments,does not conflict with the alcoholic beverage code, outlined the results of the"sexual revolution" in the city, and stated that Council has a responsibility to discourage irresponsible sexual behavior. Ms. Lindsey Davis, a senior at Cathedral Christian School, addressed Council to outline and give examples of historical events that led to immoral sexual behavior of our youth, spoke of being taught to respect elected individuals,asked Council to be honorable leaders,send a silent message that sexual immorality is wrong, and leave an honorable legacy by raising the age of nude or semi-nude dancers from 18 to 21. Ms.Jill Hayes,8110 Collier Road,addressed Council to extend an invitation to the production of"The Arlo'by the Beaumont Community Players, and instructed everyone to call 842-4664 for tickets. Mr. Benny Mendoza, 5655 South Kenneth, addressed Council to congratulate the newly elected officials, thanked those that attended the successful LULAC Cinco De Mayo celebration, invited everyone to a LULAC meeting the third week of the month, and announced a College Corridor Avenue meeting on May 14th. Mr. John Goodyear, Chairman of the Board of the Beaumont Housing Authority, addressed Council to provide an update on recent events that have attracted the attention of the media, said the Housing Authority Board cannot find any basis for the allegations, said personnel changes have caused more media attention, and invited Council to contact them with any questions regarding the Beaumont Housing Authority. Mayor Moore thanked everyone for their attendance,and stated that he looks forward to working with everyone during the next two years. EXECUTIVE SESSION - (NOT HELD) * Consider matters related to contemplated or pending litigation in accordance with Section 551.071 of the Government Code: Lloyd Brooks et al vs. City of Beaumont There being no other business, the meeting adjourned at 3:37 p.m. Minutes;May 9,2000;Page 6 David Moore, Mayor Barbara Liming, City Clerk Minutes;May 9,2000;Page 7 Partnership of Southeast Texas he Partnership of Southeast Texas is a 9-county economic development organization that works to improve the economy of Southeast Texas by attracting new business and industry and helping those businesses here to grow and prosper. Working with local chambers, ED organizations, cities, counties and others, POST has been making progress and watching unemployment figures drop. Some projects that POST has worked on successfully: • 400-job Interim Custom Care Solutions (Call Center) in Nederland • $194 million Goodyear expansion in Beaumont • Fina/BASF's $900 million expansion in Port Arthur • Air Liquide's $35 million expansion in Nederland • 900-job U.S. Postal Remote Encoding facility in Beaumont • $50 million extruder plant for Silsbee Partnership of Southeast Texas Crafting the Vision The issue groups— Following its ground-breaking success at crafting a 10-year vision for 1 Infrastructure the region, POST is working with Chambers, communities and organi- 2 Transportation zations to implement that vision. Examples include working with com- 3 Qua/ityof Life munities on Enterprise Zones, strategic plans, industrial parks, and 4 Existing BusinessDeveiopment grants for ED improvements. Eight issue groups are in the forefront of S New BusinessDeve%pinent community development and spurring action — whether it is rallying 6 Workforce Development troops to Austin to fight water legislation or behind the scenes focus 7 Tourism group meetings to forge consensus on workforce development issues. 8 Census 2000 You can get details of the various action groups and what they are do- ing on the Partnership of Southeast Texas web site at http://setx.org Check out the POST Virtual Small Business Advisor — it was the idea of an issue group. (http://set.ih2000.net/htmI/vsba.htm) The Partnership of Southeast Texas Working with Other Partners POST worked with the Port of Orange on a $400,000 EDA grant to extend rail for a local firm to create 80 jobs and increpse the rail facilities on Port land. POST worked closely with the Beaumont Chamber Pro- ject Tri-Chem to convince Jefferson County officials of the need for a tax abatement policy to keep com- petitive with Louisiana which was also attempting to attract the plant. That policy was vital later in con- vincing Fina to invest $900 million, Clark Refining to invest $800,000 and Goodyear to invest $194,000 here in Southeast Texas. Other successes include A &A Fertilizer, Tube Tech Engineering, Horizon Engi- neering (300 jobs) and EPCO's CO,. facility. POST's announcements tracking tallied $1.5 billion in in- vestments in the region in 1997. And the total for 1998 was nearly $2.5 billion. POST worked with 200 companies in 1998— nearly half of those were existing firms in the area. Other companies POST has worked with in the past include Mobil, Texas Drydock, Huntsman, Chevron, and American Valve and Hy- drant to mention a few. EXHIBIT "A" The Partnership of Southeast Texas r Supporting Our Members ~'~° brf\ti ty'L{ he Partnership of Southeast Texas depends on its members r as allies in its effort to attract business and industry and create jobs in the nine-county region. We want those Partnership members to be out front and recognized. For example, members are recognized at the POST annual banquet and other POST Of Southeast Texas events. Gold, Platinum and Chairman's Club sponsors are recognized as sponsors on our newsletter and Brag N' Writes — An economic development corporation a new business-to-business publication by POST. Members are recognized as sponsors of the day on our popular Web Site. Coming soon, our web site will contain a list of our members with links to their home site. A committee is developing other ways to keep members involved and recognized for their efforts. The Partnership of Southeast Texas Publications and Research The Partnership of Southeast Texas keeps track of the pulse of the economy and the needs of the re- gion's businesses with several publications: • Newsletters— published monthly to keep contributors up to date on what is happening. • Brag N' Writes — a new business-to-business publication lets companies tell others of new prod- ucts, services and capabilities. • The Southeast Texas Manufacturing Directory — Information on 450 manufacturers. $25 a copy ($12.50 members) A condensed version is on the Internet. Download it from http://setx.org • Web Site — the Partnership of Southeast Texas maintains a popular Web site at http://setx.org • The Southeast Texas Local Contractors, Vendors and Supplier Directory —More than 500 lo- cal firms eager to do business with area plants. POST members highlighted. New version January 2000. $15 /copy ($7.50 members) Limited advertising space available with discounts to members. • Roundup of the Southeast Texas Economy — what's the state of Southeast Texas economy — available on the POST internet site : http://setx.org T want to be a part of building Southeast Texas: Partnership categories Yes, my company wants to become a member! Individual or Non-Profit $100 Membership investment dues will be recorded on Small Business (< 25 employees) $200 an anniversary date renewable annually. Medium Bus. (26-100 employees) $500 Mail the attached membership form with your Large Bus. (101+ employees) $1,000 membership investment to: Partnership of Southeast Texas Gold Investor $2,500 P.O. Box 3828, Beaumont, TX 77704-3828 Platinum Investor $5,000 Call 409-838-6800 for information. Chairman's Club $10,000+ We%lne to the team! ti ter:. Post update for the Beaumont City Council, May 9,2000 �H " f Partnership Of Southeast Texas Accomplishments of POST An emm� P�«aq�t;aa The Partnership of Southeast Texas has had a busy year working with our partners on building the economy of the nine-county region. And the variety of projects seems to be getting much broader: from hotel and retail consultants, to back office, to expanding local businesses, to startup companies, to large industrial prospects etc.. In all POST has worked with nearly 50 companies in 2000 and more than 140 in 1999. Some highlights- • POST worked with several companies and agencies that were seeking bids from HUB vendors, as the federal government's program of helping historically underutilized businesses picked up steam. • POST is working with Jefferson County, Entergy, the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and other allies to put together a marketing plan for the Southeast Texas Regional Airport and the hundreds of acres of industrial airport land available. • POST worked with several communities last year on Economic Development Administration grants. The Port of Beaumont is building a terminal on its Orange County property in part funded by an EDA grant. Other recent grants have been the water line extension on Pleasure Island and the Port of Orange's rail extension. • Nearly %2 of the companies POST has worked with this year have been business retention or expansion projects or start up companies. • Two recent success stories are the location of Interim Customer Care Solution in Nederland and working with Equitable Bag Company to get that plant back in operation after it was shut down during bankruptcy. • POST will work 6 trade shows this year including the National Plastic Expo, the Southwest Electric Manufactures Show, and the Air Cargo Show. Last year POST worked 6 shows in conjunction with Entergy's Texas Economic Development Group. Tourism Issue Group Fun 365Days.com Three years ago in the push to create a 10-year vision for the region, tourist professionals from Southeast Texas cited two needs in particular: 1. the need for a regional tourism working group, and 2. the need for a regional tourism web site. The Partnership of Southeast Texas has lead the way in creating Fun365Days.com, a regional web site with more than 300 links to things to do,places to stay and where to get information on Southeast Texas. We are continuing to build that web site and every week get faxes, emails and letters from groups sending information they want on the site. Post update for the Beaumont City Council, May 9, 2000 The Partnership of Southeast Texas Tourism Issue Group led by Barbara Knight and Bradley Brooks has created a regional ' character to play host for that web site and regional tourism efforts. The mascot "Sunny" appears prominently on the web site and will soon be appearing on t-shirts, t hats, and other items. That part of the f 01999 marketing effort is being headed up by Tom Bell,who developed the Sunny character. t The numbers on the site are climbing r ' steadily, we began to get the site on the search engines in the beginning of April and were seeing 3 to 5 users a day. That climbed to about 10 per day in late April and on Sunday, May 6, we hit 15 users that day. The Issue Group for one of its presentations cataloged 5100 million in tourism investments in the nine counties including 15 new hotels. Issue group leaders and staff have worked on several committees on the Southeast Texas Regional Entertainment Complex including the Regional Visitors Center committee and were very active on a subcommittee that developed a budget for that center. POST Magazine The first two issues of the POST magazine are now "on the street". This regional magazine has been an attention-getter for the region and a real economic development tool. POST President and CEO Steve Buser points out that the magazine shows companies looking at the area that the region can and does pull together to affect a strong pro-business climate and a high quality of life. POST works closely with the magazine publishers, POST Magazine Inc., headed by publisher Tony Chauveaux, to find timely and pertinent topics. Soon sections of the magazine will be featured on the POST web site. Migration Celebration The Partnership of Southeast Texas worked hard to make sure the Migration Celebration held this Spring got the attention it was after for the area's budding Birding movement. With several new sites coming onto the Great Texas Birding Trail and with the new publication of the Birding Trail map for the upper Texas Coast, the time was right to get the word out. POST Vice President Ann Galassi was the driving force behind the Coloring Contest that helped raise the level of awareness in birding among Southeast Texans. To see the results of that contest, visit http://fun365ays.com Workforce Development The Workforce Development Issue Group headed by Rick Lane had an extremely busy year, starting with a regional wage survey conducted by the nationally recognized Hay Group. This survey will assist economic development efforts by providing detailed local information on actual salaries in the area. For the companies that participated, it will also be a big aid to the help Post update for the Beaumont City Council, May 9,2000 them assess how competive they are in seeking new workers and helping to retain their exisiting workforce. The Workforce Issue Group has lately focused on how we solve workforce development issues on a regional basis. Following a successful strategy building session on that issue in February, a steering committee has been formed to investigate how a regional organization or board could further workforce efforts. The committee has been intensely studying a North Carolinarogional model. The original members of that steering committee are: Mike Killien, chair, Motiva Enterprises Refinery manager Joe Deshotel, State Representative Karen Burke, Goodyear Plant Manager Gail Krohn, Nederland ISD Superintendent Luis Silva, Silva Group Bill Nylin, Conn's Appliances President Carey Georgas, Southeast TexasWorkforce Development Board Chair, Cravens Insurance Agency Dr. Michael Shahan, Lamar State College Orange. Several additional members are now being added. Existing Business Issue Group Big Nine Directory Following its successful publication last year of the "Southeast Texas Contractors, Vendors and Suppliers Directory," the Partnership of Southeast Texas this year is eager to show off a new and improved version with a new title "The Big Nine Directory." Last year's book had 550 listings, but this year the directory will top the 1,600 mark. One reason for that will be that the new book combines all the contractors vendors and suppliers listings with those of the Southeast Texas Manufacturing Directory. The "two books in one" will also feature POST's popular"Southeast Texas Economic Roundup," making it a versatile and sought-after publication. Once again, the book will go to all the plant managers and purchasing agents in the nine counties, but will this year also go to other large erpployers. The-POST staff is doing the final layout of the directory and hopes to have it to the printer by the middle of May. Virtual Small Business Advisor The participants discussing issues for existing businesses at the 10-year visioning process conducted 3 years ago by POST cited a need for a clearinghouse of information for small business and large business alike. Following up on that vision, POST created "the Virtual Small Business Advisor"on its web site early in the year. This site list dozens of resources available to assist businesses arranged by categories. Census 2000 Led by Beverly Hatcher(President, Golden Triangle Minority Business Council), this new issue group took on a big task--making sure that all of Southeast Texas was counted in the recent Post update for the Beaumont City Council, May 9,2000 census. The group started laying the groundwork more than a year before the big event. In a year when skepticism about giving out personal information was running high, and technology changes were swamping the Census Bureau's effort to cope, the committee forged a strong public awareness campaign and acted as a strong community feedback forum for census officials. The committee can't rest though -- all the counting isn't over and all of the data won't be out for more than a year. Ms. Hatcher's monthly meetings and her efforts to attract a wide involvement from the communities were credited with making a significant difference in.how many Southeast Texas citizens were counted --which will also make a significant difference in how much state and federal dollars will flow to the area. Regional Meetings How do you define Regionalism? A simple question with maybe no simple answers. But the POST board of directors struggled with that question over the summer while at the same time, POST was holding a series of regional meetings to bring economic developers and community leaders together to look at the bigger picture. POST held its first regional meeting for the counties of Jasper, Newton and Tyler early last year. The overwhelming success of the meeting and glowing comments from participants led it to hold its second meeting, for Chambers and Liberty counties and the Bolivar Peninsula next. The third meeting for Hardin, Jefferson and Orange counties completed the loop. POST followed up with a fourth meeting for the Jasper, Newton, and Tyler areas late last year. Schedule crunches have delayed the next regional meetings but POST hopes to begin the cycle soon. POST has been working hard to keep on top of issues that affect our regional allies. One recognition of that is Vice President Arm Galassi was last year appointed by Texas Agriculture Commission Susan Combs to her blue ribbon Rural Development Task Force. That group is trying to bring special attention to rural issues and seek creative solutions. Other issues followed closely by POST last year include • the water rights issue (POST rented two buses to get local residents and experts to Austin for a House committee meeting on Junior Water Rights issue), • EPA Air Quality POST supported regional efforts to fight for reasonable air quality standards for Southeast Texas. • Improvements to the Sabine-Neches ship channel • An attempt to create a sugar cane mill in Southeast Texas • An attempt by the region to attract the Space Port • And many others Much of POST's success in getting support for its efforts to help communities build the economy of Southeast Texas are its monthly newsletter and its "BRAG n'Writes"(Brag stands for Business Retention and Growth.) POST Vice President Ann Galassi publishes both and uses POST's electronic publishing system to get them each month to more than 3,500 business and community leaders. Software maker Symantec was so impressed with POST's capabilities with its ACT! Software that it featured POST as a success story on its web site. POST has used that same system to help other area organizations including Lamar University, the Southeast Texas Workforce Board, the Orange Drainage District etc. CITY OF BEAUMONT i WATER & WASTE WATER j CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS I low WPM I I wartRCaKn1 I I - I I I! .7Lwc A'JILRCEP(Ln \\ I j mil•\� Y - ��' \ LAwSh:S j l �.� IhHiOYR£NTS e I rR:1'rr.;n t� � �� - �i• i :AwS�vs z Rf-• w TEF cars 1 = - -1 �1 Msr.SAWTAgrSLAV? i - - .:�E" iR171 WA41 70N TO I 1 _ l 1 )`:1C ci _ lt,Yl3irnfJ'T�AT/EUT TO IfA9KRN R.9. 5!-.E FOR FUTLW \ c ELEW.M.'SraUCE TAW • (t V I / \ r t NMfl RC31 I 1 �� .I i A ��/ :� (! � Y lf� vtib(WlcnCfnati' � (\y,,'y'�,•y�.'.' .� L � i EXHIBIT "B" Sanitary Sewer Collection System The City of Beaumont owns and maintains more than 700 miles of sanitary sewer mains. The vast majority of the sanitary sewer system is concrete and clay pipe, which are over 50 years old. The City of Beaumont recently completed a four-year study of the sanitary sewer system mainly to identify and prioritize the work needed to salvage its aging infrastructure. The first phase of the rehabilitation that was completed in 1998 addressed three-major projects: • Folsom Interceptor • Calder Interceptor • North Trunk Line Interceptor The final phase will address the remaining interceptors: • I 11 Street (Phase I and Phase II) • Dowlen Road Interceptor • Tyrrell Park Interceptor • 23rd Street Interceptor The rehabilitation of the large interceptors will restore the structure integrity of the large sanitary sewer system as well as its carrying capacity. Installation of a new sanitary sewer force main (24,500 linear feet). The new force main will provide additional capacity to handle the expansion of the State and Federal correctional facilities. Water Distribution System The City of Beaumont owns and maintains more than 700 miles of Water Distribution Mains. The vast majority of these mains are cast iron and AC pipe, which are over 50 years old. City Staff has identified and prioritized the work needed to replace the weak segments of the Water Distribution System. The work will involve replacing 211, 611, 8", 10", and 12" water mains that constantly require maintenance and cause interruption of service to our customers. The replacement of these mains will provide reliable service to our customers and capture some of the unaccounted treated water. (Last Year, unaccounted treated water exceeded 35% of total water processed). These water mains are located throughout the City. Water Treatment Plant The current plant capacity is limited to 26 Million Gallons Per Day. The Water Treatment Plant meets all current State and Federal standards for drinking water. The proposed State and Federal standards cannot be met with the existing conditions of the plant. The City of Beaumont hired Freese-Nichols, Inc. in 1999 to analyze the Raw Water Delivery System, the Water Treatment Plant capacity, and the Water Distribution System. The Study was completed in December 1999. In order to meet the projected water demand for 2020, proposed improvements for the Water Treatment Plant capacity must be increased now to 40 MGD, and to 50 MGD by the Year 2020. Phase I Improvements: • New five Million Ground Storage Tank. • Installation of a 48" line from Lawson's Crossing to the Water Treatment Plant and upgrade of the existing pump station to improve the reliability of Raw Water Delivery System. Phase II Improvements: • Chemical Treatment Process • Additional Settling Basins and Filters. Wastewater Treatment Plant The Wastewater Treatment Plant was built in 1955 and designed to treat an average flow 30 Million Gallons Per Day and maximum flow to 55 Million Gallons Per Day. Two expansions occurred: • 1971 - Two 20-acre ponds were added. • 1983 - A high flow station was added to increase the maximum treated flows to 120 MGD for greater reliability. In 1997, improvements and refurbishment of four (4) clarifiers and two (2) thickeners were performed. Proposed improvements: • The original 1955 electrical system is in poor condition and in need of replacement. • The Primary and Secondary Digesters needs to be cleaned and repaired. Accumulated snails and solids inside the digesters need to be removed. • The two 20-acre Aeration Ponds needs to be dredged and 3-million cubic feet of sludge needs to be processed and disposed. • Replacement of the Filter Belt Press that is used in the sludge dewatering process. The proposed improvements will enhance the reliability of the wastewater treatment process and ensure State and Federal permit compliance. City of Beaumont Comparison of Water and Wastewater Costs for 10,000 Gallons Rate Study 70 _ ------------------------ - Sumo ------------- ------ - Wsa -_------ ----- - Report to Beaumont City Council 30 May 9, 2000 �1 ro y by Freese&Nichols, Inc. ■w= s wu+erna Background Major Expense Categories • Last Rate Increase approved Dec. 1992 • Customer Service -Cumulative Inflation(CPI)since Dec 1992=20.6% (2.53%per year) • Water Distribution • Water Production • Current Rates -Water. 54.70 min+51.59/1000 gallons • Sewer Maintenance(Collection) -Wastewater: $3.00 min+S1.44/1000 gallons • Wastewater Reclamation • Beaumont has kept rates low • Existing Debt Service • Comparison with other cities • New Debt Service for Capital Improvements "Need for Rate Increase Comparison of Water and Wastewater Costs for 5,000 Gal tons Steady Income,Increasing Operating Expenses,New Debt Service for Capital sa ------------------ - ------ Improvements ao - stn .0 so .� ■wn awae...r .�u.••a� any-.....- wr�o.s... EXHIBIT "C" Need for Capital Improvements Wastewater System Improvements • New EPA,CWA,SDWA,&TNRCC regulations - Total of S20 million over next 5 years • Aging infrastructure,rehabilitation/replacement Major Improvements needed -Dowlen Road sewer interceptor rehabilitation • Growth within City -116 Street sewer interceptor rehabilitation -Residential/Commercial -Electrical modifications at Wastewater Treatment Plant -Entertainment complex -23'4 Street sewer interceptor rehabilitation -Correctional Facilities -Tyrrell Park Road sewer interceptor rehabilitation -Etc -Additional Sewer Force Main for Prison Complex -Entire City-replacement lines in problem areas Benefits of Capital Improvements Projected Rate Increase • Avoid fines 30%in FY 2000-01 • Better serve residents/customers - Smaller increases in future years • System reliability -4%in 2001-02 • Less maintenance problems -4%in 2002-03 • More economical system -4%in 2003-04 -Less water loss>>less revenue loss Implement new rates at least 60 days before -Less sewer inflow/infiltration>>less treatment bonds can be sold 4 June 2000 cost What does it mean to a Water System Improvements customer's monthly bill? Total of S33 million over next 5 years- Major Improvements 5,000 gallons per month -Neches River Raw Water Delivery System -$19.82 to$25.77 »» $5.95 increase -5 MG ground storage tanit&new pump station -Filters&clarifiers at Water Treatment Plant - 10,000 gallons per month -Additional elevated storage tank -$34.97 to$45.46 »» $10.76 increase -Salt water barrier to protect hesh water supply -Entire City-replacement lines in problem areas • Comparison with other cities Comparison of Water and Wastewater Costs for 5,000 Gallons sso sao ———————————————— -------- — sm s10 so ■w,er a w,un„ic Comparison of Water and Wastewater Costs for 10,000 Gallons sao $60 ———————————————————— — — $so ----—-----——- — sa — sw sm $to so a,Nd r 3a odp ■waw •WAM-a z