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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN JULY 9 1996 REGULAR SESSION CITY COUNCIL - CITY OF BEAUMONT HELD JULY 911996 - 1 :30 P.M. BE IT REMEMBERED that the City Council of the City of Beaumont, Texas, met in regular session this the 9th day of July, 1996, with the following present: HONORABLE: David W. Moore Mayor Andrew P. Cokinos Mayor Pro Tern & Councilman-At Large Becky Ames Councilman-At-Large Lulu L. Smith Councilman, Ward 1 Guy N. Goodson Councilman, Ward II John K. Davis Councilman, Ward III Absent: Bobbie Patterson Councilman, Ward IV Ray A. Riley City Manager Lane Nichols City Attorney Rosemarie Smith City Clerk, Consulting -000- The Invocation was given by the Reverend Glen Gabbard, pastor of the Parkdale Assembly of God Church. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Gordon Williams, Lamar University sophomore, filming today's meeting for later transmission on Cable television's "City Scope 4." -000- Mayor Moore called an Executive Session in accordance with Section 551.074 of the Government Code to consider appointment or employment of a public officer or employee, specifically the City Clerk, to be held in the third floor conference room following a brief recess at the close of the regular session of City Council. -000- 212 July 9, 1996 Citizens were invited to comment on items of the Consent Agenda and Main Agenda Items 2 through 5. Mr. Gene Landry, 8580 Braeburn, addressed Council to speak in support of Item No. 2: the resolution approving the acquisition of land and construction of an office building by the Jefferson County Appraisal District on Fourth Street at Cardinal Drive. -000- The following Consent Agenda items were considered: Approval of the Minutes of the City Council meeting held June 25, 1996; Resolution No. 96-160 authorizing purchase of an IBM 3130 printer from BCL, Inc., in the amount of $20,077.00 through the State of Texas, General Services Commission, Catalogue Purchase Procedure, to be used by the Management Information Services Division for printing City Service Statements, including bar coded addresses on all bulk correspondence as required by the U.S. Postal Service, effective July 1, 1996; Resolution No. 96-161 authorizing proceedings in Eminent Domain to acquire Parcel 53, 0.239 acre out of Lot 11, Block 1, Wescalder Fig Acres Addition located at 1520 South Major Drive, a partial taking, from Michael A. Phelan, Trustee, at the appraised value of$11,606.00, for the FM 364/ Major Drive Project; and Resolution No. 96-162 authorizing the issuance of a License to Encroach onto the City's twenty- foot-wide utility easement for a skid-mounted portable building encroaching 12.0 feet by 5.0 feet into the easement on the west and 5.0 feet by 12.0 feet into the easement on the north to William R. Lucas, owner of Lot 10, Pace Terrace, located at 6021 Bedford Street, for a one-time fee of $500.00. The Consent Agenda was approved on a motion made by Councilman Smith and seconded by Councilman Ames. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Ordinance No. 96-38 authorizing abandonment of the 10-foot-wide by 124-foot alley lying between Lots 25 and 26, Block 1, Wingfield Addition, located next to 940 and 890 Boyd Street, was considered: 213 July 9, 1996 ORDINANCE NO. 96-38 ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE ABANDONING A 10'X 124' ALLEY LYING BETWEEN LOTS 25 AND 26, BLOCK 1, WINGFIELD ADDITION, BEING LOCATED NEXT TO 940 AND 890 BOYD STREET IN THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS. Ordinance No. 96-38 was approved on a motion made by Councilman Goodson and seconded by Councilman Davis. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Resolution No. 96-163 approving the actions of the Jefferson County Appraisal District Board of Directors (as required by Section 6.051(b) of the Property Tax Code mandating that this action be approved by three-fourths of the taxing entities entitled to vote on this matter) to acquire approximately 2.5 acres of land on Fourth Street at Cardinal Drive at a purchase price of $50,000 and construct an office building on the site under an intergovernmental contract with Jefferson County at a cost not to exceed $840,000, was approved on a motion made by Councilman Smith and seconded by Councilman Goodson. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Resolution No. 96-164 approving Change Order No. 1 to the contract with Coatings, Inc. for the repair and repainting of the interior of the Water Storage Tank located at Liberty and Thirteenth Streets to adjust the contract by $27,745 for extra work needed due to severe corrosion and structural damage which was not included in the original contract and to approve Final Payment in the amount of$85,893 (total adjusted contract amount to $212,121) was approved on a motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Cokinos and seconded by Councilman Davis. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Resolution No. 96-165 authorizing award of bid to Orange County Building Materials, Inc. of Vidor, at$83,459.00 for furnishing and installing carpet in all offices and conference rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors (excluding the executive offices) and ceramic tile on the 2nd and 3rd floor corridors and in high traffic office entrance areas on the 2nd floor in the Municipal Office Building was approved on a motion made by Councilman Smith and seconded by Councilman Davis. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None 214 July 9, 1996 Resolution No. 96-166 authorizing the award of bid for an annual contract for the purchase of office supplies for all City offices to Corporate Express of Texas, formerly Lamb's Office Products, for fixed prices quoted for commonly used, high volume office supplies and a 40% discount for catalogue purchases at an estimated annual expenditure for office supplies in the amount of$70,000 was considered. Councilman Goodson questioned the method for the bidding process of fixed unit prices for commonly purchased items and discounted prices for catalogue purchases. Mayor Moore, in reviewing the bids and looking at the numbers which were extremely close all down the line except for one item, questioned the possibility of a typographical error in the bid submitted by Office Depot for 3M 3/4" tape at a unit cost of$17.06 - saying it reflected a great disparity of difference. City Manager Riley responded that even if it were an error, the City could not correct a bidder's quote. Resolution No. 96-166 was approved on a motion made by Councilman Davis and seconded by Councilman Ames. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- A public hearing was held by the City Council of the City of Beaumont, Texas, on the 9th day of July, 1996, to hear public comment concerning a resolution amending an operating grant from the Federal Transit Administration to authorize the purchase of video security cameras for transit vehicles and an operations study of the Beaumont Municipal Transit System. Those present were: CITY MANAGER RAY RILEY: In the 1994, we received a federal grant for operating assistance and capital improvements for our Municipal Transit System. There is an allocation that still can be available and we are proposing that we make two amendments for the project descriptions that would be contained within this grant which is basically an 80/20 matching grant on the part of the Federal Government through U.M.T.A. We are asking ... in one case we are asking for an operations service level study of the Transit System. With regard to the current operation with the change and the anticipation that there will be less transportation funds available in the future, currently in our current budget we have put about $750,000 this past year into the Transit System under its present operations. We will receive a grant in the amount of pretty close to $1.2 million to operate the System. $750,000 are coming from the direct taxes of the local government to operate the system, so it is actually incumbent on us to operate the system in the most efficient manner that we have because if federal funds are reduced in the future, which we suspect that they will be, then if the system continues to operate as it is today, then the local government will have to pick up the difference. The .. Our current system has been operating on the same plan for at least the last twenty, twenty-five years. The demographics of the city have changed. Locations have changed. Desire, origin and destination we believe have changed. Perhaps there can be a more efficient manner of location of the routes in which we could actually transport more people in a lesser time or over less miles 215 July 9, 1996 CITY MANAGER RILEY continued: traveled to get them to their destination. This kind of a study will actually be able to do for us to where they can do an origin/destination study to determine what people's attitudes ... where they would like to go and if we may somehow modify the system to where we can operate it more economically or attract more riders. This study - the funds available for this are available from within the grant to be able to do that study. The second part is that the Transit System is asking for the ability to be able to purchase video recorder systems to be placed aboard all twenty-three vehicles in the fleet, both for security and for safety purposes. This was given the opportunity for recording all of the activities on the bus. We think that both of these items are good items and should be included within the section of this grant - or it was intended to and in order to be able to make the application to the Mass Transit Authority to do this, it requires a public hearing and Council approval of this request. MAYOR DAVID MOORE: Okay, at this time I would like to open up the public hearing for members here in the audience. If there is anyone that would like to make public comment on item no. 6, which is a public hearing referring to the Beaumont Municipal Transit System, your opportunity to have your input is now. We only ask that you come to the microphone and give us your name and your address if you would care to make comment during this public hearing. I now declare it open. Since no one is moving to come and talk about the Transit System, I assume that everyone is comfortable with it and I will now publicly close the public hearing. END OF EXCERPT. -000- Resolution No. 96-167 amending an operating grant from the Federal Transit Administration to authorize the purchase of video security cameras to be mounted on all 23 vehicles in the Beaumont Municipal Transit's fleet (at an amount of $150,000) and to conduct an operations study of the transit system was approved on a motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Cokinos and seconded by Councilman Goodson. Question: Ayes: All Nayes: None -000- Councilman Davis asked the City Manager to relay a strong message to the Chamber of Commerce of his displeasure in their not providing periodic updates to City Council on economic development activities and for their failure to appoint Mr. Lawrence Evans, an African American business leader, to the E.D. committee, saying that Mr. Evans had not even been contacted as requested. 216 July 9, 1996 In addition, Councilman Davis said: "Oh, one thing on a lighter note, for the last four weeks my name has not appeared on the minutes. I don't know - has staff fired me? Probably a computer error. It's in the part where we are absent or maybe not - I don't want anybody to think I have missed about 4 meetings." The minutes will be corrected to reflect Mr. Davis' presence. Councilman Goodson mentioned comments from citizens who are appreciative of the weekly recycling program but asked that the possibility for recycling to be available to apartments, townhomes and for people at BISD schools be reviewed along with the program during budget considerations. Councilman Smith questioned the opening ceremonies for the Liberty-Laurel Project, saying that the two neighborhood associations in Old Town and Ms. Carla Swanzy would like to be part of the program. Mr. Tom Warner, Director of Public Works, said that 9:30 a.m. on July 30th has tentatively be set for the opening ceremonies. Mayor Moore acknowledged staff on a tremendous effort this weekend in regards to the 4th of July celebration that was to be continued on July 5th. The weather changed from a beautiful day to thunderstorms. He expressed his regret that the public did not get an opportunity to hear the symphony perform because they did an excellent job at rehearsal. He said the staff did an incredible job of trying to salvage it (the celebration); save equipment; protect instruments, even at their own risk. He apologized to the vendors who were there. Some of the festivities were salvaged on the 5th with more than 20,000 people in attendance. He expressed special thanks to Maurine Gray, Community Services Director, and Claudie Hawkins (Convention Facilities) and their staffs for their efforts for the 4th and the 5th. In addition, Mayor Moore asked the Director of Public Works Tom Warner for a progress report for the Ruby Davis problem. He also expressed his safety concerns for the pedestrians, parking, and traffic near Baptist Hospital. Mayor Moore complimented the recycling program and the number of talk shows explaining the programs with a variety of people participating, including Mayor Sylvester Moore of Groves. He mentioned the Rockwell Neighborhood Association for their recent meeting at the Art Museum and the agenda with good discussion of several issues and thanked Councilman Smith for her attendance and participation. -000- Mr. Rob Schwartz, Highway Business 96, Buna, addressed Council to question which item on the office supplies bid information contained the obvious error, saying he had prepared the quote which contained the typographic error. Mr. Ivory Pugh, 5750 Stanton, addressed Council to complain about a Police Department's clerk who exhibited a poor attitude and rudeness to he and his wife recently. 217 July 9, 1996 Ms. Phyllis Cheeves, representative of the Black Community Festival for the Golden Triangle, a not-for-profit group for the embellishment of life in the black community with a wide variety of programs, addressed City Council to request a meeting room for the group, saying they would like to meet once a month on Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. -000- There being no further business, the meeting was recessed to reconvene in executive session. -000- 1, Rosemarie Smith, City Clerk (Consulting)for the City of Beaumont, Texas, certify that the above is a true copy of the Minutes of the regular City Council session held July 9, 1996. Rosemarie Smith City Clerk, Consulting 218 July 9, 1996