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Home My WebLink AboutMIN JUN 27 2006 M I N U T E S - CITY OF BEAUMONT Andrew P. Cokinos, At-Large GUY N. GOODSON, MAYOR Becky Ames,At-Large Lulu L. Smith, Ward I WORKSHOP Nancy Beaulieu, Mayor Pro Tem, Ward II Audwin Samuel,Ward III June 27, 2006 Bobbie J. Patterson,Ward IV Tyrone E. Cooper, City Attorney Kyle Hayes, City Manager Rose Ann Jones, City Clerk The City Council of the City of Beaumont, Texas, met in a Workshop on June 27, 2006, at the Texas Energy Museum, 600 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas, at 12:30 p.m. to consider the following: Mayor Goodson called the council meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Present at the meeting were Mayor Goodson, Mayor Pro Tern Beaulieu, Councilmembers Smith, Ames, Samuel and Patterson. Also present were Kyle Hayes, City Manager; Tyrone Cooper, City Attorney; Rose Ann Jones, City Clerk. Work Session - The following items were discussed: • Downtown Development Projects, Central Business District Zoning Ordinance and Downtown Master Plan Some areas discussed were the new CVB Center, downtown park, MLK Park, Cathedral Square; need for zoning changes; importance of citizen input; vision for the future • Received a presentation from representatives of Concord Eastridge Greg Williams, Mike Krussey, Nathan Norris; shared their ideas for development in the downtown area; the firm would help recruit developers to build in the downtown area and would collect a fee from the developer not the City; the company would like to act as a consulting firm to help develop a central business district with zoning ordinances; Council was in favor of the City Manager pursuing this area • Establishment of a City Development Services Center (one location separate from City Hall to house Building Codes, Planning, Code Enforcement, Clearance and Demolition, Environmental Health and the Fire Marshall's Office) This would be a "One Stop Shop" to allow citizens and developers a centralized place to review their plans so they are in compliance with City regulations; it would also be a development/opportunity center which could involve Lamar University; Council was in favor of the City Manager to pursue this idea and to find some possible locations • Street Rehabilitation Program Tom Warner gave an update on the street projects proposed for the City; this would be done in Phase I - identify streets and replace asphalt, approximately $1.3 million and Minutes-June 27,2006 Phase II - reconstruct streets, overlay streets, approximately $1.4 million; plans are to coordinate with the utility companies to eliminate street cuts and the DD#6 for drainage projects • Sidewalk Program adjacent to schools Discussion included the need for sidewalks around the schools with several options available depending on the amount of money Council would like to appropriate to the project; suggested was to get a cost for sidewalks around the main walking routes to be determined in a joint effort by the City, school, neighborhood associations; Council would like to pursue this area • City Image Campaign Council is interested in pursing the branding in connection with the Chamber of Commerce, POST and other local businesses • Amtrak stop in Beaumont Currently there is only a slab at the Amtrak stop; the property is owned by Union Pacific with Amtrak leasing the property and they should be responsible for the upkeep and repair; it was felt that City money should not be spent on non-city property; several ideas were discussed regarding the continuation and location of this stop; Council is interested in trying one more time in contacting authorities to have this area improved or changes made • Railroad Quiet Zones Tom Warner gave an update on the quiet zone issues since it was last discussed in a workshop at a Council meeting; no agreements have been able to be reached with the railroads regarding responsibilities; no quick fix is available; large cost is involved; possible street closing was also discussed; volume of railroad traffic should also be considered in the evaluation; Council will pursue this area • Red Light Cameras at busy intersections Police Chief Coffin made a presentation of the value of having cameras at major intersections; one of the main benefits is to change driver behavior; all intersections would be clearly marked; a subcommittee was recommended to further study and also to have public input in this area; Council was in favor of Chief Coffin to pursue this area • Establishment of an Economic Development Fund This fund would be used for development and incentives to increase businesses in the area; this would be grant money with a cost to the City; Council is interested but feels very cautious about the direction, may hurt current/old businesses to promote new business or special interest groups; Council would like the City Manager to obtain some preliminary information in connection with the Chamber Page 2 of 4 Minutes-June 27,2006 • Animal Cruelty Ordinance Ingrid Holmes, Public Health Director gave a presentation on the proposed animal cruelty ordinances; ordinance needs to be clean and clear enough to be enforceable; language should be easily understandable and public awareness needs to be a priority; would like to partner with the utility companies to help protect the animals; Council would like to pursue this area • Uninsured Driver Ordinance Chief Coffin made a presentation about the effects of such an ordinance that would allow the City to impound a car immediately if proof of insurance was not available; the need for a City Impound lot; enforcement issues; amount of fine; waiver of fine; contracts with local towing companies; Council would like to pursue this area • Ordinance prohibiting more than one vehicle to be parked in unpaved areas of a front yard This now applies to "Old Town" only; concern that in some neighborhoods, parking is only available in their yards; safety issue; Council is not interested in pursuing this area at this time • Sex Offender Ordinance Tyrone Cooper made a presentation about the child safety buffer zone; offenders would be prohibited from living in these zones; concerns were how many offenders currently live here and how many are registered; concerns that restricting living areas may cause offenders not to register; may cause parents a false sense of security; other cities may pass restrictions which would affect the number of offenders living in our area; Council would like City Attorney to draft a map showing the affected areas • Closing comments by the City Council COUNCILMEMBER AMES - CONCERNED ABOUT THE BEAUTIFICATION OF THE CITY TO INCLUDE LIGHTS, MEDIANS, LANDSCAPING, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE HURRICANE TO GO ALONG WITH THE BRANDING OF THE CITY; IMPORTANT TO BRING INVESTORS TO THE AREA; CITY NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO HELP THE CITY GROW MAYOR PRO TEM BEAULIEU - GAVE THANKS TO THE STAFF FOR BEING VERY HELPFUL AND FELT THAT THIS WORKSHOP WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE COUNCILMEMBER SMITH - FELT THAT THIS WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE AND GLAD TO SEE THAT COUNCIL IS ALL ON THE SAME PAGE WITH THE SAME GOALS IN MIND COUNCILMEMBER SAMUEL - THANKED STAFF FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THEY CONTINUE TO DO; CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLEAN-UP Page 3 of 4 Minutes-June 27,2006 STILL NEEDED ON PROPERTIES ESPECIALLY AT THE NORTH END; GLAD TO KNOW THAT THE CITY IS LOOKING AT THIS DEBRIS REMOVAL AND MAKING PROPERTY OWNERS RESPONSIBLE COUNCILMEMBER PATTERSON - THANKED STAFF FOR THE RESEARCH THEY HAVE PROVIDED; FELT THAT THE WORKSHOP WAS PRODUCTIVE AND FEELS THAT A WORKSHOP SHOULD BE HELD TWICE A YEAR CITY MANAGER HAYES - WOULD LIKE TO INCREASE THE AREAS OF STREETS & DRAINAGE AND CODE ENFORCEMENT WHICH WOULD ALLOW SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THESE AREAS OF PROBLEMS MAYOR GOODSON - THANKED COUNCIL AND STAFF AND APPRECIATED ALL THAT THEY DO; WOULD LIKE CODE ENFORCEMENT TO MAKE A PRESENTATION REGARDING DEBRIS ISSUES; MADE A STATEMENT THAT THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ENFORCE THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THIS WORKSHOP WAS HELD SO THAT ALL MEMBERS COULD DISCUSS PENDING ISSUES AND FIND OUT THE OPINIONS OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS Worksession ended at 5:25 p.m. Workshop handouts attached. Audio tapes ar ava' le pon request in the City Clerk's Office. Guy N. Goodson, Mayor LU Rose Ann Jones, TRM Y �/ City Clerk Of Page 4 of 4 Minutes-June 27,2006