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Min 01/23/2018 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 1 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Wichita Falls, Texas Memorial Auditorium Building January 23-24, 2018 Item 1 - Call to Order The City Council of the City of Wichita Falls, Texas met in special work session on the above date in the Council Chambers of the Memorial Auditorium Building at 8:00 o’clock a.m., with the following members present. Stephen L. Santellana - Mayor Jesse Brown - Councilors DeAndra Chenault - Mitesh Desai - Brian Hooker - Eric West - Bobby Whiteley - Darron Leiker - City Manager Kinley Hegglund - City Attorney Tracy Norr - City Clerk - - - - - - - - Mayor Santellana called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. An invocation was offered by Councilor Hooker. Mayor Santellana led the Pledge of Allegiance. - - - - - - - - Item 2 – Planning Workshop Discussions City Manager Darron Leiker said staff has been working on these presentations for a couple of months. He thanked them for their work. He also thanked the council for the time they are devoting to this project.  Strategic Goals Progress Update 8:07 AM Assistant City Manager Paul Menzies reviewed the strategic plan and its objectives. He reviewed each of the seven goals and 24 objectives, noting there has been advancement in each area.  Public Infrastructure Overview 9:17 AM Jim Dockery said a staff committee was established to identify capital improvement projects that are needed or have been identified in previous city plans. Fifty -nine projects were identified and cost estimates were developed. Projects were categorized CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 2 and prioritized. Projects with a priority greater than seven for future bond issues will be reviewed in greater detail. He reviewed bond election requirements. Councilor West asked how much debt the city is willing to take on. He said that is critical before deciding on projects. Mr. Leiker and Mr. Dockery suggested hearing about the projects based on their merits before deciding on the costs. Mr. Dockery reviewed the scoring matrix which was distributed to the councilors.  Parks Trail Projects 9:45 AM John Burrus reviewed the trail projects which are underway and discussed grant funding for these projects. He reviewed future trail projects, recommending the local match requirement for 2017 TA-Side Aside projects, Ohio Street Bridge/SAFB Spur, Aqueduct Trail Project, and the SAFB Main Gate to Missile Trail Project.  Parks – Other Projects 10: 08 AM Jim Dockery reviewed other parks projects, include the sports complex parking lot, sports complex artificial turf, Lake Wichita Mountain trail and pavilion, and Lake Wichita parking lot resurface. He noted the ranking from the park board on the parks projects.  Lake Wichita Projects 10:25 AM Jim Dockery reviewed the Lake Wichita shoreline projects , including Barnett Road small craft launch, Circle Trail bridge, Fairway boat ramp, Lake Wichita Park beach area, three floating fishing piers, pavilion boardwalk, E. Shoreline trail with three jetties, Veterans Memorial Plaza and Kemp boat ramp, and 850’ jetty and Circle Trail. Davis Powell added an explanation of the funding for the Veterans Memorial Plaza, Kemp boat ramp, and seawall area/additional board ramps. Steve Garner, Lake Wichita Committee, read a prepared statement highlighting the work of the committee and results of community surveys regarding the project. 1:31 PM Jim Dockery said that during the lunch break there had been questions about tax increment financing districts. He listed the balance in each district. He also clarified boundaries on the Kemp Street board ramp project and the Veterans Memorial project .  Street Improvements 1:42 PM Russell Schreiber reviewed the street system and an analysis of costs to increase or maintain the PCI (Pavement Condition Index). He recommended thre e widening projects for the bond issue: Maplewood widening, Taft widening, and Lakeshore widening. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 3  MPEC Facilities 2:14 PM Brian Hoffman said there are problems with roofs at the MPEC with all three facilities. Production upgrades are needed at Memorial Auditorium. He also recommended video surveillance at the Coliseum, restroom renovations at the Exhibit Hall, replacing air walls, adding LED lighting at Kay Yeager, and ticket scanners.  City Hall/Public Safety Complex 2:36 PM Blake Jurecek gave a background on Memorial Auditorium and the need for architectural services. Discussion led to a “complex” facility to include city hall, police, and fire station #1. He highlighted comparisons between the 2008 study and the 2017 study for space needs and personnel. Manuel Borrego expressed the concerns about the police dep artment building. He said they are very crowded, need public restroom facilities, have ADA and security concerns, need roof repairs and parking lot repairs. There is also sewer system, flooding, and A/C problems. Jon Reese said Fire Station #1, which also houses administration, is not ADA compliant and does not have room for the apparatus and does not meet federal compliance regarding engine exhaust, de -con, and gear storage. Ingress and egress is an issue. The building does not support the public ac cess and education needs of the station. He said the facility is also non-compliant for security requirements. It was noted that this project was ranked highest or just below the trail system by staff. Discussion was held on possible uses of Memorial Auditorium if a new city hall is built.  Downtown Revitalization 3:57 PM Jim Dockery said downtown projects that are discussed include acquisition, demo lition and parking lot development, a small splash pad, expansion of Park Central, and redesign and reconstruction of streetscapes in the core district. Discussion of the streetscapes and designs was held. Councilor West said he feels this is being rushed for a May bond election. Discussion was held about whether or not cost estimates are accurate or s ufficient.  Project Scoring Matrix 4:30 PM Jim Dockery reviewed the scoring matrix and explained how to rank projects. He noted the estimated costs and other possible funding is listed on the sheet. He reviewed the staff scoring results. He noted that this scoring is to start dialogue and building consensus. After discussion it was decided not to score the projects tonight but to continue the meeting for additional discussion on all projects. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 4 Recess The meeting recessed until 8:00 a.m. on Janua ry 24, 2018. Call to Order – January 24, 2018 8:30 AM The following members were present: Stephen L. Santellana - Mayor Jesse Brown - Councilors DeAndra Chenault - Mitesh Desai - Eric West - Bobby Whiteley - Brian Hooker - Absent Darron Leiker - City Manager Kinley Hegglund - City Attorney Kia Weathersby - Deputy City Clerk Mayor Santellana called the meeting to order. An invocation was offered by Councilor Brown and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor San tellana. - - - - - - - -  Discuss Results of Scoring and Consensus Building 8:30 AM Mayor Santellana said the rankings had been put together for review and discussion. J im Dockery reviewed the scoring and highlighted the scoring of each project. He said completing the circle trail points and the aqueduct trail scored higher than 49 points in the Park Improvement projects. In the Lake Wichita projects, the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza and the boardwalk matching requirement were the projects which scored m ore than 49 points. On street improvements, the $11 million project was the only one that scored more than 49 points. The City Hall/Public Safety project scored 58 points. Five MPEC projects scored more than 49: Rigging, Coliseum LED lighting, restroom renovation, airwall replacement, and the Ag center roof replacement. All downtown projects except the splash pad scored above 49. Projects were highlighted based on the individual rankings. Mr. Dockery asked that the tax rate not be given too much weight yet. - - - - - - - -  Proposition 1 8:56:36 AM CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 5 Councilor Whiteley asked why the Lake Wichita Parking Lot Resurface is included here instead of in the Lake Wichita Improvements. It was explained that it is included here because it did not get included in the lake shore projects and is more of a park project. Mayor Santellana discussed the softball complex and the importance of sports tourism and bringing people here. Councilor West discussed how important it is to determine the tax appetite of the citizens before deciding what will be included. - - - - - - - - Proposition 2 9:02:18 AM Councilor West explained that he is hesitant to support anything involving boating or fishing when there is so much excavating needing to be done to sustain the lake. Darron Leiker discussed the grant application and the Kemp Street Boat Ramp, and that turning down the grant could impact the City in applying for future grants. Mayor Santellana said that there are 2 things to consider: are we going to build a boat ramp for a lake that hasn’t been excavated, and are we going to ask the citizens to raise the money to match the grant to avoid problems with future grants? Councilor Brown asked if excavation of the lake should be included in Proposition 2. Councilor West said he feels that it should have been included to begin with. The cost of excavation was discussed. Councilor Brown requested that the boat ramp be highlighted for fur ther discussion, and that using potential excess funds raised for the projects for excavation be discussed as well. Councilor Desai asked how long excavation results could be expected to last before needing to be done again. Tom Lang said the excavation is projected to last over a hundred years, and that it will not just be excavation but a project with a much wider scope. The total cost is over $40 million. He said the committee would like to have the excavation done first but the city had not been behind it. Steve Garner spoke about his ability to raise the matching funds for the boat ramp and said that they are still working on doing so. Potential donors have raised concerns about the lack of excavation as the projects move forward. The committee focuse d on shoreline projects instead of excavation after being instructed to do so. He is confident that the funds will be raised for the projects being considered and that those funds can be used for seed money for excavation. City Engineer Davis Powell spoke about the deadlines for the matching funds to be raised for the grant. From the time the grant is approved and accepted, there is a window of about 3 years for the money to be raised and the project to be completed. Proposition 3 9:31:38 AM The Council felt the reason the Maplewood Extension scored low is because the assumption is that the developer will be handling it. The concern with the project comes from CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 6 the funding not yet being approved and the cost to the City not being known. It was decided to keep the project under consideration even with a lower score. Proposition 4 9:41:13 AM Councilor Brown asked Mr. Dockery what the long-term money saving would be for the tax payers if new facilities are built instead of renovating the current facilities. Mayor Santellana asked what would have to be done if the current facilities were to be renovated and staff displaced during that time. Blake discussed what would have to b e moved and how in terms of the servers and fiber connections and potential cost as well as space and desks for staff. Jim Dockery discussed that preliminary discussions suggest it would take about 3 years to renovate and multi-millions of dollars would be spent. Proposition 5 9:48:16 AM The MPEC improvements were discussed. Councilor W hiteley asked if video surveillance falls into liability issues in terms of insurance benefits. Jim Dockery said it has not been investigated but most likely would not lower insurance costs. Councilor Desai discussed that ticket scanners and video surveillance make sense to him in terms of convenience. Councilor Whiteley agreed. Councilor Brown asked to be reminded on contract details with Spectra in terms of ticket scanners and LED lighting. Mr. Dockery explained that it would lower their operating co sts and save the city money overall. Proposition 6 9:56:37 AM Councilor Whiteley asked if any infrastructure would be included in the streetscaping. Russell Schreiber said that utilities would be included. Councilor Whiteley expressed his belief that it is important to let people know that this figure includes replacing utility lines. The splash pad was discussed. Discussion 10:32:24 AM Mayor Santellana led discussion for the timing for the election: May vs. November. Jim Dockery said it would take about 90 days after approval to get the money to spend. Councilor West said that whenever the election is held, we want to maximize voter turnout and that we need to be careful how much is put on the ballot in terms of how much taxes could increase if everything were to be passed. He said it will affect approval for school bonds which are needed. Councilor Whiteley said that more things need to be discussed before making a final decision but that it is ultimately up to the citizens and they should be given options. Mayor Santellana said it is up to the citizens what gets passed or not. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 7 Councilor Brown said he tends to support May over November but would like to see more data on both. He added his concern about the conditions of the schools. Councilor Chenault wants to know what will be done to educate the community on what has been discussed. She supports a November election. Councilor Desai is in favor of a May electio n to have a singular focus on city issues. Mayor Santellana is in favor of a May election for the singular focus on the city. Councilor West agrees with the singular focus a May election would provide being a good thing but is also concerned with citizen s knowing what the projects are and what the details would be. He is good with a May election. Jim Dockery said that in terms of educating citizens, we can only state what the project is and what it costs and must avoid advocating for the measure. Mayor Santellana said the general consensus seems to be the May election. Mr. Leiker said that Councilor Hooker told him he is in favor of May as well. Mayor Santellana said we will shoot for a May election and directed the discussion back towa rd the scoring sheet. Jim Dockery explained that the scoring sheet shows the approximate tax increase for all highlighted projects. Councilor West requested that a consensus be reached about how much debt we are willing to take on before discussing individual project s. He is concerned about how a higher tax rate would impact bringing in businesses and citizens overall. He agreed with Mayor Santellana that about $60 million of projects would be the limit. Mayor Santellana said he would also propose the city hall compl ex. Councilor Brown discussed what paying higher taxes would get businesses looking to come to Wichita Falls and the benefits that that higher tax rate would bring, including higher quality of life. Councilor Whiteley asked how the city will take care of city employees in the future as that is a factor for him in deciding what projects to take on. Jim Dockery replied that historically the city has not raised taxes for cost of living adjustments. Economic growth has taken care of that. The goal is to get the economic base growing to avoid going to the tax rate for salary adjustments. Councilor Desai said that people seem to be working together to turn things around for the city as a whole and that issues can only be neglected for so long before they have to be addressed and so he thinks giving the options to the citizens and letting them decide what gets done is the way to go about it. Following discussion, the following projects were selected: Proposition 1  3.6 Mile Trail Spur from Ohio Street Bridge to North to SAFB  9 Mile Trail Spur (Aqueduct Trail)  Turf 4 of the 8 Fields  Lake Wichita Parking Lot Resurface  Matching Funds for TAP Grants to Complete Circle Trail Proposition 2  Veteran’s Memorial Plaza  Boardwalk Matching Requirement for TPW Grant CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 8  Circle Trail from Marine to Barnett Road on Shore Proposition 3  Maintain PCI ($11 Million)  Widen and Improve Drainage of Taft from FM 369 to FM 2380  Maplewood Avenue Extension to McNeil Proposition 4  City Hall/Public Safety Campus Proposition 5  Rigging, Curtains, Lighting, Sounds System at Memorial Auditorium  LED Lighting Interior at Coliseum  Restroom Renovations at Exhibit Hall  Air Wall Replacement at Exhibit Hall  Roof Replacement at Ag Center  Ticket Scanners at Coliseum  Video Surveillance at Exhibit Hall  Video Surveillance at Coliseum  Video Surveillance at Ag Hall  Portable Seating at Coliseum  Camera Upgrades at Coliseum  Portable Sounds System at Exhibit Hall  Panels, Chutes, Announcer Stands at Ag Center Proposition 6  9 Intersections and 17 Blocks of Sidewalks, Landscaping, Decorative Street Lighting, Etc.  Acquisition/Demolition/Parking Improvements  Park Central Expansion/Development  Splash Pad - - - - - - - - Item 3 –Adjourn Councilors thanked staff for this information and discussion. They expressed their opinion that the council should give the citizens options to decide on these projects. The meeting adjourned at 12:18 PM. PASSED AND APPROVED this 6th day of February, 2018. __________________________________ Stephen L. Santellana, Mayor CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23-24, 2018 Page 9 ATTEST: ____________________________________ Tracy B. Norr, TRMC/MMC, City Clerk