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Min 06/04/2019 City of Wichita Falls City Council Meeting Minutes June 4, 2019 Item 1 - Call to Order The City Council of the City of Wichita Falls, Texas met in regular session on the above with the following members present. Stephen L. Santellana - Mayor DeAndra Chenault - Mayor Pro Tem Tim Brewer - Councilors Jeff Browning - Steve Jackson - Eric West - Councilor District 1 Bobby Whiteley - Councilor At-Large Darron Leiker - City Manager Kinley Hegglund - City Attorney Marie Balthrop - City Clerk - - - - - - - - Mayor Santellana called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. - - - - - - - - Item 2a Invocation Josh Powell, Pastor, Lamar Baptist Church, gave the invocation. - - - - - - - - Item 2b Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Santellana led the Pledge of Allegiance. - - - - - - - - Item 3a Employee of the Month Amber Doherty, Municipal Court 8:32 a.m. Stan Horton, Court Coordinator, recognized Amber Doherty as the Employee of the Month for June 2019. Mayor Santellana congratulated Ms. Doherty and presented her with a plaque, letter of appreciation, restaurant voucher, and check, and thanked her for her service. - - - - - - - - Item 4-5 Consent Items 8:34 a.m. City Manager Darron Leiker gave a briefing on the items listed under the Consent Agenda. Moved by Councilor Chenault to approve items on the consent agenda. Motion seconded by Councilor Brewer and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, West, and Whiteley Nays: None Item 4 Approval of minutes of the May 21, 2019 Regular Meeting of the Mayor and City Council Item 5 Receive Minutes Minutes of the following boards and commissions were received: (a) Planning & Zoning Commission, April 10, 2019 (b) Landmark Commission, April 23, 2019 - - - - - - - Item 6a Public Hearing and Ordinance 18-2019 8:35 a.m. Ordinance rezoning approximately +/- 11.57 acres of land located at 2800, 2802 & 2804 Grant Street (Lot 1 & 2, Block 7, West Side Addition), 2700 Kell Boulevard (Lots 1,2,16 & 17 less ROW and 1-19, Block 21-A, Highland Addition), and abutting right-of-way from Limited Commercial (LC) to General Commercial (GC) zoning district and amending the Land Use Plan to change the area from Light Commercial and Low Density Residential to Commercial. City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 3 Mayor Santellana opened the public hearing at 8:36 a.m. Karen Montgomery-Gagné, Planning Administrator, addressed the council and discussed the rezone and conditional use application received for property on Grant Street. Ms. Montgomery- Gagné discussed the timeline, required notifications, property history, and presented slides giving an overview of the proposed rezoning from Limited Commercial, to General Commercial with a change to the Land Use Plan from Light Commercial and Low Density Residential to Commercial. There were four responses to the notice letter sent out that were in favor of the rezone, and one undecided response. Councilor Whiteley stated that going West down Kell Blvd. there are other commercial businesses and asked why we limited the rezone to this small area and did not expand it further down Kell to the West. Ms. Montgomery-Gagné stated that this is a long term project that they will look at, but it would include multiple property owners that they would have to notify and receive approval from. Most of the rezoning in this area has been handled block by block as there has been new development since there are still some active residential properties in this area. Councilor Whiteley stated that it seems like we have started this process and this is the inevitable change that will be coming in the future and we could get ahead of the curve and go ahead and address the larger rezoning. Ms. Montgomery-Gagné stated that long term this does align with the Strategic Plan to revitalize neighborhoods and grow economic development opportunities. If this is a priority they can begin working with some of the property owners in logical areas where there has been change. Maria Vielmas-Andrade, residing at 2610 Buchanan, and owner of 2612 Buchanan, asked if this rezone would affect her property that she just purchased and owner financed. Ms. Montgomery-Gagné stated that this would not affect her property, and notification was sent in accordance with state law since her property is within 200 feet of the rezoned area. Mayor Santellana closed the public hearing at 8:49 a.m. Moved by Councilor Browning to approve Ordinance 18-2019. Motion seconded by Councilor Whiteley and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, West, and Whiteley Nays: None - - - - - - - Item 6b Public Hearing and Ordinance 19-2019 8:50 a.m. City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 4 Ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances, Appendix B: Zoning for an amendment to: Section 2030 - Definitions related to the creation of three distinct Planned Unit Development (PUD) districts and updating other terms; Section 3000 - Zoning District Types and Regulations regarding the submittal and approval process for Planned Unit Developments; Section 4220 Allowing carports to be constructed a set distance within the required front and exterior side yard setbacks without a conditional use permit; providing a repealer clause; and providing for inclusion. Mayor Santellana opened the public hearing at 8:50 a.m. Karen Montgomery-Gagné, Planning Administrator, addressed the council and discussed the timeline and circumstances leading to the proposed amendment to the Code of Ordinances and updating definitions and terms of Appendix B, Zoning. These changes provide an opportunity for staff to improve current regulations and aligns with the Strategic Plan. The amendment ensures that our definitions follow any changes that have occurred at the State and Federal levels, addresses Planned Unit Developments, and simplifies the process for allowing carports to be constructed in a set area without a conditional use permit. Councilor Browning stated that this will streamline the construction of carports, and after seven years of serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission this is a great change. Mayor Santellana stated that these changes align very well with our Strategic Plan initiatives. Mayor Santellana closed the public hearing at 8:58 a.m. Moved by Councilor Brewer to approve Ordinance 19-2019. Motion seconded by Councilor Jackson and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, West, and Whiteley Nays: None - - - - - - - Item 6c Ordinance 20-2019 8:58 a.m. Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 08-2019 that declared certain structures as dangerous by allowing the property owner of 2706 Texas Avenue additional time to rehabilitate the structure. Moved by Councilor Chenault to approve Ordinance 20-2019. City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 5 Motion seconded by Councilor Browning and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, West, and Whiteley Nays: None - - - - - - - Item 7a Resolution 53-2019 9:01 a.m. Resolution approving the programs and expenditures of the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation (WFEDC) and amending the budget to include funding up to $10,000 to purchase general liability insurance coverage for property owned by the corporation. Moved by Councilor Brewer to approve Resolution 53-2019. Motion seconded by Councilor Browning and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, West, and Whiteley Nays: None - - - - - - - Item 7b Resolution 54-2019 9:04 a.m. Resolution designating sports and community venue projects in accordance with Chapter 334, Texas Local Government Code, as amended, designating the method of financing for such venue projects subject to voter approval at an election called for such purposes; and resolving other matters in connection therewith Moved by Councilor Chenault to approve Resolution 54-2019. Motion seconded by Councilor Browning. Kinley Hegglund, City Attorney, addressed the council and discussed the timeline, how the Ordinance aligns with the Strategic Plan initiative to provide alternative funding sources for projects, the needed repairs to the covered venues, and the amount of funds that will be generated from the additional Hotel Occupancy Venue Tax. City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 6 Larry Robinson, 5559 Huntington Lane, stated that he is against this since he has relatives that come to town to visit and stay in a hotel and this is an added expense. Mr. Robinson stated that the Mayor said after the election that the city has money to complete the projects that the voters voted down and asked why he could not find some of that money to fix these buildings that we already own instead of building new ones. Mayor Santellana stated that he did not say that and Mr. Robinson stated that the media reported it. Mr. Robinson suggested selling the naming rights to the Kay Yeager Coliseum, and discussed how Kay Yeager gave money to the project, and how her name has been on the building for twenty years. Mr. Robinson stated that the city should sell the naming rights and use that money to pay for the needed repairs. He also stated that if the city has money to pay for matching fund projects that they should use that money to make repairs instead of raising taxes or building new facilities. Mr. Robinson stated that he only has one pocket to take tax money out of, and that twenty years ago, when there was a petition signed for the coliseum, they went through the same thing with business owners living outside of city limits stating they could not afford the taxes, and now some of the people staying in hotels are their customers having to spend the extra money on this tax. He stated that after a while people will go somewhere else where the taxes are not as high. Motion carried with the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, West, and Whiteley Nays: None - - - - - - - Item 8a Staff Reports Salaries and benefits discussion for the 2019-2020 budget deliberations Christi Klyn, Director of Human Resources 9:12 a.m. Christi Klyn, Director of Human Resources, addressed the council and gave a presentation discussing salaries and benefits for the 2019-2020 budget. Ms. Klyn reviewed the pay plans, salary survey process, salary survey results, recommendation for change to the Fire step plan, and the benefit survey. The City of Wichita Falls has five separate pay plans; Exempt, Salaried Non-Exempt, Non-Exempt, Fire, and Police. Salary surveys and benefit surveys are completed yearly with our comparable cities to compare entry level pay and benefits, and a cost of living differential is applied. Slides were presented showing the different pay plans, steps/ranges, and the differences in the plans. The percentage of employees that have maxed out on steps are as follows: Fire 41%, Police 35%, Non Exempt 12%, Exempt 13%, and the City as a whole 19%. There was discussion on the survey process, the criteria of benchmark cities, and the cost of living factor applied. Ms. Klyn reviewed the history of step and COLA increases given over the past eight years with turnover rate percentages, and the results of the survey. City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 7 Councilor Jackson stated that he received an email from Sgt. Spragins with pay comparisons from Abilene to Waco and shows our officers average salary overall is 12.44 below the cities listed. Ms. Klyn stated that the police data provided does not include the cost of living factor. Mr. Jackson asked how much the difference was with the cost of living adjustment in dollars. Ms. Klyn stated that she did not have the dollar amount but when they look at the percentages from the police data the difference is basically the cost of living factor adjustment. Mr. Jackson stated that he believes they all deserve a raise. Ms. Klyn presented a slide show the salary survey results that showed the variance percentages for starting base pay for Fire, Police, Non-Exempt, and Exempt employees for 2018 and 2019. The percentage of variance for average pay decreased in all pay scales from 2018 to 2019, and turnover for each class stayed the same or decreased slightly. She noted that although the variance percentage in our exempt/professional positions is the lowest, that class has the highest turnover rate. Councilor Jackson stated that he also believes the reason we have such a high turnover is because we are not up to the standards with pay compared to other areas. Councilor Jackson stated that we have a high turnover rate in Police and Fire once trainees have gone through the academy and stay a year or two then leave. Ms. Klyn stated that we do not have a lot of turnovers for that reason and that Police and Fire have some of the lowest turnover rates. Our Non-Civil Service positions have higher turnover rates. She stated that we have one or two Fire or Police employees leave to go to other cities each year, but our highest turnover rates are with laborers in various departments. Councilor Jackson asked if Ms. Klyn could tell her how short we are in the Police and Fire Departments at this time. Ms. Klyn stated that the Chief of Police and Interim Fire Chief could give an exact answer, but she acknowledged that we are definitely short staffed. Councilor Jackson stated that we are about fifteen positions short in the Fire Department. Ms. Klyn stated that most of the shortages are due to retirements, and not due to employees leaving for other cities due to pay. Darron Leiker, City Manager, noted that vacancies in the Fire Department does not mean we have stations or trucks that are unmanned. We have minimum staffing requirements for Police and Fire, and that although there are vacancies, employees are being paid overtime to cover these vacancies. Mr. Leiker stated that we compare very well to our benchmark cities with turnovers in Fire and Police and that we are always striving to improve that. Mr. Leiker discussed the change back to the in-house fire academy that should improve recruitment and retention efforts. Mayor Santellana noted that Fire and Police have the lowest turnover rates compared to the other pay scales with Police being 1%. Mr. Leiker noted that every year we have trainees drop out because they cannot meet the requirements, or they decide the career is not for them, but we have very few that leave to go to other cities. Ms. Klyn stated that the turnover percentages provided show regrettable turnover, and not retirements or terminations that are not rehireable. Mayor Santellana asked the Chief of Police and Interim Fire Chief if they were ever fully staffed, and the response was never. Chief City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 8 Borrego stated that part of the issue is that it takes about 14 months to get an officer from hire to duty on the street. Ms. Klyn visited with various Civil Service Directors around the state and this is a common issue for all cities. Darron Leiker stated that Austin has the highest paid public safety positions and they have higher turnover rates than we do. Ms. Klyn presented the Fire Step Plan and the change from 15 steps to 8 steps proposed by the association. Currently there are 15 steps with a 2% increase between each step. The proposed plan would be 8 steps with a 4% increase between steps, and should help with recruitment. This changed would require some to hold at their current step for a year or two during the change. Ms. Klyn presented a review of benefits including stability/longevity pay, retirement plans, medical plans, medical clinic, and leave with pay. Stability pay ranks higher than the average benchmark cities, and Longevity Pay for Civil Service ranks higher. TMRS Retirement for Police with a 7% contribution rate and a 2:1 match, and the Fire Pension Plan are both comparable to our benchmark cities. Non-Civil Service TMRS with a contribution rate of 5% and 2:1 match is 2% lower than all benchmark cities contribution rates. We are the only city with a population of 100,000 with a 5% TMRS match, which equates to a substantial difference in retirement pay. We offer three medical plans and they have higher premiums, deductibles, and co-pays than all of the benchmark cities. We do offer a free Clinic to employees and dependents on the City insurance, and to dependents not on City insurance for a $25.00 co-pay. For paid leave, such as vacation, holiday, and sick leave, we accrue slightly faster than benchmark cities, with one more holiday, and are slightly above average for sick leave. Councilor Jackson asked Mr. Schreiber and Mr. Burrus if they try to hire from within when higher level positions retire. The answer was yes, as long as they have qualified employees that apply. Councilor Whiteley asked if this presentation and information will be available, and the response was yes, that this information would be sent to the Council. Mayor Santellana stated that as we work through budget we always look at making salaries comparable, and determine where the funds can come from to cover salary changes. Darron Leiker, City Manager, stated that as we get closer to the adoption of the budget things will come into focus better as we receive another Sales & Use Tax payment and the final tax roll. Council will receive the preliminary budget from the City Manager in August that includes a recommendation on pay increases. Mr. Leiker stated that a 2% cost of living increase costs approximately one million dollars and compounds yearly. We try to remain competitive as our personnel are our best asset and comprises most The nd next budget workshop will be July 2. City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 9 - - - - - - - Item 8b Items of Concern to Members of the City Council 9:44 a.m. Councilor Jackson stated that on the code of ethics and conduct that was passed at the last meeting, and with what has gone on since then, he feels that it has pretty much amend and insert consequences of illegal substance abuse. I feel this is far more damaging to the reputation of the Wichita Falls than what we wear or informing the public of information that is their right to know but do not always have the time to research or attend public meetings. So with that being said I believe that we do need to take a motion to amend it that we all be drug tested from every one of us sitting up here drug tested when hired and that he worked at the base for over thirty years and with each new contractor they had to be drug tested to continue to work, and that they had random drug testing of all employees including management. Councilor Jackson stated etings, or have the Santellana asked for clarification on what Councilor Jackson wanted to amend and if it was the Charter, and Councilor Jackson said yes. Councilor Brewer attended the sign unveiling at the child care facility on Lamar, and stated that he enjoyed visiting the children at this facility. It brought to mind that those children are our future and that he feels we are doing the best we can to make this a better place for them. Councilor Chenault Good morning, Day. Mayor Santellana stated that he received an email concerning a signage issue and thanked John Burrus for taking care of the issue so promptly. John Burrus, Director of Aviation, Traffic and Transportation, stated that is one of the advantages to having an in-house sign shop, and apologized to the citizen for having to report the issue instead of it being caught during routine checks. Mayor Santellana thanked Mr. Burrus again for so promptly addressing the issue. - - - - - - - Item 9 Comments from the Public to Members of the City Council Concerning Items That Are Not on the City Council Agenda. 9:49 a.m. Larry Robinson, 5559 Huntington, addressed the city council in reference to the cell phone ordinance. He stated that he has a flip phone that only requires that he flip it City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 10 open to answer it. He stated that he is a disabled veteran that deals with six clinics in Oklahoma City and he has to answer his phone. If he does not answer the phone it can take up to a month to get an appointment rescheduled, and he should not be a criminal for answering his phone. During a meeting with the Mayor and Traffic, signs were discussed, and the fact that there is no sign on FM 369 to show when you enter city limits. He stated the city needs to install a sign to show were the city limits begins at 369 and Riley Road, and change the sign to be consistent with state law that includes no texting. f it is good enough for the state it should be good enough for the City of Wichita Falls. Jacobie Genus, 410 A Clay Street, addressed the council to discuss improving Spudder Park. Currently there are benches on one side of the basketball court and only half the court can be used. In Wichita Falls we do not have as many full size courts up to standards and with adequate lighting. Mr. Genus requested that the city install solar panel lights on the court, new goals and chain nets, and move the benches off the court so citizens can enjoy use of the full court. Spudder Park is continuously being used by the community and he is asking for minor improvements, and suggested the benches be moved beside the baseball fields or basketball court. - - - - - - - Item 10 Executive Session There was no executive session. - - - - - - - Item 11 Adjourn Mayor Santellana adjourned the meeting at 9:53 a.m. th PASSED AND APPROVED this 18 day of June, 2019. ________________________________ Stephen L. Santellana, Mayor ATTEST: ____________________________________ Marie Balthrop, TRMC, CMC City Clerk City Council Minutes June 4, 2019 11