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2011-08-22 CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING MEETING MINUTESMINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS, HELD ON MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2011, AT 6:30 P.M., IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 3519 LIBERTY DRIVE, PEARLAND, TEXAS. Mayor Reid called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. with the following present: Mayor Mayor Pro -Tem Councilmember Councilmember Councilmember Councilmember City Manager City Attorney City Secretary Tom Reid Ed Thompson Woody Owens Scott Sherman Susan Sherrouse Felicia Harris Bill Eisen Darrin Coker Young Lorfing Others in attendance: Jon Branson Assistant City Manager; Matt Buchanan President of Economic Development Corporation; Danny Cameron Public Works Director; Vance Riley Fire Chief; J.C. Doyle Police Chief; Trent Epperson Project Director; Roland Garcia Fire Marshal; Bonita J. Hall Director of Human Resources and Safety Management; Mike Hodge Assistant City Manager; Lata Krishnarao Planning Director; Narciso Lira City Engineer; Claire Bogard Finance Director; Kelly Sears Interim EMS Operations Director; Rick Overgaard Assistant Finance Director; Johnny Spires Assistant Police Chief. PURPOSE OF HEARING — PUBLIC COMMENT AND TESTIMONY REGARDING THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012 (OCTOBER 1, 2011 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2012) FOR THE CITY OF PEARLAND. Mr. Bilt Eisen, City Manager. STAFF REVIEW OF PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012 (OCTOBER 1, 2011 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2012) FOR THE CITY OF PEARLAND. Mr. Bill Eisen, City Manager. City Manager Bill Eisen stated some of the items that will be discussed in this Public Hearing are the subject of discussions with Council and may or may not be included in the final budget. The City is assuming a sales tax increase of 3% over what is currently being collected. He stated Staff has identified $800,000 in reductions including two fulltime positions and one part-time position. In the General there are 7.25 proposed fulltime positions and some part-time position which most are self -funding. There is also an increase of 3.75 positions included in the Water Sewer Fund. Mr. Eisen continued to provide Council with a detailed overview of the proposed budget. Page 1 of 7 — 8/22/2011 CITIZEN COMMENTS Charles McMurry, 5209 Spring Branch Drive, addressed Council and stated he is concerned that two-thirds of the tax rate goes towards debt service and only one-third goes towards operations. When Council makes their decisions on the budget, he hopes they do not forget about public works. Public works services are very important and it is a necessity. Quentin Wiltz, 4105 Summer Lane, addressed Council and stated he would like to express to the Council the importance of staying the course for the 2007 Bond Election and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The citizens are gathered to support the vision of Pearland. He understands there is a cost associated with remaining on course with the projects, but the cost of not having the ability to meet the needs of the public is greater. Bret Floyd, 1602 Oak Chase Ct., addressed Council and stated he has lived in Pearland for seventeen years and brought his business to the City. His daughter is a member of a soccer team in Pearland and he has placed her in the Pearland program to support the community. The City needs to continue to push forward and get the soccer fields built to bring in more people. The focus needs to remain on economic development because it is needed to increase the sports complexes. The City is continuing to grow rapidly and needs places for the children to play sports. Ted Kalivoda, 11506 Starlight Bay Ct., addressed Council and stated he has been a Pearland resident and voter for eight years. The economic times are hard and there is the possibility of another recession, and Council has reason to be concerned. Two- thirds debt service is serious, but Council needs to find a way to meet the public's needs. He started a soccer club four years ago with twenty four children, and with no advertising now has over eight hundred children. There is no reason Pearland cannot have the best fields in the country for our children. Brad Pruitt, 4520 Fox Run, addressed Council and stated he is the maintenance director for the Pearland Girls Softball Association (PGSA). He has three daughters playing in the league and when it comes to elite softball, Pearland is King, but we have facilities like peasants. The PGSA spends approximately $35,000 to $40,000 per year to maintain their facility. They need more space because they have no room to grow. They have had to turn girls away from playing in Pearland and forced them to play for other cities. The PGSA is not asking the City to take over the maintenance or cost of any facility they are just asking for a place for their children to play. Centennial Park is not a want, it is a need for the community. Page 2 of 7 — 8/22/2011 Aron Martinez, Pearland United Soccer Club, addressed Council and stated the Pearland United Soccer Club currently has approximately three hundred children. They are constantly losing children to other clubs in the area due to field space and the limitations to facilitate large groups of kids. There is currently not enough training space to accommodate their older children and they have had to go outside of Pearland. If the City had four or more fields they could sign an agreement that would allow the Pearland fields to be leased out on the weekends and bring in revenue for the City. The Pearland United Soccer Club is willing to make an agreement with the City to maintain the fields, equipment, and concession. As a troubled youth, he looked for an outlet for his time and energy. He got involved in soccer and other sports and it kept him focused. Norman Sandwell, 3523 Creekstone Dr., addressed Council and stated he is the president of Pearland Girls Softball Association (PGSA). They currently have to cap the amount of teams they can have because of limitations on facilities. They are also limited in their ability to host tournaments. The PGSA would like the City to know that they are not asking for a handout, they are asking for help to build a field. They cannot fund the fields by themselves, but they can help with the maintenance. The kids need these facilities and the City is also missing out on economic opportunities. Lance Botkin, 3701 Pine Forest Place, addressed Council and stated the pamphlets provided for the 2007 Bond Election included the language that these sports facilities were needed not just wanted. A Youth Sports Council has been formed to represent all youth sports in Pearland. This committee will have an estimated three thousand to five thousand voters baking their committee to see what the Council is willing to do for the children in sports. His daughter is required to Laporte, Texas to play because Pearland cannot facilitate the older children. Bret Floyd has agreed to sponsor the maintenance of the fields through his business and sponsor teams and fields. They should not have to do this for their children to play. If the City passes the budget to include moving forward with the 2007 Election, he promises they will make it work. Tim Daigle, 1209 Pine Field Ct., addressed Council and stated he is the Pearland United Soccer Field Manager and this is an economic development issue. He wants to see the City move forward with this Bond Election. The City stated this was needed for the community and he would prefer to pay increased taxes to provide for the children in his community. The ability to develop premier sports in Pearland will bring money to the City. These facilities are a need not a want. Dr. Brian Talbot, 2730 Dansmere Ct., addressed Council and stated he is a local pediatrician. He has been taking care of youth in this city for fifteen years and lives here. He is currently serving as the First Vice President for the Pearland United Soccer Club. He has two children that actively play in the club. The Council has seen tonight that the evidence is overwhelming that the citizens have a desire for the 2007 Bond Election to stay on course. The City of Pearland is behind the national standards for parks and they need these facilities now. Page 3 of 7 — 8/22/2011 Richard Fulton, 3118 Spring Ridge Dr., addressed Council and stated he is a father of two children in the Pearland United Program and he wants to remind Council that Pearland's is a place that people have chosen to live with their families. The growth in this City is from these families and it is the responsibility of the Council to make sure the needs of these people are met. These sport activities give the children something to do after their school day and keeps them healthy. These facilities were promised by the City and that promise needs to be kept. Wayne Clemmer, 5103 Carmona Dr., addressed Council and stated the citizens believe the City made promises and these promises need to be kept. This is a matter of the City's reputation. The City does not have a reputation as a place to have a tournament. Once these facilities are built, we will have this reputation and the economic benefits. Katherine Anthony, 3307 Jacquelyn Dr., addressed Council and stated she is the president of the Regency Park Subdivision Civic Club and would like to submit a petition to request the repair of their streets. The citizens understand that the taxes need to be raised, and they want them to be raised to give them something they can use as a community. The sports complex and streets are things that are important and need to be completed. Brian P. Smaistrla, 3402 Orange Wood Trail, addressed Council and stated in 2005 his wife signed up their daughter to play softball, and since then she has had the opportunity to play on some of the champion teams the City has produced. The people of Pearland work had for what they want and they want these facilities. Steve Saboe, 3504 Lindhaven Dr., addressed Council and stated she has been very proud of the effort put in by Staff putting together the City budget and feels they have done a fine job. This Council has supported programs that better the community and he asks how it cannot change the current position and move forward with these programs. He would like the Council to consider two things and those are setting expectations and being accountable. It is clear by the people present that the community has set the expectations. There are leaders in the community that are willing to stand behind this for our community. Rushi Patel, 12213 Rosemont Lane, addressed Council and stated he represents the hotels in the City of Pearland and they are concerned about the $188,000 for phase study. If the City does proceed with the study, they ask that a timeline is prepared detailing when their will prepare the parks and fields at Centennial Park. They also ask the City have an independent board to determine how Hotel Occupancy Taxes are utilized and not let the Pearland Chamber of Commerce have any direction in the spending. They are also asking the City to change the water fee structure for hotels because they are being charged for water they are not using. Page 4 of 7 — 8/22/2011 Noel Hull, 2003 Plantain Lily Court, addressed Council and stated he wanted to thank Councilmember Sherman and Councilmember Sherrouse for standing up and j supporting the sports complex in the previous Workshop. The money revenues that come into cities that are able to host tournaments. The Dad's Club has had to turn away teams because of limited facilities. They have had to go to Sugar Land to hold the tournaments and the money is spent there. The people in Pearland can make this happen. These facilities are needed by the children of this City. COUNCIL/STAFF DISCUSSION Councilmember Owens stated he appreciates the citizens that have come to speak and he has heard a lot of things he has not heard before. The offer to help with the maintenance and equipment has not been offered before. This is something that has been discussed by Council that the citizens are asking for a total package and it would cost the City greatly. Councilmember Thompson stated there was a bond election for the soccer fields in Shadow Creek Ranch which failed. This, along with other surveys from the community, have made him concerned about moving these projects up from where there are currently projected. He does feel better now that he has had conversations about working with the clubs in the City to help with costs. Councilmember Owens stated one thing that the Council is struggling with is the cost of other projects that will have to be completed to construct some of these facilities. Councilmember Sherman stated after the bond election in Shadow Creek Ranch failed he attended several meetings. The citizens at these meetings stated they voted this bond election down because this was something the City had already promised in the 2007 Bond Election. He appreciates the offer from the citizens to help with maintenance and equipment, but this is not their responsibility. The voters overwhelmingly approved the 2007 Bond Election and the City knew what it was getting into then. This is a small amount of money to get these parks done that will bring money into the City. The City needs to keep these projects on track. Councilmember Harris stated she appreciates everyone coming out and this is how the citizens can tell the Council what they want. The City is required to increase taxes just to meet debt service obligations and is being required to take money out of the reserve fund. Citizens need to understand that Council is getting data that shows that the next few years will be extremely difficult. The Council requested a citizen survey be conducted that included the question of raising taxes to build more parks. The results from the citizen survey showed an overwhelming response against any raise is taxes. This is the information that was provided to Council, and they can only make decisions based off of the information they are provided. She grew up playing sports and is very passionate about athletics and feels that the citizens have made their point and she appreciates them coming to the meeting. Page 5 of 7 — 8/22/2011 Councilmember Owens stated he would like information on the total cost in moving ahead with the Max Road Project and the associated projects and the impact it will have on the tax rate. Councilmember Harris stated Council has not been provided a lot of information regarding the economic impact of proceeding with the projects. There is no way of knowing what the exact numbers for the City would be; however, the numbers from other areas are both interesting and impressive. She had a busy week meeting with citizens regarding the budget and the use of hotel occupancy taxes. There is currently a concern regarding the return on investment from hoteliers. She reviewed the statute regarding these taxes and it allows a city the size of Pearland to utilize these taxes for a sporting event in which the majority of the participants are tourist who substantially increase the activity at hotels within the municipal. The City should consider possibly collaborating to use these taxes to offset the maintenance cost of these facilities. Councilmember Sherman asked if there was anything planned in the Regency Park Subdivision regarding the repair of streets. City Manager Bill Eisen stated the repair of streets within the Regency Park Subdivision is included in the Capital Improvements Plan, but it is not proposed to be funded in the current budget. Mayor Reid stated it is difficult to compare the City of Pearland with other local cities that have not had the same rapid rate of growth. Many of the capital improvements in these other cities have been completed over a number of years. Pearland has only been a city of progressive size for last fifteen years. It is difficult to implement the infrastructure the other cities have in that short amount of time. He is a strong believer that once these facilities are built in Pearland the growth will be stronger and faster. The City has grown so fast that most of the debt service is from installation of capital improvements such as water towers and drainage projects. This doesn't mean that the City wants to ignore other amenities, but they Council and Staff have to do what they can do. This is not an excuse, but it is something to consider. Director of Finance Claire Bogard stated the impact of moving these projects to the current budget would require the City to issue approximately 9,000,000 in debt. This would have an impact of half a cent on the tax rate for 2012. Over the next three-year period there would be a one and one half cent. City Manager Bill Eisen stated that it would require a two cent increase in the tax rate this year. Councilmember Sherrouse stated she is in favor of moving this project forward because the voters made it quite clear they wanted these facilities when they approved the 2007 Bond Election. She seen has seen a lot of bond elections in the City and has been Page 6 of 7 — 8/22/2011 angry at the government when she did not get what they approved in those elections and she does not want to repeat this situation. The City promised these projects to the citizens and we need to provide it. The tax increase that is being discussed is approximately twenty five dollars on a 172,000 house or an average of $2.15 per month. She has received the input of the citizens and appreciates their participation. The other item in this proposed budget that she has issue with is the closing of the Independence Park Pool. There were approximately 18,000 users and something should be done to keep this facility open. Councilmember Owens stated he visited the Pearland Neighborhood Center and since 2009 has tripled. The money they received from the United Way has also been dramatically reduced. They are also being required to turn away citizens that need food. The sad thing is that these are not poor people, these are middle class people. There are educated people with Masters Degrees and Bachelor Degrees that are being helped at the Pearland Neighborhood Center and having to take jobs at groceries stores to feed their families. People are making tough decisions right now. This is why the City has been having such a struggle with the proposed budget. These are not easy times and they Council has to serve the entire community not just small groups. It is not that the City does not want these facilities; it is that there is an impact on the entire community that must be considered. Discussion ensued between Council, City Manager Bill Eisen, Assistant City Manager Mike Hodge, and Assistant City Manager Jon Branson regarding the proposed budget. ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 9:18 p.m. Minutes approved as submitted and/or corrected this the 26th day of September, A.D., 2011. Tom Reid Mayor ATTEST: '.i', , . ,, Ketary Page 7 of 7 — 8/22/2011