2011-09-12 CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING MEETING MINUTESMINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
PEARLAND, TEXAS, HELD ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 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 6:43 p.m. with the following present:
Mayor Tom Reid
Mayor Pro -Tem Ed Thompson
Councilmember Woody Owens
Councilmember Scott Sherman
Councilmember Felicia Harris
Councilmember Susan Sherrouse
City Manager Bill Eisen
City Attorney Darrin Coker
City Secretary Young Lorfing
Others in attendance: Jon Branson Assistant City Manager; Vance Riley Director of Fire
Chief; J.C. Doyle Police Chief; Trent Epperson Project Director; Bonita J. Hall Director
of Human Resources and Safety Management; Mike Hodge Assistant City Manager;
Narciso Lira City Engineer; Claire Bogard Finance Director; Michelle Smith Director of
Parks and Recreation; Kelly Sears Interim EMS Operations Director; Matt Buchanan
President of Economic Development Corporation; Teresa Battenfield Assistant Project
Director; Bob Pearce Purchasing Officer,
PURPOSE OF HEARING PUBLIC COMMENT AND TESTIMONY REGARDING THE
PROPOSED 2011 TAX RATE FOR THE 2011— 2012 BUDGET. Mr. Bill Eisen, City
Manager.
STAFF REVIEW OF THE PROPOSED 2011 TAX RATE FOR THE 2011— 2012
BUDGET. Mr. Bill Eisen, City Manager.
City Manager Bill Eisen stated this is the fourth Public Hearing regarding the proposed
Fiscal Year 2012 Budget. The current fiscal year tax rate is $0.6651 per $100 valuation
and the proposed tax rate is $0.6851 per $100 valuation of real property which is a two
cent increase. Mr. Eisen continued to provide Council with an overview of the proposed
tax rate.
CITIZEN COMMENTS:
Charles McMurry, 5209 Spring Branch Drive, addressed Council and stated the City has
adopted a budget which requires a tax rate increase. The tax rate is just one
component of the taxes the citizens are required to pay. His concern is not the raise in
the tax rate, but the fact that more and more of the taxes are going towards debt
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service. He is concerned that the City is choosing to continue to spend money on
amenities that are wanted by a specific group of people. He is asking for the rate which
is distributed to operations. The operations budget includes things that are not
amenities, but are essentials such as streets and public works.
Donna Chauvin, 3311 Churchill Road, addressed Council and stated she is concerned
that the City is not going to have enough money for maintenance and general
operations because the majority of the taxes are going to debt. On top of this there will
be more money spent on parks which are luxuries. The citizens need people to run the
essential services. The City needs to raise the taxes to cover operations, but it cannot
afford the amenities of parks in the current economy.
Kelly Moody, 3708 Pine Bark Ct., addressed Council and stated she is a member of the
Parks, Recreation, and Beautification Board and has been involved in the Bond
process. She has done her research and feels the City is doing the right thing by
moving forward with the parks projects. These are voter approved projects that came
from a city -wide master plan to improve the City.
Mike Glendenning, 2507 Nicholas Drive, addressed Council and stated real Americans
in this economy are hurting. He knows people in his neighborhood that have been out
of work for months and cannot afford a tax rate increase. People are losing their
houses and the City cannot collect taxes on foreclosed homes.
COUNCIL /STAFF DISCUSSION:
Mayor Reid stated the City is the second fastest growing community in the State of
Texas and the fifteenth fastest in the United States. Rapid growth requires a lot of
capital improvement that other cities do not have to do at this time. The City has done
this to meet that growth and these improvements are being used on a daily basis.
Councilmember Owens stated the City is pushing as much money as they can into the
Public Works. This has been a bad year due to the weather and it is something that we
will have to get through. There has also been new infrastructure that does not require
as much to maintain. It is a problem, but it is being addressed by Staff. He agrees that
this is not the best time to do the parks projects because the economy was a lot better
when they were approved. This Council is working harder on this budget to make sure
the dollars are utilized in the best way and will continue to do so.
Councilmember Harris stated the City Manager's forecast for increasing the tax rate
over the next few years and reducing the reserves below policy levels. This is largely
based on the City Manager's analysis of the current financial situation of the City. This
has driven her decision not to support the tax increase. She supports the parks
projects, but does not support moving them ahead at this time due to the current
economic situation.
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ADJOURNMENT:
Meeting was adjourned at 7:18 p.m.
Minutes approved as submitted and /or corrected this the 26 day of September, A.D.,
2011.
ATTEST:
Si
YoArgL.o g �R
C Secr= ry
Tom Reid
Mayor
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