2015-08-31 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES' MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
PEARLAND, TEXAS, HELD ON MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2015, AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 3519 LIBERTY DRIVE, PEARLAND, TEXAS.
Mayor Reid called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m, with the following present:
Mayor
Tom Reid
Mayor Pro -Tem
Tony Carbone
Councilmember
Derrick Reed
Councilmember
Gary Moore
Councilmember
Keith Ordeneaux
Councilmember
Greg Hill
City Manager
Clay Pearson
City Attorney
Darrin Coker
City Secretary
Young Lorfing
Others in attendance: Daniel Baum Deputy Fire Chief; Clair Bogard Director of Finance;
Jon Branson Deputy City Manager; Matt Buchanan President of Pearland Economic
Development Corporation; Kevin Byal Building Official; J.C. Doyle Police Chief; Trent
Epperson Assistant City Manager; Roland Garcia Fire Marshal; Chris Orlea Interim
Director of Parks and Recreation; Michelle Graham Interim Director of Human Resource;
Lata Krishnarao Director of Community Development; Frankie Legaux City Planner;
' Vance Riley Fire Chief; Kim Sinistore Executive Director, Convention/Visitors Bureau; Eric
Wilson Public Works Director; Sparkle Anderson Communications; Joel Hardy Grants
Coordinator; Skipper Jones Assistant Director of Capital Projects; John Knight IT Manager;
Michael Leech Assistant Director, Public Works; John McCarter Management Assistant;
Daniel McGhinnis Chief Information Officer; Bob Pearce Purchasing Officer; Lawrence
Provins Deputy City Attorney; Johnny Spires Assistant Police Chief; Jennifer Huhn Court
Administrator; Letitia Farnie Municipal Court Judge.
Call to Order
Purpose of the Meeting
Council Input and Discussion: Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Budget Discussion No. 4; Police
Staffing, Funding and Other Follow-up Matters.
City Manager Clay Pearson reported building upon prior discussions through August,
Council consensus was to add four additional police officers to the proposed Fiscal Year
2016 budget in addition to two Sergeant upgrades and to reduce the general fund budget
in other areas to cover the cost. City Council had earlier come to a consensus upon not
exceeding the rollback tax rate, which had a negative impact on the General Fund revenue
' from what had been anticipated in the recommended budget. That change is suggested
to be absorbed within the Public Works streets and maintenance area which had been
targeted for building up resources. If adopted as discussed, it is recommended that budget
be reviewed at mid -year FY 2015-2016 for additional funds to the streets and sidewalks.
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Director of Finance Claire Bogard gave a presentation on the Fiscal Year 2015-2016 '
Budget.
Councilmember Hill stated the budget looks good. He appreciates Staff for doing a good
job and finding extra room in the budget.
Mayor Pro -Tem Carbone stated he is not a fan of the increase for garage sale permits.
Usually when someone is having a garage sale they are needing the money. He would
like to see if there is a way to get the funds from somewhere else. He further stated he
would like to see some funds pulled from the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Overtime/Back Fill allowance fund and not impact streets. He appreciates what Staff has
done regarding extra funds, but he wonders if more could be done to get a budget more
in line with what the citizens are looking for.
Councilmember Reed thanked Staff for their work in putting together the budget
Discussion ensued between Council and Captain Ron Fraser regarding the Police Fleet
Take Home Policy.
Mayor Pro -Tem Carbone stated if a policy has been set in place and not being funded he
would like to see it in the Supplemental Request.
Councilmember Moore stated he finds it hard to face the tax payers when the City allows '
a take home vehicle to go outside the Pearland Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). The
Police Home Fleet Policy is not really doing what it is intended to do, which is to have the
Pearland Police vehicles setting in Pearland neighborhoods to detour crime.
Mayor Reid asked if there is a way to provide officers that live outside Pearland
Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) an older or unmarked vehicle other than a fully loaded
police vehicle.
City Manager Clay Pearson stated the Police Home Fleet Policy is not a budgetary issue,
it can be discussed and any changes to be made at a later time.
Discussion ensued between Council and Police Chief J.C. Doyle regarding the plan
designed with the new Police staffing.
Councilmember Carbone stated next budget year he would like to see what every
department is requesting, what is in the budget and what is not in the budget.
Councilmember Moore stated he does not agree with raising the permit fee for garage
sales.
Director of Finance Claire Bogard stated that she would like to keep the Contingency for '
the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). There will be additional equipment needed for
replacement for the ERP. She stated it is similar to Capital Projects with a Contingency.
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' Mayor Pro -Tem Carbone stated he understands where Claire is coming from, but looking
at what the IT budget has done the last couple of years and combined with what Council
is seeing tonight he would rather not have a $200,000 Contingency. If it is setting there in
Contingency it will get spent, and he would rather have a direction on where to spend
funds through the budget process.
Mayor Reid stated it is tight for the City to run on 30 cents out of each dollar. That does
not leave a lot of flexibility with the budget. Soon we will need to take a hard look at that.
Mayor Pro -Tem Carbone stated earlier in the presentation tonight there was discussion on
needing additional funds for the traffic signal timing. That is a prime example of what he
would like to see in the Supplemental Capital Request. Traffic is one of the things Council
hears from the citizens that we need to solve. Until Council can see the numbers it is hard
to sign off on the budget when we are only seeing part of the picture.
Discussion ensued between Council and Assistant City Manager Trent Epperson
regarding the responsibility of mowing property around the City.
Councilmember Hill stated for the purpose of clarification if the garage sale permits could
be increased by a third for a revenue increase of $12,000. For the Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) Overtime Contingency not have as much, but still have some contingency.
If Council could come to a compromise so we are not discussing the same thing again on
' September 8, 2015.
Councilmember Ordeneaux stated we may want to wait on the increase for the garage
sale permits until we see how the budget is going to look.
Councilmember Moore thanked Staff for all the hard work on the budget, he knows Council
has not made it easy, but thank you again for what you do.
Adjournment:
Meeting was adjourned at 7:49 p.m.
Minutes approved as submitted and/or corrected this the 216' day of September, A.D.,
2015.
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Mayor
ATTEST:
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