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2005 02 24 WS MinutesMINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN February 24, 2005 The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, met in work session on February 24, 2005, at 4:45 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Baytown City Hall, 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas, with the following in attendance: Ronnie Anderson Sammy Mahan Don Murray Scott Sheley Sheryl G. Ward Calvin Mundinger Gary M. Jackson Bob Leiper Ignacio Ramirez, Sr. Gary W. Smith Absent was: Mercedes Renteria, Council Member. Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member Mayor City Manager Deputy City Manager City Attorney City Clerk The meeting was opened with a quorum present after which the following business was conducted: Discuss the Youth Advisory Council. Gary Jackson, City Manager, stated that Council Member Sheley initially raised the Youth Advisory Commission concept. A Youth Advisory Commission Summit will be held in LaPorte during the upcoming weekend. At the Summit, representatives from various Youth Advisory Commissions will discuss issues they face and share ideas. Representatives from City staff and youth selected from both Lee and Sterling High Schools will be attending the Summit to see if a Youth Advisory Commission will be beneficial for Baytown. A meeting between Mr. Jackson, Mayor Mundinger, and Dr. Barbara Sultis, Superintendent, Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, was held. Dr. Sultis has acted as a resource for selection of the youth representatives. Those attending will act as fact - finders and make a report to City Council. Gina Rivon, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager, has researched Youth Advisory Commissions and coordinated participation at the Summit. Mayor Mundinger stated that a Youth Advisory Commission would have authority to discuss substantive issues 'and to make reports and recommendations to City Council. The purpose of the Commission is to involve the youth in the decisions of the community. Council Members Ward and Sheley and Mayor Mundinger commended Ms. Rivon and Mike Flynn, Parks & Recreation Department, for organizing the local participation in the Summit. Page 2 of 4 Minutes of the Work Session — February 24, 2005 Mr. Jackson noted that Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District would provide a bus for transportation and a sponsor for the Summit. Discuss the issues related to the repair of private sewer lines. Mr. Jackson stated that the City has approximately 400 miles of public sewer mains. These mains, along with 70 lift stations, collect and transfer the wastewater to the three wastewater treatment plants. Approximately 200 miles of the sewer mains are in need of repair. The pipe bursting method is the more common method to repair /replace the defective sewer mains. Council regularly approves contracts for such work. Presently, an upgrade of the West District Wastewater Treatment Plant is underway and the new Northeast District Wastewater Treatment Plant and its collection system is being designed. Very large expenditures are required to build, rehabilitate, and maintain the wastewater system. Private lines convey the wastewater to the public system. The private lines are privately owned. Generally, the use of public funds on private property to improve private property is not allowed. Problems with the private lines contribute to the inflow and infiltration problem. The City must repair the public mains. The regulatory authorities prohibit overflows from the systems or bypassing the system. All of the wastewater that is collected must be treated. A percentage of the private lines are broken, have uncapped cleanouts, or have roof drains or foundation drains connected to the sanitary sewer system. Based on information received from other coastal cities, it is estimated that it will cost between $15 million and $25 million to repair the private side. The inflow and infiltration problem is estimated to come equally from the public and the private side. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality mandate the correction of the problems on the public mains. Any effort to repair the private laterals must be in addition to the work on the public mains. After the rehabilitation work is completed on the public side, then the system will be smoke - tested to determine if problems exist on the private side. If problems are found, the owner is notified and required to repair the lines within 120 days. After the rehabilitation work was completed in Eva Maud subdivision, a smoke test was done. The owners were notified. They were not happy with the demand to repair the lines. Some cities require that the lines be fixed or the owner is fined and/or the water service is disconnected. Mayor Mundinger stated that the goal is to find a methodology that is acceptable to the private owners. In response to questions, Mr. Jackson stated that the building codes require the use of pvc pipe and that most of the owners notified did not comply. Mr. Jackson outlined options for replacement of the private laterals. The owner can have the work done by the plumber of his/her choice or can participate in a community program. If the work is performed through the community program, a lien will be placed on the property and the cost of the work must be repaid within five years. The program can be financed through the issuance of revenue bonds. Page 3 of 4 Minutes of the Work Session — February 24, 2005 Bond counsel, Vinson & Elkins, has assisted in determining the options. Revenue bonds must be ` financed from a dedicated revenue stream. Therefore, if revenue bonds are issued, the utility rates must be increased to provide the required revenue stream. If this method is used to fund private side repairs, a five -year repayment must be established, with a lien on each tract, in addition to the required rate increase. There will be a heavy administrative burden in preparing the liens, filing the liens with the county clerk, collecting the repayments, and the necessary follow -up. This plan would require additional rate increases over those increases that have been proposed for repairs to the public mains. The increases would impact those who paid for their own repairs and those who do not require repairs. If a cash method of payment is selected, the lien and payback may not be required. Due to the amount of cash required for the repairs, it would take a very long time to collect sufficient revenue to perform any significant amount of repairs. A pilot program was considered using Community Development Block Grant funds, however it is only available in the target area and most of the property owners exceed the income levels for participation. Mayor Mundinger stated support for a pilot program to see how effective the effort is. Mr. Jackson noted that a few cities have made repairs using the lien program, requiring citizens to repay the costs. Discuss the selection process for Year 4 of the street bond program. Mr. Jackson stated that the work on Raccoon Drive and Kilgore Road have been scheduled in Year 5 of the program. At the outset, the Council provided that a minimum of $1.5 million would be spent on residential streets in each District. The expenditures on residential streets in each District in the first three years of the program are as follows: District 1 $1.44 million, District 2 $1.08 million, District 3 $1.62 million, District 4 $1.15 million, District 5 $1.50 million, and District 6 $1.61 million. Mr. Jackson suggested that each Council Member look at the streets in his/her District, look at the PCI rating of each street, list the streets in priority of need for reconstruction, and submit the list to staff. Staff will then prepare a list for Council to consider at the meeting following submission of the lists. Council then discussed the allocation of Year 4 funding. While three of the Districts have not had $1.5 million spent on residential streets, that goal can be met and additional funding is available to address residential streets throughout the City. Staff was asked to provide information on the streets in the following formats, sorting the streets by PCI and District and sorting the streets by PCI citywide. Staff was asked to provide the approximate linear footage that should be considered. Page 4 of 4 Minutes of the Work Session — February 24, 2005 Ow Discuss televising City Council meetings. This item was not discussed. Discuss upcoming Open Meetings Conference in Baytown. Mr. Jackson stated that the City Clerk had been working to arrange an Open Meetings Conference. Invitations to participate as speakers have been sent to the Attorney General's Office and the Texas Municipal League. The Attorney General's Office has declined due a lack of staffing. An invitation will be sent to Freedom of Information Texas. More information will be provided at a later date. Receive TML Legislative Packet. This item was not discussed. Consider appointments. Confirmation of the City Manager's appointees to the Baytown Library Board, Urban Rehabilitation Standards Review Board. No action was taken on these items. Adjourn. Council Member Mahan moved adjournment. Council Member Murray seconded the motion. The vote follows: Ayes: Council Members Anderson, Mahan, Murray, Sheley, and Ward. Mayor. Mundinger. Nays: None. The motion carried. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m. City Clerk opk