Loading...
2016 05 26 WS MinutesMINUTES OF THE REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN MAY 26, 2016 The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas met in a Regular Work Session on Thursday, May 26, 2016, at 5:15 P.M., in the Hullum Conference Room of the Baytown City Hall, 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas with the following in attendance: Brandon Capetillo Council Member Robert Hoskins Council Member David McCartney Council Member Chris Presley Council Member Terry Sain Council Member Stephen DonCarlos Mayor Rick Davis City Manager Ignacio Ramirez City Attorney Leticia Brysch City Clerk Keith Dougherty Sergeant at Arms Mayor DonCarlos convened the May 26, 2016, City Council Regular Work Session with a quorum present at 5:27 P.M., all members were present with the exception of Council Member Presley who arrived at 6:01 P.M., and Council Member Renteria who was absent. 1. DISCUSSIONS a. Discuss the Fire Training Facility. City Manager Davis presented the agenda item and stated that he discussed with Fire Chief Blake the future of the Baytown Fire Training Field and the need for the industrial firefighting training component. City Manager Davis handed out a picture that showed the original design of the project along with the progress of the project thus far and noted that the industrial firefighting component is the next step in the building process for the field. He stated that staff conducted some initial research into the demand and cost for such a training field as to how we would incorporate the needs of our industrial partners and further gage the interest of the surrounding industry and other private partners in financially partnering with the City to build this industrial training site. City Manager Davis noted that many local industries send their firefighters to the Texas A &M Fire Training Facility in College Station, an example being Covestro that sent 81,000 firefighters in the last year at a cost of $2,200 to $2,500 per firefighter for a 2- 3 day training. He stated that there is a need for an industrial firefighting training facility to provide quality training for local industrial firefighters at a lower cost than that provided in College Station. City Manager Davis also noted that staff has already spoken to the Baytown Fire Control, Prevention and EMS District (FCPEMSD) at their last meeting who are very supportive of this initiative. City Council Regular Work Session Minutes May 26, 2016 Page 2 of 7 Assistant Fire Chief, Bill Baylis stated that the next step for the fire training facility is the industrial component, which includes a full classroom facility. He stated that although the training field is not fully complete, it's already been utilized by several entities: such as ExxonMobil, San Jacinto College, and the Cloverfield Fire Department. He noted that one of the items constantly being requested is a full functioning classroom facility. He stated that with the fire field currently having an open air classroom with the bathrooms to be almost completed, he believed that with a full classroom building and the industrial component built, there would be much more demand for the use of the field. Assistant Chief Baylis stated that the next phase of the training field will include a classroom facility with several classrooms for 20 to 30 people, a large auditorium that seats approximately 50 people, and a kitchen. He also stated that the classrooms would be spacious enough for small break out group activities if necessary, which helps with training structure. He stated with regards to the industrial park, that staff had already reached out and engaged industrial partners' and have setup meetings with them to discuss their needs and desires of the industrial components of the training field as he believes that getting their involvement during the design and planning phase of the project will help ensure that the facilities accommodates their training needs. Assistant Chief Baylis stated that with the new construction, the City would be able to capture the training dollars of local industry that would be able to train its firefighters in quality facilities similar to those in College Station at a fraction of the cost as it would eliminate the cost of travel and per diem. He noted that the training field would not solely support local industry training, but would continue to serve the training needs of the City firefighters, police officers, public works and other staff as needed. Additionally, he noted that with the building of the industrial component, the fire training field would have the structural fire training, the industrial fire training and classroom training. City Manager Davis stated that the cost of the construction of the industrial training field and the classroom facility is estimated at $4 million each for a total of $8 million. He noted that the FCPEMSD had budgeted $700,000, a year towards the building of the fire training field, which could be used to pay for the issuance of debt in order to complete the next phase of the fire training field as discussed. City Manager Davis noted that the modeling of certificates of obligation was done with a financing option of a $700,000, a year debt service for approximately thirteen or fourteen years with a 3% interest rate. He stated that in consulting with a financial advisor, they're comfortable with moving forward with the mentioned financing plan with the exception of the possibility of the FCPEMSD not being renewed by the voters. He stated that although it's not likely that the FCPEMSD will not renew, there are two (2) contingencies if district is dissolved: 1) the City can /would take over debt service, or 2) the City would converse with industry and other partners to finance the project. City Manager Davis stated that the certificates of obligation would be one funding source. but staff would also earmark revenue from the facility for training and tuition to go into a special fund that would be used to repay the debt. He also stated that staff would continue to work with the private industry for corporate sponsorship that would be structured in such a way that their investment would pay out dividends for them up front in terms of lower tuition cost. City Council Regular Work Session Minutes May 26, 2016 Page 3 of 7 Council Member McCartney requested that staff provide the Council with revenue forecast for the facility. Staff stated they would get those projections to Council in the near future. Council Member Capetillo asked for an update on the partnership between the City and Lee College as it relates to the Fire Training Filed. Assistant Fire Chief Baylis stated that Lee College has partnered with the City as it relates to the certification program and associates degree, but have been very hesitant to participate in monies for brick and mortar. The Council discussed various options of working with local private and public entities for the use and expansion of the fire training field. Mayor DonCarlos asked about the request to create a designated sponsorship committee to reach out to local industry. In response to Mayor DonCarlos's request, City Manager Davis stated that staff is prepared to have those designated contacts, but were waiting to complete some IDA's before moving forward on those meetings. In response to a question from the Council, Assistant Chief Baylis stated that the fire training field sits on 23 acres of land and even with the build out of the industrial training component; there is room for growth and expansion. City Manager Davis noted that if Council supports the plan before them, the next step will be the inclusion of the commitment for the upcoming budget for the design costs of the industrial training field and the classroom facility, which will take approximately six (6) to eight (8) months for the design with construction to possibly start a year from then and to also work with staff and partners to create a strategy for the creation of promotional and education items to best market the field and attract private partnerships and financial support. b. Discuss Baytown Police Department staffing. City Manager Davis presented the item and stated that as the safety and reduction of crime continues to be an important goal for us, Police Chief Keith Dougherty would present some innovative moves in staffing to help build up our policing, investigations and presence in the community. Chief Dougherty stated that keeping the goals of public safety and fiscal responsibility in mind, he met with some council members in the past to discuss the investigative side and the narcotics side of the Police Department and how to deal with the growth in size of both the City and the department. He stated that because of the growth at the patrol level, some issues with span of control have occurred and in order to remain efficient, staff is recommending increasing the number of positions in the Sergeant's and Lieutenant's classifications each by one and decreasing the number of positions in the Patrol classification by two. He stated that the changes would be the following: City Council Regular Work Session Minutes May 26, 2016 Page 4 of 7 Classification Existing Number of New Number of Positions Positions Chief of Police I Assistant Chief 3 (In accordance with Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code, 2 appointed assistant chief position and 1 tested assistant chief position) Lieutenant 8 9 Sergeant 17 18 Patrol Officer 138 136 Total 167 167 Chief Dougherty stated that the Sergeant would be moved to the Investigative Division with the works load being split between the two sergeant positions and the Lieutenant would be moved to the Narcotics Division, which currently does not have a lieutenant. He stated that the lieutenants are responsible for a lot of the special programs /projects and tactical duties, whereas the Narcotics Division could really use its own lieutenant rather sharing one with another division. He stated that in order to make the necessary name and positions changes mentioned earlier, Council will have to take action on this item which is on tonight's agenda. Chief Dougherty stated that in the future, they want to continue to beef up the support side of the department, which will be included in the budget. He stated that the support side of the department is very important as this is where all initial reports are submitted by Patrol and reviewed the information, assigned to the appropriate individual and followed through with the charges as needed. He noted that some of the support staff in the budget is not all sworn personnel, but are still critical to departmental operations, such as, an open records person to deal with the redaction of body camera footage and ITS positions to assist with the computer infrastructure and network issues. He further noted that sworn personnel are also included in the upcoming budget. Chief Dougherty stated that the proposed changes are good steps toward the goal of the Police Department being the most efficient as it can be in allowing staff to quickly and effectively handle its workload, while also being able to respond to the special needs or emergencies, such as an incoming sexual assault case. During further discussion, City Manager Davis stated that other items that are coming up in the budget related to Police are (1) that the general fund is going to assume the cost of the (6) sworn officers that were being paid for by ExxonMobil and (2) that the recruitment is staying competitive and strong attracting the best officers. He stated that time have to be taken into consideration as it takes a few months from the test time for police officers to the time that they can actually go out on the street. Chief Dougherty stated that he feels that the recruitment and hiring process has to be continuous in order to be able to pull from the list of eligible hires as soon as the positions become available and thus limit the delay in getting officers hired, trained and on the streets patrolling. He stated that he currently has (5) positions open with two (2) of those being changed to the sergeant and lieutenant positions, in which they just completed the testing a few weeks ago and are moving onto the next step of the process which is the background checks, etc. Chief Dougherty stated that in this last test, there were a number of military officers and peace officers from other agencies or that had put themselves through the police City Council Regular Work Session Minutes May 26, 2016 Page S of 7 academy that were being looked at and tracked as potential hires. Additionally, he noted that the police department is competitive enough in salary and benefits to where its attracting good candidates from other jurisdictions; such as Pasadena and Hams County. C. Discuss proposed amendments to the City's Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) to allow the use of containers, with conditions, in all residential zoning districts as primary or accessory uses and to permit barns and stables, with conditions, in the Low Density Single - Family Residential Dwellings (SFI) and Mixed Residential at Low to Medium Densities (SF2) Zoning Districts. City Manager Davis presented the agenda item and stated that it relates to the use of containers in certain areas of the City and introduced the members of the Planning Department who will give an overview of the item. Additionally, he stated that Council will be considering this item at the regular meeting this evening. Senior Planning Manager, Nathan Dietrich stated that the two proposed text amendments of the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) for the Council's consideration this evening are as follows: 1. to allow the use of containers, with conditions, in all residential districts as primary or accessory uses and 2. to permit barns and stables, with conditions, in the Low Density Single - Family Residential Dwellings (SF1) and Mixed Residential at Low to Medium Densities (SF2) Zoning Districts. Mr. Dietrich stated that currently barns and stables are not available uses in Low Density Single - Family Residential Dwellings (SF1) and Mixed Residential at Low to Medium Densities (SF2) zoning districts. He stated that since the inception of the new zoning code, it has been shown that some subdivisions with large lots could accommodate these types of uses; therefore, this amendment would allow barns and stables in the SF 1 and SF2 districts as accessory uses if the lot is at least one acre or more. Council Member Hoskins asked if these amendments would allow for animals within the city limits. Mr. Dietrich stated that should they use the barns and stables for animals, they would have to comply with all other related city codes. Mayor DonCarlos stated that from his understanding the City does not allow for farm animals/livestock within the city limits and didn't understand why we were creating a space for barns /stables when animals are not allowed. City Attorney, Ignacio Ramirez stated that livestock is allowed in the city limits of Baytown as long as it is 150 feet from the residential structure, so if the person had a big enough lot, they could build the stable/barn that is far enough from the house, which would then allow livestock, as long as they met all of the additional requirements. Council Member Hoskins stated that there is a home off of Highway 146 that has livestock, and the neighbors are constantly complaining about the smell of livestock and manure, which is a constant problem. He stated that if Council open up the Code to allow for these stables, this will be a problem that will extend to other parts of the city. He further noted that in his experience with this issue, he does not feel that there should be any livestock allowed in the city for any reason. City Council Regular Work Session Minutes May 26, 2016 Page 6 of 7 Council Member Capetillo asked why was this amendment brought forward and by whom. Mr. Dietrich stated that the amendment was being brought forth by the staff, but that in the past, they have had to deny a number of stables that would have been used to house cars and other items, but also wanted to be able to use it for animals, i.e. dual usage. Council discussed this item at length and agreed to not allow the use of barns and stables in any parts of the city. Staff stated that they did not have to approve this item at the meeting and could make the amendment to the proposed ordinance at the meeting. Mr. Dietrich stated that the second part of the proposed ordinance is related to shipping containers that are being used more often as accessory structures and there have been inquiries about using them as primary structures in the City of Baytown, whereas, Staff was tasked with whether or not to allow these containers at all. He stated that in discussions with the Planning and Zoning Commission, it was decided to allow the use of these containers with conditions. He further noted that the recommended amendments before the Council would be to allow for the City to regulate the use of shipping containers in residential districts, in order to maintain the character of neighborhoods. He stated that the conditions that are being proposed involves how a primary or accessory structure will look if a container is used in the building or construction of a structure, items such as the look, color and materials of the containers are specified in the Code. He further noted that if the container was to be used as a primary accessory or the main home, they would have to comply with all of the masonry and design requirements in the Code. Me. Dietrich stated that the goal is for the container to look and feel like all other structures that can be built in the City, while meeting all building codes and zoning district requirements. Council Member Capetillo stated that he did not believe that allowing for the use of containers as primary or accessory structures in residential areas did not go in line with the type of housing and development that the City is trying to attract and was not in favor of allowing them at all. Council Member Hoskins stated that this item was brought forth because these types of containers are popping up throughout the City and they need to be regulated. He stated that these containers come from shipping yards or somewhere similar and they have been used to transport all types of hazardous materials that cannot be easily eliminated. He further stated that these containers are then placed in someone's back yard with those chemicals and other unknown materials seeping into the ground, which is a hazard and a danger to others. Additionally, he stated that he did not believe that these types of structures should be allowed in residential areas for any type of use, to include what is there already as the existing containers need to be removed and are not to be grandfathered in. Mr. Ramirez stated that because they are not currently prohibited, they can exist. He noted that if we pass any regulation prohibiting them, the existing containers would be grandfathered in and the City could not make them remove them retroactively. Mr. Ramirez also stated that should the property in question be sold to another individual, the grand- fathering for use of the container would stay with the property. In response to questions from Council regarding old and dilapidated containers and whether or not the City could then remove those unsightly objects, Mr. Ramirez stated that if the concern is purely esthetics, then no, there is nothing that the City can do; however, if the container is unsafe and structurally unsound, then it can regulated through the substandard building code process. City Council Regular Work Session Minutes May 26, 2016 Page 7 of 7 Council discussed the prohibition of containers in residential areas and agreed to completely ban the use of containers in residential areas. The Council briefly discussed the impact of banning the use of containers in commercial areas. There were concerns related to eliminating the use of these containers for commercial business that rely on these containers for delivery, storage of records, and storage of chemicals and other industrial materials, particularly in the light and heavy industry zoning districts. Staff stated that there was no issue with the containers in the commercial areas, but were focused more on the residential areas. Council's consensus was that they would make no changes to the use of containers in the commercial areas. d. Discuss any or all of the agenda items on the City Council Regular Meeting Agenda for May 26, 2016, which is attached below. This item was not discussed. 2. ADJOURN With there being no further business to discuss, Mayor DonCarlos adjourned the May 26, 2016, City Council Regular Work Session at 6:20 P.M. Y a'� •• 1 ° °�� , r Leticia rysch, City Cle k City of Baytown