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2021 11 12 CC Minutes, RetreatMINUTES OF THE RETREAT, MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN November 12, 2021 The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, met in a Retreat on Friday, November 12, 2021, at 8:00 A.M. in The Clubhouse at Evergreen Park, located at 1530 Evergreen Road, Baytown, Texas 77523 with the following in attendance: Laura Alvarado Council Member Chris Presley Council Member Heather Betancourth Council Member Jacob Powell Council Member Mike Lester Council Member Brandon Capetillo Mayor Rick Davis City Manager Kevin Troller Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery Assistant City Manager Brian Moran Assistant to the City Manager Mayor Capetillo convened the November 12, 2021, City Council Retreat Meeting with a quorum present at 8:00 A.M., and all members were present except with the absence of Council Member Charles Johnson. 1. DISCUSSIONS a. Welcome remarks from the City Manager. City Manager Davis opened stating the intentions of this meeting were to come into an understanding of what the current bandwidths are about these capital projects and to gain some sense of prioritization on the part of the Council. The City Manager explained this meeting will be 1 of 3. In December they will be given another opportunity to talk about priorities, and they will meet again in February where there will be the prioritization exercise. After the opening statements and before introducing the rest of the program, City Manager Davis turned the attention over to Mayor Capetillo. b. Discuss scheduling issues with the City Council. The Mayor gave his greetings and began the discussion addressing the staff with the request to send out calendar invites for meetings and to infonn Council of any changes. City Manager Davis was not aware of invites not being sent. Mayor Capetillo replied that indeed invites were not going out. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 2of17 City Manager Davis assured he would address the scheduling issues and requested Council to read all his emails where he shares everything that may be going on. He also explained that the public safety building was a slim window of opportunity when working with contractors and project managers. City Manager Davis ended on the note that they will do better and would give Council much more heads up. C. Discuss the City's 5-Year Capital Improvement Program and potential funding sources. City Manager Davis began by briefly mentioning Assistant Director of Public Works/ Engineering Andrea Brinkley was in attendance who prior to the meeting provided Council with a report. The report detailed that they have nearly half a billion dollars worth of capital projects to address. From there after, City Manager Davis stated they will have a description on new initiatives or projects for the future. Thanks to the Finance Committee and their work on the financing policy, City Manager Davis related that Council is now able to discuss funding options. City Manager Davis listed potential options, such as pay-as-you-go, COs, and general obligations. Also, bringing to attention the possibility to consider a large package bond initiative as they did in 2007. All of which, he further explained, will be the foundation for where they go now with the 5-year CIP. City Manager Davis then turned the floor over to the Director of Public Works/Engineering Frank Simoneaux. Director Simoneaux began with providing an overview of the CIP and what they are trying to accomplish. Director Simoneaux explained that historically the CIP has been planned in 1-year increments. There has not been a 5-year CIP. In his time with the City of Houston, Director Simoneaux's last assignment was putting together a CIP for their Public Works and Engineering Department. There they had what was called a "5 plus 5." He explained it was where they had 5 years of projects with funding identified for and then 5 years worth of projects after. This leaves a 10-year window where projects are identified-5 years of those being funded and then having a backlog of projects for the next 5 years. Director Simoneaux stated the FY21 was the first attempt with Finance and the Director of Finance Victor Brownless at putting together a 5-year CIP and noted that it was never published nor shared. They had several projects; Stormwater Master Plan, Street PCI, and the Facility's Master Plan done. During their FY21 planning cycle, they started putting a lot of those projects into the FY22 CIP. Director Simoneaux explained that is where they find themselves now going into FY23 - not adding more projects but trying to nail down the funding part. Director Simoneaux then proceeded to exhibit an example project: The renovation of the West District Wastewater Treatment Plant Building where he stated the project has an assigned number, description, justification, and the impacts on the operating budget. In the following section, he indicated there is the funding and the cost allocation which are gathered in these City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 3of17 categories: Preliminary Engineering; The land right way; Design Surveying; Construction; Equipment and Furniture; and continuous. Director Simoneaux explained they have planned out the project's cost in each of the years. One section is about the costs, and the other is all the possible funding options. For the example project, Director Simoneaux stated it will be funded by the American Rescue Plan Funds. The design is planned in FY22 for $300,000 and in FY23 they are going to do construction for $1.7 million. Director Simoneaux stated this gives a good picture of what is going to happen over the lifetime of a project and how it's funded. He explained this is done for every CIP project they have. The Mayor requested a summary to which Director Simoneaux responded that what he would like to do is publish the presented plans on their website. Director Simoneaux explained the documents before them can be summarized by program. The City Manager than questioned how the list is populated, how do they get on that list, and how are they prioritized. Director Simoneaux replied it is when working with the departments during the planning of the budget and by the Master Plan. In continuation, Director Simoneaux stated they are going to discus the projects that have not been well defined as well as priorities that can be adjusted. On the next slide of his presentation, Director Simoneaux showed their current standing for the 5-year CIP, FY22-26. Director Simoneaux summarized all the funding sources and grants they've received or proposed. He explained 30% of their projects in the 5-year window are not funded, yet reiterated they are working on developing those funding plans within this fiscal year. d. Discuss the description of new projects and initiatives by Director Simoneaux. Next, Director Simoneaux gave an overview of the projects which are listed as the following: Russell Park • A large project by estimated cost. • Phase 1 includes grading work, clearing, and drainage for development. Director Simoneaux noted the perks of phase 1 was that there could be an equestrian trial. • Phase 2 could be as they discussed, including an amphitheater, sports fields, and or equestrian stables. • Phase 3 could possibly have a community event facility. The Community Recreation Center • Director Simoneaux stated this project has not been well defined. • Community Portion: there could be a potential library addition, replace the community center for meeting spaces, and or also have a senior center. • Recreation Portion: there could be multi -use courts, gytn-tracks, a child care component, and or an auditorium. • This could also be a joint venture with Lee College. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 4 of 17 • The cost, as Director Simoneaux explained, is dependent on what Council wants to do as they develop plans. Bicentennial Park • Director Simoneaux noted the stage is very dated with electrical issues from the existing equipment as well as drainage issues. • The property is owned by Goose Creek ISD. • The estimated cost is $5 million The Wetlands Center • There is a possibility to relocate and construct a new nature center. • There could be additions including boardwalks, signs, and scenic outlooks. • The estimated cost is $1 1 million. Fire Station 2 • Is located across from City Hall and needs to be renovated. • The estimated cost is $11 million. Mayor Capetillo interjected questioning the $11 million seems like a lot. Council Member Laura Alverado also inquired of the potential to move the fire station. City Manager Davis replied agreeing with the need to move the property and liked the Mayor's idea to move it on the interchange with Main. The City Manager also suggested relocating to a building by San Jacinto Elementary next to the railroad tracks may be a good location but regardless of the location, City Manager Davis noted that the property would need to be about 5-acres. There was further discussion on what would happen to the old fire station in the event of relocation. City Manager Davis stated they could either make it available for sale or keep the building. A few potentials uses he listed were offering it to the Promise Center, creating a training facility, creating a fire museum and or providing it for new development. Director Simoneaux continued the overview of projects by presenting the final project: West Baker Road Reconstruction • Director Simoneaux noted there are configuration issues. • There are distance issues along the south side where they would need to shrink the wide medians causing a limited line of sight. • The Mayor inquired about the potential to add a wider bike path to which Director Simoneaux agreed that there is enough right of way to do that. • City Manager Davis recommended constructing a Masonry wall in place of the deteriorated fences. • Council Member Heather Betancourth mention the concern about the line of site because there are a lot of accidents there. • Director Simoneaux explained this project is extensive and does not have identified funding. They would need to know where it ranks in Council's priorities. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 5 of 17 • Director Simoneaux plans on applying to Tip Funding. • Mayor Capetillo mentioned that he previously attended a meeting with solve other area Mayors, Senator Taylor, Representative Briscoe Cain and District Engineer Eliza Paul with TxDOT, Houston District. The purpose of the meeting was to find out what are some future projects that they would like to see, so each mayor got a chance to talk. The Mayor also noted that there could some funding availability with some future session in Austin, he then proceeded to indicate the following updates and projects that he expressed. - Besides the San Jacinto Bridge and the I-10 lane balancing the whole corridors, TxDOT is doing the study right now. - The 330 and the I-10 east connector, TxDOT Eliza Paul is going to get us an update on where they are on that connector. - Cedar Bayou Lynchburg - The continuance of Garth Road and the funding with that South of Orchard 5146. - Baker Road because if they can fund it then the city could move this faster. - FM565 which is in the Beaumont Texas district but it's all part of the pie in the sky. - Cedar Bayou Crossing Council Member Laura Alverado then asked Director Simoneaux with the expansion of the hospital, should they anticipate an increase of traffic as they reconstruct the road? Director Simoneaux answered that it would and, once they start on the design on Baker that will be taken into account via a traffic study. On that last note, Director Simoneaux finished his presentation early and passed the attention over to City Manager Davis to moderate the next part of the program. e. Discuss projects initiated by Council that were not previously presented by Director Simoneaux. City Manager Davis lead the discussion by asking if anything was missing and if there were other significant capital projects not listed they should discuss. Chambers County Fire Stations 8 and 9 The Mayor responded with Chamber Stations 8 and 9. The City Manager addressed that stations 8 and 9 involve Chambers Country and the CCIDs. Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery has been working with Chief Dobson to provide a uniform approach to their CCIDs and providing emergency services to them. The City of Baytown has a contract with one emergency service district north of town and separate agreements with other CCIDs. The City Manager explained that CCID number one contributes money to emergency services based on ground value. If there is an increase in value, then the lower the rate that's charged on the surcharge for emergency services. In City Manager Davis's opinion, the de-escalation of the rate is excessive to the point where the city does not have the capital necessary to invest in any expansion of emergency services in Chambers County. City Manager Davis's objective is to propose a wider emergency City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 6 of 17 service district that would incorporate not only the CCIDs but also KTN and other areas in Chambers County. City Manager Davis explained, however, that they are currently in the embryonic stage and are doing their best to get all the CCIDs on the same calendar of renewal. He stated the city does not have the finances to invest in Chamber Stations 8 and 9. They have yet to approach Chambers County or the other CCIDs on this proposition. It is a multimillion -dollar initiative without identified funding which is why stations 8 and 9 were not listed. City Hall Expansion In continuation of the discussion of other projects, Council Member Chris Presley inquired about expanding city hall. City Manager Davis replied that he would like to discuss two related projects concerning city hall. One of the projects is the possible modification to the community center. The larger $17 million plan would build a connection between the community center and city hall. It would include the movement of the council chambers through that central building and the creation of additional space. He mentioned the possibility of moving the human resources department to that direction and utilize that entire side of city hall for a one -stop permitting and plan review shop. Council Member Laura Alvarado additionally inquired about the possibility to adopt a similar model to the city hall of Corpus Christi. Their city hall includes multiple stories, a small clinic, and a gym for employees. City Manager Davis replied that they would need to make better utilization of the campus. The discussion then evolved to the expansion of the City of Baytown as a whole and Council Member Laura Alverado stated how there is a need to invest back into the city by adding an additional facility, capital improvements, and evolving additional staff. City Manager Davis responded that there is indeed a need to maintain a standard of living for a community that is three times as big as people remember. He stated that building on Garth Road is one way to have a standard of living that would make people want to live here. There was also further discussion of the public's perspective in regards to spending tax money in areas they do not live. Mayor Capetillo spoke from his own perspective in saying that they are spreading the wealth all over the city and that the needs aren't equitable so the spending isn't equitable. City Manager Davis agreed that the public wants to see impacts all over the city and each district will see significant investment right now or very soon. The City Manager brought attention back to the extension of city hall and the idea of elevating the level of service pertaining to pen -nits and utilizing the community center for municipal purposes. Council Member Chris Presley asked for clarification on Council Member Alvarado's ideas in regards to the gym and clinic. Would it supplant the traditional rec center they have talked about for years? City Manager Davis answered, no and believes Council Member Alvarado's idea was for internal purposes of wellness and not for the general public. The City City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 7 of 17 Manager indicated that they would like to put together a proposal in order to discuss further about the future of city hall. After a few more statements regarding expanding city hall and staff, Mayor Capetillo commented that the expansion should be on the list as a marquee project and would like to discuss further the multipurpose venue. A Multipurpose Venue City Manager Davis noted this topic was a discussion item from Council Member Betancourt. He detailed that a sporting venue with the ability to host traveling tournaments would be economically beneficial and nice for the community to have. The City Manager also noted having a venue large enough to hold graduation ceremonies would be an asset for the community and school district. City Manager Davis recommended having the location close to I-10 on the north side of town. He listed the possibilities of doing it ourselves or between other entities. That would be a P4 initiative: 2 public entities and a private entity in a partnership to build it. The city would then lease the facility long-term on the basis that one day they would own that facility - similar to the hotel convention center. Council Member Mike Lester commented 99 is about to be finished and will have extreme accessibility. Council Member Laura Alverado agreed that it would look nicer on 99 and liked the idea of partnering with the school district. City Manager Davis noted that this is not a facility without a revenue stream lessening the obligation each entity would have financially. Council Member Chris Presley added Council would support whatever location was the consensus and that he would be more in favor of partnering with the ISD but does not believe Lee College would not be interested with the number of funds they've spent in the last few years. Instead, he inquired about the possibility to work with a private developer. Thereafter, Council Member Chris Presley asked about factoring in the hall redevelopment. City Manager Davis replied with a yes. There is another development firm that is interested in the San Jacinto corridor area. This being the reason why the City Manager pushed for the I-10 area — because of the proximity of hotels. Mayor Capetillo commented for that venue, it would have to be a restaurant -hotel. The rec center would be more localized. The City Manager again replied with a yes and that they could use the same model as the hotel convention center; however, they would hire a master developer. Council Member Heather Betancourth reiterated the big business that is sports tourism. She had suggested to City Manager Davis for them to take a field trip to Round Rock where they have sports tourism down. She also noted that their financing is not the traditional levying property taxes. Council Member Betancourth additionally stated that when looking at locations in the Houston area for tournaments, there were none on the eastside. There are zero from Houston to Beaumont, so the City of Baytown would be the only area for tournaments. This leads Council Member Betancourth to believe that this would be very successful. City Manager Davis agreed City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 8 of 17 and liked the idea of combining with the school district's needs. Council Member Heather Betancourth favored more the idea of collaborating with a private entity as they're doing with the hotel. The discussion evolved to public perception and the City Manager noted that voters were not wane to the idea because of the unilateral use of these facilities. The Mayor agreed that although people comment on what they wished they had, they would vote them down because as Council Member Mike Lester noted the numbers are large. City Manager Davis addressed these concerns by stating they would need to be very specific as to what they are building this for. Council Member Laura Alverado had a final comment on the complex about how similar it looks to Russell Park and asked if it was a duplication. City Manager Davis replied in regards to Russell Park adding the school into the mix would make it a different proposal. Mayor Capetillo stated he thinks they should go about it by themselves with a private developer and then later come into an agreement with the school district and Lee College. Council Member Chris Presley agreed and stated that if the mall redevelopment does become a live, work, play then something like this would be a home run. City Manager Davis stated that first and foremost they are going on that field trip to Round Rock and see those type of facilities. Also, the City Manager had a meeting coming up with Lee College and Randal O'Brien where he would voice this project. f. Discuss prioritization of the presented projects. City Manager Davis then asked if there were any other facilities or capital projects they should discuss. With no replies, the City Manager then referred back to the projects list and began speaking on Russell Park. Russell Park The City Manager explained they are launching into phase 1 which is great in detention utilities prepping. They had the intention of creating an equestrian trail, but the drainage and infrastructure work would need to proceed that. City Manager Davis then asked Council for their thoughts. Council Member Laura Alvarado expressed that she loved the equestrian trail on the Chevron property. Council Member Betancourth commented that she believes they are going to struggle with this now that Harris County has redistricted. There is a new commissioner over this area and she voiced that he is one of the conservatives which is a losing vote in funding. City Manager Davis replied that this is why they would have to do it themselves. Council Member Betancourth countered with she couldn't imagine doing this without Harris County. The Mayor interceded detailing his relationship and partnership with the county. He stated there is relationship there but that it still comes down to funding and how they proceed. He stated Russell Park is important and that they need a Regional Park on the east side of Houston and Harris Country regardless of precinct lines. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 9 of 17 The City Manager than asked if the phasing made sense to Council and if phase 2 was where they could start to do one of the recreational uses. Council Member Powell replied that it sounded like some phases may be extended, but the order made sense to him. City Manager Davis proceeded suggesting that they should continue to pursue county participation. Mayor Capetillo agreed with Council Member Betancourth that, unless they get other entities involved, moving forward will be hard. City Manager Davis mentioned in December, they will present to Council the brand-new directives of the new strategic plan for the next 5 years that the citizens have been working on. Council Member Mike Lester replied that he doesn't know if that will have Russell Park as a high priority. The Mayor made inquiries in regards to how to communicate what they were doing to the citizens. Council Member Heather Betancourth replied with marketing. Mayor Capetillo agreed and commented they almost have to over communicate. To summarize, City Manager Davis clarified that as a group they concur they are not going to see the full development of Russell Park without some other jurisdictional participation. In regards to the county, they will do what they can but the project moves forward. City Manager Davis mentioned no disagreements on phasing besides extending. Thus, they will move forward with the first phase. Sterling Municipal Library and The Old San Jacinto Hospital Property The next item of discussion was what could be done to the property where they have the old San Jacinto Hospital and the current library property. City Manager Davis expanded on the evolution of the library, their excellent customer service, and amenities offered. The library is an over 50- year-old facility and the City Manager stated they will have to do major work with infrastructure to support that facility as it continues to age. He noted there is a continuing evolution away from printed books and that the libraries of today are becoming more like compute labs where people access digital materials. The idea is, as City Manager Davis explained, to have a 2 1 " century library. He expressed not wanting to copy -and -paste what others have, but to think of the unique needs of the city's own community. The City Manager also listed the possibility of adding recreational components. Council Member Chris Presley responded that he hears the comments regarding the times changing, but the library is one of the most well -utilized assets in his district and would not want to see its downside. Director Simoneaux interjected speaking on the library facility and inquired if they should put money into the building or shift to a new building. Council Member Heather Betancourth said she would want to improve the fagade and never envisioned the library having a whole new life. The Mayor mused that it would seem there is an appetite to see what a total renovation would look like versus a new construction. The Mayor also commented that he disfavored combining the library with a recreation center. There was available land nearby where they could have the rec center. Council Member Chris Presley and Council Member Heather Bethacourth agreed. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 10 of 17 Director Simoneaux replied the benefit of having it in one building is so they can share the [multi- use rooms and decrease costs. Mayor Capetillo responded that they would like to look at options. Moreover, City Manager Davis discussed he and Council Member Laura Alvarado talked extensively about making better utilization of the property. He stated it may turn into a large park with walking trails or general commercial development fronting Decker. There were lots of possibilities and the City Manager wanted to clean up and make that space more useable. Council Member Laura Alverado mentioned that she spends a lot of her time at the library because it is her workspace and where she meets parents. During the pandemic, she explained the library improvised and utilized outdoor story -time a lot. Council Member Alverado commented that it would be better to have a sort of amphitheater there. The Mayor commented on the library property saying lie wasn't sure if families go to that part due to the vagrants that are there. He suggested repurposing the whole frontage and then have the nine acres of the old San Jacinto Hospital to build some kind of direction for staff. In response, City Manager Davis stated that park is sensitive because it was built with a federal grant. The Mayor requested a new master plan of the library and the property next to it if they where to include a recreation center. The Mayor and Council Member Chris Presley both expressed they were not fans of the pool idea. City Manager Davis replied they will come up with some options. Mayor Capetillo related the library to the city hall expansion stating the City Manager previously mentioned it was cheaper to expand than to go with a new building. The Mayor said they have to execute that same philosophy with the library. Council Member Jacob Powell requested for the numbers —if there's been a lot of fixes, show what those are. He asked how much has been spent and the upcoming needs. City Manager Davis responded that they'll look into what a renovation would look like and the cost of doing so. The Mayor commented that he agreed people were going digital and so maybe they shouldn't expand the footage but shrink the print materials. He noted the library was a large building. Council Member Chris Presley agreed and stated they could do many things with the 2"d floor. There was further discussion regarding the recreation center and its possible location. Council Member Mike Lester also added his thoughts on having the properties on the front of Decker for commercial use and having the library face Texas Avenue. City Manager Davis mentioned that perhaps that entire area should be transformed and they would need to do a master plan to talk more. The meeting took a 15-minute break. The meeting reconvened and City Manager Davis continued with the next area of discussion. Bicentennial Park First and foremost, City Manager Davis noted they do not own Bicentennial Park, but they do have memorials there and a stage with significant electrical limitations. The City Manager stated City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 11 of 17 the $5 million number is just a replacement of the stage and perhaps the creation of a green room space for performers. The first hurdle, as the City Manager specified, would be the ownership idea of Bicentennial. City Manager Davis hoped the school district would be open to that. He expressed that he would like to have more solid ownership before investing. The City Manager explained that this venue has become more and more important as they've expanded celebrations there that have been very well attended. He noted the success of Grito Fest with Ramon Ayala and suggested having controlled entry. The City Manager opened the floor to comments on the project. Council Member Chris Presley agreed that Bicentennial Park is a big attention pond. He noted the drainage situation to which Director Simoneaux responded that it would be unproved with Market Street reconstruction. They are going to elevate that crossing and put in bigger blockages, so the drainage getting out of Bicentennial Park would be improved with Market Street. City Manager Davis also commented it would dry the perfonning arts area while maintaining the capacity to accommodate the storm drainage. There was further discussion on rerouting drainage and Director Simoneaux explained the school district and Harris Country were funding rerouting the drainage that goes underneath the baseball field. He stated it was not the best location for the stage and the Council queried if it needed to be moved. Director Simoneaux responded that would be a better suit. Mayor Capetillo commented the good thing of the stage being there is the natural slope that gives the feel of an amphitheater. City Manager Davis also resisted moving it too far. Council Member Heather Betancourth stated she would like the city to own the land and improvements that would allow having another tier of performer. The City Manager responded that they are limited now in the ability to attract performers; however, he enjoys the level of entertainment they have now. It was noted the biggest limitation is power. City Manager Davis also stated many performers would not come to a general admission type of environment —they would insist on controlled entry. He also commented creating a venue that caters to that would allow the potential of having a concert series throughout the year. Council Member Jacob Powell agreed that he wouldn't want to make any investments until they figured out the ownership of that property. He also referenced the talk of bringing in bigger performers stating they were already packed and questioned how much of a larger stage would they need. The Mayor agreed. The City Manager explained a great -sized audience for performing arts is about twenty-five to thirty-five hundred people and having an area with controlled entry where they could have that amount would be ideal. Council Member Laura Alvarado questioned what difference would it make if they owned the property and inquired if it was about serving alcohol. Council Member Chris Presley replied that he wouldn't feel comfortable spending that kind of money in the event the school district were to say "you all can't use it anymore." Council Member Presely said they would need something in writing for long-term. The Mayor also commented about the difficulties of having a building on land they don't own. Council Member Laura Alvarado had questioned why hinder development City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 12 of 17 if they don't own it and also mentioned their whole thing about collaboration and partnership — to which the Mayor countered saying it's not always about that, it's when it's appropriate. Council Member Laura Alvarado responded that they have had good partnership with the school district and further inquired for the pros of not owning the land. Council Member Chris Presley countered responding with the cost and that it would be better working with a long-term lease. City Manager Davis then infonned Council that they haven't identified any surplus properties that would be attractive to the school district. He has heard there might be more sympathy on the school board about selling this property and that it wouldn't hurt to ask. Mayor Capetillo commented that they, the city, do everything anyways with the drainage and maintenance. Council Member Laura Alvarado noted they could build something that the school district has been talking about like building a covered walkway for the students at IMPACT to safely walk over to Lee College. She stated that could entice them. City Manager Davis inquired for other ideas they could collaborate on in order to facilitate the transfer of the property. Mayor Capetillo agreed with securing the property with a fenced -in stage and noted they do not have the infrastructure to bring in almost any performer at this point. He also mentioned that drainage is key as it is a drainage zone. The Mayor also wanted small concessions available or at least be able to bring in food trucks. In regards to the slope, he mentioned artificial turf would help in that area. Mayor Capetillo also inquired about tiered seating and relocating the soundboards so it's not right in the middle of everybody's view. He said if they were to do a concert series it wouldn't be like the Woodlands but that there should be concessions, adult beverages, security on site, and pennanent fencing. Council Member Chris Presley interjected that all the improvements would need to be intentioned upon the capacity of the site itself. City Manager Davis spoke of the peacebuilding study they did back in 1997 for the amphitheater and concluded that the kind of programing they wanted was family -oriented. He explained they did not want to make the venue too big and that they would keep the controlled entry area moderate. The Mayor then asked what would the footprint look like of a permanently fenced -in environment. Director Simoneaux responded that fencing could obstruct drainage. Council Member Laura Alvarado then remarked that in the event the school district would not sell, they have Russell Park and other areas they can improve on. Mayor Capetillo also commented that they don't need the school district. They have options. City Manager Davis agreed and mentioned going out to Russell Park —instead of doing the multipurpose center they mentioned earlier —to make an outdoor performing arts venue would be awesome. The Wetlands Center The next topic of discussion was the Nature Center. City Manager Davis explained they pursued a grant that was being made available through VP. There were 3 secured grant funding for the. creation of a new Nature Center that would combine the Nature and Wetlands Center. The land where they envisioned the center to be built was adjacent to the Chandler Arboretum area. They will then move what they have on the market over to the Nature Center. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 13 of 17 The vision, as related by the City Manager, was a learning center that takes in the offerings of the current Wetlands Center and include other amenities such as a theater component where films could be presented. He gave the example of the Children's Museum in Fort Collins, Colorado. There they have a unique oval theater —like a planetarium —that uses a special fonnat of film that's very engaging. City Manager Davis had asked their city manager of the cost. They responded with the theater alone was $3 million. City Manager Davis commented perhaps that was outside of their bandwidths, but that they would want something just as engaging. The City Manager quantified that they had estimated $12 million for the project noting it may be more depending on what they would like to see. Lastly, he commented that they would like to convert the current Wetlands Center into an aquatic activities center. The City Manager then opened the floor for discussion. Council Member Heather Betancourth expressed she liked the idea but that the cost was too much. She mentioned again that she would like to see a partnership agreement —like with the enterprise and public safety building - to fund this. Council Member Mike Lester also stated not seeing this as a community priority but that it was just nice to have. City Manager Davis countered that this may be on the low side. Council Member Chris Presley disagreed stating that's ridiculous. He liked the idea of combining the centers, but for $15 million he had to say no. Council Member Presley agreed that this was more of a want than a need and not high priority. He conveyed that this would be more in the interest of the ISD. Council Member Jacob Powell also agreed liking the idea of combining the centers but they would need to bring the price down. Mayor Capetillo recalled that if they moved the Wetlands Center, Eddie Gray wanted to make an energy type of center there so he could get industry partners. That made more sense to the Mayor and further discussed that the arboretum has never come before Council in full discussion. In comparison to Russell and Bicentennial Park, he'd have to score this pretty low. Fire Station Number 2 With that being said, City Manager Davis then addressed Fire Station Number 2. He noted the limitations of the property and said the proposal was either to come down closer into the west Baytown area or look towards the east where there is property that the school district owns. The City Manager stated they could negotiate for five acres and that the number would be worked on. The building hasn't been designed and City Manager Davis stated they've envisioned it with only three bays. In terms of response times, he said they don't see much of a difference between the two properties. The City Manager also commented that it would be easier to not have to assemble property, but stating they do like the idea of redevelopments. It might be more expensive as they try to do that as opposed to working with the school district and noted it would be easier going to the east. Before advancing any further, City Manager Davis inquired for any arguments in regards to not needing a new Fire Station Number 2. Council Member Chris Presley suggested the warehouse behind the fire station. The Mayor remarked Billy Cam's were asking for $10 million. Council Member Chris Presley continued if they'd considered selling a portion of it so they could City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 14 of 17 increase depth. City Manager Davis answered that was a retail portion and would create an awkward piece. He also noted even if they did do that they would still need to acquire additional property. The City Manager noted that they did consider renovating due to the firefighters liking the location, but as Mayor Capetillo noted the area is not operationally acceptable. Council Member Laura Alvarado voiced that she liked the idea of building up on Market noting it was much easier than trying to acquire all those different properties. She also commented exiting on Market or Main is still a very tight area. Council Member Chris Presley, the Mayor, and City Manager Davis agreed that it was indeed much easier. The discussion then centered around the logistics of the fire station which ended on the consensus that no matter where it would be placed that area would be busy. Mayor Capetillo expressed he would like to keep the station closer to the city hall area because it would help revitalized the corridor. City Manager Davis stated that they can all agree they wanted the station between 146 and Minnesota. Previously, the new Fire Chief had said their land is 30% not big enough for what they needed. City Manager Davis explained they had done a deployment allocations of resource study that confirmed it was still a corridor of where they needed to be. Council Member Laura Alvarado commented they could take the Minnesota triangle which would do wonders in terms of community engagement in that area. The City Manager suggested maybe something else should go in that area. City Manager Davis inquired for any other concerns over the fire station rebuild noting that they are still paying for stations 6 and 7 which comes off in about 2025-2026. He noted that this is probably be a 2023 type of initiative for construction. Baker Road Reconstruction City Manager Davis then proceeded to speak over Baker Road. He then listed road's shortcomings: large telecom wires drooping; bending poles; difficult to negotiate on foot or bicycle; and limited line of sight. The City Manager did note, however, that they were glad to see a stop signal go up at Country Club Drive simply because cars can get going 50 plus miles an hour heading east on Baker. City Manager Davis also mentioned homes probably should have never been developed right next to Baker. Whatever hornes were there off of Baker, he said, should probably be green space. He further noted that they could create a similar kind of environment by reducing the size of the median and utilizing that extra space to accommodate those bicycle and pedestrian users. City Manager Davis again expressed wanting to see a masonry wall since they do have residents there and Baker is one of the city's busiest roads. The Mayor inquired how expensive those were per linear foot. Assistant Director of Public Works/ Engineering Andrea Brinkley replied that it depends. If it had to be sound mitigating that goes up to 114 per foot, it would be pretty expensive. She said she would look up the cost and interrupt in a second. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 15 of 17 The City Manager continued speaking on Baker in regards to the aesthetics. He voiced that they would like to bury the telecom wires as the city did on Garth and also mentioned the deteriorating wooden fences. In regards to cost, he said there are two ways to look at that. There is an opportunity cost associated with having to go out and make agreements with hundreds of people to put up a masonry fence or they could assume this was a taxpayer driven initiative. Mayor Capetillo stated he wasn't against it, but wanted to make sure they didn't drive up the cost and make the whole project not viable. The Mayor's take, as he expressed, was that he would like to see if they could give a conceptual section explaining what Baker Road would look like and what the cost differences would be with a masonry wall. As far as priority Mayor Capetillo stated if they could get a 50-50 snatch, then this could get done. Director Simoneaux replied that they would explore all of their funding options. Assistant Director of Public Works/ Engineering Andrea Brinkley then stated the price she had looked up prior is $60,000 for every 250 feet for a 10-foot masonry fence. City Manager Davis noted for a $21 million project, that would be a great addition. Director Simoneaux stated it wouldn't have to go everywhere to which the Mayor agreed that it was more for the residential areas. g. Discuss the Finance Committee's funding methods. With that being the last of the projects to discuss, Mayor Capetillo then inquired on funding and where this would fall. Director Simoneaux replied ideally, they would start doing preliminary engineering maybe this year with a fairly modest cost. He calculated a few hundred thousand compared to the whole cost. Director Simoneaux further specified probably FY23. If they had the funding, they could start on the final design and then FY24 would be construction. He noted they do have funding for a PDR on West Baker at FY22. City Manager Davis noted that Council Member Alvarado had left and when she got back he would fill her in on what they discuss for the forum. Council Member Mike Lester then inquired on the funding of the Roseland Park Pavilion to which he was responded with it was already funded. Assistant Director of Public Works/ Engineering Andrea Brinkley mentioned that afternoon they were interviewing the contractors and that they were trying to get out there on December 9"'. Director Simoneaux elaborated that they didn't do it as a low bid but as a competitive sealed proposal. Mrs. Brinkley stated it came in at about $300,000 over and that they were looking at their deductive alternatives. The Mayor asked if it was mainly materials driven to which Mrs. Brinkley replied it was all the escalation, metal, electrical, and anything glass. Director Simoneaux further discussed that they were not doing major design changes. The discussion then transitioned into Finance Director Victor Brownless opened his presentation on the note that they are not purposing a bond election. They have a clear policy due to the Finance Committee stating the methods they would use to fund the investments. Director Brownless detailed that he had run the numbers taking into account the debt that rolls off in the next 5 to 6 years and explained they have the capacity —without increasing their tax rate, in fact decreasing their tax rate for the next 5 years —to fund $120 to $130 million. On the revenue side City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 16 of 17 (e.g. utility funds and sales tax) over the next 5 years, they could look at another $40 to $50 million; need to take into account the general fund and year to year cash flow. Mayor Capetillo noted —not wanting to get too into it —that when it does come to either tax rate reductions or exemption increases, he is a proponent of seeking state legislation for increasing the homestead exemption. The Mayor stated that they do want to offer citizens a different type of tax relief without impacting the IDA. City Manager Davis commented the mistake people make is that they assume the property tax rate is standalone and don't consider the connection it has to industrial development agreements which is 60% of the city's revenue. The Mayor responded comparing the city's IDA to neighboring cities stating that its nothing to the level of what the City of Baytown has. The Mayor further illustrated one city in particular that had one big enchilada of IDAs—almost to a detriment. The City Manager countered that something communities have not considered was the depreciation of those industrial assets. He additionally explained that was not parallel to what was happening on the residential side. There they have an appraisal system that was expanding the base on the residential side exponentially shrinking the industrial side. The Mayor further commented that anyways it's good to hear they have the capacity cluster and that they can do what they wanted to do. The discussion continued on the track of tax rate reduction. The Mayor commented that devaluation of property is not within their control but of the state's. Mayor Capetillo expressed his beliefs that they've done a pretty good job at elevating the quality of their homes to which he explained that the price point consequently gets higher. Victor noted the other thing to remember was tax-free wasn't tax burden. Given their values are proportionately less than others on the residential side, their higher tax rate still translates to a lower tax burden to the people that live here. City Manager Davis agreed and also believed that their city ought to be at the forefront of advocating for a greater latitude on the homestead exemption. He also stated they ought to make that process simpler. In the City Manager's opinion, other states provide a better model and mentioned that they need to look at a better model statewide. He also gave the comment that only a handful of cities offer that full 20% exemption. Council Member Laura Alvarado then questioned if the next step was for staff to work out the list of priorities and cost. City Manager Davis replied what they will do is kick off December 14"' on the discussion of priorities and initiatives for the coming years with a presentation of that information. City Manager Davis summarized why these projects. He stated they were talking about projects that could be classified as either a want or a need that require creative ways of financing. The City Manager explained they were not proposing anything that would impacts their tax rates. He gave the example that they were breaking ground on a $66 million public safety facility without $1 of impact to the taxpayer. From what he heard today, the City Manager said they'll summarize it for Council and put it in a memo to reassure they heard Council correctly. Then, the City Manager with Director Simoneaux, Andrea, and Victor would create a presentation explaining the next step for each of those projects and there would be a priority on each one. Mayor Capetillo briefly commented that they haven't built a new water tower in a long time. City Council Retreat, Meeting Minutes November 12, 2021 Page 17 of 17 After a few more closing statements, City Manager Davis noted that they would do a better job on getting things on their calendar. Council Member Mike Lester brought up the issue that is City Attorney Karen Horner leaving and that they would be losing all kinds of institutional knowledge and Council Members Lester and Presley requested they give a "retention report" or something of the sort. Council Member Presley also expressed his concerned. There were further comments regarding the effects of, as Director Simuneaux stated, "the great resignation." City Manager Davis lastly stated that he will have that report for Council on the 14'h of December. 2. ADJOURN With there being no further business to discuss, Mayor Capetillo adjourned the November 12, 2021, City Council Retreat, Meeting at 12:00 P.M. Angela Ja&wn, City of Baytown