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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-04-07 - City Council - Worksession - AgendaREVISED - AGENDA COUNCIL/STAFF WORK SESSION TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 1987 1:30 P.M. PRE -COUNCIL CHAMBER FOR FUTURE ACTION Proposed Purchasing Policies - A. Judson Bailiff, Finance Di rector (30 Mi n . ) 2) Residence Homestead Tax Exemption, (I.R. #7164) - A. Judson Bailiff, Finance Director ( 5 Min.) 3) Compliance of Municipal Building with the Building Code (I.R. #7165) - Tom Davis, Acting City Services Director (15 Min.) FOR DISCUSSION ONLY 4) Community Development Block Grant, Year 12 Performance Presentation - Sandra Gonzales, Housing and Human Services Director (20 Min.) 5) Report from Mayor's Committee on the Homeless - Ramon Guajardo, Assistant City Manager and Dr. Bohl, Chairman (20 Min.) 6) Budget Update - Charles Boswell, Management Services Director (15 Min.) 7) Update on Mapping System and Presentation of Strategic Plan for Communication Services - Jay Marshall, Information Systems and Services Director (45 Min.) 8) Final Report of Housing Task Force - Ramon Guajardo, Assistant City Manager (15 Min.) 9) liontilly Operating Report, City Council FYI - Charles Boswell, Management Services Director (20 Min.) 10) Schedule of Meetings Swearing -In -Ceremony - Douglas Harman, City Manager ( 5 Min.) OEFICIAtRECORD CITY SECRETARY Fi. WORTH, TEX. L-1 City Council Work Session April 7, 1987 11) State Legislative Items - Charles Boswell, Management Services Director ( 5 Min.) 12) Federal Issues - Tom Duffy, Washington Assistant to the City Manager ( 5 Min.) FOR ACTION TODAY 13) Ambulance Contract Modifications (M&C C-10217) - Councilman William Garrison and Bob Terrell, Assistant City Manager (45 Min.) 14) Procedure and Charges for Access to and Copies of Public Records (M&C G-7024) - Wade Adkins, City Attorney (10 Min.) 15) Town of Tarrant Land Use Study Component of Comprehensive Plan (M&C G-7023) - Bruce McClendon, Planning Director (15 Min.) i OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEL t PRE -COUNCIL MEETING PRE -COUNCIL CHAMBER }gam APRIL 7, 1987 ABSENT: Councilmen William Garrison, Garev Gilley, Jim Bagsbv, and Louis --Zapata ITEMS 1. Proposed Purchasing Policies - Judson Bailiff, Finance Director. Mr. Bailiff told Council that several years have passed since information was provided to them about the overall purchasing policies of the Citv. Two of several concerns that were mentioned involving purchasing policies were the delays in the procurement process and the operation of the central warehouse. Consultants were called in to conduct reviews of operations within the warehouse, and the overall purchasing policies. The internal auditors also conducted a review of the warehouse. Ms. Tracy Pfisterer, Purchasing Manager, told Council that since last summer, several changes have been recommended regarding warehouse operations. Such changes were that all purchases be made through the bid process and that the monitoring levels of purchases for the amount of $5,000 be extended to $10,000. Smaller dollar amount purchases would be handled by the department head. The City Manager would establish a compliance order for handling purchasing activities within the departments. Councilman Lancaster commented that if an adequate sampling and auditing plan becomes available, he could foresee the changes as presenting no problems. However, the responsibilty of evaluating department heads on their ability to perform the delegated purchasing functions would fall to the City Manager. Ms. Pfisterer explained the purchasing procedures to the Councilmembers. She told Council local purchase order forms would be used by authorized employees only and routine audits would be conducted. Councilman Lancaster asked whether the Internal Audit Department had enough staff members to carry out these added duties. Mr. Costa Triantaphilides, Internal Audit Director, replied that the staff would be spending 900-1000 hours working directly on compliance. Councilman Williams asked how many checks would the Purchasing Department be making on purchases. Ms. Pfisterer told Councilman Williams that checks can be done on local purchase orders through the numbers that are assigned to each form. However, routine checks will be made. .1 Ms. Pfisterer also discussed the automated system that was implemented) XFJ1' L RECORD department in July 1986. This system, according to Ms. Pfisterer, can be�ECRETARY for telephone bids, written bids, requisition logs, vendor files, Comm d reports,etc. ET. WORTH, TEX. Councilman Williams asked Ms. Pfisterer if she had ever considered marketing the system. ,/o, Ok Ms. Pfisterer told Council that considered. Other future plans department generated numbers to purchase orders; automated inte department entry of requisition warehouse orders. the idea of marketing the system has been mentioned were assigning requisition numbers and forms; inputing and matching receipts to face of central warehouse to requisition system; ; and interfacing purchasing orders and Ms. Pfisterer told Council to expect productivity improvements, more clearly defined clerical duties, M&C status on personal computers, and bid status on PC. Councilman Williams asked at what time period would the Purchasing Department be able to achieve gains on the backlog of orders. '_Ms. Pfisterer replied that the workload would make faster processing impossible. Presently, the majority of purchasing M&Cs take approximately seven weeks to go through unless it is an emergency; whereupon, the M&C is walked through. 2. Residence Homestead Tax Exemption - Judson Bailiff, Finance Director. Mr. Bailiff spoke to Council about the amendments made to the Texas Property Tax Code. The code presently makes allowances for taxpayers to have exemptions from taxation by the City at a percentage of the appraised value of their home, if the exemption is adopted by Council prior to May 1. Presently the State maximum homestead exemption is 30% and is expected to drop to 20% in 1988. Mr. Bailiff asked that Council be prepared to make a decision on the adoption of a residence homestead tax exemption and the amount on April 21. 3. Compliance of Municipal Building with the Building Code - Tom Davis, Acting City Services Director. Mr. Davis told Council that in 1985 the City adopted a new building code; a code which requires many changes to be made to the '_Municipal Building. Mr. Davis presented four alternatives to Council for bringing the building into compliance: 1)installation of sprinklers in the Municipal Building at a cost of $150,000 and below loth Street for a cost of S110,000. Included also would be an atrium vertical shaft and rated fire walls. Mr. Davis told Council that sprinklers would not be a viable alternative because this would require dropping the ceiling, removing lights, etc.; 2) Constructing fire walls composed of sheet rock and glass at a cost of S30,000; 3)Construction of fire walls with pillars at a cost of 830,000 which will result in loss.of 1200 ft. of sq. space; 4)Construction of a cantilevered atrium balcony, which would cost 25% less. The atrium would be the corridor for passage, making use of interior corridor for office space. This alternative is the staff's recommendation. Councilman Lancaster asked whether the space problem would be resolved UM*'� construction of the third floor. OFFICIAL RECORD Mr. Thurman Wolfe, Engineering Architect for told Council that the third floor only adds 60,000 sq. ft. of space is actually needed; 30,000 additional sq. ft. of space. Transportation and Public W Y , SLUXU ARY 38,000 sq. ft. of space, wile thus, leaving a required n+cgl oWORTH, TEX@ Mr. Davis told Council that the estimated cost of the cantilevered atrium balcony would be in the neighborhood of $22.5 thousand per corner. Mr. David Ivory, Senior Assistant City Manager, told Council that dollars would AWk Aft be loss with subsequent phases in alternative one and two but not with V alternative four. Events that are to occur with the Municipal Complex Building or phases of the Masterplan include: 1)third floor completion; 2)sprinkling; 3)improvements to the Pre -Council Chamber; and 4)removal of stairs, adding 2 stairs, adding slab in atrium, finishing lobbies, etc. Mr. Davis told Council that $78,000 is needed so that work can be begun on the design and engineering phase. Mr. David Ivory told Council that once the design and engineering phase is begun, better estimates of costs can be made. Mr. Davis told Council that the Municipal Building must be in compliance with the Building Code by March 1988. Councilman Steve Murrin requested that a report be prepared discussing imminent danger currently existing. Councilman Murrin questioned whether the inspection should be made by the Fire Department as opposed to the Building Code Compliances. Mr. David Ivory told Council that violations would be far greater for the building if inspections had been conducted to determine compliance with Fire Codes. Costs for the improvements of the Municipal Building are: 1)$150,000 for lower level sprinkling; 2)$110,000 for 10th street sprinkling; 3)$30,000 for 2nd floor firewalls; 4)$90,000 for cantilevered balconies; 5)$42,000 for construction management; and 6)$38,000 for contigencies; thus, making a grand total of $538,000 in cost. Mr. Davis told Council that the only action that needed to be taken was the approval of an amendment to the architectural contract. 4. Community Development Block Grant, Year 12 Performance - Sandra Gonzales, Housing and Human Services Director. Ms. Gonzales presented a video presentation to Council on what some of the results were from uses made of the CDBG funding received in year 12. CDBG funding received by the City is allocated to ten targeted area which are selected based on set guidelines. Housing has been recognized as the vital concern by many neighborhoods. Approximately $2,000,000 was allocated for housing programs. June 1, 1987 will mark 13 years of CDBG funding for the City of Fort Worth. 5. Mavor's Committee on the Homeless - Ramon Guajardo, Assistant City Manager and Dr. Bohl, Chairman. The task force for the homeless has been in existence for one and a half years. Dr. Bohl, Chairman of the Committee, told Council that the major causes of homelessness are the result of 1)the $27 billion to $10 billion cut by the federal government in 1984; 2)low skill levels; and 3)public assistance budget cuts. The word homeless, according to Dr. Bohl, has been defined as "no place to reside or stay over night." Homeless people have been categorized into three groups: 1)the new temporary, who comprise 20% of tkP City's homeless population; 2)transients, who comprise 30% of the homelessLIT AL RECORD population; and 3)the mentally disturbed, who comprise 50% of the City'sSECRETARY homeless population. There are approximately 1500 homeless people in FortSEC Worth. Dr. Bohl told Council that there are only 750 spaces within City agencies to temporarily house the homeless. mRT�1+TEX• .N, Dr. Bohl asked for ways to develop partnerships with institutions, agencies, etc. that would be able to help this population. Dr. Bohl stated that as of April 6, 1987, in 28 months of operation, 153,333 people have been housed in the Presbyterian night shelter. Mr..Guajardo told Council that the department star wars is working to track legislation on funding for the homeless. Mavor Bolen asked what were the federal funds being designated for. According to Mr. Guajardo, the funds are being designated primarily for rehabilitation. Councilman Williams asked what were the means by which these people are fed. According to Dr. Bohl, at least ninety different churches bring sandwiches and six dairies provide milk. 6. Budget Update - Charles Boswell. Mr. Boswell told Council that there is some concern regarding the negative revenue trends. At this present time, no over all improvements have been seen. According to Mr. Boswell, projected expenditures exceed projected revenues by at least $2.7 million. Mr. Boswell told Council that such projections can be attributed to little improvements in sale taxes, street rental receipts, fines and forfeitures, and a down fall in gross receipts. Mr. Boswell has requested that expenditure reduction plans be implemented throughout the departments. However, according to Mr. Boswell, this expenditure reduction plan will be in addition to the 2% cutback that was requested earlier by the City Manager. Mr. Boswell mentioned that a monthly sales tax check totaling $1,900,000 has been received from the State Comptroller; unlike last year where the amount received was $1,700,000. Mr. Boswell also informed Council that the 1987-88 budget process has began. Councilman Lancaster told Council that some type of tone needs to be set so that raising taxes is not a viable budget option. He mentioned that unused portion of transit taxes can be used for sources of revenues. Presently, the Transit Authority revenue is divided among the County and the City. Councilman Lancaster recommended that an option be sought to amend having money rebated to the City only. Mr. David Ivory stated that in order for this to occur, a broader general authority is needed for lobbying. Councilman Lancaster commented that what will be needed is flexibility so that the uses of any of this revenue is well maintained. Mr. Ivory mentioned that some transit authorities amass huge balances while Fort Worth Transit Authority has not been able to do this. However, according to Mr. Ivory, the balances which other authorities are maintaining are probably needed by these authorities further down the line. - E�ClAL RECORD 7. Mapping System - Jay Marshall, Information Systems and Services Dir c9li .9. SECRETARY Mr. Marshall came before Council to discuss the geoprocessing system wh ch�w�� requested by the City Manager in January. This system, according to MrA ANk Marshall, would allow the City to store and draft base maps, zoning, annexation, water lines and sewer lines. Software has been purchased and equipment will come at a cost of S157,000. The total cost of the system has been estimated at S412,800 and is expected to be completed by March 1988. Other prices contributing to the total purchase price are macrosoftware($10,000), training( S4500), and remodeling/furniture/supplies(S15000). It has been estimated that the'City would save $220,000 in labor. Mr. Marshall told Council that he has looked at the possibility of marketing the database. The marketing price would be at least S42,000 per potential customer. He is presently working with the Law Department to come up with a contract to market the database. The database will allow departmenatal users to do three of the following: 1) generate hard copy requests from any CRT computer; 2)review base maps and overlay water lines and sewer lines on base maps; and 3)make hard copies of the maps. Councilman Williams was curious as to how the information was placed into the computer. Mr. Marshall told Council that the information is scanned and place in the computer. 8. Final Report of Housing Task Force - Ramon Guajardo, Assistant City Manager. Mr. Joe Epps, Representative for the Task Force, recommended eight courses of actions to Council for implementing a housing program: 1)tax exempt down payment program; 2)supporting a federal housing need bill introduced by a Senator from California; 3)allow for tax abatement for first time home buyers and allow for monthly payments to be structured on step rates; 4)lower monthly Payments by mortgage targeting in certain areas; 5)deposit City funds in institutions that finance low income housing; 6)systematic code enforcement by the City; 7)apartment gleaning for low income persons; and 8)inclusionary zoning. Ms. Hazel Harvey Peace, Chairman of the Task Force, asked Council to appoint several task force members to follow up on recommendations and to appoint a housing subcommittee to press for housing initiatives for the City. 9. Monthly Operating Report - Charles Boswell, Management Services Director. Martha Chambers, Record Managers, told Council of the disposal of 13 tons of inactive records. Ms. Chambers told Council that money is made from recycling paper. The City collected S614 for two months of recycling and by not having the paper picked up, it saved an additional $3800. Ms. Louis Kantor, Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic, came before Council to discuss the problem of sexually transmitted diseases in Tarrant County, including Acquired Immuned Deficiency Svndrome(AIDS). Ms. Kantor told Council +1 REC0 that in 1986, 358 cases of infectious syphilis were reported. The City of Fort ii Worth ranks #14 out of 62 United States cities that had high syphilis ratings. SECRETARY Ms. Kantor told Council that to her knowledge, only 2 prostitutes have tested positive for the AIDS virus here in the City. Since 1982, Fort Worth/Tarrant p1n Countv have recorded 82 cases of AIDS. 9RTH, TEX. Mayor Bolen requested that Ms. Kantor identifv any specific recommendations that Ask AOW thev may have to help alleviate this problem and bring them back to Council. 10. Ambulance Contract Modifications - Robert Terrell, Assistant City Manager. Mr. Terrell came before Council requesting adjustments in the MedStar Ambulance contract. Mr. Terrell told Council that although the system is adhering to the response time requirements, unanticipated financial problems have developed. The major reason for this problem, according to Mr. Terrell, is the low collection rate. Bids were based on a 63% collection rate but MedStar's collection rate is only 46.7%. Mr. Terrell contributed other factors to this problem such as "wheel chair transports," ordinance violations by other businesses, medicare cutbacks, refusal to pay by some of its customers and the local economic conditions. The collection rate of 46.67. has shown a dollar generated amount of $504,769. Councilman Lancaster asked what provisions were being used for tracking the expense side of the MedStar ledger. Mr. Terrell told Council that there were no set provisions. However, a CPA will have the ability to look at the financial reports that MedStar is willing to turn over. Councilman Lancaster asked for a clarification of information on the collection rate. Mr. Terrell told Council that there is a 36% collection rate for emergency calls and a 68% collection rate for nonemergency calls. 11. Mr. Tom Duffy, Man -In -Washington, told Council that the City is very close to exceeding the contaminated air level set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Duffy told Council that if the City has not complied with the federal set regulations by December of this year, federal sanctions will be brought on the the City. Federal sanctions would result in a reduction of highway funds, limits on funding and licensing, and a possible prohibition on the installation of the Federal Currency Plant. Mr. Duffy told Council that almost every urban area in the country is violating this compliance. The increased level of ozone in the air has been caused by hydrocarbon, emmissions from cars, cleaning plants, industries, etc. The alternative that Mr. Duffy presented to Council and which Council agreed to in handling this problem, was to attempt the postponement of December deadline. � Ct�l R� CORU C9 `l sit, �AR`I CITY COUNCIL MEETIJ**' COUNCIL CHAMBER APRIL 7, 1987 ABSENT: Councilmen Jim Bagsby and Garey Gillev ITEMS 1. ITEMS CONTINUED/WITHDRAWN None 2. ITEMS TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA \one 3. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS None 4. COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Ask Ms. Karen Hutchinson came before Council to speak on MSC C-10215 - Agreement for Implementation of Fort Worth Teen Court. Ms. Hutchinson told Council that the idea of having a teen court originated in Odessa and she feels that it would be a good model for Fort Worth. Everyone participating on the court would be a teenager except the judge. Any juvenile standing trial must have pleaded guilty before going to teen court. Records of violations will not be kept.The program is supported by the Probation Department, the Bar Association and the Junior League. Ms. Hutchinson asked that the City supply office space, telephone service, and access to zerox machines. A 501 Group will be established for the purpose of soliciting funds for the second year of the program. The community is expected to fund the program in subsequent years. Ms. Betty Albin - Tarrant Countv Mental Health Association. Ms. Albine came before Council requesting a waiver of admission fee to Fort Worth Zoo for the weekends for 20 people (10 patients and 10 volunteers) from the association. City Manager, Douglas Harman, told Ms. Albin that in light of the many organizations that the City now admit to the zoo free of charge on weekdays, it would be difficult to recommend a policy change for her group. Mr. Harman recommended that Ms. Albin speak with the Parks and Recreation Board of ! Commission. Let. Ms. Lela Standifer came before Council requesting information. on the buMs. Standifer told Council that under police administration, page B251,total salary is exceedingly high for only five staff members. She also .6. that she could not understand how a S4 million principal (Water and Sewer Revenue Bond) could generate S12 million in interests. Ms. Standifer asked that Council give a reply to her concerns.