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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993/06/01-Agenda-Pre-Council NOTES FROM JUNE 1, 1993 PRE-COUNCIL AND COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR JUNE 2, 1993 CITY MANAGERIS STAFF MEETING PRE-COUNCIL 1. Responses to M&C's Continued from a Previous Week a) M&C G-10156 - Proposed Retail Wastewater Rate Increase - was continued for two more weeks c) Questions Concerning Current Agenda Items - None 2. Tarrant County Needs Assessment Presentation SUMMARY: Mr. Rene Moquin of the United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County presented the Tarrant County Needs Assessment study performed in late 1992 through telephone and written surveys. Twenty agencies underwrote the cost of the study. COUNCIL: Mr. Meadows questioned Mr. Moquin regarding how the study will impact the United Way's priorities, and suggested that the sponsors of the study should meet to discuss the issues presented in the study. Mayor Granger suggested that the direct service providers should be present also. Mr. Moquin responded that the United Way is already adjusting its priorities based on the findings in the study. 3. Water and Wastewater Impact Fee Update SUMMARY: Richard Sawey provided a clarification of the various fees that the Water Department collects, and the level of expenditures for the Water Department. He defined the impact fee as a charge against new development to generate revenue for funding the cost of capital improvements related to the new development. He emphasized that the City now recovers 40% of the maximum calculated value, both within the City of Fort Worth, and in areas outside of the city limits of Fort Worth that we provide service to on a wholesale basis. COUNCIL: Mayor Granger suggested that the City Council now needs to determine the percentage that we want to recover through the impact fee. STAFF: Mr. Sawey recommended that the City Council approve a revenue-neutral impact fee recovery percentage, and increase it over the next three years. The recovery OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEX. AM- .+ percentage that is estimated to be revenue-neutral is 40% for the Water impact fee, and 60% for the Wastewater impact fee. Mr. Sawey cautioned Council to weigh the economic development impact on the city if we raise the impact fee too high. He also suggested that a 100% recovery fee would help to offset rate increases, which would benefit all rate payers, but that the recovery rate has to be balanced against the economic development impact. A gentleman from the Citizen's Advisory Committee also supported staff's recommendation for a revenue-neutral policy. COUNCIL: Mr. Barr asked if staff had researched what other competing cities charge for an impact fee. Mr. McCray expressed concern that Fort Worth is again providing subsidies to other cities by not fully recovering our costs of operation. Mr. Lane questioned what the impact on development would be if we raised the recovery percentage. STAFF: Staff handed out a survey of other cities' current impact fees. 5. Overview of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Programs and Budget Cycle SUMMARY: Richard Sapp explained the JTPA funding process, noting that their funding has increased over the past five years. Their fiscal year ends on June 30th. COUNCIL: Mr. McCray expressed concern that the school system has students for twelve years, the students may not graduate, and then the City turns around and gives the school district more funds to do what the schools should have done during the twelve years that they had the students. Mr. Barr asked how the City Council may impact the process early on to help set priorities and programs; and how the programs are measured to determine if they are working. STAFF: Mr. Sapp responded that a Collaborative Committee was recently created that will involve the City Council. This committee will meet quarterly. He also responded that the Department of Labor provides follow-up standards that the various programs are measured against to determine each program's effectiveness. COUNCIL: Ms. Webber expressed concern that the City Council has not been involved in the development of priorities and programs in past years, but that the City of Fort Worth is still responsible for the federal funds, and must pay back funds to the federal government in the event of audit findings. 2 OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRITARY FT. WORTH, TEX. STAFF: Mr. Sapp responded that the City of Fort Worth is the grant recipient and is responsible for the funds. This dilemma is the primary reason for the creation of the Collaborative Committee. 4. Overview of DBE Program SUMMARY: Sundra Davis explained the current policy regarding the City's DBE practices, and mentioned that the City of Fort Worth, the Transportation Authority, Tarrant County, and D/FW International Airport have contracted with a consultant to perform an Availability and Disparity Study. The 'Availability' portion of the study is occurring now, and the 'Disparity' portion will occur next. The entire study is scheduled for completion on or before September 30, 1993. COUNCIL: Mr. McCray expressed concern that the City is not meeting its DBE participation goals, especially with the T/PW Department contracts. He feels that the 'good-faith effort' documentation is an easy 'out' for contractors. Mr. Lane expressed concern that we do not notify the four Chambers of Commerce of our available contracts. Ms. Webber expressed concern that we have not done enough, and suggested that we should set up stricter guidelines for DBE participation. STAFF: Mr. Terrell re$ponded that we meet with four chambers on an monthly basis. COUNCIL: Mr. Meadows mentioned that we have attempted to achieve DBE goals, but have fallen short. He suggested establishing a Citizen Oversight Committee, as they have done in San Antonio and Austin, to sponsor aggressive outreach efforts to the DBE businesses. STAFF: Ms. Davis mentioned that we will do a complete review of our DBE program after receiving the Availability and Disparity Study in September, and that we are intensifying efforts to increase DBE participation in our purchasing procedures. COUNCIL: Mayor Granger requested a special work session after a City Council meeting on this issue. STAFF: Mr. Terrell mentioned that staff will send a proposed schedule of all of the issues to be discussed over the next two months to City Council this week. OFFICIAL RECORD 7!!CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEX. 6. Local Cable Rate Regulation Process SUMMARY: Wade Adkins explained that new regulations for local cable rates have been established, and they will take effect on June 21, 1993 . The City Council may regulate the basic cable rate if it so chooses by applying to the FCC within 30 days of June 21 to become certified as a Cable Regulator. He recommended that staff bring an M&C to Council authorizing the City Manager to apply to the FCC to become a certified Cable Regulator, after which the Council would need to adopt a set of regulations within 120 days and notify the cable operator. COUNCIL: Council concurred. Staff will bring the M&C forward for Council action within the next few weeks. 7. Clean Cities 2000 Project: . Variable Rate Study for Residential Solid Waste Collections (I.R. 7727) SUMMARY: Ramon Guajardo explained that we have received a $500,000 grant from the TWC to both increase recycling by 40%, and to reduce the total volume of garbage going into our landfill by 50-60%. As part of this grant, we would like to contract with a consultant to perform a feasibility study for variable collection rates based on volume. Staff is now ready to go forward with the RFP for a consultant, and the Council is not obligated to implement the recommendations presented by the consultant. Staff hopes to have the study completed by December. COUNCIL: Mr. Meadows asked how this concept would impact our contracts with WMI. STAFF: Mr. Guajardo responded that we may have to wait until the current contracts with WMI expired in four years to implement the recommendations. Tom Davis mentioned that the amounts we pay the contractor are separate from the amounts collected from the residents, and that it would probably be 1-2 years from now before volume would be reduced enough for this to become an issue. 8. Legislative Update SUMMARY: Charles Boswell mentioned that the City of Fort Worth prevailed on ten of our eleven legislative agenda items this legislative session. The one item that did not pass concerned the ability of municipal court judges to perform marriages. Some of those that did pass consist of the broadening of the $. 50 environmental fee for any environmental purpose; the TWC rate disputes; funding for the regional Poison Centers; all three of the sales tax 4 OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. WORTH, TEX. bills; the competitive bid being raised to $15, 000; and the sludge bill was killed. Mr. Boswell mentioned that staff will provide a full legislative update at the July 6th work session. 9. City Council Requests for Future Agenda Items - None COUNCIL MEETING A reception for all of the new City Council members will be held on June 15, 1993 at Will Rogers Memorial Center from 5:00- 7:00 p.m. VIII. Items to be Continued or Withdrawn M&C G-10156 - Proposed Retail Wastewater Rate Increase - was continued for two weeks, until June 15th. XIV. Report of the City Manager M&C G-10192 - Approval of Donation from the Chisholm Trail Round-Up Committee of a Life Size Bronze of Quanah Parker - this item was approved with Jim Lane abstaining, since he is a member of the Chisholm Trail Round-Up Committee. The Chisholm Trail Kick-off will be held on June 10th. XV. Public Hearing and Action Concerning Proposed Amendment to Land Use Assumptions, Capital Improvements Plan and Impact Fee Ordinance for Water and Wastewater (M&C G-10189) The City Council adopted the ordinance with Schedule II, which was the revenue-neutral proposal recommended by staff. XVI. Citizen Presentations 1. Pat Taylor presented his thoughts concerning the expansion of the Central Library, and invited all Council members to his presentation this Sunday (:lune 6th) at 2. 00 p.m. at Cgntral Library. ary. 2 . Ross Stephens, George Hedrick, and Lela Standifer provided presentations regarding the historic East First Street Bridge and the Trinity Greenbelt. LFT. WORTH, CORD 5 TARY TEX.