HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007/10/23-Minutes-City Council CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
Present
Mayor Mike Moncrief
Mayor Pro tem Kathleen Hicks, District 8
Council Member Salvador Espino, District 2
Council Member Chuck Silcox, District 3
Council Member Daniel Scarth, District 4
Council Member Frank Moss, District 5
Council Member Jungus Jordan, District 6
Council Member Carter Burdette, District 7
Council Member Wendy Davis, District 9
City Staff
Charles Boswell, City Manager
David Yett, City Attorney
Marty Hendrix, City Secretary
With a quorum of the City Council Members present, Mayor Moncrief called the regular
session of the Fort Worth City Council to order at 10:44 a.m. on Tuesday, October 23, 2007, in the
City Council Chamber of the Fort Worth City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton Street, Fort Worth, Texas
76102, with Council Member Scarth temporarily absent.
Mayor Moncrief requested that a moment of silence be observed for everyone who had been
affected by the wildfires in California. He stated that one of the fires alone had burned an area the
size of Fort Worth and literally hundreds and hundreds of homes and businesses had gone up in
flames. He also requested that everyone remember those who were serving in various capacities to
extinguish the fires.
Agenda Item II The invocation was given by Minister Ron Buch, Western Hills Church of
Invocation Christ.
Agenda Item III The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Pledge
Agenda Item IV Upon a motion of Council Member Silcox, seconded by Council Member Davis,
Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of October 16, 2007, were approved
Minutes unanimously eight (8) ayes to zero (0) nays, with Council Member Scarth
absent.
(Council Member Scarth assumed his place at the dais.)
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 2 of 20
Agenda Item V Council Member Jordan presented a Proclamation for Friends of Libraries Week
Special to Ms. Bunny Gardner, President, Friends of the Fort Worth Public Library.
Presentations
Mayor Pro tem Hicks presented a Proclamation for Code Compliance 25th
Anniversary Day to Mr. Carl Smart, Code Compliance Director.
Council Member Espino presented a Certificate of Recognition for the Texas
Trail Hall of Fame to Mr. Hub Baker, Cowtown Coliseum.
Agenda Item VI Council Member Burdette regretfully announced that former City Council
Announcements Member and Mayor Pro tem William (Bill) R. Sarsgard, passed on October 19,
2007. He added that Mr. Sarsgard was very active in the community and
requested that today's meeting be adjourned in his memory.
Mayor Pro tem Hicks stated that she and Council Member Scarth had an
opportunity to join the Hispanic Leadership Organization on October 20, 2007,
for their annual conference. She added that it was a wonderful event and
expressed appreciation to Patricia Garcia, President of the Hispanic Leadership
Organization and a member of the Mayor's staff for all the work she did to bring
about the event. She pointed out that a diverse number of people attended the
event and everyone benefited from the conference.
Agenda Item VII City Manager Boswell requested that Mayor and Council Communication Nos.
Withdrawn from C-22460 and C-22461 be withdrawn from the consent agenda.
Consent Agenda
Agenda Item VIII City Manager Boswell requested that Mayor and Council Communication No. L-
Continued/ 14416 be continued until the October 30, 2007, Council meeting.
Withdrawn By
Staff Mayor Pro tem Hicks requested that Mayor and Council Communication No. L-
14412 be withdrawn from consideration.
Agenda Item IX Upon a motion made by Council Member Silcox, seconded by Council Member
Consent Agenda Davis, the Council voted nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays to approve and adopt all
remaining items on the Consent Agenda as recommended and as follows:
OCS-1632 M&C OCS-1632 - from the Office of the City Secretary recommending that the
Claims City Council refer notices of claims regarding alleged damages and/or injuries to
the Finance/Risk Management Department.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 3 of 20
G-15935 M&C G-15935 - Authorizing the City Manager to appoint Mr. Allyn G. Hector
Appoint Allyn G. to Place 7, Engineer, of the City's Construction and Fire Prevention Board of
Hector to Appeals, effective October 23, 2007, and with a term expiring October 1, 2009.
Construction &
Fire Prevention
Board of Appeals
G-15936 M&C G-15936 - Adopting Ordinance No. 17846-10-2007 extending the
Ord. No. 17846-10- moratorium to April 30, 2008, on the acceptance of applications for salt water
2007 disposal wells pending consideration of revised regulations regarding salt water
Extend disposal wells as regulated by Article II, Chapter 15 of the City Code, regarding
Moratorium on Gas Drilling and Production.
Acceptance of
Applications for
Salt Water
Disposal Wells
G-15937 M&C G-15937 - Authorizing the temporary closure of Main Street between 3rd
Temporary Street and 4th Street from November 10, 2007, until January 9, 2008, for
Closure of Main Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and Sundance Square Management's
Street for Annual Annual Christmas Tree display.
Christmas Tree
Display
P-10663 M&C P-10663 - Authorizing a purchase agreement for curb address painting
Curb Address services with Cowtown Traffic Control, Inc., for the Engineering and
Painting Services Transportation and Public Works Departments based on low bid meeting
specifications; and authorizing the City Manager to execute Interlocal
Agreements allowing other public entities to participate in this bid award in
accordance with Local Government Code, Chapter 271.102 (Cooperative
Purchasing Program).
P-10664 M&C P-10664 - Authorizing non-exclusive purchase agreements for lead-based
Lead-Based Paint paint risk assessments with Advanced Environmental Control, Inc., DFW Group,
Risk Assessments Inc., and TLI and Environmental Services for the Housing Department.
P-10665 M&C P-10665 - Authorizing purchase agreements for water pipe repair parts
Water Pipe Repair with Municipal Water Works Supply, L.P., and HD Supply Waterworks, LTD.,
Parts for the Water Department; and authorizing the City Manager to execute
interlocal agreements with other participating government entities.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 4 of 20
P-10666 M&C P-10666 - Authorizing non-exclusive purchase agreements for hot mix
Hot Mix Asphalt asphalt with Vulcan Materials Co., APAC-Texas, Inc., Reynolds Asphalt &
and Pothole Construction Co., Austin Asphalt LP, and pothole patching mix with Unique
Patching Mix Paving Material Corp., White Cap Construction Supply and Asphalt Patch
Enterprises, Inc., for the City of Fort Worth; and authorizing the City Manager to
execute Interlocal Agreements allowing other public entities to participate in this
bid award in accordance with the Local Government Code, Section 271.102,
"Cooperative Purchasing Program Participation".
P-10667 M&C P-10667 - Authorizing a purchase agreement for ductile iron pipe with
Ductile Iron Pipe Municipal Water Works Supply, L.P., for the Water Department; and
authorizing the City Manager to execute interlocal agreements with other
participating entities.
P-10668 M&C P-10668 - Authorizing a purchase agreement for cast iron valve boxes and
Cast Iron Valve lids with Municipal Water Works Supply, L.P., for the Water Department; and
Boxes with Lids authorizing the City Manager to execute interlocal agreements with other
participating entities.
P-10669 M&C P-10669 - Authorizing the rejection of the sole bid received and the rebid
Reject Sole Bid for the purchase of a Telemetrix Pan/Tilt System for the Cable Office.
and Rebid for
Telemetrix
Pan/Tilt System
P-10670 M&C P-10670 - Ratifying the emergency purchase in the amount of$49,340.00
Blood Alcohol for a Blood Alcohol Content instrument and required accessories for the Police
Content Department from Varian, Inc., using a General Services Administration
Instrument and Contract.
Required
Accessories
L-14413 M&C L-14413 - Approving the cancellation of the 50-year Lake Worth lease
Cancel of Lake agreement with Justin Waldrep for City-owned property located at 9708
Worth Lease of Watercress Drive (Lot 15, Block 21, Lake Worth Lease Survey).
City-Owned
Property
C-22457 M&C C-22457 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract in the
Fort Worth amount of$572,149.00 with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to
Museum of Science promote artistic and cultural activities.
and History
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 5 of 20
C-22458 M&C C-22458 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract in the
Fort Worth Sister amount of$378,420.00 with Fort Worth Sister Cities International to administer
Cities the Fort Worth Sister Cities Program.
International
C-22459 M&C C-22459 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract in the
Van Cliburn amount of $100,000.00 with the Van Cliburn Foundation, Inc., for their
Foundation, Inc. promotion of artistic and cultural activities.
C-22462 M&C C-22462 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with
Advanced Paving Advanced Paving Acquisition, Ltd., d/b/a Advanced Paving Company in the
Acquisition, Ltd., amount of$733,814.00 for 115 working days for HMAC Surface Overlay 2007-
d/b/a Advanced 5 Re-Bid at various locations (City Project No. 00747).
Paving Company
C-22463 M&C C-22463 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute an amendment to the
Amend Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show Lease Agreement for the purpose
Southwestern of off-setting the costs of infrastructure improvements at the Will Rogers
Exposition and Memorial Center.
Livestock Show
Lease Agreement
C-22464 M&C C-22464 - Rescinding M&C C-22387 and authorizing the City Manager to
Rescind M&C enter into a 25-year Pipeline License Agreement with BNSF Railway Company
C-22387- BNSF for a 16-inch sewer pipeline (DOE5535-07-32098) for a one-time cost of
Railway Company $3,150.00.
C-22465 M&C C-22465 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute Change Order No. 1
Change Order No. to City Secretary Contract No. 35282, a construction contract with Stabile &
1 to CSC No. 35282 Winn, Inc., for pavement reconstruction and water and sanitary sewer
- Stabile &Winn, replacements on portions of Avenue H, Avenue A, Newark Avenue, Avenue I,
Inc. Court Street, Parkdale Avenue and Avenue G(Project No. 00275), in the amount
of$71,575.00 thereby revising the original contract amount to $2,643,904.25.
C-22466 M&C C-22466 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute Change Order No. 3
Change Order No. to City Secretary Contract No. 33930 with McClendon Construction Company,
3 to CSC No. 33930 Inc., for pavement reconstruction and water and sanitary sewer replacement on
- McClendon Kimbo Court, Bird Street and Gwynne Street (Project No. 00019), in the amount
Construction of$38,721.38, thereby increasing the contract amount to $818,646.28.
Company, Inc.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 6 of 20
C-22467 M&C C-22467 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 12 to
Amendment No. 12 City Secretary Contract No. 27650 with Dunaway Associates, L.P., for Sanitary
to CSC No. 27650- Sewer Rehabilitation Contract LV (5 5) (City Project No. 00431), in the amount
Dunaway of$274,279.00 to provide additional engineering services, thereby increasing the
Associates, L.P. contract amount to $1,025,876.42.
C-22468 M&C C-22468 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract amendment
Amend CSC No. to City Secretary Contract No. 32135 for $132,986.00 with United Community
32135 - United Centers, Inc., to extend the term of the agreement to FY 2007-2008 to continue
Community operation of the Safe Haven Program at the Bethlehem Community Center.
Center, Inc.
C-22469 M&C C-22469 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement for
Safe City $75,000.00 with the Safe City Commission, Inc., during FY 2007-2008 with four
Commission, Inc. one-year options to extend the agreement to operate a Crime Stoppers Call
Center.
C-22470 M&C C-22470 - Authorizing the City Manager to execute a second contract
2°d Amendment to amendment to City Secretary Contract No. 31847 for $235,195.00 with the Safe
CSC No. 31847- City Commission to extend the term of the agreement for FY 2007-2008 to
Safe City continue operation of a community advocacy for crime prevention program.
Commission
The motion carried. End of Consent Agenda.
Agenda Item X Council Member Silcox made a motion, seconded by Council Member Davis,
Presentations by that Stanley Heit be appointed to Place 3 on the Golf Advisory Committee
City Council effective October 23, 2007. The motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to
Appointments zero (0) nays.
Council Member Burdette made a motion, seconded by Council Member Davis,
that William Greenhill be re-appointed to Place 7 on the City Zoning
Commission and Fort Worth Alliance Airport Zoning Commission effective
October 23, 2007, and with a term expiring October 1, 2009. The motion carried
unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
Council Member Burdette made a motion, seconded by Council Member Jordan,
that Jack H. Summerford be appointed to Place 7 on the Urban Design
Commission effective October 23, 2007, and with a term expiring
October 1, 2009. The motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 7 of 20
Agenda Item XI There were no presentations or communications from boards, commissions
Committee and/or City Council Committees.
Presentations
AGENDA ITEM XIII—REPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER
G-15938 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15938 from the
Ord. No. 17847-10- City Manager recommending that the City Council adopt an ordinance amending
2007 Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 2, entitled "Retired Employees' Group Death
Amend Chapter 2, Benefit Fund", of the Code of the City of Fort Worth (1986), as amended,
Article VI, Division amending Section 2-227 to make payments to the Retired Employees' Group
2, Section 2-227, Death Benefit Fund on an as needed basis; amending Section 2-228 to allow a
2-228 and 2-229 of member to designate a surviving beneficiary to receive the lump-sum payment in
City Code
the event the retired member has no surviving spouse; amending Section 2-229
to increase the lump-sum payment to the beneficiary upon the death of a retired
member to five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars; providing that the increase in the
lump-sum payment shall be applied retroactively to October 1, 2007; and
authorizing the City Manager to make a payment to the Retired Employees'
Group Death Benefit Fund in the amount of$250,000.00, as appropriated by the
City Council in the Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Budget.
Council Member Jordan made a motion, seconded by Council Member Davis,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15938 be approved and
Ordinance No. 17847-10-2007 be adopted. The motion carried unanimously
nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
G-15939 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15939 from the
Ord. No. 17848-10- City Manager recommending that the City Council adopt an ordinance amending
2007 Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 1, entitled "Employees' Retirement Fund", of the
Amend Chapter 2, Code of the City of Fort Worth (1986), as amended, amending Section 2-207 to
Article VI, Division provide a 12 percent earnings cap on the compensation base for determining
1, Section 2-207 of
the City Code pension benefits.
Council Member Davis stated that she would support this ordinance but
explained that she did not think that the City had gone far enough to correct the
impact that overtime had on the pension fund. She referred to the audit report
conducted last year which cited that the unfunded liability was due to the impact
of overtime in pension earnings and the opportunity demonstrated that showed
how some employees were able to take the high three years of their salary and
take advantage of overtime in computing their high three to determine their
pension. She added that the opportunity for abuse existed as a result of that very
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 8 of 20
system and, as a result, some employees were retiring at significantly more than
their regular earnings, which created a problem with the fund and created an
inequity in the City's employment system. She added that the City Manager had
put forth during budget discussions a recommendation that was very sound and
would have continued to allow employees to be paid a pension on their overtime
hours, but would have required that the pension payment come in a form
equivalent to a 401K. She explained the benefits of the recommendation, but
that the majority of the Council did not believe the recommendation was a
direction the City wanted to take, and again she supported that decision. She
further stated that the City was doing something significantly less than that today
by placing a 12 percent cap on the amount an employee can place in their high
three computation. She added that this move was better and was an
improvement but did not go far enough and unfortunately the people who borne
the cost of that was the taxpayers.
Council Member Jordan stated that what was often missed and not reported by
the media was the combination of events that occurred that increased the funding
and the position of the unfunded liabilities in the pension fund. He added that
the City had reconstituted the board and employees had given up a pay raise this
year to contribute five percent to the fund. He pointed out that as of
October 1, 2007, the fund was actuarially sound, moving to a finite position and
while there were many dialogs relative to overtime, there were other issues
relative to abuse in spiking that involved promotions during that final three year
period and other situations. He added that this proposal not only took care of the
overtime issue, but also the abuse and placed the burden on the City's managers.
He provided examples of when overtime should and should not be used and
stated that this proposal was a sound initiative.
Council Member Burdette stated that he was supportive of this initiative to try
and resolve the problem with the retirement fund. He concurred with Council
Member Davis' comments that more could have been done, but at the same time
congratulated the Council and Council Member Jordan for bringing about these
changes. He further stated that it was incumbent upon the Council in the future
to carefully monitor this to ensure that these items that would be adopted would
correct the shift in the retirement fund.
Mayor Pro tem Hicks stated she supported this issue and stated that the City
must continue to monitor the overtime issue on perhaps a quarterly basis. She
reiterated Council Member Jordan's comments and added that it was a step in
the right direction.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 9 of 20
Council Member Jordan stated that City Manager Boswell had reminded him
that the pension fund would require constant monitoring; it was not a static
situation, but fluctuated with the market and investments. He stated that the
Audit and Finance Committee would be reviewing this issue on a continual
basis.
Mayor Moncrief stated that the Council tried to find middle ground on this issue
and since he was the person who proposed the twelve percent during the budget
retreat, he was looking for middle ground. He added that this placed the burden
on management and Council would hold them accountable. He pointed out that
it was incumbent upon the Council to realize that they served the citizens of Fort
Worth and were ultimately responsible to them and monetarily the City needed
to be on sound footing. He emphasized that he was pleased that the City had
been removed from the Attorney General's "watch list" and was very
appreciative of staffs work to ensure the City did not fall in this state of
disrepair again.
Council Member Jordan made a motion, seconded by Council Member Burdette,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15939 be approved and
Ordinance No. 17848-10-2007 be adopted. The motion carried unanimously
nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
G-15940 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15940 from the
Ord. No. 17849-10- City Manager recommending that the City Council adopt an ordinance amending
2007 Chapter 2, Article V, entitled "Human Resources", of the Code of the City of
Chapter 2,Article Fort Worth (1986), as amended, amending Section 2-186 "Political Activities",
V, Section 2-186 of by deleting provisions prohibiting officers and employees from soliciting
the City Code contributions for political purposes; deleting provisions prohibiting officers or
employees from being an officer of a political party; adding section prohibiting
certain employees from taking an active part in municipal campaigns; providing
that officers and employees can publicly express their opinions on all political
subjects and candidates unless otherwise prohibited by this section.
City Attorney Yett advised the Council that Assistant City Attorney Laetitia
Brown would provide a detailed explanation of this issue.
Ms. Brown clarified that state law governed civil service employees, e.g., police
officers and firefighters, and governed their activities. She added that it allowed
civil service employees free reign to engage in all kinds of political activities
with the only major prohibition being their ability to wear uniforms while
campaigning for other people. She stated that currently the City's ordinance did
not give general employees the same rights, in fact, general employees were
basically relegated to privately expressing their opinions and views. She advised
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 10 of 20
that the City had received complaints because City employees were the persons
who received questions whenever there were municipal issues or when someone
ran for office, about what the issues were and some employees were reluctant to
express their opinions based on the current ordinance. She stated that this
ordinance would effectively level the playing field for the most part, with a few
exceptions in which general employees would be prohibited from engaging in
some activities. She added that the ordinance also prohibited certain employees,
e.g., City Manager, Assistant City Managers, City Attorney, Department
Directors, etc., from taking an active part in municipal campaigns to make sure
they were protected from undue influence from the inside or outside.
Council Member Silcox made a motion, seconded by Council Member Espino,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15940 be approved and
Ordinance No. 17849-10-2007 be adopted. The motion carried unanimously
nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
G-15941 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15941 from the
Pay Relocation and City Manager recommending that the City Council authorize the additional
Moving Expenses payment of relocation and moving expenses to Purselley Pool and Spa from
for Right-of-Way 4205 West Vickery Boulevard, in the Vickery Corridor, Parcel No. 74, for right-
for the Southwest of-way for the Southwest Parkway Project (DOE 3777).
Parkway Project
Mayor Pro tem Hicks made a motion, seconded by Council Member Silcox, that
Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15941 be approved. The motion
carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
G-15942 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15942 from the
Accept Donation City Manager recommending that the City Council accept a donation valued at
for New Walkways $56,135.00 from the Fort Worth Garden Club for new walkways in the Fort
in Fort Worth Worth Botanic Garden Conservatory.
Botanic Garden
Conservatory Council Member Burdette made a motion, seconded by Council Member Silcox,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15942 be approved with
appreciation. The motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
Public Hearing It appeared that the City Council set today as the day for a public hearing to
G-15943 designate Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone No. 63, City of Fort Worth, Texas,
Ord. No. 17850-10- in the vicinity of West Pafford Street and Granbury Road. Mayor Moncrief
2007 opened the public hearing and asked if there was anyone present desiring to be
Designate Tax heard.
Abatement
Reinvestment Zone
No. 63
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 11 of 20
Mr. Mark Folden, Business Development Coordinator, Economic and
Community Development Department, appeared before Council, gave a staff
report and called attention to Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15943,
as follows:
There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15943 from the
City Manager recommending that the City Council hold a public hearing
concerning the designation of Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone No. 63, City
of Fort Worth, Texas, in the vicinity of West Pafford Street and Granbury Road;
and make findings of fact and adopt an ordinance designating a certain area in
the City of Fort Worth as "Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone Number Sixty-
Three, City of Fort Worth, Texas"; providing the effective and expiration dates
for the Zone and a mechanism for renewal of the Zone; and containing other
matters related to the Zone, pursuant to and in accordance with Chapter 312 of
the Texas Tax Code.
There being no one present desiring to be heard in connection with the public
hearing, Council Member Davis made a motion, seconded by Council Member
Scarth, that the public hearing be closed, Mayor and Council Communication
No. G-15943 be approved with appreciation to the staff of the Economic and
Community Development Department, and Ordinance No. 17850-10-2007 be
adopted. The motion carried eight (8) ayes to one (1) nay, with Council Member
Silcox casting the dissenting vote.
There was further deliberation on the vote on the motion.
Council Member Espino made a motion, seconded by Council Member Jordan,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15943 be reconsidered. The
motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
Council Member Davis made a motion, seconded by Council Member Espino,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-15943 be adopted. The motion
carried eight (8) ayes to one (1) nay, with Council Member Silcox casting the
dissenting vote.
L-14410 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14410, dated
Lease for Natural October 16, 2007, from the City Manager recommending that the City Council
Gas Drilling in approve the acceptance of a lease agreement for natural gas drilling under
Cobb Park— 152.449 net mineral acres, more or less, of City-owned properties located in
Continued Until Tarrant County, known as Cobb Park, to Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., for a
October 30, 2007
two-year term.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 12 of 20
Mayor Pro tem Hicks stated that she would continue this item for one week to
meet with the advisory group and added that she had received an e-mail
expressing concern on the location of the drilling. She also reiterated Assistant
City Attorney Sarah Fullenwider's comments relative to City policy that no
drilling rigs or equipment would be allowed on park property, the drill pipe
would be at least a mile under the surface and would not break the surface of the
park property.
Charles Dreyfus Mr. Charles Dreyfus, 2416 Park Place, appeared before Council in support of
this issue. He stated that the M&C and contract should state explicitly what was
meant and reflect the necessary prohibitions for the public's understanding.
Mayor Pro tem Hicks made a motion, seconded by Council Member Silcox, that
Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14410 be continued until the
October 30, 2007, Council meeting. The motion carried unanimously nine (9)
ayes to zero (0) nays.
L-14411 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14411, dated
Lease for Natural October 16, 2007, from the City Manager recommending that the City Council
Gas Drilling in approve the acceptance of a lease agreement for natural gas drilling under
Rockwood Park 389.233 net mineral acres, more or less, of City-owned properties located in
Tarrant County, known as the Rockwood Park, to Chesapeake Exploration,
L.L.C., for a two-year term.
Council Member Espino made a motion, seconded by Mayor Pro tem Hicks, that
Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14411 be approved with the
understanding that the lease bonus would stay with the park and the creation of a
Rockwood Park Citizens Advisory Committee comprised as follows:
Michael Faucette District 2 Parks & Community Services Advisory
Board Representative
Louis Ayala District 2 Golf Advisory Board Representative
Carlos Flores North Side Neighborhood Association
Representative
Santiago Espinoza Liga del Norte Representative (Mexican-American
(or Designee) Baseball League at Rockwood Park)
Belinda Norris District 2 Council Aide
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 13 of 20
Mayor Moncrief clarified that the lease bonus stayed with the park and the
royalties went into the Park Endowment Fund per the City's existing policy.
The motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
L-14412 It was the consensus of the City Council that Mayor and Council
Withdrawn from Communication No. L-14412, Authorize the Direct Sale of a Tax-Foreclosed
Consideration Property Located at 700 May Street in Accordance with Section 34.05 of the
Texas Property Tax Code to the City of Fort Worth Parks and Community
Services Department (DOE 920) and Authorize Execution and Recording
Appropriate Conveyance Documents, be withdrawn from consideration.
L-14414 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14414 from the
Direct Sale of Tax- City Manager recommending that the City Council authorize the direct sale of 17
Foreclosed tax-foreclosed properties, described below, to KT Land, Ltd., in accordance with
Properties Section 34.05 of the Texas Property Tax Code (0920) in the total amount of
$58,005.54; and
Address Legal Description Zoning
1125 East Cannon Lot 15,Block 25,Union Depot A-5
1321 East Cannon Lot 9,Block 44,Union Depot A-5
1401 East Cannon Lot 6,Block 4, Glenwood Addition A-5
1405 East Cannon Lot 4 and 5,Block 4, Glenwood Addition A-5
1611 East Cannon Lot 24,Block 10, Glenwood Addition A-5
1153 Freeman Lot 12,Block 12,Vickery Addition A-5
1159 Freeman Lot 13,Block 13,Vickery Addition A-5
1112 Hattie Lot 4,Block 25,Union Depot A-5
0926 Humbolt Lot 37,Block 2,McAnulty&N. A-5
1312 East Leuda Lot 4,Block 46,Union Depot A-5
1625 East Leuda E 33' W40'Lot 20,Block 11, GI A-5
0969 East Pulaski Lot 11, Guertlers Subdivision A-5
1120 East Pulaski Lot 70,Block 6,McConnell Addition A-5
0954 Stella Lot 2,Block 6, JC Terrell Subdivision A-5
1115 Stella Lot 17,Block 20,Union Depot A-5
1604 East Terrell Lot 25,Block 2,Elmwood Addition A-5
1641 East Terrell Lot 11,Block 2,Elmwood Addition A-5
Authorize the City Manager to execute and record the appropriate document
conveying the properties to KT Land, Ltd.
Mayor Pro tem Hicks made a motion, seconded by Council Member Davis, that
Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14414 be approved with appreciation
to City staff The motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 14 of 20
Public Hearing It appeared that the City Council set today as the date for a public hearing to
L-14415 authorize the conversion of 0.252 acres of Trinity Park for a pipeline easement to
Convert Parkland transport natural gas and authorize execution of a License Agreement with Texas
for Pipeline Midstream Gas Services. Mayor Moncrief opened the public hearing and asked
Easement to if there was anyone present desiring to be heard.
Transport Natural
Gas— Mr. David Creek, Park Planning Superintendent for the Parks and Community
Continued Until
November 27, 2007 Services Department, appeared before Council, gave a staff report and called
attention to Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14415, as follows:
There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14415 from the
City Manager recommending that the City Council conduct a public hearing
under the guidelines set forth by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 26,
Protection of Public Parks and Recreational Lands; find that no feasible or
prudent alternative exists for the location of the proposed gas pipeline for Trinity
Park; find that the proposed gas pipeline includes all reasonable planning to
minimize harm to the park land; close the public hearing and authorize the City
Manager to convert approximately 0.252 acres of dedicated parkland for a
pipeline easement to bore a 24-inch gas pipeline in Trinity Park, being a portion
of land in Tract No. 1, a portion of the George Shields Survey and Block No. 42
of the Edwards Hein's Addition, Tarrant County, Texas; authorize the execution
of a License Agreement with Texas Midstream Gas Services for improvements
at a value equal to or greater than the assessed $24,113.69 License Agreement
fee; and authorize the acceptance of License Agreement fee $24,113.69 in-lieu-
of park improvements.
Charles Dreyfus Mr. Charles Dreyfus, 2416 Park Place, appeared before Council in support of
this issue. He reiterated the importance of ensuring verbal agreements were
written explicitly in the M&C and contract. He addressed the many pipelines
within the City and the impact to future commuter rail systems and stated that a
review at road crossings granted from Dirks Road and Benbrook Boulevard
almost to Berry Street, to see if the City was precluding the rail stations from
being affected.
Linda Hanratty Ms. Linda Hanratty, 4236 Oak Park Court, representing the League of Women
Voters, appeared before Council in opposition of this issue. She quoted a letter
from the League as follows:
"The League of Women Voters of Tarrant County, in accordance with our
position on gas pipelines, urges you (the City Council) to place a moratorium on
the approval of any new gas pipeline easements within the City until a plan is
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 15 of 20
developed with recommended routes for new pipelines. Approving them on a
case-by-case basis without a plan in place jeopardizes future city development
including new rail stations and mixed-use development. Such a plan could
ensure that gas pipelines are not placed in hazardous areas."
Council Member Burdette stated that he found it difficult that any of the gas
companies doing business within the City were foolish enough to think the
Council would be hoodwinked into approving something, and then the company
do something different. He agreed that the Council did need to obtain more
information on this issue. He pointed out that putting this pipeline along an
existing railway right-of-way was a benefit for the City as it allowed for the gas
to be transported out of the City through an existing right-of-way without having
to disrupt the City streets.
Council Member Davis stated that this was about two distinct issues. The first
was the impact to Trinity Park and the City Manager's concern to craft an M&C
that recognized the protections that the City wanted to put in place in terms of
surface impact. She stated that she had spoken with the Law Department about
paragraph 3 of the M&C and she had some questions and concerns on the
language. She pointed out however, that the larger issue was the placement of
the gas pipelines. She added that in this particular instance, the City would
allow an easement for a pipeline under a park without a full understanding of
where the pipeline went north and south of this location. She also expressed
confusion with paragraph 2 of the M&C that stated "...no feasible or prudent
alternative..." existed without understanding where the pipeline was going north
or south, because only an understanding of that would help the City determine if
alternatives existed for its placement in the park. She stated that the possible
impacts were beyond the planning for the rail stations of the Trinity Railway
Express or neighborhood communities. She added that this needed to be a
cooperative process and that it was very important the City obtain as much
information as possible. She concluded her comments by requesting that staff in
the future provide very specific language relative to the factors used to determine
if alternatives did or did not exist for proposed gas pipelines. She stated that she
would continue this issue for one month, but was advised by City Secretary
Hendrix that the Council meeting of November 13 and 20 had been canceled.
Council Member Davis then stated that she would recommend continuance of
this issue to the November 27, 2007, Council meeting.
Kent Wilkerson Mr. Kent Wilkerson, 301 N. Commerce Street, Suite 600, appeared before
Council in support of the easement. He stated that he did not have opposition
with this item being continued until November 27, 2007.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 16 of 20
Mayor Moncrief recognized other individuals who did not wish to speak at this
time:
Daniel Junk Daniel Junk 17106 Chestnut Creek Court, Spring, TX
Stephen Johnson Stephen Johnson 5601 East First Street
There being no one else present desiring to be heard in connection with the
public hearing, Council Member Davis made a motion, seconded by Council
Member Silcox, that Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14415 be
continued until the November 27, 2007, Council meeting. The motion carried
unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
Public Hearing It appeared that the City Council set today as the date for a public hearing to
L-14416 authorize conversion of approximately 0.594 acres of The Vineyards at Heritage
Convert Parkland Park for use of a pipeline easement to transport natural gas and authorize
for Pipeline execution of a License Agreement with the Texas Mobile Pipeline Company.
Easement to Mayor Moncrief opened the public hearing and asked if there was anyone
Transport Natural present desiring to be heard.
Gas—
Continued Until
October 30, 2007 Mr. David Creek, Park Planning Superintendent for the Parks and Community
Services Department, appeared before Council, gave a staff report, requested
that, after any citizen comments, the public hearing be continued until the
October 30, 2007, Council meeting and called attention to Mayor and Council
Communication No. L-14416, as follows:
There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14416 from the
City Manager recommending that the City Council conduct a public hearing
under the guidelines set forth by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 26,
Protection of Public Parks and Recreational Lands; find that there is no feasible
or prudent alternative to transporting gas in a pipeline from underneath The
Vineyards at Heritage Park; find that the proposed gas pipeline includes all
reasonable planning to minimize harm to the park land; close the public hearing
and authorize the City Manager to convert approximately 0.594 acres of
parkland for use as a natural gas pipeline easement in The Vineyards at Heritage
Park, being a tract of land situated in the John Edmonds Survey, Abstract No.
457, Tarrant County, Texas; authorize the execution of a License Agreement
with Texas Mobile Pipeline Company for improvements at a value equal to or
greater than the assessed $22,643.25 License Agreement Fee; and authorize the
acceptance of the License Agreement Fee valued at $22,643.25 in-lieu-of park
improvements.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 17 of 20
There being no one present desiring to be heard in connection with the public
hearing, Council Member Espino made a motion, seconded by Mayor Pro tem
Hicks, that Mayor and Council Communication No. L-14416 be continued until
the October 30, 2007, Council meeting. The motion carried unanimously nine
(9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
Mayor Moncrief stated that residents would be surprised with the number of gas
pipelines that currently exist within the City and pointed out that the product in
the pipelines needed to be transported in some form. He requested that City
Manager Boswell provide the Council with a map of the City that reflected
locations of current pipelines operating within the City limits.
Council Member Silcox stated that the public needed to the educated on the
placement of pipelines within the City to ensure they received an understanding
of gas well pipeline placement and locations.
C-22460 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22460 from the
Wilson and City Manager recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager
Stonaker, LLC to enter into a Unified Sign Agreement with Wilson and Stonaker, LLC, for the
Landmark Quebec Retail Development in the 6600 and 6700 blocks of
Northwest Loop 820.
William Stonaker Mr. William Stonaker, 325 Miron, Suite 110, Southlake, Texas, the developer
for this project, appeared before Council in support of this agreement. He
summarized his plans for the development for the Council and advised of the
number of signs that had been eliminated and the number of signs that would be
on the property and their locations and requested favorable consideration.
Council Member Davis stated she had an opportunity to meet with the sign
company representative to express her unhappiness with the electronic
messaging portion of part of the unified signs that would be used. She pointed
out that it was her understanding that this was significantly better in terms of the
amount of signage allowed otherwise. She stated that company was going from
a total allowable 89 detached signs and a total sign square footage of 9,699
square feet to a total of 31 detached signs and a square footage of 5,458 square
feet, a sign reduction of 65 percent. She stated that the reduction was significant
and she would support this issue.
Council Member Burdette stated that the developer had worked very closely
with the City for a number of years on various aspects of this project. He added
that the development would be a very fine commercial development and a
benefit to the City.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 18 of 20
Council Member Davis made a motion, seconded by Council Member Burdette,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22460 be adopted. The motion
carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
C-22461 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22461 from the
Wilson and City Manager recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager
Stonaker, LLC to enter into a Unified Sign Agreement with Wilson and Stonaker, LLC, for the
Lone Star Business Park Development in the 6700 block of Northwest Loop 820.
Council Member Davis made a motion, seconded by Council Member Burdette,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22461 be adopted. The motion
carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
C-22471 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22471 from the
Change Order No. City Manager recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager
2 to CSC No. 35501 to execute Change Order No. 2 to City Secretary Contract No. 35501 with
- Conatser Conatser Construction of Texas, L.P., for water and sanitary sewer relocations
Construction of for SH-121T (Southwest Parkway), Parts 1, 5 and 7A (City Project No. 00204)
Texas, L.P. in the amount of $176,867.00 thereby increasing the contract amount to
$3,607,695.00.
Council Member Silcox made a motion, seconded by Council Member Davis,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22471 be approved. The motion
carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
C-22472 There was presented Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22472 from the
Renew Agreement City Manager recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager
with Fort Worth to execute a renewal of the Interlocal Agreement with the Fort Worth
Independent Independent School District for the City to provide a School Attendance Court to
School District adjudicate Fort Worth Independent School District truancy cases; and authorize
the City Manager to accept reimbursement from the Fort Worth Independent
School District in the amount of $685,015.00 for all personnel and other costs
related to the operation of the above-mentioned School Attendance Court in FY
2007-2008.
Council Member Moss advised that he had filed a Conflict of Interest Affidavit
with the City Secretary and would abstain from voting on this issue.
Council Member Davis made a motion, seconded by Council Member Silcox,
that Mayor and Council Communication No. C-22472 be approved. The motion
carried unanimously eight (8) ayes to zero (0) nays, with one abstention by
Council Member Moss.
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23, 2007
PAGE 19 of 20
AGENDA ITEM XIVA — ZONING HEARINGS: CASES RECOMMENDED FOR
APPROVAL
ZC-07-155 It appeared that the City Council, at its meeting of October 16, 2007, continued
Continued Until the hearing of the application of Crockett Realty, L.P., for a change in zoning of
October 30, 2007 property located at 303 and 307 Crump Street from "J" Medium Industrial and
'THSE" Medium Industrial/Highly Significant Endangered Historic Overlay to
"H" Central Business and "H/HSE" Central Business/Highly Significant
Endangered Historic Overlay, Zoning Docket No. ZC-07-155. Mayor Moncrief
opened the public hearing and asked if there was anyone present desiring to be
heard.
There being no one present desiring to be heard in connection with the
application of Crockett Realty, L.P., Council Member Davis made a motion,
seconded by Council Member Silcox, that Zoning Docket No. ZC-07-155 be
continued until the October 30, 2007, Council meeting. The motion carried
unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.
Agenda Item XV Mayor Moncrief acknowledged Mr. Joe Don Brandon, 1415 East Lancaster, as
Citizen desiring to address the Council relative to a 24/7 community labor hall; however,
Presentations Mr. Brandon was not present in the Council Chamber.
Joe Don Brandon
Agenda Item XVI It was the consensus of the City Council that they recess into Executive Session
Executive Session at 12:04 p.m. to:
1. Seek the advice of its attorneys concerning the following pending or
contemplated litigation or other matters that are exempt from public
disclosure under Article X, Section 9 of the Texas State Bar Rules as
authorized by Section 551.071 of the Texas Government Code:
a) City of Fort Worth v. Charles Martinez, Cause No. B30403-99;
b) City of Fort Worth v. Charlie S. Martinez, Jr., and Magdalena S.
Martinez, Trustee for the Charlie S. Martinez, Jr., Trust, Cause
No. 141-218224-06;
c) Legal issues concerning any item listed on today's City Council
meeting agendas; and
CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 23,2007
PAGE 20 of 20
2. Deliberate the purchase, sale, lease, or value of real property in
accordance with Section 551.072 of the Texas Government Code.
Deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the
position of the City in negotiations with a third party; and
3. Deliberate concerning economic development negotiations as authorized
by Section 551.087 of the Texas Government Code; and
4. Deliberate the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation, of
security personnel or devices, in accordance with Section 551.076 of the
Texas Government Code.
5. Deliberate personnel matters related to the appointment of a City
Manager in accordance with Section 551.074 of the Texas Government
Code.
Reconvened The City Council reconvened into regular session at 1:10 p.m.
Agenda Item XVII There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:15 p.m. in
Adjournment memory of Mr. William"Bill" Sarsgard.
These minutes approved by the Fort Worth City Council on the 30th day of
October, 2007.
Attest: Approved:
NMaHendrix Michael ncri
City Secretary Mayor