Live Blog: Thursday’s city council meetings (March 22)

By Colin Killian, Public Communications Manager

Welcome to our live blog from the College Station City Council’s workshop and regular meetings on Thursday, March 22. It’s not the official minutes.

The meetings can be watched live on Suddenlink channel 19 or online. An archive of previous council meetings is available on the website.

• Complete agendas and background materials
• Previous city council meeting blogs

5:37 p.m.

The workshop has started. No action was taken out of executive session.

6:03 p.m.

Consent Agenda Discussion

The council will vote on items listed on the consent agenda during tonight’s regular meeting. Councilmembers pulled these consent items for workshop discussion:

• Easterwood Mutual Aid Agreement: The mutual aid agreement with Easterwood Airport provides aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment response and joint use of the fire station at the airport.
• Easterwood Inter-Local Agreement: The inter-local agreement with the Texas A&M University System will allow the College Station Fire Department to continue to operate out of Fire Station No. 4 and also sets fees for CSFD to provide aircraft rescue and firefighting services to Easterwood Airport. The airport will pay the city $211,368 annually through 2020.
• Naming of Arts Council Building: The proposal it to re-name the Arts Council Building as the Bob and Wanda Meyer Senior Community Center. 

Here’s the PowerPoint presentation:

• Fire Code Amendment: The amendment to the city’s fire code would allow law enforcement and fire officials to temporarily suspend a certificate of occupancy for 24 hours for establishments that are overcrowded or are in violation of life safety codes.
• Certificates of Obligation: This item would direct publication of notice of intention to issue certificates of obligation, series 2018, and provide an effective date. The certificates issued will be used to fund street, public facilities, electric, water and wastewater projects, and pay debt issuance costs. The maximum amount of Certificates of Obligation indebtedness that may be authorized is $55 million.
• Ringer Library Construction:  The Larry J. Ringer Library Expansion Project was approved by voters in 2008. The $6.07 contract with Aklam Construction.  The project includes a 12,000-square-foot addition and the renovation of the existing 16,000-square-foot building. The expansion consists of a large program room and a more substantial children’s area, along with parking improvements. The library is expected to remain open during the 15 months of construction, with periodic closures based on the project’s phasing.

6:16 p.m.

Impact Fee Credit Policy

The council heard a presentation on a policy for credits to impact fees. Impact fees for water, wastewater, and roadways took effect in December 2016. The initial one-year grace period expired in December 2017, and requests have since been made for impact fee credits.

When a developer installs infrastructure that improves system capacity, it may be appropriate to credit the cost of that infrastructure against its impact fees. The draft impact fee policy strives to balance being fair to developers and not undermining the premise of impact fees, which is to raise revenue for system improvements.

Staff will meet with the development community and solicit its feedback, consider their comments, and revise the draft policy as needed before bringing it back to the council to consider adoption.

Here’s the PowerPoint presentation:

6:20 p.m.

Mayor Mooney adjourned the workshop after the council discussed its calendar and received committee reports. The regular meeting will start momentarily.

6:27 p.m.

The regular meeting has started.

6:35 p.m.

Hear Visitors

Two people spoke during Hear Visitors when citizens might address the council on any item that doesn’t appear on the posted agenda.

• Councilman James Benham recognized Army 1st Lt. Ryan T. Sanders as part of the Fallen Heroes Memorial program. The 27-year-old College Station native died June 4, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his tank in Baghdad, Iraq.
• Hugh Stearn asked that neighborhood residents be given equal time to developers when development proposals are brought before the council.

6:47 p.m.

Consent Agenda

The council voted unanimously to approve these items on the consent agenda:

• An inter-local mutual aid agreement with (Easterwood Airport regarding aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment response and joint use of the fire station at the airport.
• An inter-local agreement with the Texas A&M University System to allow CSFD to continue to operate out of Fire Station No. 4 and sets fees for CSFD to provide aircraft rescue and firefighting services to Easterwood Airport.
• An agreement with the Rotary Club of College Station and College Station Noon Lions Club for the development of the Fun For All Playground at Central Park.
• A $1.08 million contract with Musco Sports Lighting for athletic field LED lighting upgrades at the Bachmann Park soccer fields and the Beachy Central Park softball fields.
• An amendment to the city’s fire code that allows fire and law enforcement officials to temporarily suspend a certificate of occupancy for a 24-hour period for overcrowding.
• A resolution directing publication of notice of intention to issue certificates of obligation, series 2018, and providing an effective date.
• Amended the posted speed limit on Holleman Drive South between Rock Prairie Road West and North Dowling Road to 30 mph during the Holleman Drive South Widening Project.
• An inter-local agreement with the Wellborn Special Utility District for reimbursement of construction costs of Wellborn water line relocations necessary for construction of the Holleman South Widening Project.
• A $220,759.22 change order to the Lincoln Recreation Center construction contract with JaCody, Inc.
• Renewal of landscape maintenance contracts with Green Teams and Grassmasters totaling $952,946.
• A $6.07 million contract with Acklam Construction for construction of the Larry J. Ringer Library Expansion Project.
• A license agreement with Angel Hermanos, Ltd., a Texas Limited Partnership regarding a 300-square-foot encroachment of a sign within the public utility easement in the L.O. Ball Memorial Subdivision.

This consent item was voted on separately:

• The council voted unanimously to rename the Arts Council Building on Colgate Drive as the Bob and Wanda Meyer Community Center. 

6:57 p.m.

Annexation Public Hearing

The council conducted the second public hearing on the proposed annexation of about 65 acres near Rock Prairie Road West, Holleman Drive South, and North Graham Road.

Here’s the PowerPoint presentation:

7:01 p.m.

Apache Corporation Mineral Lease

The council voted unanimously to award a bid and enter into a mineral lease with Apache Corporation for oil, gas and related hydrocarbons on city-owned land at the Carter Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and at the electric substation near Switch Station Road. The city will receive royalty payments and a lease bonus subject to the terms of the lease.

The mineral interests were advertised in January and received one sealed bid from Apache. The company has provided information showing that the drilling pad and facilities for the well sites will be located outside the city limits and that operations will not occur on the surface of the city-owned lease tracts.

Here’s the PowerPoint presentation:

7:04 p.m.

The council discussed and reviewed future agenda items.

The council thanked City Manager Kelly Templin for his service. Tonight was Templin’s final council meeting.

7:04 p.m.

Mayor Mooney adjourned the meeting. The council meets again on Thursday, April 12.

About the Blogger

Colin Killian (@ColinKillian) has been with the City of College Station since 2010 after serving 23 years as associate media relations director for the Texas A&M Athletics Department. Killian has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Lewisville News. A native of Hobbs, N.M., he graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism/political science.

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March 22, 2018 | Categories: City Council, Public Communications | Tags: annexation, apache, arts council building, Bob Meyer, Council Meetings, Easterwood, fire codes, impact fees, mineral rights, oil & gas development | Leave a comment