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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin 8_27_2002 CC-RThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor Gary Nelon presiding. Council Present: Council Absent: Llorente Navarrette, Gabe Sansing, Doug Smith, All Council Present Jack Noble, Sam Pfiester, Farley Snell, Ken Evans Staff Present: Tom Yantis, Interim City Manager; Patricia E. Carls, City Attorney; Sandra D. Lee, City Secretary; Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations; Bobby Ray, Chief Current Planner; Micki Rundell, Director of Finance and Administration; Ed Polasek, Chief Long -Range Planner; Glenn Dishong, j Water/Wastewater Services Manager; Mark Miller, Street Superintendent; Anthony Lincoln, Fire Chief; Melissa McCallum, Development Planner; Cathy Leloux, Municipal Court Clerk; Travis McLain, Airport Manager 4 There was no Policy Development/Review Workshop at this meeting. Items A through D were designated for Executive Session, but there was no Executive Session held at this meeting. Regular Session At 5:45 p.m. a Bluegrass group, "Hard to Make a Living," played music for the audience and promoted the Bluegrass Festival to be held in Georgetown on the Labor Day Weekend. Called to order at 6:05 p.m E Comments from the dais regarding the following items: Opening Comments and Welcome to Audience -- Mayor Gary Nelon Nelon recognized Jim Briggs who presented a gift of appreciation to Tom Yantis who served the City as Interim City Manager since January. Proclamation for Bluegrass Festival to be held on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, August 31 thru Monday, September 2, 2002 Nelon read the proclamation and presented it to John Hood and Jimmy Simms of the Georgetown Opry. F Announcements and Comments from City Manager Upcoming Events Yantis announced that the Central Texas Visioning Project Meeting will be held on September 13, at 7:30 a.m. at the Austin Convention Center Late- Breaking Headlines Yantis announced, beginning on September 10, the City Council will be meeting in various locations around the City while the Council Chamber building undergoes renovations. He announced that the City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 1 of 12 Pages next Council Meeting on Tuesday, September 10, will be held at the Sun City Ballroom, 2 Texas Drive, Georgetown Mayor announced that Items U -3 and U -4 were pulled from this agenda for a future agenda. G Council Calendar Council Workshop and Executive Session on Monday, September 9, 2002, at 4:00 p.m., to be held at Development Services, 904 Main, Georgetown Regular Council Meeting on Tuesday, September 10, 2002, at 6:00 p.m., to be held at the Sun City Ballroom, 2 Texas Drive, Georgetown H Citizens Wishing to Address the Council and Responses from Councilmembers and /or Staff, if appropriate Frank L. Hubbard, 1 007 Pine, regarding the "accidental" tree removal at the Rivery Development Hubbard said he represents disc golf. He said he hopes that the disc golf course designed on the Rivery Park land will contain enough trees to create a corridor to contain the discs down a controlled pathway. He said he is concerned about the number of trees that were removed. Nelon asked Yantis to update Council on the issue. Yantis said there was accidental removal of trees near the disc golf course. He said the contractor will submit a plan that shows the trees that will be replaced. There will be a value assigned to the trees that were lost and the City will receive full value in trees and cash. B. Keith Peshak, 800 Oak Crest Lane, regarding Airport Director letter of 8/7/02 and other issues of concern. Peshak said there is a problem with security at the airport. He displayed a flyer that was distributed recently at the airport. R. L. Quinn, from the audience, said he is responsible for having distributed the flyers. Peshak read a memo from Airport Manager Travis McLain. He talked further about the Airport Security Committee and suggested ideas to take care of the airport security issue. Action from Executive Session Motion by Smith, second by Evans to approve additional legal services funding of $1500 to Bickerstaff, Heath for additional services related to recall and redistricting and $5500 to Vinson and Elkins for additional Human Resources issues. Sansing asked for a report in the future regarding the amount being paid to outside counsel. Approved 4 -3. (Navarrette, Noble and Sansing opposed) Statutory Consent Agenda J Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes of the Special Council Meetings on Wednesday, August 7, Thursday, August 8, and Tuesday, August 13, 2002, regarding the Unified Development Code, the minutes of the Workshop on Monday, August 12, 2002, and the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 -- Sandra Lee, City Secretary Smith noted two corrections to the minutes of the Specail Council Meetings on August 7 and 8, and August 13. K Consideration of approval of a resolution authorizing funding agreements between the City of Georgetown and Capital Area Rural Transportation System, Georgetown Community Clinic, The Caring Place, Georgetown Information and Volunteer Exchange Inc., Habitat for Humanity, Literacy Council of Williamson County, Senior Center at Stonehaven, The Georgetown Project, Williamson- Burnet County Opportunities Inc., Williamson County and Cities Health District, and Williamson County Crisis Center, and for these agencies and organizations to continue to provide services for the citizens of Georgetown -- Tom Yantis L Consideration and possible action regarding reducing the monthly rental rate for the land lease with the Georgetown Healthcare System for the Central Texas Treatment Center -- Terry Jones, Purchasing Director and Tom Yantis, Interim City Manager M Consideration and possible action to authorize the Mayor to execute a contract for legal services with the City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 2 of 12 Pages firm of Brown and Carls -- Tom Yantis Pfiester commended Carls and said this is the second year of the contract, noting that this is a change from the way it was formerly handled. He said this is a saving of $100,000 over the cost of in -house legal services. N Consideration of an authorization of expenditures to The Waters Consulting Group, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $20,000 for compensation consulting services -- Carla Bourland, Human Resources Director and Tom Yantis, Interim City Manager O Consideration and possible action for an award of bid for heating, ventilation and air conditioning HVAC) maintenance services to YPS Service Company in the estimated annual amount of $35,205.00 -- Terry Jones, Purchasing Director and Micki Rundell, Director of Finance and Administration P Contracts and Agreements 1. Consideration and possible action to approve a Licensing Agreement with Williamson County for Communications Attachments to City Electric Utility Facilities -- Mike Mayben, Energy Services Manager and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations 2. Consideration and possible action to approve a contract with Williamson County in the amount of 60,000.00 for rural fire protection services Anthony Lincoln, Director of Fire Services Division Snell asked and Lincoln explained how the figure of $60,000 was derived. Q Consideration and possible action to approve a resolution supporting the passage of enabling legislation for photographic red light enforcement in the 78th Texas Legislature -- David E. Morgan, Chief of Police Pfiester confirmed with Morgan that this is not actual implementation. Morgan explained that legislation is needed to allow enforcement in Texas. R Quit Claim Deeds 1. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the City Attorney to issue a Quit Claim Deed to be filed abandoning a fifteen (15) foot Public Utility Easement in Lot 1, Block 1, of a Resubdivision of Williamsburg Village, Amended, located at 3010 Williams Drive -- James G. Babcock, Development Technician and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Development Services 2. Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution authorizing the City Attorney to issue a Quit Claim Deed to be filed abandoning the Perpetual Access Easement of a portion of Block 66 of the Lost Addition, located at 1112 Rock Street -- Bobby Ray, Chief Current Planner and Amelia Songeroth, Director of Development Services S Public Review Final Plats 1. Consideration and possible action on a Public Review Final Plat for 3.123 acres out of the Nicholas Porter Survey, to be known as Ryan's Cove, located 191 feet from the intersection of Janis Drive and Northwest Boulevard -- Melissa McCollum, Development Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services 2. Consideration and possible action on a Public Review Final Plat for 86.708 acres out of the Burrell Eaves Survey, to be known as Sun City Georgetown, Neighborhood 14 A and B, and located on Sun City Boulevard -- Melissa McCollum, Development Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services 3. Consideration and possible action on Public Hearing for a Public Review Final Plat of 12.39 acres out of the William Addison Survey, to be known as University Park, Unit Two, Section 1, Phase B, located on the East side of Southwestern Boulevard -- Melissa McCollum, Development Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services Motion by Pfiester, second by Smith to approve the Consent Agenda with the corrections to the minutes. Approved 7 -0. City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 3 of 12 Pages Legislative Regular Agenda T Second Readings 1. Second reading of an ordinance of the City of Georgetown, Texas, adopting a Drought Contingency Plan; establishing criteria for the initiation and termination of drought response stages; establishing restrictions on certain water uses; establishing penalties for the violation of and provision for enforcement of these restrictions; establishing procedures for granting variances; and providing severability and an effective date -- Glenn Dishong, Water/Wastewater Services Manager and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations Dishong read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Della Green, 1901 Vine Street, thanked Councilmember Evans for paving her street. She spoke to Council about the variances to be included in the ordinance, saying she has difficulty keeping her yard watered and has to water "extra" on the edges of her property that are adjacent to vacant land. She said Item U -3 was published as a public hearing and she said she feels the item cannot be pulled from discussion. Carls said the same people will be notified when it is rescheduled. Motion by Evans, second by Smith to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -49 on second reading. Approved 7 -0. 2. Second reading on an ordinance providing for the annexation into the City of 34.55 acres, more or less, in the Burrell Eaves Survey, located north Sun City Boulevard, to be known as Neighborhood 14 A & B, Sun City Texas -- Ed Polasek, Chief Long -Range Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Development Services Polasek read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Motion by Noble, second by Sansing to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -50 on second reading. Approved 7 -0, 3. Second Reading of an ordinance rezoning a total of 86.708 acres, out of the Burrell Eaves Survey, being 34.555 acres, from A, Agricultural to RP, Residential Planned, or more restrictive district, and 52.153 acres, from RP, Residential Planned, to RP, Residential Planned Revised, or more restrictive district, to be known as Sun City Georgetown, Neighborhood 14 A and B, and located on Sun City Boulevard -- Melissa McCollum, Development Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services McCollum read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Motion by Pfiester, second by Sansing to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -51 on second reading. Approved 7 -0. 4. Second reading on an ordinance providing for the annexation into the City of 1.02 acres, more or less, in the Williams Addison Survey, located at the southeast corner of Summercrest Subdivision, to be known as Summercrest Water Quality Pond -- Ed Polasek, Chief Long -Range Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Development Services Polasek read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Motion by Smith, second by Evans to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -52 on second reading. Approved 7 -0. 5. Second reading of an ordinance to add Chapter 4.42 "Municipal Court Collection Service and Fee" relating to the City's authority to contract for the collection of debts to be paid to Municipal Court and to charge an additional fee for the collection of debts -- Cathy Leloux, Municipal Court Clerk and Micki Rundell, Director of Finance and Administration Leloux read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Motion by Evans, second by Noble to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -53 on second reading. Approved 7 -0. 6. Second reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 10.16 of the Code of Ordinances to establish No Parking zones on Tenth Street, between Ash and Elm Streets; directing the City Manager to erect appropriate signs indicating such zones -- Mark Miller, Transportation Services Manager and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations Miller read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Motion by Navarrette, second by City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 4 of 12 Pages Evans to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -54 on second reading. Approved 7 -0. 7. Second reading of an ordinance amending the Georgetown Code of Ordinances, Section 12.10.160.A.12, related to the prohibition of signs within ten feet of the public way -- Anthony Lincoln, Fire Chief Lincoln read only the caption of the ordinance on second reading. Sansing and Navarrette expressed concern about the special issues. Sansing said he doesn't support a cluster of signs for one project, but said he thinks signs that help someone make a living should be allowed. Yantis explained there still is not a resolution for church signs. Smith said he doesn't believe signs set up in the morning and taken down in the afternoon would be reported or come to the attention of code enforcement. Yantis explained that the rules in the ordinance are the same as before, but there is a change to the way the ordinance is enforced, addressing the placement of the signs and the distance from the road edge. He said the types of signs will be revisited with the adoption of the Unified Development Code. Motion by Evans, second by Smith to approve Ordinance No. 2002 -55 on second reading. Approved 5 -2. (Noble and Sansing opposed) U Public Hearings and First Readings of Rezoning Ordinances 1. Public Hearing to consider rezoning a total of, 251 acres, out of the Lost Addition, Block 66, from RP, Residential Planned to RM -3, Office & Service Use, or more restrictive district, located at 1112 Rock Street -- Bobby Ray, Chief Current Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services Ray explained the item. Nelon opened the public hearing at 6:49 p.m. and asked for comments. There were no comments. The public hearing was closed at 6:50 p.m. 2. First Reading of an ordinance rezoning . 251 acres, out of the Lost Addition, Block 66 from RP, Residential Planned to RM -3, Office & Service Use, or more restrictive district, located at 1112 Rock Street -- Bobby Ray, Chief Current Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services Ray read only the caption of the ordinance after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter. Motion by Sansing, second by Smith to approve the ordinance on first reading. Approved 7 -0. 3. Public Hearing for rezoning 1.044 acres, described as Block B of the South San Gabriel Urban Renewal Tract and .45 acres, described as Lot 1, Block C of the South San Gabriel Urban Renewal Tract from RM -2, Dense Multi - Family District to C -1, Local Commercial District, or more restrictive district, located on the south side of West University Avenue (SH29) between Scenic Drive and Railroad Street to be known as Wendy's Restaurant; and, approval of access from both Scenic Drive and Railroad Street -- Bobby Ray, Chief Current Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services This item was rescheduled for the Council Agenda on September 24, 2002. 4. First Reading of an ordinance rezoning 1.044 acres, described as Block B of the South San Gabriel Urban Renewal Tract and .45 acres, described as Lot 1, Block C of the South San Gabriel Urban Renewal Tract from RM -2, Dense Multi - Family District to C -1, Local Commercial District, or more restrictive district, located on the south side of West University Avenue (SH29) between Scenic Drive and Railroad Street to be known as Wendy's Restaurant; and, approval of access from both Scenic Drive and Railroad Street -- Bobby Ray, Chief Current Planner and Amelia Sondgeroth, Director of Planning and Development Services This item was rescheduled for the Council Agenda on September 24, 2002. V First Reading of an Ordinance ordering a Special Election to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2002, for the purpose of proposing a one - quarter (1/4) cent increase in the current city sales tax to provide revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets; establishing procedures for said election; and authorizing the Mayor to sign a contract with the Williamson County Voter Registrar for administration of said election -- Sandra D. Lee, City Secretary Yantis read the ordinance in its entirety. City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 5 of 12 Pages Della Green, 1901 Vine Street, said she doesn't think this is a good time to raise the sales tax. She said she thought the sales tax increase last year should have gone to street maintenance instead of new highways. She said the economy is bad now and the garbage rate is also going to be increased. Evans asked Rundell to explain this tax increase and the last one. Rundell explained that last May, the City voted in a 1/2 cent sales tax increase for transportation projects. She said those funds can only be used on new road construction. She said the legislature last year gave cities the ability to increase their sales tax by one - quarter cent for maintenance and repair of existing city streets. She said the tax has a sunset provision, saying at the end of four years, the tax will "go away" unless reaffirmed by the community. Evans confimed with Rundell that the City has been allocating approximately $800,000 for street maintenance, which he said has not been adequate to "keep up" with the repairs. Keith Peshak, 800 Oak Crest Lane, said the government says "we" are the highest cost of living increase of anywhere in the nation. He said he has received a notice that his hangar rent is going up by 5 %. He gave his opinion of why he thinks taxes are being increased. Snell said he is in favor of the tax increase, but the citizens should know that this new $800,000 expected revenue could replace the previous allocation for streets and that money could be used for something else. Pfiester said this is a way to avoid raising property taxes, and since repair, avoid raising taxes for street maintenance. He said he compensate public safety employees by using the money from thi money that was originally allocated to street repair to compensate this tax will be paid not only by Georgetown residents, but also buying hamburgers, etc. He said this tax would help public safety City would still have the lowest tax rate in the area. this money is being designated to street felt this is the only way to adequately s tax to repair the roads, and using the public safety employees. He noted that by people driving through Georgetown, employees and repair potholes, and the Motion by Evans, second by Snell to approve the ordinance on first reading. Approved 7 -0. W Consideration and possible action regarding the appointment of Mark Ramsey to the Parks and Recreation Board, Bill Talley and Bill Lipscomb to the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Will Moore as a Planning and Zoning Alternate, Gordon Baker as Chair and Rick Smith as a member of the Economic Development Commission -- Mayor Nelon Mayor Nelon explained the item. Keith Peshak, 800 Oak Crest Lane, said he received a speeding ticket in the park, but the speed limit sign had been removed or knocked down. (Several Councilmembers suggested that Peshak was not speaking in regard to the agenda item, but Peshak said it is the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Department to replace the signs, so he related his comments to the fact that an appointment was made to the Parks and Recreation Board.) He said the Parks Department didn't know that they were responsible to replace the sign. He said he wants the Parks Department to have adequate job descriptions so they know of their responsibilities. Motion by Navarrette, second by Evans to approve the recommended appointments. Approved 6 -1. Sansing opposed) X Items forwarded to Council from Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation 1. Consideration and possible action to approve a resolution expressing official intent to reimburse costs of certain Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation (GTEC) infrastructure projects not to exceed $3,000,000 with proceeds from bonds that will be issued at a later time -- Micki Rundell, Director of Finance and Administration Rundell explained the item. She read the caption of the resolution. Motion by Pfiester, second by Evans to approve the resolution. Approved 7 -0. 2. Consideration and possible action on the recommendation from the Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation (GTEC) regarding bond funding -- Micki Rundell, Director of Finance and Administration City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 6 of 12 Pages Rundell noted that a workshop had been held last night on this item. Motion by Evans, second by Pfiester to approve the recommendation from the GTEC Board to go forward with the certificates of obligation. Approved 7 -0. 3. Consideration and possible action to award the bid and approve the project budget for the construction of the Rivery Bridge, Rivery Boulevard and roadway from Rivery Bridge to Hacias Los Lobos -- Councilmember Sam Pfiester, Chair of the Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation Briggs explained the item and noted that Chasco Construction Company submitted the low bid. He said the project should be completed in one year. Motion by Pfiester, second by Evans to approve the award of bid. Approved 7 -01 7:27 p.m. -- recessed 7:37 p.m. -- resumed Y Georgetown (Municipal Airport 1. Consideration and possible action to determine whether to pursue the construction of an airport tower at the Georgetown Municipal Airport -- Mayor Gary Nelon Richard Farrell, 309 Champions Drive, told Council he lives in Berry Creek and he feels the air traffic has increased and along with the helicopters, has become almost unbearable. He said he feels the control tower will make it worse. Fred List, 444 Logan Ranch Road, said the tower is a "de ja vue" for him. He said in 1988 "it" was the increase in the length to upgrade the airport classification by TXDOT and FAA and "they" said it was not done as expanding the airport, but it was done for safety. He said 1100 people signed a petition not to lengthen the runway, but the Council said that safety was the issue and lengthened the runway anyway. He said the only plane that has crashed in recent years was, in fact, under the control of a control tower at the recent Airshow. He said 9 -11 is coming and nothing has been done about airport security. John Bader, 101 Dogwood Drive, said there has been a lot of incorrect information put out by the people who are against the airport. He gave some statistics. He said an unsafe airport will have a bigger impact on lowering the value of real estate than a controlled airport. He said there needs to be control of the airspace over the airport. He said the tower is more than just visual control because there are also radio communications with the pilots. Myrna Cogan, 319 Champions Drive, said three years ago the activities at the airport were fewer than today. She said today jets and helicopters are using the airport. She said the implementation of a control tower brings in more jets to an airport. Bev Larson, 402 Champions Drive, told Council that early in the morning and late at night there is noise from airplanes and she had not anticipated this when she first moved here. John Cogan, 319 Champions Drive, said noise is the single -most concern facing airports today. He said corporate jets are the loudest kinds of planes. Val Harbolovic, 214 Logan Ranch Road, said she hates the noise that occurred when the airport expansion occurred. She asked the Council to find a way for commerce and the community to live together and prosper. Greg Small, 505 Toledo Trail, told Council he lives three houses down from the vacant house that was hit by an airplane at the Airshow. He said his son learned to fly with Beth Jenkins at Georgetown Airport. He said to find out how much it costs to operate the airport, and if the people at the airport want it to stay, then they should pay for it. Deborah Monticello, 104 Berry Cove, said it's "horrible" to sit outside and listen to all the noise from the airport. She said the only reason a tower is needed is because there are too many airplanes. She objected to the jets landing at midnight and 5:00 a.m. City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 7 of 12 Pages Keith Peshak, 800 Oak Crest Lane, said there has never been any "due diligence" done about whether there should be a control tower at the airport. He said he thinks the control tower is an issue because Sam Pfiester's brother wants a control tower. He said he was told to be sure and have his plane in the air while the count was being done in order to meet the required number. Jeff Gilbert, 3009 Brangus Road, said he can't hear the airport where he lives because of the noise from the interstate. He said the increased traffic at the airport will continue whether there is a tower or not. He said the tower has been supported by the previous and current Airport Advisory Boards, and the tower will be paid for by a grant and a loan from the electric utility fund with a higher interest rate than they could receive elsewhere. He said the grant money comes from a tax on aviation fuel and the tower does not necessarily promote growth but will promote safety. Howard Fomby, 30410 Berry Creek Drive, member of the Airport Board, said hardly anyone has talked about safety. He said he lives in Berry Creek and sees and hears the planes. He said there is no way that this airport could support very many more take -offs and landings. He said he is concerned about who is managing the air traffic. He said he has taken off 30 times at the Georgetown Airport and has had three near misses. He said there is frequently someone breaking the rules and "busting the airspace" at the Georgetown Airport. He asked Council to approve the tower. Steve Johnston, 1905 Northwest Boulevard, said he has to wear ear plugs in his backyard because of the noise. He said he is past Chair of the Airport Advisory Board and recently resigned because of an issue that he thought was not being addressed. He said until Mueller Airport closed, Georgetown Airport had no problems. He said a survey was done when he was Chair and no more than 50 people living in Georgetown and Williamson County use the airport. He asked Council to vote "no" on anything to do with the Airport. He said to start thinking about how to get control of an "unwanted neighbor." Kathryn Heidemann, 407 Golden Oaks, said not to spend any more money on the tower but to spend money on the Master Plan because it is overdue. She said if it really was a safety issue they" would close the airport. Don Dison, 607 Esparada, suggested that Council ignores industry experts and airport advisory members, and "turns their back" on registered professional engineers. George Stevens, President of the Georgetown Aviation Alliance (GAA), said the Alliance was chartered to promote and protect general aviation for the communtiy good. He said the GAA believes the control tower will reduce risk and mitigate noise by ensuring appropriate vectoring of in -bound and out -bound traffic away from sensitive areas. He said the GAA encourages the Council to pursue all grants and consult resources for information. Penny Burt, 3803 Roble Grande Circle, described a new summary from the noise consultant who did the study. James Parker, 30209 Oak Tree Drive, said the issues at the airport are making him become a political activist. He said any further increase in the air traffic will make it intolerable. He said he is concerned about the decrease in his property value. He asked Council to vote "no" and not vote to accept any more funds for the airport. Elizabeth Hunter, 3805 Roble Grande, said she and her neighbors feel the tower is going to increase traffic at the airport. She said she feels the pilots in the community are polarized against the neighborhood. She said she wonders if the tower would be needed if the airport had not exceeded the allowed number of fixed base airplanes. Beth Jenkins, 30205 Hacienda Lane, owner of Pilots Choice Aviation, said she believes the tower will promote safety. She said there is no more room to expand the airport and she doesn't think it the tower will increase the traffic. Thad Putnam, 391 Logan Ranch Road, said if he didn't live under th flight path of the airport he wouldn't be at this meeting. He said to make sure that safety has to do with the citizens and not just the pilots. He suggested moving the airport away from Georgetown, but if that is not feasible, he thinks a control tower would contribute to the safety. He asked if there was a way to control the City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 8 of 12 Pages hours of the airport operations. Bruce King, 524 Esparada, said the more traffic at the airport, the more chance of accidents. Mayor Nelon asked Council to consider all of the information they have received and make a decision tonight. He asked for comments. Pfiester noted that because the City has accepted grants from the state, the rules require that those grants run in perpetuity. He said paying off the grants will not work as per St. Petersburg, Florida. He said he doesn't see justifiable evidence that a control tower will increase traffic. He noted that all property values have been increasing. He said the airport does pay for itself on a cash basis, and is one of the few airports in Texas that can say that. He said it is not practical to try to move the airport because the FAA will not allow it because Georgetown is a general aviation reliever for Austin. He said it is a public safety issue, and the tower could control the noise. He thinks the airport zoning needs to be changed, and there should be no more grants for growth issues such as infrastructure, taxiways, relocation of ramps, or roads, but grants should be considered for maintenance, noise mitigation, and safety. He said the City could gain more control by taking over the hangars that are on 30 -year leases, control the type of business that goes in there, pay off the debt on the airport, and sell or move the 113 T- hangars. He said Council could adopt policies that require businesses not to "rev up" the engines at certain times. He said there should be a tower and a long -term plan that would reduce the number of aircraft. Snell said he doesn't think it is as simple as Pfiester presented it. He said he "tilts" toward voting no" on the tower. Sansing noted that he has been listening to the citizens and has received statements of both pro and con. He said he lives under the flight path. He said most of the people in his district, District 2, accept the responsibility of having purchased a home that happens to be in the flight path of the airport. He said it makes sense to him to apply for government grants, as they are, in fact, paid by aviation fuel tax, and said the airport pays for itself. He said he is aware of a new reliever airport to be built, so Georgetown won't always be a reliever, which will take a lot of traffic away from this airport. He said he thinks a tower will reduce the traffic because small aircraft pilots will find other places to go because they don't like to enter controlled space. He encouraged Council to build hush houses" for some of the facilities on the airport. Smith said the noise does not effect District 3 on the south part of town. He said noise is not an issue with him and he is not interested in aviation, although he does fly commercially. He said he thinks the airport is an attractive amenity and is an economic asset to Georgetown. He said he can appreciate the fact that the noise bothers other people, but is not impressed with the complaints of decreased property values. He said he would like to not take the grant money and thinks it does come out of the pockets of citizens. He said he doesn't believe the airport is fully self- sufficient. He thinks it all comes down to safety. He said he believes a tower would increase safety but would also increase traffic which would decrease safety. He said he thinks the conservative thing to do is to do nothing and is inclined to vote "no" this evening. Noble said he sees no compelling reason for the tower and will vote against it. Evans said District 7 is not bothered by the noise and he recalled that he had said before he was elected that he thought the airport should be moved. He said he was disappointed that Fulton said the airport cannot be moved. He said he feels the Council would be "breaking faith" to the people who have bought homes near the airport if they do anything that would increase activity at the airport, but feels the Council would be "breaking faith" with all citizens if the safety issue were ignored. He said he plans to vote in favor of the tower. Navarrette said District 1 is not directly impacted by noise at the airport but said he ran for this Council to represent all of the citizens in Georgetown. He said, based on the input from the citizens, he doesn't feel the Council should do anything that might possibly increase traffic at the airport. He said he will vote against the tower. Sansing thanked Penny Burt and John Cogan for doing the research and bringing out all of the information. He encouraged them to contact Rep. Chet Edwards. Motion by Snell, second by Navarrette to not pursue the tower. Approved 4 -3. {Evans, Pfiester, City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 9 of 12 Pages and Sansing opposed) 2. Consideration and possible action on the process to select a consultant for the design of the Air Traffic Control Tower at the Georgetown Municipal Airport -- Tom Yantis, Interim City Manager Nelon noted that this item would not be considered by the Council due to the vote on the previous item, but would hear the public that had signed up to speak. Howard Fomby, 30410 Berry Creek Drive, suggested the use of local people in Georgetown for consultants at the airport. Jeff Gilbert, 3009 Brangus Road, reiterated Fomby's comment about using local consultants. Keith Peshak, 800 Oak Crest Lane, said he thinks the Council will bring this item back for consideration again. He suggested if the issue is brought back, to use a tower that some other airport is trying to get rid of. 3. Consideration and possible action to authorize the Mayor to certify the Noise Exposure Map documents for the Georgetown Municipal Airport F.A.R. Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study -- Travis McLain, Airport Manager and Tom Yantis, Interim City Manager Keith Peshak, 800 Oak Crest Lane, showed Council the noise map and the noise data from the Noise Study. He demonstrated with an electronic sound that he said was the amount of noise that was measured. Howard Fomby, 30410 Berry Creek Drive, said he knows how much work Sam Pfiester has done on this issue and said Pfiester has shown a tremendous amount of bravery and intelligence in his deliberations. He said Penny Burt keeps making the comment that she bought her house based on the promises that the airport wouldn't grow. He said in cerfifying the noise study there will be a definite idea of what the noise "looks like." He said it is a very important process to go through. He said he encourages everyone to be responsible. Nelon explained that the study is being funded by an FAA grant, and if the Council should decide not to do it, the City will have to pay to mitigate noise. Penny Burt, 3803 Roble Grande Circle, said she was misquoted by Fomby. She said what she had said was that when she bought her property, she relied on the zoning. She said she has lived here for 20 years, and the real estate broker had said the airport would not grow. She said she was told the airport was zoned "residential single - family" for the purpose of keeping the airport small. Beth Jenkins, 30205 Hacienda Lane, asked for Penny Burt to answer whether she voted for the noise study or the tower when she was on the airport board. Burt confirmed that she asked only for an updated master plan. Val Harbolovic, 214 Logan Ranch Road, said she would have to advise anyone who might want to purchase her home about the noise study. Howard Burt, 3803 Roble Grande Circle, said the City had a chance to buy a hush house for half a million dollars but it was designed for the F -4. He said each house is designed for a specific aircraft. He said he doesn't believe the noise mitigation works. Della Green, 1901 Vine Street, said her sister lives two blocks from old Mueller Airport. She said the citizens lobbied for 20 years to move that airport. She told about the efforts of the citizens of Austin to move the airport. She said somewhere down the line the City will have to do a noise study. Kathryn Heidemann, 407 Golden Oaks Drive, said the noise study doesn't consider helicopters. She said a landing fee should be enacted to pay for the Master Plan. Fred List, 444 Logan Ranch Road, said he was on the F.A.R. Part 150 Study Committee. He read his comments concerning the Study. City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 10 of 12 Pages James Parker, 30209 Oak Tree Drive, asked Peshak about his noise demonstration and asked Council to investigate what "baggage" comes with certifying the noise study. He encouraged Council to wait until they get all the facts. John Bader, 101 Dogwood Drive, said he thinks the perception of the noise level demonstrated by Peshak would be different outside . He commended Pfiester on his previous comments. He said the consultants are following all the rules. He agreed that there will be some properties that will be adversely affected by the noise study. He said we need to define the airport sensifive areas so homebuyers will know what they are buying. John Cogan, 319 Champions Drive, encouraged Council to vote against the noise study. He said he believes there is more leverage now than 20 years from now because it is negotiable. He read some statistics from the Noise Study. Bev Larson, 402 Champions Drive, said she and her husband moved here five years ago and were assured that the airport wouldn't grow. She thanked he Councilmembers that voted "no" on the tower. She asked Council to vote "no" on the noise study. Myrna Cogan, 319 Champions Drive, asked Council to stop the noise study because many homes will be stigmatized and it will scare away potential homebuyers. Deborah Monticello, 104 Berry Cove, also thanked the Council for voting "no" on the tower. She said she is more concerned about the noise map than she was about the tower. She said it has the potential to do tremendous harm and asked Council to vote "no." Elizabeth Hunter, 3805 Roble Grande Circle, told Council she teaches Sunday School and teaches the children in her class about making moral decisions. She said she believes it is not right to vote for certifying these maps if it puts a burden on property owners. Pfiester said it is interesting that the noise study is the first step to determine unacceptable noise and the first step in receiving federal funds for mitigation. He said he will vote against the noise study because of the way the procedure was handled by the consultant. He said he also has a problem with the sampling being done by computer modeling. Evans said he will also vote against it because he is convinced that it was a flawed process and would damage the property values of 100's of people. Motion by Navarrette, second by Evans to not certify the noise exposure maps. Nelon asked Yantis to explain what the City's financial obligation already is. Yantis said the total grant amount was $250,000, estimating that now there would be approximately $200,000 that will need to be repaid for the work that has already been done. He said there probably will be no negotiation possible. Smith said he is willing to accept that Coffman and Associates know how to do their job and has no problem with computer modeling. He said it seems this study would be a vehicle that would provide information about the noise. He said he will ask the Mayor to certify. Sansing said if the City doesn't certify the Study, the City will have to come up with $200,000. He said he thinks the City would be remiss if it gave up what money it might have to solve some of the problems. He said the noise is not going to disappear just because the noise study doesn't get done. Snell called the question. Approved 5 -2. (Smith and Sansing opposed) 4. Consideration and possible action to approve the Lease Assignment from Aircraft Systems and Manufacturing (A.S.M.) to First State Bank - Bremond -- Travis McLain, Airport Manager and Tom Yantis, Interim City Manager McLain explained the item. Motion by Snell, second by Noble to approve the lease assignment. Approved 7 -0, City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 11 of 12 Pages E Nelon The meeting was adjourned at 10:19 PM. City Council Meeting Minutes /August 27, 2002 Page 12 of 12 Pages Attest- City Secretary gee