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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_GVPID_03.14.2016City of Georgetown, Texas Georgetown Village Public Improvement District Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Monday, March 14, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. Georgetown Public Safety Facility 3500 DB Wood Rd. Georgetown, TX 78628 Members present: Melinda Marler, President; Steve Goodman, Vice -President; Brian Ortego, Katie Porter and Bill Weber, Treasurer. Absent: Richard Harrison Staff present: Jinn Briggs, General Manager of Utilities; Andreina Davila, Project Coordinator; and Karen Frost, Administrative Assistant. Call to Order by President Marler at 6:03 p.m. Legislative Regular Agenda A. Consideration and possible approval of minutes of the February 15, 2016 and March 1, 2016 meetings. Amendments were suggested by Goodman and Ortego. 2/15 minutes, item 3: change "transaction" to "transition"; item 8 change what Mr, Weber says; 3/1 minutes, item B add that the Board has been working in good faith to be in compliance; item D under Street Trees, add "possible" drip irrigation. Motion by Weber, second by Goodman to approve the minutes as amended. Approved 5 — 0 — 1. (Harrison absent.) B. Consideration and possible action to approve Merit invoice 122808 dated August 25, 2015 for June irrigation repairs per Work Order 50166. Motion by Goodman, second by Weber to approve payment. Approved 5 -- 0 — 1. (Harrison absent.) C. Discussion and possible action pertaining to the specific services (scope of work) for future landscape maintenance contract. And possibly recommend to City Council award of a blanket order for landscaping services to a vendor from the former Invitation to Bid, President Marler opened the floor for discussion. The contractor that was awarded the bid withdrew their bid so a new contractor needs to be chosen. The bid was over 60 days old so the discussion was to whether to go with the second bidder, based on the best value method as before, or to put the contract out to bid again. The current contract for landscaping maintenance expires on March 31S1. Even with putting the contract on the fast track for city council approval, the soonest the contract could be executed is May 1. There was also discussion of the removal of the tree trimming line item of the bid and the identification that the bidders did not all have the salve understanding of what that involved, as indicated by the vast difference in bidding on that line item. It was agreed that tree trimming would be removed from the landscaping maintenance contract. Motion by Goodman, second by Weber to instruct Purchasing to contact ValleyCrest landscaping, the second in line of the bidders, then Red and White if necessary to see if they Georgetown Village PID Page I of 5 Meeting: March 14, 2016 would accept the bid based on the pricing they submitted, minus the tree trimming element. Motion approved S — 0 —1. (Harrison absent.) D. Consideration and possible action to replace the Georgetown Village entry roundabout directional sign. Motion by Goodman, second by Weber to approve replacing the sign. Board members discussed this and decided that a sign was not needed at this time at this location. The motion was withdrawn and no action was taken. E. Discussion and possible direction related to issues identified in the March 1, 2016 Georgetown Village Public Improvement District (GVPID) Advisory Board Workshop pertaining to the GVPID Advisory Board's roles and responsibility -- Jim Briggs, General Manager of Utilities, Andreina Davila -Quintero, Project Coordinator, Karen Frost, Administrative Assistant/Secretary. These items were discussed out of order in an effort to move through the most critical items quickly. Creation and function of the Board through Committees. The GVPID Advisory Board has created a number of committees to manage the public improvements authorized by the City Council, as well as perform other duties. The Board wishes to know if 1) the committee meetings must be posted and require a quorum to have the meeting, and 2) if the Board can operate with committees to complete their role and responsibility. Davila reported that the GVPID Advisory Board is a City board created and appointed by the City Council, and thus subject to all state and local requirements for City boards and commissions, to include the Open Meetings Act. This applies to all subcommittees created by the Board, as a subcommittee is a subsidiary of the Board who in turn is a subsidiary of the City Council. Because of this, subcommittees are subject to the Open Meetings Act and the City's rules and regulations for meetings. This means that all subcommittee meetings must be posted; require a quorum of the subcommittee to be present to open the meeting (i.e. if a sub/committee consists of three (3) members, at least two (2) members must be present to open the meeting) and take action, if needed (i.e. recommendation to the full Board); and minutes taken of the subcommittee meeting. There was discussion of this statement. President Marler and other Board members disagreed that the members were actually subcommittees and that they were tasked with "oversight and administration of the maintenance and management of the approved improvements". They stated that individuals would have to inspect and manage contractors to insure billing accuracy. Or they would research costs of a project individually and bring it back to the board for action to be taken. No action was ever taken by the individuals or subcommittees. The Board members agreed that they acted more like project coordinators or administrators, rather than subcommittees. There was much more discussion regarding how the Board is appointed and what constitutes a subcommittee versus project administrators. The Board has been working without the aid of specific staff members and has done what is needed to get the tasks accomplished to take care of the Georgetown Village PID projects. It was stated that the board has had a lot of turnover of members due to various reasons and that it should look at being run as all other city boards to avoid that in the future. Marler asked that the city refer Georgetown Village residents that apply Georgetown Village PID Page 2 of 5 Meeting: March 14, 2016 for a city board or conunission, to the PID. It was agreed by all that there needs to be legal interpretation and identification by City Council on how operations of the Board should be carried forward. 2. Maintenance of water quality ponds and facilities. Since 2008, the GVPID Advisory Board has had discussions regarding the responsibility for the maintenance of the water quality ponds, to include conveyance procedure for water quality facilities. The Board wishes to know if the maintenance of water quality ponds falls within the responsibility and purview of the GVPID. Davila explained that the city does not require the ponds, but that TCEQ requires the ponds for the development of the subdivision. Briggs explained that that the PID was created to provide a higher level of maintenance than normal city maintenance, specifically for the special signs, lamp posts and improvements beyond the regular subdivision. Water quality ponds are not typically considered extra, but logistically in this situation, since the water quality pond, the detention pond, the park, the trails and the picnic tables are all in one location, the board can recommend to the City Council approval of payment for the maintenance of all the items. This would need to be added to the assessment plan. 3. GVPID as real property owners. It was discussed that several pocket parks and parcels of land have been deeded to the PID from the developer. Davila explained that the PID is not an entity that can accept these properties and therefore the deeds need to be rewritten. Weber asked for a process for these properties to be transferred in the future. 4. Definition of Amenities Davila explained that the GVPID is responsible for funding the public improvements identified in the Assessment Plan approved by City Council, which includes the administration and maintenance of: Parks less than 1 acre; Alleys (repair, maintenance and replacement); Recreational facilities (gazebo maintenance); Lighting (gazebo lighting and antique street lights - replacement and maintenance); Landscaping (landscape/open space areas and landscaped medians/roundabouts - general grounds maintenance, street trees, trails (walkways around perimeter, trails in park, pedestrian alleyways), hardscape, pet waste dispenserlbags, plant replacement); Signage (street and subdivision signs); and Related improvements (irrigation maintenance, water and electricity (rain sensor, gazebo and irrigation), administrative costs). There was discussion of the list and Weber stated that it was incomplete. There was also discussion of the governing rules and which document was to be used. The rules that were approved by the PID Board in 2014 but were never approved by City Council. The Board will need to recommend approval of new governing rules and those will be taken to City Council. 5. Maintenances of alleys and stormwater inlets/catch basins Briggs stated the city will maintain the drainage portion of the alleys, including the grate, the box and the apron, and the PID will maintain everything else in the alley. Weber and Briggs will talk more about the details. 6. Sidewalks, The Board discussed sidewalks and street trees as one item. Georgetown Village PID Page 3 of 5 Meeting: March 14, 2016 Davila explained the sidewalks that are part of the trail system, as well as hardscape improvements of all landscaped areas are to be maintained by the GVPID. Goodman and Ortego disagree that the sidewalks should be maintained by the PID since the city approved the street trees and the city replaces sidewalks in other areas of town. It was discussed that street tree roots are causing problems with the sidewalks. 7. Street Trees Some members of the Board agreed that there is a problem with the current method of planting street trees. And everyone agreed that the street trees are part of the traditional neighborhood charm. No solution was reached. This item will need to be reviewed at a later date. 8. Budget and 5 -year Service Plan Marler stated the Board had not done this in the past. Davila recommends having a discussion in the future to consider hiring a consultant that can help with the assessment plan and all legally required notifications, identifying the costs of the improvements and setting a tax rate for each year. Ortego and Porter agreed that no one has done anything wrong but the problems need to be fixed so the Board can move forward. 9. Administrative Fee Davila reported the latest approved City Council Budget for the GVPID included $11,935 to cover the cost of Administrative Fees. These Administrative Fees cover costs were incurred by Accounting, Controller, Purchasing and Legal staff for services provided specifically related to the operation of the PID. The amount allotted is based on projected time for the fiscal year and hourly rates. The Board asked for the breakdown of the total allocation. 10. Required City Permit for mailing Davila reported the city does not have a permit for bulk mailing. If a bulls mailing is required for notification of a GVPID project, then the city will be involved in helping with the project and can use their system. There are no special postage rates that are given to the city. 11. Automation and Communication Davila explained that all PID documents belong to the city and staff has started the process of collecting any documents that the board has been producing. All these records will be maintained in a records system held by Frost and Davila so that they can respond to any requests using the Freedom of Information Act standards. Board members were asked to send any documents regarding the PID to staff. It was restated that the point of all the work that is being done is to make the PID successful. Marler stated that the reason the Board asked for assistance from city staff was to help make the Board successful. F. Presentation and discussion of a schedule for the Georgetown Village Public Improvement District (GVPID) FY 2016/17 Budget. Briggs explained that the schedule provided is based on the City Council's budget cycle. The City Council will meet on July 1$;'l to discuss the budgets so the PID budget will need to be finalized by July 11Th. There was discussion of the need to work on a budget to make the board more financially effective. Georgetown Village PID Page 4 of 5 Meeting: March 14, 2016 Marler introduced Mary Drake, a previous board member that wanted to speak to the board. Ms. Drake stated this was her third time to come to the board in regards to replacing the landscaping under the Iarge oak tree at Madrid, in Bedford Park. She said the dirt was washing away and the area under the tree was getting worse. Marler agreed it continues to be an issue and said other solutions would be considered. Weber distributed financial reports. No discussion. Motion. by Ortego to adjourn. Second by Goodman. The meeting was adjourned at 9:71 p.m. (k'4144'4-� Approved, Melinda Marler, President Attest, Karen Frost, Secretary Georgetown Village PID Page 5 of 5 Meeting: March 14, 2016