AGENDA

CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
City of Garland
Work Session Room, City Hall
William E. Dollar Municipal Building
200 North Fifth Street
Garland, Texas 
November 12, 2018
6:00 p.m.
 
 

DEFINITIONS:

Written Briefing: Items that generally do not require a presentation or discussion by the staff or Council. On these items the staff is seeking direction from the Council or providing information in a written format.

Verbal Briefing: These items do not require written background information or are an update on items previously discussed by the Council.

Regular Item: These items generally require discussion between the Council and staff, boards, commissions, or consultants. These items are often accompanied by a formal presentation followed by discussion.











 

[Public comment will not be accepted during Work Session
unless Council determines otherwise.]
 

 


 
NOTICE: The City Council may recess from the open session and convene in a closed executive session if the discussion of any of the listed agenda items concerns one or more of the following matters:
 
(1) Pending/contemplated litigation, settlement offer(s), and matters concerning privileged and unprivileged client information deemed confidential by Rule 1.05 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.  Sec. 551.071, Tex. Gov't Code.

(2)  The purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property, if the deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the City in negotiations with a third person.  Sec. 551.072, Tex. Gov't Code.

(3)  A contract for a prospective gift or donation to the City, if the deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the City in negotiations with a third person. Sec. 551.073, Tex. Gov't Code.

(4)  Personnel matters involving the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public officer or employee or to hear a complaint against an officer or employee.  Sec. 551.074, Tex. Gov't Code.

(5)  The deployment, or specific occasions for implementation of security personnel or devices. Sec.  551.076, Tex. Gov't Code.

(6) Discussions or deliberations regarding commercial or financial information that the City has received from a business prospect that the City seeks to have locate, stay, or expand in or near the territory of the City and with which the City is conducting economic development negotiations; or to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect of the sort described in this provision. Sec. 551.087, Tex. Gov't Code.
 
(7) Discussions, deliberations, votes, or other final action on matters related to the City’s competitive activity, including information that would, if disclosed, give advantage to competitors or prospective competitors and is reasonably related to one or more of the following categories of information:
  • generation unit specific and portfolio fixed and variable costs, including forecasts of those costs, capital improvement plans for generation units, and generation unit operating characteristics and outage scheduling;
  • bidding and pricing information for purchased power, generation and fuel, and Electric Reliability Council of Texas bids, prices, offers, and related services and strategies;
  • effective fuel and purchased power agreements and fuel transportation arrangements and contracts;
  • risk management information, contracts, and strategies, including fuel hedging and storage;
  • plans, studies, proposals, and analyses for system improvements, additions, or sales, other than transmission and distribution system improvements inside the service area for which the public power utility is the sole certificated retail provider; and
  • customer billing, contract, and usage information, electric power pricing information, system load characteristics, and electric power marketing analyses and strategies.  Sec. 551.086;  Tex. Gov't Code; Sec. 552.133, Tex. Gov’t Code]
             
1. Consider the Consent Agenda

A member of the City Council may ask for discussion or further information on an item posted as a consent agenda item on the next Regular Meeting of the City Council. The Council Member may also ask that an item on the posted consent agenda be pulled from the consent agenda and considered for a vote separate from consent agenda items on the regular agenda.  All discussions or deliberations on this portion of the work session agenda are limited to posted agenda items and may not include a new or unposted subject matter.   		  
 
2. Verbal Briefings:  
 
a.   Senior Citizens Advisory Commission Overview and Update 

The Senior Citizens Advisory Commission will provide an overview of the 2017-18 Fiscal Year. 
 
b.   Consider whether to enter into a Service Agreement with the Garland Chamber of Commerce.  The current agreement is set to expire on January 9, 2019.

In December of 2009, the City Council authorized execution of a 10-year Economic Services Agreement with the Garland Chamber of Commerce (see attachment).  In exchange for services under the current agreement, the City contributes $465,000 annually to the Chamber of Commerce. The Council may choose to renew or modify the current agreement, or provide other direction as desired.
 
c.   Update on Progress and Implementation of Proposed 2019 Bond Referendum

The Chair of the Bond Study Committee and Representatives from Kimley-Horn and City Staff will provide an update to the Council regarding public input, community meetings, anticipated timelines and other information related to the proposed 2019 Bond Program.
 
d.   Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning Update

The FY 2018-2019 Adopted Budget includes the formation of a Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. Staff will provide an update to the Council on planning efforts.
 
e.   Consider approving an amendment to Council policy regarding the location of meetings for boards and commissions.

Council is requested to approve an amendment to the 2018 [revised] City Council Rules of Order and Policies that will provide a policy requiring all boards and commissions to meet at City Hall (or a location as near as practicable to City Hall). 
If Council concurs with the Administrative Services Committee's recommendation, the policy will be placed on the consent agenda on the December 4, 2018 Regular meeting of the City Council for approval.
 
3. Regular Item:  
 
a.   Consider a Policy for Posting Notices of Public Meetings or Possible Quorums for Outside Events and Meetings.

Council is requested to provide direction to staff and begin the process of creating a policy regarding the posting of notices for external meetings in which a quorum of City Council might be in the attendance and participating in discussions of public matters.
 
b.   Council is requested to continue its discussions from the November 5, 2018 Work Session regarding a legislative program for the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature.

 Council is requested to continue its discussions from the November 5, 2018 Work Session regarding a legislative program for the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature.
 
c.   Base Rate Increase in Water and Wastewater for Apartments

At the request of Mayor Lori Dodson, Council is requested to discuss the new base rate increases in water and wastewater for apartments that is scheduled to take effect in January 2019. 
 
4. Announce Future Agenda Items

A member of the City Council, with a second by another member, or the Mayor alone, may ask that an item be placed on a future agenda of the City Council or a committee of the City Council. No substantive discussion of that item will take place at this time.		  
 
5. Council will move into Executive Session  
 
EXECUTIVE SESSION
AGENDA
 
NOTICE: The City Council may recess from the open session and convene in a closed executive session if the discussion of any of the listed agenda items concerns one or more of the following matters:		  
 
  
 
The City Council will adjourn into executive session pursuant to Sections 551.071, 551.086, and 552.133 of the Texas Government Code:
  1. to discuss, deliberate, vote on, and take final action regarding competitive matters related to the approval of agreements for the purchase of renewable energy, which being a utility-related matter that is related to the City’s competitive activity, including commercial information, and would, if disclosed, give advantage to competitors or prospective competitors including any matter that is reasonably related to the following categories of information:
    1. generation unit specific and portfolio fixed and variable costs, including forecasts of those costs, capital improvement plans for generation units, and generation unit operating characteristics and outage scheduling;
    2. bidding and pricing information for purchased power, generation and fuel, and Electric Reliability Council of Texas bids, prices, offers, and related services and strategies;
    3. effective fuel and purchased power agreements and fuel transportation arrangements and contracts;
    4. risk management information, contracts, and strategies, including fuel hedging and storage;
    5. plans, studies, proposals, and analyses for system improvements, additions, or sales, other than transmission and distribution system improvements inside the service area for which the public power utility is the sole certificated retail provider;
    6. customer billing, contract, and usage information, electric power pricing information, system load characteristics, and electric power marketing analyses and strategies; (Sections 551.806 and 552.133, TEX. Gov't Code) 
  2. to deliberate and discuss pending or contemplated litigation, settlement offer(s), and matters concerning privileged and unprivileged client information deemed confidential by Rule 1.05 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct in regard to claims related to damage caused by a weather event in the vicinity of Wynn Joyce Road (Sec. 551.071, Tex. Gov’t Code)
     C.  to deliberate and discuss pending or contemplated litigation, settlement offer(s), and matters concerning privileged and
          unprivileged client information deemed confidential by Rule 1.05 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional 
          Conduct in regards to Firewheel Town Center Enforcement Measures (Sec. 551.071, Tex. Gov't Code)   
 		  
 
6. Adjourn