MINUTES OF A SPECIAL
SESSION
OF
THE TOM BEAN CITY COUNCIL
http://home.texoma.net/~tombean
The City Council
convened in Special Session on Tuesday, September 04 2001, in the City Council
Chambers of Tom Bean City Hall, 104 S Britton, TOM BEAN, TX. Council Members
present: Mayor David Schaab, Mayor Pro-Tem Terry Sorenson, Jerry Harris,
Rebecca Blomstedt, Bobbie Moran, and Ruby Barnes. A quorum was declared: The
Special Session of the City Council meeting commenced at 7:02 P.M. Jerry Harris
opened the meeting with a word of prayer. Citizens present were Debbie Ellis,
Ann and Robert Smith.
First item on the
agenda Benny Souther-Pay in Lieu of Vacation. Ruby Barnes asked if we had the
funds available, the Mayor stated vacation is figured in the budget for
salary. Terry Sorenson motioned to pay,
Ruby Barnes seconded, and all were in favor.
Chief Mitchell and Sergeant Smith proposal to hire third officer was pulled from the agenda. The officers left a letter* for the council to withdraw from the agenda.
Road Project Bids,
according to the banks, is far to high based on the tax rate, so there are no
road bids to accept at this time. The Mayor stated he is working on some
municipal bonds, the city secretary is looking into a grant from USDA, (rural development grants) in the case we
have to re-bid again because no bids were accepted from the banks, the bids may
remain open for a period of sixty (60) days, after that period, we will have to
re-bid. Debbie Ellis asked why couldn’t
we re-bid with out the culverts. The Mayor stated that because of the streets
and rainfall the city would need the culverts. The reason the bid went from
$500,000 to $800,000 was because of the road base. Some area would need more
than others, and it would be insensible to spend that much on the roads, just
to have them need more maintenance at a later time. Ann Smith, a resident at whispering oaks, stated no name road is
a huge problem for her and her family every day. Apparently, water is a rare
commodity and she has encountered two leaks on that road and it just keeps
getting worse with all the rainfall we have been having lately. Some days she
cannot get home, the drainage is so bad. When winter comes, and it ices over,
she is unable to get in or out of her home.
The mayor stated the roads might not be finished by winter. Mrs. Smith
asked why couldn’t we raise taxes again? The Mayor stated that was not an
option. Ms. Ellis stated, why couldn’t
we section the city and bid on each section. The city could zone each section
according to need and go from there. Terry Sorenson stated the contractors
would not allow that. When the city bids, every road would have to be completed
in the project. The Mayor stated we have encountered other options: There may
be grant moneys available, matching the amounts we can’t afford. Ms. Smith
stated she would be happy at this time if the City could just lay white rock
for the time being. Matter of fact, she also said, she has some white rock at the
end of no name road that the city could use. Terry Sorenson could not remember
where or why the rock was there, the property owners may have put that there to
keep out trespassers. Ruby Barnes asked what was the difference between the
rock at the ball field and Bub’s. Terry Sorenson said Bub’s rock is bigger, it
is not crushed. The city could look into the matter of putting rock on the
road.
The Mayor explained
to the council the current issues with TNRCC. Presumably, at the time the
City was applying for a sewer permit, it was a requirement to run an
advertisement in the local paper. The advertisement was placed in the Herald
Democrat. There was also a requirement to run a second ad, however it
was overlooked and not placed properly. The Mayor is currently corresponding
with the TNRCC on matters to correct this issue.
The next item was to
approve the budget. Terry Sorenson asked if we would be administrating the
budget differently than in the past. The separate accounting for each
department is a necessity. Mayor Schaab then stated that years of deficit
spending have made it difficult to have a healthy budget in the beginning of
the fiscal year. The City has assumed all of the past debts. The council does need to approve the budget
and make recommendations to a problem.
Terry Sorenson aid that it is very difficult to figure a budget with
late payments, or with a budget that is figured with percentages that reflect
bills that have been paid, but in truth they have not. Also, when we purchase something for the
public work or the police department, the city employees need to put some
thought into the purchase, as well as the council itself. Mayor Schaab said
that with the fiscal budget, the city should consider breaking down each
department; for example, the sewer will have its own liability as well as the
police dept. There will be mishaps that are not budgeted, that is to be
expected. Terry Sorenson motioned to table the budget on the September 10th
meeting. Ruby Barnes seconded, and all were in favor. The Mayor asked the council to review the current budgets
prepared for them and have some feedback on the 10th, the budget has
to be finished at this time.
The Mayor asked for
any items from council. Rebecca Blomstedt asked about the phone lines at the lift
stations and bills not paid. The City Clerk informed Ms. Blomstedt that the
check that were printed, were mailed the week earlier. Rebecca Blomstedt asked
if the city could have a representative from GTE at the next council meeting.
(To discuss rates at the wells) The
City Clerk replied that would not be a problem. Mrs. Blomstedt also asked why
there was not a Sergeant of arms present at the Budget Workshops. The Mayor
stated he was not sure, except that perhaps they were either not aware of the
meetings, or they did not see the need to be here for the Workshops. The Mayor
asked if there were any more items from the council, Terry Sorenson said yes,
his item involved the planning and zoning committee. Some complaints have run
across in the past few days from some concerned citizens, about the fact the P
& Z committee has been tagging house, quoting laws, building zones, etc.…
The council should be able to approve and/or agree, but it should come before
the council. I am an elected official; therefore I should have the opportunity
to speak for the citizens. The Mayor said that the committee is trying to
update records and attempting to enforce ordinances that have not been enforced
in the past. Jerry Harris stated the police are to enforce laws, not committees.
The Mayor said the city can speak with the committee and discuss their issues
with them, and could personally speak with Ms. Masias. Terry also stated he
could not believe what was being reported to Michael Bryant with his
Manufactured Home. The laws the committee was quoting could not be true and
correct, especially with the ordinances they have on hand at this time. The
ordinances the committee is using at this time are for specifically the older
model homes that were not built as they are today. I am not sure what they are
telling Mr. Bryant is a true statement, because the council has not adopted
them to be, what the committee is using are merely statues for Cities to use as
guidelines only. The Mayor stated the only problem Mr. Bryant may have is the
time frame of moving the old home out and the new one in. The committee should
not have any other discrepancies with Mr. Bryant. He has completed the Specific
use permit and paid the fee, the mailings were sent out, and no one has an
objection. The City should have no other business with Michael Bryant. The
Mayor asked if there were any other items from council, no item from the
council.
Ruby Barnes made the
motion to adjourn, Terry Sorenson seconded and all were in favor. The City
Council adjourned at 10:30PM.
PREPARED BY:
CATHERINE ROBLES, CITY SECRETARY
DATE APPROVED:
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