01-16-1996 (City Council) Agenda Packet AGENDA
WYLIE CITY COUNCIL
WORKSESSION
Wylie Municipal Complex
January 16, 1996
7:00 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER
WORKSESSION
1. Discuss and Review Ambulance Contract Proposals
2. Discuss and Review Park Master Plan
3. Discuss Plans and Procedures for Future Annexations
STAFF REPORTS
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
ADJOURNMENT
Posted on this thel2th day of January, 1996 at 5:00 p.m.
THE WYLIE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX IS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE. SIGN INTERPRETATION OR OTHER
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE FOR DISABLED ATTENDEES MUST BE REQUESTED 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE BY
CONTACTING THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AT 442-8100 OR TDD 442-8170
Memorandum
From the Office of the City Manager
DATE: January 15, 1996
TO: Council Members
FROM: Mike Collins, City Manager
RE: Work Session- January 16, 1996
There are three subject areas that are on the agenda to be discussed at work session. A summary
of issues to be presented has been prepared for each of the items.
AMBULANCE CONTRACT
We only received one bid proposal and that was from Central Ambulance Company. The other
potential bidder that we had discussions with,Rural Metro,made a determination that they could not
submit a competitive bid. I met with them on Thursday afternoon to determine why they did not
submit a bid proposal. The company representatives, which included the Dallas area General
Manager, talked about three specific reasons. They believe that the current service provider was at
a competitive and financial advantage because they already had land and a facility. Also, they had
already established an operating revenue cash flow from the service area surrounding the City of
Wylie proper. These factors, coupled with what they believe to be a short contract period, would
not allow the company to recover its up-front start up costs necessary to deliver this service. The
company gave every indication that they would bid again in two years.
Focusing now on the bid that we received,the conclusion of staffs initial analysis is that the subsidy
proposed by Central Ambulance should be negotiated to a much lower rate. The attached table
illustrates Central's proposal. The table also illustrates two suggested methods from which a
different subsidy level could be calculated. There is an argument that would support a subsidy level
that is in direct proportion to the amount of revenue generated in Wylie. This would directly relate
the amount of investment that Central claims is necessary to operate a system in Wylie or annual
cost per unit hour and the amount of revenue generated in Wylie. An even stronger argument should
be made that the amount of subsidy paid should be solely based on a per capita basis. This position
is supported by the fact that when the ambulance company calculates its annual unit hour costs of
operations, these figures are not based on the call load, but on the size of the service area and the
population.
The City Staff's negotiating position with Central will be that the City's subsidy level should be
zero,based on the figures we have represented on the attached table. The subsidy level negotiated
with Central will be presented to City Council on Tuesday night. It is recommended that the issue
of whether or not facilities will be modified or newly constructed, and at what cost, should be
considered after an agreement is reached regarding the base service subsidy.
The City Council has several options regarding this process. The Council can continue to direct staff
to negotiate until an agreement is reached on an acceptable subsidy level,or the Council might agree
the subsidy level as proposed, is acceptable, realizing that in two years we could issue a modified
RFP and start the process over. Also, the City Council could reject this bid and start the process
over. If Council elected to to this, several changes to the RFP could be considered. For example,
the contract period could be lengthened,maybe five years,to allow capital costs to be recovered over
a longer period of time. The contract could be structured as"performance-based", in which the only
specifications included would be the response time and back up ambulance response time. This
would allow the contractor to locate the ambulance station in any area it chose.
Staff at this time will be negotiating with Central Ambulance on Monday afternoon. Our primary
objective is to negotiate the best deal possible under the specifications of the Request for
Proposal. Our hope is to make this process work and not have to rebid. We could not have
anticipated, based on the active involvement during this process by Rural Metro, that we would
receive only one bid. A respectful reminder to Council that this information is proprietary and
should be kept confidential.
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN
Through a series of public hearings and meetings,the Park Board has identified goals and objectives
which have guided the development of the Parks and Open Space Master Plan. As stated in the
Executive Summary of the Plan:
The Parks and Open Space Master Plan for the City of Wylie is a long range
guide to the development of a park system capable of supporting the
expected recreational needs for the community as it approaches its ultimate
population. This is the initial plan prepared by the City to address the
immediate and long-range needs of the City for recreational facilities.
The January 15, 1994 election approving the '/2 cent sales tax for parks, recreation, and library
projects made funding available for the first time which enabled the City of Wylie to invest in its
park and recreational infrastructure. The development and approval of the Parks and Open Space
Master Plan will provide the Park Board, the Parks and Recreation Facilities Development
Corporation and the City Council the information necessary to effectively plan and make decisions
regarding the future of park and recreational facilities in Wylie.
J. T. Dunkin of J.T. Dunkin and Associates will be at the Council's Work session to present the
Plan. Particular components of the Plan to be reviewed include the Needs Assessment and the
Goals and Objectives, both of which help determine the needs for space and facilities in our park
system for the short- and long-term forecast.
PLANS AND PROCEDURES FOR FUTURE ANNEXATIONS
Annexations which have recently come before the Council generated discussion which centered
on specific issues for the individual parcels under consideration. Staff has identified some general
annexation policy and procedure issues for the Council's review. Questions that any city should
consider with regard to annexations include:
- When is the right time to annex a given property?
- How much area should be annexed?
- Should consideration be given to the establishment of logical boundaries?
How does the city weigh the service plan requirements of the provision of the minimum
amount of services needed to meet the existing needs of the property versus what will the ultimate
expenses be if and when the property develops to its highest and best use?
To some degree, the State law addresses these questions, i.e., limiting the amount of land a city
may annex per year and providing for minimum requirements for the provision of services.
However, the policy decisions are still in the hands of the local government.
Annexation allows a city to extend municipal services, regulations, voting privileges and taxing
authority. By doing so, the city may protect the health and welfare of its citizens, and logically
regulate the growth of the area through the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan and the
Capital Improvement Plan. By considering the desired end result, cities can begin to answer some
of the questions listed above. If a goal is to logically regulate the growth of an area, consideration
needs to be given toward identifying logical boundaries which will permit future land use and
infrastructure development. Although it is difficult to predict when an area will develop and when
infrastructure improvements will be needed, it is much easier for cities to work with undeveloped
property than it is to inherit non-conforming land uses and construction which would not meet
minimum city code.
STAFF ANALYSIS SUMMARY
CENTRAL MAINTAINS IN IT'S PROPOSAL:
Annual Unit Hour Costs (Service Area)* $ 478,445
Revenues/% Generated (Service Area) $ 300,964 - 100%
Wylie Only 199,521 - 66.3%
All Other 101,443 - 33.7%
CENTRAL PROPOSES IN IT'S PROPOSAL:
Subsidy Paid by City of Wylie $ 142,900
STAFF SUGGEST THAT:
Annual Unit Hour Cost Attributed to Wylie
Based on% Revenue Generated $ 318,963
Revenue from Wylie ( 199,521)
Subsidy Required from City $ 109,442
Population Service Area 24,800
Wylie at 9,600 (39%)
Annual Unit Hour Cost Attributed to Wylie
Based on% Population $ 186,593
Revenues from Wylie ( 199,521)
Subsidy Required from Contractor $ 12,928
* Service Area Comprised of Wylie, Sachse, Lucas, Murphy, Parker and
County which totals a population of 24,800