10-01-1985 (City Council) Minutes CALLED CITY COUNCIL
MEETING - MINUTES
OCTOBER 1 , 1985
The Wylie City Council met in a called session and workshop
on Tuesday , October 1 , 1985 at 7 : 00 P . M. in the Wylie
Community Center . Mayor Pro Tem Don Hughes presided. A
quorum was present and notice of the meeting had been posted
for the time and in the manner required by law. Those
present were Mayor Pro Tem Don Hughes , Councilmembers Percy
Simmons , Randall Gaston , Joe Fulgham, William Martin , and
Harold Spence , City Manager Gus Pappas , City Secretary
Carolyn Jones , Public Works Director Bill Windham, Finance
Director James Johnson , Mike Shurtleff and West Bell from
Farmers Electric Co-op .
Mayor John Akin was out of town .
Mayor Pro Tem Don Hughes called the meeting to order .
APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION TO SUSPEND THE PROPOSED STATEMENT OF
INTENT TO CHANGE ELECTRIC RATES , FROM FARMERS ELECTRIC CO-
OP : Finance Director James Johnson said this resolution was
to suspend intent to change electric rates for Farmers
Electric Co-op . The Council has the right to suspend this
for 90 days from October 10 , 1985 . For Council information ,
the PUC has also suspended this rate increase for 150 days .
Mr . Johnson is requesting this resolution be passed until a
further study can be made .
Mr . Johnson asked the two gentlemen from Farmers Electric
Co-op to send him a break down of the rates , because of the
different classification of customers .
City Manager Gus Pappas said it had just been a few weeks
ago that the City became involved with Farmers Electric Co-
op due to the fact they have come into the City with
electrical lines and service . Farmers Electric Co-op is
preparing a franchise agreement with the City , which will be
coming to the Council for action . Farmers Electric has been
serving East Fork Water District and down Highway 78 towards
Garland .
Mr Shurtleff said this rate is being taken into
consideration due to growth . This is the first rate increase
Farmers Electric has requested in three (3) years . Two
things are very important --- one is the cost of living and
second is 10 . 2 million dollar system improvements are being
done .
City Manager Gus Pappas asked Mr . Shurtleff if Farmers
Electric has been contacted by developers in Wylie , Mr .
Shurtleff said yes , they had been working with some of the
developers . Farmers Electric will also be serving the new ....
South Fork Mobile Home Park.
After some discussion , staff recommended that Farmers
Electric Co-op rate increase be suspended .
Motion was made by Councilman Martin to approve and sign
resolution to suspend the rate increase of Farmers Electric
Co-op . Seconded by Councilman Simmons . The vote was as
follows : Mayor Pro Tem Hughes - in favor , Councilman
Simmons - in favor , Councilman Spence - in favor , Councilman
Martin - in favor , Councilman Fulgham - in favor , and
Councilman Gaston - in favor . This motion carried with all
in favor .
Council convened into a work session :
A. Discussion of City ' s policies concerning the mowing of
State rights-of-way within the corporate limits of the City
of Wylie . City Manager Gus Pappas said the city crew has
been mowing the right-of-way for the Railroad and Highway 78
between Brown and Kirby Streets and several time have mowed
down to Martinez Lane . All the city crew does is to mow
with the tractor and there is a lot of area that needs to be
done by hand . The only suggest that Bill Windham and I
could come up with is to wait till the winter kill off and
them spray these ares with roundup .
Councilman Fulgham said he would like to see the City take
care of it when they could otherwise don ' t worry about .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes wanted to know why many men and how
many days it would take with winter to clean all the areas
up . Bill Windham said he has two (2) full time employees as
of today , that would be put on this job .
Councilman Simmons wanted to know if these two men can
handle all the work through the spring and summer for parks
and mowing . Bill Windham said these two men should be able
to do this work .
Councilman Spence wanted to know about when there would be a
need for a Parks Director . Bill Windham said this would
depend upon how many more parks the City acquires and the
growth of the City .
City Manager Gus Pappas said what he was getting was for the
city crew to have the policy of spraying city drainage
ditches and go ahead with clean up of Highway 78 and Ballard
and the ditch in front of the apartments on Ballard .
c;
B . Discussion of compensation for City Fire Marshal .
Councilman Martin wanted to know if this office would be in
tack until a full time fire department was enforced . City
Manager Gus Pappas said yes , until the City has a full time
fire department , Lester or someone like him, would need to
fill that position . Lester is currently paid $270 . 00 a
month plus $500 .00 when he goes to A & M for school plus the
cost of the school is paid for by the City . Lester is
asking for $540 .00 a month.
Councilman Martin asked if 20 hours a month was average or
actual . Lester said he could put in as many hours as
necessary .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes wanted to know how many fires has he
(Lester ) investigated the last 6 months . Lester said all
structures and trash fires . Lester said his reports consist
of notes that stay in his files .
Councilman Gaston wanted to know what kind of buildings
Lester inspected . Lester said all commercial and industrial
buildings .
Councilman Gaston said how many structure fires a month.
Lester said five (5) structure calls in the City .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes wanted to know if the small number of
fires was due to Lester making inspections . Lester said
year , he has made the people fire cautious .
Lester was then asked about the house on First Street that
contained a lot of lumber in the back yard . Lester said the
man was storing concrete foundation forms in his backyard .
the neighbors kids were climbing over the fence to play on
these forms . The man came to see Lester on a Saturday at
the barber shop , which is Lester busy day . Lester said he
did not have time for the man on Saturday and told the man
to keep his kids on his side of the fence . Lester said he
may have told the man to come to the City Council .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes told Lester if he could not find a fire
code , he needed to call the City Manager for instructions .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes said one of the things Council wants is
for Lester to go to the City Manager with the problems prior
to coming to Council .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes asked Lester if he had reason to ask
for and increase . Lester said in order to do his job , he
has to put in more hours and to do more hours he needed more
�.. pay .
City Manager Gus Pappas said that what Lester was asking
Council for is $7 , 000 . 00 a year and the Council is thinking
about going to full time personnel for the fire department .
If the full time comes up or you (Lester) going to take the
full time position. City Manager Gus Pappas said he has the
opinion that Lester would stay until the full time position
and the would choose his barber shop .
Councilman Simmons asked Lester if he would go full time and
what his feelings were for a full time fire department .
Lester said when we started sending him to school , he was
asked if he was going to quit on the City as soon as they
had him trained . Lester said it would depend on the salary
for full time . Mayor Pro Tem Hughes said it would be
$16 , 000 .00 a year . Lester said he could not take a full
time job for S16 ,000 . 00 a year .
Councilman Spence asked if $540 . 00 was the least pay .
Lester said this was what he needed .
Councilman Gaston asked for written reports in order to
merit his increase . Lester said he could not go that way .
Lester said there was no way he could write down his hours .
Councilman Gaston said there was no bases of input on number
of hours Lester is spending . Councilman Gaston says we need
to pay Lester just as we pay other contract labor personnel .
Lester said he could not be comfortable on putting down
hours and being paid on this basis .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes said if Lester only puts in 20 hours ,
then he is asking for $28 . 00 per hour .
Lester said it was wasting his time to fill out reports .
City Manager Gus Pappas told Lester that the City just hired
a subdivision inspector for $16 , 000 .00 per year and we pay
Mr . Bill Kreymer $12 .00 per hour and no car allowance .
Councilman Fulgham said he voted for a Fire Chief/Fire
Marshal to be in the budget . Councilman Fulgham said that
after talking with Lester , the City needed the full time
fire department .
Councilman Gaston recommended that on the next Council
agenda the Council convene into executive session and
discuss an hourly pay scale for the fire marshal position.
C. Discussion of dual service considerations for two (2)
electric utilities within the corporate limits of the City
of Wylie . Finance Director James Johnson reported to the
Council that the Public Utility Commission Board set up
districts for the different utilities to operate in . In
these districts , there be more than one electric company .
In order for the City to have some control , they should have
a franchise agreement with each utility inside the corporate
limits of the City . Mr . Johnson showed the Council the
district map for the City and surroundings areas .
D . Discussion of the Kirby Street improvement and the
future policy of the City ' s road surface treatment process .
Mayor Pro Tem Hughes said as soon as it was dry enough the
city crew needed to do some more clean up on Kirby Street in
the ditch area and this will help the looks of the street .
City Manager Gus Pappas said the question is whether to use
hot mix asphalt or two course penetration. After much
discussion , the Council had rather see the hot mix asphalt
on all streets .
E. Discussion of plans for the proposed City Hall Complex
and various financing approaches . Councilman Fulgham wants
to look at bids without turn key operation. Councilman
Martin said we need to go back to the people . City Manager
Gus Pappas said if we went to the people then the vote would
be in April of 86 , if possible and could be as late as April
87 . After much discussion , it was agreed that there would
be a work shop on October 15th in the Library Work Room to
go over all bids . After this work shop then city staff
should send out another letter for the people to voice their
opinion on .
Motion to adjourn was made by Councilman Spence . All in
favor .
,t Don Hughes , M or Pro Tem
ATTEST :
Carolyn J es , C y Secretary