05/04/2020-CC-Minutes-Work SessionCITY OF SANGER, TEXAS
MINUTES: WORK SESSION CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Monday, May 4, 2020 6:00 PM
502 Elm Street, Sanger, Texas
IMPORTANT NOTICE: THE MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED BY TELECONFERENCE
Effective March 16, 2020 Texas Governor Abbott suspended certain Open Meeting rules to
allow telephonic or videoconference meetings of government bodies that are accessible to the
public to decrease large groups of people from assembling in order to advance the public health
goal of limiting facetoface meetings to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID19). The
suspension temporarily removes the requirement that government officials and members of the
public be physically present at a meeting location. All Sanger City Council and Board Meetings
will temporarily be held via teleconference and will not be held at Sanger City Hall.
The public may call in and listen to the meeting by telephone conference. During the City
Council Work Session no public comment will be allowed unless permitted by the presiding
officer during the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be made available to the public in
accordance with the Open Meetings Act, upon written request, for up to 90 days after the official
minutes of the meeting are approved.
Members of the public may dial one of the the following numbers and enter the Meeting ID and
Password to join the meeting. Tollfree numbers are available the last two numbers noted on
the list below:
Topic: City Council Work Session May 4, 2020 6:00 p.m.Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 842 3643 1730
Password: 547646
Dial by your location
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
877 853 5257 US Tollfree
888 475 4499 US Tollfree
Meeting ID: 842 3643 1730
Password: 547646
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mayor Thomas Muir; Mayor Pro Tem Gary Bilyeu; Councilmember Marissa Barrett;
Councilmember Dennis Dillon; Councilmember Allen Chick; Councilmember David Clark,
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:
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CITY OF SANGER, TEXASMINUTES: WORK SESSION CITY COUNCIL MEETINGMonday, May 4, 2020 6:00 PM502 Elm Street, Sanger, TexasIMPORTANT NOTICE: THE MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED BY TELECONFERENCEEffective March 16, 2020 Texas Governor Abbott suspended certain Open Meeting rules toallow telephonic or videoconference meetings of government bodies that are accessible to thepublic to decrease large groups of people from assembling in order to advance the public healthgoal of limiting facetoface meetings to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID19). Thesuspension temporarily removes the requirement that government officials and members of thepublic be physically present at a meeting location. All Sanger City Council and Board Meetingswill temporarily be held via teleconference and will not be held at Sanger City Hall. The public may call in and listen to the meeting by telephone conference. During the CityCouncil Work Session no public comment will be allowed unless permitted by the presidingofficer during the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be made available to the public inaccordance with the Open Meetings Act, upon written request, for up to 90 days after the officialminutes of the meeting are approved. Members of the public may dial one of the the following numbers and enter the Meeting ID andPassword to join the meeting. Tollfree numbers are available the last two numbers noted onthe list below:Topic: City Council Work Session May 4, 2020 6:00 p.m.Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 842 3643 1730Password: 547646Dial by your location+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)877 853 5257 US Tollfree888 475 4499 US TollfreeMeeting ID: 842 3643 1730Password: 547646COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:Mayor Thomas Muir; Mayor Pro Tem Gary Bilyeu; Councilmember Marissa Barrett;Councilmember Dennis Dillon; Councilmember Allen Chick; Councilmember David Clark,
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:
None.
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:
City Manager, Alina Ciocan; City Secretary Cheryl Price; Director of Finance Clayton Gray; City
Engineer Tracy LaPiene; Director of Public Works James Berman; Director of Development
Services Ramie Hammonds; Director of Economic Development Shani Bradshaw; Librarian and
Social Media Laura Klenke.
1.Call Meeting to Order
Roll Call was called by the City Secretary. The Mayor and all five (5) Councilmembers were called
and present by teleconference constituting a quorum. There being a quorum present, the May May
4, 2020 Work Session held by Teleconference was called to order at 6:02 p.m by Mayor Muir.
2.Financial Update Provided by Finance Director, Clayton Gray.
Finance Director Clayton Gray provided a financial update and presentation. He provided updated
information on Utility Billing Revenues as requested by City Council. Gave a summary of current
20192020 budget year revenues and expenditures. He noted the current budget action plan which
included a freeze on hiring new employees (excluding Police and Fire) and meetings with department
heads to identify potential savings. For the 202021 budget year action plan he noted that staff
would continue its history of conservative revenue projections; closely monitor revenue categories
for trends such as property taxes, sales taxes and utility billing revenues/collections. Along with
continuing history of conservative expenditures, staff will continue to ensure maintenance of critical
infrastructure; and, redirecting course as necessary. He summarized revenue trends and noted the
good news is on property taxes in that there are new properties coming on the tax roll for Fiscal
Year 20202021. Mr. Gray noted that Residential Building Permit numbers for 20192019 year end
were 88; and, year to date for Fiscal Year 20192020, we have 99 permits. For Commercial
permits Fiscal Year 20182019 we had 8 permits and year to date for Fiscal Year 20192020 we
have 9 permits. He also provided charts with 20 year trends for Utility Revenue, Sales Taxes and
Property Taxes. Discussion, questions, and comments ensued regarding the information provided to
the Council. Mayor Muir thanked Mr. Gray for providing the update.
3.Update on Sewer and Road Rehabilitation Projects Provided by Director of Public Works,
James Berman.
Director of Public Works, Jim Berman provided a presentation on the Sewer and Road
Rehabilitation projects. He summarized and provided photos of the Bolivar Street Sewer Line pipe
bursting project and noted that the project was completed March 6th 2020 and was under budget.
On the 2020 Street Rehabilitation project he provided before and after photos of the nine streets
completed as follows:
8th Street from Plum to 5th Street
Elm Street from 9th Street to 5th Street
Pecan Street 9th Street to 7th Street
7th Street from Peach Street to 5th Street
7th Street from Bolivar Street to Elm Street
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CITY OF SANGER, TEXASMINUTES: WORK SESSION CITY COUNCIL MEETINGMonday, May 4, 2020 6:00 PM502 Elm Street, Sanger, TexasIMPORTANT NOTICE: THE MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED BY TELECONFERENCEEffective March 16, 2020 Texas Governor Abbott suspended certain Open Meeting rules toallow telephonic or videoconference meetings of government bodies that are accessible to thepublic to decrease large groups of people from assembling in order to advance the public healthgoal of limiting facetoface meetings to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID19). Thesuspension temporarily removes the requirement that government officials and members of thepublic be physically present at a meeting location. All Sanger City Council and Board Meetingswill temporarily be held via teleconference and will not be held at Sanger City Hall. The public may call in and listen to the meeting by telephone conference. During the CityCouncil Work Session no public comment will be allowed unless permitted by the presidingofficer during the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be made available to the public inaccordance with the Open Meetings Act, upon written request, for up to 90 days after the officialminutes of the meeting are approved. Members of the public may dial one of the the following numbers and enter the Meeting ID andPassword to join the meeting. Tollfree numbers are available the last two numbers noted onthe list below:Topic: City Council Work Session May 4, 2020 6:00 p.m.Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 842 3643 1730Password: 547646Dial by your location+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)877 853 5257 US Tollfree888 475 4499 US TollfreeMeeting ID: 842 3643 1730Password: 547646COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:Mayor Thomas Muir; Mayor Pro Tem Gary Bilyeu; Councilmember Marissa Barrett;Councilmember Dennis Dillon; Councilmember Allen Chick; Councilmember David Clark,COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:None.STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:City Manager, Alina Ciocan; City Secretary Cheryl Price; Director of Finance Clayton Gray; CityEngineer Tracy LaPiene; Director of Public Works James Berman; Director of DevelopmentServices Ramie Hammonds; Director of Economic Development Shani Bradshaw; Librarian andSocial Media Laura Klenke. 1.Call Meeting to OrderRoll Call was called by the City Secretary. The Mayor and all five (5) Councilmembers were calledand present by teleconference constituting a quorum. There being a quorum present, the May May4, 2020 Work Session held by Teleconference was called to order at 6:02 p.m by Mayor Muir. 2.Financial Update Provided by Finance Director, Clayton Gray.Finance Director Clayton Gray provided a financial update and presentation. He provided updatedinformation on Utility Billing Revenues as requested by City Council. Gave a summary of current20192020 budget year revenues and expenditures. He noted the current budget action plan whichincluded a freeze on hiring new employees (excluding Police and Fire) and meetings with departmentheads to identify potential savings. For the 202021 budget year action plan he noted that staffwould continue its history of conservative revenue projections; closely monitor revenue categoriesfor trends such as property taxes, sales taxes and utility billing revenues/collections. Along withcontinuing history of conservative expenditures, staff will continue to ensure maintenance of criticalinfrastructure; and, redirecting course as necessary. He summarized revenue trends and noted thegood news is on property taxes in that there are new properties coming on the tax roll for FiscalYear 20202021. Mr. Gray noted that Residential Building Permit numbers for 20192019 year endwere 88; and, year to date for Fiscal Year 20192020, we have 99 permits. For Commercialpermits Fiscal Year 20182019 we had 8 permits and year to date for Fiscal Year 20192020 wehave 9 permits. He also provided charts with 20 year trends for Utility Revenue, Sales Taxes andProperty Taxes. Discussion, questions, and comments ensued regarding the information provided tothe Council. Mayor Muir thanked Mr. Gray for providing the update. 3.Update on Sewer and Road Rehabilitation Projects Provided by Director of Public Works,James Berman.Director of Public Works, Jim Berman provided a presentation on the Sewer and RoadRehabilitation projects. He summarized and provided photos of the Bolivar Street Sewer Line pipebursting project and noted that the project was completed March 6th 2020 and was under budget.On the 2020 Street Rehabilitation project he provided before and after photos of the nine streetscompleted as follows:8th Street from Plum to 5th StreetElm Street from 9th Street to 5th StreetPecan Street 9th Street to 7th Street
7th Street from Peach Street to 5th Street
7th Street from Bolivar Street to Elm Street
6th Street from Peach Street to 5th Street
Plum Street from 19th Street to 5th Street
Church Street from 10th Street to I35 Service Road
Bolivar Street from I35 Service Road to 5th Street
6th Street from Elm Street to Cherry Street (added during the project)
To date all streets have been completed and there is some clean up going on to complete the
projects. He also presented photos of the curb which was rebuilt on 6th street and noted that the
draining has improved considerably in that area. They only put curb where there was curb
previously. He noted that a headwall needed to be built at Bolivar and Cherry. There was
discussion regarding the longer term plan for 2021 improvements. The Mayor and Council noted
how good the projects looked and to tell staff that they appreciate all of the work.
4.Economic Development Updates Provided by Economic Development Director Shani
Bradshaw.
Economic Development Director Shani Bradshaw provided an Economic Development update.
She summarized the first Business Survey that was created by the Chamber of Commerce and the
Economic Development Corporation in March. The survey was created to find out what the
business needs are as well as continue to seek help and resources for the businesses. The survey
contained nine questions and there were 59 businesses which responded. She noted that she has
also created a second survey that is now available on all of our social media sites. There was general
discussion as to which businesses were most effected and it was noted that it may be the restaurants
in the City. The feedback from the businesses regarding how the City and Chamber could help was
that the would like to see more information and help on utilities and rental. She noted that as the
resources come in the Chamber and Economic Development is being very timely in getting the
information out to the businesses which has been extremely helpful for them. Mayor Muir brought up
discussion as to the possibility of 4A & 4B looking into some type of grant program. Ms.
Bradshaw noted that there are restrictions as to how the money can be used and they are watching
to see if the AG loosens up restrictions and we may want to get some legal advice as to what we can
do with the funds. There was brief discussion posing different ideas and exploring what other cities
are doing regarding helping the businesses aspects with what the possibilities could be with legal
consultation. She noted the second survey that is out now, is currently posted on all of the social
media sites and was created by the Texas Economic Development Council. She noted that it will be
up for two to three more weeks and it is on the City Economic Development and the Chamber's
facebook page. So far she has had twelve responses and encouraged everyone to share it, that it is
a very good survey. She also summarized a Retail Impact Analysis which shows what the COVID
19 impact has been on the retail in Sanger. The report is based on cellphone usage. She noted that
the hardware store , grocery store, Dollar General and Family Dollar has had an increase in foot
traffic and have done well. Ms. Bradshaw noted that she has reached out to the financial institutions
in Sanger and on the first round of funding, not many businesses applied. However, with the second
round of funding there have been several businesses that have applied and the banks have been very
busy. She noted that there is a Denton County Community Grant for small businesses which will be
announced this week and Verizon is getting ready to announce a small businesses recovery fund that
will open on May 14 that businesses can use to pay rent, utilities etc. This information is being put
out on Social Media. She noted that we are working close with Denton County and are blasting out
as many resources as we can and hopefully our businesses will be recovering in the next few
months.
Page 3
CITY OF SANGER, TEXASMINUTES: WORK SESSION CITY COUNCIL MEETINGMonday, May 4, 2020 6:00 PM502 Elm Street, Sanger, TexasIMPORTANT NOTICE: THE MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED BY TELECONFERENCEEffective March 16, 2020 Texas Governor Abbott suspended certain Open Meeting rules toallow telephonic or videoconference meetings of government bodies that are accessible to thepublic to decrease large groups of people from assembling in order to advance the public healthgoal of limiting facetoface meetings to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID19). Thesuspension temporarily removes the requirement that government officials and members of thepublic be physically present at a meeting location. All Sanger City Council and Board Meetingswill temporarily be held via teleconference and will not be held at Sanger City Hall. The public may call in and listen to the meeting by telephone conference. During the CityCouncil Work Session no public comment will be allowed unless permitted by the presidingofficer during the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be made available to the public inaccordance with the Open Meetings Act, upon written request, for up to 90 days after the officialminutes of the meeting are approved. Members of the public may dial one of the the following numbers and enter the Meeting ID andPassword to join the meeting. Tollfree numbers are available the last two numbers noted onthe list below:Topic: City Council Work Session May 4, 2020 6:00 p.m.Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 842 3643 1730Password: 547646Dial by your location+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)877 853 5257 US Tollfree888 475 4499 US TollfreeMeeting ID: 842 3643 1730Password: 547646COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT:Mayor Thomas Muir; Mayor Pro Tem Gary Bilyeu; Councilmember Marissa Barrett;Councilmember Dennis Dillon; Councilmember Allen Chick; Councilmember David Clark,COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT:None.STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:City Manager, Alina Ciocan; City Secretary Cheryl Price; Director of Finance Clayton Gray; CityEngineer Tracy LaPiene; Director of Public Works James Berman; Director of DevelopmentServices Ramie Hammonds; Director of Economic Development Shani Bradshaw; Librarian andSocial Media Laura Klenke. 1.Call Meeting to OrderRoll Call was called by the City Secretary. The Mayor and all five (5) Councilmembers were calledand present by teleconference constituting a quorum. There being a quorum present, the May May4, 2020 Work Session held by Teleconference was called to order at 6:02 p.m by Mayor Muir. 2.Financial Update Provided by Finance Director, Clayton Gray.Finance Director Clayton Gray provided a financial update and presentation. He provided updatedinformation on Utility Billing Revenues as requested by City Council. Gave a summary of current20192020 budget year revenues and expenditures. He noted the current budget action plan whichincluded a freeze on hiring new employees (excluding Police and Fire) and meetings with departmentheads to identify potential savings. For the 202021 budget year action plan he noted that staffwould continue its history of conservative revenue projections; closely monitor revenue categoriesfor trends such as property taxes, sales taxes and utility billing revenues/collections. Along withcontinuing history of conservative expenditures, staff will continue to ensure maintenance of criticalinfrastructure; and, redirecting course as necessary. He summarized revenue trends and noted thegood news is on property taxes in that there are new properties coming on the tax roll for FiscalYear 20202021. Mr. Gray noted that Residential Building Permit numbers for 20192019 year endwere 88; and, year to date for Fiscal Year 20192020, we have 99 permits. For Commercialpermits Fiscal Year 20182019 we had 8 permits and year to date for Fiscal Year 20192020 wehave 9 permits. He also provided charts with 20 year trends for Utility Revenue, Sales Taxes andProperty Taxes. Discussion, questions, and comments ensued regarding the information provided tothe Council. Mayor Muir thanked Mr. Gray for providing the update. 3.Update on Sewer and Road Rehabilitation Projects Provided by Director of Public Works,James Berman.Director of Public Works, Jim Berman provided a presentation on the Sewer and RoadRehabilitation projects. He summarized and provided photos of the Bolivar Street Sewer Line pipebursting project and noted that the project was completed March 6th 2020 and was under budget.On the 2020 Street Rehabilitation project he provided before and after photos of the nine streetscompleted as follows:8th Street from Plum to 5th StreetElm Street from 9th Street to 5th StreetPecan Street 9th Street to 7th Street7th Street from Peach Street to 5th Street7th Street from Bolivar Street to Elm Street6th Street from Peach Street to 5th StreetPlum Street from 19th Street to 5th StreetChurch Street from 10th Street to I35 Service RoadBolivar Street from I35 Service Road to 5th Street6th Street from Elm Street to Cherry Street (added during the project)To date all streets have been completed and there is some clean up going on to complete theprojects. He also presented photos of the curb which was rebuilt on 6th street and noted that thedraining has improved considerably in that area. They only put curb where there was curbpreviously. He noted that a headwall needed to be built at Bolivar and Cherry. There wasdiscussion regarding the longer term plan for 2021 improvements. The Mayor and Council notedhow good the projects looked and to tell staff that they appreciate all of the work. 4.Economic Development Updates Provided by Economic Development Director ShaniBradshaw.Economic Development Director Shani Bradshaw provided an Economic Development update. She summarized the first Business Survey that was created by the Chamber of Commerce and theEconomic Development Corporation in March. The survey was created to find out what thebusiness needs are as well as continue to seek help and resources for the businesses. The surveycontained nine questions and there were 59 businesses which responded. She noted that she hasalso created a second survey that is now available on all of our social media sites. There was generaldiscussion as to which businesses were most effected and it was noted that it may be the restaurantsin the City. The feedback from the businesses regarding how the City and Chamber could help wasthat the would like to see more information and help on utilities and rental. She noted that as theresources come in the Chamber and Economic Development is being very timely in getting theinformation out to the businesses which has been extremely helpful for them. Mayor Muir brought updiscussion as to the possibility of 4A & 4B looking into some type of grant program. Ms.Bradshaw noted that there are restrictions as to how the money can be used and they are watchingto see if the AG loosens up restrictions and we may want to get some legal advice as to what we cando with the funds. There was brief discussion posing different ideas and exploring what other citiesare doing regarding helping the businesses aspects with what the possibilities could be with legalconsultation. She noted the second survey that is out now, is currently posted on all of the socialmedia sites and was created by the Texas Economic Development Council. She noted that it will beup for two to three more weeks and it is on the City Economic Development and the Chamber'sfacebook page. So far she has had twelve responses and encouraged everyone to share it, that it isa very good survey. She also summarized a Retail Impact Analysis which shows what the COVID19 impact has been on the retail in Sanger. The report is based on cellphone usage. She noted thatthe hardware store , grocery store, Dollar General and Family Dollar has had an increase in foottraffic and have done well. Ms. Bradshaw noted that she has reached out to the financial institutionsin Sanger and on the first round of funding, not many businesses applied. However, with the secondround of funding there have been several businesses that have applied and the banks have been verybusy. She noted that there is a Denton County Community Grant for small businesses which will beannounced this week and Verizon is getting ready to announce a small businesses recovery fund thatwill open on May 14 that businesses can use to pay rent, utilities etc. This information is being putout on Social Media. She noted that we are working close with Denton County and are blasting outas many resources as we can and hopefully our businesses will be recovering in the next few
months.
Director of Economic Development Shani Bradshaw introduced the second item she has on the
agenda for discussion. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is seeking to purchase
about 2.03 acres of rightofway on the east side of IH35 opposite of Porter Park. The area has
been deemed necessary for the construction of IH35. She introduced 4B Board Member Jeff
Springer to provide an update. She noted that Mr. Springer has been chosen to lead the 4B
Corporation in this project because he is very familiar with the TxDOT project and contract. Mr.
Jeff Springer was recognized to provide the City Council with a brief update. TxDOT is proposing
to take a narrow strip of property along the west side of Porter Park East (the unimproved Porter
Park). He noted that about 40% of Porter Park is in the floodway and a good portion of the strip
they are taking is in the floodway and it is a very narrow strip(60 to70 feet wide at the widest
portion). Mr. Springer summarized this item and noted that he is doing some research and speaking
to TxDOT on behalf of the board and will bring a proposal to the 4B. Discussion ensued regarding
the ROW they were offering for the park east/west access. Director of Public Works Jim Berman
noted that he negotiated that and it is actually not a rightofway but an easement so we can connect
the two parks with a 10 foot trail system underneath the new highway and all of that was supposed
to be done at TxDOT"s cost. That is on a different document which does not have anything to do
with this land survey/purchase. He noted they are supposed to connect the two facilities (Parks)
with a ten foot trail and and run a sidewalk/trail system all the way down the length of the property
that they are acquiring from us and on the road side of it there is supposed to be a bicycle lane. It
was noted there will no longer be a turnaround underneath the road because everything will be
elevated. Mayor Pro Tem Bilyeu asked if Mr. Berman could provide Mr. Springer with all of the
details of his negotiation so that Mr. Springer has all of the information he needs to negotiate. Mayor
Muir thanked Mr. Springer for attending the meeting. and Shani Bradshaw for the updates. There
was no further discussion.
5.Overview of Items on the Regular Agenda
a.FM 455 Utility Relocation Dannenbaum PSA Amendment 1
Since it was after 7:00 p.m. it was noted that this item would be discussed during the Council
Meeting.
6.Adjourn
There being no further agenda items. The City Council Work Session adjourned at 7:04 p.m.
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