League City City Council on Tuesday voted 4-2, with Andy Mann and Dennis OKeeffe opposed, to adopt a resolution authorizing the publication of a notice of intent to issue certificates of obligation in the amount of $75 million to fund construction of the new Public Safety and Jail Facility as well as water and wastewater projects.
Prior to approving notice of issuing the certificates, the city council voted 2-4, with only Mann and OKeeffe in favor, to deny a motion to direct staff to prepare ballot language to place a bond referendum on the November election ballot to fund the new public safety facility.
“The funding list is composed of approximately $50 million in tax-supported projects and $25 million in water and wastewater projects,” City Manager Mike Loftin said. “All projects are included in the Long Range Financial Forecast which has already been presented to council.”
The obligations would provide funding in excess of the amount required to complete the projects and pay for the cost of the sale of the certificates. The public safety facility and such projects would be funded through tax revenues, while the water and wastewater projects would be funded through utility system revenues, Loftin said.
While a November bond referendum was voted down by the council, state law allows for a petition to be filed by citizens to require an election.
“If before the date tentatively set for the authorization of the issuance of the certificates or if before the authorization, the municipal secretary or clerk if the issuer is a municipality, or the county clerk if the issuer is a county, receives a petition signed by at least five percent of the qualified voters of the issuer protesting the issuance of the certificates, the issuer may not authorize the issuance of certificates unless the issuance is approved at an election ordered, held and conducted provided for bond elections,” Loftin said, quoting the state law.
The city council voted unanimously to appoint Brad Matlock to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Matlock will fill an unexpired term on the board previously held by Jack Owens. The term ends in December 2013.
The city council voted 5-0, with Joanna Sharp Dawson not present at the time of the vote, to approve the first addendum to the first supplement to a water supply contract with the Gulf Coast Water Authority.
The amended contract will allow the city to purchase an additional one million gallons per day of water through the City of South Houston through the Southeast Water Purification Project. The total cost of the additional water will be $419,750. The city will also be responsible for the cost of upgrading a 42-inch water line along State Highway 3 to accommodate the additional water capacity.
The city council voted unanimously to approve a $7,823,833 with Aqua-Metrics Sales Company for the purchase of Sensus Water Meters and infrastructure for a meter reading system.
The project will be to replace the city’s current water meters and reading system, which has been done on a “drive-by” basis, but is failing, with more than 7,000 of the meters requiring manual readings. The city has a total of approximately 28,000 water meters.
The city council voted unanimously to award a $1,740,501 bid to Utiliuse for the installation of new water meters.
The company is a division of Aqua-Metrics, which will be providing the meters to the city.
The city council voted 5-1, with Dennis OKeeffe opposed, to adopt a resolution designating the name of the city’s park at Louisiana Avenue as the “Ghirardi WaterSmart Park”.
The item was amended to change the name from the originally proposed “Ghirardi Family WaterSmart Park”.
The city council voted unanimously to deny a request for a water well permit for property at 2780 Webster Street.
The city council voted unanimously to approve the formation of the Growth and Development Advisory Committee.
Mayor Tim Paulissen nominated Penny Ignazio and Chuck DiFalco to serve on the committee. Additional members will be nominated by each council member, for a total of nine members. The committee will provide recommendations to the city council concerning ways the city can continue to provide services and infrastructure with a growing population and business community.
The city council voted unanimously to approve a rezoning request for 0.92 acres of property located south of State Highway 96 and west of First Avenue.
The request by the applicant was to change the property from a Single-Family Residential District to a General Commercial District. The item was amended to change the property to an Office Commercial District as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
All other items were approved by unanimous vote. Council Member Dan Becker was absent. Agenda