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Regular Council Meeting <br />September 8, 2014 <br />Page 8 <br />would help lower paid employees. Council Member Hashmi said he was good with either a flat <br />rate or the percentage method. Council Member Grossnickle said under the proposed budget, a <br />total of 208 employees would be receiving raises and that the department heads agreed with Mr. <br />Godwin. Council Member Pickle said the plan presented by the city manager establishes a long <br />term plan. Council Member Hashmi said he would like for the $30,000 allotted for EMS <br />property be taken out and PEDC approached about giving the city land to build a station. Mr. <br />Godwin said he would present that request to PEDC in October. Council Member Hashmi asked <br />the manager to look at other ways to pay for a garbage truck instead of collect a fee from the <br />citizens. Mr. Godwin said two years from now the City would need to purchase a truck and if <br />they saved for it over the period of two years then they would not have to figure out how to pay <br />for it at that time. Council Member Hashmi expressed concern about the proposed water rate <br />increase and said he understood it was not because of the bond election, but because there was <br />less usage by industries. <br />17. Discuss and act on a Resolution calling a public hearing on proposed amendments to the <br />proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 -2015. <br />Mr. Godwin told the Council a public hearing would be required should the Council <br />increase any item in the budget. It was a consensus of the City Council to not increase any item <br />in the budget. <br />18. Discuss and act on ORDINANCE NO. 2014 -017: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY <br />COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING SECTIONS 34- 22(b), <br />WATER RATES AND SECTION 34- 23(a), (b), AND (c), SEWER RATES, OF <br />CHAPTER 34 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS <br />TO REFLECT CHANGES RECOMMENDED BY THE 2014 WATER AND SEWER <br />RATE STUDY; PROVIDING A REPEALER CLAUSE, A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, <br />A SAVINGS CLAUSE, A PENALTY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN <br />EFFECTIVE DATE. <br />A Motion to bring this item from the table was made by Council Member Hashmi and <br />seconded by Council Member Plata. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. <br />Finance Director Gene Anderson said the City had an independent consultant conduct a <br />cost of study survey every year and the purpose of that was to determine both the contract rates <br />for the contract customers and the noncontract rates, which were residents and commercial <br />accounts. He also said as part of that study, the current retail and commercial account rates were <br />determined not to be sufficient to generate enough cash flow for the City to operate at this time. <br />Mr. Anderson said this proposed increase did not have anything to do with the bond issue at all, <br />but had to do with the reduction of consumption by the City's contract customers. He explained <br />that they increased their efficiency which lowered their peak demand for water. He said they <br />reduced their consumption and they lowered their peaking demand, but the City still had certain <br />infrastructure cost that had to be paid for regardless and the only other place to go for that <br />