05 - COUNCIL MINUTES FROM 05/23/2016 MEETINGMINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS
May 23, 2016
The City Council of the City of Paris met for a regular session at 5:30 p.m. on Monday,
May 23, 2016, at the City Council Chamber, 107 E. Kaufinan, Paris, Texas.
Present: Mayor: A.J. Hashmi
Council Members: Billie Lancaster; Billy Trenado; Steve Clifford;
Matt Frierson; and Cleonne Drake
City Staff: John Godwin, City Manager; Stephanie Harris, City
Attorney; Janice Ellis, City Clerk; Gene Anderson,
Finance Director; Carla Easton, City Engineer;
Larry Wright, Fire Chief; Bob Hundley, Police
Chief; Kent Klinkerman, EMS Director; Doug
Harris, Utilities Director; and Jerry McDaniel,
Public Works Director
Absent: Council Member: Aaron Jenkins
Opening Agenda
1. Call meeting to order.
Mayor Hashmi called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
2. Invocation.
Gene Anderson gave the invocation.
3. Pledge of Allegiance.
Council Member Lancaster led the pledge.
4. Citizens' Forum.
Billy Bell, 2054 Cleveland St. — he said he appeared before the Council last Monday
night with a problem, and that Mr. Godwin and Mr. McDaniel met with him and resolved the
problem. He also said instead of spending money on the trail, they should consider using that
money for the drainage issues. Mr. Bell referenced item 11 and inquired if they were going to be
willing to reduce the speed limits at all of the parks.
Grover Glatfelter, 1345 S.E. 6h Street — he said last week the Council approved sale of
the old police department for $1.00 and that he wanted advance notice in the future when
property was being sold. He also said item 12 on the agenda should have been written in simpler
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May 23, 2016
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terms so that everyone could understand it. Mayor Hashmi said he would ask the city attorney to
look into this.
Consent Agenda
Mayor Hashmi inquired of Council Members if they wished to pull any items from the
consent agenda for discussion. There being none, a Motion to approve the consent agenda was
made by Council Member Clifford and seconded by Council Members Lancaster and Trenado.
Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays.
5. Approve minutes from the meeting on May 16, 2016.
6. Receive reports and/or minutes from the following boards, commissions, and committees:
a. Paris Economic Development Corporation (4 -19 -2016 & 4 -28 -2016)
b. Building and Standards Commission (4 -18 -2016)
c. Paris -Lamar County Board of Health (12 -14 -2015, 1 -11 -2016 & 2 -22 -2016)
7. Receive April monthly financial report.
8 Receive April drainage report.
9. Receive demolition report and code enforcement activity reports.
Regular Agenda
10. Conduct a public hearing, discuss and act on ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS DISANNEXING THREE TRACTS OF LAND
BEING 1.16 ACRES, 2.45 ACRES AND 160.7 ACRES FOR A TOTAL OF 164.31
ACRES LOCATED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE CHISUM
ABSTRACT NO. 175 AND NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE BOURLAND
ABSTRACT NO. 70 BEING 0.75 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION
OF FM HWY 79 AND THE 2.45 ACRE TRACT BEING LOCATED ALONG THE
SOUTH SIDE OF FM HWY 79 INCLUDING ADDRESSES RANGING FROM 3194
FM HWY 79 TO 3930 FM HWY 79, OF THE CITY OF PARIS, LAMAR COUNTY,
TEXAS, IN RESPONSE TO LANDOWNER REQUESTS FOR DISANNEXATION;
ADJUSTING CITY BOUNDARIES TO REFLECT NEW CITY LIMITS; MAKING
OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; PROVIDING
A REPEALER CLAUSE, A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND A SAVINGS CLAUSE;
AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Mayor Hashmi opened the public hearing and asked for anyone wishing to speak in
support or opposition of this item, to please come forward. Dedra Dollins and Ronald Dockray
spoke in support of the disannexation. Ms. Dollins read a letter from Carolyn Patterson, who
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May 23, 2016
Page 3
also supported the disannexation. With no one else speaking, Mayor Hashmi closed the public
hearing.
11. Discuss and act ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -015: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING THE TRAFFIC
CONTROL MAP ADOPTED IN SECTION 31 -65 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES
OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS; CHANGING THE SPEED ZONE IN THE 10
BLOCK OF 2ND SE BETWEEN LAMAR AVENUE AND CLARKSVILLE STREET
TO 20 MPH FROM 30 MPH FOR SAFETY OF THE CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE
NEW PARK; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE
SUBJECT; PROVIDING A REPEALER CLAUSE, A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, A
SAVINGS CLAUSE, A PENALTY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
Mayor Hashmi inquired of Chief Hundley if there were other parks that had 20 mph
speed limits surrounding them and Chief Hundley answered in the affirmative. Chief Hundley
said if the streets were city streets they could change the speed limit, but if they were TxDOT
streets then changes would have to go through TxDOT.
Chief Hundley explained the speed zone in the 100' block of 2nd SE between Lamar
Avenue and Clarksville Street was currently 30 mph and citizens requested the Traffic
Commission change the speed zone to 20 mph for the safety of children playing in the new spray
park. He said the Traffic Commission recommended approval of this change.
A Motion to approve this item was made by Council Member Lancaster and seconded by
Council Member Trenado. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays.
12. Discuss and act on ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -016: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, CREATING A MUNICIPAL SETTING
DESIGNATION WITHIN THE CITY'S EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION;
PROVIDNG A PENALTY CLAUSE; PROVIDING A SAVINGS CLAUSE;
PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
A Motion to bring this item from the table was made by Mayor Hashmi and seconded by
Council Member Lancaster. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays.
City Manager John Godwin said the old landfill had been inactive for years and this was
part of the process by which to officially close it. He explained contaminants were discovered in
the groundwater on property adjoining the old landfill and this ordinance would establish a
municipal setting designation certifying that groundwater at the property may not be used as
potable water, and would prohibit it from future use for human consumption. Mr. Godwin
further explained to create such a designation, potable water must be available from another
source besides well water and in this case, drinking water was available from the Lamar County
Water Supply District.
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May 23, 2016
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A Motion to approve this item was made by Council Member Clifford and seconded by
Council Member Trenado. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays.
13. Approve a contract with HWH Construction in the amount of $638,644.80 for
construction of the West Paris Multi -Use Trail.
City Engineer Carla Easton explained this was for construction of a multi -use trail
connecting Bonham Street to the Boys and Girls Club. She said two bids were received and that
HWH submitted the lower bid. Ms. Easton also said that 74% of the construction funds were
provided by a FHWA grant through the Transportation Enhancement Program, and the
remaining costs were covered with local matching funds. Mayor Hashmi said it was good that a
majority of the funds was coming from a grant.
A Motion to approve this item was made by Mayor Hashmi and seconded by Council
Member Frierson. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays.
14. Discuss and appoint a City Council representative to serve on the Airport Development
Committee.
Mr. Godwin told the City Council an airport development advisory committee was being
created and that three representatives from the City would include one Council Member. He
asked Council for a volunteer to serve on this committee and Council Member Lancaster
volunteered her services.
It was a consensus of City Council that Council Member Lancaster serve on the Airport
Development Committee.
15. Discuss plan for cleaning up affected areas from recent floods (trash pickup, cleaning
growth, dirt, trash from drainage system) and possibly take action. Discuss possible
timeline for going forward with the released funds from the last council meeting of May
16, 2016, and possibly take action.
Council Member Drake said all districts were affected by the recent floods and that she
had seen city crews in her area on Thursday, but there was a lot of debris, trash and small articles
in the ditches. She said she was very concerned about the City and how they were going to go
about cleaning up of the ditches in a timely manner so that citizens' homes do not flood. Council
Member Drake said this needed to be a priority and they also needed a plan for picking up trash
by the curbs when citizens were cleaning up from the floods. She inquired if employees were
going to be doing all of the cleanup work, or if temps were going to be hired. She also
mentioned the use of community service workers.
Mr. Godwin reported that upon Council approving funds at the last meeting for drainage
work, that City staff pulled up the plan from last summer. Mr. Godwin said that the Southeast
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May 23, 2016
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part of town was the worst area and had issues for many years and places like Old Jefferson
ditches needed to be cleaned out right away and he would be looking at that area the following
day. He said they needed to do this work right in that they needed to work entire areas at one
time for the most part. Mr. Godwin said they would be using city crews and had discussed
using probationers and possibly prisoners from Bonham. He explained that the street department
would begin cleaning road ditches from 6th to 12th Streets S.E. from Jackson Street to New
Jefferson Road; the parks department would begin clearing drainage ditches in the 1000 block of
Jackson Street and north to 8th Street S.E. to Washington Street, and from Washington Street to
5th and Austin Streets; the CIP crew would begin creek rehabilitation at the trail bridge from the
Sports Complex and north to Clarksville Buttermilk Branch and west from the Sports Complex
to Big Sandy Creek and back to 12th Street S.E.; and the City crews would then work their way
to the northwest section of the City. Public Works Director Jerry McDaniel added that they were
getting pricing from three contractors to assist with this work. Mr. Godwin said they would
contract with an engineer as quick as they could.
Mayor Hashmi wanted to know if Paradise Estates was going to be included and Mr.
Godwin answered in the affirmative. Mayor Hashmi said he understood priority, but felt that
citizens who had taken time and come before Council with their concerns, should be addressed
right away. Council Member Drake wanted to know if the citizens who were cleaning up and
placing debris by the curbside were going to be charged an additional fee. Mr. McDaniel said
they would not be charged an additional fee. Council Member Drake expressed concern about
the fallen fencing surrounding concrete in the ditches, in that kids could get hurt. Mr. Godwin
said that was included in the process. Council Member Drake also said the public needed to
know how the City was going to go about the process and the timeline. Citizen Carol Hufnagel
wanted to know how they were going to remove gravel from the pipes. Mr. McDaniel said they
were using a machine to suck the gravel out of the pipes. Mayor Hashmi confirmed with Mr.
Godwin that City staff had a plan and it would be publicized. He also confirmed with Mr.
Godwin these issues were a priority.
16. Consider and approve future events for City Council and/or City Staff pursuant to
Resolution No. 2004 -081.
No events were referenced.
17. Adjournment.
There being no further business, a Motion to adjourn was made by Council Member
Frierson and was seconded by Council Member Drake. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. The
meeting was adjourned at 6:06 p.m.
A.J. HASHMI, M.D., MAYOR
JANICE ELLIS, CITY CLERK