12 City Council (11/06/03)MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
November 6, 2003
The City Council of the City of Paris met in regular session, Thursday,
November 6, 2003, 5:30 P.M. at Paris Junior College, Bobby R. Walters
Applied Technology Building, Room 1206, 2400 Clarksville Street, Paris,
Texas. Mayor Curtis Fendley called the meeting to order with the following
Council Members present: Jim Bell, Jay Guest, Joe E. McCarthy, and Willie
Weekly, Sr. Also present were City Manager Michael E. Malone, City
Attorney Larry W. Schenk, and City Clerk Mattie Cunningham.
City Manager Malone presented the minutes of the Planning and Zoning
Commission of November 3, 2003, and they are hereby attached to these
minutes as Exhibit A.
Mayor Fendley declared the public hearing open to consider the petition of
Tyrone Roundtree for a change in zoning from a One-Family Dwelling District
No. 3(SF-3) to a One-Family Dwelling District No. 3( SF-3) With Specific
Use Permit (39) Manufactured Homes on Lot 18, Block A, East Park Addition,
located in the 1700 Block of l Oth Street N.E.
Mayor Fendley called for proponents to appear, and Willie Diggs, 1758 9tn
N.E., came forward speaking on behalf of his wife, Dorothy, stating that they
would like to have the zoning changed for their son to live in a double wide
mobile home at this location. Mr. Diggs stated that he and his wife are getting
older and they are in need of help from their son.
Mayor Fendley called for opponents to appear, none appeared, and the public
hearing was declared closed.
ORDINANCE NO. 2003-047
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS,
PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 1710 OF THE
CITY OF PARIS, PARIS, TEXAS, AND CHANGING THE BOUNDARIES
ESTABLISHED BY THE ZONING MAP OF SAID CITY; ESTABLISHING
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November 6, 2003
Page 2
A ONE-FAMILY DWELLING DISTRICT NO. 3(SF-3) WITH SPECIFIC
USE PERMIT (39) MANUFACTURED HOMES ON LOT 18, BLOCK A.
EAST PARK ADDITION, ON PROPERTY BELONGING TO TYRONE
ROUNDTREE, SO AS TO INCLUDE THEREIN TERRITORY FORMERLY
DESIGNATED AS A ONE-FAMILY DWELLING DISTRICT NO. 3(SF-3);
DESIGNATING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ONE-FAMILY DWELLING
DISTRICT NO. 3(SF-3) WITH SPECIFIC USE PERMIT (39)
MANUFACTURED HOMES SO ESTABLISHED; PROVIDING FOR A
PENALTY NOT TO EXCEED $2,000.00; REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES
OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; AND
DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE WAS PRESENTED.
A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem McCarthy, seconded by Councilman
Bell, for adoption of the ordinance. The motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Mayor Fendley declared the public hearing open to consider the petition of
Gary Nash for change in zoning from a One-Family Dwelling District No. 2
(SF-2) to a Commercial District (C) on Lot 28, Block l, Warren Addition being
number 1855 Maple.
Mayor Fendley called for proponents to appear, and Gary Nash, 645 Johnson
Woods Drive, appeared before the City Council on behalf of his petition. Mr.
Nash stated that the entire area was replatted about one and one-half years ago
into a large "L" shape and a Dollar General Store and Cheyenne Trading
Company Tobacco Outlet Store were built there. Mr. Nash owns the vacant lot
at the corner of Maple and 19th N.W. Street. The gentleman who owns Lot 28
lives in Mississippi and is in bad health and he is interested in selling the
property. Mr. Nash advised that he signed a contract of purchase for this
property subject to rezoning. Mr. Nash said he did not need the property for
residential use, but at this time he did not have plans for the property. He said
if he does, he would replat the property.
Mayor Fendley called for opponents to appear, none appeared, and the public
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November 6, 2003
Page 3
hearing was declared closed.
ORDINANCE NO. 2003-048
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS,
PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 1710 OF THE
CITY OF PARIS, PARIS, TEXAS, AND CHANGING THE BOUNDARIES
A COMMERCIAL DISTRICT (C) ON LOT 28 BLOCK l, WARREN
ADDITION, ON PROPERTY CONTRACTED TO GARY NASH, SO AS TO
INCLUDE THEREIN TERRITORY FORMERLY DESIGNATED AS A ONE-
FAMILY DWELLING DISTRICT NO. 2(SF2); DESIGNATING THE
BOUNDARIES OF THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT (C) SO ESTABLISHED;
PROVIDING FORA PENALTY NOT TO EXCEED $2,000.00; REPEALING
ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
HEREWITH; AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE, WAS
PRESENTED.
Councilman Plata entered the council chambers at 6:36 P.M. and assumed his
seat at the council table.
A motion was made by Councilman Bell, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem
McCarthy, for adoption of the ordinance. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Mayor Fendley declared the public hearing open to consider the Site Plan
approval requested by East Texas Broadcasting on Lot l, Red River Business
Park, being located in the 2800 Block of Pine Mill Road.
Mayor Fendley called for proponents to appear and Mr. Bob Gibson, Vice
President and General Manager of East Texas Broadcasting,came forward, and
advised that they are Radio Station KOYN, KBUS, KPLT AM, and KPLT FM.
He said they were currently in two different locations in Paris and they are
trying to bring everything under one roof and make it a very nice stately facility
that the community will be proud of. Mr. Gibson said that Mr. Randy Reese
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November 6, 2003
Page 4
is present, who designed their layout of about 4,300 square feet. Mr. Gibson
advised that this property is an acre that goes from Pine Mill Road to Cherry
Street. There will be an entrance on Pine Mill and one on Cherry Street. The
building will be more in the back of Cherry Street, which is the wider part of
the lot. Mr. Gibson said they would save as many trees as they could and there
will be a lot of landscaping.
Mayor Fendley called for opponents to appear, none appeared, and the public
hearing was declared closed.
ORDINANCE NO. 2003-049
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS,
PARIS, TEXAS, APPROVING THE SITE PLAN FOR A PLANNED
DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT-OFFICE CENTER (PD-f), PREVIOUSLY
ESTABLISHED BY THE ADOPTION OF ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 2000-
038 FOR LOT 1 OF THE RED RIVER BUSINESS PARK; MAKING OTHER
FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; REPEALING
ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCE IN CONFLICT
HEREWITH; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATED, WAS
PRESENTED.
A motion was made by Councilman Weekly, seconded by Councilman Guest,
for adoption of the ordinance. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
A motion was made by Councilman Bell, seconded by Councilman Weekly, for
approval of the Preliminary Plat of Parr-Hull Medical Plaza, located in the 3300
Block of N. Main Street. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
A motion was made by Councilman Guest, seconded Mayor Pro Tem
McCarthy, for approval of the Preliminary Plat of Lots 1-10, Yoder Addition,
being located on FM Highway 79 subject to the requirements of the City
Engineer. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
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November 6, 2003
Page 5
A motion was made by Councilman Weekly, seconded by Councilman Guest,
for approval of the Preliminary Plat of Springlake Estates, Phase 6(City Block
259) being located in the 700 Block of N. Collegiate Drive subject to the
requirements of the City Engineer. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
A motion was made by Councilman Guest, seconded by Councilman Bell, for
approval of the Preliminary Plat of Lots 16, 16A, 16B, 16D, and 16E, Essary
Addition, City Block 242, located in the 2300 Block of Plum Street subject to
the requirements of the City Engineer. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Mayor Fendley announced that the City Council had been furnished copies of
minutes from previous meetings and asked if there were any corrections or
additions. There being none, a motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem
McCarthy, seconded by Councilman Bell, for approval of the minutes as
presented. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Mayor Fendley announced that the minutes from the Board of Commissioners,
Housing Authority of the City of Paris, Building and Standards Commission,
Library Advisory Board, Paris Economic Development Corporation, and Main
Street Advisory Board had been furnished with no action being required.
A motion was made by Councilman Bell to accept the minutes as presented.
The motion was seconded Councilman Weekly and carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Gary Vest, Director of Economic Development/Chamber of Commerce CEO,
came forward reporting the PEDC did not get the big Campbell Soup Project
that they had hoped to get. PEDC spent a lot of time and effort over the last
three months working on that project. Mr. Vest said that one of the
components of that proj ect was the completion of Highway No. 24 and they did
get a commitment from the Texas Department of Transportation to complete
that. It is going to be completed even though they did not get the proj ect.
PEDC made a significant incentive proposal to Campbell Soup. They also
tapped the Texas Enterprise Fund, which is a new fund that was created by the
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November 6, 2003
Page 6
Legislature in this last session. It had to be approved by the Governor, Lt.
Governor and the Speaker of the House. Mr. Vest said the City Council, Paris
Junior College, and Lamar County had proposed tax abatements. They looked
at the Enterprise Zone Program such as Sales and Use Tax Refund, Franchise
Tax Credit, Job Credit, and the Capital Investment Credit. Mr. Vest advised
that they had tapped everything they could in the Enterprise Zone Fund and
they also looked at the Skill Development Fund through Paris Junior College
for training for the new workers. They put together a package that they felt was
extremely competitive. He said that based on the report by Campbell's, they
felt that they were at parity as far as the proposals went and Maxton was
awarded the project because of the geographic location. Mr. Vest said that
40% of their product is distributed on the east coast which gave them an
advantage that they could not overcome.
Mr. Vest said all was not lost because they have had tremendous prospect
activity in the last three months. They have a small distribution center needing
65,000 square feet building that they have entered into a verbal agreement with,
which will be in the Industrial Park, and they are working out a site plan. They
have four local builders that are communicating with the company and as soon
as they can get something firm on that, they will have an announcement.
Mr. Vest said they also had a prospect visit from a major retail distribution
facility, which is going under the name of "Project Reserve." It is a 600,000
square foot distribution center. It is being handled by a site selection
consultant out of Tennessee named Mike Mullus. Mr. Vest said he talked to
Mr. Mullus today and the City of Paris is still in the running. He has visited 12
sites in Texas and has eliminated 2 sites.
Mr. Vest said that he and Erik went to the Food Packaging and Food Processing
Show October 13 through October 15, 2003. There were more than 20,000
delegates at that show. He said it was the best show they have ever attended.
It was the Paris Texas Booth and they had products displayed from Campbell
Soup, Sara Lee, Paris Packaging, Sesame Solutions, Silgan, and WePack,
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November 6, 2003
Page 7
which brought them a lot of attention because all of those companies had
representatives there displaying their products.
Mr. Vest said that they were ready to move forward with the Industrial Park.
The bids have to be in by November 15, 2003. They put the bids out in two
possible contracts. One is for the streets and the other one is for the water and
sewer.
Mayor Fendley said that the next item was personal appearance by Karen Boaz,
326 27th N.E. Street, Paris, Texas, appealing the denial of a permit to remove
a protected tree pursuant to Chapter 32, Section 32-9(b) of the Code of
Ordinances.
City Manager Malone informed the City Council that this item was taken up by
the Planning and Zoning Commission as an appeal of a decision by the City's
Tree Arborist Terry Townsend, who is also the Director of Public Works. Ms.
Boaz made a presentation before the Planning and Zoning Commission and
they overturned the denial of the permit, so it was not necessary for Ms. Boaz
to appear before the City CounciL It was only placed on the city's agenda in
the event that the Planning and Zoning Commission denied her appeal.
City Attorney Schenk advised that the only consideration would be is if she did
not do the one condition on the permit and that was to plant another hardwood
tree to replace the tree that is being removed.
Mayor Fendley advised that the next item under personal appearances is a
report from Millie McDonald, Lindsey Harper, and Lisa Wright, Festival of
Pumpkins Coordinators, presenting a closeout report on the 2003 Festival of
Pumpkins.
Lisa Wright came forward advising that Millie McDonald was ill, and Lindsey
Harper is attending a Main Street function that had been planned before the
council meeting. Ms. Wright said that it was really a pleasure to work with
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November 6, 2003
Page 8
Millie and Lindsey. She advised that if not for Millie McDonald this Festival
would not have happened this year. At the time they had to start work on the
Festival there was not a Main Street Director. Later on, Millie asked her to
help and it was such an honor and Millie was the heart and soul of the Festival.
Ms. Wright reported on all of the activities for Friday night and Saturday. Ms.
Wright told the City Council that the Festival was a great success. They raised
$16,213.68 form a combination of sponsorships, donators, and proceeds from
festival sales, events, and vendors fees. Ms. Wright said that is $7,745.93 more
than was raised last year.
Resolution No. 2003-163, directing the Director of Finance to transfer funds
from unencumbered appropriation balances to over-expended accounts, was
presented. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem McCarthy, seconded by
Councilman Weekly, for approval of the resolution. The motion carried 6 ayes,
0 nays.
Resolution No. 2003-164, authorizing and directing the City Manager to
execute on behalf of the City of Paris, a purchase order through the Houston-
Galveston Area Council of Governments for the purchase of three (3) Model
Year 2004 Police Package Chevrolet Impalas for use in the Patrol Division of
the Paris Police Department for a total purchase price of $ 51,147.00, including
the cost of the vehicles in the amount of $50,547.00, plus the Houston-
Galveston Area Council of Governments fee in the amount of $600.00, was
presented. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem McCarthy, seconded by
Councilman Bell, for approval of the resolution. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0
nays.
Resolution No. 2003-165, approving the Interlocal Agreement for E-911
services and PSAP equipment by and between the Ark-Tex Council of
Governments and the City of Paris and authorizing the City Manager to execute
and the City Clerk to attest, on behalf of the City of Paris, the Interlocal
Agreement, was presented. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem McCarthy,
seconded by Councilman Guest, for approval of the resolution. The motion
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November 6, 2003
Page 9
carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Resolution No. 2003-166, nominating Bobby Ray Walters to serve as a member
of the Board of Directors of the Lamar County Appraisal District, and the City
Clerk is hereby directed to timely deliver a copy of this resolution to the Lamar
County Appraisal District, was presented. A motion was made by Councilman
Guest, seconded by Councilman Weekly, for approval of the resolution. The
motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Resolution No. 2003-167, approving the form of Change Order No. One and
Final to the contract for the construction of the "Pro Rata Sanitary Sewer
Extension for the Cope Addition along Meadowlark, Mockingbird, Cope, Pine
Mill Road, Thomas Drive, Welch Circle, and 46th Street N.E. Project" for the
quantity adjustment from as-bid to as-built, and providing for a net increase of
$7,360.99 in the contract price for a total contract price of $505,231.05, was
presented. A motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem McCarthy, seconded by
Councilman Guest, for approval of the resolution. The motion carried 6 ayes,
0 nays.
Resolution No. 2003-168, authorizing and directing the Mayor to execute on
behalf of the City of Paris the tax resale deed and any and all documents
necessary to convey the property described as 0.172 acres, more or less, being
Lot 3, Block 14, Mayer Addition, being number 3225 W. Kaufman Street to
Cecil L. Miller, was presented. A motion was made by Councilman Bell,
seconded by Councilman Plata, for approval of the resolution. The motion
carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Resolution No. 2003-169, approving the form of Change Order No. Two and
Final to the contract for the "City of Paris Animal Shelter Project," and for the
said project to reflect changes , and providing for a net increase of $5,425.00
in the contract price for a total contract price of $420,251.00, was presented.
A motion was made by Councilman Weekly, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem
McCarthy, for approval of the resolution. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
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November 6, 2003
Page 10
Mayor Fendley announced that the City Council would go into executive
session at 6:10 P.M., pursuant to Section 551.071 of the Texas Government
Code, Consultation with Attorney to receive advice of legal counsel pertaining
to pending or possible litigation against Standard Life and Accident Insurance
Company and Brokers Risk Incorporation.
At 6:20 P.M. Mayor Fendley declared the executive session closed and the
regular session open.
Resolution No. 2003-170, authorizing litigation against Standard Life and
Accident Insurance Company and Brokers Risk Incorporated for collection of
monies owed the city; designating the Moore Law Firm to represent the City
of Paris in said litigation, was presented. A motion was made by Mayor Pro
Tem McCarthy, seconded by Councilman Bell, for approval of the resolution.
The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Mayor Fendley called for discussion of a proposed comprehensive policy
regulating work by the day, and advised that each Council Member had a copy
of the proposed policy.
City Attorney Schenk gave the City Council a handout which was a
replacement for page two. They made one correction to that page regarding the
time under the definition of day should read, beginning at 3:00 P.M., and
ending at 2:59 P.M.
City Attorney Schenk said that basically what he was presented to the City
Council is a nine section proposed policy for regulations regarding work by the
day. He said the first section contains five definitions including City Engineer,
day, emergency procurement, work, and work by the day. The City Attorney
said the definition of day, as you will see later on, will work very well for and
is consistent with the way that the city has to pay for this through the Finance
Department to enable them to get their checks out on time, or before the end of
their business day. The policy in the past had been that the contractors would
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November 6, 2003
Page 11
have to present the invoices by 3:00 P.M., as a result, they were having to
estimate the amount of work they would be doing for the remainder of that day
and then there would be a true-up on the following day. He advised that this
continuous process of true-up by defining the day as shown in the proposed
policy should mean that the city would be paying them on a daily basis as they
do work for work that is done and identified exactly and there will not be a
need for a true-up.
City Attorney Schenk advised that Section 2 defines the work that may be
conducted by the day. He said what he has attempted to follow the mainstream
of the comments that were presented to him by members of the City Council.
The City Attorney said he has placed in the proposed policy, Section 2 on
work that may be conducted by the day. Emergency work is defined and a
procedure is set up to be followed as well as how non-emergency work may be
performed in accordance with this policy.
City Attorney Schenk said that subparagraph C stipulates that no work by the
day may be performed if the total expenditure exceeds $50,000.00.
City Attorney Schenk advised that subparagraph D stipulates that there will be
no sequential projects unless they total no more than the same limits of
$50,000.00.
City Attorney Schenk said Section 3 sets out a method for pre-qualifying
contractors to perform work. It requires the company to complete forms
generated by the city and specify its background experience, equipment
available, and what type of work the company wants to perform. It also
provides for a standardized cost sheet to be used in determining the amount
owed to each contractor. Section 3 E specifies a very stringent procedure on
how that can be paid. Paragraph 3 F requires insurance indemnification from
each contractor. Mr. Schenk stated that City Council may want to think about
Section 3 G which requires contractors performing work or work requiring
specialized expertise to maintain their primary business location in Lamar
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November 6, 2003
Page 12
County, Texas. Section 3 H provides that the contractors must update their
information annually.
City Attorney Schenk advised that Section 4 specifies the procedural
requirements that will apply to the new process. It would require the City
Engineer to identify potential proj ects that he believes are appropriate for work
by the day. The City Engineer would do a cost estimate on the project. He
would identify the contractor best qualified to do the work based on the
contractor's cost sheet. The City Engineer will bring the appropriate projects
to City Council. The City Council will approve or disapprove those
recommendations made by the City Engineer.
City Attorney Schenk said that Section 5 deals with acquisition of materials for
work by the day projects and separates the concept of labor and equipment
from materials. The first obligation of the city is, wherever possible, for the
city to competitively bid materials that are going to be used and to store those
materials in anticipation of those kinds of projects. He pointed out that storage
capacity can be limited. In the event that the city has not competitively bid and
stored bulk material and does not have it available, then, and only then will the
city purchase material for a work by the day proj ect, but the cost for those
materials cannot exceed $25,000.00. The City Attorney said that a work by the
day project cannot exceed $75,000.00 and that is including materials, labor,
and equipment.
The City Attorney said that Section 6 pertains to the payment process.
City Attorney Schenk said Section 7 sets out the process and the reason for the
qualifications of a contractor for performing work by the day, and subparagraph
B provides an appeal process for the City Engineer's decision to qualify a
contractor to the City Council.
The City Attorney said Section 8 provides for quarterly reports to the City
Council summarizing all of the work by the day proj ects performed during the
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November 6, 2003
Page 13
immediate preceding quarter.
City Attorney Schenk advised that Section 9 makes it very clear that departure
from the policy is permissible only upon specific approval for said departure
by official action of the City Council.
After discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council to allow them to
study the proposed work by the day policy and bring it back to them at the
regular December meeting.
Mayor Fendley called for consideration of and action on the selection of a
contractor to reconstruct a manhole located at the intersection of Loop 286 and
the Kiamichi Railroad.
City Manager Malone explained that the city has a manhole that has collapsed,
which is located inside Loop 286 West of Kiamichi Railroad. The City
Attorney has put together an informal bid process for this. The City Manager
said they have most of the parts that are needed, as this was a project that was
underway using the work by the day methodology. He said they received
informal bids on November 3, 2003. Two bids were received and the low bid
was from J&J Underground in the amount of $29,500.00 and the second bid
was from William Heuberger Construction in the amount of $29,900.00. The
City Manager said these bids had to be rejected because both bids were in
excess of the $25,000.00. The project was put back out for informal quotes,
which were accepted on Wednesday, November Sth at 3:00 P.M. Two bids
were received. The low bid was from S&S Boring in the amount of $14,000.00
and the second bid was from William Heuberger Construction in the amount
of $34,900.00.
The City Engineer and staff are recommending that the informal bid be
awarded to S&S Boring in the amount of $14,000.00 with the work to be
tentatively scheduled to begin Monday, November 10, 2003.
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November 6, 2003
Page 14
Councilman Bell wanted to know if this was the project that the Council had
previously authorized to be completed by work by the day with an estimated
cost of $10,000.00.
Shawn Napier, City Engineer, came forward stating that the project was
underway at the time that the work by the day ended and there was not a
recommendation as to how they were to do the project. Mr. Napier said they
tried to follow the new policy that the City Attorney has created. City Manager
Malone explained that they did not have any type of agreed methodology to
choose a contractor. The City Manager pointed out that a lot of information
was presented about work by the day that turned out to not be factual. The staff
did not want to be hanging out regarding this matter. He said that in order to
go out for bid, they had to have a design and they put it out, and this is what
they received.
Mr. Napier told the City Council that Chip Jenkins originally started this
proj ect and he currently has two crews away from Paris, who knew all about
this project, and the City Council can see by his bid that he really did not want
the project because it would cost him money to pull a crew back and finish this
proj ect.
A motion was made by Councilman Bell that the bid be awarded to S&S
Boring in the amount of $14,000.00 for the completion of the manhole
replacement at Kiamichi Railroad and Loop 286. The motion was seconded by
Councilman Plata and carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
City Manager Malone reported that the Director of Finance is out of town and
he is in the process of drafting several variations of an RFP. He advised that
one of these variations will be for a fully funded plan such as the city currently
has. Another version will be a self-funded plan such as the city has, and the
third version would allow for those proposing to present a plan of their own
design. City Manager Malone said Mr. Anderson's idea is that the city is going
to have several options to choose from and he is hopeful that this can be
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November 6, 2003
Page 15
combined into one single RFP. Mr. Anderson is also compiling a list of
vendors to whom a proposal package might be sent. As suggested by the
Mayor, the basic plan that will be provided from the vendors will be structured
around the reduction of the plan as discussed with TML. He said they will get
figures as to what percentage each of those changes would contribute to the
savings and discussion among most of the city's department heads and get a
recommendation and come back with recommendations to the City Council.
This will give the Council some idea what the plan might include. The changes
that Mr. Anderson had speculated about would reduce expected claims by
approximately $140,000.00 a year. Once he has completed his basic RFP, he
is going to ask the new Personnel Officer, Melba Harris, to review it.
Regarding the restructuring of Police Department salaries, Mr. Malone said the
Police Chief has given Ms. Harris the raw data his personnel acquired. She is
updating that information with additional information and is putting it in a
matrix where they can see how Paris compares with other cities with regard to
pay and the additional compensation. The City Manager advised that when
that is completed, they are going to reconstruct the plan and determine the
exact cost of the proposal, and if there needs to be any modifications suggested,
then that will be brought back to the City Council for discussion.
The City Manager said that staff hopefully would be prepared to send out the
RFP on the insurance in December or January, including any input from
Council. He also felt that a recommendation concerning police department pay
would be acted upon in December or January. Councilman Plata wanted to
know if the Manager thought that the overtime could be cut out as much as they
have recommended. City Manager Malone said that was a budgeted amount
of overtime and it is similar to last year's budget. He said that, since that time
they have changed to 12 hour shifts and this has resulted in some savings.
They need to go through several months to have enough data to review to see
how much savings will be realized. The Police Chief has had some experience
with it and Mr. Anderson has conferred with him about that. He felt that they
can pin that down and certainly they will have more information about that in
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November 6, 2003
Page 16
December. Because of the work load of the Finance Director, he did not know
if all of the information would be available by the December meeting but it
could be available by the January meeting.
Karl Louis, Police Chief, came forward telling the Council that their first
month of operation with the overtime and everything is fitting into the plan and
if they continue without any major disasters occurring, they should be able to
fit their overtime as projected. Chief Louis said that one thing that he would
ask the Council to consider is, upon completion of analysis of the data that they
gave Director of Finance, if their information is validated, he would ask
Council to make the pay adjustments retroactive back to October l, 2003,
because that is when their budget started and they held the positions open.
City Manager Malone said that this is his personal opinion and this is a
decision for the Council to make, and they have had this discussion before, but
first of all, he wanted to interject that during the budgeting process, everyone
that was a department head got to send forward their recommendations if they
needed staff, raises, etc. They did have requests from the Police, Fire, and
EMS departments for additional pay. They were wanting a 5% increase each
year for three years and all three presented that recommendation. One of the
differences was the Police Chief realized that the supplement that he had, or
was going to have, or thought he would have some savings in his overtime by
the shift change in his department. He earmarked money, but he did not give
it up in the budget. Terry Townsend also changed some of his staffing in
Public Works, but he gave it back and that was distributed among the other
employees. City Manager Malone said the Fire Chief did not have the
opportunity to do that because there is quite a bit of excessive sick leave in the
Fire Department that is driving the cost up. The Fire Chief does not have any
savings and he has not had the opportunity to change any shifts. City Manager
Malone also pointed out that the Police Chief has other items he is willing to
give up. The Fire Department's budget is lean and there are no items to be
given up. He said they are not having a problem of losing personnel in the Fire
Department.
Regular City Council Meeting
November 6, 2003
Page 17
A motion was made by Councilman Bell, seconded by Councilman Weekly, to
adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 6 ayes, 0 nays.
CURTIS FENDLEY, MAYOR
ATTEST:
MATTIE CUNNINGHAM, CITY CLERK