HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-14-20 TC MinMINUTES OF THE JOINT TOWN OF WESTLAKE TOWN COUNCIL AND WESTLAKE
ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
DECEMBER 14, 2020
In accordance with Order of the Office of the Governor issued March 16, 2020 and March 19, 2020,
the Town Council of the Town of Westlake and the Board of Trustees of Westlake Academy conducted
a joint meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020 by video and telephone conference in
order to advance the public health goal of limiting face-to-face meetings (also called "social
distancing") to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). There was no public access to the
physical location described above. A recording of the telephonic meeting was made and is available
to the public.
PRESENT: Mayor Laura Wheat and Council Members Carol Langdon, Greg Goble, and Rajiv
Trivedi and Rick Rennhack.
ABSENT:
OTHERS PRESENT: Town Manager Amanda DeGan, Deputy Town Manager Noah
Simon, Assistant Town Manager Jarrod Greenwood, Town Attorney
Stan Lowry, Town Secretary Todd Wood, Director of Information
Technology Jason Power, Director of Finance Debbie Piper, Director
of Facilities & Public Works Troy Meyer, Director of Administrative
Services Ginger Awtry, Director of Planning & Development Ron
Ruthven, Communications Manager Jon Sasser, Municipal Court
Administrator Jeanie Roumell, Business Manager Marlene Rutledge,
Executive Director Dr. Mechelle Bryson, Finance & Budget Analyst
Kelsey Wong.
Regular Session
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Wheat called the Regular Session to order at 5:01 p.m.
2. CITIZEN COMMENTS
TC/BOT Minutes — 12/14/20
Page 1 of 6
Mayor Wheat provided a brief summary of instructions to the public for citizen comments.
No one addressed the Town Council.
3. ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST
Communications Manager Jon Sasser provided an update on the following items:
Westlake Academy CLOSED for the Christmas Holiday: from Thursday, December
21s' through Monday, January 4th. January 5tn will be a Teacher's professional developmental
day.
Westlake Municipal Offices CLOSED for the Christmas Holiday: from Thursday
through Friday, December 24-25, 2020. Waste and and recycling pickup will be delayed
from Friday to Saturday. Please call the Republic Services Customer Response Team at 602-
237-2078 with any additional questions about the trash and recycling holiday trash and
recycling pickup schedule.
Westlake Municipal Offices CLOSED for the News Years Holiday: on Friday, January
1st, 2021. Waste and recycling pickup will be delayed from Friday to Saturday. Please call
the Republic Services Customer Response Team at 602-237-2078 with any additional
questions about the trash and recycling holiday trash and recycling pickup schedule.
Upcoming Meetings: The Town Council and Board of Trustees will hold a Joint Meeting
on Monday, January 4, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. This meeting will be held via teleconferencing.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a meet on Monday, January 11, 2021 at 5:00
p.m. This meeting will be held via teleconferencing.
Westlake Municipal Offices CLOSED for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: on
Friday, January 181t, 2021.
Mayor Wheat then stated that she wanted to give appreciation to Finance Director Debbie
Piper, who has been employed by the Town for nearly 18 years. She thanked Debbie for
being with the Board every step of the way during this time and noted that she has always
displayed a smile during every conversation and kept everyone on an "even keel"
throughout the years on many different matters. Mayor Wheat expressed her gratefulness
and thanks for her for her service.
4. CONSENT AGENDA: All items listed below are considered routine by the Town Council
and will be enacted with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of items unless
a Council Member or citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the
general order of business and considered in its normal sequence.
a. Consider approval of Resolution 20-38, adopting a Leak Adjustment Policy
TC/BOT Minutes — 12/14/20
Page 2 of 6
MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to approve Resolution 20-38.
Council Member Trivedi made a motion to approve. Council Member
Langdon seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 5-0.
5. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ITEMS:
a. Presentation and Discussion regarding the Back -To -School Plan for the 2020-2021
Academic Year, including updates and recommendations regarding information related
to the impact of COVID-19 on municipal and academic operations.
Town Manager Amanda DeGan introduced this item, and asked Deputy Town Manager
Noah Simon to present information on this topic. Mr. Simon began by stating that he
would like to present several statistics to the Board regarding COVID-19 for the time
period following Thanksgiving. Since that date, fourteen (14) staff members have either
been exposed or tested positive for COVID-19, and eighty (80) students at Westlake
Academy have either been exposed or tested positive. These numbers include
exposures that are viewed as "presumptive positive" cases involving quarantine, and a
majority of these numbers that do not include an actual positive test result.
Mrs. DeGan then noted that an attestation would be filed with the state for MYP students
who constituted a larger percentage of exposures in order to continue remote learning
during this quarantine period. She then mentioned that the CDC has recently updated
the guidelines related to quarantine periods. Depending on local conditions, a
quarantine period may be ten (10) days for the general public who have not been
congregate settings. However, Tarrant County still recommends a fourteen (14) day
quarantine period, and School Boards would need to determine this timeframe at the
local level. At this time, staff recommends maintaining the fourteen (14) day timeframe.
Mayor Wheat and the Council agreed.
b. Discussion regarding the Town Policy for Naming of Town -owned Facilities and Parks to
determine if this request meets the criteria for a memorial bench on the Westlake
Academy campus.
Director of Public Works and Facilities Troy Meyer presented this item. He stated that
an application had been submitted for a memorial bench to honor a former Westlake
resident. Mr. Meyer then asked for feedback from the Town Council as to whether this
application would meet the criteria of the policy. He began by showing the existing
policy for naming Town -owned facilities and parks, and the processes that were
involved. He then recommended the creation of a "master plan" which would specify
available items within the community that would be eligible to be named under the
policy in the future. This would create consistency in the application of the policy.
Mayor Wheat asked if the value of donations should be included in the policy, as there
would be value in assigning dollar values to in how the policy is administered. The
Board agreed that a master plan would be beneficial, and additional discussions should
occur in the future to determine the proper manner as to how this donor's contribution
could be best utilized according to the policy.
6. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION 20-39 AMENDING THE GUARANTEED
MAXIMUM PRICE (GMP) OF $9,737,281 TO $10,039,787 ($302,506) WITH CORE
TC/BOT Minutes — 12/14/20
Page 3 of 6
CONSTRUCTION, APPROVING ALL CHANGE ORDERS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
OF THE WESTLAKE FIRE -EMS STATION NO. 1 PROJECT.
Director of Public Works and Facilities Troy Meyer presented this item. He began by stating
that with all large projects, staff will bring a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) to the Town
Council for finalization and approval. Mr. Meyer then presented the overall project
summary, including a summary of funding and associated change orders. The total project
cost of the Fire Station was $10,039,787, and staff recommended Council approval for this
amount.
MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to approve Resolution 20-39.
Council Member Belvedere made a motion to approve. Council
Member Langdon seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote
of 5-0.
7. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE 917, AMENDING AND ESTABLISHING A
NEW WATER AND WASTEWATER RATE AND FEE SCHEDULE, AND REPEALING
ORDINANCE 904 IN ITS ENTIRETY; PROVIDING A PENALTY; PROVIDING A
CUMULATIVE CLAUSE; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING A
SAVINGS CLAUSE; AUTHORIZING PUBLICATION; AND ESTABLISHING AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
Assistant Town Manager Jarrod Greenwood presented this item. He indicated that the staff
recommendation would maintain current water rates for the next five (5) years, with an
approximate 8% increase in wastewater rates. For the average customer, this would result
in an overall increase of 3.7% once combined. There were no questions from the Town
Council.
MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to approve Ordinance 917. Council
Member Trivedi made a motion to approve. Council Member Goble
seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 5-0.
8. EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Town Council and Board of Trustees recessed the meeting at 6:12 p.m. to conduct a
closed session pursuant to Texas Government Code, annotated, Chapter 551, Subchapter
D for the following:
a. Section 551.087 - Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations (1) to
discuss or deliberate regarding commercial or financial information that the
governmental body has received from a business prospect that the governmental body
seeks to have locate, stay, or expand in or near the territory of the governmental body
and with which the governmental body is conducting economic development
negotiations; or (2) to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a
business prospect described by Subdivision (1) for the following:
- Front 44
- Entrada
TC/BOT Minutes — 12/14/20
Page 4 of 6
ANY ITEM ON THIS POSTED AGENDA COULD BE DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION
AS LONG AS IT IS WITHIN ONE OF THE PERMITTED CATEGORIES UNDER SECTIONS
551.071 THROUGH 551.076 AND SECTION 551.087 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT
CODE.
APPROVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL ON APRIL 26, 2021.
ATTEST:
Laura Wheat, Mayor
Tod Wood, Town Secretary
TC/BOT Minutes — 12/14/20
Page 6 of 6