HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-14 Regular Meeting of the La Porte City Council LOUIS RIGBY O� A BILL BENTLEY
Mayor 0 Councilperson District 3
BRANDON LUNSFORDS. Mayor Pro-Tem
Councilperson At Large A �j 4711,1411 m THOMAS GARZA
STEVE GILLETT Councilperson District 4
Councilperson At Large B JAY MARTIN
DANNY EARP � Councilperson District 5
Councilperson District 1 / NANCY OJEDA
CHUCK ENGELKEN Councilperson District 6
Councilperson District 2
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA PORTE
OCTOBER 14, 2019
The City Council of the City of La Porte met in a regular meeting on Monday, October 14, 2019, at the City Hall
Council Chambers,604 West Fairmont Parkway, La Porte,Texas, at 6:00 p.m.,with the following in attendance:
Councilpersons present: Louis Rigby, Thomas Garza, Steve Gillett, Danny Earp, Chuck Engelken, Bill Bentley,
Brandon Lunsford, Jay Martin, Nancy Ojeda
Councilpersons absent: None
Council-appointed officers present: Corby Alexander, City Manager; Lee Woodward, City Secretary; Clark Askins,
Assistant City Attorney
1. CALL TO ORDER— Mayor Rigby called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. INVOCATION —The invocation was given by Rev. Brian Christen, La Porte Community Church.
PLEDGES—The pledges of allegiance to the U.S. and Texas flags were led by Councilperson Brandon Lunsford.
3. PRESENTATIONS, PROCLAMATIONS, AND RECOGNITIONS
Proclamation — Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. [Mayor Rigby]
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS (Limited to five minutes per person)—Chuck Rosa spoke in appreciation of the 2019 Texas
House Bill 2840 on public comments, read portions of the statutory language, and spoke in disapproval of
Councilpersons.
5. CONSENT AGENDA (Approval of Consent Agenda items authorizes each to be implemented in accordance with
staff recommendations provided. An item may be removed from the consent agenda and added to the Statutory
Agenda for full discussion upon request by a member of the Council present at this meeting.)
(a) Approve the minutes of the special City Council meetings held on September 19 and September 30,
2019, and the regular meeting held on September 23, 2019. [Mayor Rigby]
(b) Approve the purchases of various vehicles and equipment through Texas BuyBoard and H-GAC
Cooperative purchasing programs, in accordance with the FY 2019-2020 Vehicle Replacement Program
schedule. [Ray Mayo, Public Works Director]
(c) Approve amending meeting dates of regular City Council meetings in November and December 2019.
[Mayor Rigby]
(d) Authorize the City Manager to enter into US Communities contract#R-BB-19002 for Cintas to provide
uniform rental services. [Cherell Daeumer, Purchasing Manager]
(e) Authorize the City Manager to enter into agreements with Dunham Engineering for the design, bid, and
construction phase services for the Hillridge Ground Tank Replacement and for the Coating of Lomax
Elevated Storage Tank CIP projects. [Ray Mayo, Public Works Director]
Councilperson Engelken moved to approve the consent agenda items a, b, d, and e; the motion was adopted,
9-0. Councilperson Engelken moved to approve item c: the motion was adopted, 8-1, Councilperson Garza
voting against.
6. STATUTORY AGENDA
(a) Presentation and discussion on adoption of Ordinance 2019-3758, to amend the Council Rules of
Procedure and Ethics Policy. [Mayor Rigby]
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October 14, 2019, Council Meeting Minutes
Councilpersons worked from the Section 5 through the end of the Rules of Procedure proposal and chose to
review the Ethics Policy at the next meeting.
(b) Presentation, discussion, and possible action on a report from the compensation work group. [Matt
Hartleib, HR Manager]
Matt Hartleib, HR Manager, thanked Councilpersons Engelken, Bentley, and Lunsford for their work and
reviewed the compensation aspects that had been considered. Councilperson Engelken moved to approve the
compensation workgroup recommendations to:
1. Make adjustments to roughly 91 employees to bring them to at least the same position in their range
that they held before ranges were adjusted;
2. Adjust ten employees of a current 56 employees across 29 positions who will be reassigned to different
grades on the La Porte salary structure;
3. Add a standard of living adjustment of$1 per hour for each eligible employee; and
4. Establish compensation philosophies/practices beginning fiscal year 2019-2020
and the Council clarified that this would apply only to employees who have been here at least six months as of
today. Councilperson Garza moved to amend that all those employed as of today receive the dollar per hour
raise; the motion did not receive a second and was not considered by the Council. The original motion was
adopted, 8-1, Councilperson Garza voting against.
During Council Comments, Councilperson Garza requested he be permitted to make a formal request for a
record of his dissent on the vote for merit raises, saying he felt it was unfair and incompatible with the statement
that the City's philosophy is to improve the standard of living of the City of La Porte's employees if a group of
employees are arbitrarily left out, adding that he did not believe it to be an issue of money but rather of"arbitrary
distinction" and that he didn't feel he could vote for something that he felt discriminates against 20 employees.
7. REPORTS
(a) Receive a report of the Drainage and Flooding Committee Meeting. [Councilperson Jay Martin]
Councilperson Martin reported on the Drainage and Flooding Committee meeting, relaying that it received
reports from staff but that the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) representative did not attend the
meeting. He added that the Committee had a considerable level of frustration with project progress and that
the next meeting was set for November 11.
8. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
• Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting, Thursday, October 17, 2019
•Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting, Thursday, October 24, 2019
• City Council Meeting, Monday, October 28, 2019
City Manager Corby Alexander thanked the compensation work group and invited the Council to the employee
Family Fun Day this Saturday at Lomax Arena beginning at 3 p.m.
9. COUNCIL COMMENTS regarding matters appearing on the agenda; recognition of community members,
city employees, and upcoming events; inquiry of staff regarding specific factual information or existing
policies.
Councilpersons thanked the compensation work group and expressed hopes for employee care with the initiatives
going forward; applauded all the City departments that participated in National Night Out; gave kudos to the City
Manager and staff for getting the Somerton Road project completed and opened; acknowledged how much is going
on in the city in parks and with new recycling bins; warned the public about credit cards being skimmed; recognized
Charlie Perry, who will be named an LPISD Distinguished Citizen this week; shared how much fun local families
had at Fright Night; noted the Civic Club and the Court participated in the Northside cleanup; and recounted Council
and staff attendance at the annual Texas Municipal League (TML) Conference last week. During Council
Comments, Councilperson Garza requested be permitted to make a formal request for a record of his dissent, it is
above with • -m 6b.
A
DJ•UR — itho t objection ayor Rig v adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m.
-- •odward, -. - -rye
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October 14, 2019, Council Meeting Minutes