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The DeLeon City Council met in regular
session Thursday, May 11, with all members present for the 6 p.m.
beginning, except for Mayor Jim Adams, who was ill. Mayor Pro Tem
Gayle Stroud officiated in his absence.
During the Citizen’s Presentation portion
of the meeting former Councilman Jack Pilcher said he recently had a
conversation with two people who were interested in donating money to
the new Festival Park project.
“They said they have money to donate,”
Pilcher said, “they just don’t know what to do with it.”
Everyone agreed that was great news.
“There is interest out there,” Pilcher
said, “and we need to keep this before the public.”
City council candidate Roy Dale Freeman,
inquired about the no parking signs on Houston Street, in front of
Charles Brown’s house.
“Who put those out?” Freeman asked.
Both Gayle Stroud and Karen Wilkerson,
the City Secretary, answered, explaining that Brown paid for the
signs, but that the Mayor authorized city workers to install them.
“But someone said they’re not
enforceable,” Freeman said.
“No, they’re not enforceable,”
Wilkerson said.
“That leaves people to believe they
are official,” Freeman said, “To me that’s just like buying a police
uniform and a badge and walking around town.”
“I talked to the attorney about that
today,” Wilkerson said, “and she said that we could ask the property
owner to take them down, but we cannot force him to take them down.
But if someone is parked out there, and he calls and wants us to
remove them, that officer has no right to move them...because we don’t
have a sign ordinance.”
Freeman then noted that the attorney knew
more about it than he did, but that as long as the signs were up, he’d
at least always have a place to park when he visited the library.
Later in the meeting, the issue of
parking on Houston Street was revisited when Council members approved
ordinance #004-06, relating to vendor parking on Houston Street.
“This an ordinance for the City of DeLeon,
Texas, repealing ordinance #002-06,” Gayle Stroud said, “providing
restrictions for vendors to park trailers and vehicles on the west
side of North Houston; between Gonzales and Reynosa.”
Karen Wilkerson then read the entire
ordinance: “Whereas, the City Council of the City of DeLeon has
determined that it is in the best interest of the citizens of DeLeon
that ordinance # 002-06, providing restrictions for vendors to park
trailers and vehicles on the west side of N. Houston Street, between
Gonzales and Reynosa be repealed; and Whereas, the City Council, the
citizens of DeLeon and local vendors are working to solve the
congestion problem addressed by Ordinance #002-06 by designating an
alternative site or sites for produce vending that will benefit the
vendors; now Therefore, be it ordained by the City Council of the
City of DeLeon, Texas, that ordinance #002-06 is hereby repealed for
all purposes.”
After a brief discussion, the new
ordinance, repealing the old ordinance, was approved, with it noted
that a new vendor ordinance would not be needed, since the vendors
would be on private (Stephens Feed) property.
Burl Lowery presented to the Council the
Annual Financial Report for the year ended September 30, 2005.
Lowery noted he would hit “just the
highpoints” in the 50 page audit report, but Council members were
provided copies to study in-depth.
Lowery first noted that the Independent
Auditor’s report, “is an unqualified opinion, which is the best
opinion rendered on a set of financial statements.”
He then discussed the balance sheet for
the governmental funds. “At September 30, you had cash and cash
equivalent of $29, 953,” Lowery said. “And ad valorem taxes
receivable of $22,849, due from customers and others, $30,543 for
total assets of $83,345. Liabilities of accounts payable of $20,054;
sales tax due the DeLeon Industrial Corporation of $17,357, these were
paid just a few days subsequent to that, deferred revenue, $22,850,
for total liabilities of $60, 261; total fund balance of $23,084;
total liabilities and fund balance of $83,345.”
Lowery then touched on the revenue and
expenditures for that set of funds. “Your general fund has a
different method of accounting than the water and sewer fund,” he
said. “I’ll hit the subtotals on the general fund, and you had total
revenues of $1,003,914; total expenditures of $1,169,706; transfers in
from the utility fund of $113,866; expenditures exceeded revenues by
$51,926. You had a beginning fund balance of $75,010 for a ending
fund balance of $23,084.
Lowery noted that the transfer from
the utility fund was “much, much less” than it was the year before,
and that the general fund operated “closer within it’s revenue than it
had in the prior year.”
“Overall operations of the city were in a
much better financial position than the year before,” Lowery said.
He then addressed the Water and Sewer
Fund.
“At September 30, you had cash and cash
equivalents of $815,030,” Lowery said, “and accounts receivable of
$78,931; inventory of $18,235; total current assets of $912,196. You
had net capital assets of $291,351; total assets of $1,203,547. You
had accounts payable of $20,968; accrued compensated absences of
$1,408; customer meter deposits of $68,050; total current liabilities,
$90,426; total net assets of $1,113,121; total liabilities and net
assets of $1,203,547.”
He then discussed the revenues and
expenses for that fund. “You had total revenues of $767,056,” Lowery
said, “and total expenses of $507,878. You had operating transfers to
other funds of $124,001. The utility fund operated in the black after
transfers, at $135,177; ending retained earnings of $1,113,121.”
Lowery also discussed the “Status of
Prior Audit Findings” noting that “last year we had numerous
things...that needed to be addressed and corrected” including the
City’s operating bank accounts, for the 2003-04 fiscal year, which
were not reconciled and balanced on a regular basis, and incomplete
City minutes and ordinance files for the 2003-04 fiscal year.
“All-in-all everything was much better,”
Lowery noted, “but there is still some improvement to do. But it’s
going in the right direction.”
He also noted that paperwork on grants
was much improved this year.
Lowery then discussed a page of the
report that presented a “two year side-by-side comparison” including
governmental fund activities.
“We went from having to transfer $518,082
from the utilities fund to the general fund, to $124,000,” he said,
“So we’re getting some expenditures under control. As I said, things
look a whole lot better.”
Councilman Howard Gifford then noted he
“appreciated the ladies’ (city employees) hard work” to get everything
straightened out.
The council voted to accept the audit as
presented by Lowery.
Council members entered into executive
session at 6:27 p.m. to address agenda item number 11, sections A and
B: Discuss and consider taking John Moss off probation, with possible
pay increase; and discuss and consider adding Ben Rowell as a reserve
officer for the City of DeLeon. They reconvened in open session at
6:40 p.m. and voted to take no action on section A; and to table
section B, until a later date.
In other business, Council members:
• Approved the minutes from the April 27
regular meeting.
• Approved the April 2006 tax statements.
• Approved the bid request from Chastity
Lopez to manage the City Pool for the summer of 2006.
• Approved a request from the DeLeon
Industrial Development Corporation to give funds (architect fees) to
Developing DeLeon Today for the Depot Project.
• Heard a report on activities with the
Texas Parks and Wildlife grant, in which Jamie Welch, Assistant City
Secretary, said that standing water, after the recent heavy rains, had
delayed the “ditching” for electrical work. She also noted that the
delivery date on the steel was June 30, which could be moved up, and
that the forms should be set-up for the concrete work in the next few
weeks. Gayle Stroud noted that one of “best things that happened to
the City was having one person (Welch) who worked on the grants.”
During the staff report between City
officials and City employees, there was a general discussion on the
still blinking traffic light (no word on when it would change), the
possibly positive impact of a nearby ethanol plant, and the new
decorative lighting.
Councilman Holdridge asked Sgt. Ralph
Dickey, “What’s happening in code enforcement.”
“I think it’s been put on the back
burner,” Dickey said. “I haven’t officially done anything with it. I
don’t think any of the guys have done anything either; I haven’t seen
any reports.”
“I’m not saying you need to go to the
front burner with it,” Holdridge said, “but maybe it could be moved a
little closer up.” He then mentioned “all the weeds and grass
growing” from the recent rains.
“Charles is in the grass part of it (code
enforcement),” Dickey said, to which Wilkerson responded, “He can’t do
that.”
“He’s not licensed by the state to issue
a ticket,” Wilkerson added. “A code enforcement officer has to be
someone who can enforce an ordinance.”
“Well, the last I knew, he was doing the
grass enforcement,” Dickey said.
“He was,” Wilkerson said, “but I learned
that in school last time.”
“He could report issues,” Danny Owen
said, “and someone else can act on it.”
Dickey then noted that he’d been
extremely busy in the last few weeks, and related some of his recent
activities.
“I’m getting the court cases all sent to
the District Attorney and I have one to carry to the County Attorney,”
Dickey said. “All the cases are getting filed. I got the drugs moved
over from the last K-9 officer, over to Robert. And we got his DEA
license, the one from DPS, so we got all that transferred.”
“You said (at some earlier point) that
you’d not received your tazer certification,” Holdridge said.
“I sent the paper work for the guys,”
Dickey said. “Gary had never sent it in.”
Jamie Welch then reported to the Council
that all four of the homes selected for the home grant had been
demolished and that work would soon begin on the new homes.
“Also, I got notification today,” Welch
said, “that we do qualify to, at least, apply for a water tower grant
-- with our census and our income structure. So we are going forward
with that.”
Karen Wilkerson informed the Council that
she’d turned in several insurance claims, including two hail damage
claims for the police cars.
Rob Duncan, Public
Works Administrator, then discussed dam erosion problems at the sewer
plant, and it was decided to add the item to the next agenda for
further discussion and possible action. |
