Notes from Special 4 p.m. Council Meeting
There was a special City Council meeting held at 4 p.m. at City Hall on Thursday, November 19, 2009.
I almost forgot about it because of the unusual time. Present were Mayor Schoolcraft and Council members Cynthia Massey, Rich Whitehead, and Ed Villanueva. Also present were City Administrator Rick Schroder and City Secretary Grace Tamez. No City Attorney was in attendance.
I got there about 5 minutes late, and they were already discussing the proposed amendments to the fees and fines schedule. Those amendments and the item regarding the approval of the Christmas Parade were approved as written; all Council members present were in favor.
The only item on the agenda for individual consideration was the discussion of and action on the submittal of a funding application to the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program for the implementation and construction of bicycle racks, trash receptacles, benches, and trails within the Helotes Creek Linear Park and a pedestrian bridge over Helotes Creek within the Old Town Helotes Special District.
In 2006, the Economic Development Corporation applied for this grant for the same projects; however, the State decided not to approve any of the grant requests that year (I think the Federal Government took the money back). In 2009, the State has once again opened this grant for applications, and they have to be submitted by December 11, 2009 (which could be one of the main reasons for this special meeting).
Schroder feels that the City would have a good chance of being approved for this grant this time. They can use the application that was submitted in 2006, with just a few minor changes.
The EDC could offer a local matching grant amount of $125,000, and the Federal Government (through the State) would provide 80 percent, making the grant total $625,000.
The City would request that TXDoT deed over to the City the land along the creek under the bridge, which is in the floodplain. If they did that, the value of the land could go toward the local matching funds, thus reducing what the EDC would have to contribute. The land right now is appraised at $490, which is typical of state-owned property. Rick would estimate the value of the land by using the same figures as used in Old Town, which would considerably increase the appraised value.
Rick’s estimate of the cost of the project as he has defined it would be $618,376, of which the EDC’s contribution would be $123,675. The estimated cost of the two-way pedestrian bridge would be $1,000 a linear foot. For his cost estimates, he took the 2006 figures and added what he figured as the inflation percentage from 2006 to 2009. He said he had to adjust some of the estimates to get within the total of around $600,000, e.g., the contingency estimate should be 10 to 15 percent of the total cost, and his figures are based on only 5 percent.
Ardie spoke to Council because she has a different point of view. She thinks they should wait until they can put up a larger matching amount, thus getting a larger amount of “free money.” If they could put up $250,000, the total grant amount would be $1.2 million, allowing them to do more in Old Town. She wants Leonard Young, the EDC consultant, to review the application and see if there might be some in-kind contributions they can apply toward the matching amount. She also wants them to keep in mind that the EDC would have to pay 100 percent of all the cost overruns. She appreciates Rick’s efforts, but he left out some of the projects they had previously included, such as a scenic overlook in Old Town.
Schoolcraft thinks they should determine a maximum matching amount. If the EDC ultimately cannot come up with the amount they offer in their grant application, the City will have to provide it. Council has to be comfortable with whatever amount they decide on.
Whitehead made a motion that the item be approved as written except that the matching amount be raised to an amount NTE $200,000. Massey seconded the motion, and all were in favor.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:34 p.m.