MINUTES

    LAWTON CITY SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING

    APRIL 30, 2002 - 6:00 P.M.

    WAYNE GILLEY CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBER

Mayor, Cecil E. Powell    Also Present:

Presiding        Bill Baker, City Manager

Frank Jensen, Senior Assistant City Attorney

Sandra Rench, Deputy City Clerk

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Notice of meeting and agenda were posted on the City Hall notice board as required by State law.

ROLL CALL

Present:        James H. Hanna, Ward Two

John Purcell, Ward Four

Robert Shanklin, Ward Five

Barbara Moeller, Ward Six

Stanley Haywood, Ward Seven

Michael Baxter, Ward Eight

Absent:        Randy Bass, Ward One

        Glenn Devine, Ward Three

Mayor Powell said Mr. Bass had notified him that he would be unable to attend the meeting.

1.    Consider the Consolidated One-Year Action Plan for FFY 2002, provide staff direction for development of the final plan, and pass a resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute documents to submit the plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to execute the Grant Agreement upon receipt from HUD, and to execute other documents required by HUD to implement the CDBG and HOME programs. Exhibits: A. Consolidated One-Year Action Plan Funding Worksheet - FFY 2002; B: Resolution 02-64 ; Draft Plan (on file in City Clerk's Office).

Powell said Council has taken action on Items 20 - 31 (Exhibit A) and they need to discuss items 32 - 76 have had three public hearings and although he received a request to speak from Mr. Gunter there had been opportunity for everyone to present their requests and desires and unless he is directed otherwise would deny his request.

Discussion began with Item 32, Exhibit A.

Haywood requested the Council work with Proposal #1, column C on Exhibit A and members agreed.

Powell referenced the circular drive and said he thought the last time it was $10,000. Tom Aplin, Community Development/Housing Assistance, said that has not changed.

Shanklin asked who came up with the $20,000 figure. Aplin said Goodwill Industries had a contractor do the estimate on the installation of the circular drive which was included in their application which was submitted.

Baxter said there is a need for a circular drive and it is more of a half moon than a circle. He said there is a problem with a lot of other people who have handicaps that are crossing back and forth on the street and there are people who drive down that street to avoid the lights on 11 ^th and Lee. He said there is a lot of traffic on the street and they need to be proactive and do this.

Powell asked if there was anything not in column C to be considered.

Haywood recommended #51water line improvement $80,000; and #44 Goodwill Industries increased to $20,000 and asked Aplin if that can be done. Aplin said they can do that and asked if the $80,000 that remains will be sufficient. Haywood said it will go to Sedalia so if they stop at Abilene and Overland that should be $80,000. Moeller said they need the water much more worse than they need the streets and would rather not take anything from the water line, do the whole thing and get it done and do the street later.

Baxter recommended that if they choose to not do the curb and gutter on #66 at $30,000 to put $20,000 on #44 and $5,000 on #33 which will get Youth with a Purpose closer to their request and then give the other $5,000 to #38 which is a Minority Small Business Development Center which will give them $72,000 which will be closer to their request.

Haywood said he would come back with the curb and gutter next year. Shanklin asked if he wanted to add up all of what is being put in Ward 7 tonight. Haywood said he would come back with $30,000 for Texas next year for curb and gutter. Shanklin said there isn't anything in any other Ward but Ward 7 on streets, water lines, parks, roofs or anything else in this year's budget. He has asked for information on how that money has been spent for the last three or four years, they spent money on Dunbar, parks, etc., and they have tried to help Haywood out and sometimes this has to move to the north, they can't spend all the CDBG money in Ward 7. Haywood said Ward 5 has gotten their share of the money.

Purcell said this funding is supposed to help all people and the representative for #46 had told them they couldn't get money from grants or anywhere else and they need help with the kitchen which serves needy people and they are helping people with the kitchen which is more important than redoing a street. He said the streets don't help people as much as this item can help because they can patch streets and they have other means of doing streets but they can't take money from a general budget to do an item like #46.

Shanklin asked if the Council had received any calls. Moeller and Purcell said they had received calls for this item.

Purcell said this facility has live-in people and they need a way to feed them.

Shanklin asked Aplin if they had ever been short on estimates and asked if they weren't always a little heavy on the estimates. Aplin said his recent review shows they are normally significantly short. Shanklin said their engineers are always over funded on projects.

Powell said Baxter was taking #66 out of the items. Haywood said if they did that they need to leave the $100,000 alone for Texas.

Baxter said that will give more money to Youth with Purpose, the Minority Small Business Development Center and Goodwill Industries for their circular drive.

Shanklin said he didn't know how they could come up with that money and asked if that was within the 15% or if it was in economic development and asked if they could put $200,000 into economic development if they wanted to. Aplin said that was correct. Shanklin said he wasn't for that.

Baxter said $30,000 would be taken from #66 - SW Texas Ave. curb & gutter with $20,000 added to #44 - Goodwill Industries - circular drive; $5,000 added to #38 - Minority Small Business Development Center for a total of $72,000 and #33 - Youth with a Purpose would be $85,000.

Powell clarified the following changes as recommended by Baxter: #66 - SW Texas Ave. curb & gutter - $0.00; #44 - Goodwill Industries - circular drive - $20,000; #38 - Minority Small Business Development Center - $72,000; #33 - Youth with a Purpose - $85,000.

Powell asked if Baxter was recommending the remainder of the items stay the same. Baxter said that was correct, from #32 down.

Purcell said it is more important to help people who need the money on a daily basis to eat than it is to put in curb an gutter. Haywood said they have waited a long time for the curb and gutter and there are a lot of streets in his area that don't have curb and gutter. Hanna asked how long a person can go without eating and how long they could go without curb and gutter.

Aplin said the request for the kitchen is $53,000, based on their analysis of this project, half of that amount would not be eligible for CDBG expenditure because CDBG funds cannot be expended on non-installed kitchen type of equipment such as refrigerators that can be removed. He said the renovations of the property that can be funded legitimately would cost $26,000.

Shanklin asked how they would be given the $26,000, if they would be given a check in that amount. Aplin said they will have to get bids which will be approved before it is awarded, the work will be done and once it is done it will be inspected according to the specifications and will then cut the check to pay them.

Powell asked if that would come before the City Council prior to the check being drafted. Aplin said it would come to Council before they are given a notice to proceed.

Shanklin said Aplin had said that almost all the projects came in underfunded asked how they completed them and if they didn't complete them how much money does Aplin need to go back and complete 15 or 20 projects that came in underfunded. Aplin said they weren't underfunded, the estimates were under the actual cost, they end up coming back to Council and requesting additional funds out of the CDBG from projects that aren't implemented fully and program income during the year and if there are projects that come in under budget the money goes back into the budget. He said they do a scrub of the CDBG program to determine what additional funds are available in the different years they have going on and they seek funds from those programs to cover the additional funds when they come up. Shanklin asked if Aplin could provide that information. Aplin said he could provide some examples. Shanklin said he didn't remember ever having anything coming back through the Council for an item that was underfunded and it had been removed. Aplin said if it was underfunded it wouldn't be brought back to the Council, it would just go back into the contingency and when they allocate the contingency they come back to Council with a recommendation for the contingency funds to be used to fund additional projects. Shanklin asked if there was any contingency and how much they have had. Aplin said he wasn't sure how much they had now but they have had from $20,000 to $80,000 from time to time.

Purcell said there is $29,708 in what they are discussing.

Moeller made a Second to Purcell's motion and asked Aplin, in reference to the kitchen, if they could spend the funds to remodel the kitchen on the physical property but could not purchase the appliances, such as stoves, refrigerators, etc. Aplin said that was correct, they can only fund built in appliances and their proposal does not call for built-ins.

Haywood asked if they could put the $10,000 that was left from #27 into #75.

Powell provided the following for clarification: $85,000 - #33 - Youth with a Purpose; $72,000 - #38 - Minority Small Business Development Center; $20,000 - #44 - Goodwill Industries - Circular Drive; $26,000 - #46 - Roadback - Miller Manor Kitchen Renovation; $100,000 - #51 - SW Sedalia Ave. - SW Abilene Dr.; $0 - #65 - SW Oklahoma Ave. curb & gutter; $0 - #66 - SW Texas Ave. curb & gutter; $10,000 - #75 - Housing Access Modification Program.

Shanklin said he has been in Miller Manor and they can't spend $27,000 in the kitchen. Baxter said if there is money left over Aplin will get it back.

Powell asked if there were any other changes and this would be for items #32 - #76.

Shanklin said he would like to hear from Mr. Moyd from ZOE as to the cost for instruction, who gets that money on line #33. He said the first report ZOE provided there is $32,000 for instruction for teaching someone how to build a house and asked who those people are and what credentials they have that will tell someone how to drive a nail.

Mrs. Moyd, on behalf of ZOE N.E.E.D., said the Technology Center is going to provide all of the construction trade instruction. She said she needs a full time instructor to provide basic literacy instruction and GED services for the participants, and a part time tutor. She said these positions will serve 20 people.

Powell asked if this is to prepare them for their GED. Mrs. Moyd said many of these participants will have very low literacy skills, they will go to the Technology Center but will need assistance in their reading and lessons.

Hanna asked if they couldn't go up to Lawton High School to take their GED classes that are offered for free. Mrs. Moyd said this is part of their program, it is a multi-faceted program and will be servicing participants from ages 16 to 25. Hanna said they can do the same thing through the school system if they aren't in school, all they have to do is apply for it.

Purcell asked for further discussion on the previously approved items. He said in reference to Med-Trans, they need to make sure the people get to where they are going. They have problems in C. Carter Crane and Hospice they need to try to help and solve. He said he talked to Aplin about other agencies that provide transportation to doctors and hospitals and for some reason they are hung up on dialysis, all those people have to get to the hospital and from doctor to doctor. The 3,000 trips they made last year have to be accomplished and they heard from Mr. Gunter that there is another agency, funded by the Federal Government, Sooner Ride which you can ride to the hospital to medical, to the doctor, etc. and the only qualification is you have to be Medicaid eligible. If you can't afford to ride the bus for $2 then how are you affording to go to the doctor, get the dialysis, whatever, there must be some help. Purcell said he was told that about 90% of those people who ride MedTrans are Medicaid eligible and if they can get their rides funded by the Federal government on Sooner Ride that would free up some of the $50,000 that could be used for the homeless shelter and some of the other things. He said they have a duplication of effort on the MedTrans. He asked Aplin, if from his numbers, if 90% of the people who ride MedTrans are eligible for Medicaid. Aplin said those figures were provided by Meet the Needs and their figure is higher than the figure Aplin provided to Purcell.

Hanna asked Mr. Carter if those figures were right.

Bob Carter, 701 NW 36 ^th St., said Aplin is referencing a letter provided to him, he did some research on the figures and talked to a representative of Medicaid but there are no actual numbers and had been told that 90% was not an accurate number but no one seems to know the answer of the actual number.

Purcell said someone needs to know how many people are eligible for Medicaid. Carter said they know how many people are riding MedTrans and know what their incomes are but whether or not they are signed up for Medicaid or not they don't know. Purcell said he realized most of them may not be signed up, but the point is how many are eligible to be certified to ride the other transportation free.

Moeller said assuming there are people who are eligible but not signed up, asked Mr. Carter how long it would take to get them signed up and eligible to ride the other buses free. Mr. Carter said he didn't know but it would take quite a while.

Powell asked Deborah Jones if she could provide any information.

Deborah Jones, Planning Department said LATS does not consider income and that may be the gap that is being discussed, they will give a discount if a person is qualified medically not to ride a fixed route and would put them on para-transit which charges $2 for a one way trip.

Baxter said he was not present at the meeting where column E was voted on and would have fought for the C. Carter Crane Shelter to get some type of money but he could not support giving no funding to Teenage Pregnancy.

 

Powell asked if Meet the Needs can meet the service for that amount of money. Purcell said it would be with one van. Carter said he didn't know, he was talking to a person in the audience with Great Plains, the new bus system, who said it takes $30,000 for them to operate one bus. Deborah Jones said they can't compare the two because there are reduced fees for fuel and other items for Great Plains.

Purcell said they will be down to one van but the premise is that the people who are riding MedTrans now and who can qualify for Medicaid need to get the free bus pass and ride Sooner Ride and it should cut down on the amount required.

Powell requested a motion to approve Exhibit A.

Powell asked if any of the Council members had announcements.

Haywood said they had a good time on Saturday and expressed his appreciation to the Parks and Recreation Department for all the work they did to make the picnic successful and thanked Hanna and Moeller for attending.

Shanklin asked if they had received anything regarding loud noise. Baker said he and the chief had discussed the problem, would pursue the suggestion and would provide information to Shanklin.

 

Shanklin asked if the police department is going to ask for permits when there are people attempting to make sales on street corners. Baker said they would do so.

Shanklin said he read in the newspaper that the survey on the bus needs was done by United Way and he though Cameron, Vo Tech and the Chamber of Commerce ran surveys and they all promoted the fact they needed a mass transit system. Purcell said United Way had a major survey a few years ago using Cameron students.

Aplin said the Community Needs Assessment Survey was a joint venture between the City of Lawton, the Lawton Chamber of Commerce and Industry and United Way. The contract was with the Cameron University Business Department who did the survey and wrote the study and they still have that available. The priorities as they developed the consolidated plan stemmed from that study.

Shanklin said he has received complaints from people because they are being left off on the street and that isn't going to work, they will need to drive through Cameron, the mall and some of the other places because they are dropping off elderly people and they are having to walk quite a distance after getting off the bus. Deborah Jones said generally speaking transit never leaves the roadway, they have found over the years for safety reasons that it is less safe to go into a parking lot and try to come back out. She said she thought they would find in Oklahoma City, Norman, or wherever you go, that transit does not go into parking lots, it travels across the roads. She said they have to train themselves about traffic and following transit by being more conscious about it and it is a long walk for some people from the street to the store.

Powell said people are driving 70 mph on Lee Blvd. when they are supposed to only be going 45 mph and when the bus stops on that inside lane it is very hazardous. He said they may need to make an exception in that area because of the speed of  the vehicles. Jones said they could have Mr. Sherrer discuss this with the Council but normally that is where transit is and is how they maintain their hour headway. She said they need to do public relations work as to how you drive with transit and the next step would be enforcement although they prefer the public relations as to how citizens need to drive their cars if they are behind transit. She said they need to be conscious of the bus possibly stopping and to reduce their speed or move to the outside lane where transit isn't in front of you.

Moeller said she has received good comments about the transit, people are very excited about it and if that is the problem then perhaps they need some speed traps to slow the traffic down. Powell said they just need to slow down. Purcell said they may need to consider reducing the speed on Lee for the public transportation.

Baker said he visited the Water Treatment Plant yesterday, the construction is going very well and if any members of Council would like to visit the construction and if they need someone to go with them to let him know and he will get someone to go out with them.

Powell said they needed a motion for approval of Resolution 02-64.

(Title only)    Resolution No. 02-64

A resolution authorizing the filing of Consolidated One-Year Action Plan for FFY 2002, with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which applies for Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program funds as provided in Title I of the Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Grant agreement and implementing documents.

There being no further business to consider, the meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. upon motion, second and roll call vote.