08251975 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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93 REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS, AUGUST 25, 1975 Present: Mayor Ennnie Craddock Councilmen Frank T. Arredondo Ted Breihan Bill Dibrell Luciano H. Flores John Hansen Kenneth E. Sutton I City Manager City Attorney City Secretary Director of Public Works Director of Finance James B. Baugh Tom Akins Doriss Hambrick William T. Friedrich Earl T. Williams Also present: Richard Cruz; Curtis Adrian; H. Roland Abbott; Larry Niemann; Jim Broussard; Ellis Serur; Joel Henry; James Hoots; R.G. Phillips; James E. Byrn; T.S. Lighthouse; Charles Stone; Bob Hyatt; Helen Allen; Terry Roberts; Cindy Spencer; Jerri Martin; Jim Cunningham; Melissa Millecam; and others. The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. The Minutes of the Regular Meeting held August 11, 1975, were approved on motion of Mr~ 'Manseuand second of Mr. Sutton with Mayor Craddock abstaining. The Minutes of the Special Meeting held August 18, 1975, were approved on motion of Mr. Hansen and second of Mr. Arredondo. I Mayor Craddock opened a Public Hearing to consider the proposed 1975-1976 Budget. Dr. Stanley Sissom, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, came before the Council to request that the position of Planning and Zoning Administrator be reinstated in the budget. Mr. Ellis Serur came before the Council to protest the increase in the budget and in taxes. He said that when the sales tax proposition had been offered the citizens, they had been told the ad valorem taxes would be lowered. After the proposition was approved, he said, taxes were not lowered. Mr. Serur said the City was now receiving revenue sharing monies and there was more taxable property in the City. He charged that spending had outpaced inflation. Mr. Serur urged the Council to keep adequate funding the essential services such as fire and police, and cut back non-essential services. James Broussard stated his supportj.,for approval of the budget as proposed, saying that the growth of the City necessitated an adequate staff and services funded at the 1974-1975 level at least. Joel Henry and James Hoots, members of the San Marcos Fire Department, encouraged the Council to reconsider the proposed cut in fire department personnel. Charles Stone, a member of the Taxpayer's League, restated the League's position as follows: l~ referendum removing Civil Service; 2) expand the policy of meeting peak workloads by pooling employees of departments not experiencing peak work periods; 3) reorganization and consolidation of functions; 4) conduct workload study for new city hall work centers; 5) provide for critical reevaluation of how much taxpayers can afford on aesthetic budget items such as parks and recreation. He encouraged more street and utility expansion. Helen Allen, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board, asked the Council not to cut spending on parks and recreation, saying that one reason San Marcos has grown was because of the aesthetic appeal of the San Marcos River and parks. Others participating in the discussion of the budget were R.G. Phillips, T.S. Lighthouse, and Bob Hyatt. The Mayor closed the Public Hearing on motion of Mr. Hansen and second of Mr. Flores. The vote, on roll call, was recorded as follows: I AYE: Arredondo, Breihan, Dibrell, Craddock, Flores, Hansen NAY: Sutton. Mr. Sutton recommended the Council replace funds cut from the Fire Department.