The City Council of the City of Columbus, Texas met in regular session on Friday, December 22, 2000 at 12:05 P.M., in the Council Chambers of City Hall located at 605 Spring Street, Columbus, Texas, with the following present:

Mayor - Paula Frnka
Mayor Pro-Tem - Earl Joe Frnka, Jr.
Councilwoman - Ester Chandler (Arrived 12:21 P.M.)
Councilman - Donald T. Churchill
Councilman - Ronnie Rogers
Councilman - DeWayne Kotrla

City Manager - John Brasher
City Secretary - Jill Ready

1. Call to Order:

Mayor Frnka called the meeting to order at 12:05 P.M., December 22, 2000.

2. Invocation: Mayor Frnka

3. Consent Agenda:

a. Approval of invoices.
b. Approval of minutes from December 11, 2000.
c. Approval of financial statements.

Councilman Rogers moved to approve the consent agenda as presented. Councilman Churchill seconded the motion. The vote was as follows:

AYES: Councilmen Frnka, Churchill, Rogers and Kotrla

ABSENT: Councilwoman Chandler

The motion passed.

City Manager Brasher reported the following:

City Hall, the Nesbitt Memorial Library and the recycling center will be closed on Monday, January 1^st for the New Year’s Holiday. There will be no residential garbage collection service on the day of the holiday.

The City received a sales tax rebate in the amount of $33,980.56 for sales tax collected in October and reported to the Comptroller in November. This amount was 25.23% less than the amount collected over the same period of time the previous year. For fiscal year 2000-2001, the city is 7.25% ahead of last year’s total sales tax rebate amount.

Keep Columbus Beautiful is studying the idea of replacing the light standards around the Courthouse Square with antique style poles and fixtures. Coordinating this project with CP&L, Keep Columbus Beautiful hopes to have the poles on the west side of the square replaced by late spring. This project will be funded by KCB with recycling revenues.

Phoenix Fabricators delivered the material for the elevated storage tank at the industrial park last week and the erection of the tower is currently in progress. It will probably be completed next week and painted the following week.

The codification book of the city’s ordinances should be shipped late this month. Citizens in the very near future will be able to access all of the city’s ordinances by going to the city’s web page at www.columbustexas.net and clicking on city ordinances.

The Columbus Community and Industrial Development Corporation (CCIDC) agreed to create the Columbus Small Business Capital Loan Pool in cooperation with the Cen-Tex Loan Development group and the First State Bank of Columbus. A pool of $100,000 will be available to loan to eligible local businesses such as start-ups, expansions, women, minority owned, and non-profits on a case by case basis. The interest rates will be calculated at Wall Street Prime minus 6% with a minimum interest rate of 3%. Jim Whitcomb with the First State Bank, along with Larry Hoelscher and Eddie Hernandez with the CCIDC, will make up the local loan committee with one member of the Cen-Tex loan committee. This CCIDC initiated project is just one of many that was made possible with the adoption of the 4B sales tax for economic development. Interested parties should contact any loan committee member or Doak Hartley, President of the CCIDC.

The City of Columbus was notified that the LCRA Board of Directors met on December 13^th and approved the 2001 Park, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan which includes the MidTown Park project and identifies the need for $139,200 in LCRA funding assistance. LCRA will include the $139,200 funding request in their proposed fiscal year 2002 budget. Following final Board action on the budget in May or June and if the funding is approved, the funds will be available for the park after July 1, 2001. No match would be required with this grant.

A meeting was held with CLECO who is interested in purchasing the Midcoast gas system, formerly Texas Southeastern, and supplying the city’s gas. CLECO is currently negotiating with Midcoast and will submit a proposal to the city in the near future.

Council questioned the survey being done between the scout hut and the Matlock property. They recommended that the survey be done as soon as possible and flags be placed on the boundaries and pictures taken. Council recommended that the survey be completed by the end of the year.

5. Presentation By Citizens:

No citizens appeared before council at this time.

6. Consider and Act on Resolution No. 17-00 Extending the Contract for the Colorado County Central Appraisal District to Continue to Operate as the Tax Assessor-Collector for the City of Columbus Through the Year 2001:

Councilman Rogers moved to adopt Resolution No. 17-00 extending the contract for the Colorado County Central Appraisal District to continue to operate as the tax assessor-collector for the City of Columbus through the year 2001. Councilman Churchill seconded the motion. The vote was as follows:

AYES: Councilmen Frnka, Churchill, Rogers and Kotrla

ABSENT: Councilwoman Chandler

The motion passed.

Consider and Act on a Budget Amendment to Increase Gas Account #8450, Meters and Regulators, $8,210.30 to Purchase Gas Meter Indexes:

Councilman Kotrla moved to approve a budget amendment to increase account #73-8450 Gas Meters and Regulators by $8,210.30 to be used for the purchase of gas meter indexes. Councilman Rogers seconded the motion. The vote was as follows:

AYES: Councilmen Frnka, Churchill, Rogers and Kotrla

ABSENT: Councilwoman Chandler

The motion passed.

Councilman Rogers moved to authorize city management to advertise for bids to purchase a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria to be used by the City Manager. Councilman Churchill seconded the motion. The vote was as follows:

AYES: Councilmen Frnka, Churchill, Rogers, Kotrla and Councilwoman Chandler

The motion passed.

Consider and Act to Designate Tuesday, December 26, 2000 as Part of the Christmas Holidays for the Year 2000:

Councilman Rogers moved to designate Tuesday, December 26, 2000 as a holiday for city employees for the year 2000. Councilwoman Chandler seconded the motion. Councilman Kotrla reported that he had taken a poll of citizens and most felt the city should remain open on this day. Councilman Frnka stated that he was tired of city employees whining and the employees were hired to work and that is what they should do. Mayor Frnka called for the vote. The vote was as follows:

AYES: Councilmen Churchill, Rogers, and Councilwoman Chandler

NOES: Councilman Frnka and Kotrla

The motion passed.

10. Items From Councilmembers:

Councilman Frnka announced that he would be running for an office in the upcoming election.

Mayor Frnka wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

There being no further business, Mayor Frnka declared the meeting adjourned at 12:31 P.M.

______________________________

Mayor

ATTEST:

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City Secretary