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Home My WebLink AboutCPA 2025-09-02 Minutes CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS 2025 CAPITAL PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 02, 2025, 6:00 PM COMMUNITY ROOM NORTH RICHLAND HILLS CITY HALL The 2025 Capital Program Advisory Committee met on Thursday, September 02, 2025, at 6:00 pm in the Community Room at the North Richland Hills City Hall. The following members were present: Tito Rodriguez, Chair, Richard Davis, Vice Chair, Mona Bailey, Jane Birkes, Suzy Compton, Rodney Glenn, Brianne Goetz, Patti Hourihan, Elouise Kennedy, Dave Lambson, Miles Maze, Julia Miller, David Newhouse, Sean Nutt, Kyle Pekurney,Ann Perchard, Brad Pipes,Adam Pope, Steve Tate, Joe Tolbert, Marc Trevino, Gary Vieregger, Justin Welborn, Bill Whitsett, Mark Wood The following members were absent: Don Buehrer, Darlisa Diltz, Mike Kerby, Jason Roberts, John Schleeter Staff present at the meeting were: Paulette Hartman, City Manager, Trudy J. Lewis, Assistant City Manager, Mary Peters, Public Information Director, Cecilia Barham, Director of Library Services, Stan Tinney, Fire Chief, Chase Fosse, Budget & Research Director, Jennipher Castellanos, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Dakota Ford, Digital Content Producer, Sierra Clark, Video Production Intern, Erik Cook, Assistant Fire Chief, Chris Amarante, Director of Facilities & Construction CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair Tito Rodriguez at 6:00 p.m. II. APPROVE MINUTES FROM AUGUST 14, 2025 MEETING A motion was made by Committee Member Marc Trevino, seconded by Committee Member Brianne Goetz to approve the minutes of the August 14, 2025, Capital Program Advisory Committee (CPAC) Meeting. The motion passed unanimously. Ill. REVIEW OF CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS BUDGET Chase Fosse Director of Budget and Research provided the committee with a high-level overview of the city's budget. He began by explaining that the primary function of the budget is to plan, prioritize, authorize and drive accountability and transparent allocation of tax dollars. Mr. Fosse also noted the budget's importance in enabling the city to achieve its goals such as responding to calls for service, maintaining city parks, and operating critical infrastructure like water, sewer, drainage lines and the fire and police stations. Mr. Fosse highlighted the city's commitment to efficiency, noting efforts to maintain stable staffing levels over time. He presented a graph displaying the number of employees per resident, showcasing the city's operational efficiency. Mr. Fosse then presented the committee with the guiding principles that drive the annual budget's planning. These principles include citizen input, City Council direction, and the operating environment. Mr. Fosse provided an overview of the City Council's Vision statement: "To be the standard for transparent, resident-focused, fiscally responsible, business-welcoming municipal government in Texas." He then presented the committee with a list of the City Council goals. And discussed highlights of the proposed budget, which included a brief discussion about property and sales tax revenues, street maintenance funding increases, new positions included in the proposed budget and other notable items. Mr. Fosse provided a high-level overview of the city's fund accounting, explaining that the city uses funds to maintain fiscal segmentation, and all expenditures from these funds are approved annually. He explained that the city uses two types of funding categories: one for operating expenses and the other for capital expenses. A snapshot of the FY 2026 Proposed Capital Budget was provided. He then presented a slide with expenditures for the FY 2026 Proposed Operating Budget. After which, Mr. Fosse provided more details about the following funds: General Fund, Debt Service Fund, Parks Fund, Crime Control & Prevention District (CCD) Fund, and Utility Fund. To conclude his presentation, Mr. Fosse provided comparative analyses of the City of North Richland Hills against several neighboring cities. These comparisons, for FY 2025, included population size, General Fund Budget, employees per capita, and the average residential tax bill. Mr. Fosse and City Manager, Ms. Hartman, addressed questions from the committee. IV. REVIEW AND DISCUSS NEED, POTENTIAL LAYOUT AND PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES FOR 2 FIRE STATION PROJECTS Fire Chief Stan Tinney began the presentation by introducing himself and Assistant Fire Chief Erik Cook. He explained how best practices have evolved and detailed the significant changes in emergency management and fire response methods over the last 45 years, noting how these developments are driving the current need for change. Fire Chief Tinney then provided an overview of fire stations 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. For each facility, he detailed its location, year of construction, any subsequent additions, the current layout, housed equipment and apparatus, and the total square footage. The Fire Chief provided a history of the city's fire stations, highlighting major milestones such as a study, a bond election, and various renovations. He noted that the newest facility, Fire Station 1, opened in 2016. The Fire Chief also provided statistics, stating that the newest station is ten years old (Station 1) and the oldest is 45 years old (Station 3). He shared that the stations range in size from the smallest, at 7,154 square feet, to the largest, at 16,832 square feet. He explained that a primary difference between the older and newer stations is the design, which now prioritizes the health and safety of staff, mental health support, and efficient layouts to ensure a quicker response. The presentation was then turned over to the Assistant Fire Chief Erik Cook for further details on Fire Station use. Assistant Fire Chief Cook emphasized the importance of safety in the design and function of the fire stations. He provided a historical perspective on how fire services have evolved since the beginning of his career. Assistant Fire Chief Cook stated the primary purpose of the fire stations is to serve as a place of work, providing essential spaces such as offices for Captains, work rooms for reports and online training, and areas for equipment and gear cleaning. He noted the secondary purpose is to provide readily accessible space for members to conduct both online and skills-based training. He concluded highlighting that, due to the nature of.their schedules, the fire stations also serve as a second home for staff. Assistant Fire Chief Cook discussed replacing fire stations 2 and 3. The Assistant Fire Chief noted that modern station design helps to minimize exposure risks that have been linked to illnesses that are prevalent in firefighters including cancer and heart disease through features like decontamination zones, airlocks, and separate ventilation for contaminated areas. He stressed that this design must be combined with education, policy, and regular health screenings to be truly effective. Assistant Fire Chief Cook provided an overview of the current state of Fire Stations 2 and 3, highlighting issues such as roofing, foundation cracks, plumbing and HVAC problems. He noted that the new stations would feature improved layouts, with dedicated office and workspaces, proper decontamination areas, and quicker access to the apparatus bay. The new designs also aim to provide adequate workout facilities and outdoor living areas, which are critical for personnel who spend a significant amount of time at the station. He concluded by emphasizing that the new stations would be strategically located to maximize response efficiency. Fire Chief Tinney then discussed several key topics, including site layouts, impacts on response times, future needs, size requirements, and estimated costs. He provided detailed information on how location and travel time affect the distribution of calls among stations and discussed the importance of considering areas in the city that are difficult to reach. The Chief also presented a fire station space allocation table, a detailed cost estimate for Stations 2 and 3, and provided a comprehensive breakdown of future cost projections, including the impact of annual cost increases. Fire Chief Tinney, Vice Chair Richard Davis, City Manager Ms. Hartman and Assistant Chief Cook addressed questions from the committee. V. REVIEW FUTURE MEETING DATES AND DISCUSSION ITEMS Chair Rodriguez reviewed the list provided of future meeting dates. There were no changes to the schedule. A brief discussion was held regarding the September 16, 2025, meeting which will take place in the Community Room and include a tour of Fire Stations 2 and 3, with a possible tour of Fire Station 1, if time permits. Committee Members will be transported in city vans to these locations. No changes were made to the future meeting schedule. The future meeting schedule is listed below: • Tuesday, September 2, 2025 • Tuesday, February 17, 2026 • Tuesday, September 16, 2025 • Tuesday, March 10, 2026 • Wednesday, October 8, 2025 • Tuesday, March 31, 2026 • Tuesday, October 21, 2025 • Tuesday, April 7, 2026 • Tuesday, November 11, 2025 • Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • Tuesday, December 2, 2025 • Tuesday, May 5, 2026 • Tuesday, January 6, 2026 • Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Tuesday, January 20, 2026 • Tuesday, June 2, 2026 • Tuesday, February 3, 2026 • Tuesday, June 16, 2026 VI. PUBLIC COMMENTS An opportunity for citizens to address the 2025 Capital Program Advisory Committee on matters which are scheduled on this agenda for consideration by the 2025 Capital Program Advisory Committee, but not scheduled as a public hearing. In order to address the 2025 Capital Program Advisory Committee during public comments, a Public Meeting Appearance Card must be completed and presented to the recording secretary prior to the start of the 2025 Capital Program Advisory Committee.meeting. There were no requests to speak from the public. Ms. Hartman addressed questions from the committee members. VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned by Chair Rodriguez at 7:35 p.m. APPROVED: # ",Gtit- NU,414/1 Tito Rodriguez, Chair Jennipher Castellanos, Secretary