WEST GALVESTON ISLAND PROPERTY OWNER'S ASSOCIATION

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING WITH THE GALVESTON PARKS BOARD

Galveston Parks Board Offices

Parks Board: Dianna Puccetti – Chairwoman; Lou Muller – Executive Vice President; Chuck Coburn – Manager Beach Cleaning; Bill Hyneck – Parks Board

WGIPOA: Jerry Mohn; Wanda Greer - Terramar Beach

Galveston Island Vacation Realtors Management Association (GIVRMA): Bert Feinman; Anne Reiswerg

The meeting was very positive and a complete 180 degree turn from the August 4 meeting (see WGIPOA.com website for notes). The Parks Board recognizes the importance in keeping the beaches clean on the west end from a public visibility standpoint as well as a safety issue. The GIVRMA members helped greatly with an Email campaign to the Parks Board Trustees and City Council for cleaner beaches.

Summary of the meeting:

1. More trash and debris pick up service will be available than this past year from the end of the Seawall to San Luis Pass. Besides repairing trash barrels, all heavy debris along the beachfront will be removed. There will be a heavy and light debris crew. Pick up of trash on the beach will be from the mean sea line to the dew line. The Parks Board plans to acquire two additional trucks for trash and wood debris pick up.

Although the following program is the plan for the upcoming year, the goal is to clean the beaches 6 days per week for all access points and to empty trash barrels from 7 mile road to San Luis Pass every other day.

1. From September, 2004, through March, 2005, Monday through Friday, handpicking of trash and refuse collection on the beach daily. No raking of the seaweed on the beaches except the pocket parks.
2. From April, 2005, through September, 2005, peak season, handpicking of trash and refuse collection on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Beach access points will have handpicking of trash and refuse collection on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Beach raking only in the pocket parks on a daily basis.
2. Mobile life guard unit for the west end. A roving mobile security unit for the pocket parks and this group will respond to any incidents on the west end.
3. During the peak season, install a 40 foot dumpster at Pocket Park #2 as the refuse dumping point for the west end. In this manner, the trucks will not have to leave the area and continue to pick trash and refuse.
4. The Parks Board plans top purchase two refuse trucks (used) and assign crews specifically for the west end. There should be 6 to 8 workers per day except Thursday for the west end.
5. The workers would clock in at Dellanera Park instead of downtown, thereby saving at least an hour and more time to clean the beaches.

The Parks Board has limited resources of funds since they only receive a portion of the hotel motel tax for beach cleaning. Lou Muller reviewed again the break down in how the Parks Board receives funds from the HOTAX. In addition, the Parks Board seeks other funds such as from GLO grants ($290,000), and these funds are to be used for beach maintenance.

Wood debris was discussed again. Lou Muller advised the wood debris is very prevalent on the west end and very little accumulates on the beaches in front of the Seawall. He believes the west end wood debris comes from the Brazos River. All wood debris is cut up with a chain saw and mulched through shredders. Wood debris this past fiscal year was removed from west end with a $20,000 grant from the GLO.

After major storms, the Parks Boards sends people to clean up immediately. FEMA reimburses the Parks Board 75% of the cost if it is declared a Federal disaster and at least $22 million for a county wide declaration. Only extra hires and overtime are reimbursable.

The goal for next year is with three trucks picking up 6 days a week at all access points from 7 mile road to San Luis Pass. For trash it will be every other day. Due to the salt corrosion, trucks usually last there to four years and require constant maintenance. Because of the corrosion, the Parks Board purchases only used equipment that is expected to last only a few years on the beach.

Trash barrels are thinned out during the off season, cleaned and washed, and a full complement is placed on the beaches before high season.

The west end groups, WGIPOA and GIVRMA will work together to enlist the help of west end property owners to request the City and County to increase funding to the Parks Board for the west end beaches. Currently, the City contributes $30,000 for trash pick up of the Seawall area and the County contributes $22,000 for pesticide and weed control of the rock groins along the Seawall.

If subdivisions or Boy Scout troops want to work with a subdivision to pick up trash, the Parks Board will supply bags. The clean up group only needs to place the trash bags either in the trash barrels or next to it if filled.

Lou and Chuck reviewed the approved Parks Board budget for the upcoming fiscal year, income sources and expenses, and how they arrived at cost figures for both expenses and capital outlays.

The main area Lou covered is how the Parks Board of Trustees is funded primarily through two sources of user fees – Hotel Occupancy Taxes and Beach User Fees. The rate for the Hotel Occupancy Taxes (hotel/motel taxes) is 9% and there is a formula in how the funds for the various operations under the Parks Board are allocated. The City used to receive only 7% of the hotel/motel taxes collected but through legislation passed a few years back, there is an additional 2% rebate that totals 9%. Therefore, the break down in how the 9% is allocated is as follows as set by City Council and the State of Texas:

The portion the Convention Center receives has cut into the funds that were previously available for beach cleaning (1.00). The Arts Funding was reduced by 0.125. The thought behind the action at the time in allocating a portion for the Convention Center was that sales tax revenues would increase and make up the difference. Lou mentioned the hotel/motel taxes for the past year have not increased significantly and remain the same. They are trying to do the same job they did before the Convention Center with fewer revenues today.

Revenue sheets detailing the sources of revenue from the west end HOTAX for the new and previous fiscal years and costs sheets were reviewed. Of the $1.774 million budget for beach cleaning for the entire island, $541,029 will be used for the west end.

Bert Feinman indicated only 600 of the rent homes on the west end contribute to the HOTAX, approximately $734,000. This is considerable when you consider the small number of homes for rent in comparison to the total number of homes in the west end. A list of homes for rent that do not pay HOTAX was presented to the Parks Board to pursue.

The WGIPOA and GIVRMA will continue to cooperate and work together in maintaining and cleaning the beaches of West Galveston Island. We will meet periodically to review the program of work and any issues or concerns that both groups could work together to resolve.

Respectfully Submitted

Jerry A. Mohn