Travis County Commissioners Court
November 10, 2009,
Item A1
>> a-1, consider and take appropriate action regarding license agreement with j&m enterprises for use of the Travis County expo center.
we will need to take this item into executive session when we go in there with the other items.
ms.
aldridge did share with us a response that she received from ms.
riggs, who was here this morning on citizens communication, and ms.
manroe is here now.
any comments?
>> thank you for your consideration and thank you for taking the time to consider having all the parties be happy with the situation.
last week.
i need clarification on a couple of items.
i need clarification on what's included on the standard fees, what the janitorial actually means, what the dirt work actually means.
what the water and electricity hookups fee involves, and what the county requires in terms of security.
those are the issues I need clarified.
i wrote up a piece here of any understanding how the fees were originally established, where they came from and what they apply to.
i'm happy to answer any questions about that if you have them, but otherwise we've talked to ms.
aldridge.
i think she is clear on understanding what our needs are, and I just thank you all for -- it seems like a tempest in a teapot, but I appreciate your time and energy considering it.
>> I did indicate to my office yesterday when I was out that we needed ms.
tenly to ask the director to respond to those questions.
when we chat with ms.
aldridge in executive session, we'll try to get those answers and try to get you something in writing.
>> excellent.
and I would like to encourage the court, there are people want to go put horse shows on at that facility.
i know of one in January now, and I would like to encourage the court to offer to the people want to go put shows on this spring that they will be charged as they have been previously.
and then look at maybe an arbitrary day of June 1st to put out a new fee schedule that has horse show specific language in it so we can all be on the same page in the future.
and at that time that point then I would hope you all would know what your costs are involved with with this.
i feel sure this first fee structure was established that the court was told what the costs were of the expo center and that the fees were established keeping in mind that the expo center should make revenue from these horse shows, absolutely.
and I'm sure that information was there when that court voted on these fees.
i don't know what they were, but I assume these fees were established with that in mind.
with fairness both to the renter and the facility to make money.
i think probably that was in 2007, I suspect those fees need to be looked at again.
costs change, times change, but I think it would be realistic to maybe have a new fee structure in place, say June 1st is just a day off the top of my head, so that horse shows that people are planning to put on in January, April and may, I know people who want to put shows on in these time frames, could go ahead now hiring officials and establishing their fees based on the prior fee structure.
>> I think, though, that the motion that we passed when this issue came up before was a motion to handle these two shows only.
>> yes, yes.
>> and that any future shows would be based on the free structure that had already been approved by the Commissioners court.
and that fee structure was approved based on what it would cost for the expo center to -- to become self-sustaining.
we really didn't base those fees on the user so much as we're not out -- we're nonprofit, we're not making a profit, we're just trying to make the entity self-sustaining.
>> certainly and that requires sometimes what you charge the user is more than what your cost is because you also serve some activities I believe that don't pay at all.
i'm not sure that's true either.
i'm talking off the top of my head.
>> there are restrictions on when we can provide the space to an entity at a discounted rate because actually we are not -- we are not able to give county resource for free.
>> oh, certainly not.
>> so what I'm saying, I'm responding to what you were saying about wanting to do more shows at some lower negotiated rate that --
>> no, no, no,.
i'm absolutely saying let's stick with the fee schedule that's approved through this spring, and then --
>> I think we're talking about two different things.
>> and that has nothing to do with these two horse shows.
i'm just encouraging the court looking forward to examine the horse show issue and making sure that it's still a comfortable situation the county establish fees.
i'm perfectly happy with the established free schedule.
>> on the established fee schedule that is our regular fee schedule that's applicable to all or the fee schedule we negotiated and passed last week for you.
>> I don't think that was a negotiated fee schedule.
you all look at the fee schedule and how it was being interpreted, and -- which in a way that had never been interpreted before, but --
>> okay.
i think we still have an issue.
>> what we decided last week was a sort of fee arrangement covering the two -- your two shows in November.
>> yes.
one show of mine and one show being put on by a nonprofit, yes.
>> that's what we were posted to do and that's what we did.
>> yes.
yes.
yes.
and I just need clarification on what that was.
>> so if we want to revisit this schedule, we can under an appropriately worded item.
>> yes.
>> every time we reviewed our fees, ms.
manroe, we've increased them.
>> I understand that, judge and I'm assuming you would do that based on real costs and research done as to what the -- you know, the facility calls for.
>> you can live with the outcome.
>> absolutely.
i intend to be part of having that outcome be made.
i am happy to share many years of experience in this business and we are more than willing to do a great deal of research to provide you all with information on industry standards.
>> now, Commissioner Eckhardt may chair that committee.
>> [laughter]
>> I would be happy to work with ms.
Eckhardt.
it would be a pleasure.
it would be a pleasure.
i think we would do well.
>> we'll let you know the outcome this afternoon.
>> I appreciate it.
thank you for your time.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 1:40 PM
