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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-01-31 MINUTES OF COUNCIL JANUARY 31, 2008 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on January 31, at 2:00 PM at the Municipal Building. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh presided over the meeting. Councilmember Krug gave the invocation. Upon roll call the following councilmembers answered present: R.L. Carpenter, Fred Krug, Doug Matthews, Matt McDonald, Trula Pectol, David Shetron, Stephen Smart and Paula Terrell. Also present were the City Clerk and the City Attorney. Councilmember Matthews moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting and Councilmember Smart seconded. All voted for. Councilmember Shetron moved to approve the prepared agenda as amended. Councilmember Terrell seconded and all voted for. COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) EXECUTIVE SESSION Councilmember Matthews moved to go into executive session. Councilmember Shetron seconded. All voted for. Upon returning from executive session, Councilmember Shetron moved to appoint Mr. Andy Montgomery to the Public Facilities Board. Councilmember Terrell seconded and all voted for. Mr. Montgomery's term will expire November 10, 2012. B) REVIEW CITY YEAR END FINANCIAL The council was given a copy of the December 31, 2007 financials for review. C) CONSIDER ORDINANCE TO ADOPT THE 2008 CITY BUDGETS Councilmember Matthews introduced an ordinance to adopt the 2008 budgets for the City. The City Attorney read the ordinance in full and Councilmember Terrell moved to waive the second and third readings. Councilmember Shetron seconded and the roll call was 8 for and 0 against. Councilmember Matthews moved to adopt the ordinance and Councilmember Shetron seconded. The roll call count was 7 for and 1 (Krug) against. The ordinance was given #2008-1-4. Councilmember Carpenter moved to adopt the emergency clause. Councilmember Smart seconded and all voted for. D) STATE OF THE CITY, MAYOR ELUMBAUGH "I thank you again for giving me the opportunity to serve as your mayor, and I am pleased to report tonight on the state of our city. The City of Batesville continues to make remarkable progress thanks to you, the citizens of Batesville, the city council, and the hard-working, dedicated employees. In last year's state of the city, I stated that it was time for me, the council, and the community to come together and move forward. I have to say that there has been great progress in uniting our council and community. First, I would like to reflect on some of the accomplishments over the past twelve months. With the help of our citizens and the passing of a 1/8 cent sales tax, a new aerial fire truck was purchased. Now, the firemen can reach the upper floors of the White River Medical Center and give the citizens better fire protection. Land on the west side of Batesville was also purchased, as promised to the voters, on which to build a new fire station. In the Parks and Recreation department many up-grades were made. Nine hundred feet of wrought iron fencing with rock columns was installed at Riverside Park. The park also got a new pavilion. Increased usage of the park is a strong positive for our city. The pavilions at the park were used over 250 times this past year for birthday parties, family reunions, and other events. The soccer fields gained a new concession stand and restroom facility. These improvements could not have been possible without the grant received from the Independence County Quorum Court. The number of children participating in our youth programs continues to increase as we make these necessary improvements. As I mentioned last year, a new recreation complex should be considered in the near future. The street department continues to stay extremely busy. Last year's purchase of a new track-hoe has truly benefited this department. Employees spent most of their time during the past year working on drainage problems throughout the city. Several blocks of streets were overlaid, including 18th and College Street, over to 22"d Street. In next year's budget, the city will extend the overlay from St. Louis Street to 18th Street. This particular street will get more traffic than normal due to the widening of Harrison Street. Speaking of Harrison Street, all of us will have to endure the road construction and detours in the next few years. Keep in mind, the end results will be something the city will be proud of. The sanitation department continues to run smoothly. The department collects your garbage on a weekly basis and also picks up "class four" garbage,which is considered junk, leaves, and limbs. Many cities in the state charge citizens extra for pick up of limbs, leaves and the "class four" garbage. My hope is that we can continue to provide this service to our citizens. One of the biggest concerns is the aging fleet of garbage trucks. The council has agreed to purchase one new garbage truck this year. We could use two new trucks, but we are committed to stay within our budget. The rising price of fuel is a major concern as well. In the landscape/cemetery department, our employees continue to do a remarkable job. This department maintains the Oaklawn Cemetery, Pioneer Cemetery, the Gray's Addition Cemetery, Rowe Lake, the levees on the river, and other common areas around the city as well. They work year round to keep our city signs and fountains maintained for the citizens of our city and the many visitors we have. The new animal control facility was finished in May of last year. The generous Gronenberg Family donation made this new shelter become a reality. We have two animal control officers that strive to encourage all pet owners to abide by city ordinances daily. I think it is important that the citizens consider the animals at the shelter before getting a new pet. The city dispatch saw new leadership in 2007 after the retirement of Roger Williams, a long-time employee of the city. This is a department that operates 24/7, 365 days of the year. This is a very crucial and important department that we sometimes forget to mention, but a department that I have great respect for. This department deserves the latest technology that we can offer and our support. With the abolishment of the Water Commission,the mayor and city council took over the everyday operation of the Batesville Water Utilities. The water treatment plant will be receiving a three million dollar up-grade to the water filters and purifiers in the next few months. This is a project that was long overdue, and it will help guarantee good water quality to our residents for a number of years. This past year several steps have been taken toward the future development of the waste water treatment plant. A 2 %percent loan has been secured from the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission. In August, our city engineer, Damon Johnson; councilman, Dr. Doug Matthews; and our wastewater supervisor, Eugene Townsley,visited sewer plants in Colorado. These plants provided valuable information and the latest technology ideas for treatment plants. The waste water project is a topic the community will be hearing more about in the next few weeks. When I mention the water department, I cannot forget the valued employees. These employees are hardworking, dedicated individuals who help the city operate day and night. I must thank our business community for its many generous gifts: the bucket-lift truck given by Citizens Bank; the sprinkler system for Pioneer Cemetery from First Community Bank, Pat Jones, and Steve Carpenter; property on the north of the White River donated by Con Agra; and our new Farmer's Market purchased by the Citizens Bank, Future Fuels, Flowers' Bakery, Soil Conservation, and the Blair&Stroud Law Firm. All donations have benefited our community tremendously. Our focus must be placed on economic development as a major project for our community's future. I truly believe our community will have to diversify our approach for economic development. Until legislation is changed, industry will continue to move out of the United States. Developing our property around the airport, promoting tourism, establishing technology driven businesses, and building a retirement village are many endeavors we need to consider. I believe we have to utilize our greatest asset of all, the beautiful White River. We also cannot give up on the recruiting of new industry, and I must say, by all means,we have to support our industries and businesses we have at the present time. At this time I would like to mention two important individuals. Our friend and council member, Mr. Jerry Pectol,will always be remembered as a man who wanted the best for his community. Also, Barbara Brooks, our assistant animal control officer,who had great compassion for her work and the love of animals. Both of them will be greatly missed and not forgotten. In closing, the city will be developing a comprehensive master plan in the coming year. This is where the community has the opportunity to plan the future of development of our great city. All of our citizens will be encouraged to help with this plan. This year, 2008, will be a challenging year for our town. However, in order to progress, the council, the citizens, and I must work together to make Batesville an even better place to live. Remember, our city's commitment today will assure us a prosperous tomorrow." COMMENTS FROM THE MAYOR The Mayor said he would like to have an Ad Hoc meeting Monday, February 4th at 5:15 PM. The Mayor told the council that during the budget process, the council discussed changing the Christmas and New Years holidays for 2008. The Mayor asked the council to approve working '/2 day on Wednesday, December 24th and be off the other '/2 of Wednesday and all day Thursday and Friday, December 25th and 26th. And for New Years, instead of taking off Wednesday, New Years eve, work that day and take off Thursday and Friday, January 1St and 2nd 2009. Councilmember Smart moved to approve the amended holiday schedule and Councilmember Shetron seconded. All voted for. Councilmember Matthews moved to ratify the recent action of the Mayor and City Clerk to request an irrevocable letter of credit from First Community Bank in the amount of$334,888.00 for one year for the slope stabilization project. Councilmember Terrell seconded and all voted for. The Mayor asked the City's Engineer, Damon Johnson, to address the council regarding a recent violation by ADEQ. Mr. Johnson said the City was assessed a fine for approximately $6,000 from ADEQ for the Wastewater Plant being out of compliance from January through April, 2007. He said that he, the Mayor, Plant Manager Eugene Townsley, and Engineers with McGoodwin, Williams and Yates were going to meet with ADEQ early next week and hopefully get the fine reduced. Mr. Johnson said the months that we were out of compliance were extremely rainy and they hope to show ADEQ the steps that the City is taking to enlarge our plant capacity and negotiate the fine. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Matthews moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Terrell seconded and all voted for. RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR DENISE M. JOHNSTON, CITY CLERK