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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-01-14 MINUTES OF COUNCIL JANUARY 14, 2003 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on January 14, at 5:30 PM at the Municipal Building. Mayor Joe Biard presided over the meeting. Councilmember Ford gave the invocation. Upon roll call the following Councilmembers answered present: Jim Cargill, R.L. Carpenter, Robert Ford, Gerald Gaither, Jim Mitchum, Jerry Pectol, Paula Terrell and Jim Watkins. Also present were the City Clerk Denise Johnston and the City Attorney Scott Stalker. Councilmember Ford moved to approve the minutes from the last meeting. Councilmember Cargill seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Ford moved to approve the prepared agenda as amended. Councilmember Terrell seconded and all voted for. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO EXEMPT CERTAIN ITEMS FROM COMPETITIVE BIDDING. Councilmember Cargill introduced and Mayor Biard read an ordinance that would waive the requirements of competitive bidding during the calendar year of 2003 on the purchases of used equipment, motor fuel, SB-2, hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt, property insurance and employee health insurance. Councilmember Watkins moved to suspend the rules for the second and third readings and Councilmember Cargill seconded and the roll call was 8 for and 0 against. Councilmember Gaither moved to adopt the ordinance and Councilmember Watkins seconded. The roll call count was 7 for and 1 (Carpenter) against. The ordinance was given 42003-1-1. Councilmember Cargill moved to adopt the emergency clause and Councilmember Watkins seconded. All voted for. DWAIN MILLIKIN WITH COX COMMUNICATIONS Mr. Dwain Millikin with Cox Communications addressed the council regarding the possibility of raising the cable franchise fee. Currently the cable company pays $1.00 per customer per year to the City and they absorbed the cost instead of passing it along to the customer. The City receives approximately $3,200.00 per year. If the city imposes a 4.25% franchise fee to the cable company, which is the amount that Entergy, Southwestern Bell and Reliant Energy pays, it would generate approximately $73,000.00 per years. Mr. Millikin said they are against raising the franchise fee and would be forced to pass the tax along to the customer. He said that the difference in his company and the other utilities is that cable TV is not a necessity and the other utilities are. He also noted that they have competition with the dish satellite companies that don't have to pay a franchise. No decision was made. MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Biard told the council, as per their request,received an appraisal on the Old Water Plant Property located on lower River Street. He said he talked to surrounding landowners to see is anyone as interested in purchasing the property. He said White River Petroleum Co. was interested. He said he also spoke to the Sims family and asked them to contact him by 5:00 PM today if they were interested. He said they did not contact him so he had to assume they were not interested. The council agreed to give the Mayor authority to sell the property to White River Petroleum Co. Mayor Biard said that the City will receive monies from FEMA to help defer the expenses that the City has been out due to the ice storm on December 3 and 4. The Mayor said the City could receive around $80,000 as soon as April or May of this year. The Mayor asked the council if they were still interested in a sign ordinance for the City. He said the Planning Commission worked on an ordinance to present to the council but never did present it. Councilmember Ford moved to ask the Planning Commission for a proposed ordinance and Councilmember Terrell seconded. All voted for except Councilmember Gaither. Mayor Biard said the council was invited to a joint meeting with the Quorum Court on January 30th at 6:00 PM at Judge David Wyatt's farmhouse. Mayor Biard said the meeting was important and encouraged all the council to attend. NOISE ORDINANCE City Attorney Scott Stalker gave the council a copy of a 56-page sample noise ordinance. He said it was a starting place for them to discuss at a later meeting. CONSIDER THE 2003 BUDGET The council discussed the proposed 2003 budget. Councilmember Watkins introduced the budget ordinance. Mayor Biard read the ordinance in full and Councilmember Cargill moved to suspend the rules for the 2nd and 3rd readings and Councilmember Watkins seconded. The roll call count was 8 for and 0 against. Councilmember Watkins moved to adopt the ordinance and Councilmember Cargill seconded. The roll call count was 8 for and 0 against. The ordinance was given 42003-1-2. CEMETERY RESOLUTION The council considered a cemetery resolution for Robert D. Stroud and Mary Stroud Vandiver, Certificate 42003-14-1 for $300.00. Councilmember Watkins moved to accept the resolution and Councilmember Cargill seconded. All voted for. There being no further business, Councilmember Watkins moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Mitchum seconded and all voted for. JOE M. BIARD, MAYOR DENISE M. JOHNSTON, CITY CLERK