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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-10-10 MINUTES OF COUNCIL October 10, 2017 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on October 10th, at 5:30 pm at the Municipal Building. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh presided over the meeting. Utility Billing Manager Nick Baxter gave the invocation. Upon roll call, the following Councilmembers answered present; Chris Beller, Tommy Bryant, Sonya Crafton, Margaret Henley, Paige Hubbard, Doug Matthews, Chris Poole, and David Shetron. Also present were Admin Assistant Jennifer Corter and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. City Clerk Denise Johnston was absent. Councilmember Henley moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Hubbard seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the prepared agenda. Councilmember Hubbard seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT Police Chief Alan Cockrill addressed the Council with his monthly report. He provided the monthly stats on accidents and arrest. He also reported that he currently has three officers attending the academy and one who is injured and home at this time. Chief Cockrill said all street lights have been checked and those that are inoperable have been reported to Entergy. Mayor Elumbaugh noted that if citizens notice a street light out, to please contact City Hall with the location and pole number so it can be reported and fixed as soon as possible. B) ENGINEER'S REPORT City Engineer Damon Johnson addressed the Council with his monthly report. He said it is business as usual and all departments are working on the 2018 budget. He said bids for sludge removal were opened recently. Only one bid, DRT Bio Solids, was submitted, however, they are a reputable company and we have used them before. The bid this time was a little higher at $84.00 per dry don but it has been several years since the last sludge removal. The bid is in line with budget numbers this time and he suggested that sludge removal be looked at again in a couple of years. Councilmember Bryant made a motion to accept the bid from DRT Bio Solids and Councilmember Beller seconded. All voted for. C) FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT Mayor Elumbaugh asked Fire Chief Brent Gleghorn to address the council. Chief Gleghorn discussed the recent ISO rating change to a class 2 rating. He went over the numbers and noted that the Department as a whole is already looking at ways to improve the next rating. Several of the council conveyed their appreciation for a job well done. Chief Gleghorn and Councilmember Poole discussed the search for a new pumper/ladder truck that has been looked at. The 2011 Quint truck has about 37,000 miles on it and is in Missouri and could serve the city's needs for several years to come. An offer of$400,000.00 was made and accepted pending council approval. Councilmember Beller noted that funds are available to purchase the truck and if a new truck of this kind was purchased it would cost close to $780,000.00. Councilmember Matthews made a motion to purchase the truck and Councilmember Beller seconded. All voted for. Councilmember Bryant thanked the Public Safety Committee for their service on this board. Councilmember Pool also commended the Fire Department for their persistence to find the best truck at the best deal. D) CONSIDER A RESOLUTION TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CLOSING OF A PORTION OF AN ALLEY Attorney John Gregg came with a petition from landowners to vacate an alleyway located between lots 1-5 and 6-10 of Block 3 of Ramsey Addition to the City of Batesville. He presented a resolution to set a public meeting at the November 7th meeting. Councilmember Beller made a motion to change the November 14th meeting to November 7th due to a conflict with the meeting date so that the public hearing date could be set. Councilmember Bryant seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Matthews introduced the resolution and Mr. Meitzen read it in full. Councilmember Bryant made a motion to adopt the resolution and Councilmember Beller seconded. The electronic roll call was 8 for and 0 against. The resolution was given #2017-10- 01-R. E) CONSIDER THE LEVY OF TAXES FOR THE YEAR 2017, PAYABLE IN 2018 The council considered the levying of taxes for the year 2017, payable in 2018. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the levy of taxes at the same rate as the past several years, 5 Mills for the City General and .4 Mills for the Firemen's Pension Fund. Councilmember Shetron seconded and the electronic roll call was 8 for and 0 against. F) REVIEW PAID BILLS The Council was given a copy of the September paid bills report for review. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh made mention that we have lost two individuals who left their mark on the community. Former Mayor Jim Barnett and Mrs. Joyce Richie, a valued educator for over 50 years in the Batesville School District. Both passed away recently and will be greatly missed by this community. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS None. ADJOURNMENT Before the adjournment, Mayor Elumbaugh made one final announcement in regards to a lease for a new hotel. Councilmember Tommy Bryant has agreed to serve along with Ms. Crystal Johnson, Chamber CEO, and Mr. Kyle Christopher, Tourism Director to work on the lease details and recruitment of hotel business. Councilmember Matthews said he would serve as well. There being no more business, Councilmember Matthews moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Poole seconded and all voted for. RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR JENNIFER CORTER, ADMIN. ASSISTANT