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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-11-28 MINUTES OF COUNCIL NOVEMBER 28, 2017 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on November 28th 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; Tommy Bryant, Sonya Crafton, Margaret Henley, Paige Hubbard, Doug Matthews, Chris Poole and David Shetron. Also present were the City Clerk Denise Johnston and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. Councilmember Chris Beller was absent. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Henley seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the prepared agenda. Councilmember Henley seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) POLICE CHIEF ALAN COCKRILL WITH LIFESAVING AWARD PRESENTATION Police Chief Alan Cockrill presented Lifesavings Awards to Shannon Briley, Ranotta Moser and Joseph Penn, who was not present. Chief Cockrill said because of their quick response and medical knowledge, these individuals saved the life of Officer Michael Dickenson. Officer Dickenson was shot multiple times when he responded to a domestic call on November 3rd. The Chief presented them with a letter of appreciation and a Lafesaving Award plaque. Mayor Elumbaugh also presented them with a Certificate of Recognition and thanked them for their response to a critical situation. B) RECOGNITION OF STREET SUPERINTENDENT JOHNNY COLES FOR COMPLETION OF ROADS SCHOLAR PROGRAM Mayor Elumbaugh presented Street Superintendent Johnny Coles with a certificate for completing the Roads Scholar Program. The Mayor commended Mr. Coles on his hard work and dedication to the City for many years. The Mayor said only 11 people in the state have completed the program and thanked Mr. Coles for continuing his education for the betterment of our City. C) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE BATESVILLE ZONING CODE REGARDING PLANNED DEVELOPMENT Councilmember Bryant introduced an ordinance to amend various provisions of the Batesville Zoning Code. Code Enforcement Officer Chad McClure addressed the council to answer any questions regarding the ordinance. Mr. McClure said the proposed changes are for Chapter 14.09 regarding planned development. He said the proposed changes provide for more flexibility in urban design and to enhance orderly development in the city. A public hearing was conducted on June 5, 2017, with no objections and the Batesville Planning Commission voted on August 7t" to make the changes. Councilmember Bryant moved to read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Crafton seconded. The roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the ordinance by title only. Mayor Elumbaugh said the ordinance will be placed on the next meeting's agenda for the second reading. D) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE BATESVILLE ZONING CODE REGARDING LIMITATIONS PLACED ON LOCAL MOBILE FOOD VENDORS Councilmember Bryant introduced an ordinance to amend the Batesville Zoning Code regarding mobile food vendors. Mr. McClure said the amendment is needed to clarify where food trucks and other mobile food vendors can conduct their businesses and still protect the public interest in regulating such activities. Again, the proposed changes went through a public hearing and vote of the Planning Commission along with the previous proposal. Councilmember Matthews moved to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Bryant seconded and the electronic roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the ordinance by title only. Mayor Elumbaugh said the ordinance will be placed on the next meeting's agenda for the second reading. E) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE BATESVILLE ZONING CODE REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FOOD COURTS WITHIN THE CITY OF BATESVILLE Councilmember Bryant introduced an ordinance to amend the Batesville Zoning Code regarding food courts. Mr. McClure said the Planning Commission had been approached with the possibility of establishing a food court in the City of Batesville. He said that the current code does not address food courts, therefore an amendment is needed in order to regulate where the mobile food vendors could locate at a group location and the site criteria. Again, the proposed addition to the zoning codes went through a public hearing and was voted on by the Planning Commission along with the previous proposals. Councilmember Bryant moved to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Matthews seconded and the electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the ordinance by title only. Mayor Elumbaugh said the ordinance will be placed on the next meeting's agenda. F) MR. TREY MOODY WITH A BOY SCOUT PRESENTATION Mr. Trey Moody, son of Lackey & Kristi Moody of Batesville, presented the City with a beautifully decorated drop box to collect old warn out US flags. Trey said as a Boy Scout he learned about the US flag and the importance of retiring worn, torn and faded flags with dignity. He said he is working on his advancement to Eagle Scout and wanted to make it easy for those needing to dispose of worn flags. Not only did he donate to the city the flag drop box but also now has a fire pit at Riverside Park for incinerating the flags. Trey said incinerating retired flags is the proper way of disposal and they recently had their first ceremony and properly disposed of 20 flags. Trey also thanked several businesses for donating funds and materials for his project as well as his fellow scouts with Troup 220. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh asked Fire Chief Brent Gleghorn to address the council regarding the new Fire Training Center located at UACCB. Chief Gleghorn said the facility is getting a lot of use. In 2016 he said they had 194 students for training with 2,575 hours of training. He said to date in 2017, 221 students came to the facility with 3,326 hours of training. The Chief said he would be glad to give anyone a tour who has not been through the facility. Mayor Elumbaugh asked the council to reschedule the meeting in December to one meeting on December 18th. Councilmember Bryant so moved and Councilmember Hubbard seconded. All voted for. The Mayor also scheduled two budget meetings for those who can attend; December 5th and 11th beginning at 5:15 pm at City Hall. LIAISON REPORTS Councilmember Henley said on behalf of Main Street Batesville, she first wanted to comment on the Christmas Parade held last night. She said the parade was great and well attended with lots of kids and candy and Santa Clause. She also wanted to let everyone know that Main Street is alive during this busy time of year. She said there is lots going on through the holidays and encouraged everyone to come downtown and enjoy the season. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Matthews said he noticed lots of street lights out especially on Harrison and Ramsey Streets. Mayor Elumbaugh said the fire department recently turned in between 50 and 70 lights burned out and they have since been reported to Entergy. He encouraged our citizens to report any burned out street lights to city hall or they can report them online. Dr. Matthews asked about the leak at the indoor kiddie pool. Parks Director Jeff Owens reported they are working diligently to repair the leak. Councilmember Poole commented on the beautiful Christmas Lights at Riverside Park. He thanked Mr. Abbott and his crew for their endless work in installing and keeping the lights operating through the Christmas season. ADJOURNMENT There being no more business, Councilmember Bryant moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Matthews seconded and all voted for. RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR DENISE M. JOHNSTON, CITY CLERK