Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-10-17 MINUTES OF COUNCIL OCTOBER 17, 2023 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on October 17, at 5:30 pm at the Municipal Building. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh presided over the meeting. Utility Office Manager Nick Baxter gave the invocation. Upon roll call, the following Councilmembers answered present; Brittany Bennett, Julie Hinkle, Paige Hubbard, Fred Krug, Doug Matthews, and Chris Poole. Also present were the City Clerk Denise Johnston and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. Councilmember Scott Fredricks was absent. Councilmember Hinkle moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Poole seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Matthews 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. Chief Cockrill reported 52 Incidents, 19 Misdemeanor Arrests and one Felony Arrest for the month of September. The previously ordered police cars are still in Memphis waiting on delivery. The Chief said he has one officer at the academy in Camden, he has hired one new officer and has three officers out on sick leave. B) ENGINEER’S REPORT City Engineer Damon Johnson addressed the council with his monthly report. Mr. Johnson said work on the Poke Bayou boat ramps have started. We have been anticipating the ramps for a long time and they will be a great enhancement to the Bayou. The first ramp is near the White Drive access point. When that ramp is completed, another ramp will be installed near the Golden Overpass. Contract Section III is completed with only a handful of punch items to work through. The plans for the new Water Treatment Plant are continuing as planned. Street crews have been working at Fire Station 1 pouring concrete at the drive entrance which has deteriorated and is crumbling. Mr. Johnson said he is working with traffic engineers regarding the traffic light at the intersection of St. Louis and Harrison Streets. He said there is significant electrical issues and will require a new control box. He said it will probably not be repaired until early next year. Mr. Johnson said he, the Mayor, Parks Director Jeff Owens and a couple of members from the Chamber of Commerce traveled last week to Dallas to a Parks and Recreation conference. He said they got some great ideas for our upcoming Parks and Rec project. C) FIRE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT Fire Chief Mark McCollum addressed the council with his monthly report. Chief McCollum reported 50 call outs for the month of September. His department also reported 107 inspections of commercial structures and 447 hours of training. D) MS. CRYSTAL JOHNSON, BATESVILLE AREA CHAMBER CEO, TO PRESENT A QUARTERLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND A&P UPDATE Ms. Crystal Johnson, Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO, addressed the council with a quarterly Economic Development and Advertising and Promotion update. She presented data from the summer and fall campaign. We had 890 thousand social media impressions which resulted in 2.6 thousand overnight stays in our local hotels. The average stay was 3.3 days which estimates an economic impact of 129.6 thousand dollars. E) RECOGNIZE COUNCILMEMBER TOMMY BRYANT FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE BATESVILLE CITY COUNCIL AND OTHER COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS Mayor Elumbaugh recognized Mr. Tommy Bryant for his more than 14 years of service as a Batesville Councilmember, and for his service on several boards and commissions. The Mayor talked of Mr. Bryant’s knowledge and love for Batesville and Independence County. Mayor Elumbaugh wished Mr. Bryant well in his retirement and said he will surely be missed as a leader in our community. The Mayor presented Mr. Bryant with a plaque and Key to the City. F) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE BATESVILLE ZONING DISTRICTS CODE Councilmember Matthews introduced an ordinance to rezone certain properties within the City of Batesville. Code Enforcement Officer Chad McClure addressed the council to explain the ordinance. Mr. McClure said the property is located on Water Street and is owned by the Batesville School District. The property is zoned R1. The ordinance would allow the School District to transfer the property to Independence County for the use of governmental offices, however, if Independence ever decides to sell the property, it would retain its R1 zoning. Mr. McClure said this gives an element of protection for the surrounding home owners. If passed, Independence County will apply to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a conditional use permit to operate as government offices. Councilmember Matthews moved to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Bennett seconded and the electronic roll call count was 6 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the ordinance by title only. With no further discussion, Councilmember Matthews moved to further suspend the rules and waive the second and third readings. Councilmember Poole seconded and the electronic roll call count was 6 for and 0 against. Councilmember Bennett moved to adopt the ordinance. Councilmember Poole seconded and the electronic roll call count was 6 for and 0 against. The ordinance was given #2023-10-01. G) CONSIDER THE LEVY OF TAXES FOR THE YEAR 2023 PAYABLE IN 2024 Mayor Elumbaugh presented the proposed Levy of Taxes for 2023, payable in 2024. The Mayor said the proposed tax rates are the same as last year, 5 Mills for City General and 1 Mill for Firemen’s Pension. Councilmember Poole moved to approve the Levy of Taxes and Councilmember Hubbard seconded. All voted for. H) EXECUTIVE SESSION Councilmember Bennett moved to go into executive session to consider appointments. Councilmember Poole seconded and all voted for. Upon returning from executive session, Councilmember Matthews moved to appoint Dr. Doug Gottschalk to the Airport Commission. Dr. Matthews said Commissioner Stephen Smart resigned due to accepting a commercial pilot position. Councilmember Poole seconded and all voted for. Dr. Gottschalk’s position will end 11/9/2026. Councilmember Krug moved to appoint Mr. Landon Reeves to the vacant council position, Ward 1, Position 1. Councilmember Poole seconded and all voted for. Mr. Reeves term will expire 12/31/2024. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh said the next council meetings would will run as thth scheduled, November 14 and 28. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Hubbard said she wanted to thank Mr. Bryant for his years of service and his willingness to help and guide her when she first came on the council. Councilmember Matthews asked if the city has started thinking about the Eclipse on April 8, 2024. The Mayor assured Dr. Matthews that the City is in full planning mode for the upcoming Eclipse. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Matthews moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Bennett seconded and all voted for. The meeting adjourned at 6:45pm. ________________________________ RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR _______________________________ DENISE M. JOHNSTON