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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-10-18 MINUTES OF COUNCIL OCTOBER 18, 2022 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on, October 18th 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, Tommy Bryant, Scott Fredricks, Paige Hubbard, Fred Krug, Doug Matthews, and Chris Poole. Also present were the City Clerk Denise Johnston and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. Councilmember Julie Hinkle was absent. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Bennett seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Bennett moved to approve the prepared agenda as amended and Councilmember Bryant seconded. All voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS Mr. Kenneth Money, who resides at #10 Abey Road, addressed the council regarding membership fee at the Community Center. Mr. Money asked the council to consider having a reduced membership for veterans. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT Police Chief Alan Cockrill addressed the Council with his monthly report. His September activity report showed 41 accidents, 41 incidents and 21 arrests. Chief Cockrill said we recently have had two bomb threats, one at White River Medical Center and one at Walmart. He said Kevin Fitterling, store manager for our local Walmart, along with the Community Relations Team, Scott and Alisa Lancaster were responsible for apply for and receiving a $5,000.00 grant to purchase an explosive detection dog. The K-9 has been imported and has been trained and is currently in our possession with its State Certification complete and a Federal Certification in the process. Chief Cockrill also told the council that we recently have had two fights with Panhandlers. He said Lieutenant Scarbrough recently was in Fort Worth, Texas and he said he saw no panhandlers. He said Texas has strict ordinances regarding panhandlers which require them to register with the city, obtain a permit and insurance and other pertinent information. He said there are ways to monitor the panhandlers without infringing on their first amendment rights. Lastly, the Chief said he is still working on the digital speed limits signs. He has contacted a second vendor to see he can get additional pricing. B) MS. MAGGIE TIPTON-SMART WITH AN UPDATE FROM MAIN STREET BATESVILLE Ms. Maggie Tipton-Smart, Main Street Batesville Director and Ms. Amanda Roberts, interim Chairperson of the Main Street Board addressed the council with an annual report. A report was given to the council along with a request for support from the city for 2023. Ms. Tipton-Smart asked for a $5,000.00 increase to bring the request to $30,000.00. She said the funds would be spent in the following manner; $10,000.00 for general operations, $5,000.00 for Street Scape maintenance, $5,000.00 for special projects and $10,000.00 for public concerts. Mayor Elumbaugh thanked the ladies for coming and said their request will be considered during the budget process. C) CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A MORTGAGE ON BEHALF OF THE BATESVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT Councilmember Poole introduced a resolution authorizing the Mayor to enter into a mortgage on behalf of the Batesville Regional Airport. Councilmember Bennett moved to suspend the rules and read the resolution by title only. Councilmember Poole seconded and the electronic roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the resolution by title only. Councilmember Mathews moved to adopt the resolution and Councilmember Bennett seconded. The electronic roll count was 7 for and 0 against. The resolution was given #2022-10-01-R. D) CONSIDER A RESOLUTION TO WAIVE COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR A BANDIT BEAST RECYCLER Councilmember Bryant introduced a resolution to waive competitive bidding for a Bandit Beast Recycler. Councilmember Bryant moved to suspend the rules and read the resolution by title only. Councilmember Hubbard seconded and the electronic roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the resolution by title only. Mayor Elumbaugh reminded the council that this equipment was discussed at the September th 13 meeting and is to be paid out of the ARPA funds. Councilmember Bryant moved to adopt the resolution and Councilmember Fredricks seconded. The electronic roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. The resolution was given #2022-10-02-R. E) CONSIDER THE LEVY OF TAXES FOR THE YEAR 2022 PAYABLE IN 2023 Mayor Elumbaugh presented the council with the proposed Certificate of Levy of Taxes for 2022, payable in 2023. Mayor Elumbaugh said the proposed rates are 5 Mills for City General and 1 Mill for Firemen’s Pension. These rates are unchanged from last year. Councilmember Bryant moved to adopt the proposed rates and Councilmember Poole seconded. The electronic roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. F) EXECUTIVE SESSION Councilmember Bryant moved to go into executive session to consider commission appointments. Councilmember Hubbard seconded and all voted for. Upon returning from executive session, Councilmember Matthews moved to re appoint Mr. Tommy Bryant and Mr. Robb Roberts to the Batesville-Independence County Industrial Development Corporation, Inc., with both terms expiring in 2026. Councilmember Fredricks seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Fredricks moved to re-appoint Ms. Robin brock to the Public Facilities Board. Councilmember Bennett seconded and all voted for. Ms. Brock’s term will end November 10, 2027. G) FINANCIAL REPORT The council was given a copy of the September, 2022 financial report for review. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh asked Councilmember Poole to report on the recent Public Safety Committee Meeting. Mr. Poole said the committee passed three motions: 1) Changed residency requirements of firefighters so that full time firefighters are allowed to reside anywhere in Independence County, and volunteer firefighters are allowed to reside within five miles of the city. The parameters of the five-mile distance measurement are to be defined by the Fire Chief. 2) Changed residency requirements for the Animal Control staff so that residency of staff (including Director) outside of the city limits is allowed with approval of the Director of Animal Control and the Mayor. 3) Amended residency requirements of firefighters so that the residency requirements defined in Item 1 above can be waived with the approval of the Fire Chief and the Mayor. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the changes presented. Councilmember Bennett seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Poole presented an Employee Retention Incentive Pay proposal for City and Utility employees. The criteria for full-time and permanent part-time st employees will be determined by the number of hours worked between January 1 st through November 1, 2022 and that they are still employed on the date the checks are issued. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the pay incentives and Councilmember Bennett seconded. All voted for. Mayor Elumbaugh said Main Street Batesville will be celebrating Halloween th Saturday night, October 29. He said Batesville residents can do the same or wait until st Monday, the 31. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Krug reminded everyone that the downtown Halloween parade th will be Saturday, October 15 at 6:00 pm. Councilmember Matthews said he recently attended a local soccer game and was concerned that there was no one to render aid if a child was injured. Mayor Elumbaugh said there are first aid kits at the facility and typically, the coaches and parents tend to anyone who is injured. If an injury is severe, 911 would be dispatched to the facility. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Bennett moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Fredricks seconded and all voted for. The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 pm. RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR DENISE M. JOHNSTON, CITY CLERK