Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-21 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 21, 2025 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on January 21st, at 5.30 pm at the Municipal Building. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh presided over the meeting. Bryce Cash gave the invocation. Upon roll call, the following Councilmembers answered present; Brittany Bennett, Scott Fredricks, Paige Hubbard, Fred Krug, Lackey Moody, Landon Reeves and Robb Roberts. Julie Hinkle was absent. Also present were City Clerk Jessica Davis and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. Councilmember Roberts moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Moody seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Roberts moved to approve the prepared agenda as amended. Councilmember Reeves seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS Citizen James Scales and his daughter Chloe addressed the council. He discussed the use of public service announcements to promote Batesville while highlighting the cost savings and community involvement. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT Police Chief John Scarbrough addressed the council with his monthly report. Chief Scarbrough informed the council of a decrease in calls compared to last month. He stated they have begun cross training patrol officers with investigators to improve criminal prosecution understanding. He said they are in the process of having their website updated. His goal is to have a more user friendly and informative website for our citizens. Councilmember Krug asked about the computers in the vehicles. Chief Scarbrough stated they are all working and there was an issue with the batteries draining too quickly but it has been resolved. Chief Scarbrough called officers Rob Leonard, Cody Headly, and Bryan Strickland up to accept their promotions. Each officer was given a new patch for their uniform. Officer Leonard was promoted to Lieutenant. Officers Headly and Strickland were both promoted to Sergeants. Mayor Elumbaugh thanked Chief Scarbrough for his leadership and congratulated the officers. B) ENGINEER'S REPORT City Engineer Damon Johnson addressed the council with his monthly report. Mr. Johnson reminded the council to send in their required water board training certifications. He will need to provide ANRD with the completed certifications by the end of January. He stated the activity for the water treatment plant project is fixing to ramp up. He said the date is to be determined for the groundbreaking ceremony in February. He mentioned the parks project is making significant headway and the Main Street project is near completion after drainage issues are resolved. Mr. Johnson stated he and the mayor attended the last Cushman Water Board meeting to present them with a report and discuss a plan to address their unpaid water bills as well as future water purchase agreements. He informed the council both plants are working well and the water department fixed 132 leaks in 2024. C) FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT Chief McCollum address the council and stated there was a fire at the airport. They were able to save the hangar and aircraft inside. He informed the council they had 43 calls in December. He said they are involved in performing several plan reviews for various businesses and it shows how much the city is growing. They participated in Shop with a Hero and Ride with a Child. In 2024 they had 95 fires, 250 rescue runs and medical calls and 143 false alarms. They are also still providing citizens with smoke detectors through a grant they obtained. He stated they will come install them for anyone needing one. They completed the ISO rating process and the city will keep its class two rating. Councilmember Moody said the Shaw family extended their gratitude to the fire department. D) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE RULES & PROCEDURES FOR THE TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS OF THE COUNCIL Councilmember Bennett introduced the ordinance. A motion was made by Councilmember Reeves, seconded by Councilmember Roberts to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only. The electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the ordinance by title only. A motion was made by Councilmember Bennett, seconded by Councilmember Moody to suspend the rules and waive the second and third readings and the electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. A motion was made by Councilmember Fredricks, seconded by Councilmember Bennett to adopt the ordinance and electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. The ordinance was given number 2025-01-01. E) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO WAIVE COMPETITIVE BIDDING ON CERTAIN ITEMS FOR 2025 Councilmember Reeves introduced the ordinance. A motion was made by Councilmember Reeves, seconded by Councilmember Bennett to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only. The electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Fredricks asked about limits on some of the items. Mayor Elumbaugh gave some examples of the process of finding the best provider for the service. A motion was made by Councilmember Reeves, seconded by Councilmember Roberts to suspend the rules and waive the second and third readings. The electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. A motion was made by Councilmember Fredricks, seconded by Councilmember Bennett to adopt the ordinance and the electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Meitzen read the emergency clause. A motion was made by Councilmember Reeves, seconded by Councilmember Bennett to adopt the emergency clause. The ordinance was given #2024-01-02. F) FINANCIAL REPORT The council was given a copy of the December, 2024 financials for review. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh announced the next council meeting is scheduled for February 11tn ,2025. LIAISON REPORTS Councilmember Roberts said he learned a lot about our airport and we have a lot to be proud of. We have a strong airport commission and great employees. Revenues and the demand for hangars are up. Main runway, 826 will have to be resurfaced. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Bennett said there was a sewer issue in her neighborhood and was grateful for the quick response in getting it resolved. Councilmember Krug welcomed Mr. Lackey Moody and said he was excited about the positive changes happening in the city. Mayor Elumbaugh also welcomed Mr. Lackey Moody to the council as well as the city clerk and Mr. Bryce Cash in the IT department. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Bennett moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Moody seconded and all voted for. The meeting was adjourned at 6.12 p.m. Rick umbaugh r "essica Davis, City Clerk