Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-18 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 18, 2025 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on March 18th, at 5.30 pm at the Municipal Building. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh presided over the meeting. Clint Crain gave the invocation. Upon roll call, the following Councilmembers answered present; Brittany Bennett, Paige Hubbard, Fred Krug, Lackey Moody, Scott Fredricks, 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 Krug seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Fredricks moved to approve the prepared agenda. Councilmember Reeves seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) MR. JOSH MORRISON WITH THE VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION TO DISCUSS A VETERAN'S MEMORIAL Citizen Josh Morrison from the Veteran's Administration addressed the council. He expressed his desire to create a significant and emotional Veteran's Memorial at Riverside Park. He shared the progress of the project, including the involvement of other veterans and the community. He also provided details for the memorial including location and design. Mr. Morrison requested the council's approval to reserve a portion of the park for the memorial. A motion was made by Councilmember Krug to proceed with the proposed memorial project. Councilmember Bennett seconded and all voted for. B) RECOGNIZE THE 2025 STATE CHAMPION SWIM TEAM Mayor Elumbaugh invited Councilmember Moody, Coach Saul and Coach Alfredo to come forward to help recognize the Batesville Highschool Swim Team. The mayor highlighted the swim team's achievements including four state championships in a row. Each swim team member's name was called and they were all invited up for recognition and to take a photo. Coach Alfredo thanked the council for the facility and praised the team's dedication and success. C) POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT Police Chief John Scarbrough addressed the council with his monthly report. Chief Scarbrough informed the council of the department's plan to update their current policies to follow best practices in law enforcement. He stated they have been reviewed by various certifying bodies and are in line with other agencies. He invited the council to review the policies and provide feedback at a later date. Chief Scarbrough recognized four officers for promotion to Patrol Corporal. He praised them for their work ethic and knowledge in their field of work. Chief Scarbrough also presented the Mayor with a personalized keepsake badge. Mayor Elumbaugh expressed his gratitude. D) ENGINEER'S REPORT City Engineer Damon Johnson addressed the council with his monthly report. Mr. Johnson provided updates on various projects. He stated they were shorthanded this week. They sent some crews to Cave City to assist with clean- up and repairs after a tornado hit. He said the Main Street project is all but done. They will be completing some striping. He also mentioned earthwork and demo is set to begin within the next thirty days on the Parks project. A critical main water line was damaged and is being repaired. He highlighted the efforts of the water department employees in handling the incident and maintaining the plant. The repairs should be completed by next week. E) CODE ENFORCEMENT UPDATE Mr. Chad McClure addressed the council with updates in the Code Enforcement department. He reported five out of the nine properties requested for condemnation in November of 2024 have made progress. He mentioned four of the properties have not had any progress and are being considered for condemnation again. Those properties include: • 441 River St • 467 River St. • 577 Bayou St • 250 Hawkins St. Councilmember Roberts made a motion to proceed with the condemnation. Councilmember Krug seconded and all voted for. F) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE BATESVILLE ZONING DISTRICT MAP Councilmember Moody introduced the ordinance. A motion was made by Councilmember Fredricks, 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. A motion was made by Councilmember Roberts seconded by Councilmember Reeves to further 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 Bennett, seconded by Councilmember Fredricks to adopt the ordinance and the electronic roll call was 7 for and 0 against. The ordinance was given #2025-03-01. G) EXECUTIVE SESSION A motion was made by Councilmember Fredricks, seconded by Councilmember Hubbard to enter executive session. All voted for. The council entered executive session at 6:28 pm. Upon their return at 6:43, Mayor Elumbaugh stated no action was needed. H) FINANCIAL REPORT The council was given a copy of the February, 2025 financials for review. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh announced the next two council meetings are scheduled for April 8t" and April 22nd, 2025. He also informed the council of an invoice needing payment out of the perpetual maintenance fund account in the amount of $17,497.00. The invoice is for HVAC repairs needed after a lightning strike damaged it. Councilmember Reeves made a motion to approve the invoice for payment. Councilmember Moody seconded and all voted for. LIAISON REPORTS Councilmember Moody announced there are three new members on the Planning & Zoning Commission. Mr. Joey Markowski, Mr. Micah Bryant, and Mr. Clark Baker. He said the commission is doing well and busy reviewing all of the plats. He mentioned their approved minutes would be included in the council packets now. COUNCIL COMMENTS Ms. Bennett thanked the people that have reached out and helped in the communities with the tornado devastation in Cave City, Cushman, and Diaz. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Fredricks moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Reeves seconded and all voted for. The meeting was adjourned at 6.47 p.m. -A,-P- I AL, Rick Elu g , Mayor Jessica Davis, Ci Clerk