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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-06-25 MINUTES OF COUNCIL JUNE 25, 2013 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on June 25, at 5:30 PM at the Municipal Building. Mayor Elumbaugh called the meeting to order. Utility Billing Supervisor Nick Baxter gave the invocation. Ms. Megan Watson sang the National Anthem. Upon roll call, the following council answered present; Tommy Bryant, Margarett Henley, Paige Hubbard, Davy Insell, Fred Krug, Douglas Matthews, and David Shetron. Also present were the City Clerk Denise Johnston and the City Attorney Lindsey Castleberry. Councilmember Chris Poole was absent. Councilmember Shetron moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Bryant seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Matthews moved to approve the prepared agenda. Councilmember Bryant seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) CONSIDER A NEW METER REQUEST AT 180 McMAHAN LANE Utility Billing Supervisor, Nick Baxter addressed the council along with Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lancaster. The Lancaster's currently have a meter at 170 McMahan and are requesting a new meter at 180 McMahan. Mr. Baxter said he did not have a signed form from the Lancaster's requesting annexation to the City if their property ever became contiguous with the City. However, before the meeting, Mr. Lancaster found documentation from when the City purchased the Denny Hill Water System which stated that all current and future customers of the water authority would be subject to annexation to the City of Batesville. Mr. Lancaster said in light of this information, he had no problem signing the form. Councilmember Bryant moved to grant the new meter once all required documents are signed. Councilmember Shetron seconded and all voted for. B) CONSIDER A RESOLUTION FOR LYON COLLEGE TRAIL MAINTENANCE Councilmember Bryant introduced a resolution obligating the City of Batesville to continue operating the trail and assume regular maintenance in the event that Lyon College is unable to do so. The College is constructing the trail from a grant received from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department which requires that it be opened to the public and maintained for the life of the trail. Mr. Castleberry read the resolution in full. Councilmember Shetron moved to adopt the resolution and Councilmember Bryant seconded. All voted for and the resolution was given #2013-06-03-R. C) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF A SALES AND USE TAX BOND SERIES 2013 FOR THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IMPROVEMENTS Mr. Ryan Bowman with Friday, Eldridge and Clark law firm in Little Rock addressed the council to answer any questions regarding the proposed ordinance before them. Mr. Bowman reminded the council that the voters approved a one cent sales tax in 2009 to fund improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and sewer collection system. In 2010 the City issued bonds in the amount of$6,300,000.00 and in 2011 an additional $20,000,000.00. The ordinance before them is to issue and additional $13,500,000.00 in bonds. Councilmember Bryant introduced the ordinance. Councilmember Bryant moved to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Henley seconded and the roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Castleberry read the ordinance by title only. Councilmember Matthews moved to further suspend the rules and read the second and third reading by title only. Councilmember Bryant seconded and the roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. Mr. Castleberry read the ordinance again by title only. Councilmember Shetron moved to adopt the ordinance and Councilmember Bryant seconded. The roll call count was 7 for and 0 against. The ordinance was given #2013-06-01. D) ENGINEER'S REPORT Mr. Damon Johnson addressed the council with his engineer's report. First, Mr. Johnson commented on the bond ordinance that the council just passed. He thanked the citizens of Batesville for trusting the city in their vote to improve our Wastewater plant and collection system. He said the improvements will make our city more attractive for industry and provide for potential growth of our community. Mr. Johnson gave a brief overview of the different projects going on in Batesville. He also commented on the fact that both of the City's chipper trucks are currently out of service and being repaired. He said we hoped to have them up and running soon and asked the citizens to please be patient. E) REVIEW OF THE MAY, 2013 FINANCIALS The council was given a copy of the May, 2013 financials for review. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh told the public that next week's garbage collection will be altered due to the July 4th holiday. Thursday's garbage will be moved to Friday and Friday's will remain the same. The City Clerk informed the council of a fixed asset disposal. The parks department traded Unit#461, a 2012 New Holland Tractor, to Williams Equipment to purchase a 2013 John Deere which will be traded each year for $1,500.00 for a new unit. The Mayor told the council that the City didn't receive any bids on the two houses on Bayou and Charles Streets. After a discussion, Councilmember Shetron moved to allow the Mayor to negotiate for the sale of the two properties. Councilmember Bryant seconded and all voted for. Fire Chief Brent Gleghorn addressed the council and said he was informed today that the County had received its first check from the sales tax collection for county fire departments. He said he expected to receive a check for approximately $12,000.00 sometime this week. The Mayor said he had visited with Chief Gleghorn about looking for a fire truck to place at the airport. The Chief said he found one on GovDeals in Austin, TX. He and the Assistant Chief plan to go to Austin to inspect it before bidding on it. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Bryant also commented on the bond ordinance adopted tonight. He said by doing the project in sections and 4 bond series, the city will save millions of dollars over the life of the bonds. If the city had done only one bond issue for the entire $50,000,000.00, we would be paying interest on the entire amount throughout the project. Also, the City got an extraordinary rate of 2.5% when most cities are currently selling bonds at 3.5% and higher. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Councilmember Shetron moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Bryant seconded and all voted for. Mayor City Clerk