City Council Minutes
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Call to Order
Mayor Chase called the meeting to order promptly at 6:00 PM. City Clerk Jessica Hylton called the roll.
Attendees
Council members Clarissa Pace, Cedric Leonard, Al Peer, Craig McRae, Mark Tiner, Mike Wigley, and Claudia Hartness were present. Michael James was absent.
Approval of Minutes
Mark Tiner moved to approve the Special Council minutes, Craig McRae seconded, an yay nay vote was called for, and the minutes were approved unanimously.
Mike Wigley moved to approve the February minutes, Mark Tiner seconded, an yay nay vote was called for, and the minutes were approved unanimously.
Reports and Presentations
March 7th they had an all day workshop which resulted in three short term projects under way. The 15th and the 16th meetings went well. There is a ranked list of concerns. Work on the armory is moving forward, and they have won an Innovative community program award.
They served 2487 meals and made 1078 deliveries. This is 65 more deliveries. More people are becoming home bound. They had an event with a senior today where a lady had a stroke and their driver was able to help her get care.
They’ve fixed about 9 water leaks, repaired 6-8 water mains, gone out on 26 service calls, patched roads, and have been working on unclogging lines. They’ve also replaced a couple culverts. Mark Tiner asked about what kind of materials they were using, and Charlie stated they are replacing the lines with PVC to prevent future issues.
They had 2 630 calls and 5 756 calls. All of the 756s were completed except for the two new ones today. They have helped with 16 SNAP applications 12 of which were approved.
No report.
They got a grant for a True Nark Machine and will have a resolution for it next month. The machine will be able to test drugs without touching them. Officer Curtis completed his drone training. The Drone will help inspections of city water towers. They have four resolutions on the agenda but are pulling them because they might get USDA grants for around $30,000.
They had 32 calls, 22 of which were outside of the city. They’ve billed for over $16,000 and only gotten around $4,000 back. The Fire Marshal brought in close to $12,000 in February, and Mayor Chase reminded everyone that the Fire Marshal is about the safety of our citizens not about making money.
They have a full agenda for their next meeting on 4/4. Otherwise, no report. Mark Tiner asked why there was no spring soccer league this year, and Taylor stated that the board of the league was spread too thin and could not get it together. Clarissa Pace asked how they were advertising the league, and we don’t know. The league does not report to the city. He also volunteered that the new bleachers have been assembled and mounted.
Michael Hutson is no longer with us, so they are looking for a new assistant. The Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for 4/16 at Jordan Park and is for everyone. They will have food trucks there.
Unfinished Business
Money was supposed to be put back was not $38,000 but was $37,276.50. This change was passed via a voice vote.
Mark Tiner thought option 2 looked the best. Mike Wigley introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Clarissa Pace seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mark Tiner moved to approve, Mike Wigley seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed.
New Business
The plan is actually more of a 15-year plan that includes information on water, waste, streets, and parks. They organized the plan by each section and opened by asking council if they had specific questions. Al Peer asked why they organized things this way and if that organization showed any kind of priority. Each section is prioritized, but no section is ranked above another. Mark Tiner asked how do we get the 50 million dollars over 10 years to fund all of this? Mayor Chase replied that she will help facilitate funding and that grants will likely fund the city more easily with a clear plan such as this. Clarissa Pace asked how set in place is the order of operations? Mayor Chase stated we can move things around as per council’s wishes. She also pointed out that council had wanted to start with Main Street improvements because of ARDOTs willingness to mill and repave the road, but our pipes are in bad shape and need to be moved. Claudia Hartness reminded everyone that this repair will be from Jefferson Street to Jordan Drive. Cedric Leonard asked about the 90K in design fees, and McClelland stated those numbers were projected placeholders. Likely the real cost would be lower. Mark Tiner said he felt the need to prioritize what the council wants to do before moving forward. Al Peer reminded everyone that drainage is a major issue and that while Main Street is important, it is not flooding peoples’ homes. Mark Tiner asked if it was more important to keep peoples’ homes from flooding or to repair Main Street. He also asked about the time frame. They are unclear as to when ARDOT will start on Main Street, but it is unlikely to be before 2024, which does give us time to apply for grants. The hope is to get the pipes moved in 2023 and then repave in 2024. The entire process should be about six months. McClelland Engineering recommends starting the design of Main Street and to do it now. Whit Barton asked about funding/costs? $250K in 2022. Mayor Chase pointed out time estimates go from like six months to over two years. Cedric Leonard asked if two projects can be done at the same time, and yes they can.
Mike Wigley introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Claudia Hartness seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mark Tiner stated we need to simultaneously address the Davis Street Drainage issues and moved to approve, Al Peer seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed.
Cedric Leonard asked for 509 E Gaines Street to be put back on the agenda and stated that he did not feel like Mr. Evans should have to pay the $2000 for the service call because it was the Mayor who halted the work. Whit Barton confirmed it was at the discretion of the council as to if they wanted to hold Mr. Evans responsible. Mayor Chase asked if we could wait a month to have something in writing regarding this decision. Brian Rodgers wanted to know how this should affect filing his paper work, and Mark Tiner told him to wait.
Claudia Hartness expressed some concerns about changing the numbers, but Mayor Chase pointed out they are only changing things because the state minimums were raised. Whit Barton stated that this does not change the Mayor’s spending limit; this only deals with the bids. Claudia Hartness asked if the council would know about these bids? The answer was yes. Claudia Hartness introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Craig McRae seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Al Peer moved to approve, Clarissa Pace seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed
Mayor Chase stated this is the same contract as discussed before; we just didn’t have a resolution before now. Cedric Leonard introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Clarissa Pace seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mark Tiner moved to approve, Clarissa Pace seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed.
AL Peer introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Clarissa Pace seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mayor Chase reminded everyone that this is not a new tax. It has been around since 1998 for capital improvements, youth activities, infrastructure, etc. They have a document that details how the money has been spent over the last 15 years that proves how important this tax is for the city. Al Peer moved to approve, Clarissa Pace seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed. Cedric Leonard was out of the room.
Mark Tiner introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Craig McRae seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. They set the date for August 9th. Clarissa Pace asked if we were going to put any advertising money toward this? Mark Tiner replied there was none budgeted. Mark Tiner moved to approve, Craig McRae seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Craig McRae introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Al Peer seconded, but Clarissa Pace wanted this resolution to be read in full. City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mayor Chase pointed out that this is a resolution that the Municipal League came up with because we paid this before the Feds had finished. This resolution reimburses the fund, and we did exactly what the county did. Mark Tiner moved to approve, Mike Wigley seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Craig McRae introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Cedric Leonard seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mark Tiner supports the addition 13,528, but recommended amending the funding so that MEDC pays for their own repairs. Claudia Hartness pointed out the building is a city owned building, and Mark Tiner stated they were our tenants. Whit Barton stated he thought that kind of revision would be problematic with the current contract. Mark Tiner retracted his idea. Craig McRae moved to approve, Claudia Hartness seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Craig McRae introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Mark Tiner seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Clarissa Pace noticed that there were many meetings without representation. Taylor said he would work on that. Mark Tiner moved to approve, Craig McRae seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Craig McRae introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Claudia Hartness seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. This is just making up for the extra hours. Craig McRae moved to approve, Clarissa Pace seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Mark Tiner introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Craig McRae seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Craig McRae moved to approve, Cedric Leonard seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Mark Tiner introduced the motion and that it be read by title only, Claudia Hartness seconded, and City Attorney Whit Barton read. Mark Tiner moved to approve, Craig McRae seconded, City Clerk Jessica Hylton called roll, and the motion passed unanimously.
Mayor Chase presented the legislative audit and pointed out a couple of areas for improvement but seemed pleased overall with the assessment.
Adjournment
Cedric Leonard moved to adjourn the meeting, Mark Tiner seconded, and the meeting adjourned at 8:09 PM.
