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14 DEC 04 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING - CITY HALL - #1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in regular session on December 04, 2014 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Alderman Howard delivered the invocation and Mayor Fletcher led a standing audience in the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag. ROLL CALL: Aldermen: Elliott, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Robinson, and Howard answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Fletcher also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT TEN (10), ABSENT (0). Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Robert Bamburg, Director of Administration Jim Durham, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, City Engineer Jay Whisker, Public Works Director Jim Oakley, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Police Chief Kenny Boyd, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Human Resource Director Jill Ross, CDBG Director Theresa Watson, 911 Communications Director Tabby Hughes, IT Director Scott Rothlisberger, Deputy City Clerk Alyson Rhea, Planning Commissioner Jim Moore, Glenda Fletcher, Sandra Sansing, Patrick Thomas, Alderman Elect Tara Smith, Celeste Williams, , interested citizens, and members of the press. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Fletcher presented the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of November 20, 2014 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Alderman Howard moved, seconded by Alderman Bolden that the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of 6 November 2014 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENTS: FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: Goals for the Police Department by Police Chief Boyd Police Chief Boyd stated that the mission statement of the Police Department is “To protect property and the lives of our citizens for a better Jacksonville”, adding he has observed that the Department has been more reactive rather than proactive over the years. He related that the Department will expand the Community Oriented Policing into Problem Oriented Policing (POP). He explained that is it already implemented on a small scale regarding the Special Operations Unit, adding that his goal is to expand POP Department wide. He stated that it would empower the shift commanders, shift supervisors, and street officers to take ownership in doing their jobs. He stated the importance of community relations, noting that they have started their five-year strategic plan. He related he has begun meeting with Police Department employees to 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. receive feedback regarding what they feel they are doing for the community, but that does not tell them what the community feels is being done. He then related that the Department is planning to host “town hall” type meetings to obtain public feedback, adding that he is asking each Alderman to be present during the meetings for their Wards. He then noted that the Strategic Five-Year Plan would be reevaluated annually to ensure goals are being met. He stated that the five goals for the Department is to become more proactive through statistic driven analysis, reduce the repeat calls for service to the same locations, reevaluate the five-year plan annually, develop a stronger relationship with the Community through Problem Oriented Policing and Community involvement, and train and retain quality employees. He related that there are 80 sworn officer positions, pointing out that 71 officers have been hired in the last six years. He then pointed out that 41 of those are still working on the job today, therefore over half of the sworn force has less than five years experience. Alderman Elliott and Bolden related that they are planning to have a Ward th 1 meeting on January 20, inviting the Chief to participate and begin his program. Alderman Bolden complimented the Police Department regarding their use of body cameras, saying that Jacksonville is ahead of the curve. In response to a question from Alderman Howard, Chief Boyd acknowledged that some employees were lost to other police departments. He added that some did not make it through the training. He related that while education is a desirable attribute, but you also have to take into consideration their ability to perform in the field. Mayor Fletcher expressed the need for young people to prepare themselves for career fields based in reality, noting that many have expressed their desires to become rap artist, NBA, or football athletes. He stated that the mindset needs to based more in a new way of thinking, adding that nothing takes the place of “old time police work”. He concluded saying that everyone appreciates the work done by our police force, adding that despite what the nation media says the police are not the bad guys. He stated that every city is safer because of the dedication of their officers. He mentioned the military equipment procured by police departments across the Nation, adding that we need to do all we can to protect our officers – who do all they can to protect us. Chief Boyd stated that he would like to offer on behalf of the Police Department and all employees of the City their appreciation to the administration and City Council for looking at the budget and being able to pay out the longevity pay. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: GENERAL: Presentation of 2015 Preliminary Budget Finance Director Cheryl Erkel related that this year’s budget was difficult to balance, explaining that after printing the preliminary budget she discovered that it needed further tweaking so the figures being presented are not the final figures. She explained that for this budget they went back to the 2014 budget and adjusted the revenues based on the estimated revenues that are known to be coming in. She added that there are some grant revenues that are different from what was received in 2014 that will be received in 2015. She stated that a 1% Sales Tax revenue increase has been estimated for 2015, pointing out that the remaining revenue items had little or no increase, saying that they are stagnate. She stated in looking at the 2014 expenditure budgets for the various Departments, they took what was budgeted for in 2014 and subtracted out the 2014 personnel costs and added in the 2015 personnel costs. She then added that they also subtracted out any equipment requests that had been requested in 2014 to get the 2015 budget figures. She pointed out that the only exception was in the Fire Department because they have applied for an equipment grant, explaining that she put the grant revenue in on the revenue side, so it had to also be added on the expenditure side. She estimated that the General Fund budget will be $20,127,684. She then reviewed a breakdown of the revenues by Department level, pointing out that there is still some tweaking to be done regarding the line items so there is no detail on the line item General Fund. She reviewed the Street Fund Budget, estimating that the revenue will be $2,234,746. She stated that the following pages show the revenue along with the breakdown by account number and by department. She stated that the Sanitation and EMS Fund are enterprise funds, explaining that they do not have to be balanced. She then noted that the Sanitation Fund is within $5.00 between revenues and expenditures. She stated that she is estimating that there is going to be $1,822,600 in revenue and $1,822,605 in expenditures. She related that details have been provided regarding the revenues along with the account number and department detail. She then reviewed the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fund, estimating revenues including the operating transfers in to be $1,402,901 and total expenditures are budgeted to be $1,188,511, showing a net gain of $214,390. She added that she wanted to explain that there is a net gain because in the ambulance service when the bills are invoiced it goes in 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. as a revenue account, however the City does not actually receive cash money on that revenue. She explained that when those entries are setup it hits the revenue account along with the accounts receivable so an operating transfer out of the General Fund is done for cash flow purposes. She stated that the majority of the $214,390 is actually the operating transfer coming into the EMS Fund from the General Fund. She pointed out that the following pages are the detail regarding the revenue and the expenditures. Mayor Fletcher stated that Finance Director Erkel had told him during the 2014 budget process that 2014 and 2015 would be tight, estimating that 2016 would be easier. He related that he had been optimistic regarding 2015 but he is willing to admit publicly that she was right. He then acknowledged that the 2015 budget was harder than the 2014, pointing out that the media has reported that the Cabot mayor has projected a flat budget. He stated that in speaking with Mayor Joe Smith today, Mayor Smith stated that his Sales Tax is flat; adding that Mayor Smith surmised that it could come in at .05% but that would be bragging to say that it is even that. Mayor Fletcher stated that two things that hurt the City of Jacksonville is that we lost well over a half of a million dollars in the Census, which is hard to overcome. He then pointed out that last year was the first time in history that Black Friday was surpassed by Cyber Monday regarding online sales. He stated that it was reported that Black Friday sales were down 7%. He read an article regarding Cyber Monday, saying that this is important to every City that relies on Sales Tax. He stated that the total sales for online Cyber Monday came in at 2.65 billion dollars, which was up 16% compared to last year. He pointed out that the top retails saw online sales increase by as much as 25% and small retailers that generate 2 million or less grew by 5%. He stated that ever since Shop.Org coined the phrase “Cyber Monday” in 2005, the totals have double approximately every 4 years. He went on to say that it surpassed the 2 billion dollar mark in 2014, which is exactly on par for the past growth. He stated that the US Senate has passed the Market Place Fairness Act, adding that the House has chose not to deal with it and Congressman Steve Womack of north Arkansas who has been the leader of this movement has conceded that Congress refuses to act on this. He stated that the Act has been shopped as a new tax, emphasizing that it is not a new tax, saying that it is a just tax. He added that people need to understand that this is affecting not only city budgets but Main Street businesses. He said that people complain about businesses closing and vacant commercial building, but small businesses create the majority of jobs in this Country. He continued saying that cities have to look for new sources of revenue if this trend continues. He stated that the City of Jacksonville needs to look at updating the privilege tax ordinance, which is long overdue. He 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. recalled that North Little Rock updated its privilege tax almost 1 year ago, saying that they were able to increase their revenue over several hundreds of thousands. He stated that our Ordinance is too general and does not deal with specifics. He then reference what Chief Boyd has spoke about, saying that people who burden the Police Department services need to start paying for those services instead of expecting law-abiding citizens to carry that burden. He stated that legislation to deal with this will be brought back before the City Council regarding the areas of Police and Code Enforcement. He stated that all cities will have to find new ways to run their cities. He added that he does believe, since Finance Director Erkel is the expert, that in 2016 we will see a big trend. He noted that a lot of the loans will be paying off and we will have more money to invest in equipment and Capital Improvement projects. He stated that for now it is still a tough economy, noting that 83 people applied for a secretary position and 9 had master degrees. He stated that while it is still a tough economy there are a lot of good things happening in Jacksonville, mentioning that the road construction will be positive, having some major shops and stores open. He added that when the stores and shooting range opened, our Sales Tax had run flat for six months and about the middle of the year there were major increases and positive things. He stated that because it had been flat or below flat for so many months, it did not compensate. He went on to say that he is very optimistic that things are going to happen, adding that there are some announcements to be made in the near future that will be encouraging. He related that a real game- changer for our City is the new School District, saying that Jacksonville has a bright future. He stated that what we are experiencing with this budget; Cabot announced that they are in the same boat as Jacksonville, Sherwood, Maumelle, and North Little Rock. He then added that Conway is even worse, saying that this is something that we are all dealing with. He stated that everybody wants more service, but we have to think smarter and consolidate where we can, while still providing the services that people are accustom to in our City. Alderman Elliott concurred, expressing the importance of the Market Place Fairness Act. He noted that his mailman was arriving at his house after 5:30 p.m., relating that his mailman told him that last year they averaged 30 packages a day in November and this year it has been 80 to 100 packages. He added that this reflects sales taxes that are being lost by cities. Mayor Fletcher quoted that Amazon related that they are receiving 426 purchases per second. He added that while taxes have become a bad word on a national level, it is those taxes that create the quality of life for communities. He stated that taxes put the police on the streets, fire trucks in the fire houses and run the ambulances. He stated that these services are not cheap. He stated that taxes are not bad, but the abuse 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. of taxes is bad. He stated that this City, like a lot of cities, is closer to people and we have to understand that we are all in this together. He stated that we have to reinvest in our Country and our cities, pointing out that we have aged infrastructure. He noted a conversation with Scott Bennett of the State Highway Department, mentioning that the current construction would not have been possible without finding special funds, explaining that while cars are becoming more energy efficient with alternative fuel and more people are driving on the roads, fewer people are putting more money into the system. He stated that funds are need to not only maintain the roads and bridges but facilitate new construction, adding that new ways to finance our Highways and roads need to be examined. He stated that Washington is clamping down because they have no money and they are expecting states and cities to take care of those things, adding that it has become a national situation. He stated that while we are not in this alone, it is still our responsibility to take care of Jacksonville. Alderman Elliott stated that people do not realize that when you purchase from the Internet, you are not supporting the brick and mortar store in your community, adding those are the one that support local baseball and basketball teams. He added that the affects are far reaching. Alderman Traylor stated that before approving the budget, he would like to have a detailed budget to review. Mayor Fletcher and Finance Director Erkel agreed that the City Council members would get a detailed budget in time to review before approval. Mayor Fletcher stated explained his reluctance, saying that the City was doing good with high numbers in sales and this last month while the numbers were in the positive, it was not a very big positive. He related his curiosity as to whether this was an incidental situation or if it represents a trend. He added that projections are based on trends, saying that he would like to know what the December 23 number will be regarding sales tax. He mentioned the possibility with consent of City Council to wait and have a special meeting, noting that the budget does st not have to be passed until February 1 but added that is not something he would really want to do. Alderman Traylor related that last year when he had noted that the budget st did not actually have to be passed by the 1 of the year; it was considered a bad thing, creating chaos. Mayor Fletcher stated that it would be up to Finance Director Erkel and Human Resource Director Jill Ross. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2014 7:00 P.M. – 7:33 P.M. Finance Director Erkel stated that they will try to have a detailed budget to City Council before the next City Council meeting and if not, then there is the possibility of having a special meeting before January st 1. Mayor Fletcher assured the City Council that they would have a final budget to review, adding that it could possibly be ready by next week. APPOINTMENTS: CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION: Reappointment of Ron McDaniel for a term to expire 04/01/2019 Mayor Fletcher requested that the Civil Service reappointment of Ron McDaniel be pulled from the agenda, explaining that it would be brought back at a later time. PLANNING COMMISSION: Reappointment of Joe Ott, Scott Scholl, and Joseph Cummings, III for terms to expire 01/01/2018 Alderman Howard moved, seconded by Alderman Ray to approve the reappointments of Joe Ott, Scott Scholl, and Joseph Cummings, III to the Planning Commission for terms to expire 01/01/2018. MOTION CARRIED. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Mayor Fletcher announced that the annual Christmas Open House will be held December 12, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and service awards will be presented at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Mayor Fletcher announced that City Council members interested in attending the Arkansas Municipal League Winter Conference should contact his office as soon as possible. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Fletcher adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:33 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ________________________ _________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR GARY FLETCHER City Clerk-Treasurer 7