Loading...
22 SEP 15 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING - CITY HALL - #1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in a regular session on September 15, 2022 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor Johnson led a standing audience in the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag. ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Johnson also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SEVEN (7) ABSENT (3). Council Members Dietz, Sansing, and Smith were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Public Works Director Jim Oakley, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Benita Bosier-Ingram, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, Wastewater Utility General Manager Thea Hughes, Water Works General Manager Jake Short, IT Director Emily Osment, Jim Moore, Jeff Elmore, Joy Kinman, and Johnny Simpson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Johnson presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of August 18, 2022 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of July 21, 2022 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for August 2022. AUGUST PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Permits 6 Building Inspections 42 Business License Electrical 68 Plumbing 60 HVACR 17 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for August 2022 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $2,500.00 and a savings total of $875,000.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the Regular Monthly Report for August 2022 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report as presented for August 2022. Assigned Calls 123 Self-Initiated Calls 266 Follow Ups 456 Apartment Complexes Inspected 0 Three Day Notices 26 Red Tags Issued 0 Seven Day Letters 310 Search Warrants 0 Citations Issued 9 Rehabbed Structures 2 Vehicles Tagged 26 Structures Condemned 0 Vehicles Towed 2 Demolition by City 0 Garbage Cans Tagged 0 Demolition by Owner 0 Basketball Goals 1 Parking Violations 0 Structures Inspected 388 Grass Mowed 137 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for August 2022. ADOPTION FEES $ 0.00 SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS 0.00 FINES 765.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 275.50 TOTALS $ 1,040.50 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENTS: FIRE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: a. Request to accept bid: 2022 Nuisance Abatement Demolition Project Mayor Johnson recalled a few meetings ago, Council approved the removal of various properties, noting this shows how much the bid is and how that process is going. Lieutenant Ryan Wright shared they had received three bids for eight properties, adding that the remaining properties are not being demolished since the owners have obtained permits, and are in the process of trying to sell them, or have said they would demolish the properties themselves. He assured if those properties are not demolished, they will revisit it at the first of the year and put them on the next list. He detailed that they had bids from McMurrian Home Care at $90,700.00, All Season’s Lawn Care at $115,000.00, and Bedwell All in One at $44,075.00. He noted a large gap between costs, but confirmed that Mr. Bedwell is a licensed contractor with 26 years of experience. He explained that Mr. Bedwell has all of his own 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. equipment, therefore, making his costs lower and is the recommended bid to accept. He related their budget of $50,000.00, but are currently running at $38,772.22, due to other cleanup projects they had at 104 South Elm and on West Hickory. He added that they would need approval for the other $5,000.00 to cover the cost difference. When Council Member Twitty asked if the City has used this company before, he replied no, adding that this is the first time they had several companies bid on a project after they posted it on the website. He reiterated that Bedwell has 26 years of experience, has his contractor’s license, and has insurance. He confirmed this would be coming out of the Code budget, when Council Member Blevins asked. When Council Member Bolden inquired, he explained that one of the properties on Marion Street had a permit for rehab and the owner said he would demolish the other property himself by the first of the year, otherwise it is going on the list. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to accept the low bid from Bidwell All in One for the amount of $44,075.00 and to add $5,302.78 to the Code demolition budget. MOTION CARRIED. b. ORDINANCE 1704 (#23-2022) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR THE JACKSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT VEHICLES AND UPFITTING FOR SAID VEHICLES; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to place Ordinance 1704 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. (0) voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1704. Police Chief Hibbs related this is for five new police vehicles they want to order from Superior Auto Group using the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. He explained there is a shortage of vehicles, especially for police, in the Country and there will not be anything on State contract this year. He pointed out that all of the Tahoes have been bought up by the big dealerships across the Country and he is afraid if he does not order them now they are going to be gone. He explained that the Tahoes for 2023 have already been sold and they have quit selling them. When Council Member Traylor asked, he replied that they are expected to arrive to the dealership around the end of October or the first of November. He related the vehicles will then need to be upfitted with the ordered equipment, with possible supply chain issues that are even affecting the current cars they have. He surmised they would be ready by the first of the year. Council Member Blevins expressed support for obtaining the vehicles, but asked if they are doing this out of order since this item is on the upcoming Resolution that will approve the ARPA money allocation. Mayor Johnson responded that he believes they can approve it for this purpose without approving the entire list. City Attorney Friedman concurred. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Police Chief Hibbs reiterated that there is nothing left regarding the State contract this year and probably would not be any next year because all the vehicles were sold to dealerships. He related he only found two dealers in Arkansas that had police packages; one being Bale Chevrolet, and the other Superior Auto Group, which is in Northwest Arkansas. He affirmed that Superior Auto Group had the best price, adding that he would like to use Arkansas Valley in North Little Rock to upfit the vehicles. He explained they are a Motorola dealer who sets up their cars, noting they are familiar with what they want regarding computers, printers, car cameras, body cameras, etc. as a package deal. He stated he is satisfied with them since they have not had good service from the other two companies, confirming they are the lowest bid as well. When Council Member Traylor inquired, he replied that they will be 2023 Chevy Tahoes. Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1704 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1704 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1704 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1704 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1704 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. th ORDINANCE 1704 (#23-2022) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 15 DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2022. SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: a. PRESENTATION of 2021 Audit by Forvis (BKD) David Coleman, a partner with Forvis, clarified that when the City selected st them as their new auditor, they were BKD, but as of June 1 they became Forvis. He explained they merged with a firm that was about the same size and th are now the 8 largest CPA firm in the Country. He related that they started the City audit in May and issued the final reports today, noting they issued clean opinions on the City’s compliance, they audited the ARPA money that was spent last year on police salaries, the City’s internal control compliance 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. with State Acts, and the City’s financial statements. He was happy to report that the City has clean opinions on its financial statements, adding there were two restatements in the current year. He explained that the Capital Assets that were recorded got a little behind, so at yearend they were not correct. He added that this year, when staff reconciled the Capital Assets, they determined there was a problem to where they needed to go back and restate the beginning net position for those Capital Asset additions and deletions, which involved no cash. He listed an additional issue when it came to a bond refunding at the end of 2020, noting that the City issued new debt to pay for existing debt. He detailed that it happened during Christmas time and the money that was going to be used to pay off the old debt never got moved from the Trust account at the bank, resulting in the City having $7 million recorded that really was not theirs last year, since it should have been used to pay off the old debt. He went on to say the City still had the $7 million debt on the books that they had legally paid off at yearend, so they went back and corrected the fund balance for that at the beginning of the year. He affirmed there was no money missing, but was just a timing issue, along with material errors in the prior year financial statements. He acknowledged the City pays attention to the General Fund, adding that it was very healthy financially, ending the year with a fund balance of $9 million. He explained that it represents approximately 45% of the City’s operating budget in the General Fund, meaning 45% of expenditures. He shared that the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), who makes policy for governments, suggests 20%, so the City is well above that threshold. He mentioned that all of the City’s enterprise funds, which include the Shooting Range and Sanitation Department, made a profit, therefore confirming the City is charging what it should be to provide those services to their citizens. He affirmed you do not want to see a loss when looking at enterprise funds, but all of those were well. He spoke about the pension plans, adding that all of those are well funded. He shared that the City has an old Police plan and Fire plan, where both are overfunded, which means there is more money in those pension systems than will ultimately be required to be paid out actuarially. He pointed out that the City received the prestigious GFOA award last year and he anticipates it will be awarded again this year, because of the current Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). He affirmed they will strive to get the audit done earlier next year, adding that the standard is six months, but it took them a few months longer. He acknowledged they are ahead of where they were last year by a couple of months, even with the issues they encountered and had to fix. He shared his appreciation for the Mayor’s support and Finance Director Cheryl Erkel’s help in getting what they needed to get the audit done. When Council Member Blevins inquired about the pensions’ overfunding, he responded that it is approximately 112%. He noted his team takes their jobs seriously and follows the standards, adding that their goal the first year was to make sure any issues got resolved so they do not have them again. He explained that the earlier Capital Asset issue he described was a result of not having enough manpower in the Finance Department, but that issue has already been rectified since management hired a Capital Asset accountant. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Council Member Traylor asked if the 45% fund balance mentioned included Covid relief money, he replied that he believes it did not. He then gave a brief biography on himself stating that he grew up in north Pulaski County, went to work for BKD where about 10 years ago, they moved him to Dallas to help start the public sector practice, then returned back to Arkansas a year ago. He listed that their company audits North Little Rock, Little Rock, Conway, Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Fort Smith, among others. He explained that he does not do tax returns or audit car dealerships, but only handles public sector entities, so auditing cities is 100% of the time. He concurred when Council Member Blevins surmised that the 45% fund balance may have been due to the City receiving Internet sales tax. He clarified that the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report given is Finance Director Cheryl Erkel’s document that a city the size of Jacksonville should be extremely proud of for having a Finance Department capable of producing it. b. ORDINANCE 1703 (#22-2022) AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE, CHAPTER SIX (LIVESTOCK AND FOWL) FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to place Ordinance 1703 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. Council Member Ray voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1703. Council Member Twitty stated that the Ordinance the City had before said citizens could have unlimited chickens, so all they did with their committee was limit them. She explained that they decided on three chickens at 50 feet, six chickens at 75 feet, and to not restrict chickens or roosters on properties containing 2.5 acres or more. She asked Council to keep in mind that the City did have a chicken ordinance with unlimited chickens with 100 feet. She detailed that there would be no free roaming, so if you have chickens they cannot run in the outer fenced yard, but would have to be encased inside of a fenced chicken run. When Council Member Bolden inquired about how many Property Owners Associations (POAs) there are in Jacksonville, Mayor Johnson surmised there to be four or five, listing Collenwood, Stonewall, and Fair Oaks. Council Member Twitty explained that the City does have an ordinance on POAs, BOAs, etc., confirming the City does not enforce them, but they do not go against them either. She gave an example that Stonewall does not allow chickens, so the City would not say the people that live there can have them now. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Mayor Johnson related that he recently moved to Northlake where he received their Bill of Assurance (BOA) that says no chickens or several other farm animals, adding they have a POA but it is not used. Council Member Bolden mentioned it because he knows a lot of people move to the City and might not understand where they live they cannot have chickens. Mayor Johnson pointed out that most neighborhoods that were built in 1975 or after have a Bill of Assurance, adding that Foxwood’s says no farm animals. Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to APPROVE Ordinance 1703 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1703 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to APPROVE Ordinance 1703 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1703 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1703 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Blevins, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. th ORDINANCE 1703 (#22-2022) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 15 DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2022. c. RESOLUTION 820 (#05-2022) A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE ALLOCATION OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, PULASKI COUNTY ARKANSAS. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to read Resolution 820 (#05-2022). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 820 (#05-2022). Mayor Johnson stated that when you have $15 million in needs but only $5 million, it becomes a challenge for the Directors. He explained they all worked together, adding what threw everything off was the need for a new Fire Station #2. He detailed that the current building is not too far from being unsafe. Council Member Bolden affirmed that he has spoken to each one of the Directors and they seem to be satisfied with what is shown. Council Member Mashburn requested to hear from the Directors beginning with Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House. She referenced a picture that was given to Council and requested clarification. Director House explained that the picture is a pump track at the Jones Center in Springdale, adding that he had went there approximately three years ago. 7 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. He recalled seeing it and thinking it would be amazing to have something like it in Jacksonville. Council Member Twitty shared that she has taken her child to that particular Park before, adding that she hears weekly that there is nothing for the kids to do in Jacksonville. She related this Park is amazing enough to where she drove all of the way there for her child at the time. She stated it is something for the kids whether they have skates, skateboards, or bikes, affirming that it is great family fun. When Mayor Johnson asked, Director House related that the plan would be to put it in front of Dupree Park, where the old apartment complex was torn down several years ago. Mayor Johnson stated he believes it would a nice addition to the entrance of the Park, surmising they would see people coming from other towns, like they have in Springdale. When Council Member Twitty inquired, Director House replied that the current skate park equipment is movable and the plan is to have it all together. He stated that he would eventually talk to American Ramp Company since they designed the one in the picture, and have done North Little Rock’s, as well as others. He confirmed the budget amount includes getting the current equipment relocated. Council Member Twitty believes it would help get kids off the street and give them a place to hang out. Mayor Johnson mentioned having a fence between there and Redmond Road for safety. Council Member Twitty related that the one in North Little Rock is not in a great area, so she was deeply concerned about taking her child there and dropping them off. She recalled the police patrolled it well and how it gives the kids something to do that they love, then shared her excitement for the project. When Council Member Mashburn asked about the other chosen projects for his Department, Director House shared a picture of an inclusive playground that is also planned. He noted that part of his budget on the project spreadsheet is for relocating the existing equipment to other parks, adding that the equipment is approximately eight years old. He shared that typically the lifespan of playground equipment is about fifteen years old, but he usually gets twenty or more out of theirs. He explained that he chose Marshall Smith Park to be the inclusive Park because most people know where Dupree Park is and may not know where the other ones are located. He detailed how he plans to take pieces of existing equipment and move them to other parks, confirming that the entire inclusive park would be handicap accessible. When Council Member Mashburn mentioned the restrooms at Johnson Park, he replied that it 8 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. was cut from the plan, noting they kept the proposed splash pad on Main Street, new ballfield lights at Dupree Park on fields 5, 6, and 7 since they are original to when it was built in the early to mid-1990’s, new scoreboards at Excell since they play all of their youth sports there and they are now obsolete, the pump track and skate park, the inclusive playground, and about $200,000.00 for a pavilion and dugout covers at Dupree Park since they are in terrible shape. When Council Member Twitty requested more information about the splash pad on Main Street, he stressed that splash pads are a huge attraction. He explained that when he thought about projects that would benefit the most citizens, splash pads were one of the things at the top of his list. He explained that he looked at property the City already owned that is still walkable or bikeable for children and out of those properties, he could not think of a better place to put a splash pad. When Council Member Twitty asked if since he would be moving the current skate park to Dupree Park, has he thought about putting it closer to the Community Center, he replied that he has not, but it could be a possibility. He shared that with splash pads you want them to be very visible due to vandalism, etc., but also close enough to neighborhoods where kids can walk or bike to it. He confirmed that the Community Center is very visible, but was unsure what kids would be able to walk and bike there. When Council Member Twitty brought up that there are kids that come there to the skate park, he responded that most of them are brought in cars and dropped off. Council Member Twitty stated she is at the shopping center near Wendy’s Monday through Thursday and does not see any kids at all. She brought up that the picnic tables are not being used for what they were intended for. Mayor Johnson added that this is going to be back off of Main Street and will also include a food truck spot. Director House shared his hope that this would spark more growth for downtown. Council Member Mashburn affirmed that she likes the location of this proposed splash pad. Council Member Blevins detailed why he does not think it would be a good location. He first listed that it is right around the corner from Splash Zone, secondly, it is on Main Street and he is unsure how to feel about kids in their bathing suits being so visible to strangers. Director House pointed out it would be visible on any street and you do not want a splash pad hidden. Council Member Blevins then brought up the issue with the homeless population that has not been addressed, adding that he would be afraid this would turn into a possible shower for them. He stressed that $300,000.00 would go a long way to deal with the homeless, instead of adding a splash pad. He ascertained 9 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. that he likes a lot of the ideas, especially the inclusive park, although he believes the price is high, adding one thing he cannot perceive is having this splash pad and pavilion beside Wendy’s. Director House related that most splash pads are free to use, and that is what he would like to have. He related that he would only have a monitor there since lifeguards are not necessary. He affirmed that he has thought of everything mentioned, but he still feels strongly in favor of it since it needs to be in a visible area. He believes that regardless of the area it is in, there will still be kids in bathing suits with people driving by. When Council Member Blevins mentioned high traffic of people who may not even live in Jacksonville being in that area, he responded that it is more of a reason to put it there. Council Member Bolden mentioned the key is to get people to come downtown, but the strip mall in the back has nothing to draw the crowd. He sees Director House’s vision, but he believes they should consider possibly looking at other avenues. Director House shared that he is okay with looking at alternate locations, but mentioned additional costs associated with land purchases for a different location. Council Member Blevins reminded that this is one-time money that the City will not receive again, therefore, it should be used to push Jacksonville forward. He pointed out there are a lot of things for kids to do listed on the proposed projects, but that $350,000.00 could be spent on safety. He noted that Police Chief Hibbs originally wanted to buy eight vehicles this year, suggesting they take $69,000.00 from that amount to purchase another police vehicle. He related that he feels this money could be split up and spent in ways other than the splash pad. Council Member Traylor pointed out that if Little Rock has a splash pad in their downtown, why could Jacksonville not have one. Mayor Johnson noted that the one in Bentonville is downtown as well and is located next to a microbrewery and apartment complex. He pointed out there is one at Dickey Stevens Park and where the College World Series was held. Council Member Traylor inquired, Director House clarified that it is not a swimming place, but would be water spraying out of the ground. He further explained they have the option of a pass through or one that would recirculate, confirming he would want to put in a recirculating one. Council Member Twitty affirmed she loves the idea of a splash pad, but would like to see it somewhere else because of the activity in that area daily. In response to a question from Council Member Rains, Director House replied that normally the filtration equipment is stored in a small building to the side or underground. 10 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Council Member Blevins pointed out that there was initially $2 million set aside for the new Fire Station 2, but it was reduced by $400,000.00. He asked Fire Chief Alan Laughy if the $1.6 million requested would be enough. Chief Laughy responded that when he originally came up with the $2 million estimate, it was based on information from a previous fire chief from Cabot who built a fire station for approximately $193.00 per square foot. He noted that was in 2018, sharing that he has spoken to three other fire chiefs concerning six stations that were built since 2019 and costs are running $350.00 to $500.00 a square foot, so the $2 million has now turned into $3.1 million. He acknowledged it was not going to get completely funded anyway, but every little bit helps. When Council Member Blevins asked, Chief Laughy surmised that the money would sit in an account until the rest of the money needed was available. He detailed that in the six stations from those three chiefs, there are at least four different engineering companies and at least four different builders, so the newer pricing estimate is accurate. Council Member Blevins asked if the $150,000.00 of CDBG funds shown for the purchase of land for this fire station is guaranteed. CDBG Director Benita Bosier-Ingram stated she is presenting the proposal to the Feds, adding that it is an allowable expense. She related that there is a process, noting the purchase price is $165,000.00 and will come out of CDBG Covid funds. She explained the reason why they are using Covid funds is because EMTs respond to any Covid-related calls. She detailed that it is a strategic purchase, adding that Chief Laughy explained they have a ISO 2 rating and in order to maintain that standard, this property is the only strategic choice for the City. She pointed out that when you do a Federal grant application, you should rationalize it and make it so it is undeniable so it will get approval. She assured that with everything she has, in conjunction with Chief Laughy, she is 90% sure the funds will be awarded. Council Member Blevins then asked, and she replied that it is not a matching grant; she already has the funds currently, but must get approval since she is reallocating money for different things. She explained they did not get a lot of businesses that qualified under economics, so they are taking money from that to put into this project. She reiterated this is strictly Covid dollars they already have. Council Member Blevins asked if they receive the land money and put the $1.6 million aside for construction, how long would it take to get the rest of the money and how much inflation in price would there be. Chief Laughy could not answer to inflation, adding that the purchasing power over the course of a couple of years is going to change. Director Bosier-Ingram affirmed that this ARPA money is Federal money with a deadline, therefore, it cannot sit in an account, but has to be expended before the deadline. She stated that if the project is already in process, there could be a six-month no-cost extension, otherwise Congress will come back and recoup the money. 11 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Council Member Blevins pointed out this is almost $5.2 million one-time money that the City is never going to get again. He related Council just received the proposed projects this week, so he hopes to table the Resolution to have more time to look at it. He shared that for the last six to eight months he has been asking when there will be meetings regarding this money, but was always told it would be soon. He mentioned there were two meetings he was never contacted about, adding that none of these projects were things he thought the City were going to have. He wants to make sure they are not going to have money sitting around not doing anything for the City. Mayor Johnson confirmed it was the Directors who came together to make this decision where they all gave and pushed to work together. Council Member Bolden stressed that the City does not have time to table it because there is an urgency under this. When Council Member Twitty request clarification, he responded that they could lose money. Council Member Twitty pointed out there are three Council Members who are not present. Council Member Traylor brought up that the new fire station is needed and this $3.1 million building will now only cost the City around $1.5 million. He assured if it is something the City needs, they will come up with a way to build it, noting this ARPA money saves them $1.6 million. Finance Director Cheryl Erkel shared that the final date for the money to be allocated is December 2024. Mayor Johnson suggested getting together with architects to see what they can do to get at least the shell of the building done. Council Member Traylor mentioned they are going to have to build it and this would be $1.6 million towards it. He stressed they need to be proceeding towards how they are going to construct the building soon. Council Member Twitty shared that she would like to table Resolution 820, since they have three Council Members absent. Council Member Blevins noted there was originally $1 million contributed to Wastewater, but is now showing $500,000.00. He asked Jacksonville Wastewater Utility General Manager Thea Hughes if the $1 million in her budget from the City was referring to this $1 million. General Manager Hughes explained that two years ago they started designing an upgrade to their thirty-year-old treatment plant with a lot of the original equipment. She stated they have put funds aside for it since all of the equipment is extremely expensive. She recalled when they started the upgrade, the estimate was about $14 million, but as time went on at 60% design completion, that estimate had gone up to $16 million. She related that at 12 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. that point, to get the price down, they started taking a few things out with some being things they really need and will have to eventually try to fund in the future. She explained when the bids were finally opened, they came in at $19.2 million, so in that process they had some savings they put aside for this purpose, did the bond issue, and a partnership with Waste Management for part of it. She related that is how they were going to fund it, but it was originally only $14-$16 million and is now up to $18.6 million. She confirmed that is where their need came from and when they did the bond issue they were anticipating the $1 million from the ARPA funds. She related that when she and the Mayor spoke about it when the money first came in, initially it was set aside for water, sewer, and broadband and she did not realize other things were going to be included at that time, so they had talked about Water and Sewer each getting $1 million. When Council Member Blevins inquired, she replied that she found out they were not going to get the full $1 million about two weeks ago after the Directors meeting, but back in February is when she learned that the money could be used for other things when each Director was asked to make a list of what they needed. She confirmed that she thought they were getting the $1 million until she saw the list two weeks ago. She was unsure how not getting the full $1 million will affect the bond, but it does affect them in their cash flow process because when they got the bond issue they had to provide them with a projected cash flow so they could do their rating and in that they had shown that they would have $1 million coming in. She concurred when Council Member Blevins brought up that Water and Wastewater opted to use their own funds instead of the ARPA funds when it came to employee premium pay since they thought they had that $1 million coming to them. She agreed that now they are not getting the full $1 million and are also out $30,000.00 from the premium pay. When Council Member Blevins asked how detrimental is it to them to not get the other half of a million dollars, she replied that although they need it because of the bids coming in so much higher than anticipated, they are applying for additional ARPA money from the State, but the Natural Resources Division has printed their list of criteria required to get those limited funds and she does not believe they score very high. She stated that if they do not get additional funding from anywhere else, they will use more of the reserves that they intended to put back into the items they cut out. She confirmed they will pay for what they have going right now, but they will not be able to put the equipment back in that they cut out. Council Member Blevins noted that the Water Department had requested $1.87 million for the relocation of waterlines due to the widening of Highway 67/167. He requested clarification on if this is the City’s part or the full cost. Jacksonville Water Works General Manager Jake Short replied that the total project costs for engineering and construction is approximately $6.4 million with 70.69% of that reimbursable by Arkansas Department of Transportation, which equals to be a little over $4 million. He pointed out that the $1.8 million that he requested was to make up that difference to pay for the project. He confirmed that when he made the budget they included the $1 million from the City, since he was made to believe they would receive it. He 13 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. reiterated that it was for the same reasons that General Manager Hughes had said and was unsure if the guidance had changed to allow more flexibility in how those dollars could be allocated. When Council Member Blevins asked, he replied that he found out they were not getting the full $1 million two to three weeks ago, adding they could use the money since they do not spend money unless they have it. He related there have been a couple projects they had budgeted this year, such as getting vehicles, that they had a lack of success with. He noted there is a roof at West Main that needs to be replaced, along with a tank on Ray Road that needs to be painted and cleaned. He pointed out they have held off on doing some things, waiting to see the status of this money since he would not spend it until he had it. He shared that the Water Commission voted to pay the $30,000.00 employee premium pay out-of-pocket as well. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to table Resolution 820 (#05-2022). MOTION CARRIED. d. Request to accept bid: Migrate Mailbox to Office 365 Cloud IT Director Emily Osment stated this will move the City’s mailboxes to an on- premise exchange server, which is dated, to the Office 365 cloud. She explained they had four bids that appeared to offer the same thing that followed a list of guidelines she provided them. She recommended going with the lowest bid from Net Gain Technologies of $24,381.50. Mayor Johnson pointed out the amount is below the threshold so this is just to make Council aware what they are doing. Director Osment noted all of the City’s mailboxes are stored on a server here at the City, adding that space gets tight. She recalled they have had to restrict the size of emails coming in so it does not get too full, with everyone only getting 2 GB. She stated that this would bring the City email into the present and move all mailboxes to Microsoft cloud with G1 licensing, which is for governments and is certified for HIPPA, etc. She explained that the process they sent out for bid was to migrate the current on-site mailboxes to the Microsoft G1 cloud. When Council Member Traylor inquired, she replied that the monthly cost would be $8.80 per person, per month for the G1 license and the license for the multifactor authentication would be $6.00 per user, per month. She listed that it comes with SharePoint, Teams, 1 TB of OneDrive usage, a 50 GB mailbox, and web versions of Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Council Member Rains asked about the new server listed for $50,000.00, Director Osment replied that what takes up the most space are two file servers. She stated one is a document storage, one is for all of the Police Department files, and another that contains a suite of applications used by HR, Finance, etc., that take up several terabytes of space all together. She related the main thing with the new server that is on the ARPA funds is space. When Council Member Rains asked, she surmised that with the emails going to the cloud server, it should open up approximately 800 gigabytes of space. 14 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. e. Stephanie Becker to address City Council regarding Recycling Program Council Member Blevins stated that he was contacted by Ms. Becker regarding the Recycling Program since she had questions about her still being charged when there is no curbside recycling. He explained that she has asked to speak before the City Council. Citizen Stephanie Becker read the following statement she had prepared: “Good evening, my name is Stephanie and I have been a citizen of Jacksonville for the last eighteen years. I am here today to address my grievances in regards to the curbside pickup for recyclables being eliminated. Without communication or notice, suddenly our curbside pickup for recyclables just ceased to exist. After several weeks of my family putting them out with no pickup I called the Sanitation Department to find out what was going on and I was told that they put a pause on picking them up due to Covid, which I thought was interesting because whether someone picked them up or they were dropped off someone would still be handling them. Fast forward to May of this year, I sent an email to the Sanitation Department to ask how long they were going to use Covid as an excuse to not pick up recyclables. I was informed that it was now a money issue and that instead there was a full-service recycling drive thru facility where I could drop them off Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the email it also stated “this program has been well-received and has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the recycling program.” I argue, by who, and how has this significantly reduced the program’s carbon footprint when now everyone has to drive to the Recycling Center? So, are we just trading carbon credits? Not only that, but due to the inconvenience of drop off more people are throwing them away. I was recently informed that the participation rate for recycling has dropped by over 50% since curbside pickup was terminated. In closing of that email, it stated “we appreciate the opportunity to provide the best and most efficient sanitation and recycling service possible.” This is the best and most efficient Jacksonville has to offer? If you look up “efficient” in the dictionary it says: acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. I would argue that none of these apply. So not only has this drop off plan reduced recycling participation, the citizens of Jacksonville now have the inconvenience of now having to bring recyclables in while at the same time we are still being charged the same sanitation rate for less service. Since I have a large family we need to recycle or we would not have any room in our trashcan every week. Also, considering there is a shortage on aluminum and steel, among the many shortages, I would rather see these items get reused rather than wasted. Since dropping off recyclables for the last two and half years has been an inconvenience on my family I have recently decided to put a poll out on the next-door neighbor’s site to see if fellow citizens of Jacksonville feel as irritated as I have been. This is what I found so far: 22% said no pickup equals more likely to throw away recyclables, 33% said they were more likely to recycle if there was a pickup, 22% said they used to recycle when there was pickup, 18% said dropping off recyclables is inconvenient, and lastly 5% felt that dropping off was convenient. So, with that being said, I would like to propose a few ideas. The large metal bins should be placed outside of the gates of the Recycle Center where anyone could drop them off 24 hours a day. Why is the City 15 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. wasting money by having Sanitation workers watch people drop recyclables off? I was told it was to make sure people put everything in the correct bins. Does the City not think people are capable of reading the labels on the bins? After all, we used to separate them at home without supervision. I also think the City should resume curbside pickup of recyclables and large trashcan size bins should be provided to the citizens just like all of the surrounding cities. In order to save money, the City could do a biweekly pickup of recyclables since the bins are larger and secondly, according to the Sanitation webpage bulk pickup is weekly, so in order to save money on this service they could instead by offered biweekly and use the off weeks, when there are no pickups, for recyclables. Lastly, why is this city not trying to get the participation rate up for recycling in order to make more money on the sale of those recyclables? By doing this it could offset some of the costs to the Sanitation budget and perhaps create additional money for other things to better our community. I was told the participation rate during curbside pickup was just 17%. Perhaps if the benefits of participation is communicated to the citizens and could possibly reduce the risk of future increases in sanitation rates, more citizens would probably be willing to participate. In closing I want to say this, communication is key to building a better community. Since living here, I have noticed that this has been lacking for Jacksonville. I have received mailers from Sherwood and I do not even live there. I am more informed on events, etc. on what is happening in their city than my own. Whether it be youth sports, sanitation issues, special elections, community events, etc. these things should be communicated to the citizens of Jacksonville to make a better and more prosperous city for all of us. Thank you.” Public Works Director Jim Oakley confirmed they stopped curbside recycling due to old equipment. He explained they have looked at contracting out curbside recycling, but it comes with the price tag of $5.71 per customer, per month which would be approximately $600,000.00. He pointed out that the auditor mentioned they did show a profit of about $50,000.00, so to show a profit with Sanitation they would need $600,000.00. He stated they would have to have a rate increase and if the City refuses to do that and still gets into that contract, there is no way they can do it on the current budget they have. Mayor Johnson related that Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Sherwood all have Waste Management doing a single stream recycling at $5.71 a month for every household, whether they recycle or not, and are still running at 30%. Director Oakley added that it would be biweekly at that cost also. f. Lance Dulaney and Doug Jones to address City Council regarding Loop Acres construction Council Member Blevins stated that both of these citizens live in Loop Acres Subdivision where the construction is being done for all of the duplexes, triplexes, and single-family homes. He explained they have had some issues and are here to speak. 16 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Citizen Lance Dulaney of 2312 Loop Acres Road related that he has lived at his address for 21 years and has never had a problem with flooding. He shared his extreme concern about the development, Green Hill Estates, going on to the west and the north of his property. He related how the developers of this property are now installing the groundwork for roads and site pads, as well as houses. He brought up that Weatherly Road is the new road that is being constructed about 100 feet north of his property and it is currently so tall that his home and land are sitting in a bowl. He noted that they have built what looks like a dam. He explained how he reached out to City Engineer Adam Whitlow who has in turn sent a letter of concern to the engineers in charge of this development. He confirmed that the head engineer told him that they hope to figure this out. He then asked Council what needs to be done to require, and not just suggest, that this developer has to construct a concrete culvert, similar to others in Jacksonville, and to separate their existing properties from this development. He added that this would funnel rainwater from their west, which would get in their backyards, down to the north, and under this new road. He invited everyone on Council to his backyard so they can see for themselves that he is not just here to complain, but that he has a legit concern. He mentioned that he had a handful of Council Members and Planning Commissioners over to look and everyone agrees with his concern. He pointed out that he has been reassured that it is being worked on, but he just wanted this on public record for future reference, if need be. He noted that he has a flash drive with five pictures on it if Council is interested. He stated that with him being six feet tall, he went and stood by the road they are building and it was up to his shoulder. He referenced an additional picture of him standing on his property, which is lower because they have already built it up to where it is halfway up his window and butts up 100 feet from his fence. He added that they are in a floodplain. th Engineer Whitlow stated on August 30, based on the concern, he performed a site inspection, adding the stage of construction they are at right now is primarily grading and earthwork with no infrastructure being put in yet. He confirmed that he did find deficiencies corroborating what Mr. Delaney has said, adding that the dirt is piled high, like a dam, at the entrance road that ties into Loop Acres. He explained that he took pictures, wrote an inspection letter, sent it to Bond Engineering, and received a response back that they were sending survey crews out to cross section the land, but there were some unknowns at that point. He shared that he has since spoken to Aaron Robinson with Bond Engineering and they are in the process of working a solution, so they have essentially corroborated what the City’s concerns were. He confirmed they are waiting on them to come back to the City with a proposed plan of corrective actions, so he is satisfied, at this point, that they are moving forward. He assured that he will not let them move forward forever without some action taken, reiterating that he is satisfied with Mr. Robinson’s response and will continue to follow up. He explained they are in the early stages of construction, reiterating that no infrastructure is in at this point, so this is the point when they need to address these concerns since things can change. He related that the road mentioned pre-dated his tenure as a full-time staff member, but he went back and read through the 17 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. minutes, adding that this particular road was one of the last additions to a set of plans. He brought up how there were concerns over having enough ingress and egress points to the Subdivision, so this road was added late in the game. He surmised that some things may have gotten by the project engineer, but that engineer is well aware of the deficiency and that it will come back on him, liability-wise. He assured that the engineers are extremely invested in seeing that it is corrected. Mr. Dulaney stated that he has also spoken to Mr. Robinson and his proposed solution to this is to try to squeeze one or two 18 to 24-inch drain pipes under this road that is now around 5 feet tall. He stated it is not going to be adequate for the rain flow that goes through this 26-acre development now, which leaves his property at the absolute lowest spot in that entire 30-acre area that includes the existing houses. He referenced the photos he provided with the first one showing his street sloping down toward his mailbox where he is the lowest spot. He described the next photo of him next to the road they are building, affirming that it is going to dam up the water, is about 100 feet from his lot, and is about 5 feet tall right now. He reiterated that Mr. Robinson is proposing to put an 18 or 24-inch pipe under it, which is not going to handle the flow of that water. He related that there is a creek 200 yards north that the water is supposed to go to. He noted that the next photo of him in front of his home is to show where his shoulders come on his house, adding that is how tall the road is. He pointed out with the next photo that the houses they are building right on his fence line are as tall as his above ground swimming pool, surmising them to be 4.5 feet off of the ground, which means they are going to have to grade that yard. His last picture was an example of a concrete culvert found in front of Moore’s Funeral Home that he and his neighbors would like to see installed and ran north all of the way to the creek to separate their backyards from this whole development. He affirmed that culvert would catch all of the water from this development and not add any new water to their existing houses, which are in the flood plain. He stated that in order to build on the flood plain they would have to build everything 2 feet taller than flood level, so behind his house west will be as tall as that road and will butt directly up to his back fence, which is going to give him and his neighbors all of the water. City Clerk Susan Davitt mentioned having enough time before the final plat approval to address this issue. Council Member Twitty shared that right now there is a 10-inch pipe laid down, but it is not enough. Engineer Whitlow stated that he anticipates a plan within the next week, adding that right now they have no drainage infrastructure installed, so there is a significant amount that will be going into this. He explained that the Subdivision itself has a road that runs northerly one lot deep, so there will be a row of lots that back up against Mr. Delaney. He assured that, according to the current plan, there will be no water in the main development that will be able to cross that road and get to the east where Mr. Delaney’s 18 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. lot is. He shared that they are comfortable by looking at the plan that they know that water is handled and will be funneled north, so his water concern is the row of lots that will be backing up to Mr. Delaney. He listed one option is to grade them appropriately and slope them toward the road to the west where there could be a bit of back slope and a swell down the back of the lotlines, whether it be concrete, grass, or some other mechanism to funnel it to meet the road that Mr. Delaney mentioned. He pointed out there will need to be a cross drain adequately sized to funnel that water under the road down to the large creek. He related that one of the things he will be looking at is the drainage calculations and a 10 25-year storm vent provided by Mr. Robinson to convince him that there will not be a detrimental impact to the adjoining property owners. He brought up that as far as fill, they are bound by the regulations of the National Flood Insurance Program that requires any new construction to have the finished floor of the structure to be two feet above. He acknowledged there has to be a level of fill, but they want to do it in such a way that it does not make a detrimental impact to the adjoining houses. Council Member Twitty stressed that it is imperative they do something temporarily right now because she stood in Mr. Delaney’s back yard and had to look up at the equipment they are using to build everything. Mr. Delaney confirmed that he is going to be the only one this will affect because all of the water in his neighbor’s back yards end up in his yard. Council Member Twitty pointed out there is nowhere for the water to go right now because of the houses they built. Council Member Bolden asked if it is possible to put a concrete culvert, like the one shown, to prevent his property from being flooded. Engineer Whitlow confirmed there are changes that can be made to the infrastructure, adding that they have certain guidelines and subdivision regulations they provide to the contractors and engineers. He related that he put in the inspection letter a recommendation of putting a swell down the eastside back of the lots, clarifying that the picture Mr. Delaney referred to is a swell since a culvert is an enclosed pipe. Mr. Delaney acknowledged that it makes sense to separate their existing houses, that are in the floodplain, from this 26-acre development with something like a swell that will channel the water north under the roads that are being built 6-feet tall, and send it 200 yards to the creek, which is what it is meant for. In response to a question from Council Member Traylor, Engineer Whitlow replied that it does not have to be concrete as long as it has the capacity. He reiterated that he recommends a swell in this situation, noting they have a good drainage basin to take it to. He confirmed that the homeowners would be responsible for the maintenance of a grass swell, when Council Member Traylor asked. 19 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Council Member Blevins recalled that when this development was brought before the City Council and the Planning Commission, this exact instance regarding flooding was mentioned and they said that it was only going to be 1 to 2-feet high, but this is around 4-feet now. He mentioned the 10-inch pipe that was laid down today, then asked Engineer Whitlow if that was the original plan and did he know it was going to be 4-feet high. Engineer Whitlow replied that Mr. Robinson brought up needing to go out and do some cross sections. He related that he told Mr. Robinson the road looked abnormally high, even where it is at. He was unsure what stage of construction they were in, but it looked like they staged extra dirt where this road was going to go. He mentioned that he told the project engineer that he does not know if this is too subgrade or not, but it looks excessively high. He related that the engineer assured him that the design was not to be that high, from what he understood. He concurred when Council Member Blevins pointed out that this is not anywhere near like what they came up with and presented to Council. He continued to say that the project engineer thought it was at or below the existing grade, or certainly not to the point that it was. He could not say where the dirt is at, but it is high when you look at it. He brought up that the developer is the one that is building the two houses adjacent to this road, so he stands to hurt himself just as much as anyone else. Mr. Delaney noted that those finished slabs are 4.5-feet off of the ground. Council Member Ray stated that someone had to instruct them to build that road above floodplain and it was not the City. Engineer Whitlow mentioned procedure and stage construction, adding that he sent an email out last week to Bond Engineering, since they do the majority of the work, saying that he would like to get back to a process where they have a preconstruction meeting with staff. He related that the Public Works Department has been operating short staffed without a City Engineer for a while, so he is trying to learn what he can from Public Works Director Jim Oakley and implement those procedures they did not have during those short staffed times. He affirmed that it will hopefully address some of these issues in the future. Director Oakley pointed out that City Council has the last word before they pass the final plat and has to be done to theirs’ and the neighbors’ satisfaction. Mayor Johnson confirmed that the final plat for this development has not came through to Council yet. City Clerk Susan Davitt asked if there are any concerns over the two existing lots that have now been built on, as far as changing their elevation from prior plat approval. She mentioned that the plat was approved at a certain elevation and they were already platted, therefore not a part of the final plat. 20 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Director Oakley replied that they had to because they were platted when it was at base flood elevation, but the new ordinance passed a couple of years ago requires it to be two-feet above that. Mr. Delaney shared that Peacock owned these lots previously and came in, cleared the woods off, dug a huge whole in the creek, and brought all of the dirt back up there. He explained that they actually shot the elevation off of his front porch, so all of these lots next door are already taller than his and now they are going to add them up more. Engineer Whitlow confirmed they are following the due diligence as much as they can for regulations, and at this point, they are waiting for the plan. He hopes to get some results, but if not, he does not mind standing toe to toe against their engineer. He related he has 25 years of experience in the private sector, so this is his comfort level, where drainage is his specialty. Mr. Delaney stated that he has a very nice piece of property and back yard with a swimming pool. He affirmed that the last thing he needs after 24 years of no water issues, is to have 5-feet of water in his back yard that will ruin his pool and everything else. He explained that he has about $15,000.00 worth of flooring being stored in one of his outbuildings that he does not need water in either. He reiterated that in 24 years he has never had an issue, since the water has always flowed right through there; even though he has gotten a lot of it, it never stopped and always kept moving. Mayor Johnson thanked Mr. Delaney, reminding him that he can speak to Engineer Whitlow about this issue anytime. APPOINTMENTS: WATER COMMISSION Reappointment of Timothy Thomas, Jr. for a term to expire 04/20/2030 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Traylor to approve the reappointment of Timothy Thomas, Jr. for a term to expire 04/20/2030. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City of Jacksonville Finance Director Cheryl Erkel stated they submit their Annual Financial Report every year to GFOA for an award of excellence in reporting. She th believes that the year 2020 financial report was the 27 year in a row they received that honor. She explained that they will be submitting this current 2021 book to GFOA next week for another award consideration. Council Member Bolden on Family Feud th Council Member Bolden shared that on September 26 at 6 p.m. he and his sons will be on the show Family Feud. 21 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 6:00 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Johnson adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:45 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ________________________ _________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR BOB JOHNSON City Clerk-Treasurer 22