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23 AUG 17CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 17, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:15 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 August 17, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor Elmore led a standing audience in the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag. ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT TEN (10) ABSENT ZERO (0). Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Director Emily Osment, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, Chase Walker, Johnny Simpson, and Karen Carlisle. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of July 20, 2023 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of July 6, 2023 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 July 2023. JULY PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Permits 12 Building Inspections 80 Business License - Electrical 61 Plumbing 64 HVACR 50 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for July 2023, reflecting a fire loss of $41,000.00 and a savings total of $394,000.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for July 2023. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 17, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:15 P.M. ADOPTION FEES $ 1,925.00 SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS 1,925.00 Paid by the City of Jacksonville 1,925.00 Paid for by JFOTA - FINES 2,396.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 10,783.00 TOTAL $ 15,104.00 Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter $ 9,124.00 Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter 10,000.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: a. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE 1740 (#24-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 1737 AND UPDATING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES § 8.01.078 (GRASS OR WEEDS). The public hearing opened at approximately 6:01 p.m. Council Member McCleary moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to place Ordinance 1740 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Moss voting NAY. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1740. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to APPROVE Ordinance 1740 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1740 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Mashburn, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION FAILED with Council Member Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voting NAY. Council Member Rains noted this amendment was just adding the variance for the mailbox flowerbeds that a lot of citizens have currently. She related that all of those citizens are out of ordinance. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 17, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:15 P.M. Council Member Kinman explained that once someone puts a mailbox at their house, it becomes Federal Government property. She added if the postman has an issue, they will write you a note on your mailbox saying you need to remove the flowers that are causing bees, wasps, etc. She reiterated that after you build your house and put a mailbox up, it is not your property, but is Federal Government property, therefore, she feels they should speak to someone else regarding it. Council Member Rains asked City Attorney Friedman to clarify, because from her understanding, the owner owns all of the property around a mailbox, not including the mailbox itself. Council Member Dietz pointed out that there are easements on the front of all of these properties for government and utility companies. City Attorney Friedman confirmed there is an easement, but Council Member Rains was wanting just specifically around the mailbox, not the entire easement. She shared her only concern is that the way the ordinance was previously, it allowed for eight inches of any sort of vegetation to be around the mailbox before it was considered out of compliance. She is unsure what type of flowers people have in their mailbox flowerbeds, but as long as they are under eight inches, they are in compliance with the previous code. The public hearing closed at approximately 6:06 p.m. b. RESOLUTION 837 (#06-2023) A RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE AT RISK AND DISPLACED COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to read Resolution 837 (#06-2023). ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Mashburn, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION FAILED with Council Member Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voting NAY. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Take Your Legislator to School Month Council Member Rains shared an event coming up partnered with Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, adding that they are looking forward to Council’s participation. She confirmed the School District is putting it on, explaining that she and State Legislators got together to assist in getting it set up. She stated it would be September 5th-8th. Rotary Club Scholarship Golf Tournament Council Member Twitty stated that Rotary Club is having their golf tournament benefitting scholarships for Jacksonville kids on Friday, September 8th. She noted that if anyone is interested in putting a team together, see Steve Pawloski. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 17, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:15 P.M. Downtown Revitalization Plan Council Member Dietz brought up a previous program for downtown. He believes it is time for Council and everyone to get together to light it up and get everything moved there to show the City they are doing something for the City. He told how everyone around us are going downtown adding pavilions, etc. and we are the only city our size not doing anything. He stated they can get a plan together and get it implemented, sharing that our population in 1995 was 29,100, but according to a book he received last week, it is now at 29,700. He stressed that everyone else’s population is exploding and we need to explode with them and get Jacksonville moving forward. Mayor Elmore suggested putting together a group for ideas to bring to him. Council Member Dietz mentioned Bob Price, who had a plan, but we did not implement it for three or four years. He may get together with him, because he would like to light up downtown and have a pavilion so they can have a permanent place for the parade that would look good. He assured this would save time by not having to set up and break down temporary bleachers that block businesses. Council Member Ray stated when the City has a parade downtown, all of the businesses do 60% more business, because 60% of those people shop downtown while they are there. Council Member Dietz pointed out that if Jacksonville is going to have progress, we are going to have to do some things, or else it will be the same way it is. He confirmed he is open to starting a committee regarding this. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:15 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ________________________ _________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR JEFF ELMORE City Clerk-Treasurer