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23 FEB 02CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 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 February 2, 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, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE (9) ABSENT (1). Council Member Ray was absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, IT Director Emily Osment, Jim Moore, and Johnny Simpson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of January 19, 2023 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 Twitty that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of January 5, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1718 (02-2023) 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 Sansing to place Ordinance 1718 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1718. Police Chief Hibbs explained Tahoes are not on State contract this year, so it would be a standard purchase from the budget. He explained he only found two sources for the Chevy Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles, which are good cars that work well for them. He detailed how it was between Bale Chevrolet and Superior Auto, noting the quote for $44,000.00 per vehicle is from Superior Auto. He mentioned Bale Chevrolet came in at $42,000.00 per vehicle, but they require the purchase of the Cap Fleet’s upfitting package that has a lot of unnecessary lights and did not include computers, mounts, storage boxes in CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. the back, or dash cameras. He brought up after adding all of the things they require, the upfitting came to approximately $34,000.00, making the vehicle package more than it would be buying through Superior Auto and the regular upfitter Arkansas Valley. He related that did not want to be forced to purchase an upfitting package in order to purchase the vehicle. He emphasized it is still cheaper to go through Bale Chevrolet. When Council Member McCleary inquired, he replied they got six vehicles last year using ARPA money and these three will be out of this year’s budget. He assured they are happy with the Tahoes, recalling they have been buying Ford SUVs for a long time. He confirmed Fords are on State contract, however they are hybrid vehicles, with no gasoline-only options, for $42,000.00, so just slightly cheaper than the Tahoes. Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1718 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1718 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 1718 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1718 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1718 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1718 (#02-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2ND DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2023. STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: Request to accept bid: shot curtain superstructure Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House stated this is the second part of the shot curtain project for the shooting range, recalling that Council already approved the dirt and drainage work. He explained they received two bids and requested approval of the low bid from Cliff Childress Construction. He confirmed it will come out of the bond money set aside three years ago for it, assuring there is money in the bond left to cover the expense. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to accept the low bid of $318,000.00 from Cliff Childress Construction. MOTION CARRIED. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. Council Member Dietz reminded they will be able to recapture and sell a lot more lead once the new shot curtain is in place. Director House shared that the Cardinal Center in Ohio is reclaiming approximately 96% of the lead shot, compared to ours previously at only 45%. PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: PRESENTATION Children’s Protection Center Jacksonville Steering Committee update Council Member Bolden introduced the Executive Director of Children’s Protection Center Jennifer Long. Ms. Long stated that Children’s Protection Center (CPC) has a home center in Little Rock with a service area that includes all of Pulaski County. She explained their mission is to provide a child-friendly facility where professionals work together to end child abuse, treat its victims, and help family members provide the right kinds of support to their children to overcome it. She pointed out they are a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) that is part of a national movement of over 800 Centers in the United States, including 32 locations in Arkansas that consist of 17 larger centers and several other smaller ones throughout rural parts. She related that CPC was developed in Pulaski County to help deal with kids falling through the cracks and because of a lack of coordination amongst all of their partners that respond to abuse; such as law enforcement, DCFS, prosecutor’s office, or the State Police. She added that there is also a lack of communication and cross training for everyone to understand what the different processes were in a way that they do not traumatize kids over and over. She referenced the slide presentation showing what it looks like for a child in a community where a CAC does not exist, giving the following example: A five-year-old girl named Robin tells her teacher that her uncle, who her and her family have to live with right now, is hurting her. The teacher talks to the principal, so then Robin talks to the principal and then talks to the counselor. They then call Robin’s family and the police resulting in the police showing up at the school to talk to Robin; possibly in the police car, the library, or teacher’s lounge. Then the parents are worried about Robin’s body physically, so they take her to the pediatrician, but they cannot collect evidence, so Robin now has to talk to the nurses and doctors at the pediatrician’s office. Then she gets to go to a place like Arkansas Children’s Hospital who do have doctors and nurses who can collect evidence and DCFS may get involved. Robin is talking to all of these different people and sometimes having to tell her story of what her uncle has done to her fifteen different times. That retraumatizes Robin and can take up to a month to get through all of the different processes since all of those different community agencies do not have a mechanism to share information and work together to make sure Robin and her family have all of the resources they need and that the community has way to hold the offender accountable. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. She referenced the slide presentation showing what it looks like for a child in a community where a CAC does exist, giving the following example: Robin tells her teacher, then her teacher calls the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline where they immediately notify all of the different investigators that need to know; whether it be DCFS, State Police, or local law enforcement. That DCFS, State Police, or the local law enforcement personnel call Children’s Protection Center to tell them they have a five-year-old child who needs to be forensically interviewed, their family needs access to services, such as housing because she lives with her uncle, and they need all of this to happen now. Within the same day that Robin tells her teacher, she and her family get to go to CPC, which is a child-friendly location, and get all of those services under one roof. The DHS worker, the law enforcement detective, the State Police, the mental health therapist, and the Advocate come together to one location to help Robin. She confirmed that is what they are accomplishing in Pulaski County since 2007. She referenced her slide presentation showing all of the people they consider a part of their multidisciplinary team that, like today for example, come to the Center to work on a specific emergency case that came out of the Little Rock Police Department. She compared the CPC to a community center where all of those local agencies can do the work they need to do. She mentioned CPC is a nonprofit agency that has no right to take a child from their home or hold an offender accountable, but they can make sure everyone keeps the child as their first priority through the process. She brought up that CPC’s job is to make sure the family is supported, that they are supporting their child, to provide a space where a child is going to feel comfortable, and where all of the partners can do the important work they need to do. She confirmed they do not investigate, so they work with all of the partner agencies to help them do their job and coordinate the care with team facilitation. She explained they have forensic interviewing, family advocacy, and mental health services; generally scheduling the same day, so if someone calls in an emergency situation, children come to the Center immediately. She told how they go to the Center in the middle of the night, weekends, or holidays, adding they also offer their services in Spanish or with sign language interpreters when needed. She assured anything those kids and families need to get services, they are going to make it happen. She related that they have an Advocacy Program where families get to meet with a social worker, adding that the Advocate sticks with families for months, or years, after they first come to the Center. She shared that some of the families have a ton of needs since they may not have jobs they can make it to, or maybe their job is requiring them to not be able to care for their children in a way to keep them safe, or maybe they cannot find good day care. She pointed out that the Advocate is there to address those needs in a unique way since every family’s situation is incredibly different. She stated that today they had an Advocate at the courthouse helping two families submit orders of protection against people who were causing harm to their children, adding that sometimes they help families find shelter or therapy as well. She brought up that they have a Forensic Interviewing Program with highly trained Forensic Interviewers who are employed by the Center who understand child development and are able to talk to children at their level. She told how all CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. of the interviews are recorded and while the interviewer is talking to the child, all of the investigators are watching and taking notes or advising the interviewer of things they need to ask. She assured that the interviewer asks questions in such a way that they can defend them in court, which is incredibly important, adding they are often subpoenaed in criminal investigations and are used in maltreatment investigations with DHS as well. She told how all of the families have access to free mental health with their Mental Health Program that offers meetings with a therapist, crisis counseling, or support groups, while also working with the families when it gets to prosecution so they feel like they are in a strong place to be able to face the courtroom. She recalled before Covid hit, a Jacksonville detective had asked if they can come to Jacksonville to do a forensic interview, but the kids in Jacksonville also deserve an Advocate and medical exams for rape kits, sexual assaults, and STD checks. She stated their Board of Directors got together to talk about what it would be like to have a Center in the North Pulaski area, but then Covid hit and they had funding issues. She mentioned their numbers at CPC jumped 300% over three years; being 330 kids served in 2016 to around 1,020 kids in 2022, with approximately a third of those kids coming from north of the river, with a lot from Jacksonville. She told how they Uber families to their Center from Jacksonville, or give them gas cards, as well as have Advocates and staff come to Jacksonville to provide services in people’s homes and apartments. She recalled in 2016 they moved to a new location that served 330 children with three staff members, so when they started making plans for Jacksonville in North Pulaski, they grew it to fifteen. She shared they have just gotten approved for a facility dog that can follow the kids through the process. She stated Jacksonville North Pulaski School District Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Owoh is a Board Member of the Children’s Protection Center, recalling during a meeting, he brought up that the School District has a school they no longer teach at and mentioned partnering together. She explained there is no CAC in the United States that has partnered with a school district, but they went to Pinewood Elementary and saw it could work, since it is a community location that still serves the students. She shared some of the work they do is to educate teachers about recognizing abuse and how to respond in a trauma-informed way. She related they have started to collaborate with Dr. Owoh and Daniel Gray on the School Board and are moving toward the goal of being able to locate within a third of that building. She pointed out that in the packets given to Council, there is a more detailed drawing of what they envision for the exterior and interior of their space. She noted their location on the Children’s Hospital campus is beautiful and every child deserves that response, so they want to carry the same feeling to Jacksonville and spare no expense. She estimated the renovations to be approximately $1.3 million, sharing that they are in the process of raising the money. She confirmed their vision is to offer all Children’s Advocacy Center services mentioned, all of the time, so this would be a Center staffed full-time where no one would have to leave to go to Little Rock. She mentioned trying to create community partnerships with Unity Health and other CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. groups to help provide emergency services in Jacksonville. She stated they created a steering committee in order to raise money and build the community support and partnership, especially the community partners who are already providing food security, housing, etc., because the families they serve are going to need the help. She shared they have raised around $500,000.00 towards the renovations and may have some good news coming in the next few weeks regarding it, but she believes by the end of Spring they will have what they need to be able to start the renovation. Council Member Bolden pointed out that male children need services at the Center as well. Ms. Long confirmed it can be difficult when dealing with males because culturally, it can be hard for people to understand, but they are there to help families and communities embrace it to understand the different situations that can arise. Council Member Rains thanked Ms. Long, agreeing that the services the Center provides is definitely needed to protect the rights of the children. Ms. Long replied that child abuse can be scary because some do not think there is life after it happens, but healing is 100% possible, especially when they are young and before the trauma really sets into the brain. Council Member Bolden related that children are damaged from birth, depending on their upbringing, and the future of the United States and the World is based on how well we take care of the children. Police Chief Brett Hibbs stated the Center is going to be helpful for the Police Department by providing a forensic interview room. He confirmed the Center already has a relationship with detectives that have gone there, but now they will not have to ask people to go to the Police Department for an interview, since most do not like to be seen with the Police coming into their school or at the Police Department by people they know. He shared that Detective Lee is the Juvenile Detective that has been trained in forensic interviews and has been to the Center, but now they will provide a place here for them to go. He has been excited about the Center coming for a while and believes the Pinewood Elementary building will work out great. Council Member Dietz added that it is a great use for the building and he will be happy to see it revitalized. Chief Hibbs shared that a lot of Jacksonville people do not use the Center’s services now because it is too far and they do not have the means to get there. He stated they have been wanting this in our area and have used it, as much as they could, for a long time and will now use it even more. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. Ms. Long surmised that the number would increase, noting the family they worked with today came from Jacksonville on Monday, but it was too late in the day to file the order of protection, so they had to drive back to Jacksonville, then to the Center this morning to complete the order of protection, before then going to the courthouse. She explained how there are lots of connection issues and they had to help the family with gas so they could get to the Center. Chief Hibbs mentioned there is a percentage of people from Jacksonville, but also from Sherwood, Pulaski County, Cabot, and the Air Base would work with the Center as well. Council Member Bolden voiced his and his wife’s support noting that Jacksonville Police Department has always been strongly involved. He said that he and his wife are ecstatic that the Center will be close in Jacksonville, acknowledging the need. Council Member Rains concurred because any time someone experiences a traumatic situation like that, if you add logistic issues along with the hoops and hurdles, it just adds another brick to that trauma wall. Ms. Long brought up that it is wonderful because they can make a difference, noting that trauma changes the brain, and they can change that. She related that they will be doing some community lunch-and-learns and offered a tour of the Center to anyone who would like see what the work looks like in the real world. APPOINTMENTS: JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL DISTRICT Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the appointments of Robin Wakefield for a term to expire 12/31/2023, Addie Gibson and Jason Sanders for terms to expire 12/31/2024, and Jane Tallent and Ollie Mashburn for terms to expire 12/31/2025. MOTION CARRIED. PLANNING COMMISSION Council Member Traylor moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the reappointments of Greg Bollen, William Montgomery, and Jim Moore for terms to expire 01/01/2026. MOTION CARRIED. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the reappointment of Clarence Walters for a term to expire 04/01/2028. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Animal Shelter Improvements Council Member Dietz stated he would be meeting with Jay McCarty regarding the improvements to the Animal Shelter on Tuesday and will have a meeting to discuss it with the Committee on Wednesday. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Resignation of Council Member Traylor Council Member Traylor read the following statement: It has been my honor over the last 20 plus years to serve and represent the citizens Of Jacksonville on the Jacksonville Planning Commission, the Jacksonville Board of Adjustments, the Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Commission, the Jacksonville Advertising and Promotion Committee, and for the last 12 years as a City Council member representing Ward 4. After spending 60 years as a resident of Jacksonville, Arkansas and the last 31 years as a resident of Ward 4 an opportunity for my wife and myself has presented itself. We will be moving to a property north of Jacksonville, and will no longer be residing in Ward 4, or inside of Jacksonville's city limits. I feel confident that under Mayor Elmore’s leadership, the City of Jacksonville is in good hands. He respectfully submits his resignation from the Jacksonville City Council and the Jacksonville Advertising and Promotion Committee, effective on Friday, February 3, 2023. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with executive session beginning at approximately 6:37 p.m. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to RECONVENE FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION at approximately 6:53 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to ALLOW CITY COUNCIL TO APPOINT A REPLACEMENT FOR THE REMAINDER OF COUNCIL MEMBER TRAYLOR’S TERM FOR WARD 4, POSITION 1 AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. Council Member Rains voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Elmore stated for the next month, they will entertain names of those who live in Ward 4 and would like to be considered for the Council Member position. He explained they would need to submit their name and a resume to the City or to any other Council Member within the next month. He confirmed they will make the same announcement in two weeks at the next City Council meeting and at the first meeting in March they will go into executive session to go through the names and choose. Council Member Bolden suggested going through the resumes at the first meeting in March, but decide at the second meeting in March to ensure enough time to look at the resumes. City Council and Mayor Elmore agreed they will take a vote for the selection at the second City Council meeting in March. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. – 6:56 P.M. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:56 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ________________________ _________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR JEFF ELMORE City Clerk-Treasurer