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24 JAN 18 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 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 January 18, 2024 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: Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Council Member Dietz arrived at approximately 6:01 p.m. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SEVEN (7) ABSENT THREE (3). Council Members Ray, Mashburn, and Moss were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Director Emily Osment, and Communications Director Emily Sundermeier. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of December 21, 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 December 7, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT: ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the regular monthly report for December 2023. DECEMBER PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Permits 12 Building Inspections 25 Electrical 40 Plumbing 42 HVACR 25 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT: FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the regular monthly report for December 2023, reflecting a fire loss of $3,500.00 and a savings total of $350,000.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT: POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the regular monthly report for December 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT: CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the regular monthly report as presented for December 2023. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 P.M. Assigned Calls 41 Self-Initiated Calls 77 Follow Up Inspections 159 Demolition by City 0 Complied after Notice 83 Demolition by Owner 3 Three Day Notice 29 Parking Violations 2 Seven Day Letter 89 Garbage Cans Tagged 0 Citation Letters Mailed 13 Basketball Goals 0 Citations Issued 3 Structures Inspected 277 Vehicles Tagged 29 Apartment Complexes Inspected 0 Vehicles Towed 9 Red Tags Issued 2 Unsafe Structures Tagged 1 Search Warrants 1 Structures Condemned 0 Grass Mowed 0 Structures Rehabbed 5 Signs Removed 18 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT: ANIMAL CONTROL Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the regular monthly reports for December 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ 2,475.00 SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS 2,475.00 Paid by the City of Jacksonville - Best Friends Animal Rescue Grant - Paid for by JFOTA 2,475.00 FINES 1,035.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 8,137.25 TOTAL $ 9,172.25 2023 ANNUAL REPORT: ANIMAL CONTROL Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the regular monthly reports for December 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ 29,040.00 SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS 29,040.00 Paid by the City of Jacksonville 8,160.00 Best Friends Animal Rescue Grant 4,545.00 Paid for by JFOTA 16,335.00 FINES 16,995.17 CONTRIBUTIONS 63,441.31 TOTAL $ 59,556.48 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: 2023 Annual Report Water Department Superintendent Jake Short read the following statement: “On behalf of the Jacksonville Water Commission, I am pleased to provide the Council with the 2023 Annual Water Works report. Water Works had zero water quality violations in 2023 and has once again completed the year within its budget while also providing the citizens of Jacksonville with the quality water and services that they not only deserve, but have come to expect. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 P.M. The projects completed in 2023 includes the installation of 1,272 linear feet of pipe, 4 additional fire hydrants, and 6 valves. At the end of the year, we had 11,458 meters in the distribution system which includes 104 new water services. Customer service continues to be a top priority for our staff. In 2023, we received 34,524 online payments totaling just shy of $3.4 million, where that number was $2.9 million last year, so that number continues to increase as people use that service. Water demand for the year increased ever th so slightly in 2023. On September 10 we reached our peak demand for the year of 5.4 million gallons. That is well below the peak demand in 2022 which occurred on Christmas Eve that was 6.7 million gallons. I have a feeling that I will be here next year giving this report and the peak demand will be sometime around these couple of days here dealing with this winter weather event. We are close to 9 million gallons yesterday alone. The total water production for the year was 0.60% up. We are at 1.34 billion gallons for the year. We averaged 3.66 million gallons of flow daily. We operate and maintain close to 1.2 million linear feet of pipe, 800 fire hydrants, 5.25 million gallons of storage capacity, and provides an average of 3.6 million gallons of potable water to the residents of Jacksonville, LRAFB, and to three other wholesale customers. 2023 was JWW's fifth full calendar year serving as the privatized owner of the LRAFB distribution system. It is a 50-year contract that requires us to operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and improve that system. The Base system is roughly 290,000 linear feet (lf) of pipe, 507 hydrants, 3 pump stations, and 1.35 million gallons of storage capacity. The Base itself averages 481,000 gallons of usage per day serving close to 12,000 people. The projects completed on Base during 2023 includes the installation of 16,524 lf of pipe, 56 valves, and 29 fire hydrants all part of Phase II of renewal and replacement work in Military Family Housing. The Maintenance Team on Base also oversaw the scheduled maintenance of 509 valves and 284 fire hydrants, and conducted training for LRAFB personnel as needed. It is important to note we are talking about two separate systems that operate independently of one another. With that being said, I can also report that the LRAFB system also had zero water quality violations in 2023. This work was accomplished with a workforce of 29 staff members, 11 of which are licensed with the State of Arkansas to operate the system, with 5 individuals working to get licensed. That concludes my report. On behalf of the Commission, we appreciate your confidence and your continued support.” WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: 2023 Annual Report Wastewater Utility Manager Thea Hughes read the following statement: “A short history of the sewer system is found on pages 3-4. Jacksonville’s sewer system consists of about 181 miles of gravity sewer line ranging in size from 6-42 inches, about 13 miles of force main, and over 3800 manholes. We also have 14 remote pump stations. This year we completed our 28th consecutive year at the treatment plant with no permit violations, while operating the plant for two years at about ½ capacity due to construction. The operators have taken great pride in doing everything they possibly can to make sure we continue to operate the plant and meet permit, working long hours, tweaked this and tweaked that, and moved once piece of equipment to 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 P.M. another location, going above and beyond trying not to break that record they are proud of. A poem of tribute to them is attached as the last page of your report. By this time next month, we will have completed Phase I of the treatment plant improvements at a cost of about $18 million. If you look on pages 10- 12, you can see pictures of the most significant equipment we replaced and upgraded that was the biggest part of the project. Phase II of the treatment plant improvements is currently in the design stage. We hope to begin construction by mid-summer or at least by the fall. Page 12 of the report lists the details of the Phase II. A one-year-old estimate of Phase II was $6 million, so I’m sure the costs will come in higher now. The Sewer Commission was approved for a 1.75% interest loan from the clean water revolving loan fund distributed through the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. We were able to get approved and get locked in at that rate and will be coming to you for an ordinance to see about going forward with getting that loan. Two other large projects were in progress at the same time as the treatment plant improvements. We moved sewer lines for the Loop Road Bridge Overpass and that project is actually complete. We moved lines for the Hwy. 67/167 road widening and after numerous obstacles, we are getting close to the finish line of that too. We currently have only three segments left to finish. We are waiting on approval from ARDOT for one, removal of communications lines in the way on another, and are almost complete with the third. We hope very soon to be finished with that project. The wastewater utility is broken down into four departments. Technical Services handles investigation, cleaning and televising, and oversee of all construction. Their report is on pages 5-6. Our Collection Systems department is responsible for repairing and replacing all sewer lines and manholes, and construction of new lines. Their report is on page 7-8. Our Operations department is responsible for operating the treatment plant, running process control tests in the laboratory to ensure we are within permit regulations, assisting our industries with any kind of pre-treatment they have to do, and they maintain the plant and repair vehicles. The plant treated over 1.8 billion gallons of water in 2023. That report is on pages 9-12. Our Administration department handles financial, personnel, and all clerical needs. That report is on pages 9-10. This year our employees maintained licenses and upgraded licenses. We have 8 Collection System certifications, 15 Wastewater Operator’s licenses, 4 Solid Waste licenses, 6 Plumbing Inspector licenses, and 12 CDL licenses.” FIRE DEPARTMENT: Request to accept bid: New Fire Station 2 President and CEO of WDD Architects Chad Young gave an overview of the Graham Road Fire Station #2. He displayed the exterior rendering, explaining it will be 11,000 square feet, has fire engine bays on the left side, and the dwelling side/office area on the right. He described the front entrance being exterior metal panel with a brick base veneer with colors matching City Hall, Community Center, and Public Safety Center, in terms of the same red brick and bronze metal. He related the perforated metal panel on the right hand side is actually a grilling porch that will glow at night from LED lights 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 P.M. where the number 2 will be silhouetted out. He pointed out that the next images are the interior renderings of the kitchen that has three refrigerators and two islands in the middle, and the living area with a vaulted ceiling. He assured it is super economical construction where the dwelling side is built like a house with wood framing and exterior materials being metal and brick that is durable and maintenance-free. He noted the fire engine bay is about 80’ X 70’ since one of the plans was to get trucks in back-to-back. He mentioned seven dwelling units and the main living area is over to the right next to the grilling porch. He stated the blue rectangle is the training gym and there is a safe room at the center. He listed having turnout gear areas, decontamination rooms, washer and dryer, storage for EMS, and four individual showers. He shared that there was a bid opening on th Thursday, January 11 where the low bidder was Hydco, Inc. coming in at $3,439,000.00. He noted there were six bidders overall ranging from $3.4-$3.9 million. He recommended approval of Hydco, Inc., confirming he has worked with them on a Splash Zone project, and they are a good, reputable company. He disclosed that they gave them seven months to complete the construction. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to accept the low bid of $3,439,000.00 from Hydco, Inc. for the new Fire Station 2. MOTION CARRIED. POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: RESOLUTION 844 (#2-2024) A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE WILLINGNESS OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE TO UTILIZE STATE AID STREET MONIES FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE STREET OVERLAY PROJECT: Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to read Resolution 844 (#2-2024). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 844 (#2-2024). Mayor Elmore recalled it would be sections of Northeastern Avenue, Foxwood Drive, Madden Road, and the south end of Redmond Road, basically Municipal Drive to James Street. City Engineer Adam Whitlow related these are ones the last Public Works Director Jimmy Oakley applied for. He explained that it works out nice for him since he can “piggyback” on their bid and the nice thing about State Aid is that the State handles it all where the City just submits the streets we want overlayed. He related that the State puts together the full package, bids it, and has the money. He noted all we do is contribute if it goes over the $300,000.00 allotted. He recalled last year the City did not do an overlay program, with the tornado, etc., so this year they set aside to do that amount. He surmised it is about two miles of overlay total and was unsure of how long it will take to get started. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to adopt Resolution 844 (#2-2024) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 P.M. SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: a. RESOLUTION 843 (#1-2024) A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY CLERK TO ENTER INTO A REVISED PULASKI AREA GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (PAgis) INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to read Resolution 843 (#1-2024). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 843 (#1-2024). Mayor Elmore confirmed this is housekeeping for PAgis, noting we are already a member and Maumelle is joining, so all cities represented have to pass a resolution acknowledging they are fine with Maumelle being a part of it. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to adopt Resolution 843 (#1-2024) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. b. STATE OF THE CITY by Mayor Elmore Mayor Elmore read the following statement: “Serving as the Mayor of Jacksonville for the past year has been an honor and a privilege. Holding this position of service is a responsibility that I do not take for granted. Since I took the oath of office on January 1, 2023, I have been committed to cultivating a culture of open and honest communication between the City and the citizens of Jacksonville. I have tirelessly worked to innovate new ideas and ways for this beloved city to not only grow, but to thrive. I have brought awareness to aspects of our city that had previously lacked attention. All of this and more has been for the improvement of quality of life for all of Jacksonville. None of the above would have been accomplished without the collaborative efforts between my office and our City's councilmembers. I thank them for their tireless, selfless and dedicated service, and the duty that they fulfill towards the people and the City alike. The local government of Jacksonville, along with its citizens, can—and must— work together for a brighter, better Jacksonville, for a community that we can all love and proudly call our home. I undoubtedly believe that this is possible, and that this is only the beginning of a flourishing future for Jacksonville. 2023 was a rollercoaster of a year for Jacksonville. In the face of hardship, we stood united. Numerous homes, businesses and facilities were destroyed on March 31, 2023 due to a strong EF3 tornado. A large portion of Jacksonville suffered significant damage. In the midst of this crisis, I saw restoration and hope, compassion and humanity. Churches, groups, individuals and organizations stepped up to lend a helping hand, whether it was providing a meal, cleaning up debris or simply being a source of comfort. Slowly yet surely, Jacksonville is recovering and will come back stronger than before. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 18, 2024 6:00 P.M. – 6:34 P.M. 2023 was also a year of prosperity and celebration for Jacksonville. Unity Health opened the doors to its state-of-the-art facility on Braden Street. The skies of Jacksonville welcomed back the mighty roar of engines, as Little Rock Air Force Base's Thunder Over the Rock Air Show returned for the first time since 2018. In October, Dupree Park opened the Marshall Smith Inclusive Playground, which features equipment that children of all abilities can play with; it has also been recognized as a National Demonstration Site by Playcore for inclusive play and advancing recreation through research based best practices. SIG Sauer announced plans to expand their manufacturing facility in the city, creating 625 new jobs in Jacksonville over the next five years. FestiVille, Jacksonville's beloved annual festival, made a move from its traditional home in Dupree Park to the Five Points area of downtown, where record attendance was reported. FestiVille not only moved in regard to location, but its date moved as well, happening during Labor Day Weekend rather than mid-to-late October. In unity, there is strength. I have seen this community come together during times of celebration, and I have seen this community support one another during times of need. For a city to not only be a community, but a home we can all be proud of, it takes everyone contributing to make Jacksonville the best place we all know it can be. Jacksonville has an optimistic future ahead, and I enthusiastically anticipate the progress ahead. However, there is always work to be done, and 2024 is no exception. Construction of the Highway 67/167 widening project will continue, and while it will continue to cause some stress and traffic hassle, the final result will bring about unprecedented possibilities. All buildings in the Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District will be brand new, giving thousands of scholars the opportunity to learn valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom. We are stronger together, and I invite you to unite with me in anticipation for what 2024 will bring for Jacksonville.” He shared through the work done passing the budget last month, we have hired 10 officers. He stated we have three in the Academy now and seven who got hired, with three of those being certified officers from other cities. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:34 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ________________________ _________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR JEFF ELMORE City Clerk-Treasurer 7