25 JUN 5REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING - CITY HALL - #1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE
The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met for a regular session on June 5, 2025 at their regular meeting place. Council Member Ray delivered the invocation and Mayor
Elmore led a standing audience in the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Ruple, McCoy, Ray, LaBron, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Mimms answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT
NINE (9) ABSENT ONE (1). Council Member McCleary was absent.
Others present for the meeting were: Police Captain Kim Lett, Finance Director Laura Collie, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, CDBG
Director Michelle Spencer, IT Director Brian Harvey, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, Morgan Allen, Carter Elmore, Reginald Ford, and Jim Moore.
PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the rescheduled City Council meeting of May 22, 2025 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 Kinman that the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of May 1, 2025 be APPROVED. MOTION
CARRIED.
CONSENT AGENDA: Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the consent agenda as presented. MOTION CARRIED.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/MAY
PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED INSPECTIONS PERFORMED
Building Permits 10 Building 36
Business License 3 Electrical 86 Plumbing 56
HVACR 55
FINANCE DEPARTMENT INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT CORRECTION/APRIL
INVESTMENTS Totals
Centennial Bank $ 74,560.65
Bank of the Ozarks $ 1,983,721.66
First Arkansas Bank & Trust $ 23,354,635.50
WATER DEPARTMENT:
WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT:
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
STREET DEPARTMENT:
SANITATION DEPARTMENT:
PARKS & RECREATION:
PLANNING COMMISSION:
COMMITTEE(S):
GENERAL: a. ORDINANCE 1789 (#18-2025)
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND MODIFY JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE §2.44.010 (EMPLOYEE POLICY MANUAL); DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Ruple to place Ordinance 1789 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ruple, McCoy, Ray, LaBron, Moss, Twitty, Kinman,
and Mimms voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1789.
Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member LaBron to APPROVE Ordinance 1789 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1789 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council
Member Dietz, Ruple, McCoy, Ray, LaBron, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Mimms voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED.
Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member LaBron to APPROVE Ordinance 1789 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1789 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL
CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ruple, McCoy, Ray, LaBron, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Mimms voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED.
Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member LaBron to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1789 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ruple, McCoy, Ray, LaBron, Moss, Twitty,
Kinman, and Mimms voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED.
Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member LaBron that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ruple, Ray, LaBron, Moss, Twitty, Kinman,
and Mimms voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member McCoy voting NAY.
ORDINANCE 1789 (#18-2025) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 5TH DAY OF JUNE, 2025.
b. Nixon Farm drainage easements infrastructure and community support proposal-Dana Nixon
Dana Nixon, Owner of Nixon Farm, recalled speaking to Council about agritourism and requested support to form a community garden. She told how council members toured the farm, saw the
pipeline easement, and a great area for the garden. She related that Dunbar Community Garden in Little Rock is her inspiration, but St. Joseph’s in North Little Rock is also great.
She mentioned the Boys and Girls Club CEO being interested in a partnership and listed possibilities of working with them, the Senior Center, schools, and library. She told how Dunbar
is huge, has existed a long time, and also has animals, bees, produce stand, and educational programs. She will research what those cities have done and will keep Council filled in.
She related a nonprofit would have to be established, but since she is a lawyer, she can do it. She mentioned speaking with the CDBG Director who stated there may be an opportunity
to get into the 2025 plan for Neighborhood Revitalization. She brought up possibly donating 38 acres next to the Shooting Range to the City, but is still needing clarification on if
Parks and Rec wants just the buildable 17 acres or not, since she could sell the back for turkey hunting.
She recalled council members seeing the huge ditches, but no one knows they are there since no one sees the back of the property, other than her and her guests. She related she cannot
get down the drainage ditches now because it has not been mowed all year, she cannot see where she is going, there are holes and erosion, and the bridges are washed out, all causing
it to be unsafe. She shared her concern for not only her safety, but the people who wander onto the property and squatters since emergency vehicles cannot get to the back. She explained
there were three bridges on the Nixon-Delaney ditch, but two of those are gone and the other is deteriorating. She described a small channel cut by the City, but is deep where you cannot
get a vehicle across, and the culvert area has eroded so is now only wide enough for a golf cart, causing virtually no access to the back 80 acres. She recalled the ditches being there
since the 1960s and formalized in the 1980s to be specifically City maintenance, but has not been taken care of in the last 10 years. She does not care about rebuilding the two bridges,
but does want the third that is strong enough to get everyone to the back. She emphasized the safety issue is her main concern, since subdivisions surround the farm and forest fires
are possible.
Mayor Elmore recalled receiving documentation Monday from the 1980s signed by the City agreeing to take care of these ditches and easements. He added in 1991, Mayor Swaim and the chair
of the Wastewater Commission signed agreeing to specifics regarding the ditches of who maintains the northside, eastside, and bridge.
Mrs. Nixon requested a meeting to come up with a schedule to be put in writing. When Council Member McCoy inquired, she replied that she has been communicating about the erosion for
years and she sent most of these documents, along with a letter, in March and have not heard back.
City Attorney Friedman related she did not receive that email, but only pictures sent separately, which she thought she was included on just to be in the loop, and that is why she did
not address it.
Mrs. Nixon noted she called and left messages, but had gotten no response. She affirmed this is not the first time the Mayor or City Engineer knew about this, and Engineer Whitlow has
seen this documentation before.
A brief discussion ensued regarding possible routes emergency services could take to access the back property if necessary.
Mrs. Nixon then recommended that the City install a water meter on Graham Road and put up a fence around the community garden to keep deer out. When Council Member McCoy mentioned the
possible donation of land, she responded that she has someone who can do an appraisal on it.
APPOINTMENTS:
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Council Member Ruple mentioned constituents calling to share concerns regarding the recently passed fence ordinance. He thanked those involved in preparing the ordinance
for their time, hard work, and dedication, but wants to make sure that Council, as a whole, feels comfortable with moving forward with it. He shared his concern of the City charging
citizens for something on their private property and also that there are some residents where a six foot fence does not provide privacy and/or security, depending on how the home is
laid out.
Council Member McCoy noted she has had several citizens reach out to her as well, but there is more time before it takes effect since the code that stated 30 days was updated and voided
what was previously there, therefore, it defaulted back to 90 or 91 days.
City Attorney Friedman confirmed citizens who have extenuating circumstances can come to the City, explain, and request permission.
NEW BUSINESS:
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Parks & Rec Events for June
Mayor Elmore announced that a Parks and Recreation events sheet was in the packet and will be submitted every month.
ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:31 p.m. MOTION CARRIED.
Respectfully,
________________________ _________________________
Susan L. Davitt MAYOR JEFF ELMORE
City Clerk-Treasurer