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2023CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:35 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 5, 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, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT TEN (10) ABSENT (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, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, IT Director Emily Osment, Jim Moore, Keith Weber, Annabelle Davis, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of December 15, 2022 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of December 1, 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 December 2022. DECEMBER PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 4 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 20 42 20 20 Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for December 2022. ADOPTION FEES $ 0.00 SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS 0.00 FINES 1,315.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 420.00 TOTALS $ 1,735.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT: CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:35 P.M. POLICE DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1717 (#01-2023) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR THE JACKSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT LICENSE PLATE READERS AND SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to place Ordinance 1717 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1717. Police Chief Brett Hibbs requested waiving of competitive bidding regarding license plate readers that are part of a Crime Center they are building. He explained that he has been planning this since summer and has been working with Jonesboro, Motorola, and Critical Edge. He shared that they are going to have twenty quad cameras placed around the City and high crime areas, such as Sunnyside, Johnson Park, and Dupree Park, as well as at the most traveled intersections. He explained these are standalone, adding that they currently have one, but it is a different brand and he is not happy with the performance. He noted these are Motorola, like the cloud-based camera security system that is being put in, so they will integrate with each other. He acknowledged that the City tries not to waive competitive bidding, but following his research, these are the ones he recommends, and the price is good. He related it is a five-year deal, being about $12,000.00 each, recalling that the one they bought previously was $13,000.00. He noted that the bid includes service and replacements for up to five years in case it gets shot, stolen, etc. He noted is running out of time because in the middle of planning, Motorola changed the deal to where he can no longer purchase them through a vendor, but directly from Motorola, which adjusted his pricing and quotes. He brought up that this is 2022 ARPA money that has to be spent by the end of the month, therefore, he does not have time for bids. He assured that even if he did, this would be the system he would want because it integrates with the rest of the system. He said it will eventually be a Crime Data Center that will be built into a Real-time Crime Center. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1717 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1717 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Maohburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and RAins voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1717 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1717 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:35 P.M. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1717 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1717 (#01-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 5T8 DAY OF JANUARY, 2023 . STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: a. Request to accept bid: Dupree Park Repairs Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House requested to accept the low bid using ARPA funds. He explained they had four bids turned in and the low bid meets specs and was from a company they have worked with in the past. Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to accept the low bid of $164,564.95 from Environmental Protection Association. When Council Member Twitty requested clarification on the repairs, Director House replied it includes roofs on all concessions, removing and rebuilding a pavilion by Field 2, a wall on Field 1 being repaired and painted, and dugout covers on several fields, among other things throughout the Park. When Council Member McCleary inquired about the restrooms, he responded that they will be painted; no major remodeling. When Council Member Dietz requested more details be provided regarding bids so Council is better informed, he offered to email this particular bid that was set out. Council Member Twitty added that pictures would also be helpful. Director House confirmed the repairs will be done before the busy season. MOTION CARRIED at this time. PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: a. Animal Control building improvements Council Member Dietz stated Jay McCarty contacted him after the last meeting to say he is serious about helping with the Animal Shelter building. He explained that Mr. McCarty assured him he has people to take the bottom wall down and the ability to do the top, while also contributing $60, 000. 00 to $70,000.00. He told Mr. McCarty he would get Council approval to form a committee and also run it by the City Attorney and Mayor in order to ensure compliance. He mentioned if we use City manpower, we could save money, noting they estimate it to be $160,000.00 to $170,000.00 total. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:35 P.M. Council Member Twitty, Kinman, Rains, and McCleary volunteered to be on the committee at this time. b. Approval to sell lots in Sunnyside Council Member Dietz related he has a map of City-owned lots in Sunnyside, recalling he handed some out last year to Council. He explained that the City is mowing them and does not have a need for them since most of them are not big enough to build on. He detailed that the lots have no structure, are dilapidated, and collecting junk, recalling that most had two-bedroom, one- bathroom homes previously. He would like to meet with the City Attorney and ensure they have clear titles and sell them for $750.00 to $1,000.00 per lot, preferably to bordering property owners in order to possibly replat them together. He pointed out that most are very small being around 60 feet by 80 feet, compared to a normal size lot being around 120 feet by 130 feet. He counted a total of nineteen City-owned lots in Sunnyside that the City has to maintain and mow. Council Member Sansing agreed the lots are very small and the City does not need to make money off of them. He believes even the prices Council Member Dietz mentioned are a bit high for the area, adding it is a very good time to give back to the citizens and give a good deal to the people living there. When Council Member Rains inquired, Council Member Dietz replied there have been people show interest in buying the adjacent lot, but he wanted to make sure the City had a clear title first. Council Member Bolden asked if it could be changed to where people who own those lots could be allowed to put doublewide modular homes on them. City Attorney Stephanie Friedman assured it can be done, but it would need to be brought to the Planning Commission and then Council to approve rezoning. City Clerk/Treasurer Susan Davitt suggested getting with City Engineer Adam Whitlow to possibly discuss designating Sunnyside as an Affordable Housing Overlay District, which would allow for different types of homes. City Engineer Whitlow agreed there are mechanisms the City can use, but the tricky part is if the City acts without the property owners being involved, so they need to have everyone on board with the plan first. When Council Member Traylor asked why the City would allow trailers in the middle of town, Council Member Bolden clarified it would be doublewide morlular homes on a foundation. Engineer Whitlow noted they would either have to rezone it or do a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to have stipulations in place. He explained that Jacksonville has not used the PUD mechanism very much, but it is perfect for irregular, small, infill lots, etc. He pointed out that the lots are already nonconforming, so even replating them becomes problematic because they have to come in and request a variance almost immediately. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:35 P.M. Council Member Bolden mentioned that some of the lots in Sunnyside already have plumbing and utili ties, so a person can have a slab put down and the City could put stipulations on what kind of house is built. Engineer Whitlow brought up tiny homes, adding there are some Code issues, but it could be possible, just not a simple process. He related that Sunnyside has been talked about a lot since he was hired and he believes there needs to be a good plan. He noted the condition of the infrastructure; the streets have odd shaped curbs, recalling Public Works Director Jim Oakley put in driveway modifications to help, but you cannot spot repair the streets anymore because the curbs are a trough. He would love to address a large- scale plan with the infrastructure, but that would mean major money. He detailed that an Affordable Housing Overlay District is a zoning on top of the City's standard zoning that has special conditions, so getting everyone on board is a big part of it. Council Member Dietz believes tiny homes would be something good to look into because some of the lots are 55 feet by 90 feet, so they are not very big to build on when you have a 35 or 20-foot setback. He reiterated all utilities are there with sewer, water, gas, and electric, which is a huge saving. Council Member Bolden clarified he was thinking about revitalization of the area, rather than just strictly selling the lots. Engineer Whitlow confirmed there are several components, such as getting rid of City property they do not need, revitalization, and infrastructure. He surmised if someone had a good vision put together, they could use a mechanism and start looking for funding. He acknowledged they have used CDBG for small ticket items in that area, but maybe there are larger pots of money available for infrastructure improvements. Council Member Bolden noted if you own a lot by deed, they could purchase a modular home, but not in Sunnyside because it is not authorized to put one there. He confirmed he wants to create a committee regarding these issues. Council Member Dietz, Sansing, Mashburn, and McCleary volunteered to be on the committee at this time. Engineer Whitlow added that he, City Inspector Manny Browder, and Engineering Tech Mylissa Griggs can be involved as well. He shared that he also has a master map if anyone would like one that has City-owned lots shaded in. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: MUnicipal League Conference Mayor Elmore stated the Municipal League Conference is next Wednesday through Friday in Little Rock. 5 Short-ter.m Rentals CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:35 P.M. Council Member Dietz believes the City should start looking at the VRBO's and weekly rentals and come up with guidelines. He stated he is working with North Little Rock Council Member Debbie Ross regarding it since they are now issuing permits in order to know where they are located. He explained there are a lot showing up in neighborhoods and causing disturbances with people going in and out. He believes this is something the City should prepare for. Vice Mayor Selection Mayor Elmore asked Council Member Twitty to be the first female Vice Mayor of Jacksonville and she appreciatively accepted. Sanitation Truck Issues When Council Member McCleary brought up Sanitation issues, Engineer Whitlow stated that by end of the day tomorrow, the Sanitation schedule should be back to normal. He explained that Christmas is usually an overwhelming time, adding they typically run a four-day schedule to accommodate holidays. He explained how they have three regular garbage trucks on route and a backup for each one, since they can be undependable. He recalled they had one burn recently and was unsalvageable, noting they have two on order, but they were not expected for two years from now. He shared that they got the schedule moved up with one, being a slightly different version of what they wanted, hopefully being delivered in February. He related that the garbage trucks have had issues, one after another, and they were forced to use a rear-load that is usually strictly used at the Recycling Center. He related when that one broke down, they were down to two trucks and running a double shift with a night crew. He hopes to borrow a demo truck from River City towards the end of this month to give the City Mechanics time to get the others back up and running. He brought up that they have had to rely on a temp service for extra workers to sling garbage on the rear-load trucks, adding that he hopes it never gets this bad again. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:35 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, MIT ELMORE k-Treasurer 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 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 19, 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, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT TEN (10) ABSENT (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, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, IT Director Emily Osment, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, Wastewater Utility General Manager Thea Hughes, Water Superintendent Jake Short, Jerry Sanders, Fred Belote, John Ferrell, and Addie Gibson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of January 5, 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 15, 2022 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for December 2022 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $199,450.00 and a savings total of $2,074,550.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the Regular Monthly Report for December 2022 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report as presented for December 2022. Assigned Calls 53 Self-Initiated Calls 161 Follow Ups 214 Apartment Complexes Inspected 0 Three Day Notices 69 Red Tags Issued 5 Seven Day Letters 112 Search Warrants 0 Citations Issued 1 Rehabbed Structures 2 Vehicles Tagged 40 Structures Condemned 0 Vehicles Towed 4 Demolition by City 2 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. Garbage Cans Tagged Basketball Goals Structures Inspected 0 0 214 Demolition by Owner Parking Violations Grass Mowed 1 0 0 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: 2022 Annual Report by Water Department Superintendent Jake Short Water Department Superintendent Jake Short offered the following report: He expressed on behalf of the Water Commission he is am pleased to provide City Council with the 2022 Annual Water Works report. He reported that Jacksonville Water Works had zero water quality violations and has once again completed the year within budget while providing the citizens of Jacksonville with quality water and services that they not only deserve, but have come to expect. The projects completed during 2022 includes the installation of 9,461 linear feet of pipe, 12 additional fire hydrants, and 40 valves. At the end of 2022 we had 11,432 water meters in the water distribution system which includes 79 new water services. Customer service continues to be a top priority of Jacksonville Water Works staff. We continue to take online payments from our customers through our secure internet site. In the year 2022, we received 30,833 online payments totaling $2,953,709. We continue to receive many positive comments from our customers using this updated service. Water Production increased in 2022. On December 24, demand for the year of 6.7 million gallons. This is year's peak water flow of 10.2 million gallons which 2021. The total water production for the year was which was a 4. 7% increase from the previous year. flow for the year was 3.64 million gallons per day. 2022 we reached a peak well below the previous occurred on February 18, I . 328 billion gallons, Our average daily water JWW currently operates and maintains close to I . 2 million linear feet of water distribution lines, 800 fire hydrants, 5, 250,000 gallons of storage capacity, and provides an average of 3,500,000 gallons of potable water per day to the residents of Jacksonville. JWW not only provides reliable water service to a population of over 29,000 people in the Jacksonville area, but also delivers wholesale water to LRAFB and three other wholesale customers. 2022 was JWW's fourth full year serving as the privatized owner of the LRAFB distribution system. This 50-year contract requires JWW to operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and improve the LRAFB water system. The LRAFB water distribution system includes approximately 290,000 linear feet (If) of pipe, 507 hydrants, 3 pump stations, and 1,350,000 gallons of storage. The system provides an average of 574,000 gallons of potable water per day and serves 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. approximately 12,000 people. In acquiring these facilities, JWW has employed the operations and maintenance strategies that have proven successful with Jacksonville's water distribution system and blended those with procedures familiar to the LRAFB system. It is important to note that JWW operates this system independent from its own. There are many advantages to this contract, but one key benefit to privatization is that by ridding itself of utilities, LRAFB can now focus on its specific mission requirements instead of water system upgrades and repairs. JWW not only benefits from increased employment and from economies of scale through combined utilization of fixed, general and overhead costs, but it also has gained a closer relationship with the planning and expansion efforts on LRAFB and is able to integrate planning for both JWW and base customers alike. I am pleased to report that in calendar year 2022 the LRAFB system also reported zero water quality violations. The projects completed on LRAFB during 2022 includes the installation of 16,524 If of PVC water mains, 56 valves, and 29 fire hydrants as part of Phase Il of renewal and replacement work in Military Family Housing. The JWW LRAFB Maintenance Team also oversaw the scheduled maintenance of 617 valves and 353 fire hydrants in the distribution system, conducted training for LRAFB personnel as needed, and repaired 7 leaks as part of routine activities. This work was accomplished with a workforce of 27 employees. We currently have 9 employees licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health to properly operate the water system with 4 additional staff members currently working toward the completion of their water operator license to further enhance the professionalism of the Jacksonville Water Works team. We appreciate your confidence and continued support in working with the Jacksonville Water Commission to ensure that our City will have a safe and adequate supply of high-quality water for the future growth of the Great City of Jacksonville today, tomorrow and for many years to come. WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: 2022 Annual Report by Wastewater Utility Manager Thea Hughes Wastewater Utility Manager Thea Hughes offered the following report: She acknowledged 2022 Sewer Commissioners: Fred Belote, Chair; John Ferrell, Vice Chair; Eddie Porter, Secretary; Jerry Sanders and Jeff Elmore. This has been a year of busy construction. Planning and design of three projects has been going on for 3-5 years, and suddenly all three projects hit at the same time. We are moving sewer lines down Hwy 67/167 for the widening of the highway. We are moving sewer lines on Loop Road for the bridge overpass, and we finally started the renovations to the treatment plant. The two sewer relocation projects have been a challenge due to the location along the freeway, and due to material shortages. The Loop Road project has been at a stand-still for several months waiting for pipe delivery. The Hwy. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. 67/167 project is in progress now, but continues to hit obstacles with conflicting utilities. We are truly appreciative of the cooperation we have from the local businesses whose parking lots and drive-thrus have been disturbed. At the treatment plant, we completed our 27th consecutive year without a permit violation. We are currently operating the plant with about ~ maximum capacity due to construction, so meeting permit during construction is becoming more and more difficult. Our plant operators are adamant about keeping our perfect record going, so they have made it a personal goal to try to operate a live, active plant in the midst of major construction. The treatment plant renovations consist of replacing 35-year-old aerators and other equipment, replacing sand filters with new cloth media filters, replacing antiquated electrical gear, and implementing a SCADA control system. This will be the 4th major renovation to the treatment plant since its installation in 1987, but the first time to replace much of this equipment. Specific information about the plant upgrades and some pictures can be found on pages 7-8. Our Technical Services staff handle investigation, cleaning and televising, and oversight of all construction. The report for that department is found on pages 3-4 where you can find details about their activities for the year. The Collection Systems staff is existing sewer line and manholes, is found on page 5. responsible for repair and replacement of and construction of new lines. Their report The 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 their wastewater treatment, and maintaining and repairing all plant maintenance and vehicles. Their reports are found on pages 6-8. Once again, there were no violations from ADEQ inspections of the plant and solid waste monofill, and no violations of our biomonitoring testing. The Administration department handles financial management, personnel, purchasing, and clerical support. Their report is found on pages 9-10. Not only was this year filled with construction, but a few pretty significant awards were earned by our employees. These achievements can be found on pages 10-12 along with pictures of the recipients. • At the local level, David St. Clair received the Dick Morris Employee Excellenr.e Award given to one outstanding wastewater employee annually. • At the national level, Mike Overstreet received the Water Environment Federation's Hatfield Award which is given to acknowledge one expert treatment plant operator in each of the 50 states. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. • At the state level, Luke Avery received the Arkansas Water Environment's Collection System Award which acknowledges one employee in the state who demonstrates excellence in maintaining a sewer collection system. • Also at the state level, Thea Hughes was inducted into the Arkansas Water Works & Water Environment Federation's Hall of Fame, which is a lifetime achievement award in the water and wastewater industry. Employee Licenses & Certifications: • Utility employees hold the following licenses: o 9 Collection System certifications o 21 Wastewater Operator's licenses, with 6 being Class IV (highest) o 5 Solid Waste licenses o 7 Plumbing Inspector licenses o 13 COL licenses FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION : PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: a. DISCUSSION Former Jacksonvi11e E1ementary Schoo1 bui1dinq Council Member Rains recalled over the past couple of years she has been asked periodically by constituents about the former Jacksonville Elementary School. She then requested Lieutenant Ryan Wright to give an overview of what is going on there. She noted that the lease agreement was included in the City Council packets, pointing out it is for 99 years, for $1.00 annually, that the City has for the building owned by Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD). Lieutenant Wright stated over the past couple of years, since he has taken over Code Enforcement, they, along with the Parks and Recreation Department, have had to deal with the building. He explained, as it stands right now, the building is falling apart, adding that they typically go in once a month to search and remove the homeless out. He mentioned there have been numerous fires set inside by them, noting that it has become almost impossible to keep them out since as soon as they put boards up, they rip them right back down. He shared that they have had several police calls for people going inside, along with a possible deceased person found there. He confirmed it is becoming a problem with the community, as far as the homeless going in, and with the status of the building, someone could get hurt, because it is in bad shape. When Council Member Rains inquired about asbestos, he replied from what he understands, that is why the building has not been torn down because of the large amount present that would cost quite a bit of money to remove it before it can be destroyed. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. Council Member Rains believes 2012 was renovate the structure and bring it estimate was approximately $250,000.00. the last time it was looked into to to hospitable conditions, and the Council Member Mashburn suggested giving the building back to PCSSD and letting them tear it down since the City cannot pay $250,000.00 for asbestos removal, and then go back and tear it down. Council Member Rains brought up that the cost assessment was made prior to the fires that have taken place inside, the copper being stripped from the entire structure, along with tons of other things that have gone on since the 2012 time period, so there is going to be a lot more fees encumbered than just $250,000.00 to get this building restored. When Council Member Traylor inquired, City Attorney Friedman confirmed the City cannot tear it down since they are only leasing the building and do not own it, but they are responsible for maintenance and repairs. She mentioned possibly being able to terminate the lease with a 90-day notice. Lieutenant Wright related as far as the building secure, they cannot, someone takes them right back down. feasibly making the repairs and keeping because as soon as they board it up, Council Member Sansing recalled in the past, Habitat for Humanity was interested in the location as possibly building houses for the future, but for that to happen, the City of Jacksonville has to own the property. He stressed that the taxpayer does not need to take the hit, adding the last estimate he heard for asbestos abatement was a little after 2012 and was $400,000.00. He surmised a possible solution that can be discussed is to see if PCSSD will pay for the asbestos abatement, and then once the City gets the title to it, the City of Jacksonville, and whatever entity that is interested in the property, could consider tearing the rest of it down. He explained if PCSSD does not want to help the City, the City gives it back to them completely where they deal with it 100%, since they cannot give it to us as is, if we will not take it as is. He noted there may be other entities that would be interested in doing something there, but he personally likes the Habitat for Humanity idea because of the Ward. He reiterated that taxpayers do not need to take the hit for taking out asbestos that is the result of years of neglect by PCSSD and Jacksonville. He affirmed they need to step up and take the asbestos out of there, and if they do not want the property, give it to the City and we can go from there. Conn~i l MP.mhP.r Bolden stated he cannot stand the buildinq beinq over there, however, the City has no power over it. He pointed out that PCSSD owns it and is responsible for it, assuring they will not take it back because it is an eyesore to them, so our hands are locked. Council Member Traylor brought up that they would not have a choice; if the City terminates the lease, they do not get to say "no you can't." 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. Council Member Sansing then read paragraph 15 of the lease agreement, stating "Termination: Lessee may terminate this Lease at any time by giving prior written notice to Lessor not less than Ninety (90) days prior to the stated date of surrender and then surrendering the premises to Lessor on the stated date." Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to terminate the lease agreement between the Pulaski County Special School District and the City of Jacksonville regarding 108 South Oak Street. Council Member Traylor requested City Attorney Friedman to review and make sure there is nothing in the lease that says the City will owe them a lot of money for a building that is not in the same condition it was when we got it. City Attorney Friedman noted she does not know what the condition was like when the City signed the lease, but there is no clause in the agreement, as far as termination or returning the property back to them, that would cost or penalize the City. Lieutenant Wright added if it does get given back to PCSSD, it gives the City the ability to go through the Code Enforcement and condemnation process. He explained they could send them the notices, cite them if needed, and possibly take it to the Nuisance Board or to court to sue them and force them to tear it down. City Attorney Friedman concurred. ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. b. STATE OF THE CITY by Mayor Elmore Mayor Elmore presented the State of the City address: I am extremely honored and excited to be elected Mayor of the community that I love, Jacksonville. It is not a responsibility that I take lightly and will work tirelessly to innovate new ways to grow our city, inform the citizens of our city, and improve the aspects of our city that need attention. I wholeheartedly believe that the best years for Jacksonville are ahead of us. With a collaborative spirit between my office and the members of our city council, our community can be one that we can all love to call home. Progress is not an overnight endeavor. Patience, persistence, and diligence will need to be the tools that we use to build our community. My goal with this address, as well as in the future, is to profile the successes of our city. We live in a society where shortcomings are easy to find and quick to be pointed out. I want to let our citizens also know the good that is happening within the borders of our city. A community is both a feeling and a tangible entity. I want to foster the feeling of community with a hope that positive stories and success will promote more success. 7 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:32 P.M. As you can see, 2022 brought a lot of positive projects and energy to our city. But our work is not done. We cannot be satisfied with past success. We must look forward. The construction project on 67/167 will be a temporary headache but the finished product will open new possibilities to Jacksonville that we have yet to realize. Unity Health will open this year and provide a world-class medical facility in our community. The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District will continue to grow, thrive, and educate scholars that will, hopefully one day, return to Jacksonville to be the next generation of business and community leaders. I am excited and encouraged for the future of Jacksonville. I hope that you will join me in this excitement and be a part of the greatest chapter in our City's history. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS : ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:32 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 8 CITY 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 Emil y 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: ~TER DEPARTMENT: ~STE~TER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1718 (02-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR THE JACKSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT VEHICLES IMPLEMENTATION AND AND UPFITTING FOR SAID ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT VEHICLES; AND CITY FOR OF REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES . APPROPRIATE JACKSONVILLE 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 1 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 upfi tting came to approximately $34, 000. 00, making the vehicle package more than it would be buying through Superior Auto and the regular upfi tter 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 2~ 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 thnt. C:ouncil 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. 2 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. 3 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 conununi ty where a CAC does exist, giving the following example: Robin tells her teacher, then her teacher calls the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline where they inunediately 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 conununity 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 inunediately. 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 poin~Arl Ollt 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 4 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 5 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 shArPrl thAt A lnt nf 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. 6 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 Greq 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. 7 NEW BUSINESS: CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:56 P.M. 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 timP 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. 8 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, ~ <::/%/~~,... ... ~-----~ELMORE 9 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 16, 2023 6:06 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 February 16, 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, Ray, Mashburn, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SEVEN (7) ABSENT (2) VACANT SEAT (1). Council Members McCleary and Sansing were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, IT Director Emily Osment, Daniel Gray, Ronald McDaniel, Marsha Dornblaser, Addie Gibson, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of February 2, 2023 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Counci1 Member Ray moved, seconded by Counci1 Member Bo1den that the minutes of the regu1ar1y schedu1ed City Counci1 meeting of January 19, 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 January 2023. JANUARY PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 42 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 24 38 30 15 Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for January 2023 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $45,000.00 and a savings total of $83,000.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the Regular Monthly Report for January 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report as presented for January 2023. 1 Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 61 226 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:15 P.M. 189 Demolition by City 108 Demolition by Owner 72 Parking Violations 183 Garbage Cans Tagged 8 Basketball Goals 5 Structures Inspected 43 Apartment Complexes Inspected 13 Red Tags Issued 7 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL 4 0 0 2 1 0 0 7 0 0 Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for January 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 0.00 1,870.00 1,870.00 860.00 220.00 4,820.00 4,877.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, Ray, Mashburn, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. When Council Member Twitty requested an update regarding late garbage pickups, City Engineer Adam Whitlow explained they have twelve routes per week, done with three trucks, but have only had two recently since one burned and was a total loss. He related one is still running strong, but the other has had some normal maintenance issues resulting in having to use a backup truck that was due for some work itself, then it went down, forcing them to use a third backup, which was part of the original side loading fleet. He mentioned those were to be sold on govdeals.com, but they had to bring them back into service. He stated they were not up to running full-time so they then had to use the rear loader that usually sits at the Recycle Center for plastics. He added that they are hopeful a new truck will arrive at the end of the month, confirming they have searched for rentals, but there is not another side loader in the Country. He assured he has called everyone to try to find one but only found a rear loader available for rent in Houston and are going with it in order to have a backup to allow time for the mechanics to get the others up and running. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:15 P.M. Council Member Twitty appreciates the Sanitation Department for doing a great job with what they have to work with, assuring she just wanted to give the citizens an update. Engineer Whitlow shared that they found a company to refurbish the burnt truck to give them a really good backup, but that is not a quick process. He mentioned they have shifted all reruns to Fridays in hopes they have enough time to get them done, assuring they try to keep citizens informed by posting to Facebook and utilizing the All Call system at times. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT : FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: PRESENTATION Black History Month Council Member Bolden stated that every year he tries to recognize people who have made an impact on Jacksonville for Black History Month. He explained the celebration of Black History Month started in 1976, noting that it identifies African Americans who are doing great things in the community. He presented a plaque to Jeffrey Tillman in honor of his father, the late Ivory Tillman, Founder of the Jacksonville chapter of the NAACP, and to Ronald McDaniel, Jacksonville North Pulaski School Board Vice President, in appreciation of them making an impact in many areas of the City and State, and for their many years of dedicated service. ADDITION TO AGENDA: Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to SUSPEND THE RULES and place an appointment on the agenda. MOTION CARRIED. APPOINTMENTS: A & P COMMISSION Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to appoint Council Member Kinman to the A & P Commission. MOTION CARRIED. RESUME AGENDA: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Code Changes Council Member Dietz stated the Planning Commission is working on some Code changes that will be brought before City Council next month. Sunnyside Lots Sale Council Member Dietz hopes to have some information to bring to next month's meeting regarding the possible sale of City-owned lots in Sunnyside. 3 Former Police Chief Larry H1bbs CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:15 P.M. Council Member Bolden offered his condolences for the passing of Former Jacksonville Police Chief Larry Hibbs. Mayor Elmore confirmed the visitation will be Monday at 1:00 p.m. and the service at 2:00 p.m. at Francis Farms off of Military Road. Sertoma Father Daughter Banquet Council Member Twitty stated the Sertoma Father Daughter Banquet will be this Saturday night at 5:00 p.m., noting this is their 11th year to raise scholarship money for the local school children. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meetinq at approximately 6:15p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ~--- 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on March 2, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. in a regular City Council. Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT EIGHT (8) ABSENT (1) VACANT SEAT (1). Council Member Mashburn was absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, IT Director Emily Osment, Assistant Finance Director Laura Collie, Jim Moore, Lida Feller, Jerry Sanders, Marsha Dornblaser, Leonard Montgomery, Samuel Baker, and Geraldine Broadway. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of February 16, 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 Ray that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of February 2, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: HATER DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1723 (#07-2023) AN ORDINANCE DECLARING THE EXERCISE OF EMINENT DOMAIN ON CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE , ARKANSAS FOR ACQUISITION OF PUBLIC EASEMENTS AND RIGHTS OF NAY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED PUBLIC HATER LINES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON BEHALF OF JACKSONVILLE HATER WORKS; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES . Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty Ordinance 1723 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1723. to place Bolden, CARRIED. City Attorney Friedman stated this is a continuation of what City Council approved last year. She PxplAinArl thAt. th~ Water Department found out the Arkansas Department of Transportation's plans had changed, therefore, they had to modify their plans as well. She detailed that this is a portion of the McDonald's parking lot on the North First Street side, noting that City Council already approved it on the Loop Road side. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING !mRCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1723 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1723 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1723 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1723 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1723 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1723 (#07-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2~ DAY OF !mRCH, 2023. ~STEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1719 (#03-2023) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING TO REBUILD A JACKSONVILLE PUBLIC WORKS VEHICLE; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Engineer Adam Whitlow stated this is to rebuild the Sanitation truck that burned, to make it a good backup. He explained this is not an item they could bid and have searched for months for the best option to recoup the equity of the truck, since it has a good trash body, but a burned chassis. He assured they have done a lot of research and were referred by a few vendors to Terrific Trucks and Equipment Sales, since they specialize in refurbishing trucks. When Council Member Bolden inquired, he shared that Assistant Public Works Director Randy Watkins checked out references for this company, confirming they have a chassis that will pair with their system, where the local dealerships do not. He was unsure if there is a warranty offered, surmising it is an as-is deal, but would like to insure all of their frontline trucks, since they only have liability. When Council Member McCleary inquired, he responded this will give them three backup trucks, adding that they plan to put the 2011 models on govdeals.com as soon as they get the two new trucks in. He shared updates on when the new trucks are expected to arrive, adding that they have repaired one backup truck and received a rental truck, so he expects Sanitation services to normalize soon. When Council Member Rains inquired, he explained they will put the 2018 trash body on a 2006/2007 refurbished chassis to make a pre-emissions backup truck. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden Ordinance 1719 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1719. to place Bolden, CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1719 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1719 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1719 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1719 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, ADOPT Ordinance 1719 in Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, CARRIED. seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1719 (#03-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2w DAY OF MARCH, 2023. PARKS & RECREATION: Request to accept bid: Tom Cory Memorial Fountain Renovation Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House stated they only received one bid back and it was from a contractor they currently work with. He explained the bid does not include any unforeseen broken pipes underground, or electrical, but he has licensed electricians inhouse that can do that part. He surmised 10% contingency for unforeseen expenses. When Council Member Twitty inquired, he replied that other cities have confirmed that fountains are a maintenance nightmare, adding that three other contractors would not bid on it if they were required to give a warranty. He detailed that the bid included resealing the three pools, installing all new equipment in the pit to run the fountain, and new lighting. He confirmed with this purchasing amount, the State requires them to go out for bid. He pointed out that since this company has a Tips/Taps number, they could have legally had him do the work without the bid, but he felt like it was best to see what other prices they could get. He brought up that this company offers a one-year warranty, but only on what he repairs. Council Member Twitty would like to see this tabled since this is a lot of money to spend without a guarantee. She shared that she has reached out to Little Rock and they are closing their fountains down. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. Director House concurred, saying it is a theme across the State with people closing fountains since they are hard to maintain and are labor-ridden. Council Member Ray recalled that the fountain has been broken for three years. He related that Tom Cory was a good supporter of the City of Jacksonville and had his factory here. He surmised if they keep putting it off, the price will just keep getting more expensive, therefore, they should fix it and properly train City workers to maintain it. Council Member Sansing stated the fountain has been a wonderful thing, but as time has passed, it has turned into a money pit. He suggested turning it into a beautiful garden. Council Member Twitty related that it was a gift to the City, so she would not want to make any decisions regarding it until they can reach out to the person who gifted it, for their input, out of respect. Council Member Ray moved to accept the bid of $132,573.00 from Clarity Pools. MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF SECOND. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to TABLE the Tom Cory Memorial Fountain Renovation bid until more information is gathered. MOTION CARRIED. PLANNING COMMISSION: a. ORDINANCE 1720 (#04-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NOS. 213 AND 854, MODIFYING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES §§ 18.86.010, 18.86.020, 18.86.030 AND CREATING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE 18.86.040; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1720 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1720. Council Member Dietz explained that these ordinances were referred to the Planning Commission by the City's Engineering staff. He stated these will get the City's Codes more in line with surrounding cities and reduce the need for people to come before the Planning Commission. He detailed that one is regarding accessory building size, one is regarding submission time requirement, and one is regarding commercial design standards. City Engineer Adam Whitlow related that they are updating the plat submission time from 10 days to 28 days to allow additional time to review, make comments, and then get those comments back, so there are less contingencies when presented to the Planning Commission. He mentioned consistently receiving accessory building size variance requests, adding if you get too many variances in a particular area, you need to reexamine your Code. He explained that the current ordinance was not conceived with acreage tracts in mind, but larger accessory buildings would fit, therefore, the Planning Commission tends to grant those variances. He researched adjoining cities and 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. noticed that all of them have a secondary clause to address lots over half of an acre, or larger, and gave a percentage criteria, so they modeled ours after theirs, along with increasing the base size limit from 650 square feet to 850, which would have taken care of 95% of the variance requests they have seen. He brought up commercial design standards, particularly when it comes to fac;ade requirements, that would also require new construction, such as along the Highway 67/167 corridor, to have high quality materials on the front and on eight feet of the sides. He plans to have more Code updates in the future to come before City Council so that in a year and a half, they will have good, clean revised Planning Commission design standards. When Council Member Bolden inquired, he confirmed that accessory structures cannot be rented out because it then becomes a commercial use. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1720 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1720 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1720 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1720 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1720 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and .Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1720 (#04-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2~ DAY OF MARCH, 2023. b. ORDINANCE 1721 (#05-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES §§ 17 .12. 020, 17 .12. 030, AND 17.12.110 REGARDING CERTAIN ZONING AND BUILDING PROVISIONS AND REQUIREMENTS ; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES . Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1721 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Mr.\.l~ary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1721. Mayor Elmore stated this was included in the last ordinance discussion. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING ~CH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 17 21 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1721 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1721 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1721 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1721 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1721 (#05-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2~ DAY OF ~CH, 2023. Council Member Twitty mentioned the original amount set aside for the splash pad was $300,000.00, and asked if they need to make a motion to set an amount so that money does not get spent elsewhere. Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House assured that the $300,000.00 that was proposed for the splash pad will not be spent by his department, but could not say regarding others. When Council Member Rains brought up variances between line items that were already approved, Mayor Elmore replied, according to the Finance Department, the actual balance is more around $200,000.00, instead of $300,000.00, due to those overages. Director House related the funds have to be spent by the end of this year. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Kinman to set aside the remaining balance of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for the Tom Cory Memorial Fountain renovation, or to build a new splash pad. Mayor Elmore noted if the funds are not spent by the end of this year, then what is left is forfeited, so he suggested acting quick, or move on. Council Member Bolden had a problem setting aside funds that might not be used and lost. Council Member Twitty assured they are only going to lose them if they do not use them, and they will use them; even if not for this. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING :t-mRCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. Council Member Rains pointed out that the splash pad estimate was $300,000.00, so it is not something they can do and, it was voted down. Council Members Dietz and Ray opposed having a splash pad downtown. Director House clarified that the bond money for the shot curtain has to be spent by the end of this year; he was unsure of the ARPA money deadline. Discussion ensued regarding the actual deadline to allocate the ARPA money and it was decided to give City Attorney Friedman time to confirm. Council Member Twitty and Council Member Kinman WITHDREW their previous motion and second to set aside the remaining balance of the American Rescue Plan Act money for the Tom Cory Memorial Fountain renovation, or to build a new splash pad. c. ORDINANCE 1722 (#06-2023) AN ORDINANCE SETTING FORTH REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL DESIGN STANDARDS; AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 213; CREATING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES §§ 16.22.010-16.22.060; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Ordinance McCleary, Whereupon Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place 1722 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1722. Mayor Elmore stated this is part three of the earlier ordinance discussion. When Council Member Rains inquired, Council Member Dietz clarified that this will only affect the new buildings because they cannot mandate everyone to change what they already have. Engineer Whitlow added there are a list of conditions of triggering factors, and the main one is new construction, along with anything that would cause them to have to do full upgrades to be in compliance with Code. He confirmed it does protect all existing ones and should not affect high-end developments coming. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1722 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1722 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1722 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1722 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. 7 Council Member Ray moved, ADOPT Ordinance 1722 in Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, CARRIED. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING laRCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1722 (#06-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2~ DAY OF ~CH, 2023. COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: DISCUSSION City-owned Sunnyside lots sale Council Member Dietz referenced a list of City-owned Sunnyside lots he has provided to City Council, explaining he has a perspective buyer that would like to buy them all for $750.00 each, plus fees. He explained that a majority of them are small and in disarray, noting 60% of the houses there are rentals with some owners living out of state. He confirmed the list are the ones the City is willing to sell, noting that City Attorney Friedman will draft a resolution for City Council to approve. Council Member Twitty pointed out that the potential buyer is probably going to put in more rentals. Council Member Dietz stated if they build new houses, it will better fit the area, and possibly make it start growing again. He mentioned the expense for the Parks and Recreation Department to keep up with mowing these lots. He assured he has worked on this for a year and a half and has talked to the people who live there. Council Member Bolden suggested putting the addresses and newspaper to give the people who live there a chance to buy, not know they are $750.00. price in the since they may When Council Member Kinman inquired, Council Member Dietz replied that after fees, he surmised $1,150.00 would be the price to close on a single lot. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ward 4, Pos. 1 Council Member resumes Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with executive session beginning at approximately 6:57 p.m. 8 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:13 P.M. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to RECONVENE FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION at approximately 7:07 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Elmore announced that the Council Members were all given a packet with the names of the people who have requested to be considered for the vacant Ward 4 Position 1 seat. He listed the names as Leonard Montgomery, Samuel Baker, John Paintin, Marsha Dornblaser, Richard Moss, and Geraldine Broadway. He shared that over the next two weeks, Council Members will be analyzing, and possibly conducting interviews, to become comfortable in making a decision. When Council Member Rains inquired, he allowed the potential candidates in the audience to stand and say their name, but not to address Council since all were not informed of the opportunity. He thanked them for their willingness to be considered for the Council Member position. Council Member Rains suggested giving all candidates the opportunity and notice to speak to Council and the constituents at the next meeting. Mayor Elmore confirmed he will look into it and come up with a plan. Jerry Sanders stated he has been a citizen of Jacksonville for 48 years and has come tonight as a taxpayer and registered voter. He feels like Council is taking his rights away since he would like to choose who sits in the vacant Council Member seat. He assured the system does work, recalling seats have sat vacant for quite a while in the past. He would like to let the voters choose who to have in the vacant Council Member seat. He shared that he spoke to the Elections Commission that confirmed Mayor Elmore has the right to veto it within 45 days and Council can pass it again with 75% of votes. He brought up possibly spending $200, 000. 00 on a fountain, where a Special Election could cost around $20, 000.00, but the voters have rights and the system works. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:13p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, k-Treasurer ~------- 9 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:38 P.M. in a regular City Council. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on March 16, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegianceu to the flag. Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE (9) ABSENT (0) VACANT SEAT (1). 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, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Wastewater Utility General Manager Thea Hughes, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Director Emily Osment, Jim Moore, Johnny Simpson, Addie Gibson, Jerry Reichenbach, Jason Sanders, Marsha Dornblaser, Leonard Montgomery, Samuel Baker, Geraldine Broadway, Kendell Snyder, John Pain tin, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of March 2, 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 February 16, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for February 2023. FEBRUARY PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 16 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 17 46 42 13 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for February 2023 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $2,700.00 and a savings total of $660,800.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the Regular Monthly Report for February 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:38 P.M. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report as presented for February 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 66 460 401 Demolition by City 132 Demolition by Owner 56 Parking Violations 412 Garbage Cans Tagged 9 Basketball Goals 9 Structures Inspected 56 Apartment Complexes Inspected 9 Red Tags Issued 13 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANI~ CONTROL 2 0 0 4 0 515 0 13 0 0 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for February 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 0.00 2,585.00 2,585.00 520.00 265.00 5,955.00 80.00 14,968.63 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, 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) : 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING lO.RCH 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:38 P.M. GENERAL: a. RECOGNITION of the Knights of Columbus by Tanya Kopp of the Jacksonville Senior We11ness & Activity Center Executive Director of the Jacksonville Senior Wellness and Activity Center Tanya Kopp recalled in March of 2020, when they had to close their doors due to Covid, the Knights of Columbus came to the Center with carloads of people asking how they can help. She explained, beside from the Rotary Club, they have been the biggest volunteer group from Jacksonville for their Meals on Wheels program. She shared that in 2022 they helped the Center deliver 53,000 meals. She then presented a plaque in appreciation to members of the Knights of Columbus. DEVIATION IN AGENDA: APPOINTMENTS: SEWER COMMISSION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to appoint Jay Whisker to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Elmore set to expire 04/20/2027. ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE . Council Member Bolden ABSTAINED . Council Members Mashburn and Rains voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. RESUME AGENDA: b. Candidate Forum regarding vacant Council position Mayor Elmore stated tonight is the night in which the City Council position for Ward 4, formerly filled by Mike Traylor, will be appointed. He explained they have given the seven candidates the opportunity to have three minutes each to address Council. He shared that one candidate, Dr. Richard Moss, was unable to attend this meeting since he is teaching a class at Pulaski Tech. Kendell Snyder stated he has lived in Jacksonville for approximately 41 years, adding that he met and married his wife here, and his children were born at Rebsamen Hospital. He worked here for many years as a firefighter and has no plans of leaving Jacksonville since he is committed to it, loves it, and wants to see the City continue to thrive and grow. He told of his leadership and coalition experiences, along with how he looks for data-driven solutions to solve problems, in order to meet as many needs as possible. He would love the opportunity to serve the City of Jacksonville. Geraldine Broadway stated she has lived in Jacksonville for 13 years and is interested in serving more since she plans on being here for the rest of her life. She mentioned she is well-versed in corporate America, prisons, and police departments, so she can help in any area, and looks for the opportunity. Samuel Baker stated he has lived in Jacksonville for approximately 15 years with his family who are interested in watching the Community continue to grow. He brought up that he has young children, so he wants a place they can live and improve upon. He shared that he has been in community service for most of his life; listing Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and 'Eagle Scouts, and 24 years in the military consisting of Army, Army Reserve, and the National Guard. He also participates in Trail Life USA with his sons, which is similar to Boy Scouts, but is faith, community, and service-based. He told how last 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING !mRCH 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:38 P.M. Summer he and his sons participated in the Raising Men Lawncare Service where they mowed over 80 lawns, free of charge, for people in need; such as elderly, veterans, single-parent homes, and the disabled. He related the reason he does this is because his life is not his own, but it belongs to Christ, his family, his Country, and to the Community. He brought up that he lives by servant leadership tenets and believes in not using position power, authority, or wealth to please himself, but to instead use it in the service of others. He described himself as authentic, genuine, humble, passionate, and caring, adding that he appreciates the consideration for the position on Council. Leonard Montgomery stated he and his wife built a home in Jacksonville in 2000 with the intent of making it their permanent retirement home. He told how he retired as a Captain from the North Little Rock Police Department after 38 years, as an Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel after 28 years, and most recently as Director of Emergency Management in the 911 Center for North Little Rock after 7 years. He explained that when the vacant seat for Council was announced, he thought it would be an opportunity to extend his multiple decades of public service to serve Jacksonville. Marsha Dornblaser stated she has lived in Jacksonville for over 56 years and worked here at the same job for over 38. She explained her involvement throughout her life in various activities and organizations in the City where she has worked with, met, and interacted with a very diverse population. She recalled that in the late 1990's she was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Commission where she served 10 years and formulated a development idea of a new outdoor water facility for Jacksonville. She mentioned that with the help of many people on the Commission, they worked long and hard for two years and got the project of Splash Zone completed. She noted that, being a graduate of Jacksonville High School, she is very interested in what is going on in the school system, therefore, she ran for, and won, an elecLeu seat on the Jacksonville North Pulaski School Board, where she served for 5 years. She explained that most recently she saw the need for a Christian childcare center and when her pastor agreed, she formed committees that looked into the possibility and the obstacles. She brought up that it took about nine and a half months of hard work, but it created the Christian Childcare Center at First United Methodist Church on Main Street. She described herself as being independent, fair, and open-minded. She related that she retired after 38 years of working as a dental hygienist here in Jacksonville, adding she has the time, energy, and the desire to serve her town since she has a passion for it. She pointed out that sometimes people do not take her seriously because of her purple hair, but she is serious about j t hP.r.FlllSP. it is in memory of her daughter Julie and in honor of her granddaughter Hazel who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 8 weeks old. She confirmed that it stands as her commitment to raise money and awareness every day for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING !mRCH 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:38 P.M. John Pain tin stated he fell short on his resume in respect of credentials, but when he found out the position was available, he felt it was time to do something for the City. He explained he has sat back for 40 years now and have volunteered a lot in the City doing different things. He recalled that the elected officials were doing a great job so there was no need for him to interfere, but he is here today to ask if they want new input from a reliable, responsible person. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION at 6:19 p.m. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to RECONVENE FROM ·EXECUTIVE SESSION at 6:34 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Elmore announced that Council has come to a decision. He thanked the six, who were not chosen, for applying and putting themselves out there to serve. He explained that because they have a willingness to volunteer, he will keep their names and resumes to add to the collection of people for different boards and commissions within the City. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPOINT Dr. Richard Moss to fill the vacancy of City Council seat of Ward 4 Position 1. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Municipal League Summer Convention Mayor Elmore shared that the Arkansas Municipal League Summer Convention will be June 14th-16th. He explained that registration is already open and any elected official who would like to attend can notify his office. Highway Construction Mayor Elmore reminded that highway construction starts Monday. City Engineer Adam Whitlow stated they will start on John Harden Drive on Monday and T.P. White Drive on Wednesday. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:38 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, k-Treasurer ~~M---0-RE--------- 5 CI~Y OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CI~Y COUNCIL MEE~ING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. REGULAR CI~Y COUNCIL MEE~ING -CI~Y HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on April 20, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. in a regular City Council. Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SEVEN (7) ABSENT (3). Council Members Sansing, Mashburn, and Moss were absent. 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, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Wastewater Utility General Manager Thea Hughes, IT Director Emily Osment, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, Jim Moore, Johnny Simpson, Jerry Sanders, and Brian Blevins. PRESEN~A~ION OF MINU~ES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of March 16, 2023 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORREC~ION OF MINU~ES: Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meetinq of March 2, 2023 be APPROVED. MO~ION CARRIED. CONSEN~ AGENDA: REGULAR MON~HLY REPOR~/ENGINEERING DEPAR~N~ Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for March 2023. MARCH PERMI~S/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 15 REGULAR MON~HLY REPOR~/FIRE DEPAR~N~ INSPEC~IONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 28 33 27 13 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for March 2023 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss nf $41,000.00 and a savings total of $884,000.00. REGULAR MON~HLY REPOR~/POLICE DEPAR~N~ Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the Regular Monthly Report for March 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report as presented for March 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 108 142 331 Demolition by City 130 Demolition by Owner 41 Parking Violations 214 Garbage Cans Tagged 25 Basketball Goals 21 Structures Inspected 39 Apartment Complexes Inspected 7 Red Tags Issued 0 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL 0 0 3 4 1 4 0 18 2 0 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for March 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 1,650.00 1,650.00 1,650.00 1,445.00 70.00 3,165.00 17,405.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. DEVIATION IN AGENDA: GENERAL: d. Stor.m damage update by Mayor Elmore Mayor Elmore gave the following update in regards to the tornado that occurred on Friday, March 31, 2023: "As you are all aware, we did endure the storm and tornado on the 3Pt of March. I am incredibly happy to say we sustained no casual ties. Everything that we have done since then, we have been able to do in a different light, because of no deaths. It would have been an entirely different atmosphere if that had been the case, so we do thank the Lord for that. I want to thank, first of all, our citizens; everyone who stepped up during this time. The way civic and social groups, individuals, families, churches, etc. came together during this is a testimony to the people of Jacksonville; who we are and what we are made of. Thank you for that and for all of their volunteer time. We 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. would not be in the place we are right now if they had not been willing to serve as they did. Also then, our City employees, from Fire, City, Dispatch, Parks and Rec, etc. who stepped up and have gone above and beyond. I am very appreciative of them for that. The City itself, there has been a huge difference made from where we were that afternoon until now. I would say with total confidence that we are lightyears ahead of where the other cities who were affected by this are, and that is purely because of our people and what they have done to step up; with the communication between City offices, between City offices and the public, and volunteers who all played a role in it. It has been remarkable to say the least, so I cannot reiterate how proud I am of everybody and their work in that way. As far as our City goes, all of the streets are clear and power is on, so that is a good thing. Our people are taken care of. We have nobody who is being housed in the shelter at First Baptist Church since the last person left the facility this past Saturday. The American Red Cross has them in places, whether it is a hotel or another spot, they have all been taken care of, so we are very fortunate for that. In town it is right around 217 houses that were either destroyed or affected in some way along with several churches, our Dupree Park, and some businesses. The tornado itself was non-discriminating where it hit. It hit some of everything, but our people coming together like they have has been phenomenal. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you for that. We are moving forward and plans are in place. The Public Works, Sanitation, and Street Departments have all been working incredibly hard. Parks and Rec have been working incredibly hard getting things put back to place. We have managed on our own until this point. Everything we have done, we have done through our employees or volunteers, which is unreal. We are at the point now of reaching out with contract employment for cleanup and debris disposal and removal. Through FEMA our expenses in a situation like this, when there is a declared emergency, are generally reimbursed 75/25 with anything we expend during this time, FEMA will give us back 75% of it, so we are paying 25%. With this State of Emergency, the Governor had asked the President for a period of 100% coverage so anything we submit during that time will be paid. The President agreed to that for thirty days, so now, due to some timing and so forth, we are actually in the middle of that since they backdated it to the lOth. We are now actually ten days in and have lost that time we could have been using the 100%. The Governor's Office has informed me that they will add an additional three days to us for that, and maybe some of the other cities, because not all five of the affected cities were affected the same way. They are going to add three more days, so we are grateful for that. Here is the big thing too; with the 75/25, us having to pay 25% of the rest of that not covered in the 100%, all of the volunteer time that has been spent by people, from an hour or someone who spent an entire week volunteering, evAry hour we can account for that has been tracked is credited towards that 25%. I do not know what the formula is or the multiplier they use to come up with a dollar amount per hour, but all of that will come straight off the top of the 25% we would owe, so that is an even bigger level of appreciation for those who did come out and serve, because not only did they serve their fellow citizens and neighbors, they are also helping alleviate the burden that would be shared by the City during this time." 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. Council Member Bolden urged every entity in the City that has volunteered in any way, to get their volunteer hours in as soon as they can so they can make sure FEMA has it. f. Request to establish a COAD Mayor Elmore stated that one of the things he has learned during this time from the American Red Cross is a strategy called Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). He explained that it was interesting seeing different organizations step up, work, and take a different role. He detailed that First Baptist Church housed people, the NAACP was going door-to-door offering people resource information, and the Methodist Church was cooking meals. He mentioned that it would be an organized plan for the next time a disaster occurs where there would be organizations in place who already know their role and what to do. This would ensure upfront who is doing what and calls can be made to immediately jump into action. He brought up that the chiefs and some department heads will conduct a debrief to go back and look at what worked, what did not, and what they could do better. He confirmed this COAD will be a part of that in order to have a plan for next time. American Red Cross Volunteer Leathe LaBan from New Orleans, Louisiana, stated there is an organization called the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and also an Arkansas VOAD that he suggested Jacksonville use as a guide. He related a COAD helps coordinate organizations such as United Way, 'Salvation Army, NAACP, etc., and meets on a regular basis during "blue skies" in order to be prepared when "gray skies" come. The following volunteers from the American Red Cross were present and introduced themselves: Karen Cook from Charleston, South Carolina, Kelly Crain from Savanna, Georgia, and Brook Spangler from LaGrange, Georgia. Mayor Elmore announced tomorrow, April 2Pt at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church Life Center located at 1026 Ray Road, there will be multi-agency resource center. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to establish City Council support for the creation of a Jacksonville Community Organization Active in Disaster. MOTION CARRIED. RESUME AGENDA: WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT : FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. PLANNING COMMISSION: ORDINANCE 1724 (#08-2023) AN ORDINANCE RECLASSIFYING PROPERTY IN THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS (PARCEL LOCATED AT 7708 T P WHITE DRIVE); AMENDING ORDINANCE NOS. 213 AND 238 AND THE LAND USE MAP OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE , ARKANSAS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Dietz stated this property is near the Cabot city limits where they have been moving trailers and things in for about a year. He explained it is 8.19 acres that will be for heavy steel manufacturing for C & D Steel Extractors. He detailed they will have buildings in the front and the steel and supplies stored way behind it so it will be good for Jacksonville and surrounding areas. He confirmed the Planning Commission approved it because they would love to have more businesses in Jacksonville. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1724 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the headinq of Ordinance 1724. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1724 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1724 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to APPROVE Ordinance 1724 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1724 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1724 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1724 (#08-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 20TH DAY OF APRIL, 2023. Council Member Dietz noted that the Planning Commission does a lot of work to make sure they comply with guidelines. He mentioned how the agenda is sent out to all Council Members to ensure they know what they are dealing with and be involved. He hopes they take time to drive by these properties to stay informed. COMMITTEE ( S) : 5 GENERAL: a. RESOLUTION 832 (#01-2023) CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF SALE DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE FOR CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN (GENERAL LOCATION -LOTS 2, 29, 34, 50, 52, 56, 63, 132, 155, 172, 189, 259, 288, 304, 305, 355 OF THE SUNNYSIDE SUBDIVISION); AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Dietz recalled discussions in Council regarding the sale of City-owned lots that the Parks and Recreation Department have had to mow and maintain. He explained that some thought they needed someone qualified to come in to start something in Sunnyside to improve it. He noted that on October 21st, 2021 he brought this to Council, and then in November 2021, he gave everyone a list of the lots available. He related this let everyone know the current status. He confirmed for the record that he does not make any money from any sales or anything he does for the City, but is doing this because it helps the City. He told how the organization that made the offer contacted him and said they were ready to build once purchased. He mentioned that Central Arkansas Home Builders build great houses and have been approved to build sixty on J.P. Wright Loop Road. He assured they are all quality homes maintained and leased by certified builders who are currently building an office on T.P. White Drive. He shared that they gave him three personal cell phone numbers to call if there is ever a problem with any of their properties in Jacksonville. Council Member Bolden agreed Council has been dealing with this for a while, adding that he has received texts and emails saying it was not brought up to the public. He assured they have opened it up to the public, pointing out that a gentleman and his son came before Council to request and purchase the lot next to their house. He related this has been wide open to the public for years and has been public, not only under Mayor Elmore's administration, but with others as well. When Council Member McCleary inquired, Council Member Dietz replied that he researched the lots, but did not personally contact the adjacent lot owners, noting that the majority of them are owned by rental companies. He believes if the person next to the lots were going to buy them, they have had ample time. He confirmed with Director House that the Parks and Recreation Department has plenty to mow without these lots. He pointed out that back in October and November, he gave everyone copies and no one seemed interested. When Council Member Twitty mentioned a citizen wanting to buy a lot next to his, he replied that he does not think there is a lot the City owns next to him. He noted that Jacksonville needs housing in the worst way and this company is qualified, because you just cannot start building a house without a license, bonding, and insurance. He related that this Company has told him they want what the City needs to get rid of so they can start building to get Jacksonville and Sunnyside going positive. He stressed that they have not had any growth there in forever. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. When Council Member Rains brought up that a cornrni ttee was designated, City Attorney Friedman responded, although it was discussed, she was unsure if one was ever formed. When Council Member Rains questioned the date of a newspaper publication, pointing out they had talked about if they had previously published anything in the paper, it was not a definitive confirmation they were going to publish it. City Attorney Friedman recalled that historically they have not published these in the paper; just like the gentleman who wanted to purchase the land adjacent to his horne and carne before Council to request it, the City did a Resolution, and a deed, so he could purchase the lot. She mentioned the similarity to the City-owned hospital property; if someone is interested in City property, they come to the City to make an offer, it is not published in the paper. City Clerk Davitt noted that Member Twitty agreed this has anything new. the agenda is published widely been discussed multiple times and and Council is not Council Member Dietz reiterated that we have a qualified contractor ready to build. He assured it is not costing the City anything or any time. He shared that they approached the City wanting to buy the lots and is netting up the $750.00 and paying all fees to help alleviate the City of something we do not really need or want. He affirmed it would help the City and he thinks it is time to move on. Council Member Rains recalled it was stated previously that this would be a good opportunity for residents to gain land and she thinks it is a necessary thing. She stated from the parcels listed, half of them are next to somebody who personally owns the residence. She listed them as 106 Jaxon Circle, 118 Jaxon, 129 Jaxon, 183 Pike, 108 Lee Avenue, 193 Roosevelt Road, 171 Roosevelt Road, and 196 Pike. She related that she is sponsoring two citizens to speak on this matter. Mayor Elmore noted they each have two minutes to speak. Kurt Zen-Ruffinen of 106 Faulkner Street stated he purchased a lot in Sunnyside in August, adding that he is employed by the Jacksonville School District. He explained it was rushed because school had already started, but he was lucky to find a house decent enough to live in. He shared that once he purchased the house, he noticed there were several lots around him vacant, with one being next door constantly having trash in it. He told how when he got on the County website to see if it was available, repossessed, or City- owned, it was not, as far as he could tell. He mentioned after the tornado, while he was picking up branches, he was approached by Reginald Ford who asked him if he were interested in buying the lot, and he was, since it would increase the value of his property. He affirmed he is happy to buy the lot and added that he does not think everybody knows those lots are available. 7 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. When Council Member Rains inquired about his interest in the lots, he replied it is money, adding that his house is almost as big as the lot it sits on with a tiny parking pad, so it would be nice to have a garage, a fenced in area where his dog could run, and a yard he can actually use, because you do not see that in Sunnyside since those lots are really small. He commented that if you are going to be building another house on a small lot and just smash people in it, it is not going to be very attractive, but if you have a larger lot, that person is going to actually have an investment that is going to pay them a return when they sell their property and be more attractive for someone coming in to buy. When Council Member Rains requested clarification, he replied he would like a garage on the vacant lot. Discussion ensued regarding the lot Mr. Zen-Ruffinen was interested in, 104 Faulkner Street, and it was confirmed the lot was not listed in the Resolution and is not owned by the City of Jacksonville, therefore, there was no reason to continue discussion. Council Member Rains brought up that Mr. Zen-Ruffinen had previously stated he was interested in purchasing multiple of these parcels. Mr. Zen-Ruffinen mentioned several empty lots across the street from him, with one or two being owned by the City. He stated it is a good investment for the citizens that live in the neighborhood. Brian Blevins shared that he spoke with Mr. Zen-Ruffinen who said he was offered the lot at $1,200.00, not the $750.00 that was in the ordinance. Council Member Dietz clarified that $7 50.00 is the lot cost, but he would have to pay closing and it is $1,200.00. Mr. Blevins recalled that in 2021 when this was brought up, he was on the City Council and inquired if the lots could be City financed for citizens, but was told that is not possible. He shared that he told Council Member Dietz he would buy all of the lots and set up a way for citizens to be able to purchase and finance it. He related that he spoke with Council Member Dietz ten times over the next two years to try to set it up; meeting with him in person and talking to him on the phone, but he never told him he needed a contract. He stated he was ready to buy them, but he never got back with him, and obviously got back with somebody else in order to do this. He pointed out that citizens need this since we just got hit with a huge tragedy and should not kick them while they are down by selling the lots next to them when they are still picking up limbs and trying to fix their houses up. He affirmed that the City does not need $12,000.00 more than citizens need an opportunity to be land and home owners. He suggested having an auction with the lots at $750.00 and whichever ones do not sell can go to the company Council Member Dietz wants to sell them to. He noted that having the Company contact numbers is not a benefit, because if Code Enforcement has an issue, the owners are supposed to fix it. He stressed that the citi~ens make this town go and it is how it should be. 8 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. When Council Member Twitty brought up adjacent lot owners having the first buy option, he mentioned it has been said that no one watches the City Council meetings, so they need to put this public on the main Facebook page and website for a month to give people the opportunity to purchase them, and if they do not, they can sell to whoever Council Member Dietz is working with. Council Member Dietz clarified that he is not working with anyone; a company contacted him ready to buy the lots. Mayor Elmore confirmed the City does not normally advertise when it is has a sale like that. Mr. Blevins inquired, City Attorney Friedman assumed the Company found out just like the individual who spoke earlier, from the assessor's website, or, they heard Council Member Dietz speak about it in a Council meeting. She assured it is public information and that is how the City has sold other lots. Council Member Bolden noted it has been in newspaper articles and all meeting minutes are public record. He shared that he has had individuals come to him wanting to buy lots and he directs them to contact the City. Council Member Resolution 832 NAY. Whereupon (#01-2023) . Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to read (#01-2023) . MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 832 Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to adopt Resolution 832 (#01-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. b. RESOLUTION 833 (#02-2023) A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE WILLINGNESS OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE TO UTILIZE FEDERAL-AID TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM FUNDS. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to read Resolution 833 (#02-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 833 (#02-2023) . Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to adopt Resolution 833 (#02-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. c. ORDINANCE 1725 (#09-2023) AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ~YOR TO EXECUTE THE ATTACHED INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT CREATING THE LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMITTEE; APPOINTING CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 9 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1725 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1725. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1725 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1725 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1725 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1725 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1725 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1725 (#09-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2QTH DAY OF APRIL, 2023. e. ORDINANCE 1726 (#10-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES . Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to place Ordinance 1726 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1726. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 17 2 6 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1726 on SECOND READING. When Council Member McCleary inquired, City Engineer Adam Whitlow replied they are tentatively set to mobilize Monday, provided this ordinance passes. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1726 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1726 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1726 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. 10 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1726 (#10-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2QTH DAY OF APRIL, 2023. ADDITION TO AGENDA: Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to SUSPEND THE RULES to ADD ORDINANCE 1727 (#11-2023) to the agenda. MOTION CARRIED. f. ORDINANCE 1727 (#11-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR DEBRIS MONITORING; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1727 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1727. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1727 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1727 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1727 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1727 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1727 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1727 (#11-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2QTH DAY OF APRIL, 2023. APPOINTMENTS: A & P COMMISSION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to reappoint Roger Sundermeier for a term to expire 03/31/2027 . MOTION CARRIED. SEWER COMMISSION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to reappoint Edward Porter for a term to expire 04/20/2028. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 11 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:03 P.M. Mayor Elmore confirmed that the names of candidates that previously submitted for City Council Ward 4 Position 1 are being considered for Board and Commission appointments. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Dupree Park Tornado Damage Council Member Bolden stated Dupree Park is destroyed, so Council should be ready to expedite repair approvals. When Council Member Dietz inquired, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House replied that the lights were finished the Thursday evening before the tornado hit. He related that the building concessions were done, but the inclusive playground equipment was on site in locked containers, adding that the playground equipment company will be here next week to access what is damaged inside. He brought up that they do not want to lose any tournaments because they have worked a lot of years building these relationships and getting them here. He told how they have been focused, almost primarily, on Dupree Park with Wastewater, Sanitation, and other City help there every day cleaning. He noted that insurance will be here next week, so we will have a lot better idea of what all will be covered and what they will have to reach out to FEMA to help with. When Council Member Bolden inquired, it was confirmed they would need an ordinance to waive competitive bidding for repairs, but when Director House gets the final numbers, they can have a special meeting to get one approved so they can get started. Director House related there are a lot of things happening right now, but he does not have any numbers yet. He noted that there is no power in the park and was unsure of when they would get it back. When Council Member Dietz mentioned Coach's Field, he confirmed they have done some upgrades there that were not destroyed from the tornado. He stated that Entergy is going to feed power from Redmond Road instead of the back, and although he requested to have all undergrown power lines, Entergy could not afford it, therefore, they are going to go overhead into the park where there are already existing lines, then from there everything will be underground. When Council Member Kinman brought up insurance, he shared that there is another group of adjusters coming in Monday afternoon. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:03 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 12 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 4, 2023 6:10 P.M. -6:23 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on May 4, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. in a regular City Council. Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, and Kinman answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SEVEN (7) ABSENT THREE (3 ). Council Members Mashburn, Moss, and Rains were absent. 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, IT Director Emily Osment, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, Jim Moore, Johnny Simpson, Reginald Ford, Kurt Zen-Ruffinen, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of April 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 March 16, 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 April 2023. APRIL PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 23 INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 30 58 50 22 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT : FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 4, 2023 6:10 P.M. -6:23 P.M. PLANNING COMMISSION: REPLAT Lots 1 & 2 Garry Estates Council Member Dietz stated this is to bring the property into compliance with City codes and is replatting one lot into two. He explained that the Planning Commission did not have any problems with it. He noted it is for the Goshen family who have been in town longer than most of us. He confirmed they have one residence on it and it is located near Casey and O'Neal Streets. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to approve the replat of Lots 1 and 2 of Garry Estates. MOTION CARRIED. COMMITTEE(S): GENERAL: a. Veto of RESOLUTION 832 (#01-2023) by Mayor Elmore Mayor Elmore recalled during the last City Council meeting, Resolution 832 was passed by Council, but subsequently, he vetoed it. He pointed out that in the packets was a letter regarding why. He explained that in regards to all of the conversation that took place that night and what had been said over the past year and a half, starting with the September 16th meeting of 2 021, there have been numerous times it was mentioned of giving property owners adjacent to those lots the first opportunity to purchase them, then to those in the area. He shared that Council Member Dietz on April 26th, 27th, and 30th went into Sunnyside to the residences adjacent to the lots to give the homeowners that actually live there, the first opportunity to purchase and expand their properties. He mentioned that four out of the five they thought were property owners, were actually renters, and the one that was a property owner was not wanting to speak at that time. He brought up that he has also been contacted since the last meeting by several residents who have inquired about wanting to purchase lots, so he started a list and gave those people opportunity first, before we came back to Arkansas Home Builders. He stated he has heard back from all, but one, of the people who wanted to purchase them and they have agreed, so all of the lots have been spoken for and will be sold. He explained it was discovered that five of the lots listed, the City cannot sell because they were deeded to the City of Jacksonville from the Commissioner of State Lands as a donation deed, which are given to the municipality to use for an intended purpose, and if that land is not being used for that purpose, it has to go back to the Commissioner of State Lands. He confirmed that does not mean it is a dead issue, because if someone wanted to purchase those five, it can still be done, but to do that, all of the back taxes, penalties, and interest dating back to 2001 would have to be paid on those lots. He shared that after talking to the Commissioner of State Lands' office, they could not give him an exact number, but surmised it would be between $7,000.00-$10,000.00 per lot. He added that unless someone is wanting to pay that, plus the additional purchase to net the City $750.00, we will turn those lots back over to the Commissioner of State Lands as required. He listed them as 115 East Boulevard, 117 Joiner, 193 Roosevelt, 109 Union, and 105 West. He related that if anyone is interested in those five lots, it actually works out better for them, because when the City turns them back over to the Commissioner of State Lands, they will place them on their auction site beginning at $50.00 per lot and possibly without the encumbrance of everything else that has to be paid off. He detailed that the lots were 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 4, 2023 6:10 P.M. -6:23 P.M. deeded to the City from the Commissioner of State Lands in 2008, but because they are not being used for an intended purpose, which he does not know what it would have been since these are residential, it in in the City's best interest to turn them back over, confirming he can start the process at any point. When Council Members Kinman and Bolden inquired, he replied that the City will have to keep mowing them until they are auctioned off and the City cannot bill the Commissioner of State Lands for the mowing. He stated those who are going to purchase the other lots have until noon tomorrow to give him an answer and they have to be closed by cash or cashiers check by Wednesday the 17th, then the night after, he will present a resolution to Council for approval. b. CDBG update for Community Mayor Elmore stated this item of business will be postponed until the next meeting of May 18th. ADDITION TO AGENDA: Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to SUSPEND THE RULES and add an appointment to the agenda. MOTION CARRIED. APPOINTMENTS: WATER COMMISSION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to appoint Logan Perry to fill the unexpired term of Philip Keaton set to expire 04/20/2026. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS : ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:23 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 18, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:33 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 May 18, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Council Member Ray delivered the invocation and Mayor Elmore led a standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE (9) ABSENT ONE (1). Council Member Bolden was absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, Code Enforcement Supervisor Marissa Barger, Wastewater Utility General Manager Thea Hughes, IT Director Emily Osment, Jim Moore, Reginald Ford, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of May 4, 2023 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Ray that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of April 20, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to approve the regular monthly report for April 2023 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $47,300.00 and a savings total of $1,887,700.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to approve the Regular Monthly Report for April 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to approve the regular monthly report as presented for April 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged 50 206 261 Demolition by City 123 Demolition by Owner 28 Parking Violations 320 Garbage Cans Tagged 13 Basketball Goals 8 Structures Inspected 32 Apartment Complexes Inspected 1 0 0 0 0 0 517 3 Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 18, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:33 P.M. 1 Red Tags Issued 31 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL 17 1 0 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to approve the regular monthly report for April 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 1,320.00 1,320.00 1,320.00 2,580.00 170.00 4,070.00 5,837.20 400.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT : WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1728 (#12-2023) AN ORDINANCE DECLARING THE EXERCISE OF EMINENT DOMAIN ON CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE , ARKANSAS FOR ACQUISITION OF PUBLIC EASEMENTS AND RIGHTS OF WAY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED PUBLIC WASTE WATER LINES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON BEHALF OF JACKSONVILLE WASTE WATER; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to place Ordinance 1728 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1728. Jacksonville Wastewater Utility Engineering/Technical Services Manager Paul Richards stated there was a conflict with the electrical and gas line for the Papito' s property where they were originally going to put a manhole. He explained their engineer went in and designed it to where they could move approximately 28 feet to the east to not disrupt those services to the restaurant. He shared how they began negotiations in March, but have not been able to reach any sort of resolution, so that is why they are requesting eminent domain. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 17 2 8 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1728 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. 2 J CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING Ml\.Y 18, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:33 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to APPROVE Ordinance 1728 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1728 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1728 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1728 (#12-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 18TH DAY OF Ml\.Y, 2023. FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT : PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION : COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: a. CDBG update for Community Council Member Sansing stated this was originated with Council Member Bolden, but Council Member McCleary and himself have gotten a bit involved in it. He explained that CDBG Director Michelle Spencer has done an excellent job on the report to Council. Director Spencer related the City has FY 2020 CDBG program allocation amounts of $227, 969.00 that were awarded for 2023, which is an increase over last year of approximately $8,631.00. She noted they have the normal proposal that will start with the Action Plan that has a comment period in July and Council approval once she gets past the CAPER coming up. She shared she is gathering a lot of the information needed in order to process what has been going on the last year, along with a lot of the overage that goes over into the following year. She related they have an 80% amount that can go over from the previous year, so she is catching up and paying a lot of bills. She mentioned IDIS being the system they pull from HUD and she is having to pay a lot of bills, pull down money, and reconciling quite a bit of things. She shared her excitement for new partnerships, adding she has been meeting with a lot of different individuals and community members. She noted they have formed partnerships with a lot of the utility companies so they are able to make payments toward individuals who are low-to-moderate income who need assistance with their financial hardships with utilities and rent. She pointed out that the CDBG accomplishments are actually from February 21St through May 12th, 2023. She hopes to have a partnership with the Central Arkansas Development Council (CADC), who played a large role in the disaster relief by helping put displaced residents into hotels and giving them $100.00 food vouchers. She brought up that CADC had lost their lease when the Workforce Center closed down a couple of years ago, but they are wanting to get back into the community to be able to provide some much-needed services. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 18, 2023 6:00 P .M. -6:33 P.M. She brought up that the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) is wanting to provide home ownership to low-to-moderate income individuals in Jacksonville, adding that they do not necessary look at credit, but at how they are paying their bills and the time frame of paying them on time. She shared they will be doing a workshop in July in the FEMA room at the Police Department hosting approximately sixty individuals. She hopes to be at 109 South Second Street soon since she feels like it is best for her to be a part of the community where they feel comfortable coming in and sharing their information to get the assistance they are needing. She stated that June 11th through the 15th she will be at a conference doing some CDBG training, as well as IDIS training, and will be coming back to Council for the CAPER, as well as the Action Plan for the year. b. RESOLUTION 835 (#04-2023) A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF SALE DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE FOR CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN (GENERAL LOCATION -129 JAXON CIRCLE); AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to read Resolution 835 (#04-2023) . MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 835 (#04-2023) . Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to adopt Resolution 835 (#04-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. c. RESOLUTION 836 (#05-2023) A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF SALE DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE FOR CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN (GENERAL LOCATION-183 AND 185 PIKE AVE.); AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to read Resolution 836 (#05-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 836 (#05-2023) . Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to adopt Resolution 836 (#05-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. d. RESOLUTION 834 (#03-2023) A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF SALE DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE FOR CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN (GENERAL LOCATION -LOTS 34, 52, 56, 132, 155, 189, 355 OF THE SUNNYSIDE SUBDIVISION); AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to read Resolution 834 (#03-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 834 (#03-2023) . Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to adopt Resolution 834 (#03-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 18, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:33 P.M. e. City Counci1 Long Term Strategic P1anning Council Member Rains recalled it had been mentioned during a previous Administration and she would like to see if there is interest in developing a strategic plan for the City. She knows it has been done prior by Dr. Price, but it is worth the interest of the Council to look over it again and develop a plan to promote the growth of our City. Council Member Sansing concurred it is a good idea, but with the recent tornado disaster and having a busy new Mayor dealing with it, he believes now is not the best time. Council Member Rains believes they should work on it now more than ever, with having new Administration and some new Council Members, so the citizens can have something to look at and know what is ahead. Her recommendation is to move forward on developing a more recent strategic plan for the City, referencing the internet resources she provided regarding how other cities have approached it. She summarized that it is a multi-day gathering of all of the elected officials and directors to come together for a five-year plan. She stated an increase in homeownership directly responds to a decrease in violent crimes, with Baton Rouge, Louisiana seeing a 4.5% decrease of it from a 1% increase in homeowner ship. She was unsure how Dr. Price developed his plan, but having a document that the Administration creates is important. She believes they should look at previous plans and take them into consideration to see what may have been dropped that they can focus on now. Council Member Mashburn suggested starting with Dr. Price's plan to compare and add to it. APPOINTMENTS: CRIMINAL NUISANCE ABATEMENT BOARD Counci1 Member Ray moved, seconded by Counci1 Member Twitty to appoint Craig Friedman, S . Renee Parker, Ke1ly Scarborough, Gera1dine Broadway, and Bi11 Howard. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Tornado C1eanup Update City Engineer Adam Whitlow stated as of tomorrow, they are considering the first pass of right-of-way cleanup complete. He explained the debris hauler is going to take a weeklong break and come back Tuesday or Wednesday after Memorial Day to give the remaining stragglers a chance to bring anything remaining to the right-of-way for pickup. He confirmed they have seen quite a bit of work on the damaged houses with debris being removed by the property owners, presumably by contractors engaged through insurance, which is FEMA's recommendation as step one and City disposal being last. He related that the debris will still be processed and taken to the landfill through this week, adding that to date, they have picked up right under 28,000 cubic yards of vegetation and construction demolition material. He recalled 50, 000 cubic yards was their initial estimate, so he still hopes they remain under. He noted if the Elementary School becomes eligible for pickup, there will be a couple thousand yards there. He pointed out that they had the contractor 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 18, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:33 P.M. prepare an estimate through what they know is going to be part of the 100% reimbursement period and they are at a little over $250,000.00. He clarified that the pile located at the Elementary School is the staging area for construction demolition material that originally started out at Wooten Road, but when the contractor said it would be a tough site to get in and out of with big trucks, they chose the parking lot of the school since it is close to the damaged area. He told how the vegetation debris is being staged adjacent to the old City landfill in the Rogers Road area and will start shredding by a chipper tomorrow. He shared that Two Pines Landfill has agreed to accept it as daily cover on the landfill at no charge, therefore, the City benefits from not paying tipping fees on it, while someone gets beneficial use out of it. When Council Member Kinman inquired, Mayor Elmore responded that they had a system going through Engage Arkansas that tracked the last several weeks of active volunteering. He confirmed he has been in contact with a lot of the other civic organizations, groups, and churches in the area and received the first batch from Samaritan's Purse today that comes out to $18,500.00 off the 25 % the City is responsible to pay for FEMA. He pointed out that the value of equipment provided, and all goods and services that were given or provided, such as the value of the semitruck of chicken that came from Tyson, will go toward the 25%. Engineer Whitlow mentioned meetings with FEMA, so everything is started, adding that the initial public assistance grant application has been submitted. He surmised all of it to come to fruition around July 7th when the City gives them the final estimated costs. He confirmed there will still be a lot of work that will continue a year or so afterwards. Mayor Elmore noted that the FEMA rate for every hour of volunteering is worth $10.00. He added that the Governor has requested from the President an extension of that thirty days where it was 100% covered, but they have not heard of a final decision on it yet. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:33 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE RESCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:28 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in session on June 8, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. a rescheduled City Council. Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE (9) ABSENT ONE (1). Council Member Mashburn was absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, IT Director Emily Osment, Reginald Ford, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of May 18, 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 meetinq of May 4, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for May 2023. 1-m.Y PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 23 INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT 43 72 79 28 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the Regular Monthly Report for May 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report as presented for May 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice 94 264 482 174 40 Demolition by City Demolition by Owner Parking Violations 1 0 2 1 Seven Day Letter 399 Citation Letters Mailed 5 Citations Issued 12 Vehicles Tagged 25 Vehicles Towed 5 Unsafe Structures Tagged 0 Structures Condemned 0 Structures Rehabbed 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE RESCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:28 P.M. Garbage Cans Tagged 0 Basketball Goals 2 Structures Inspected 840 Apartment Complexes Inspected 1 Red Tags Issued 6 Search Warrants 2 Grass Mowed 44 Signs Removed 38 ROLL CALL: Council. Member: Dietz , Bol.den, McCl.eary, Sansing, Ray, 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: Ordinances waiving competitive bidding for Dupree Park ~provements Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House stated these ordinances are either for the low bids, or are ones they need in order to keep the ballfield lighting warranty. He listed what he is still waiting for prices on is a metal storage building, the Festiville pavilion that is damaged, and batting cages. He explained that everything presented tonight is to get the ball fields reopened so they can start using the park again. When Council Member Kinman inquired about insurance, he replied that they are paying 100% of these costs and confirmed with Finance Director Cheryl Erkel today that they have already received $1.25 million. He related how insurance is going to pay from the estimates, and once it is approved by Council, he will upload it to the agent, then the agent will send the remaining balance. He detailed that the eight ordinances are for different contractors needed for fencing, two different lighting, a general contractor, benches, picnic tables, trashcans, foul poles, etc. to get the Park back in operation. He assured if he was not confident in these contractors, they would not be on the list. He noted if they order today, it will be ten weeks for the sports lighting and twelve to fourteen weeks for fencing. He related that Entergy has the same timeline so they know when to be finished. When Council Member Twitty inquired, he confirmed the City has used each of these contractors in the past and he is comfortable with every one of them. He shared his goal for comple~ion is fourteen weeks from approval, since they are ten weeks out to get some materials, but will prep, so as soon as the materials are delivered, it should be a three-to-four-week process. When Council Member Kinman questioned the fence height, he shared it will all be twelve feet so they are uniform. He brought up that insurance is going to pay for the replacement of the playground equipment that was destroyed, even though they were in the process of putting in a new inclusive one. He mentioned the plan was to 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE RESCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:28 P.M. relocate the existing equipment within the other parks, but insurance is going to pay $205, 000.00 for it. He stated if there is anything, such as $30,000.00 concrete work that needs to be done that may not be covered, they have an extra $200,000.00 coming from the insurance. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to place Ordinance 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, and 1736 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1729. ORDINANCE 1729 (#13-2023) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR FENCE REPAIRS TO DUPREE PARK SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON MARCH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1730. ORDINANCE 1730 (#14-2023) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK SCOREBOARD FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON MARCH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1731. ORDINANCE 1731 (#15-2023) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK BACKSTOP FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON MARCH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. When Council Member Rains inquired, Director House clarified this is for materials only, because United Fence will be the ones to install the net backstop. He confirmed the insurance deductible is $100,000.00, but FEMA will pay 75% of it. He shared they have site visits with FEMA on June 27th. He further clarified that FEMA will not pay anything until insurance denies it, so they have to run through insurance first and the only thing they will not pay for is tree removal and asphalt damage, which will be done inhouse. He confirmed they will be able to turn in the tree removal to FEMA to be reimbursed for it. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1732. ORDINANCE 1732 (#16-2023) AN ORDINANCE WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK BLEACHERS FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON MARCH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE RESCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:28 P.M. When Council Member Moss requested further clarification, Director House responded that the City will pay $25,000.00 of the insurance deductible. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1733. ORDINANCE 1733 (#17-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK ELECTRIC SERVICES, LIGHTING, AND FIBERGLASS POLES FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON ~CH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1734. ORDINANCE 1734 (#18-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK LIGHTING FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON ~CH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1735. ORDINANCE 1735 (#19-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK PAVILIONS, BATHROOMS, CONCESSION STAND, BLEACHER AND DUGOUT COVERS, ROOFING, AND VARIOUS OTHER REPAIRS FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON ~CH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. When Council Member Kinman inquired, Director House replied that Houses Construction Company is his brother who has done a lot of work for the previous Public Works Director Jim Oakley and for the Parks and Recreation Department. He confirmed any time he is used, whether it is a $3,000.00 job or this job, there are always multiple bids. City Attorney Friedman then read the heading of Ordinance 1736 . ORDINANCE 1736 (#20-2023) AN ORDINANCE ~IVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR REPAIRS TO THE DUPREE PARK PICNIC TABLES, FOUL POLES, AND TRASHCANS FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE TORNADO ON ~CH 31, 2023; FOR APPROPRIATE IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCESS FOR DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REPRESENTATIVES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Director House stated this is not a formal quote, but individual pricing for everything from this contractor. He explained they are the cheapest he could find for park amenities, such as foul poles, trashcans, picnic tables, etc. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE RESCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:28 P.M. He surmised the total of theses ordinances equal to just under $3.5 million, which was he and the Mayor's original assumption when they first saw the damage. He reiterated there are still a few prices he needs to get, and if those need competitive bidding waived, he will bring them back to Council. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, and 1736 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, and 1736 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Ordinance 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place 1733, 1734, 1735, and 1736 on THIRD AND Council Member Sansing to APPROVE 1734, 1735, and 1736 on SECOND Ordinance 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, and 1736 in their entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty that the EMERGENCY CLAUSES be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1729 (#13-2023) , ORDINANCE 1730 (#14-2023) , ORDINANCE 1731 (#15- 2023), ORDINANCE 1732 (#16-2023), ORDINANCE 1733 (#17-2023), ORDINANCE 1734 (#18-2023), ORDINANCE 1735 (#19-2023), AND ORDINANCE 1736 (#20-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 8TH DAY OF JUNE, 2023. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Juneteenth Celebration Council Member Bolden stated the Martin Luther King Commission will be having a Juneteenth celebration, where they will be handing out food and have entertainment, on Municipal Drive June 19th. He shared the history of Juneteenth as being when the African Americans in the state of Texas realized they were free. Follow-up on Sunnyside Lots Sale When Council Member Dietz inquired, Mayor Elmore stated all of the lots that were purchased by individuals from the area have all come in and paid. He explained the others being purchased by Arkansas Home Builders are in process. He confirmed the City no longer has to mow them. 5 City Council Meeting Rescheduled CITY OF JACKSONVILLE RESCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:28 P.M. Mayor Elmore stated that next Thursday would have been our regularly scheduled City Council meeting, but it took place tonight instead because it would be in the middle of the Municipal League Summer Session, which several of them will be at. He confirmed Council will not be meeting next week. Free Legal Clinic Council Member Rains stated there will be a free legal clinic for citizens who were involved in the tornado June 24~ from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Community Center. She explained they will be providing financial recovery assistance, criminal records sealing, wills, powers of attorney, FEMA and housing questions, concerns, and issues, along with Medicaid state benefits and resources. She related it is being put on by the Arkansas Appleseed Legal Justice Center. Code Enforcement May Monthly Report Council Member Dietz pointed out that in May, Code Enforcement inspected 840 structures, mowed a lot of yards, and had compliance after notice. He noted that they are having to work triple hard to even keep up, recalling he has never seen this many structures inspected. Communications Director Introduction Mayor Elmore introduced the new Communications Director Emily Sundermeier. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:28 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, F ELMORE 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on July 6, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. in a regular City Council. Elmore led a 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, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Director Emily Osment, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, Johnny Simpson, Lida Feller, and Rick Kron. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the rescheduled City Council meeting of June 8, 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 meetinq of May 18, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for June 2023. JUNE PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 16 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 55 58 45 31 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for May 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 550.00 2,310.00 550.00 165.00 1,485.00 2,243.00 4,278.00 16,091.04 5,000.00 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. 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. ORDINANCE 1737 (#21-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES § 8. 01.078 (GRASS OR WEEDS). Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to place Ordinance 1737 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1737. Mayor Elmore opened the public hearing at approximately 6:02 p.m. With no one requesting to speak, Mayor Elmore closed the public hearing at approximately 6:02 p.m. Council Member Rains stated from her understanding, the subcommittee had not formally accepted this. She explained there was a lot of feedback and response, recalling her last correspondence on this subject was April 5th where City Attorney Friedman suggested having an additional meeting. City Attorney Friedman clarified she had reached out to each Council Member individually, to not violate FOIA, asked them for input, and passed ideas along. She did previously suggest a meeting, but the majority of the subcommittee wanted it to be placed on the agenda as is. Council Member Twitty confirmed at the final meeting they were in agreeance to put it on the agenda after she specifically asked each member if they had anything they wanted to edit. She mentioned that community gardens were not the main objective of the subcommittee, but more so flower beds to assure someone cannot throw a package of seeds down and call it one. Council Member Rains assured community gardens were brought up since this ordinance would potentially conflict with them. She pointed out they need better definitions than "other than trees and shrubs" as it is stated in the current ordinance, because there are a lot of different subcategories when it comes to flora. She related that restricting everything not a tree or a shrub to be a minimum of eight inches is not fair to our citizens. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. Lieutenant Ryan Wright shared that the general part about the weeds, trees, and shrubs is taken directly from the International Property Maintenance Code, which is standardized across the United States, that almost every Code Enforcement uses, along with several countries outside of the U.S. He stressed that the addition of the flower beds, etc. is an issue because they have people trying to grow gardens by the road and things like that. City Attorney Friedman clarified that the International Property Maintenance Code was updated in 2021, changing their definitions slightly from what the City had, so that is what prompted this initial change that led to the committee getting into the definitions of flower beds and gardens. Council Member Twitty noted that if someone wants to have a flower garden, it needs to have a border around it. She told how she has gotten complaint calls regarding a house in Foxwood that has a border where the flower beds were, but now they have vegetation that is practically as tall as the house growing outside of the flower bed. She assured the City does not want to tell people what to put in their flower beds, but they need to have some sort of border around it and not have a bunch of weeds up against a house and call it a flower bed. She stated the discussion on community gardens is separate from this ordinance. Lt. Wright recalled the last time there was a community garden in the City was in Sunnyside, but driving passed it now, it is not used for that and it has not been active for several years. City Attorney Friedman added that if a community garden becomes an issue in the future, they could address those concerns then. Council Member Rains brought up mailbox gardens, saying the way this ordinance is written, it does not include a variance for anyone who wants to decorate their mailbox with flowers. She pointed out the City has a lot of citizens who already have them and will potentially have more in the future. She reiterated that once they had gotten everything squared away after the last meeting, they would bring this to Council, however, there was a lot of crosstalk where the people who needed to be in that meeting were unable to hear everything that was clearly spoken on. City Attorney Friedman confirmed she was unable to attend, but did obtain the audio from City Clerk Davitt. She told how she sent this ordinance to each of the Council Members on the subcommittee to ensure this is what they wanted to present for approval and shared Council Member Rains' feedback to them. She related it was imperative to get this on the agenda for Code Enforcement in time for grass season, then revisit community gardens if necessary. Council Member Bolden stated Council needs to make a decision tonight, because grass is growing and they have things that need to be done. He assured they can always come back and speak about gardens, but right now they need to deal with the whole City, because Code Enforcement is working extra hard cutting yards, so we need an ordinance that covers our officers. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. When Council Member Rains inquired, Lt. Wright confirmed the limits are still eight and eighteen inches. Council Member Rains stressed this is not a decision they need to make today and asked Council to respect all the members of the subcommittee who are trying to represent the Citizens. She reiterated there are tons of people who already have mailbox flower beds and such, that this amendment would restrict. Discussion ensued where it was determined that the majority of the subcommittee members requested to place this ordinance on the agenda. Council Member Twitty reiterated that all members were satisfied with the ordinance at the final subcommittee meeting. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to APPROVE Ordinance 17 37 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1737 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, and Twitty voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Mashburn, Kinman, and Rains voting NAY. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 1737 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1737 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, and Twitty voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Mashburn, Kinman, and Rains voting NAY. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1737 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, and Twitty voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Mashburn, Kinman, and Rains voting NAY. ORDINANCE 1737 (#21-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 6Ta DAY OF JULY, 2023. b. ORDINANCE 1738 (#22-2023) AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING REGULATIONS COVERING VACANT BUILDINGS, CREATING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 8. 06 (VACANT BUILDINGS) . Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to place Ordinance 1738 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1738. Mayor Elmore opened the public hearing at approximately 6:23 p.m. With no one requesting to speak, Mayor Elmore closed the public hearing at approximately 6:24p.m. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 1738 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1738 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. When Council Member Rains inquired, Lt. Wright explained this is to require residential and commercial vacant buildings be registered and maintained, along with having a local agent that Code Enforcement can contact if there are any nuisances on the property. City Attorney Friedman added that Code Enforcement is having trouble locating some of the out-of-state owners whenever there is an issue and getting them into court is another issue. She hopes this will cut down on that if they have a local agent or someone who represents the property to address those issues more efficiently. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 17 38 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1738 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, ADOPT Ordinance 1738 in Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE AND its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains Council Member Ray moved, seconded by EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Twitty that the ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains ORDINANCE 1738 (#22-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 6TH DAY OF JULY, 2023. c. Unsheltered in Jacksonville Council Member Moss shared that a business leader contacted him regarding unsheltered individuals affecting their business environment. He inquired if there are policies or procedures in place for this. Mayor Elmore responded if a business owner is being harassed or if the unsheltered individuals were interfering with operations during public hours, they would have to call the Police and have them trespassed. He recalled there have been several incidents recently where businesses have been vandalized or camps sat up during overnight hours. He told how they found that some cities have a trespass order that business owners can sign, granting the Police to remove people who are not authorized to be there after business hours. He stated they have created a document for this, but confirmed that when the business is open to the public, they would still have to call the Police if there is a disturbance. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. Council Member Ray shared his experience with unsheltered individuals who would have rather stayed on the streets than follow rules. Council Member Bolden mentioned if there is a building established to house the unsheltered, the City could not, in any way, be responsible for the building, because they would be liable for whatever happens inside of it. He shared his past experience of some unsheltered individuals who did not want to follow rules or work, but rather wanted to be pan handlers. CDBG Director Michelle Spencer stated most of the chronically unsheltered are happy being so. She explained there are some with substance abuse or mental illness issues that have a concern with going in-home. She recalled having some unsheltered individuals were so mentally ill that once they were placed in a furnished home, they would find them in the backyard in a tent. She related there would need to be some wrap-around services to be able to help with all of their issues. She confirmed they have support from Little Rock, who will be doing a groundbreaking for the microhome village. She told how she is going to ask for dedicated beds for those in Jacksonville who do want to be sheltered. She brought up that transportation could be an issue since it is on a first-come-first-serve basis most times. Barry Jefferson, board member on the Pulaski County Community Village Committee, shared a project for the unsheltered, mimicking what Austin, Texas has, that focuses on mental illness and provides services. He told how they have the land, have knocked down trees already, and are looking to build for all surrounding communities, not just Little Rock. He will be providing the Mayor with a quarterly update on the progress. He pointed out that it will be located on 138 acres at the end of Chicot Road in Little Rock. He confirmed that the Austin, Texas Community Village gets assistance from their state, noting that Pulaski County is helping fund the one in Little Rock, but they are looking into making it more of a non-profit to help address liability. Council Member Rains stressed the importance of recognizing what our Community is experiencing, especially after the tornado, and to support the different services mentioned. She assured that the City can support a non- profit without having all of the liabilities. Mayor Elmore shared that he has spoken with several church leaders in town to encourage them to be proactive and work together, because they are equipped to do it better than a city government. APPOINTMENTS : UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: Chairman Selection for the Criminal Nuisance Abatement Board Mayor Elmore stated that Council needs to select a temporary Chairman for the Criminal Nuisance Abatement Board to run the first meeting. He recommended Renee Parker, listing the other members as Craig Friedman, Kelly Scarborough, Geraldine Broadway, and Bill Howard. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 6, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:51 P.M. Council Member Dietz moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to approve Renee Parker as the temporary Chairman of the Criminal Nuisance Abatement Board. MOTION CARRIED. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Citizen of the Year Awards Banquet Council Member Mashburn stated the Citizen of the Year Awards Banquet will be held on July 27th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Community Center. She related that the tickets are $20.00 each. Homelessness Survivor Testimony Bettina Randolph from Monterey Bay, California shared her past experience being homeless for six years with her three children, due to an abusive relationship. She explained that not every person who is homeless has mental issues or are hungry, but a lot of times they just need help. She told how she received resources from a Catholic nun who offered her help and now holds a Masters degree and owns a home here in Jacksonville. She shared that one of her sons is a mayor in California, her daughter is in the Air Force, and her other son in a real tor in Florida. She related sometimes the homeless may require a caseworker, a police officer, and all of us to be aware of those issues. She mentioned she used to work for the State in the homeless camps and now she volunteers for Partners Against Trafficking Humans where they have people coming from other countries that have nowhere to go and end up on the street. She offered her help, adding that we need everyone here to be a part of this issue. Council Member Rains stressed how important it is to recognize the adversities that our community is facing and do something about it. She recalled in a previous survey that over half the citizens that took it said it was very important for the City to provide services for the homeless. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:51 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 7 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:25 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on July 20, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. in a regular City Council. Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT EIGHT ( 8) ABSENT TWO (2) . Council Member Dietz arrived at approximately 6:02 p.m. Council Members McCleary and Mashburn were absent. Others present for the meeting were: Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, and IT Director Emily Osment. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of July 6, 2023 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the minutes of the rescheduled City Council meetinq of June 8, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for May 2023 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $80,000.00 and a savings total of $386,500.00. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for June 2023 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $223,500.00 and a savings total of $1,094,500.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the Regular Monthly Report for June 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report as presented for June 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed 69 180 434 238 32 240 29 Demolition by City Demolition by Owner Parking Violations Garbage Cans Tagged Basketball Goals 1 0 0 2 0 0 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:25 P.M. Citations Issued 11 Structures Inspected 683 Vehicles Tagged 33 Apartment Complexes Inspected 0 Vehicles Towed 9 Red Tags Issued 3 Unsafe Structures Tagged 0 Search Warrants 0 Structures Condemned 0 Grass Mowed 64 Structures Rehabbed 0 Signs Removed 2 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for June 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 2,310.00 2,310.00 2,310.00 90.00 435.00 525.00 10,863.49 5,000.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Bolden, Sansing, Ray, 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: ORDINANCE 1739 (#23-2023) AN ORDINANCE RECLASSIFYING PROPERTY IN THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS (PARCEL LOCATED AT CRESTVIEW PARK); AMENDING ORDINANCE NOS. 213 AND 238 AND THE LAND USE MJ\.P OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Engineer Adam Whitlow stated this is a rezone near Ramada Street and Crestview Drive, explaining that the property is currently being used as R-3 and there are buyers who want to expand that use. He confirmed it will be zoned to its current use and there has been no opposition. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1739 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Clerk Davitt read the heading of Ordinance 1739. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:25 P.M. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 17 3 9 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1739 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 17 3 9 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1739 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1739 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1739 (#23-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 20TH DAY OF JULY, 2023. COMMITTEE(S): Deviation in agenda: GENERAL: b. PUBLIC HEARING Approval of CDBG 2023 Annual Action Plan (AAP) The public hearing opened at approximately 6:05 p.m. CDBG Director Michelle Spencer shared the total allocation amount is $227,969.00, noting that Administration has a 20% cap at $45,594.00 and Public Service has a 15% cap at $34,195.00. She explained that Public Improvement is $40,000.00, Neighborhood Revitalization is $20,000.00, and Economic Development is $10, 000 .. 00, all increasing from 2022 due to public input. Lastly, Housing and Rehabilitation is $78,180.00, a decrease from 2022. She stated the public input can be found on the last page, explaining there were several ineligible activities noted in the plan. The public hearing closed at approximately 6:07 p.m. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the CDBG 2023 Annual Action Plan (AAP) . When Council Member Rains mentioned leveraging in the CAPER, Director Spencer stated she is hoping to pull in Central Arkansas Development Council (CADC) this year in order to have additional services for our citizens. Council Member Moss was pleased to see some action items for the unsheltered. MOTION CARRIED at this time. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:25 P.M. a. PUBLIC HEARING Approval of CDBG 2022 Consolidated Annual Performance & Evaluation Report (CAPER) The public hearing opened at approximately 6:09 p.m. Director Spencer noted on page 24 and 25, the PR report came out skewed, so the Covid report of $74,357.89 expended with $175,098.11 unexpended, is an error and it will continually change as she updates the activities. She brought up that what she put in already showed $107,720.34 for the actual expended amount. Council Member Rains brought up that public transportation was referenced a lot in the AAP, especially during public comments, and requested an update. Mayor Elmore shared that the City is currently still waiting on Rock Region Metro to provide the transportation, but they are waiting on the vehicle to arrive. He pointed out that he receives a monthly update from them and at the last in-person meeting, they were hoping to have the vehicle here by September and outfitted around October. He confirmed nothing can change with the contract signed in November of 2021, and the way the agreement was written, it gives a start date of "to be determined" and does not have any kind of adjustments for lack of service. He mentioned that unfortunately, dealing with commercial vehicles, this long wait time appears to not be out of the norm. Director Spencer noted she has made efforts to contact individuals that have transporting vehicles that could aid in the need, because she gets overwhelming amounts of calls from elderly and single families who do not have transportation. She clarified that CADC is willing to try to work a partnership out with Pathfinders or CareLink, because that was a major need she saw on day one of her getting here. She told how she also contacted Discount Taxi, but he was not willing to be a part of the voucher program. She shared an additional comment from a citizen in the Stonewall Subdivision located on Quincy Cove that stated the streets in her area need to be replaced and brought up having roundabouts in certain areas rather than lighting. She confirmed it is not an activity she can fund under CDBG, but referred her over to Engineer Whitlow, and that will be added into the AAP as an update. The public hearing closed at approximately 6:16 p.m. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the CDBG 2022 Consolidated Annual Performance & Evaluation Report (CAPER) . MOTION CARRIED. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: 4 ANNOUNCEMENTS: Landfill Fees Inquiry CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JULY 20, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:25 P.M. Council Member Dietz showed his appreciation to Engineer Whitlow and his Sanitation Department. He noticed on the financial report that the landfill expenses are at $555,899.00 for a $272,000.00 budget. He asked if the City is going to be reimbursed for a lot of that from the government because that is a large deficit. Engineer Whitlow responded that there is a considerable amount the City will be reimbursed. He explained that the t i ppi ng fees for the storm ev ent are more than our normal contracted fee, because Waste Management justified it by saying they need extra resources. He related they are sitting at around 98%, as far as his submittal for the debris projects to FEMA. He mentioned there were thirty days for 100% and a 75% period that is winding down. He estimated that the 100% project is $360,000.00 and the 75% project is $470,000.00, of which the City will get 25% back, adding that the State has a three-day window in there where they will kick in the extra 25%. He shared that they are down two employees and a truck or two right now, so it has been a struggle where they are working the extra Fridays to catch up. He stated FEMA will come in next week and do an assessment of damages to see if it meets the State minimum threshold to declare it a disaster. Council Member Twitty shared her appreciation for Engineer Whitlow always getting back with her and citizens regarding their concerns, and for the men and women on his team. Council Member Bolden thanked Engineer Whitlow for dealing with Bright speed digging up citizen's yards in Stonewall. Engineer Whitlow pointed out the City has a $20,000.00 recovery bond on them. Chamber of Commerce Casino Niqht Council Member Twitty stated the Chamber of Commerce is having Casino Night August 4th 6:00 p.m. at the Community Center. Council Member Birthday Mayor Elmore announced that today is Council Member Ray's birthday. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor E~ore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:25 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 5 CITY 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 Building Permits Business License 12 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 80 61 64 50 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. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 17, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:15 P.M. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ $ 1,925.00 1,925.00 1,925.00 2,396.00 10,783.00 15,104.00 9,124.00 10,000.00 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansinq, 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 hearinq 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. 2 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 approx~ately 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 corning 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 stLgth. 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 gth. She noted that if anyone is interested in putting a team together, see Steve Pawloski. 3 Downtown Revitalization Plan CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 17, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:15 P.M. 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 e l se'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 Lhe 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, · 0 J. :..FF ELMORE k-Treasurer 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:36 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville1 Arkansas met in a regular session on September 7, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Mayor Elmore delivered the invocation and led a standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SIX (6) ABSENT FOUR (4). Council Members Bolden, Ray, Mashburn, and Moss were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, IT Director Emily Osment, Kerrie Henderson, Madison Binsted, Alicia Fenton, Roger Sundermeier, Jay McCarty, Lida Feller, Jim Moore, and Wyatt Elmore. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of August 17, 2023 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary that the minutes of the reqular City Council meetinq of July 20, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for August 2023. AUGUST PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 12 INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT 54 71 42 24 Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report for July 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to approve the regular monthly report as presented for July 2023. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 49 186 6:00 P.M. -6:36 P.M. 476 Demolition by City 173 Demolition by Owner 23 Parking Violations 322 Garbage Cans Tagged 29 Basketball Goals 11 Structures Inspected 24 Apartment Complexes Inspected 4 Red Tags Issued 0 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 Signs Removed 0 1 0 0 1 711 4 0 0 102 6 ROLL CALL: Council. Member: Dietz, McCl.eary, Sansing, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: Wl\.STEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: Camera system demonstration by Chief Hibbs Mayor Elmore stated this i tern of business is going to be put off until another meeting. STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: Council. Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council. Member Twitty to ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION regarding a personnel matter at approximatel.y 6:02 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Council. Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council. Member Rains to RESUME GENERAL SESSION at approximatel.y 6:30 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Elmore related that the only business that took place, although it was not actually business, in the executive session was a discussion regarding a personnel matter within the City government. ANNOUNCEMENTS: City Statement Regarding Animal. Shel.ter Mayor Elmore read the following statement on behalf of the City: 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:36 P.M. "On Friday, September pt, the City of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Animal Shelter was made aware of a Facebook post regarding the overcrowding procedures of the shelter. While the post has gained traction and attention, it does not factually tell the complete story of the Jacksonville Animal Shelter and its daily operations. The Jacksonville Animal Shelter has never been a no-kill shelter, and euthanasia is only sought as an absolute last resort. An animal is only considered for euthanasia for reasons such as length of stay, health concerns and aggression towards people and other animals, among other criteria. Euthanasia is never a first option for the Jacksonville Animal Shelter, the City of Jacksonville or its employees, and is a decision we do not take lightly. It hurts our hearts any time the difficult decision to euthanize an animal is made, and it is to be reiterated that euthanasia is the absolute final option after unsuccessful adoption, rescue or foster attempts. The City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Animal Shelter and its employees strive to deliver the best possible quality of life to all of the shelter's animals in hopes that they are adopted, rescued or fostered. Lieutenant Ryan Wright's letter was not new information to the City or its employees. This letter is a statement of overcrowding guidelines and procedures for the operation of the Jacksonville Animal Shelter. The letter ultimately provides uniform structure and protection to ensure that healthy, adoptable animals will not be unfairly euthanized. Dogs will not be held in crates longer than 24 hours. Volunteer work for the expansion of the shelter has been offered. However, as the City of Jacksonville is a municipality, there are state statutes to follow when dealing with any City facilities and taxpayer dollars. The donation in question was not in cash, but instead, rather a dollar amount of time and machinery usage. By law, the City of Jacksonville requires that any sort of work regarding City facilities and taxpayer dollars must be bid on if exceeding a specific dollar amount. If it is under a specific dollar amount, the City must obtain multiple quotes for the project. The City of Jacksonville understands the urgent need and high importance to improve the Jacksonville Animal Shelter. Animals at the shelter deserve a space where they can be nurtured and cared for in a facility that is updated and can accommodate the shelter's needs on a day-to-day basis. However, legally, there are rules, regulations and statues put into place by the state of Arkansas that the City must abide by in order to make these necessary improvements to the shelter a reality. I am currently exploring options and the possibility of using remaining ARPA funds to finance a shelter renovation project sooner rather than later. If sufficient funds are not available, funding will be requested to be included in the 2024 budget. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:36 P.M. Generous outside support has allowed the shelter to operate comfortably within their yearly allocated budget. Because of this generosity, budget requests from previous years did not accurately reflect the shelter's ability to function independently. The proposed 2024 budget will be reflective of City funds required for the Jacksonville Animal Shelter to be self- sufficient. Donations of any sort are always welcomed and appreciated, and can be given directly to the Jacksonville Animal Shelter. Monetary donations to the shelter do not, and will not, be rolled into the general fund; they will remain with the shelter . For accurate, up-to-date information regarding the Jacksonville Animal Shelter or any of its animals, please contact the animal shelter directly. Contact information, hours of operation and information on animals in the shelter that are available for adoption, can be found on the City's website, cityofjacksonville.net, as well as on the Jacksonville Animal Shelter's official Facebook page: Jacksonville Animal Shelter, Arkansas. The support and love for the shelter and the animals that reside there is felt and highly appreciated. Last month, the shelter reported 99 animals had left the shelter, with 54 of those being adoptions. The Jacksonville Animal Shelter remains at an 85% save rate, with the end-of-year goal being 90%, but our ultimate goal is to be 100%. Multiple animals continue to come to the animal shelter, where they wait to be adopted, rescued or fostered. It is because of the generosity and support from the general public that hundreds, if not thousands, of animals have found themselves a new home and a family that they can call their own." He stressed that if someone has a question regarding anything with the Shelter, they can contact himself, Chief Brett Hibbs, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, or stop at the Shelter and speak to any of the employees. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor E1more adjourned the meetinq at approximate1y 6:36 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING - CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met session on September 21, 2023 at the regular meeting place Council. Council Member Ray delivered the invocation and Mayor standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. in a regular of the City Elmore led a ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, McCleary, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT EIGHT (8) ABSENT TWO (2). Council Members Bolden and Sansing were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Lieutenant Ryan Wright, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Director Emily Osment, Madison Binsted, Lida Feller, and Wyatt Elmore. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of September 7, 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 Twitty that the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of August 17, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to approve the regular monthly report for August 2023, reflecting a fire loss of $38, 500. 00 and a savings total of $881,500.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to approve the regular monthly report for August 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to approve the regular monthly report as presented for August 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged 59 213 647 Demolition by City 249 Demolition by Owner 50 Parking Violations 330 Garbage Cans Tagged 18 Basketball Goals 5 Structures Inspected 26 Apartment Complexes Inspected 9 Red Tags Issued 0 Search Warrants 1 0 2 0 0 0 919 11 8 1 Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 0 0 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. Grass Mowed Shopping Carts Signs 117 2 7 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, McCleary, 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. ORDINANCE 1740 (#24-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 1737 AND UPDATING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES § 8.01.078 (GRASS OR WEEDS). Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to place Ordinance 1740 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Mashburn and Rains voted AYE. MOTION FAILED with Council Members Dietz, McCleary, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voting NAY. Council Member Rains stated she did an aerial study of 500 households around the City showing roughly 20% are out of ordinance because of the variance. She mentioned most of it were mailbox gardens, noting that some individuals speculated there would not be flowers higher than 8 inches, but there is coleus in the City Hall garden higher than that. She thinks it is a shame we are not representing roughly 2,500 households with the current ordinance. Mayor Elmore related they can take this under advisement for action in the future, but right now, it was voted down for this discussion. Council Member Kinman requested clarification on the policy regarding placing items on the agenda after they have been voted down the first time. Mayor Elmore responded traditionally, that has not been a common practice, because once the Council has voted, that is what it has been. Council Member Rains stated traditionally, they also have a discussion which was not conducted when this was brought to the agenda the last time. b. RESOLUTION 837 (#06-2023) A RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE AT RISK AND DISPLACED COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE. Council Member Rains recalled last meeting they did not have a discussion on this, but she feels like it is worth one. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. Council Member Mashburn moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to read Resolution 837 (#06-2023). ROLL CALL: Council Member Mashburn, Moss, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION FAILED with Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Ray, Twitty, and Kinman voting NAY. Council Member Rains thinks they are doing the community a disservice, especially when it comes to our at-risk and homeless; most of which are experiencing what they are facing because of medical-related issues. She brought up that they are not supporting our hospital, which is the one that accrues the most strain when it comes to indi victuals on the street. When Mayor Elmore requested clarification, she replied that when it comes to the homeless community, they experience a lot of life-threatening, or are more susceptible to, violent crime and need the hospital intervention for which they cannot pay for, which is ultimately the burden of the hospital. Council Member Moss recalled at a previous meeting that Barry Jefferson informed Council of a County effort they are working on. He thought their agreement as a Council was to wait on Mr. Jefferson to report back before they move forward. Council Member Kinman requested Police Chief Brett Hibbs' input on what the City can do differently than what they are already doing for this situation. Chief Hibbs was unsure, because the City does not have the resources, such as a shelter. He pointed out one problem is that other cities bring their homeless here and dump them off, even just thinking we have a shelter, so if we did have one, they would definitely continue. He recalled that the County is working on a village, but it will not solve the problem because they will have rules some will not want to follow. Mayor Elmore shared that he has had two business owners on Main Street who have had vandalism or damage done, where one had it on video. To his knowledge, there have been no reports of acts of violence or harassment. Chief Hibbs brought up some isolated incidents of car break-ins or thefts, but business owners, shoppers, or citizens have not been attacked. Council Member Rains acknowledged this is a diverse and complex problem and this resolution is to have a committee to discuss and research that problem to come to a consensus on it. Mayor Elmore suggested she ask for volunteers from the community and put together a group; it does not necessarily have to have the backing of the City or Council. Council Member McCleary brought up involving civic groups, churches, etc. that want to help, because as a group, if Council says something it is lawfully. He is willing to help as a human helping others, because it does not have to be Council as a group. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. Council Member Mashburn quoted Leviticus 25:35: "If anyone from your community (or city in our case) becomes poor and unable to support himself, then you shall help him, leading him, living with you as though he was a guest or lodger." Mayor Elmore stressed that the best solution is for faith-based or civic communities to come together and organize a pooling of resources because they do not have the "red tape" that a city municipality has. c. RESOLUTION 839 (#08-2023) A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE ALLOCATION OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNTAIN FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, PULASKI COUNTY ARKANSAS . Counci1 Member Ray moved, seconded by Counci1 Member Twitty to read Reso1ution 839 (#08-2023) . MOTION CARRIED with Counci1 Member Mashburn and Rains voting NAY. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Reso1ution 839 (#08-2023) . Counci1 Member Ray moved, seconded by Counci1 Member McC1eary to adopt Reso1ution 839 (#08-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED with Counci1 Member Mashburn and Rains voting NAY. Council Member Twitty shared that most cities she has spoken with are closing their fountains for various reasons, and when Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House looked into what it would take to fix ours, it was a lot and did not have a good warranty. She explained their new idea can be maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department and will be nice and affordable. d. RESOLUTION 838 (#07-2023) A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE ALLOCATION OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS FOR THE ANIMAL SHELTER FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, PULASKI COUNTY ARKANSAS. Counci1 Member Rains moved, seconded by Counci1 Member McC1eary to read Reso1ution 838 (#07-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Reso1ution 838 (#07-2023) . Lieutenant Ryan Wright read over the following list of current improvements at the Animal Shelter: • Shelter floors have been stripped, cleaned and buffed • Transitioned cat room from kennel set up to open cat room, allowing for better socialization of cats and a more comfortable living space • Pet pantry has been set up to provide assistance to citizens who need help caring for their pets • The previous shelter manager office has been transitioned to a community office and in the progress of upgrading desk space and providing workstations for the ACO's 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. • The old ACO office has been transi tioned to a meet and greet room for people to get acquainted with their future pet without being distracted from the ongoings in the lobby area • A television is in the process of mounted in the lobby to show our current listing of dogs and events that the ACO will be participating in • In the process of removing wood-based stands and replacing with metal stands/rollers to prevent the spread of disease and illness He then read over the following list of improvements that will occur with the use of the ARPA funds, if approved: • Complete renovation of old building. Removing all interior walls, leveling of floors, and pest control solutions for building • Rebuilding of rooms with modern, aesthetic metal walls to facilitate cleaning and sanitation • Front lobby area in old building to facilitate meet and greets between animals • Room off of the old building lobby designated as the pet pantry. This will provide a private meeting space to meet with the citizen to qualify and assess their needs and provide a larger storage space for the items • Back area will still include the 9 kennels to allow for holding of court case animals and bite case/dangerous animals • Intake room with vet table to include storage for intake medications and initial assessment as well as setup for behavior assessments • Vet/surgery room to facilitate on site spay and neuter, vaccine clinics, and minor procedures • Separate quarantine rooms for both cats and animals • Laundry/bathing room with modern metal grooming bath with heavy duty washer and dryer • Storage room for blankets, cleaning, and bathing supplies He explained it will not provide any additional kennels, but as of today, for the first time since January 2022, they are under capacity and have six kennels open where no dogs have been euthanized. He shared that the employees are doing a great job with getting rescues to pull dogs, citizens have stepped up and adopted, and the social media presence has increased. He added that they have made changes to the relinquishment of animals so citizens are bringing in less. Chief Hibbs related that the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Department will do the work and the money will be used for materials and any demolition needed. Mayor Elmore pointed out that this is basically a total gut job of the original metal building where it will be like a brand-new building inside that existing shell. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. Chief Hibbs would like the renovation done as soon as possible, preferably this year because he has longer term goals for next year that consists of programs for spay/neuter clinics, etc. Lt. Wright stated that Jacksonville Friends of the Animals was awarded a $4,000.00 grant from Home Depot. He suggested dividing the existing huge run on the right side into six or eight to allow more dogs out to exercise. When Council Member Dietz inquired, City Engineer Adam Whitlow responded that they have submitted all debris projects to FEMA and the next phase will be to get the money back, which will be handled by ADEM and will be approximately $1 million. He was happy to report that it looks like the volunteer hours made up for the City's portion owed. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to adopt Resolution 838 (#07-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. e. Understanding the Annual Budget Finance Director Cheryl Erkel presented a PowerPoint titled Understanding the Annual Budget that provided the following information: ~ General Fund & Street Fund have balanced budgets. Revenues have to equal expenditures. ~ Sanitation Fund, Shooting Range, & EMS operate like businesses. Their budgets do not have to balance. Budget Timeline ~ Current end of year projections -August ~ New year estimates of revenues-September ~ New year request from departments-September ~ Budget meetings-October ~ Preliminary budget presentation to Council-November ~ Recommended budget presentation to Council-December Reoccurring Costs make up 90% of the General Fund Budget on average o Personnel Costs Utilities o Maintenance Agreements Building Insurance o Vehicle Insurance G enera 1 Fun d d Bu tqet b 1y Cateqorv 2021 Actual % 2022 Actual Personnel Costs 1SA80,871 68% 16,045,031 Contract Services 6,172,750 27% 10,103,736 Supplies & Materials 740AS8 3% 834,751 Capital Outlay 331,261 1% 1,194,054 Other 19SA43 1% 71,524 22,920,783 100% 28,249,096 6 % 2023 Budgeted % 57% 18,291,142 73% 36% 5,092,997 20% 3% 887,692 4% 4% 663,396 3% 0% 176,150 1% 100% 25,111,377 100% Personnel Costs ~ Salaries, Overtime, Part-time CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:50 P.M. ~ Retirement Costs (APERS 15.32% LOPFI 24.5%) ~ Health Insurance Costs (City pays 82%) ~ Payroll Taxes, FICA ~ Workers Comp ~ Unemployment ~ Tuition Reimbursement Payscale Information ~ Non uniformed employees: Every position has starting rate/salary. When budget permits, annual raises ensures employees with longevity earn more than new hires. ~ Police: same as non uniformed and also get increases after 1 year, 3 years, and 6 years. New hires with certification get $2500 after completion of FTO and $2500 after 1 year. ~ Fire: same as non uniform and also get increases after 1 year, 3 years, and 6 years. In Conclusion It takes ALL departments to run the City. In the budget process, we strive to allocate resources in a manner that is beneficial to the health and well being of the citizens of Jacksonville. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Arkansas MUnicipal League Winter Conference Mayor Elmore stated the Arkansas Municipal League Winter Conference registration are now open and will be January 10ili-12ili. Downtown Committee Council Member Dietz mentioned another Downtown Committee being formed, adding he will present to Council, probably at the next meeting, those who may be on the Committee to start. He shared that they will come up with some ideas and projects they believe will help the City grow. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:50 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 7 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:27 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 October 19, 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: Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT SEVEN (7) ABSENT THREE (3). Council Member Dietz, Mashburn, and Rains were absent. 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, and Johnny Simpson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of September 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 September 7, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for September 2023. SEPTEMBER PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 24 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 29 61 59 21 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden Ray to approve the regular monthly report for September 2023, reflecting a fire loss of $2,700.00 and a savings total of $209,500.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for September 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report as presented for September 2023. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2023 Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 53 113 6:00 P.M. -6:27 P.M. 429 Demolition by City 205 Demolition by Owner 39 Parking Violations 133 Garbage Cans Tagged 16 Basketball Goals 5 Structures Inspected 33 Apartment Complexes Inspected 8 Red Tags Issued 0 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 Shopping Carts Signs REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANI~ CONTROL 0 0 0 0 0 599 16 1 0 26 8 6 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly reports for August and September 2023. AUGUST: ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL $ Vet Bills paid by City not spay/neuter Vet Bills paid by JFOTA not spay/neuter $ SEPTEMBER: ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Best Friends Animal Rescue Grant Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL $ 3,135.00 3,135.00 3,135.00 1,110.00 1,507.26 4,642.26 13,333.14 3,355.00 3,355.00 50.00 225.00 3,080.00 969.17 27 ,865.58 28,834.75 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:27 P.M. PLANNING COMMISSION: a. FINAL PLAT Pleasant Oaks Subdivision This final plat approval was combined with the following item b. b. FINAL PLAT Northlake Subdivision PH XIIB Council Member Bolden moved to approve the final plats of Pleasant Oaks Subdivision and Northlake Subdivision Phase XIIB. City Engineer Adam Whitlow confirmed there are no outstanding issues with these plats. Council Member Ray seconded the motion to approve. MOTION CARRIED. COMMITTEE (S): DEVIATION IN AGENDA: GENERAL: b. PRESENTATION of 2022 Audit by Forvis David Coleman, an audit partner with Forvis, presented slides of financial highlights from the 2022 audit. He stated the unassigned fund balance for the General Fund was $9.1 million, representing about 36% of the budgeted expenditures next year. He explained current year change in unassigned fund balance is $100,000.00. He noted the City has five pension funds; two Police, two Fire, and APERS (Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System), that will fluctuate based upon market performance. He confirmed they are well-funded, but can still expect slight variances from year to year. He mentioned the liabilities did go up a bit, but the market was not normal the past few years and should smooth out the next year or two. He brought up the OPES (Other Post-Employee Benefits), that includes a health insurance plan for retirees, had a liability of $1.8 million last year and $1.1 million this year. He related that the plan is not funded, so the City pays as they go; the only way to reduce it is to reduce your benefits or fund a trust, which he does not recommend. He reported a very clean audit with no issues then brought up that their standard-setting body came up with new rules to implement in the next few years. He related that the GFOA (Government Finance Officers Association) says 20% is good for unassigned fund balance. Council Member Sansing stated the City has always tried to keep 160-day reserve balance, recalling it has been down to 47 days previously. c. ORDINANCE 1741 (#25-2023) AN ORDINANCE TO SET ADDITIONAL MILLAGE TAX RATES TO BE ESTABLISHED IN 2024 FOR THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Mayor Elmore confirmed this is setting the yearly millage tax rate and the rates are not changing. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray Ordinance 1741 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1741. 3 to place McCleary, Whereupon CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:27 P.M. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 17 41 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1741 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 1741 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1741 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1741 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1741 (#25-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 19TB DAY OF OCTOBER, 2023. a. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE 1742 (#26-2023) AN ORDINANCE CONDEMNING STRUCTURES AND REAL PROPERTY AT THE LOCATION NOTED BELOW IN JACKSONVILLE , ARKANSAS, FOR STRUCTURAL DEFECTS , DEFICIENCIES, AND PUBLIC HAZARD CONDITIONS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Mayor Elmore opened the public hearing at approximately 6:12 p.m. With no one requesting to speak, Mayor Elmore closed the public hearing at approximately 6:13 p.m. Mayor Elmore stated there are 23 properties chosen for condemnation. Council Member Sansing shared that he visited the Code Enforcement Department to look through the property files. He confirmed these need to be demolished, pointing out some look like they could be rehabbed on the outside, but you go inside, and they are totally trashed. City Attorney Friedman confirmed the only difference between the ordinance printed and what was in the packet is the ordinance number. Code Enforcement Supervisor Officer Marissa Barger noted three properties needing removed from the ordinance; 147 Pike Avenue, 108 Marshall Road, and 4 Michelle Lane. She stated 101 Cherry Street is listed third to be demolished, only because 102 East Boulevard keeps having issues with Police calls there. She mentioned a lot of the property owners or descendants are not responding, saying they have tried to contact a lot for close to a year now. Mayor Elmore confirmed 4 Michelle Lane is not included in the ordinance. Officer Barger brought up that the budget for the remaining of this year may demolish 3-5 properties, however, they will carry over and begin with the new budget next year for the remaining. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:27 P.M. Council Member Sansing stressed they need to budget Code the money to get the eyesores out of town, because they are next to good, taxpaying citizens. Officer Barger noted 122 Pike Avenue should also be removed from the ordinance. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to place Ordinance 1742 AS AMENDED on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansi ng, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1 742. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 1742 AS AMENDED on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1742 AS AMENDED on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 1742 AS AMENDED on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1742 AS AMENDED on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1742 AS AMENDED in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED . ORDINANCE 1742 (#26-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 19TH DAY OF OCTOBER, 2023, AS AMENDED . APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS : ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:27 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:19 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 November 2, 2023 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Council Member Ray delivered the invocation and Mayor Elmore led a standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiancen to the flag. ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE (9) ABSENT ONE (1). Council Member Bolden was absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, IT Director Emily Osment, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, and Johnny Simpson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of October 19, 2023 for approval and/or correction at t~e next regularly scheduled meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to APPROVE the minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of September 21, 2023. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA : WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT : FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT : SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: a. RESOLUTION 840 (#09-2023) A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE TO RENEW THE CONTRACT OF OBLIGATION WITH THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. City Engineer Adam Whitlow stated every five years the City renews the contract with ADEQ for the permitted compost facility. He explained like landfills, they are required to set aside funds to close it if we ever decide to. He noted for the last two renewals, the amount did not change, but they have now .requested at least 15% be added, since costs have risen. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to read Resolution 840 (#09-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 840 (#09-2023) . 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:19 P.M. Engineer Whitlow confirmed this is only a precaution and not an amount they will be paying guaranteed. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to adopt Resolution 840 (#09-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. b. ORDINANCE 1743 (#27-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE 2023 FISCAL BUDGET; MAKING MODIFIED APPROPRIATIONS AND AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURES FOR OPERATION OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF CITY GOVERNMENT AND THE PURCHASE OF ~TERIALS, SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES; COVERING GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES . Finance Director Cheryl Erkel shared that every year at budget time she always goes in to review our actual revenues and expenditures for the current year and compares it to what was originally budgeted, and by law, if there is a 5% or more increase or decrease in revenues or expenditures, then an amended budget has to be prepared. She stated the insurance money received from the tornado is in a nonbudgeted fund, so it is not represented here. She surmised they have received $2.25 million. She noted the General Fund revenue had a 6% increase and an 88% increase on expenditures. She explained that a lot of it is tornado related, pointing out the insurance money is in the Capital Improvement Plan, but a lot of it came through the General Fund which is going to be reimbursed by FEMA. She confirmed we have not received the FEMA money yet, and the likelihood we will receive it this year is slim to none, because normally it takes a while for FEMA to reimburse. She related the insurance money basically covered the expenses for Dupree Park, but any other expenses we incurred throughout the City were not covered by that insurance, but would be covered from FEMA. She clarified that the Director of Administration Department budget of $190.00 is for the unemployment and workers compensation insurance for the CDBG Director. She mentioned amending it to $4, 190. 00 because there were some contract services to renovate the CDBG building, so those funds came out of this account instead of coming out of HUD funds. She explained that CDBG is coded as a Department 26 under CDBG and this is Department 26 in the General Fund. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Mashburn to place Ordinance 1743 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1743. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 1743 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1743 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Director Erkel pointed out that the major reduction in the Police Department budget is because they originally budget for all positions to be filled, but the amended reflects the actual projections, taking into account the unfilled positions throughout the year. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 2, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:19 P.M. Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House confirmed they are waiting on the State for FEMA reimbursement, because the money comes from FEMA through the State, then to the City. Director Erkel noted the FEMA funds will be put in as grant revenue in the 2024 budget. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 1743 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1743 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1743 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1743 (#27-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2~ DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2023. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: When Council Member Rains inquired about a camera system presentation on a previous agenda, Police Chief Brett Hibbs related he can do it any time, but the person who was more familiar with it moved out of state. NEW BUSINESS : ANNOUNCEMENTS: Trunk or Treat Council Member McCleary thanked the Parks and Recreation anyone else who was involved in the Trunk or Treat event, phenomenal. Department and because it was ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:19 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, -<7/£~., --~LMORE 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:59 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in session on November 16, 2023 at the regular meeting place of Council. Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor a standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. a regular the City Elmore led ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE Mashburn was absent. Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL ( 9) ABSENT ONE ( 1) . Council Member Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Director Emily Osment, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, Assistant Public Work1:> Director Randy Watkins, and Johnny Simpson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of November 2, 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 McCleary that the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meetinq of October 19, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for October 2023. OCTOBER PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 16 REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 50 61 55 45 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden Ray to approve the regular monthly report for October 2023, reflecting a fire loss of $0.00 and a savings total of $0.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report for October 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly report as presented for October 2023. 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 16, 2023 Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned Structures Rehabbed 42 153 6:00 P.M. -6:59 P.M. 367 Demolition by City 186 Demolition by Owner 55 Parking Violations 157 Garbage Cans Tagged 49 Basketball Goals 8 Structures Inspected 54 Apartment Complexes Inspected 12 Red Tags Issued 0 Search Warrants 20 Grass Mowed 0 Signs Removed Shopping Carts REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANI~ CONTROL 0 0 4 0 0 551 0 1 1 0 0 1 Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the regular monthly reports for October 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Best Friends Animal Rescue Grant Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL $ 2,915.00 2,915.00 530.00 2,385.00 3,985.00 8,187.63 12,172.63 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT : FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: Camera system demonstration by Chief Hibbs Police Chief Brett Hibbs and Sergeant Drew Byford demonstrated how the Police Department uses its 80 Motorola cameras at 20 different locations to monitor activity and investi gate crimes throughout the City. Sgt. Byford demonstrated the capabilities of the cameras, mentioning license plate readers, unusual traffic/parking detection, sound detection, and color search options for vehicles and clothing. He then showed a few examples of useful footage the cameras have recorded. STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE(S): 2 GENERAL: RESOLUTION 841 (#10-2023) CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 16, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:59 P.M. A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF SALE DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE FOR CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN (GENERAL LOCATION-312 SOUTH OAK); AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Mayor Elmore stated he was contacted by Mr. Herd, who is the property owner beside this lot. He confirmed the City has no issue with selling it. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to read Resolution 841 (#10-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 841 (#10-2023) . Mayor Elmore noted it will be sold for $750.00, just like the other lots the City sold in that general area. Council Member Rains moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to adopt Resolution 841 (#10-2023) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to SUSPEND THE RULES and DISCUSS the 2024 preliminary budget. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz , Bolden, McCleary, and Rains voted AYE . MOTION FAILED with Council Member Sansing, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voting NAY and Council Member Ray voting to ABSTAIN. ANNOUNCEMENTS : ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor E1more adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:59 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 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 December 7, 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, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT NINE (9) ABSENT ONE (1). Council Member Mashburn was absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Fire Chief Alan Laughy, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, City Engineer Adam Whitlow, CDBG Director Michelle Spencer, Assistant City Clerk Emilia Vazquez, IT Support Assistant Shawn Sutterfield, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, and Johnny Simpson. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of November 16, 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 November 2, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to approve the regular monthly report for November 2023. NOVEMBER PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED Building Permits Business License 12 INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Inspections Electrical Plumbing HVACR 48 56 62 49 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz , Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss , Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. w.ATER DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1744 (#28-2023) AN ORDINANCE MODIFYING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE § 13.16 INCREASING w.ATER USAGE RATES; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Jacksonville Water Works General Manager Jake Short recalled the last time they performed a rate study was in 2008, which led to increases in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, so over a decade has passed where a lot has transpired, such as inflation. He noted during the ten year period from October 2013 to October 2023, inflation was 31.2%, but fire hydrants are at a 90% increase today versus 2013. He added that Chlorine gas was 66 cents a pound in 2013, 1 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. but is now $2.09 a pound; an over 200% increase. He mentioned Act 605 of 2021 mandating water providers to do rate studies every five years and to implement those results. He told how Central Arkansas Water, who they buy 80% of their water from, performed a rate study showing they need to raise rates up to 50% over the next decade. He recalled the Water Department enlisting Shawn Koorn of HDR Engineering to perform the study in 2008, who also worked with Kirby Rowland of Garver Engineering on this one. He shared the results saying they need a 35. 5% increase next year, followed by a 6% increase in 2025, and then three more years at 4%. He gave an example of an average bill being $78.77 that would go to $91.01. He pointed out if they do not implement the results of the study, they will be labeled by the Natural Resources Commission to be in fiscal distress. He explained once labeled, they would have a ninety day period to file an improvement plan, but implementing the rates are basically the only way out of it. He related that being in fiscal distress opens the door to discussions about regionalism, where if they are not able to meet their financial obllydLluns, it could lead to other deficiencies, such as regulations and water quality. Council Member Bolden confirmed they have no choice based on the information to ensure they maintain the consistency of water provided. Council Member Sansing recalled he has been an opponent to every water rate increase, but is not of this one since they have done all he has asked of them to prove the necessity of it. He stressed that we cannot let another entity take over our water system. When Council Member Rains inquired, General Manager Short told how he spoke to the Rotary Club this week to assist in getting the word out regarding this proposal. He stated they were waiting to see how things went tonight and have plans of information going out in the bill as soon as next week. Council Member Rains stressed that citizens should be notified before their bill is increased. General Manager Short recalled stating if there were issues getting this through Council, it would not hurt them badly if they had to prolong it a bit, but he does not recall March being said. He pointed out it would not be ideal to wait a month because they are up against budget so January pt is what they would like to see. Mr. Rowland added one thing they noticed as they went through this study is at the end of last year, their expenses were exceeding revenues, so while this study was being worked on, the extra expenses were being paid out of reserves. He noted as of this January, every month they have had to pull almost $100,000.00 out of reserve, so at the end of this month, they will have pulled $1.2 million out to where it is pretty much zero, which is not a good situation. He brought up that they do not want to delay this too long, or they will not be able to make their expenses, explaining that is one reason they talked about starting in January. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. Council Member Bolden stressed that they are not trying to take money from people, but these are guidelines handed down and they must cover the water. Council Member Rains applauded the thorough report and understands the situation, but they all represent Jacksonville, where the average median take-home pay is sitting $10,000.00 below the State median, so she knows the citizens cannot afford this. She reiterated they should be afforded a notice before the rates are raised. When Mayor Elmore questioned if there is a way to promote this, General Manager Short responded that the bills for this week have already gone out, but it can go out next Friday in the next set of bills. He brought up reaching out to local news media and using that as a mechanism. He related that their front office employees have information accessible regarding charitable, community, and faith-based organizations that could help people experiencing hardships paying their bill. He mentioned their vendor agreement with the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program being extended until September 2024. He was unsure if the Program is offered to new applicants. Mayor Elmore noted possible County agencies to help and also CDBG funds. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1744 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing 1 Ray, Moss, Twitty 1 Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1744. Council Member Rains moved to remove the emergency clause on Ordinance 1744 (#28-2023). MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF SECOND. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to APPROVE Ordinance 17 4 4 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1744 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 17 4 4 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1744 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. Council Member Twitty moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1744 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. 3 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. ORDINANCE 1744 (#28-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 7TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2023. ~TE~TER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT : POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: ORDINANCE 1747 (31-2023) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODES REGARDING SANITATION PROVISIONS FOR THE JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. to place Bolden, MOTION 1747. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary Ordinance 1747 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance City Engineer Adam Whitlow stated they are requesting a $2.00 per month increase with the residential rate going from $15.50 to $17.50 and commercial rate going from $26.00 to $28.00. He noted an additional container is going from $7.00 to $8.00 per container, commercial dumpster rates going from $7.00 to $9.00, and a replacement container going from $60.00 to $75.00. Council Member Dietz mentioned dumping fees rising, adding for what the City services provide compared to what the citizens pay is an excellent value. Engineer Whitlow recalled it has been thirteen years since a rate increase, and since then, the City has absorbed eight increases from Waste Management. He detailed how that increase alone, not counting inflation, accounts for about a 26% increase in the fees the City has to absorb. He feels like the City does more with less than any municipality he has compared it with, noting the weekly bulk i tern pickup is very unusual to offer as a standard service. Council Member Rains related that the issue is that over 50% of the households in Jacksonville are sitting below the poverty line and these rates will hit bills in January next year, giving no time for households to amend their budgets to try to make things work. Council Member Ray called for the question and discussion ended. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 17 4 7 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1747 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. 4 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE Ordinance 17 4 7 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1747 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. Council Member Sansing noted that the City of Little Rock just suspended their waste pickup; that just shows how it is affecting everyone. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council ADOPT Ordinance 1747 in its entirety. ROLL Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. Member Bolden to APPROVE AND CALL: Council Member Dietz, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden that the EMERGENCY CLAUSE be approved and adopted. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED with Council Member Rains voting NAY. ORDINANCE 1747 (#31-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 7TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2023. PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: a. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE 1745 (#29-2023) AN ORDINANCE CREATING AND CERTIFYING TAX LIENS AGAINST REAL PROPERTIES AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS WITHIN THE CITY FOR BALANCES DUE FROM SERVICES RENDERED BY AND/OR ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Mayor Elmore opened the public hearing at approximately 6:35 p.m. Angelina Smith, General Manager for Sully's Cabinets and Construction and Sullivan Investment Properties, stated they are the company that has been building the duplexes on Bailey, Hickory, Ellis, and Trickey Lane. She explained one question she has for Code is where are they getting their information on who owns the properties, because there was a citation issued to their property on Hickory, although it was erroneous since it was meant for East Hickory, the original citation was sent to someone who had not owned the property for approximately six months at that time. She detailed how it was sent to the previous owner, not to Sullivan Investment Properties, so they were never notified until they got the lien warning letter. Lieutenant Ryan Wright stated the owner information they get is linked directly with Pagis, recalling the system has not updated as fast as it should have at one time. He explained once they send a letter out, the address and owner follows the case and the owner is supposed to disclose it to the buyer prior to the sale of the property. 5 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. When Council Member Dietz mentioned that the title company should have caught it during closing, Ms. Smith related they check for tax liens and are not checking for Code Enforcement, so they are now checking it themselves. Lt. Wright mentioned they typically file liens from October to December, but now they are going to file every month so they can keep the records updated. Ms. Smith brought up that the Bailey Street issue were violations from the Spring of 2022, which should not be levied in the Fall/Winter of 2023. Mayor Elmore closed the public hearing at approximately 6:44 p.m. Council Member McCleary moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to place Ordinance 1745 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read tha heading of Ordinance 1745. Mayor Elmore noted one correction on Exhibit A that is the removal of Shelby Properties LLC 1400 North Jeff Davis Street, so that property is not being considered here for condemnation. Council Member Dietz pointed out that these are four pages of a lot of money the City is having to spend for citizens that are not paying back. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE Ordinance 17 45 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1745 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to APPROVE Ordinance 1745 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1745 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, ADOPT Ordinance 1745 in Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, MOTION CARRIED. seconded by Council Member Sansing to APPROVE AND its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. ORDINANCE 1745 (#29-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 7m DAY OF DECEMBER, 2023 . b. RESOLUTION 842 (#11-2023) RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF JACKSONVILLE CERTIFYING LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENDORSEMENT OF SIG SAUER, INC. TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TAX BACK PROGRAM (AS AUTHORIZED BY SECTION 15-4-2706 (d) OF THE CONSOLIDATED INCENTIVE ACT OF 2003); DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, AS FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 6 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Rains to read Resolution 842 (#11-2023). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 842 (#11-2023) . Mayor Elmore stated they are bringing 625 new jobs, but there is no direct monetary benefit associated with this. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to adopt Resolution 842 (#11-2023) in its entirety. Mayor Elmore explained that Sig Sauer is an international firearms company who has a manufacturing plant for ammunition located here and this tax back program is for no longer than four years, only applying to construction materials associated with the building they are doing now. MOTION CARRIED at this time. c. ORDINANCE 1746 (#30-2023) AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A FISCAL BUDGET FOR 2024; MAKING APPROPRIATIONS AND AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURES FOR OPERATION OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF CITY GOVERNMENT; FOR THE PURCHASE OF ~TERIALS, SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES COVERING GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS, STREET FUND, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FUND, SHOOTING RANGE FUND, AND SANITATION FUND; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to place Ordinance 1746 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1746. Finance Director Cheryl Erkel related that she increased the County sales tax by 2%, because the highway construction does not really affect it. She detailed that she only increased the City sales tax by $200,000.00 because they may not be physically going into the businesses, but they are still doing online purchases where we get sales tax from that. She noted the increase in Parks and Recreation's revenue from last year is because Dupree Park is up and running now to bring in revenue again. Council Member Rains shared her deep concerns with the construction, citizens choosing to go to Cabot or Sherwood Walmart instead, and that the projected increases will not come into fruition. Mayor Elmore noted that with the cost of goods increasing, the amount of what the City will be receiving in sales tax is also increasing; what we lose in volume, we are making up because prices are going up on everything. He shared this past year budget came in $1.2-$1.5 million over what they thought it was going to be this year. Director Erkel clarified that the budget is a working document, not set in stone, and can be amended to ensure they do not overspend revenues coming in. 7 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 7, 2023 6:00 P.M. -7:04 P.M. When Council Member McCleary inquired about an Economic Developer position, Mayor Elmore replied that they budgeted for the hiring one for the City. He stated they have had the services of one through the Chamber of Commerce, funded through the A & P Commission, but they will be moving the position to the City. He related the A & P Commission is still going to give the same amount of money that was going towards that salary and the City has budgeted $45,000.00 to go towards finishing out the rest needed. Council Member Di etz brought up his concern with the court fines revenue. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Twitty to APPROVE Ordinance 17 4 6 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1746 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Mc..:Clei::IL'Y Lu APPROVE Ordinance 17 4 6 on SECOND READING and SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1746 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Council Member Sansing moved, seconded by Council Member McCleary to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1746 in its entirety. ROLL CALL: Council Member Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Sansing, Ray, Moss, Twitty, Kinman, and Rains voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1746 (#30-2023) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 7TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2023. APPOINTMENTS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS : ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:04 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ~----0 ·FF ELMORE 8 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:06 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING -CITY HALL -#1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in session on December 21, 2023 at the regular meeting place of Council. Council Member Bolden delivered the invocation and Mayor a standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. a regular the City Elmore led ROLL CALL: City Council Members: Dietz, Bolden, McCleary, Ray, Mashburn, Moss, Twitty, and Kinman answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Elmore also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT EIGHT (8) ABSENT TWO (2). Council Members Sansing and Rains were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Police Chief Brett Hibbs, IT Director Emily Osment, Communications Director Emily Sundermeier, and CDBG Director Michelle Spencer. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Elmore presented the minutes of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of December 7, 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 November 16, 2023 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for November 2023, reflecting a fire loss of $0.00 and a savings total of $0.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report for November 2023 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/CODE ENFORCEMENT Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly report as presented for November 2023. Assigned Calls Self-Initiated Calls Follow Up Inspections Complied after Notice Three Day Notice Seven Day Letter Citation Letters Mailed Citations Issued Vehicles Tagged Vehicles Towed Unsafe Structures Tagged Structures Condemned 23 81 258 Demolition by City 124 Demolition by Owner 29 Parking Violations 99 Garbage Cans Tagged 25 Basketball Goals 7 Structures Inspected 31 Apartment Complexes Inspected 0 Red Tags Issued 2 Search Warrants 0 Grass Mowed 0 0 0 0 0 362 7 1 2 0 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 21, 2023 Structures Rehabbed 0 6:00 P.M. -6:06 P.M. Signs Removed Shopping Carts REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANI~ CONTROL 109 5 Council Member Bolden moved, seconded by Council Member Ray to approve the regular monthly reports for November 2023. ADOPTION FEES $ SPAY/NEUTER FOR ADOPTED DOGS Paid by the City of Jacksonville Best Friends Animal Rescue Grant Paid for by JFOTA FINES CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL $ 2,640.00 2,640.00 480.00 2,160.00 520.00 31557.85 41077.85 ROLL CALL: Council Member: Dietz 1 Bolden, McCleary 1 Ray 1 Mashburn, Moss , Twitty, and Kinman voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: COMMITTEE (S) : GENERAL: Approval of 2nd CARES Act Substantial Amendment to CDBG 2020 Annual Action Plan (AAP) CDBG Director Michelle Spencer stated she put forth the public notice on December 6th and 13th for the substantial amendment of the Annual Action Plan for 2020. She explained they had a public comment period of December 14th-20th requesting a substantial amendment to the CDBG 2020 CV funds. She noted this request should have been made after the second wave of Covid funds were released in 2020, and in order to be in compliance with HUD, this 2nct substantial amendment is needed. She confirmed once approved, it will be updated in the system to reflect the new activities, explaining the necessity during the pandemic is why these changes were made. She related this was before she was CDBG Director and she is just trying to ensure they are in compliance with HUD when they come back to possibly monitor the financials. She clarified that this was allocated in 2020 in response to the pandemic, noting there were two waves issued at separate times. She explained the Director at that time put forth the substantial amendment for the first wave, which was about $124 1 000.00, and allocated it for economic development. She pointed out they did not have a lot of people put forth the effort to start a small business since there was strict criteria and a lot of the companies that applied were not approved. She mentioned they saw a greater need for public services, such as rent, utility, and food assistance programs. 2 CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 21, 2023 6:00 P.M. -6:06 P.M. The Jacksonville City Council then approved the 2nd CARES Act Substantial Amendment to CDBG 2020 Annual Action Plan (AAP) as presented by consensus. APPOINTMENTS: CENTRAL ARKANSAS LIBRARY SYSTEM BOARD Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the reappointment of Jennifer Jamison for a term to expire 12/31/2026. MOTION CARRIED. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member. Bolden to approve the reappointments of Ava Coleman for a term to expire 05/09/2027 and Tony Gordon for a term to expire 05/09/2028. MOTION CARRIED. ADVERTISING & PROMOTION COMMISSION Council Member Ray moved, seconded by Council Member Bolden to approve the appointment of Kayla Hawkins for a term to expire 03/31/2027. MOTION CARRIED. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: ANNOUNCEMENTS : ADJOURNMENT: Without objectipn, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:06 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, -- 3