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99 NOV 04.DOC CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 4, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING - CITY HALL - #1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in Regular Session on November 4, 1999 at the regular meeting place of the Council. Mayor Swaim delivered the invocation after which he led the standing audience in the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. ROLL CALL: ALDERMEN: Elliott, Smith, Gentry, Ray, Wilson, Fletcher, Williamson and Howard answered ROLL CALL. Alderman Twitty arrived at approximately 7:03 p.m. Mayor Swaim also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT nine (9), ABSENT one (1). Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Robert E. Bamburg, Deputy City Clerk Melanie Green, Human Resource Director Dennis Four, Director of Administration Murice Green, City Engineer Duane Reel, Finance Director Paul Mushrush, OECD Director Frank Rowland, Purchasing Agent C. J. Brown, Police Chief Hibbs, Fire Chief Vanderhoof, Parks and Recreation Director George Biggs, OECD Administrative Assistant Geri Prince, Business Incubator Program Manager Kay Phillips, Mrs. Judy Swaim, Mrs. DeDe Hibbs, Police Lieutenant Martin Cass, Patriot Reporter Peggy Koury, Democrat- Gazette Reporter Larry Ault, and interested citizens. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Swaim presented the minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of October 21, 1999 for approval and/or correction at the next Regular City Council Meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Alderman Smith moved, seconded by Alderman Fletcher that the minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of October 7, 1999 and the minutes of the Special City Council Meeting of September 8, 1999 be approved. MOTION CARRIED. DEVIATION IN AGENDA: Mayor Swaim opened the advertised public hearing concerning CDBG 2000 Budget Programs. Mayor Swaim related that Council members have a list of proposed projects and then introduced OECD Director Frank Rowland for project presentation. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. Mr. Rowland gave a slide presentation outlining the spending of CDBG money for the year 1999 and the anticipated budget spending 1 for the year 2000. He related a total expenditure in 1999 of $433,643.00 with a break down of Community Development (21%), Public Improvements (28%), Rehabilitation (27%), Administration (12%) and Job Creation (12%) as the focal spending points of 1999. He then presented the anticipated year 2000 budget of $327,000.00 and the break down to be Rehabilitation (36%), Administration (20%), Community Development (15%), Job Creation (15%) and Public Improvements (14%). Mr. Rowland explained that more money was available in 1999 because in addition to the $327,000.00 received they were also working with money from the previous year. In response to questions from Alderman Wilson, Mr. Rowland explained that most of the Rehab money is being spent in the Sunnyside area, adding that requests come from other sections of the City but that the majority is from the Sunnyside area. Mr. Rowland presented the Council with a list of public improvement items and the costs of these projects which were proposed by citizens at two prior public hearings. These projects include: 1) Playground equipment for Sunnyside area children (Galloway Park) at a cost of $20,132.00. 2) Playground equipment for Henry Estate area children (Excell Park) at a cost of $29,848.00. 3) Playground equipment for Henry Estate area children (Johnson Park) at a cost of $27,201.00. 4) Up date athletic equipment for area children (Fireman Park Graham Road) at a cost of $16,000.00. 5) Purchase of land for Civil War Memorial Park (S. Bayou Meto) at a cost of $25,000.00. 6) Purchase building for museum on history of Jacksonville (Target Warehouse) at a cost of $100,000.00. 7) Improve the appearance of the school be installing curbs (Sharp Street Middle School) at a cost of $85,000.00. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. 8) Install sidewalk on Madden Rd. for children to use to walk to the high school (Northeastern to Linda Lane) at a cost of $75,000.00. 9) Provide standardized containers for City trash pickup (Sunnyside) at a cost of $10,000.00. 2 10) Purchase materials for fixing the football field used by the Henry Estate's Neighborhood Youth Program (Viking Stadium Ray Road) at a cost of $30,000.00. Mr. Rowland explained that the proposed land purchase for a Civil War Memorial Park and building for a museum of Jacksonville's history do not meet with HUD requirements for low to moderate income areas. He said that these projects were included on the list so not to exclude any project that the citizens proposed and because he feels they are really good projects. Mr. Rowland asked that Council review and prioritize items on the list. He stated that the listed projects are more than $400,000.00 and that only $78,000.00 has been allocated so prioritizing is important. Mayor Swaim read and explained the list to the audience and asked if anyone would like to be heard concerning projects for CDBG funds. Alderman Howard stated he would like to include a sidewalk as part of the playground equipment for Sunnyside area children. He related there is no sidewalk into the area at present. Mayor Swaim explained that the area in question is the depth of one lot and can be worked in. At approximately 7:10 p.m. Mayor Swaim declared the Public Hearing closed. RESUME AGENDA: CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL Alderman Smith moved, seconded by Alderman Ray to APPROVE the monthly Animal Control Report for October 1999. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. Report reflects the following: REVENUES..................................$ 542.00 CONTRIBUTIONS.............................$ .00 ADOPTIONS/FINES...........................$ 542.00 TOTAL.....................................$ 542.00 ROLL CALL: Alderman: Elliott, Smith, Gentry, Ray, Wilson, Fletcher, Williamson, Twitty, and Howard voted AYE. Nay (0). Motion received nine (9) affirmative votes, (0) negative votes. MOTION CARRIED. 3 WATER DEPARTMENT: WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT: FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: Street Striping Bid Mayor Swaim explained that only one bid was received. In response to a question from Alderman Fletcher concerning a list of streets, Mayor Swaim explained that all paved streets go on a list and then the Engineering and Public Works Departments select other streets that have faded paint and add them to the list. Alderman Elliott asked if Time Striping Inc. has worked for the City previously and Murice Green responded that they did striping for the City two years ago. Mayor Swaim called for a motion to approve the low bid from Time Striping Inc. for .059 cents per foot and $6.00 for each raised pavement marker with funds to be drawn from Street Department Funding. Alderman Elliott moved, seconded by Alderman Smith to approve the recommended low bid from Time Striping Inc. for $11,297.58. MOTION CARRIED. PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT: PLANNING COMMISSION: CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. GENERAL: a. APPROVAL FOR ENGINEER CONSULTANT/GOSHEN ST. SEWER PROJECT Alderman Ray stated that the item has been before Council previously and explained that the project will cover five houses and the Johnson Park area that do not currently have City sewer services. He also stated that the Engineering firm of MSE is very comfortable with designing and working the project. Mayor Swaim explained that CDBG funds are already set aside for this project. Alderman Ray moved, seconded by Alderman Gentry to approve the hiring of a consultant for the Goshen Street sewer project. MOTION CARRIED. c. CENSUS 2000 PRESENTATION Mayor Swaim recognized Human Resource Director Dennis Foor for the 4 presentation. Mr. Foor explained that letters were sent to civic area groups and organizations requesting an opportunity to meet and discuss Census efforts. He then related that several meetings have already been scheduled over the next few months and that the Patriot and Leader Newspapers have agreed to fill blank spaces in their publications with "Census 2000 is coming" to help raise public awareness. Mr. Foor also stated that he and Annabell Davis have and are continuing to meet with Mr. Seymore of the Little Rock Census to ensure better ways of making a complete count. He said that the most important step in Census efforts is the formulation of a Complete Census Committee known as the CCC. He related that a meeting is scheduled for November 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center and is open to everyone. He stated that a cross section of City inhabitants is needed and should include but not be limited to educational, cultural, ethnic, religious, political, economic, geographic, business, residential, and any other identifiable group to be counted. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. He asked that Council members nominate individuals from their respective wards to be representatives of these groups and serve on the Complete Census Committee. Mr. Foor related that a November meeting is scheduled with Dr. Gary Smith from the Pulaski County Special School District regarding the use of educational materials in the schools. He stated that awareness by the children will follow them home and flow over. He related meeting with school principals on November 5th to ensure that grades K - 12th have complete packages for incorporation into lesson plans. Mayor Swaim related that it is critical everyone be counted in the Census and asked each Council member to pick someone to represent that ward on the Census committee. Alderman Wilson questioned the time involved with the entire committee process, and Mr. Foor explained that Census letters will go out in February and counting starts in April. Mr. Foor also explained that the committee will meet as often as possible based on the feedback they receive, adding that they may need to meet more often based on the level of involvement they get. Mayor Swaim reiterated the importance of a complete count, explaining that every citizen counts in many ways regarding funds coming back into the City. 5 In response to a question from Alderman Smith, Mayor Swaim explained that the City did not have this type of committee in the past, pointing out that previous Census efforts were conducted by the Lyons Club who went door to door distributing information to help educate the public. d. FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS FOR SALARY STUDY Human Resource Director Dennis Foor made the recommendation that the Police and Fire entry level grade be raised one level to help attract quality individuals in the starting employment process and that as of January 2000 the starting point will be $20,792.00. He then recommended that Police Officers and Firefighters that have CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. not yet received their one-year certification be taken to the midpoint also. He stated that new employees next year begin at the $20,792.00 with one-year employment be moved to the full midpoint along with all employees. Mayor Swaim explained that the recommendation addresses the issue of compression. Mr. Foor then related that the addition of a pay grade for Master Police Officer and Fire Department Sr. Hoseman is not a level of supervision or promotion but a pay grade which will be a grade 22 or $25,966.00. He explained that this is a recommended automatic pay level for six years seniority. He then related that comparison results of the same cities as used in the basic survey revealed that elected official positions were recommended an increase of 12% for the Mayor's position, 26.2% for Aldermen and a 49.7% increase for the City Clerk, adding that the City Attorney went down one thousand dollars. He then related that the salary for the Judge is close to the top end by law. Mayor Swaim related that the request for recommendation regarding elected official’s salaries came from a department and the recommendation results have not been proposed for implementation. Mr. Foor addressed holiday pay relating that he re-surveyed the thirteen cities in the salary study and found that seven of those cities consider their holiday pay separate and not part of their annual salary. He stated that basically with considerations for holiday pay ranging from $1,074.00 to $871.00 and averaging out to be $900.00 plus, the pay scale came out to be $82.00 dollars above the recommended midpoint from the consultants. 6 VOLUNTEERS FOR PLANNING COMMISSION LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE Mayor Swaim related that the Planning Commission has asked for volunteers to serve on the Landscape or Green/space committee. Aldermen Fletcher and Gentry volunteered and it was suggested that Council be notified of the committee meeting. Mayor Swaim pointed out that the committee will report progress back during the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meetings. INTERNET SALES AND IMPACT Mayor Swaim referred to an article regarding internet sales which are expected to be at a total of 5.7 billion dollars for 1999 and related concerns for the effect to local sales tax. He related efforts at a national level regarding internet sales and its impact. ENTERGY SEMINAR Mayor Swaim then related that there are two available slots regarding a seminar sponsored by Entergy concerning incubator programs Tuesday November 16th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. He related that Dan Steadman, Chamber/Economic Development will be in attendance and encouraged attendance from some of the elected officials. SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS Alderman Wilson related that the new Parkview Subdivision is a good addition to the community but questioned the absence of sidewalks. City Engineer Reel stated that when the subdivision was first presented in the spring, sidewalks were not mentioned and it was not made a requirement. He related that approval was granted to proceed with construction without sidewalks, adding that it is his understanding that all future subdivision will be required to have sidewalks five feet wide. Alderman Wilson questioned if the subdivision should be approved by Council if the City has to become responsible for future sidewalk construction. City Engineer Reel related the subdivision will not be presented to the City Council for final approval until all improvements are completed with letters of acceptance from the utilities. Discussion ensued regarding addition of sidewalks and final consideration to be from the Council. Director of Administration Murice Green related that he presented the Master Sidewalk Plan to the Planning Commission during the previous regular meeting. He then related that the Commission expressed concerns for sidewalks requirements in residential areas and requested additional information regarding the minimum requirements. He stated that he will be presenting additional 7 information to the Planning Commission for their consideration. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. Discussion ensued as to ADA requirements for sidewalks regarding width and slope. Alderman Wilson recommended that the developers of the Parkview Subdivision know that the sentiment of the Council is approval with condition of sidewalk construction. City Engineer Reel related three scenarios for sidewalk construction regarding subdivision development. Other discussion ensued as to the requirement of sidewalks in the Parkview Subdivision. WATER RATE INCREASE In response to a question posed by Alderman Fletcher, Mayor Swaim related that the proposed increase for water usage will be substantial. He stated that the increase could be as much as seven dollars plus for Jacksonville residents. He explained that North Little Rock purchases water from Little Rock and in turn sells it to the City of Jacksonville at a 50% increase, adding that Jacksonville sells water to Cabot but only charges a 25% increase. He then stated that North Little Rock is trying to get Little Rock to understand that past rate charges have maintained the system in Little Rock. He stated that there is still a lot of on going discussion before the Little Rock Board will make the final decision. OFF-DUTY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS Alderman Fletcher requested that a letter be sent to the Alltel Arena Board asking that Jacksonville Police Officers be extended the opportunity to work off-duty hours at the Alltel Arena since it was a County-wide venture. Mayor Swaim concurred and pointed out the off-duty opportunity that exist in the City. APPOINTMENTS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 04, 1999 7:00 P.M. - 7:35 P.M. ADJOURNMENT: 8 Mayor Swaim, without objection, adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:35 p.m. Respectfully, ___________________________ ____________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR TOMMY SWAIM City Clerk-Treasurer 9