Board of Commissioners

MINUTES of REGULAR MEETING of the BOARD of COMMISSIONERS of the CITY of BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY held AUGUST 19, 2014 The Board of Commissioners of the City of Bowling Green, Kentucky met in regular session in the Commission Chamber of City Hall, Bowling Green, Kentucky at 7:00 p.m. on August 19, 2014. Mayor Bruce Wilkerson called the meeting to order. An invocation was given by Mayor Wilkerson, and all present recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Katie Schaller called the roll, and the following members were present: Commissioner Bill Waltrip, Commissioner Rick Williams, Commissioner Joe W. Denning, Commissioner Melinda M. Hill and Mayor Bruce Wilkerson. Absent: none. There was a full quorum of the Board of Commissioners. AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS City Manager Kevin D. DeFebbo praised the efforts of Chief Accountant Erin Ballou for writing an article published in a professional magazine about ways our Finance Department was continuously working to make improvements and to become more lean. Mayor Wilkerson also recognized Senior Revenue Accountant Sean Weeks for recently becoming a Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO). Operation P.R.I.D.E. Executive Director Angie Alexieff presented the Neighborhood Pride Award to Crestmoor Subdivision for improvements made along the entrance boulevard. Crestmoor neighborhood representative Paula Noffsinger accepted the award and expressed appreciation for the recognition. She also mentioned they would continue making improvements using this year’s SNAP grant funds for decorative sign posts, new solar lighting and additional edging and rock mulch at the entrance. Commissioner Waltrip said he would also like to see some curbing be added to the entrance to keep the new landscaping from being run over. As a resident of this neighborhood, Commissioner Williams thanked everyone for their hard work and dedication for a job well done. CITY MANAGER City Manager DeFebbo requested a closed session for the purpose of discussion concerning a specific proposal as open discussions would jeopardize the upgrading of the business. Motion was made by Hill and seconded by Waltrip to convene in closed session following the regular meeting pursuant to KRS 61.810 (1) (g). Mayor Wilkerson called for roll call vote. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Motion to convene in closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810 (1) (g) was approved by unanimous vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of Regular Meeting August 5, 2014 Minutes of the above-referenced meeting were distributed to the Board of Commissioners with the Agenda for their review. Motion was made by Hill and seconded by Williams to approve said minutes as written. Mayor Wilkerson asked for discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. *Note: Minutes are a summary of the discussions; a video recording of this entire meeting is maintained by the Office of City Clerk. (Minutes-Board of Commissioners-August 19, 2014) ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of August 5, 2014 was approved by unanimous vote. PUBLIC COMMENTS Judy Hodges, Forest Park neighborhood resident, voiced concerns about code enforcement and animal control issues in her neighborhood, more specifically the operation of puppy mills, cat hoarders and continued violations of the City’s property maintenance code. And, she provided pictures to further illustrate these concerns. Ms. Hodges thanked the Board for all the City has done in the past for Forest Park, but she feels more needs to be done to address these problems and urged the Board to consider finding ways for Code Enforcement Officers to more easily gain access to someone’s property. She surmised that if we do not give them more authority then they cannot do their jobs effectively. Ms. Hodges also expressed disappointment with the recent change of taking Animal Control Officers out from under the Police Department and moving them under Neighborhood and Community Services, Code Enforcement Division. She believed having animal control under the Police Department added more credibility to the function. Mayor Wilkerson thanked Ms. Hodges for bringing these issues forward and agreed the properties should be kept up and comply with the law. REGULAR AGENDA ORDINANCE NO. BG2014 – 22 (Second Reading) ORDINANCE REZONING REAL ESTATE ORDINANCE REZONING TRACTS OF LAND CONTAINING 54.33 ACRES FROM AG (AGRICULTURE) AND RS-1A (SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL) TO P (PUBLIC) AND F (FLOOD PLAIN) LOCATED BETWEEN DISHMAN LANE AND CAVE MILL ROAD, AND 4.12 ACRES FRONTING CAVE MILL ROAD, BETWEEN CAVE MILL ROAD AND DISHMAN LANE, FROM AG (AGRICULTURE) TO GB (GENERAL BUSINESS) AND F (FLOOD PLAIN), PRESENTLY OWNED BY FRIENDS OF THE LOST RIVER, INC., WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY AND WARREN COUNTY FISCAL COURT Title and summary of Ordinance No. BG2014 - 22 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Waltrip and seconded by Hill for second reading of said Ordinance. Mayor Wilkerson asked for discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Ordinance No. BG2014 - 22 was adopted by unanimous vote. 2 (Minutes-Board of Commissioners-August 19, 2014) MUNICIPAL ORDER NO. 2014 – 169 MUNICIPAL ORDER APPROVING THE PROBATIONARY APPOINTMENTS OF JACOB A. BOOSE, WESLEY D. JACKSON AND KEVIN T. PHELPS TO THE POSITION OF LABORER II IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Summary of Municipal Order No. 2014 - 169 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Denning and seconded by Hill for consideration of said Municipal Order. DeFebbo reviewed and recommended the appointments, one of which would fill a new position created in the FY2015 adopted budget. Mayor Wilkerson asked for additional discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Municipal Order No. 2014 - 169 was approved by unanimous vote. MUNICIPAL ORDER NO. 2014 – 170 MUNICIPAL ORDER APPROVING THE PROBATIONARY APPOINTMENTS OF JESSICA R. RAGER AND NADINE N. STERNER TO THE POSITION OF COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT Summary of Municipal Order No. 2014 - 170 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Hill and seconded by Denning for consideration of said Municipal Order. DeFebbo reviewed and recommended the two appointments. Mayor Wilkerson asked for additional discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Municipal Order No. 2014 - 170 was approved by unanimous vote. ORDINANCE NO. BG2014 – 23 (First Reading) ORDINANCE REZONING REAL ESTATE ORDINANCE REZONING TRACTS OF LAND CONTAINING 24.29 ACRES FROM AG (AGRICULTURE) AND R-E (RESIDENTIAL ESTATE) TO PUD (PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT) LOCATED AT 2101 AND 2111 MORGANTOWN ROAD, BETWEEN REFLECTION LANE AND BREWSTER LANE, PRESENTLY OWNED BY STONEHENGE CORPORATION Title and summary of Ordinance No. BG2014 - 23 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Waltrip and seconded by Denning for first reading of said Ordinance. Mayor Wilkerson asked for discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. 3 (Minutes-Board of Commissioners-August 19, 2014) ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None First reading of Ordinance No. BG2014 - 23 was approved by unanimous vote. MUNICIPAL ORDER NO. 2014 – 171 MUNICIPAL ORDER AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO GRANT AGREEMENTS FOR SELECT NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PROGRAM (SNAP) GRANTS WITH VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOODS Summary of Municipal Order No. 2014 - 171 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Denning and seconded by Hill for consideration of said Municipal Order. DeFebbo indicated the City has taken a neighborhood approach through this annual grant process to help incentivize improvements. He reported there were more applicants (17 total) than funding available for this year, and nine of which were being recommended for approval for a total cost of $29,998.47. He also noted that of the nine, four were first time applicants. Commissioner Williams remarked that he was glad to see more neighborhoods getting involved. Based on the interest this year, Commissioner Waltrip suggested it might be good to add more money for this Program in next year’s budget if fiscally able. Neighborhood Services Coordinator Karen Foley reviewed the application process, eligibility requirements and the ability to earn extra credit points. She outlined the scoring process which ranked each proposed project and the effort to fund as many full projects as possible until the funds ran out. Ms. Foley confirmed that this year’s applications were very competitive. Mayor Wilkerson pointed out that the City was able to fund a little bit more than the budgeted amount of $25,000 by using unspent money from previous years. Once the discussion ended, a roll call vote was taken. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Municipal Order No. 2014 - 171 was approved by unanimous vote. MUNICIPAL ORDER NO. 2014 – 172 MUNICIPAL ORDER APPROVING THE SUBMISSION OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2013/2014 SECTION EIGHT MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (SEMAP) CERTIFICATION FOR THE HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER (HCV) PROGRAM Summary of Municipal Order No. 2014 – 172 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Hill and seconded by Waltrip for consideration of said Municipal Order. DeFebbo reviewed the requirement to complete an assessment each year which required the Mayor’s signature. In addition, he announced that the City’s HCV Program was once again rated as a High Performer and he gave special recognition to Neighborhood and Community Services Director Brent Childers and Housing Coordinator Elvira Ramic for their efforts in achieving this status. Mayor Wilkerson asked for additional discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. 4 (Minutes-Board of Commissioners-August 19, 2014) ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Municipal Order No. 2014 - 172 was approved by unanimous vote. MUNICIPAL ORDER NO. 2014 – 173 MUNICIPAL ORDER AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH BOWLING GREEN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, INC. TO LEASE CIRCUS SQUARE PARK AND DESIGNATED STREETS FOR SEPTEMBER 26 AND 27, 2014, AND FURTHER WAIVING THE NORMAL RENTAL FEES FOR THE RENTAL OF CIRCUS SQUARE PARK FOR THIS EVENT Summary of Municipal Order No. 2014 - 173 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Hill and seconded by Williams for consideration of said Municipal Order. With this year marking the 25th anniversary of the International Festival, DeFebbo recommended approval of the lease agreement for use of Circus Square Park and surrounding streets for the annual event. Mayor Wilkerson asked for additional discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None Municipal Order No. 2014 - 173 was approved by unanimous vote. ORDINANCE NO. BG2014 – 24 (First Reading) ORDINANCE AMENDING CODE OF ORDINANCES ORDINANCE REPEALING CHAPTER 2 (ADMINISTRATION), SUBCHAPTER 2-26 (BOWLING GREEN ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY, INC.) OF THE CITY OF BOWLING GREEN CODE OF ORDINANCES AND AUTHORIZING THE DISSOLUTION OF THE CORPORATION Title and summary of Ordinance No. BG2014 - 24 was read by the Assistant City Manager/City Clerk. Motion was made by Waltrip and seconded by Hill for first reading of said Ordinance. Since the Enterprise Community no longer had a function or dedicated funding, DeFebbo endorsed eliminating the ordinance language from the Code of Ordinances as a housekeeping matter. He noted that the City was fortunate in previous years to have received over $2 million through the program which helped to rehabilitate parts of the City. Mayor Wilkerson asked for additional discussion, and with none, a roll call vote was taken. ROLL CALL: Voting Yea: Waltrip, Williams, Denning, Hill and Wilkerson Voting Nay: None First reading of Ordinance No. BG2014 - 24 was approved by unanimous vote. 5 (Minutes-Board of Commissioners-August 19, 2014) CLOSED SESSION Following a brief recess to clear the Commission Chamber, the Board of Commissioners met at approximately 7:30 p.m. in closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810 (1) (g) as previously approved. Mr. DeFebbo confirmed no action would follow the discussion. ADJOURNMENT Once all discussion concluded in closed session and there being no further business to come before the Board of Commissioners, at approximately 7:40 p.m., Mayor Wilkerson declared this meeting adjourned. WORK SESSION Prior to the regular meeting and with no action taken, the Board of Commissioners convened at 4:00 p.m. in the Commission Chamber of City Hall for a regular work session to discuss the following subjects: 1) a proposal from Bowling Green East Little League for an indoor batting facility at Kereiakes Park to be donated by Major League Baseball Player Corey Hart; and 2) the draft amendments to Chapter 2 (Administration), Subchapter 2-2 (Board of Commissioners) of the City of Bowling Green Code of Ordinances eliminating primary elections for City elected offices, which was permitted as part of the State legislation (HB 331) passed earlier in the year regarding classification reform for cities. ADOPTED: ______________________________________________ APPROVED: ______________________________________________ Mayor, Chairman of Board of Commissioners ATTEST: ______________________________________________ City Clerk Minutes prepared by Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Katie Schaller 6