City Council

MINUTES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL, TENNESSEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 1, 2021 CALL TO ORDER: The City of Bristol. Tennessee City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Mahlon Luttrell on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 7:02 P.M. ROLL CALL: Present: Mayor Mahlon Luttrell, Vice Mayor Vince Turner, Councilwoman Margaret Feierabend, Counci lman Chad Keen, and Counci lwoman Lea Powers. Others Present: City Manager William Sorah, City Attorney Danielle Smith, Deputy City Recorder Velma Witte. Director of Development Services Tim Beavers, Director of Parks and Recreation Terry Napier, Fire Chief Mike Carrier, Police Chief Blaine Wade, Director of Commun ity Relations Jon Luttrell, Director of Economi c Development Tom Anderson, and other members of City staff. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEG IANCE: Reverend Ed Mabry gave the invocation. Dr. Robin Feierabend and Alex and Cora Feierabend led the pledge of allegiance. AGENDA ADDITIONS AND / OR CHANGES: None. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS: Men's Health Month - Vice Mayor Vince Turner read a proclamation designating June 2021 as Men ' s Health Month. Dr. Chad Couch, President and CEO of Bristol Regional Medical Center and President of the Northeast Market, Ballad Health, was in attendance to accept the proclamation. Dr. Couch thanked Counci l and the City for helping bring awareness to these issues. Bristol First Awa rd - Jon Luttrell, Director of Community Relations, gave a brief overview of the Bristol First Award program. Firefighter/Paramedic Austin Mason, Firefighter/Paramedic Jason Hilton, Firefighter/Advanced EMT C huck Wright, and Fi refighter/EMT Tim Robinson are the recipients of the Bristol First Award for June 2021. They are members of the Rescue 4 crew who were on duty during an event at Bristol Motor Speedway this spring. These gentlemen were nominated by Dr. Matthew Clark, a Ballad Health Emergency Medicine Physician at Bristol Regional Medical Center. In the nomination, Dr. Clark detailed an incident at a Bristol Motor Speedway event on Apri l 241h during which this crew came to the aid of a77 year old man in cardiac arrest. The team performed CPR and advanced cardiovascular life support for nearly 25 minutes achieving normal heart rhythm just prior to arrival at Bristol Regional Medical Center. By the time the patient was taken to the ICU, he was already beginning to fo llow commands, was alert and conversational the fo llowing day. Their quick action, training, and skills led to what Dr. Clark deemed a " truly amazing outcome" for a cardiac arrest of this duration.  Ci ty Council Meeting June I, 202 1 Page2of8 Firefighter/Paramedic Jason Hilton was present to accept his award. He stated to his knowledge this is the first save since the autopulses were purchased and placed in all the uni ts several months ago and feels this is a tremendous step forward for the citizens of Bristol. He thanked everyone for the recognition. Fire Chief Mike Carrier said Jason Hilton was being modest as several things have to come together to have successful outcomes. Those things are training, equipment, and resources such as personnel--the best of which are in the City of Bristol , Tennessee ri ght now. To have a successful outcome wi th a cardiac arrest of thi s duration you must have early CPR, defibrillation, and proper IV access and drug administration. To have a 77 year old cardiac arrest patient in a campground able to walk out of the hospita l a few days later is a rare event. Our paramedics, EMTs, Advanced EMTs, and Critical Care paramedi cs are some of the best trained and highest quality professionals in the region. This was the first ' save' with the new equipment (automatic chest compression devices) the City was able to obtain with the support of management and Council approval utili zing Coronavirus Relief Funds. In addition, Ballad Health has donated six new cardiac monitors with all the accessories needed in the field including moni tors to check the carbon monox ide levels of firefighters when they come out of a structure fire . Through grant monies from the Governor last year, the City was able to obtain a new ambulance. T he total of the equipment the Fire Department has been able to obtain is approx imately $400,000 all due to fund ing available from various grant sources through the support of City Council and management. PRESENTAT IONS: None PUB LIC HEARINGS: Ordinance 21-8 - An Ordinance to Adopt a Budget, and Appropriate Funds for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 thro ugh June 30, 2022 Bill Sorah, City Manager, summarized that Ordinance 2 1-8 wi ll be considered on second reading later on the Agenda for formal adoption of the Fiscal 2022 Budget and Appropriations for the fi scal year beginning July I , 2021 and ending June 30, 2022. The Fiscal 2022 Budget totals $133,336,586 and reflects a decrease of $2, 175,245 or 1.6% from the Fiscal 202 1 Budget. The proposed budget maintains the current solid waste fees, stormwater fees, and water and sanitary sewer rates. As Council is aware, 2021 is a reappraisal year for all real property in Sull ivan County. Once the Certified Tax Rate is known, probably early July, Counci l wi ll consider formal adoption of a tax rate for Fiscal 2022. The municipal government portion of the budget stands at $70,315,487, a decrease of $3 ,324,880 or 4.5% from the Fiscal 2021 Budget. The proposed budget focuses on the key themes of economic development, educati on, infrastructure, and public safety. T he budget continues all City programs and services as in the past whi le making strategic capital investments to meet the future needs of the community. Major projects include the reconstruction of East Cedar Street, new construction of a fire station serving east Bristol , construction of sidewalks along Bluff City Highway from Edgemont Avenue to Lavinder Lane, improvements to the bio-so lids hand ling process at the wastewater treatment plant, and the resurfacing of approximately fourteen lane miles of roadway. Key partnerships include the continued development of the Tri-Cities Airport Aerospace Park, site development at Bristol Business Park, and improvements at Partnership Park II. In FY 2022, in additi on to a 2.4% market adjustment, the pay scale wi ll be increased by 1.7%  City Council Meeting June 1, 2021 Page 3 of 8 and for employees who are not at their market wage within their respective ranges, this will remove 50% of the amount needed to place them at the appropriate wage. The school system portion of the budget total s $63,02 1,099, an increase of $ 1, 149,635 or 1.9%. This increase is primarily attributable to the $ 11 ,525,473 increase of funds in the School Federal Projects Fund. This fund accounts for programs and expenditures of the Bristol, Tennessee Board of Education which are funded by grants from various fede ral agencies. The largest source of this increase is funding from the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) . This matter was considered and approved by Council on first reading at the May 4th Council meeting. There was no additional public comment and the public hearing was closed. Ordinance 21-9 - An Ordinance to Amend the Appropriation of Funds and Budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 City Manager Sorah explained this is the annual housekeeping measure to ensure compliance with legal requirements established for the adoption of municipal budgets. The budget is reviewed for higher than anticipated revenues or expenditures and amendments are made to particular funds to address those issues. There are 12 funds for consideration and Ordinance 2 1-9 amends the Fiscal 2021 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance as follows: Fund Revi sed Appropriation General Purpose School Fund $ 42,400,579 School Federal Projects Fund $ 7,445,491 Chapter 420 Fund $ 7,900,000 Grant Fund $ 853,544 Solid Waste Fund $ 2,025 ,000 State Street Aid Fund $ 975 ,000 Debt Service Fund $ 33,165,924 Capital Equipment Fund $ 900,000 School Capital Equipment Fund $ 19, 150,000 Waterworks Fund $ 8,950,000 Storrnwater Fund $ 673,833 The Debt Service Fund amount is due to the refunding of three previous bond issues through two refunding efforts. Also, later on this evening there is a resolution for consideration of issuance of up to $9,800,000 in general obligation bonds. The Capital Equipment Fund includes the Governor' s Support Grant and others which a llowed the City to move forward with purchasing equipment such as Chief Carrier mentioned earlier. The School Capi tal Equipment Fund is related to the middle school project. The Waterworks Fund is re lated to the mid-year salary adjustments. [n addition to the revised appropriation amendments, several transfers are proj ected to exceed the original appropriations. They reflect grants that were received in the General Fund and then transferred out in support of various activities. These include the following: To Drug Fund from General Fund $ 22,000 To Grant Fund from General Fund $ 299,752 To Capital Equipment Fund from General Fund $ 69,733 To Capital Faci lities Fund from General Fund $ 750,000  City Council Meeti ng June I , 202 1 Page 4 of 8 To Capital Facil ities Fund from Stormwater Fund $ 167 ,000 To Stormwater Fund from General Fund $ 50,000 Councilwoman Lea Powers asked to what is the 1.6% reduction in the overall budget general attributable. The City Manager replied the mostly middle school and other capital projects that change from one year to another. Estimates are made for spending a particular amount on a project whi ch ends up either being spent more rapidly or less rapidly than originally anticipated resulting in a cross over between fiscal years. Councilwoman then asked what areas would be directly affected and referred to Ordinance 2 1-8. City Manager Sorah said it could be related to large projects or it could be related to a reduction in federal funds. The City received substantial federal funding last year that Ordinance 2 1-9 corrects, fro m a housekeeping standpoint, but a lot of those dollars we do not anticipate going forward. There was no public comment and the public hearing was closed. APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS: None. APPOINTMENTS: None ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS: A. First Reading of New Ordinances: None B. Adoption of New Ordinances (Second Reading) : Ordinance 21-8 - An Ordinance to Adopt a Budget, and Appropriate Funds for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 This item was summarized during the Public Hearing portion earlier on this Agenda. Vice Mayor T urner motioned to approve the ordinance and Counci lwoman Powers seconded. She went on to say that this year in particular has a lot of moving parts due to the state and federal grant monies made available to assist with COYIO . She then thanked staff for working to keep on top of everything and ensuring the City complied w ith the requirements necessary to obtain the grants. Councilwoman Margaret Feierabend said over the years of serving on Council she has come to realize it is not always what it is the budget, but rather what is not in the budget. The reappraisals wi ll be available soon so Council wi ll need to make a decision concerning the tax rate. COV ID will be affecting the City, the community, and the citizens for some time to come, but it has also brought opportunities to do some things and purchase some items that otherwise would not be possi ble for years to come, such as the equipment mentioned by Fire Chief Carrier earlier this evening. There are more things that Counci l would li ke to do or purchase to help move the City forward, but they all take money. This budget addresses the comp study to get employee pay where it is not only competitive, but gives employees compensation for their dedication to providing the best in municipal services. She thanked all of the staff and department directors that worked diligently on the budget process. There were no additional comments and Ordinance 21-8 passed unanimously by roll call vote.  City Council Meeting June 1, 202 1 Page 5 of 8 Ordinance 21-9 - An Ordinance to Amend the Appropriation of Funds and Budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 This item was summarized during the Public Hearing portion earlier on this Agenda. Councilman Chad Keen motioned to approve and Councilwoman Feierabend seconded . There was no discussion and the ordinance passed unanimously by roll call vote. C. Resolutions: Resolution 21-47 -A Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation Bonds of the City of Bristol, Tennessee in the Aggregate Principal Amount of Not to Exceed $9,800,000, in One or More Series; Making Provision for the Issuance, Sale, and Payment of Said Bonds, Establishing the Terms Thereof and the Disposition of Proceeds Therefrom; and Providing for the Levy of Taxes for the Payment of Principal, of Premium, if Any, and Interest on the Bonds The City Manager explained at the May 4th meeting, Council approved Resolution 21-44 which stated the intent to issue new General Obl igation Bonds and provided public notice of the planned borrowing according to statute. Resolution 21-47 formall y authorizes the City to issue up to $9,800,000 in new General Obligation Bonds. The resolution details the Series 202 1 C bond issue and calls for a fixed rate borrowing not to exceed $9,800,000. The bonds will be sold by competitive sale. Capital projects planned for funding with the proceeds from the sale include funding the balance of a new middle schoo l fac ility, a future fire station serving east Bristol, and fire suppression equipment including a new ladder truck and engi ne. The term of the borrowing is for a period of thirty years for the City's portion of the new middle school , twenty-five years for the fire suppression equ ipment, and ten years for the school system supported debt for the new middle school. Mr. Scott Gibson, Cumberland Securities Company. Inc. , of Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as financial advisor and Mr. Mark Mamantov, of Bass, Berry and Sims, of Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as bond counsel. Councilwoman Powers said Mr. Gibson has done an amazing job on behalf of the City of Bristol and thanked him for his effo rts. The revenue saved from the reissuance of these bonds is outstanding. Mr. Scott Gibson reiterated this resolution is for new money. The refinancing of existing debt resulted in savi ngs of $5.45 million. He thanked Council for allowing him to work with the City and help lower the cost to the taxpayers and citizens by locking in the extremely low rates over the last couple of years. Counci lwoman Feierabend also express appreciation to Mr. Gibson. Counci lwoman Powers motioned to approve and Counci lman Keen seconded. There was no discussion and the resolution passed unanimous ly by roll call vote. CONSENT AGENDA: City Manager Sarah presented the Consent Agenda to Council. Vice Mayor Turner motioned to approve and Councilwoman Feierabend seconded. The following items were approved by unanimous Council roll call vote:  City Council Meeting June l, 2021 Page 6 of 8 • Minutes May 4, 202 1 City Counci l Meeting • Minutes May 25, 202 1 City Council Work Session • Reso lution 2 1-48 A Reso lution Awarding a Proposal for Re-Insurance for the Self-Funded Health Insurance Plan • Resolution 21-49 A Resolution Approving an Agreement with McDonogh, LLC to Lease Space for the Employee Health Clinic • Resolution 21-50 A Resolution Approving an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement wi th the Emergency Communications District of the City of Bristol, Tennessee • Reso lution 21-5 1 A Resolution Awarding a Bid for the Purchase of Two (2) ADA Compliant Medium Duty Transit Buses • Resolution21-52 A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of Software Support for GIS • Resolution 21-53 A Resolution Authorizing Entry into a Commercial Lease for Office Space with City Centre, LLC • Resolution 2 1-54 A Resolution Approving an Agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the Maintenance of State Highways BOARD OF EDUCATION LIAISON REPORT: Dr. Annette T udor, Director of Schools, said there will be vaccination clinjcs for the students, fami lies, and anyone else in the community 12 years and older at Tennessee High School June 7th and gih from 9:00 A. M. to 3:00 P.M. with the Pfizer vaccine. She gave informati on on the clinics being hosted by the other local school systems. Free meals wi ll be offered to the fam ilies of students this summer from today through July 23rd and the locations are on the BTCS website. The Book Bus will be back this summer in partnership with the Bristol Public Library. The students will be able to visit the bus at a variety of locations, also listed on the website, and the students will be able to keep the books for their home library. School registration is now open for new students if anyone wishes to join this district and information is avru lab le on the website. Summer school started today with over 500 students invited from grades one through eleven. She thanked teachers, staff, and admin istrators for working hard to get through this very challenging school year and expressed appreciation to the commuruty for their encouragement and support as well. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT: City Manager Sarah advised Counci l they need to have a cal led business meeting for the purpose of appointing a board of directors for the Bristol Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation. He suggested Wednesday June 9th or Thursday June 101h. Following discussion, it was determined the meeting wi ll be Thursday, June 10th at 9:00 A.M. to be held in the conference room at the annex.  City Council Meeting June 1, 202 1 Page 7 of 8 During the last work session, Council requested meetings be scheduled with the school board and w ith Mayor Venable. The City Manager asked Council to provide a list of available dates in the months of June and Jul y to faci litate planning the meetings as requested. On June 23rd at 11 :30 A.M. in Steele Creek Park Lodge will be the second luncheon of the year with area residential builders and developers to discuss recent changes in the zoning ordinances. The work session is on Tuesday, June 22nd at 11 :00 A.M. Council decided to convene in the annex conference room. Council is invited to the retirement celebration for Police Chief Blaine Wade on June 18th after 37 years of service to the City, 17 of which he has served the community as Chief of Police. The C ity has been very fortunate to have his expertise, profess ionalism, and his leadersh ip with our Police Department for many years. The event wi ll be from I :30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. in the Slater Community Center Cafeteria. CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilwoman Feierabend has known Chief Wade since she has been a Counci lmember and has come to know his family through various community organizations. She listed a few of his accomplishments and commended the professionalism, fairness, and equity shown by the Police Department under his leadership. Vice Mayor Turner will be out of town at the time of the retirement celebration so he expressed hi s appreciation to Chief Wade for his years of service. Councilman Keen agreed with the previous accolades for Chief Wade stating that it is a difficult time to be a pol ice officer. He expressed appreciation for all of the police officers and all they do for the citizens and the community and extended that to the firefighters and paramedics in the City as well. He appreciated the comments of Fire Chief Carrier earlier concerning the skills, training, and work of the fire personnel. He thanked all veterans fo r their service and sacrifice to their country. Councilwoman Powers stated the City is very fortunate to have such high quality police and fire staff and personnel who dai ly put their lives on the line to protect everyone in the community and mentioned some of the benefits of the D.A.R.E. program in the schools. She commended Paramedic Jason Hi lton for his li fe saving efforts. She thanked administrative staff for their efforts in obtaining grants for equipment, providing training, and hiring quality associates. She expressed appreciation for the schools and the efforts to educate the students, provide safety, and for their wil lingness to go above and beyond. The function of the City is to provide safety, education, and infrastructure. She complimented Director of Development Services Tim Beavers and all of the Public Works Division and their constant efforts to provide quality infrastructure. Bristol is an exceptional place to live. Staff works diligently as evidenced by the budget process, which commenced in November, and the City is ending Fiscal Year 202 1 on a very good note after coming through a very difficult period. Councilwoman Feierabend spoke about the commemoration of Veterans and also mentioned health care workers and essential workers who lost their lives to COVID. She attended the Tennessee High graduation and acknowledged some students were unable to graduate due to COVlO struggles. She congratulated the school board on the event and the seniors for their accomplishments. r Ci ty Council Meeting June 1, 202 1 Page 8 of 8 Mayor Luttrell feels the Police, Fire, and Fi re Rescue Departments in the City are a model that other cities would love to have. It takes a lot of dedication from everyone with the job getting tougher every day and they are all to be commended. He encouraged them to please come to Council for support if there is anything they can do. He attended a war memorial dedication in Bluff City which was very moving and he is most appreciative of all who have and are serving in the military. He thanked the schools for their work on behalf of the students and their fami lies. Bristo l has a lot of great things going on and there is not a challenge C ity staff will not tackle. He thanked Rev. Mabry for giving the invocation. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:06 P.M. illiams, City Recorder