City Council

MINUTES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL, TENNESSEE CALLED CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 10, 2021 CALL TO O RDE R: The City of Bristol. Tennessee Called C ity Council meeting was bro ught to order by Mayor Mahlon Luttrell on Tuesday, June I 0, 2021 at 9 :00 A. M. in the conference room at the Ewe ll L. Easley Annex. ROLL CALL: Present: Mayor Mahlon Luttrell , Vice Mayor Vince Turner, Council woman Margaret Feierabend, Councilman Chad Keen, and Councilwoman Lea Powers. Others Present: City Manager William Sarah, City Attorney Danielle Smith, City Recorder Mary Lee Will iams, Director of Development Services T im Beavers, Director of Parks and Recreation Terry N apier, Director of Community Relations Jon Luttrell , Director of Economi c Development Tom Anderson, and other members of City staff T he purpose of this called meeting is the appointment of board of directors for the Bristol Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation. Reso lution 2 1-56 - A Resolution Appointing Initial Directors for the Bristol Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation to Staggered Terms Ci ty Manager Bill Sarah summarized at the May 4th meeting, Council approved Resolution 21-45 which adopted the by-laws establishing the Bristol Regional Tourism Marketi ng Corporation. Section 4.04 of the adopted by-laws detai l the qualifications for appointment to the board of directors. Council is to collectively appoint nine members, two of which are Council members. The by-laws state the mayor is to be appointed to one of those seats with another Counci l member appointed to fi ll the other with the duration determined by the terms of office in those roles. The other seven are to be appoi nted from various elements of the hospitality community such as hotel and lodging industry, restaurateurs. the retail sector, and area destination attractions such as Bristo l Motor Speedway, Birthplace of Country Music, the casino, and others. During the last work session, Council decided to begin speaking to members of the tourism industry to determine the level of interest for serving on this board . The seven members Counc il will appoint wi ll be for staggered terms, which is standard procedure, with three members serving a one-year term, two members serving a two-year term , and two members servi ng a three-year term . To be appointed requires th ree affirmative votes. Once the appointments are made Coun cil can decide how they wish to determine the length of term each member will serve. The C ity Manager reviewed the voting process and suggested going around the room so each member of Council can make their nominations giving additional in formation they fee l is pertinent to the position. Councilman Chad Keen asked for clarificati on that the persons nominated will be contacted abo ut whether they would like to serve and not for actual appo intment at this time. The City Manager replied this meeting was set up for the purpose of appointing board members. Counci lwoman Lea Powers recommended that if a certai n sector does not have a defined person yet, if as many as seven appo intments can be made today that would give a quorum fo r voting and enable the organ ization to  Called C ity Council Meeting June l0,202 1 Page 2 of 6 move forward. That would leave open ings for the governing body to fill at a later time from the unrepresented tourism sectors. Councilman Keen stated some people are waiting on a fo rmal letter so they can decide who from their organization would be the best one to serve. Di scussion fo ll owed concerning sending letters to some of the organizations interested in serving and how to proceed with the nominations. The City Manager stated based on the discussion of Council at the last work session and the Council meeting last week this meeting was set up as a called meeting instead of work session for the purpose of nominating board members. However, it can be changed to a work session if that is the desire of Council. Councilwoman Powers said she would like the meeting to proceed as originally intended to enabl e voting to appoint seven members to provide a quorum then approach other entities about serving. Councilman Keen agreed to continue in that manner. There were questions about the total number of board members to be appointed for the organization and how many were to be appointed today. City Manager Sorah clarifi ed the board is to be comprised of two members o f Council , the mayor and one other, and seven other members which wi ll be appointed collectively by the Counci l giving nine members. Then the board itself will appoint two at-large members apart from Counci l for a total of eleven members. Following additional discussion about the board make up, Counci lwoman Powers began the process by nominating Leah Ross from the Birthplace of Country Music and she has agreed to serve. Mayor Mahlon Luttrell nominated Ken Monyak of Bristol Station Brews and he is willing to serve. Councilwoman Margaret Feierabend added that Mr. Monyak is acti ve with Believe In Bristol and econom ic development. Councilwoman Powers nominated Tim Landis to serve for outdoor living as he is a certified Orvis fl y fishing guide. Councilman Keen nominated Tammy Havens, General Manager of Fairfield Inn & Suites and she is willing to serve. Mayor Luttrell nominated Brian Deal, Co-owner of Tenneva, LLC. He and Dr. Slaughter are wanting to become more involved with the downtown area and are working on a project on Bank Street as well as other projects. Councilwoman Powers also spoke about his contact with others from outside the region to generate interest in this area fo r tourism, education, and other aspects. Councilman Keen nominated Dustin Morelock, General Manager of 620 State and Southern Craft BBQ. He feels as Mr. Morelock manages the Bristol locations of RMM Hospitality, a restaurant group serving the Tri-Cities, he could also bring a regional perspecti ve. Discussion took place concerning representation from other organizations such as The Pinnacle, Bristol Motor Speedway, and the casino. The Chamber Board Chair would serve as an ex officio member through the end of their term as chairperson. It was decided letters of in vitation to Jerry Caldwell of Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) and Steve Johnson of Johnson Commercial Development (The Pinnacle) would be drafted to be s igned by the mayor requesting their consideration of representation on this board of directors. Mayor Luttrell has spoken w ith Mark White, General Manager of Marriott in Bristol, Virginia and he is interested. He also spoke wi th Tim Buchanan, Hi storian, who is also heavi ly involved with tourism and he is interested in serving as well. Mayor Luttrell nominated both of these gentleman. The City Manager suggested the indi viduals with whom Council has directly spoken that would be wi ll ing to serve are eligible for appointm ent. If there are certain business sectors that do not have representation at this point it is appropriate to hold off on that appointment. There are currently eight nom inations plus the two Council members so there would be enough for a quorum. T he desire for  Called City Council Meeting June l 0, 202 1 Page 3 of6 nom inating members at this meeting is the newly created board needs to meet before the end of this month. T he board needs to select an advertising firm from a Request for Proposals (RFP) which will be an integral part of their work as they search for an executive director. Human Resources has advertised fo r an executive director using the by- laws and a typical adverti sement for that type of position as guidelines so the search fo r an executive director has begun. Vice Mayor Vince Turner asked if it would be appropriate to have a representative from Ballad Health. A suggestion was made for a representative from Ballad to serve in an ex officio capacity and poss ib ly be granted voting rights. Another possibly is appointment as one of the two at-large members which have voting rights and are designed to represent areas outside of the hospitality community. Counc ilwoman Feierabend commented the two councilmembers need to be appoi nted today and recommended the appo intment of fi ve of members leaving two slots open for appointment from the other sectors as previousl y discussed. She would prefer that Council be able to appo int representatives fro m BMS and The Pinnacle to ensure they are represented. Councilwoman Powers asked if legal counse l for the board would be provided by the City Attorney and the City Manager said for now yes, unless something more in-depth is required as the entity is separate from the City. She went on to suggest possibly an accountant and an attorney or other legal professional for the at-large members. Vice Mayor Turner reviewed if fi ve are appointed today along with the selection of two members of Council , and two posi tions are left open for the two entities as discussed earlier, then the appointment of two at-large members will complete the eleven members of the board. Other questions were asked about ex officio members, if the meetings were to be open or closed, etc. City Attorney Danielle Smith clarified it is a private non-profit enti ty and not currently subject to open meeting laws, even with the appointment of two City Council members. However, City Counci l members cannot be engaged in City Council business at those meetings. Havi ng more than one Council member serving on other boards is not at all uncommon, but all members need to be mindful. Counci lwoman Feierabend read the list of ex officio members listed in Section 4. 18 of the by-laws and they include the executive director of the corporation, city manager, the executive director of Believe 1n Bristol , chair of the Bristol, Tennessee / Vi rginia Chamber of Commerce Board, and the chief executive officer o f the Northeast Tennessee To urism Association (NETT A). She asked who has control of these by-laws and the City Manager replied that at the moment, Council is currently the only member and therefore has control of the by-laws. Should another government entity come in they would become equity partners. The board itself does not control the by-laws. C ity Manager Sorah reviewed the length of terms with three serving a one-year term, two servi ng a two- year term, and two serving a three-year term. This was fo llowed by discussion as to how those terms would be assigned along with the possibility of designating seats to a particular entity, not person, in the by-laws to ensure they would always have representation. The names of the eight nom inees were reviewed : Leah Ross, Ken Monyak, T im Landis, Tammy Havens, Brian Deal, Dustin Morelock, Mark White, and Tim Buchanan. Council was reminded they need to vote for no more than fi ve. Council then reviewed which sectors were represented by these nominees.  Called C ity Council Meeting June I 0, 202 1 Page 4 of 6 Results of the first ballot were as fo llows: Councilman Keen - Leah Ross, Ken Monyak, Tim Landis, Tammy Havens, and Dustin Morelock Councilwoman Powers- Leah Ross, Ken Monyak, Ti m Landis, Brian Deal , and Tammy Havens Mayor Luttrell - Leah Ross, Ken Monyak, Tim Landis, Brian Deal, and Dustin Morelock Vice Mayor Turner - Leah Ross, Ken Monyak, Tim Landis, Brian Deal, and Tammy Havens Councilwoman Feierabend - Leah Ross, Ken Monyak, T im Landis, Brian Deal, and Dustin Morelock City Attorney Smith kept the tally of the first ballot: Leah Ross 5 votes Ken Monyak 5 votes Tim Landis 5 votes Tammy Havens 3 votes Brian Deal 4 votes Dustin Morelock 3 votes A minimum of 3 votes is required to be appointed, resulting in Leah Ross, Ken Monyak. Tam Landis, and Brian Deal being appointed. To fill the fifth seat, a run-off vote was required to break the 3-vote ti e between Tammy Haven and Dustin Morelock. Results of the tie-breaker ballot were as fo llows: Councilman Keen - Tammy Havens Councilwoman Powers - Tammy Havens Mayor Luttrell - Tammy Havens Vice Mayor Turner - Dustin Morelock Councilwoman Feierabend - Dustin Morelock Tammy Havens received the 3-vote requisite and therefore, is the fifth appo intee. The five confirmed appointments were: Leah Ross 5 votes Ken Monyak 5 votes Tim Landis 5 votes Brian Deal 4 votes Tammy Havens 3 votes Discussion then fo llowed as to how to decide the length of the terms to be served by each appointee. It was determined to assign the length of terms based on the number of votes. Counci lwoman Powers recommended Leah Ross and Ken Monyak each serve a three-year term, Tim Landis and Brian Deal each serve a two-year term, and Tam my Havens serve a one-year term. The other two seats with a one-year term would be held for a representative from The Pinnacle and BMS with the intent that they, as some of the landmark enti ties, would always have a seat on this board. The C ity Manager reminded everyone the difference in the length of terms is to set up the staggered terms on this new board. All appointments fol lowing this appointment will be for three-year terms. City Attorney Smith briefly reviewed the length of terms and the number of terms one can serve and referred everyone to the by-laws for the specifics.  Called City Council Meeting June 10, 202 1 Page 5 of 6 The City Attorney completed the table in the resolution with the names of the persons who were appointed so it could be presented to Council for a vote and then read the table in Resol ution 2 1-56: Seat 3 Tammy Havens Term expiring June 30, 2022 Seat 4 Tim Landi s Term expiring June 30, 2023 Seat 5 Leah Ross Term expiring June 30, 2024 Seat 6 VACANT Term ex piring June 30, 2022 Seat 7 Brian Deal Term expi ri ng June 30, 2023 Seat 8 Ken Monyak Term ex piring June 30, 2024 Seat 9 VACANT Term expiring June 30, 2022 The resolution was changed structural ly to include the appointment of Council mem bers. The by-laws call for the mayor to fill one of those seats for the ir term . One other member of Council needed to be selected to fill the other seat for as long as Council designates. Mayor Luttrell nominated Counci lwoman Powers for the second Council seat. Councilwoman Feierabend nominated Councilman Keen. After some discussion, Councilman Keen decided to decli ne the nomination and Councilwoman Powers accepted. The Council appointees below were added to the table in Resolution 2 1-56: Seat 1 Mahlon Luttrell Term continues as long as individual is mayor Seat 2 Lea Powers Term continues as long as individual is designated by City Council to serve Vice Mayor Turner motioned to approve Resoluti on 2 1-56 and Counci lwoman Feierabend seconded . Council discussion included the appreciation for creati on of this corporation shown by business leaders, comm unity support, appreciation for the willingness of Council to research and pursue this endeavor, and the hopes the organization will grow to include members from areas such as Abingdon, Virginia, Johnson City and Kingsport, Tennessee and others to truly become a regional entity. The resolution passed by unanimous roll call vote. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS: At the May work session, Council requested a couple of meetings be scheduled with one of them being a meeting with Sullivan County Mayor Richard Venable concerning the regional hub. Mayor Venable is receptive to meeting with Counci l. The type of meeting such as whether it is only with this entity or if it will include other entities is still being discussed, along with potential dates. Various Co uncil members expressed their preference for the type of meeting and when they would like for it to take place. They also expressed a desire to obtain more information before being able to make any decisions concerning the regional hub. Council has a des ire to work with various entities regionally as appropriate, but wants to ensure such e fforts are appropriate, transparent, and beneficial to the citizens of the City of Bristol, Tennessee. Counc il requested the City Manager contact Mayor Venable to see if he would be availab le for a called work session on June 15, 202 1. If he is not available at that time, then see if he could be at the June 22, 202 1 Counci l work session. The second meeting Council req uested during the last work session was with the Bristol Tennessee School System concerning their capital needs. He spoke with Dr. Annette T udor, Director of Schoo ls, and she said that is on the agenda for their work session on June 17m_ Once that process is complete, an appropriate time to meet with Council can be determined.  Called City Council Meeting June 10, 202 1 Page6of 6 T he next Council work session is on June 22 11d with several items on the agenda. One is to begin the review of the City Charter and any potentia l amendments as any request fo r amendments to be made must be sent to the general assembl y for approval. Another item is review of the multi-year financ ia l model. Counci l members mentioned at future work sessions they would like to discuss the Parks and Recreation community fac il ities and the possibi lity of more recreational activities for youth and chi ldren. City Manager Sorah said other agenda items fo r the upcoming June work session are a potential deve lopment agreement, fl ood ordi nance amendment, fire apparatus bids, and open container ordinance. CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS: The closing comments of Council included discussion about the proposed greenway. parks and recreational faci lities, recreational tourism, and street lighting with no formal action taken. T here being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:26 P. M. M v-M~ rx~ Mayor