City Council

Page 524 CITY OF CARUTHERSVILLE February 1, 2021 Be it remembered the Council of the City of Caruthersville met in regular session Monday February 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. in the Council room of the Municipal Building at which time and place the following were present: Sue Grantham Mayor Takella Motton City Clerk Lawrence Dorroh City Counselor Tony Jones Sergeant at Arms Spence Councilperson Rodgers (Absent) Councilperson Glass Councilperson Bullington Councilperson Lyons Councilperson Cheek Councilperson Grable Councilperson Hood Councilperson The number of members necessary to consider a quorum being present, the Mayor called the meeting to order and announced the meeting was in session for the transaction of business. The first order of business was the approval of the regular session minutes of January 19, 2021. Councilperson Hood motion for approval, second by Councilperson Cheek with all in favor. Councilperson Bullington motion for approval of reports and bills, second by Councilperson Lyons, with all in favor. Mayor Grantham entertained a motion for the approval of changing the next meeting date to Tuesday February 16, 2021 in observance of Presidents Day. Councilperson Grable motion for approval, second by Councilperson Hood, with all in favor. Police report; Chief Tony Jones reported that another spot would be open on the Police force with the resignation of another officer, but that there’re four other applicants to consider. There was more discussion about the purchase of the five vehicles that were previously talked about. The trade in allowances will range from $5,000 to $10,000 dollars per vehicle. It would affect next year’s budget once purchased, and could possibly come out of the Sales Tax fund. Councilperson Bullington motion to approve up to $150,000, with anything much more letting Councilperson Lyons know the cost. Councilperson Hood second the motion, which resulted in the following vote: Spence Yes Glass Yes Bullington Yes Lyons Yes Cheek Yes Grable Yes Hood Yes  Page 525 Humane report; Karol Wilcox presented a report to the Council with the following details. 1. From January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 Input/139 dogs, 146 puppies, 69 cats and 142 kittens. Adoption/95 dogs, 119 puppies, 47 cats, 118 kittens, with 32 deaths from various medical conditions, 39 were redeemed by owner, 16 euthanized for illness or aggression, and 23 sent to Rescue. 2. As of January 29, 2021 16 dogs and 25 cats were carried over, and intake in January 48 dogs and 3 cats; cat/kitten adoptions have increased due to partnership with Petsense in Sikeston. 3. Matt Wimberley has taken over as the Animal Control Officer, and is onsite Thursday through Monday with Humane Society covering the calls on Tuesday and Wednesday. 4. The Humane Society veterinarian expenses have rose to $13,000 with the influx of animals; the State requires any injured or sick animal be treated upon intake. 5. Donations of food were given so that the public could access for their temporary pet needs, but four nights in a row the same people emptied the box. Now people have to come to the door for distribution. 6. The Helping Hands Program as provided veterinary care for 18 animals for the month, 198 last year. Food was supplied to over 300 animal owners last year, and 39 this month, also assisting a terminally ill woman who has several cats with food, litter, vaccinations, spaying and neutering. 7. Working with the public to capture pack animals by putting out traps, call the shelter at (573) 333-9977 when you see a dog present otherwise it’s hard to capture. 8. During COVID public hours for adoption is Tuesday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., City tags can be purchased and the public may come in Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., a mask is required. There have been adopters as far away as Naperville, IL, Kansas, Alabama, and Indiana. Fire report; Fire calls from January 26, 2021 to February 1, 2021 are as follows: 1/26/21; Fire Alarm sounding on Beckwith. Public Works; Paul Shaw presented the Council with a surplus vehicle list which includes the following: 2003 Vermeer Chipper, 2005 Chevrolet 1500, 2005 Suburban, 2005 Chevrolet 1500, Air compressor Jack Hammer, 420E Caterpillar backhoe/extra bucket, 1997 Chevrolet Cheyenne 2500 flat bed, and a Dump truck. Advertisement will be posted on the City Hall bulletin board and Facebook; bids will be taken; the value being nil if there aren’t any bids. There have been problems with one of the wells and they’re troubleshooting the problem, at this time they’re taking the motor out to store it at the Plant. They will camera the well to see what the obstruction is and go from there. Code Enforcement; Barry Gilmore reported that three houses have been demolished, one on Kelly Drive and two on East 19th St. Mr. Gilmore has started the process on non-voluntary derelicts. The property of the old bus barn is an issue. The metal building is being disassembled to sale with all the junk being exposed. The property owners never did adhere to the conditions of the permit, and currently there’s no license for any business. The plan is to return the property to a vacant lot. A property on East 8th & Highland is in the works of being cleaned up; the weather has slowed some of the work down with not being able to maneuver dumpsters and backhoes on saturated ground. There will be refunds to the businesses that were being charged by the City and the trash company. There was a question about the wall on Ward Avenue as to the progress of the repairs. Mr. Gilmore will be  Page 526 checking with the owners about what direction they’re going in. Park & Recreation; Lamonte Bell reported that Five Star Roofing couldn’t get out to do an estimate on the roof due to weather conditions. Hopefully they will be able to give an estimate next week. Library report; Teresa Tidwell invited everyone to come out to view the State quilt February 22, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. Vickie DeReign and the Handy Crafters will be on hand; Ms. DeReign designed the square on the quilt representing Pemiscot County. City Collector; Paige Gillock reported collections from January 1, 2021 to January 31, 2021 as follows: Real Estate/$25,948.72, Personal Property/$17,540.72, Miscellaneous/$3,186.74, Total Taxes/$45,791.05. As of February 1, 2021 there have been 157 business licenses issued. Insurance Committee; Councilperson Bullington reported that the committee had met with Kemper Health prior to the meeting concerning supplemental insurance for the City employees. The committee will meet with Colonial on February 11, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. concerning supplemental insurance for the City employees. Councilperson Spence reported that the Police department will conduct road blocks to check for City stickers in March. Economic Development; Jana Merideth reported on the following: The BLP MU Project Teams are waiting to hear about the feasibility studies which were done regarding the hospital and a possible grocery store coming in. BLP Value Added Ag and Cleanup Committee will be meeting February 9, 2021, Downtown Tourism February 18, 2021, and Workforce Development will meet February 22, 2021. They all will have guest speakers, and Workforce Development will hold six weeks of soft skill training beginning in March. CAC and A2H will meet this week moving forward with the plan for the Exchange Building. Several conversations have taken place with Gary Lucy regarding a Muriel on the north side of the Exchange Building. Mayor Grantham announced that the City will be given the lot adjacent to the Exchange Building offered by First State Bank. Business From the Floor; Charles Cain inquired about the purchase of Police vehicles, and it was explained about the actual hours on the vehicles being over 350,000 miles, and that the two trucks would actually serve as patrol with the added value of being able to transport objects. Mr. Cain wanted to know the estimates to fix the Water Tower, and why another company hadn’t been sought for the Water Tower Project, The Mayor explained that $20,000 was given through a grant, and money was being raised for the other $20,000 for the engineering structural study for the restoration of the building. It was also explained that the company would have to be licensed for restoration of a building, and with it not being a lot of companies in the area that would qualify. Mr. Cain wanted to know if any industry or factories were coming to the City. Mayor Grantham stated that the hopes of the Wal Mart building prospective would come to fruition. Mr. Cain also wanted to know if the different committees were trying to get industry to the City. It was explained that the different committees were focused on goals and phases. The first being cleaning up the City and working on the City’s water problems by getting the tax passed to address the issues. Jana Merideth has been working tirelessly making the connections on the State level to try and get help, in which information can be gathered to present to potential businesses. Mr. Cain was offered to come to the meetings and join to give his input. Page 527 Councilperson Spence reported that the Police department will conduct roadblocks checking for city stickers in March. Mayor Grantham entertained a motion to go into closed session for the purpose of real estate. Councilperson Bullington made motion, second by Council Hood, which passed unanimously. Upon returning from closed session, Councilperson Hood motion to adjourn, second by Councilperson Lyons with all in favor. ATTEST: ________________________________ Mayor ________________________________ City Clerk