City Council

MINUTES CITY OF CHEROKEE VILLAGE, ARKANSAS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING Thursday, February 20, 2025, 6: 00 P. M., CHEROKEE VILLAGE CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER— Mayor Rose called the meeting to order at 5: 57 PM. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE— Mayor Rose lead the Pledge of Allegiance. MOMENT OF SILENCE— A moment of silence was observed. ROLL CALL, ESTABLISH QUORUM— Penny Trumpy, City Clerk called roll: Harrison yes, R Tatum yes, Thompson yes, Martin yes, Lowe yes, Ishmael yes, J Tatum yes, Rowland, yes, Mayor, Clerk and City Attorney' s present. Quorum established APPROVAL OF AGENDA— Council Member Martin request to remove OB# 3 from the agenda. Council Member Rowland requested to add an Executive Session under NB# 4 concerning personal. Council Member Martin motion to approve the amended agenda as requested. Seconded by Council Member J Tatum. Motion passed 8 yes' s. THANK YOU: Copper Feather Darts with Hearts Club— Billie J Suiters— Held a Mardi Gras Themed Dinner Fundraiser for the Animal Control of Cherokee Village. A pickup truck full of animal food and$ 567. 00 was donated. Cooper Feather Darts with Hearts Club member Billie J Suiters and others presented the Council will the details of their fundraiser with a Large Check. The proceeds have been deposited. Kat Borland held a Valentines Dinner Dance with the proceeds going to Cherokee Village Fire Dept. and Police Department. Kat Borland will make the presentation at Council. The Valentines Dinner Dance organizer Kat Borland presented the proceeds to Police Chief Lane and Fire Chief Dienst. Each department will receive $ 3, 293. 00 to purchase Fire hoses for the Fire Department and Body Cams for the Police. PUBLIC COMMENTS/ QUESTIONS ON AGENDA ITEMS( limit 3 minutes per Person) APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Council Member Martin motioned to approve the January 16, 2025 minutes, seconded by Council Member R. Tatum. Motion passed 8 yeas. CORRESPONDENCE: NONE FINANCIAL REPORT: Discussion Sales& Use Tax Street Dept Revenue MAYOR' S REPORT: and State of the City 2025— report is posted on the City website State of the City Highlights: The State of the City is good. The City passed legislative audit for 2022— 2023. Year ended with a welcome increase in sales tax revenue and negotiated higher interest rates maximized our earning potential. Received$ 3. 2 million in revenue with about$ 3. 3 million in expenses, which left a budget deficit of about$ 25, 000. Unexpected air conditioner replacements, not budgeted for at City Hall and Baseheart Fire station that added about 50, 000 to the budget. City Administration office updates: o City of Cherokee Village website includes Contractors list, Bill of Assurances Ordinances Resolutions Council Meeting packets, meeting minutes, and videos of council meetings. Calendar tab list meetings and events - also posted on Facebook o Fire Department answered 709 calls for service in 2024, 56 fire related and about 575 being medical calls. Took delivery of a 2025 For F550 Service truck built by Unrum Fire Inc and paid for with Federal ARPA and Cares act money. I Cherokee Village City Council Meeting Page 1 1  Engine# 2 a 2008 Kenworth required a major rebuild in 2024. CVFD Auxiliary purchased a new device used for lifting patients CVFD Auxiliary started Scholarships to graduation seniors in the Highland School District that have an immediate family member in either a volunteer or professional firefighter job. a They awarded 4 Scholarships in 2024. o Street Department has been busy in the last year with cutting brush, cleaning ditches and moving. In May the city experienced high straight line winds with speeds of up to 80 MPH. The Street Dept employees worked on clearing streets cutting downed trees and opened an area at the city 1 shop for residents to drop off brush. 1100 tons of cold patch asphalt used for overlay and potholes on the City Streets. A 2008 Chevrolet 2500 4x4 plow truck was purchased to replace TWO 1980 plow trucks that were beyond repair. The street dept provided Village Pride with two dump trucks for roadside clean up j Provided manpower and equipment for the citywide drop off. f o Police Department responded to 5734 calls for service, made 138 arrest, 52 accidents and 243 citations a written. Purchased TWO new Ford Police Trucks into service that was purchased with Federal ARPA and Cares Act money. Hired a grant writer who has helped with receiving about$ 90, 000 in grants. New in- car computers and TWO Thermal Camera' s for the night shift Officer, booster packs and small air compressors for the patrol vehicles were purchased with a combination of grants and city funds. Police camera systems are being updated to AXON as watchguard are not longer supported. o Mayor Rose expressed a BIG THANK YOU To the department heads along with our entire city employees for working hard to provide the very best service to the citizens of Cherokee Village. I To all the volunteers that help daily with everything from answering phones, taking care of the animal shelter fundraising, and helping keep our city clean. A side note the Mayor, Penny city Clerk and Administrator Misty has been talking with CSA our software Company the City uses for book keeping is outdated. Our system has 239 pages of Vendors names, 13 pages of accounts/ line items. This was installed in about 2008. Each treasurer did things a little different and there are 5 different treasurers listed. A new data base needs to be constructed and condensed to make the program work smooth. This is to give council a heads up on the cost between$ 5, 000 and$ 7, 000 once CSA is available to come here to complete the work. Council Member Martin asked if Lazerfiche worked with CSA. They are 2 separate software programs. Lazerfiche will need to be updated to the cloud also. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: See Cherokee Village Web site for reports on File. j PLEASE SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE ANIMAL CONTROL: ON FILE COMMUNITY SERVICE: ON FILE DISTRICT COURT: ON FILE FIRE DEPARTMENT: ON FILE PLANNING& ZONING: ON FILE POLICE DEPARTMENT: ON FILE i OTHER REPORTS: PLEASE SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE ANIMAL CONTROL COMMITTEE MINUTES: ON FILE— JANUARY 14, 2025,& February 11, 2025 Council Member Thompson stated he would get the minutes corrected. A& P MINUTES: ON FILE— DECEMBER 5, 2024 AIRPORT MINUTES: ON FILE— JANUARY 8& FEBRUARY 5, 2025 P& Z COMMISSION MINUTES: ON FILE TRI- COUNTY SOLID WASTE: ON FILE i OLD BUSINESS: 1. Mayor Pro Tern.— Mayor Rose Council Member Martin motioned to appoint Council Member Jeff Tatum as Mayor Pro tem, seconded by Council Member Thompson. Roll Call Vote: R Tatum Abstained, Thompson yes, Martin yes, Lowe yes, Ishmael yes, J Tatum Abstained, Rowland yes, Harrison yes. Motioned passed. 6 yews, 2 abstained. 2. A& P Vacancy— 2 vacancies 91 Council Member Rowland motioned to appoint Council Member Jason Lowe to serve on A& P as elected official, seconded by Council Member Martin. Discussion was held on Council Member. r Lowe being new to Council and short time of living in Cherokee Village. After Council Member Lowe gave some Cherokee Village City Council Meeting Page 2 i  background on his credentials' to P. Terms are 2 years. Roll Call: Thompson yes, Martin yes, Lowe serve on A& abstained, Ishmael yes, J Tatum, abstained, Rowland yes, Harrison yes, R Tatum yes. Motion passed. 6 yes 2 Council Member J Tatum motioned to accept James Gilley from Plantation Park Home of the Happy Camper, seconded by Council Member R Tatum. Roll Call vote: Martin yes, Lowe yes, Ishmael yes, J Tatum yes, Rowland yes, Harrison yes, R Tatum yes, Thompson yes. Motion passed 8 yews. Council Member Martin requested that A& P supply a list of members along with terms at the March Council Meeting. 3. Meeting Attendance by Phone— Peter Martin— amended to remove s NEW BUSINESS: 1. Special Use Permits( discuss and approve all 3 in one vote) a. 2025- 01— Arts Center of North Arkansas— Shakespeare at the Gazebo. b. 2025- 02— Highland Elks Lodge— Annual Pepper Martin Memorial Turkey Shoot- March 22, 2025 C. 2025- 03- Highland Elks Lodge— Annual Pepper Martin Memorial Turkey Shoot— Oct 4& Nov 1, 2025 Council Member J Tatum motioned to approve all 3 Special Use permits, seconded by Council Member Martin. Motion passed 8 yea' s. 2. Resolution No 2025- 03 A Resolution to adopt the Annual Operating Budget for the city of Cherokee Village. The budget was approved in November but did not have the Resolution. Council Member Martin motion to approve Resolution 2025- 03 as long as it is in line with what was approved in November. That paperwork is to be attached to the Resolution. Seconded by Council Member J Tatum. Roll Call: Lowe yes, Ishmael yes, J Tatum yes, Rowland yes, Harrison yes, R Tatum yes, Thompson yes, Martin yes. Motion passed 8 yea' s. j 3. Resolution 2025- 04 A Resolution adopting the Sharp County Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan with Intent to participate and to work toward becoming a safer community. Mayor received this to address. This is a 5 year renewal on a natural disaster. Fulton County does not have a disaster plan but since we have one with Sharp County and part of the city is in Fulton we are covered by Sharp Counties. Council Member J Tatum motion to approve, seconded by Council Member Martin. Roll Call vote: Ishmael yes, J Tatum yes, Rowland yes, Harrison yes, R Tatum yes, Thompson yes, Martin yes, Lowe yes. Motion Passed 8 yea' s This is posted on the website. j 4. Executive Session— Council Member Rowland motion to go into executive session to discuss personal, seconded by Council Member J. Tatum. Motion passed 8 yews 6: 39 PM reconvened at 7: 11 PM no conclusion was reached Regular City Council Meeting is March 20'' at 6 PM. After discussion a working meeting is the 170 at 6 PM. The working meeting will be the Monday before Council Meeting every month at 6 PM. I Council Member R Tatum would like to thank Council Member Thompson for the money he raised for the Animal Control. Council Member J Tatum would like to thank the Police Department Fire Department and the Street Department for all their work during this last snow storm. i COMMENTS/ QUESTIONS ON CITY RELATED BUSINESS( limit 3 minutes per person) ADJOURNMENT: Council Member Martin motioned to adjourn, seconded by Council R Tatum. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7: 15 PM. i DATE: o O etokee y APPROVED: G Steven R. Rose, Mayor c o My ATTES U R CLERK PenTru2mpy, City Cle 0 o f AcY` 1 3 I CHECK OUT CHEROKEEVILLAGE. ORG & CITY OF CHEROKEE VILLAGE ON FACE BOOK) INFORMATION BOARD OUTSIDE CITY HALL I I Cherokee Village City Council Meeting Page 3