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Call for Special Meeting

Special Meeting

Crossville, TN · June 25, 2015

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Minutes

City of Crossville 392 N. Main Crossville, TN 38555 Minutes Thursday, June 25, 2015 5:00 PM Council Chambers Call for Special Meeting Mayor James Mayberry Mayor Pro-Tem Pamala Harris Council Member Jesse Kerley Council Member Pedro (Pete) Souza Council Member Danny Wyatt City Manager David Rutherford City Clerk Sally Oglesby Call for Special Meeting Minutes June 25, 2015 The City Council for the City of Crossville, Tennessee met in special session on Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Crossville City Hall. Mayor James Mayberry was present and presiding. He called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Roll Call Present 5 - Council Member Pete Souza, Council Member Jesse Kerley, Mayor James Mayberry, Mayor Pro-tem Pamala Harris, and Council Member Danny Wyatt Others present were City Manager David Rutherford, City Attorney Will Ridley, City Clerk Sally Oglesby, John Turner, Mark Rosser, Brad Allamong, Fred Houston, R. J. Peterson, Tiffany Lyon, Jim Young, Levonn Hubbard, Mark Fox, Jerry Kerley, Scott Howard, Terry Potter, Clark West, and Doug Brady. 1. Appointments Swearing-in of Alternate Administrative Hearing Officer Mayor Mayberry administered the Oath of Office to Tiffany Lyon as Alternate Administrative Hearing Officer. This Appointment was appointed 2. Consent Agenda A motion was made by Council Member Jesse Kerley, seconded by Mayor Pro-Tem Pamala Harris, that all items on the consent agenda be approved. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 5 - Council Member Pete Souza, Council Member Jesse Kerley, Mayor James Mayberry, Mayor Pro-tem Pamala Harris and Council Member Danny Wyatt ORDINANCES ON THIRD READING a. Ordinance amending §1-801(E) of the Crossville Municipal Code regarding open records This Ordinance was adopted on third reading b. Ordinance amending the budget for year-end FY 2014-2015 This Ordinance was adopted on third reading ORDINANCES ON SECOND READING c. Ordinance amending the FY14-15 budget for aerial photography City of Crossville Page 1 Call for Special Meeting Minutes June 25, 2015 This Ordinance was approved on second reading. d. Ordinance amending §12-1101 of the Crossville Municipal Code regarding municipal administrative hearing officer This Ordinance was approved on second reading e. Ordinance amending §13-402 of the Crossville Municipal Code pertaining to abandoned or inoperable vehicles This Ordinance was approved on second reading f. Ordinance amending §13-104 of the Crossville Municipal Code pertaining to removal of vegetation and debris from certain lots This Ordinance was approved on second reading 3. OTHER BUSINESS a. Ordinance adopting the FY2015-16 operating budget Mayor Mayberry reviewed the budget process and commended the Council for the time that they put in the process. He further stated that the budget is a compromise between all members. He commended staff for reducing the amount of projected deficit for 2014-15 from $965,000 to $28,000. Councilmember Souza further commented that no one got everything they wanted, but the process worked. He indicated his plan to return next year and ask for a cost of living increase for 2 years for the employees. A motion was made by Mayor James Mayberry, seconded by Council Member Pete Souza, that this Ordinance be adopted on third reading. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 5- Council Member Pete Souza, Council Member Jesse Kerley, Mayor James Mayberry, Mayor Pro-tem Pamala Harris and Council Member Danny Wyatt b. Ordinance establishing a tax rate for FY2015-16 Mayor Mayberry stated that the process started with reducing approximately $1.5 million in requested funds, reducing support for some non-profit agencies, postponing implementaton of the recreation master plan, and still having to increase the debt. The rainy day fund has steadily been reduced since 2008 when it was at a high of approximately $14 million and, he felt a property tax increase is inevitable to provide services and promote the growth of our community. Mayor Pro-Tem Harris indicated that she would not be supporting the tax increase due to the reduction in the shortfall and the approximate $8 million in rainy day funds. She also expressed concerns about a tax rate increase and water/sewer rate increases in the same year. She would be in favor of using the extra funds to reduce the shortfall and she would like to see planning incremental tax increases in the next few years. Councilmember Souza pointed out that the property tax pays for about 15% of the budget and a good portion of the rainy day fund is borrowed money. He is fearful there will be substantial budget amendments in the coming year due to the cuts in the budget. He is also worried about the long-term effects of the debt. City of Crossville Page 2 Call for Special Meeting Minutes June 25, 2015 Councilmember Wyatt pointed out the substantial difference in what was projected for a shortfall in the current year and what actually happened. He believes the same thing will happen in the coming year and a tax rate increase will not be necessary. A motion was made by Mayor James Mayberry, seconded by Council Member Pete Souza, that this Ordinance be adopted on third reading. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 3- Council Member Pete Souza, Council Member Jesse Kerley and Mayor James Mayberry Nay: 2- Mayor Pro-tem Pamala Harris and Council Member Danny Wyatt c. Resolution adopting water and sewer rates effective July 1, 2015 Mayor Mayberry reported that the proposed rates will be an increase of 15% in water and 25% in sewer. Mayor Pro-Tem Harris reviewed research that she has done on modified depreciation and came to the conclusion that the City is obligated to use the straight-line depreciation. Councilmember Wyatt commented that there appears to be a surplus and he would rather look at a modified depreciation approach, but the Council has chosen not to and he supports that. City Manager Rutherford reported on the current reporting requirements of the Comptroller. He stated that the current Comptroller requires that depreciation be funded in cash rather than on paper, but that the money can be used for necessary repairs and upgrades. He will not be surprised if the Comptroller or SRF come back with a requirement to raise the rates even more when the reports are submitted with the budget. Councilmember Souza reported about the reviews now being done by the State to insure that utility districts don't get in a distressed situation. Councilmember Kerley said the rates should have already been raised, but were delayed by using the modified depreciation approach. He also commented that we could have saved money by researching other options or re-bidding sewer operations. With his vote, Council Member Wyatt acknowledged that he has several businesses that are fairly large water users, but that it is not a conflict of interest in voting on the rate increases. A motion was made by Council Member Pete Souza, seconded by Council Member Jesse Kerley, that this Resolution be approved as recommended. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4- Council Member Pete Souza, Council Member Jesse Kerley, Mayor James Mayberry and Mayor Pro-tem Pamala Harris Nay: 1- Council Member Danny Wyatt ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:23 p.m. City of Crossville Page 3

Agenda

City of Crossville 392 N. Main Crossville, TN 38555 Meeting Agenda Thursday, June 25, 2015 5:00 PM Council Chambers Call for Special Meeting Mayor James Mayberry Mayor Pro-Tem Pamala Harris Council Member Jesse Kerley Council Member Pedro (Pete) Souza Council Member Danny Wyatt City Manager David Rutherford City Clerk Sally Oglesby Call for Special Meeting Meeting Agenda June 25, 2015 Roll Call 1. Appointments 15-0272 Swearing-in of Alternate Administrative Hearing Officer Sponsors: City Clerk 2. Consent Agenda ORDINANCES ON THIRD READING a. 15-0147 Ordinance amending §1-801(E) of the Crossville Municipal Code regarding open records Sponsors: City Clerk Legislative History 5/5/15 Work Session received and filed The City’s ordinance regarding charges for copies needs to be revised to mirror the recommendations of the Tennessee Office of Open Records Counsel. The recommended ordinance sets the charges at the recommended amount of $0.15 for black and white copies and $0.50 for color copies for 8 ½ x 11 or 8 ½ x 14 sizes. 5/12/15 City Council approved on first reading The City’s ordinance regarding charges for copies needs to be revised to mirror the recommendations of the Tennessee Office of Open Records Counsel. The recommended ordinance sets the charges at the recommended amount of $0.15 for black and white copies and $0.50 for color copies for 8 ½ x 11 or 8 ½ x 14 sizes. 6/11/15 City Council approved on second reading b. 15-0168 Ordinance amending the budget for year-end FY 2014-2015 Sponsors: Finance Department Legislative History 5/12/15 City Council approved on first reading Year-end amendments are needed for: · Depreciation expense because city budgeted for the modified depreciation method · The employee buyout costs 6/11/15 City Council approved on second reading ORDINANCES ON SECOND READING c. 15-0235 Ordinance amending the FY14-15 budget for aerial photography Sponsors: Engineering Department and Tim Begley Legislative History City of Crossville Page 2 Printed on 6/24/2015 Call for Special Meeting Meeting Agenda June 25, 2015 6/4/15 Work Session received and filed Cumberland County E911 recently had Cumberland County flown for new aerial photography. Their cost was $77,863.00. They have offered, to the City of Crossville, the new aerials for a cost of $10,000.00. The aerials we are currently using were flown in 2010. They were obtained in the same manner. E911 had the county flown and we paid $10,000.00 back in May 2010. There have been several changes over the past 5 years. A few examples of side by side comparisons are attached. 6/11/15 City Council approved on first reading Cumberland County E911 recently had Cumberland County flown for new aerial photography. Their cost was $77,863. They have offered, to the City of Crossville, the new aerials for a cost of $10,000. The aerials we are currently using were flown in 2010 and were obtained in the same manner. There have been several changes over the past 5 years. d. 15-0260 Ordinance amending §12-1101 of the Crossville Municipal Code regarding municipal administrative hearing officer Sponsors: City Clerk Legislative History 6/11/15 City Council approved on first reading Following training of the municipal hearing officers, it was recommended that the City’s recently adopted ordinance be amended to set a specific time for hearings to be held to avoid having to publish notices every month. In addition, several other sections were added for clarification. e. 15-0261 Ordinance amending §13-402 of the Crossville Municipal Code pertaining to abandoned or inoperable vehicles Sponsors: City Clerk Legislative History 6/11/15 City Council approved on first reading With the adoption of the Administrative Hearing Officer program, the ordinance on abandoned or inoperable vehicles is being amended to be consistent with state law and to provide appeals to go through the Administrative Hearing Officer rather than City Council. The proposed ordinance is still under review by the City Attorney and Administrative Hearing Officers and is subject to final changes prior to final reading. f. 15-0262 Ordinance amending §13-104 of the Crossville Municipal Code pertaining to removal of vegetation and debris from certain lots Sponsors: City Clerk Legislative History 6/11/15 City Council approved on first reading With the adoption of the Administrative Hearing Officer program, the ordinance on removal of vegetation and debris is being amended to be consistent with state law and to provide cases to go through the Administrative Hearing Officer. The change includes the elimination of the Beautification Committee, which has not met in several years. The proposed ordinance is still under review by the City Attorney and Administrative Hearing Officers and is subject to final changes prior to final reading. City of Crossville Page 3 Printed on 6/24/2015 Call for Special Meeting Meeting Agenda June 25, 2015 3. OTHER BUSINESS a. 15-0174 Ordinance adopting the FY2015-16 operating budget Sponsors: City Manager and Finance Department Legislative History 5/5/15 Work Session received and filed Council is requested to pass the FY2015-16 operating budget in title only. 5/12/15 City Council approved on first reading 6/11/15 City Council approved on second reading b. 15-0175 Ordinance establishing a tax rate for FY2015-16 Sponsors: City Manager and Finance Department Legislative History 5/5/15 Work Session received and filed The City Manager has proposed a tax increase of 10¢ to $0.63/$100 of assessed value. On a $100,000 home, the increase would be $25. The agenda item will be shown as "in title only". City Manager Rutherford suggested that they would probably be adding $1,000,000 into the budget and discussed using some loans and some unrestricted funds. He suggested $400,000 in new revenue or cuts and $500-600,000 of unrestricted funds. (The work session was recessed at 6:25 p.m. and reconvened at 6:44 p.m.) 5/12/15 City Council approved on first reading Mayor Pro-Tem Harris stated that the Council is still working on the budget and that she was not in favor of a ten-cent tax increase and would prefer that the increase be stretched over three years. She also pointed out that the ordinance is in title only. Councilmember Souza responded that he did not believe the Council could obligate tax increases for future years. Councilmember Wyatt stated that he was not in favor of a tax increase since there is a healthy rainy day fund, additional sales taxes received this year, and that the City needed to cut expenditures by 2% to 2 1/2%. 6/11/15 City Council approved on second reading Councilmember Wyatt asked for a 4-5% cut in the budget and no 20% tax increase. Mayor Pro-Tem Harris stated that she would prefer to use the rainy day funds rather than a tax increase and stated that the motion on the ordinance was in title only. c. 15-0279 Resolution adopting water and sewer rates effective July 1, 2015 ADJOURNMENT City of Crossville Page 4 Printed on 6/24/2015

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