City Commission Agendas and Minutes

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CITY OF DOTHAN, ALABAMA REGULAR MEETING MAY 19, 2020 The Board of Commissioners of the City of Dothan, Alabama, met in regular session in the Commission Chambers of the Roy Driggers Municipal Building at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 19, 2020 with the following members present: Mayor Mark Saliba, Associate Commissioners Kevin Dorsey, Janasky Fleming, Albert Kirkland, John Ferguson, Beth Kenward, and David Crutchfield. Also present were City Manager Kevin Cowper, City Clerk Tammy Danner, Assistant City Clerk Wendy Shiver, who recorded the Minutes of the Meeting, and the local news media representatives. Mayor Saliba called the meeting to order. Randy Morris, Assistant City Manager, then led in prayer, afterwhich Commissioner Ferguson led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Commissioner Crutchfield moved that the Minutes of the Meeting of May 5, 2020, be approved, motion seconded by Commissioner Dorsey and unanimously approved. Commissioner Dorsey thanked City Manager Cowper, Fire Chief Larry Williams, and Police Chief Steve Parrish for their communications and keeping the Commission updated on information. He said he is not receiving any complaints from individuals in his district, and he appreciates everything they are doing through the pandemic. Commissioner Fleming thanked everyone for their hard work, dedication, and communication provided throughout the pandemic. He said all the department heads have been outstanding and he appreciates everyone jumping in together. Commissioner Kirkland thanked the Environmental Services employees for their hard work. He said there is two and a half times the normal amount of trash accumulating during this time, and they are doing a good job managing the workload. He asked citizens to be patient as they work to catch up. Commissioner Kenward thanked Public Works Director Charles Metzger’s team for getting the pothole on 84 West fixed. She said she received lots of calls and it was dangerous, so she appreciates their assistance. Commissioner Kenward thanked everyone for keeping the Commission informed and for staying on top of everything. She said she did not receive many complaints about breakdown in services, we still kept running, and she thinks this shows a lot about our department heads and our employees in general. Commissioner Crutchfield said he would like to thank all our department heads, Mayor Saliba, City Manager Cowper, and Assistant City Manager Randy Morris for all the work they are doing to keep things rolling. Commissioner Crutchfield expressed his condolences to the family of Bobby Granger, who passed away yesterday morning. He said Mr. Granger was a great man who had worked with the Leisure Services Department and also in the Utilities Department as a meter reader. Mayor Saliba added his appreciation to all the staff, department heads, City Manager Cowper, and the Commission. He said there are a lot of people who are anxious, as this pandemic continues to last a lot longer than we had all hoped and thought it would, and everyone is ready to get back to some normalcy. He said at the same time we are also very concerned about the safety of our vulnerable citizens so we continue to ask everyone to be patient and kind to one another and understanding of where we are. He said we pray for our leaders which include Governor Kay Ivey, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris with the Alabama Department of Public Health, and all those who are making decisions above us. Minutes of the Board of Commissioners – May 19, 2020, continued. City Manager Cowper shared the following updates:  Starting this week, we are holding our first public meetings – the Planning Commission and Dothan Downtown Redevelopment Authority will meet this week, and information regarding protocols has been released for the general public who are interested in attending those meetings. Social distancing will be required, face masks are encouraged, and everyone’s patience is requested.  The Municipal Complex portion of the Civic Center building will reopen to the public on Tuesday, May 26th in a modified sense with protocols in place. A customer service facility will be set up on the ground floor to allow for direct purchase of business licenses, building permits, event tickets, etc. This is a temporary arrangement as we work on a more permanent setup which will allow for the majority of business to be conducted on the ground floor so that people will not have to come further into the building. This system will be safer for the general public and our employees, and our staff will be doing the work. Acting City Manager Randy Morris is heading up this effort with our different department heads to make sure all aspects function as needed.  Some of our parks and recreation facilities will begin reopening on Tuesday, May 26th, and detailed information will be released to the public this week. The outdoor trails at both Westgate and Eastgate have been open and the outdoor fitness court at Westgate is now open. The archery range at Eastgate, the BMX track, and tennis courts will reopen next week with modified schedules and protocols for social distancing and safety. All fields will be reopened for general play only. Summer camps will be significantly modified to adhere to protocols and, as a result, the number of children who can attend will have to be reduced by about half. Registration and start dates will be announced for those camps closer to time. The construction at Water World is anticipated to be completed in June with the re-opening tentatively planned for the end of June, with a possible soft opening on Father’s Day weekend.  Municipal Court is anticipating in-person court dates to resume in July, and notices will be sent. The courtroom will be significantly impacted due to social distancing requirements, and General Services staff has been working to construct physical barriers to provide for safety. Regarding delinquent utility accounts, City Manager Cowper said the procedures to suspend cut-offs during the pandemic expired on Friday, May 15th, and he requested Finance Director Lisa Reeder to give an update. Mrs. Reeder discussed the number of delinquent accounts and efforts being made to notify customers of options available to them to include financial assistance, payment plans, and payment methods. Commissioner Crutchfield asked if the Utility Collections (UC) building has reopened to walk-in customers. Mrs. Reeder said the facility is still closed to the public but appointments can be made to speak with a customer service representative. She noted that customers who are normally in good standing and not able to pay their bills as a result of COVID-19 can request their delinquent fees to be waived. Upon Commissioner Ferguson’s inquiry into the UC employees work activities, Mrs. Reeder said they are continuing to provide assistance to customers through the drive-thru, telephone, and email, as well as in the parking lot by monitoring the flow of traffic, answering questions, and encouraging usage of the new payment kiosk. Commissioner Dorsey asked about signage in regards to safety and liability when City buildings are reopened to the public. City Manager Cowper said most of our efforts to get information out are through social media and press releases but appropriate signage will also be put up where needed. Mayor Saliba introduced the application of Vinitaben Chaudhari for a Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine License (off premise) for Hop In #1, located at 1804 Ross Clark Circle. Mayor Saliba asked if there was anyone present to speak on this matter and there were none. Commissioner Kirkland moved for approval, motion Minutes of the Board of Commissioners – May 19, 2020, continued. seconded by Commissioner Kenward. There being no discussion and upon the motion being put to vote, the motion was unanimously carried. Mayor Saliba introduced the application of Vinitaben Chaudhari for a Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine License (off premise) for Hop In #2, located at 2931 West Main Street. Mayor Saliba asked if there was anyone present to speak on this matter and there were none. Commissioner Kenward moved for approval, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield. There being no discussion and upon the motion being put to vote, the motion was unanimously carried. Mayor Saliba introduced the application of Vinitaben Chaudhari for a Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine License (off premise) for Hop In #3, located at 3260 Hartford Highway. Mayor Saliba asked if there was anyone present to speak on this matter and there were none. Commissioner Kenward moved for approval, motion seconded by Commissioner Fleming. There being no discussion and upon the motion being put to vote, the motion was unanimously carried. Mayor Saliba introduced the application of Keyurkumar Patel.for a Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine License (off premise) for 231 Mini Mart, located at 4684 South Oates Street. Mayor Saliba asked if there was anyone present to speak on this matter and there were none. Commissioner Crutchfield moved for approval, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward. There being no discussion and upon the motion being put to vote, the motion was unanimously carried. Mayor Saliba introduced the application of Anna Lee Walding for a Retail Beer and Retail Table Wine License (on or off premise) for My Pie, located at 3835 West Main Street, Suite 3. Mayor Saliba asked if there was anyone present to speak on this matter and there were none. Commissioner Kenward moved for approval, motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkland. There being no discussion and upon the motion being put to vote, the motion was unanimously carried. Mayor Saliba introduced Ordinance No. 2020-124 (recorded in Ordinance Book No. _______at Page_______), annexing certain property owned by West Family Assets Trust, located adjacent to Deer Valley Subdivision on the NE right-of-way of Bethlehem Road, into the Dothan city limits. Commissioner Kirkland moved for immediate consideration, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward and upon the motion being put to vote, those voting “yea,” were Saliba, Dorsey, Fleming, Kirkland, Ferguson, Kenward, and Crutchfield; “nay:” none. The motion was carried by the majority of seven “yeas” to no “nays.” Commissioner Kirkland then moved for adoption of Ordinance No. 2020-124, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield and upon the motion being put to vote, those voting “yea,” were Saliba, Dorsey, Fleming, Kirkland, Ferguson, Kenward, and Crutchfield; “nay:” none. The motion was carried by the majority of seven “yeas” to no “nays.” Mayor Saliba introduced Ordinance No. 2020-125 (recorded in Ordinance Book No. _______at Page_______), amending Chapter 42, Floods, Article ll, Division l, Section 42-26, Definitions; and Chapter 42, Floods, Article II, Division 2, Section 42-69, Permit procedures (a) Application stage, of the City of Dothan Code of Ordinances. Commissioner Kenward moved for immediate consideration, motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkland and upon the motion being put to vote, those voting “yea,” were Saliba, Dorsey, Fleming, Kirkland, Ferguson, Kenward, and Crutchfield; “nay:” none. The motion was carried by the majority of seven “yeas” to no “nays.” Commissioner Kenward then moved for adoption of Ordinance No. 2020-125, motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkland. Upon Commissioner’s Kenward request for explanation, Public Works Director Charles Metzger said this amendment is to correct errors in the previous ordinance including adding the established date of the flood ordinance. Commissioner Ferguson asked if this requires a developer to have different permitting or a certain stamp. Mr. Metzger said there are no changes to the current requirements already in place. There being no further discussion and upon the motion being put to vote, those voting “yea,” were Saliba, Dorsey, Fleming, Kirkland, Ferguson, Kenward, and Minutes of the Board of Commissioners – May 19, 2020, continued. Crutchfield; “nay:” none. The motion was carried by the majority of seven “yeas” to no “nays.” Mayor Saliba introduced a proposed ordinance, amending Chapter 82, Solid Waste, Article l, In General, Section 82-1, Definitions; Chapter 82, Solid Waste, Article VI, Sanitary Refuse Disposal Sites and Fees, Section 82-95, Schedule of fees, rates, credits, etc., for disposal; and adding Article VI, Sanitary Refuse Disposal Sites and Fees, Section 82-98, Annual landfill Disposal Rate Adjustments, of the City of Dothan Code of Ordinances. Commissioner Kirkland moved for immediate consideration, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield and upon the motion being put to vote, those voting “yea,” were Kirkland, Ferguson, and Crutchfield; “nay:” Saliba, Dorsey, Fleming, and Kenward. Commissioner Fleming inquired if questions may be asked now. City Clerk Danner explained that without unanimous consent for immediate consideration, the proposed ordinance will be placed on the next commission agenda and discussion can be held at that time. Mayor Saliba suggested that Commissioners who have questions contact City Manager Cowper for further information. City Manager Cowper concurred, and he clarified that ordinances in the State of Alabama require two readings to be passed unless unanimous consent is received to approve an ordinance on the first reading. Mayor Saliba said he feels this will give everyone the time they need to ask certain questions. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-126 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), confirming the cost incurred in notification and abatement of certain properties determined to be nuisances by Resolution Numbers 2020-34 and 2020-62 and turning the costs over to the County Tax Collector so that the amounts can be added to the next regular bills for taxes levied against the respective lots and parcels of land. Commissioner Fleming moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-127 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), amending Resolution No. 2019-227, dated September 3, 2019, contract with the Southern Alabama Regional Council on Aging (SARCOA) to administer and operate the Nutrition/ Transportation Program of Title III of the Older Americans Act, 1965 as amended, to include an additional funding in the amount of $2,100.00, to be payable in six (6) monthly payments of $350.00. Commissioner Kenward moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkland. Upon Commissioner Crutchfield’s request for explanation, City Manager Cowper said additional funding has been received, and since the amount is higher than the original contract, the amendment is required to reflect that additional amount. There being no further discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-128 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), submitting permit renewal applications to the ADEM Municipal Section Water Division for the Little Choctawhatchee Wastewater Treatment Plant and New Cypress Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Commissioner Kenward moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Dorsey and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-129 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), awarding the bid, entering into a contract and issuing a Notice to Proceed and other related documents to L and K Contracting Co. Inc. for the 2020 Red Water Watermain Replacement Project B, for the sum of $766,933.00. Commissioner Dorsey moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield. Commissioner Dorsey said it is good to see this is a local contractor. There being no further discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-130 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), submitting the permit application package and entering into an agreement with ALDOT for the installation of a new underground electric line at the East Burdeshaw Substation. Commissioner Kirkland moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Fleming. Commissioner Dorsey Minutes of the Board of Commissioners – May 19, 2020, continued. asked if there is a hard date. Dothan Utilities Director Billy Mayes said once we get this and the contract, work will begin as soon as possible. There being no further discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-131 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), awarding the bid, entering into a contract, and issuing a Notice of Award, Notice to Proceed and other related contract documents to Donald Smith Company, Inc. for the refurbishment of Well Nos. 4 and 24 for the sum of $177,361.00. Commissioner Crutchfield moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-132 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), approving to participate in the construction cost with Watson and Downs Investments, LLC to relocate the sanitary sewer trunk line approximately 452 linear feet at 4223 Montgomery Highway in the amount of $115,500.00. The City of Dothan’s share shall be approximately $85,500.00, with a not to exceed share of $30,000.00 from Watson and Downs Investments, LLC, and appropriating funds for said cost. Commissioner Kenward moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-133 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), entering into a cooperative maintenance agreement with ALDOT for maintenance of the 5-foot wide concrete sidewalk located North of the Westbound lanes of AL-12/US-84 in the ALDOT right-of-way near milepost 211.76 and being approximately 120 linear feet in length along AL-12/US-84. Commissioner Kirkland moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-134 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), entering into a Construction Agreement with the State of Alabama for construction improvements for Adding an Additional Lane on SR-12 (US-84/West Main St.) from John D. Odom Road to Flowers Chapel Road. Commissioner Ferguson moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward. Upon Commissioner Ferguson’s inquiry, City Manager Cowper said we are moving forward with the agreement with ALDOT and the engineering for the project. He said we are anticipating bidding the project in fiscal year 2021 and construction is expected to last a year or so. Public Works Director Charles Metzger said a meeting is being held this afternoon with the consultant and ALDOT to review the overall conceptual design in order to finalize the access management plan. Commissioner Crutchfield confirmed with Mr. Metzger that the plan is to utilize the median and not the outside turn lane. Mr. Metzger said this lessens the impact on utilities and allows us to keep the right turn lane. He added that the additional lane is only being done westbound but we would like to do an additional eastbound lane and also to take the lanes all the way out Brannon Stand Road and beyond. Mr. Metzger confirmed for Commissioner Ferguson that this work will tie-in to the second phase of the Ross Clark Circle project. He said we will talk with ALDOT today about continuing the three westbound lanes from Englewood Drive all the way out to John D. Odom Road. He said we are also trying to work with the consultant to look at a dual left off of West Main Street, westbound, to go on to Flowers Chapel Road because of the volume. He said the City will have to do work on John D. Odom Road to make that happen further out to add the additional lane, but with the volume of traffic and the way it backs up, this could really help that problem. There being no further discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-135 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), entering into an agreement with Azteca Systems, LLC, for the use of CityWorks software and to provide maintenance and support, for an annual cost of $32,980.00. Commissioner Kenward moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkland and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-136 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), entering into an agreement with ESRI, Inc., for server and client software packages and maintenance, at a cost of $55,000.00. Commissioner Kenward moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield. City Manager Cowper confirmed for Commissioner Ferguson that this Minutes of the Board of Commissioners – May 19, 2020, continued. is used extensively by both our staff and the public, which includes the engineering and development community. City Manager Cowper discussed the need to further our technology in the City to allow for customers to do more business online, and he said GIS is one of the areas we can use to provide information such as voting districts, garbage schedule days, school districts, zoning, etc. He said we will certainly be looking at ways to expand our capabilities in this area going forward. There being no further discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-137 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), entering into an agreement with First Data Merchant Services, thru Wells Fargo Bank, for the acceptance of credit and debit cards at Water World and on-line, for a three (3) year period. Commissioner Kenward moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Fleming and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-138 (recorded in Ordinance Book No._______at Page_______), approving payment of invoices for the month of April, 2020 in the amount of $15,053,593.35. Commissioner Kirkland moved for adoption, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward and unanimously adopted. Mayor Saliba introduced Resolution No. 2020-139 (recorded in Ordinance Book No. _______at Page_______), awarding the following bids and approving other purchases over $15,000.00 by the City, and appropriating funds for said bids and purchases. ITEM VENDOR AMOUNT Additional Purchases from Previously Awarded Bids: Covid-19 Emergency Summer Mildred’s Restaurant $ 207,352.00 Feeding Program: Additional Dothan, AL (more or less) purchases from awarded bid For June 1-July 31, 2020 Bids To Be Awarded: Water World Landscaping Buds N Blossoms Nursery, Inc. $ 38,675.00 for New Slide & Cove Play Area Dothan, AL Other Purchases: ADEM National Pollution Alabama Dept. of Environmental $ 35,570.00 Discharge Elimination System Management (NPDES) Permit Renewal Montgomery, AL $17,785.00 for each location Sole Source Replace 2 RAS Pumps at Little Stuart C Irby $ 23,000.00 Choctawhatchee WWTP Dothan, AL Estimate Sole Source Pump 1 - $10,884.64 Pump 2- $11,437.99 Estimate Purchase of Falcon Ex Props FireBlast Global $ 83,292.00 Equipment including: two (2) Corona, CA controls (Falcon EX 10 Controller); system (Falcon Igniter) apparatus; safety paraphernalia; and, live fire prop. Operational training is included and one year warranty. Continuity with other props already installed. 2020 John Deere 3330 Track Flint Equipment $ 114,000.00 Loader with Cutter Head Dothan, AL Sourcewell Cooperative Contract # 032515-JDC Netmotion Mobility Premium CDWG $ 16,808.00 Maintenance/Support for 1 Year Vernon Hills, IL Sourcewell Cooperative Contract 081419-CDW Tech Minutes of the Board of Commissioners – May 19, 2020, continued. Perimeter Fence at Northcutt Tri State Fence & Ironworks $ 49,491.68 Fields Lowest Quote for Dothan, AL Public Works Project Estimated Trash Disposal Cost Omussee C & D Landfill $ 80,000.00 for FY 2020, May – June Dothan, AL Sole Source Provider Commissioner Kenward then moved for adoption of Resolution No. 2020-139, motion seconded by Commissioner Crutchfield. Commissioner Dorsey asked for clarification for the additional purchase on the Summer Feeding Program bid. Leisure Services Assistant Director of Operations Kim Meeker said the current feeding program is provided by Breakfast at Tammie’s, but the Summer Feeding Program will begin June 1st and that program was recently awarded to Mildred’s Restaurant. Mr. Meeker, along with City Manager Cowper, explained that the feeding program was recently expanded to include a substantial increase in the number of meals due to COVID-19 and this is grant money we have received. Commissioner Crutchfield acknowledged that this is Mr. Meeker’s last Commission meeting as he is retiring at the end of the month, and he thanked him for his thirty years of service. There being no further discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted. There being no further business, Commissioner Kirkland moved that the meeting be adjourned, motion seconded by Commissioner Kenward and upon the unanimous vote of "yea," the meeting was duly adjourned. /s/Tammy Danner, City Clerk Approved: /s/Mark Saliba, Mayor /s/Kevin Dorsey, Associate Commissioner /s/Janasky Fleming, Associate Commissioner /s/Albert Kirkland, Associate Commissioner /s/John Ferguson, Associate Commissioner /s/Beth Kenward, Associate Commissioner /s/David Crutchfield, Associate Commissioner BOARD OF CITY COMMISSIONERS