City Council

Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Gallup City Council, City of Gallup, New Mexico, held in the Council Chambers at Gallup City Hall, 110W. Aztec Ave. at 6:00 pm. on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jackie McKinney. Upon roll call, the following were present: Mayor Jackie McKinney Councilors: Linda Garcia Allan Landavazo Fran Palochak Yogash Kumar Also present: Jon DeYoung, Assistant City Manager Curtis Hayes, City Attorney Presented to the Mayor and Councilors for their approval were the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 10, 2017. Councilor Palochak made the motion to approve the aforementioned Minutes. Seconded by Councilor Landavazo. Roll Call: Councilors Palochak, Landavazo, Kumar, Garcia and Mayor McKinney all voted yes. Presented to the Mayor and Councilors for their approval were the following Discussion/Action Topics: 1. Request for Street Closures for the Annual Christmas Parade to be Held on Saturday, December 2, 2017 Bill Lee, Executive Director, Gallup — McKinley County Chamber of Commerce Mr. Lee presented the request, with no changes from previous years, as well as an overview of the event. There being no questions or comments from the public, discussion followed concerning the time and location of the parade and the possibility of scheduling future parades later in the evening in conjunction with the balloon glow at the Red Rock Balloon Rally. Councilor Landavazo made the motion to approve the request for street closures for the Annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 2, 2017. Seconded by Councilor MINUTES Regular City Council Meeting — 10/24/2017 Page 2 Garcia. Roll Call: Councilor Landavazo, Garcia, Palochak, Kumar and Mayor McKinney all voted yes. 2. Resolution No. R2017-26; 1st Quarter Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Adjustments and Report of Actuals Patty Holland, Chief Financial Officer — Ms. Holland presented the proposed Resolution which encompasses all budget changes processed July 1 through September 30, 2017. She provided an overview of the budget adjustments as well as the Report of Actuals for the quarter. Discussion followed regarding the transfer of $800,000.00 into the Street Department’s capital fund and the general fund balance of $9.9 million. Councilor Kumar made the motion to approve Resolution No. R2017-26. Seconded by Councilor Palochak. Roll Call: Councilors Kumar, Palochak, Landavazo, Garcia and Mayor McKinney all voted yes 3. Approval of Budget Adjustments for Capital Purchases (Video Equipment & Electronic Sign) Jon DeYoung, Assistant City Manager — Mr. DeYoung presented the request to transfer $12,760.00 from the operating fund to the capital fund for the purpose of upgrading the camera system in the Customer Care office, moving the 32 channel video recorder from the Police Department to the Customer Care office and the purchase of a 64 channel recorder for the Police Department along with $6,243.00 for an electronic sign at the Touch Down Football League (TDFL) field. Brian Archuleta, Information Technology Director, answered questions regarding the technical capabilities of the camera systems in the Customer Care office. Mayor McKinney commented on the funds not being included in the budget, effective July 1, 2017. Vince Alonzo, Parks and Recreation Director, responded to questions in reference to the time frame for which the electronic sign will be in operation and explained the need for a new sign. Councilor Garcia made the motion to approve budget adjustments for the capital purchases as presented. Seconded by Councilor Palochak. Roll Call: Councilors Garcia, Palochak, Landavazo, Kumar and Mayor McKinney. MINUTES Regular City Council Meeting — 10/24/2017 Page 3 4. Write—off of Bad Debts (Terminated Utility Accounts) — Jon DeYoung, Assistant City Manager Brenda Romero, Customer Care Manager, presented a listing of the City’s bad debts on terminated utility accounts that are four years old or more and terminated utility accounts that are bankruptcy cases totaling $158,359.27. Councilor Palochak expressed her concerns with the high dollar amount on some of the listed accounts. Discussion followed regarding the City’s internal collection process, accounts more than four years old, the importance of collecting deposits based on the usage at each location and updated policies passed by the Council within the past few years. Mayor McKinney requested an additional report indicating any balances collected from the terminated accounts to demonstrate the City’s effectiveness in collecting the debts. Mr. DeYoung will track the accounts and provide a report at a later date. Mr. Hayes responded to comments pertaining to potentially locating customers in an attempt to collect on past due accounts. He also advised on the necessary training that would be involved to avoid violating Federal Laws which regulate credit collections. Brief discussion followed regarding how often the accounts are written off, the amount written off last year in comparison to this year, the length of time for which a lien can be placed on a property and the communication between the Legal Department and the Customer Care Division with regards to filing liens. Councilor Landavazo made the motion to approve the write-off of bad debts as presented. Seconded by Councilor Kumar. Roll Call: Councilors Landavazo, Kumar, Palochak, Garcia and Mayor McKinney all voted yes. The following presentation and Information Item was presented to the Mayor and Council ors: 1. Gallup YCC Trail Improvements — Jon DeYoung, Assistant City Manager Wade Nez, Youth Conservation Corp (YCC) Supervisor presented pictures as well as GIS maps demonstrating the efforts made by YCC in improving the trails in and around the city, while increasing public safety. MINUTES Regular City Council Meeting — 10/24/2017 Page 4 Mr. DeYoung thanked YCC for all of their hard work on the trails in addition to the GIS maps Mr. Nez and Rick Padilla, GIS Manager, created. The Mayor and Councilors expressed their gratitude to the YCC for their hard work in constructing and maintaining local trails. As a result of their work, YCC has beautified the community and increased the City’s reputation of being an outdoor venue. Comments by Public on Non-Agenda Items None Comments by Mayor and City Council Councilor Garcia reminded everyone of her Neighborhood meeting at the Gallup Senior Center, Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 6:30 P.M. Councilor Kumar announced the ground breaking of the new Veteran’s Cemetery on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 2:00 P.M. Council Landavazo encouraged everyone to keep building Gallup. Councilor Palochak congratulated Stan Henderson, Public Works Director, and City staff for the opening of Allison Road. She thanked the Street Department for the installation of a speed limit sign in her district and reminded everyone to slow down and observe stop signs. Mayor McKinney addressed the matter of speeding throughout the City and alleviating the issue by way of traffic enforcement and speeding tickets. Mayor McKinney recognized the Veteran’s Committee for the purchase of the flag pole on Hassler Valley Road along with City staff, local businesses and citizens who offered assistance through donations for the project. The Veteran’s will be raising the flag on October 25, 2017 at 7:30 A.M. prior to the ground breaking of the Veteran’s Cemetery at 2:00 P.M. Mayor McKinney thanked Mr. Alonzo and Ben Welch for their assistance in organizing the event. The Mayor provided information on the time frame for the construction of the cemetery with hopes of the dedication taking place in March 2018.  MINUTES Regular City Council Meeting — 10/24/2017 Page 5 Comments by City Manager and City Attorney Mr. DeYoung invited Mr. Henderson to provide a brief update on Allison Bridge and the skate park. Mr. Henderson stated Allison Bridge is open and construction should be finalized by mid-November. The Skate Park Project, Phase 1, is scheduled to start the week of November 6th with an anticipated completion date in May 2018. Mr. Henderson also said West Jefferson Avenue should be opened by the end of October 2017. There being no further business, Councilor Palochak made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Councilor Garcia. Roll Call: Councilors Palochak, Garcia, Landavazo, Kumar and Mayor McKinney all voted yes. — Jackie McKinney,M\ ‘— I -ATTES1: JAJL City Clerk Approved 11/14/2017