Board of Directors

MINUTES BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING JUNE 7, 2004, AT 7:00 P.M. The regular meeting of the Board of Directors was held on Monday, June 7, 2004, at 7:00 p.m., Hot Springs Civic and Convention Center, Wheeler Room, with Mayor Mike Bush presiding. The invocation was given by Ms. Mary Loye, and Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was led by Mayor Bush. 3 Approval of Minutes of May 17, 2004 Board Meeting A motion was made by Director Edwards, duly seconded by Director Maruthur, that the minutes of the May 17, 2004 Board Meeting be approved; and upon voice vote, the motion unanimously carried. 4 Recognition of Guests City Manager Kent Myers recognized Mr. Tom Lucek, former transit manager, who is presently a consultant for First Transit, and will be assisting Mr. Rick Brown this week in certain programs and studies. 8 Proposed Resolution No. R-04-139 Approving the Placement of a Mosaic on a Retaining Wall in the 200 Block of Convention Boulevard. 9 Proposed Resolution No. R-04-140 Expressing the Willingness of the City of Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Utilize Federal-Aid Monies for the Installation of a Traffic Signal at Highway 70 and Hammond Drive. 10 Proposed Resolution No. R-04-141 Amending Resolution No. 3194 Establishing a Water and Sewer Line Extension Policy by Adding a Section Concerning Easements. 7 Budget Transfer - Lighting Fixtures for Board Room Renovations. A motion was made by Director Edwards, duly seconded by Director Wheeler, that the bid award for lighting fixtures (board room renovation) and budget transfer for lighting fixtures (board room renovation) be approved. Upon discussion, Director Brunner-Maruthur advised that she received a memo from the electrical engineer today; and the lighting engineer has recommended that there be recessed fluorescent fixtures with several decorative pendant-mounted bowls to dress the ceiling. He explained this will help deflect the light and with the transmission on television. There are four lights at a cost of $400 each; and she recommended adding $1,600 to the budget transfer for the light fixtures.  City Manager Kent Myers then read a memo from Mr. Stan Curtis, professional engineer with Carter Burgess, stating it would be his recommendation that dimable ballasts be purchased for the recessed fluorescent fixtures so the lighting of the Board Members could be softened up as necessary. The cost would be approximately $3,000 for the ballast, labor and installation. He also recommended supplementing the recessed fluorescent fixtures with several decorative pendant-mounted bowls to dress up the ceiling. The cost of these fixtures could be between $400 and $2,500 depending upon size and finishes. The minimum quantity to consider would be four for a space the size of the room. Director Weatherford pointed out this should have been considered in the beginning, and Director Brunner-Maruthur said she agreed. She mentioned that she served on the committee, and the committee has dissolved. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MOUNTAIN TOWER; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF VARIOUS DOCUMENTS RELATED TO SUCH LEASE; AND MAKING CERTAIN DESIGNATIONS REGARDING SUCH LEASE,@ was taken from the agenda for consideration. A motion was made by Director Weatherford, duly seconded by Director Edwards, that the rules be suspended and the ordinance be read for the first time by title only; and upon voice vote, the motion unanimously carried. The ordinance was then read for the first time by title only; and upon the question AShall the ordinance be passed as read?@ and upon motion of Director Weatherford, duly seconded by Director Jones, that the ordinance be passed as read; and upon roll call, the following voted Aaye@: Directors Brunner- Maruthur, Jones, Newell, Weatherford, Edwards, Wheeler, and Bush, total 7; motion unanimously carried. Whereupon the ordinance was declared passed.  A motion was made by Director Weatherford, duly seconded by Director Edwards, that the rules be suspended and the ordinance be read for the first time by title only; and upon voice vote, the motion unanimously carried. The ordinance was then read for the first time by title only; and upon the question AShall the ordinance be passed as read?@ and upon motion of Director Edwards, duly seconded by Director Weatherford, that the ordinance be passed as read. Upon discussion, Mr. Don Cochran, Director of Utilities, advised that this software is used to enable the engineers to plan for the expansion of the water and wastewater systems and troubleshoot areas that may experience pressure problems or bottlenecking in the system. This software is being used by NRS Engineering that is doing the City=s Water and Wastewater Master Plan. The cost is $16,020 and is included in the 2004 capital improvement budget.  Mayor Bush then called for a vote on the motion to adopt; and upon roll call, the following voted Aaye@: Directors Brunner-Maruthur, Jones, Newell, Weatherford, Edwards, Wheeler, and Bush, total 7; motion unanimously carried. Whereupon the ordinance was declared passed. 17 Proposed Ordinance No. O-04-35 An ordinance entitled, AAN ORDINANCE WAIVING THE REQUIREMENTS OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF CITYWORKS SOFTWARE LICENSES AND RELATED SERVICES FROM VARION SYSTEMS FOR THE PUBLIC  A motion was made by Director Edwards, duly seconded by Director Brunner- Maruthur, that the rules be suspended and the ordinance be read for the first time by title only; and upon voice vote, the motion unanimously carried. The ordinance was then read for the first time by title only; and upon the question AShall the ordinance be passed as read?@ and upon motion of Director Wheeler, duly seconded by Director Brunner- Maruthur, that the ordinance be passed as read. Upon discussion, Mr. Dan Bugg, Chief Animal Services Officer, explained this is a software program that will help track animals in and out of the system. They will be able to track every animal by picture, where it was picked up, how long it was held by Animal Services, who turned it in, and the person that reclaimed it. He mentioned if an animal was hit by a car and had to put it down, the picture is available, which can identify the  City Manager Kent Myers advised that in regard to the lighting, staff reported Director Maruthur=s concerns to Doug Arnold, who was aware of that from the beginning since she had expressed those concerns at a previous meeting. He added that the committee has not met; and because the project will be completed in two to three weeks, he was not aware she wanted to continue meeting through the completion of the project. He clarified there was never an official committee appointed by the Board; but that can be done in the future, which would help strengthen the power, authority and responsibilities of the committee. However, this Board has never officially appointed a city board chamber subcommittee. He said that he thought he had received her input and had informed Mr. Arnold at least three or four times about her concerns on the lighting. Director Brunner-Maruthur stated she has been waiting on the details of that and did not receive it until she received the information from him. At that time, she had the Human Resources Director; and Tim Dean, Civil Service Commission, conducted telephone interviews with 12 of the semi-finalists. Following that process, they have identified five individuals as finalists for the Fire Chief position. The following finalists will be interviewed: June 23, John Mascaro, Fire Chief in Olympic Gardens Fire Department, Chicago Heights, Illinois; June 24, Jerry Holt, Fire Chief/Paramedic of the Urbandale Fire Department in Urbandale, Iowa; June 29, Ed Davis, Hot Springs Fire Marshal; June 30, Geoff Wolf, Hot Springs Shift Commander; and July 1, Steven Moody, Deputy Chief for the Salina Fire Department in Salina, Kansas. There will be public forums on these dates to allow the general public to meet the finalists. Those forums will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Copies of the résumés will be distributed to the Board later this week. Fire Chief Arval Sanders will be retiring having been employed with the City for 43 years and last 15 years as Fire Chief. ATTEST: _____________________ APPROVED:__________________ Lance Hudnell, City Clerk Mike Bush, Mayor