City Council

CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING - CITY HALL - #1 MUNICIPAL DRIVE The City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas met in regular session on January 24, 2019 at the regular meeting place of the City Council. Councilman Ray delivered the invocation and Mayor Johnson led a standing audience in the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag. ROLL CALL: City Councilman: Elliott, Sipes, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith answered ROLL CALL. Mayor Johnson also answered ROLL CALL declaring a quorum. PRESENT EIGHT (8) ABSENT TWO (2). Councilman Bolden and Collins were absent. Others present for the meeting were: City Attorney Stephanie Friedman, Public Works Director Jim Oakley, IT Director Scott Roethlisberger, CDBG Director Theresa Watson, Director of Downtown Planning and Development Bob Price, Police Chief John Franklin, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin House, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel, Lida Feller, 911 Director Tabby Hughes, Human Resource Director Charlette Nelson, Wastewater Manager Thea Hughes, Water Department Superintendent Jake Short, Water Department Field Manager Sal Papalardo, Water Commission Chairman Jim Peacock, Dejuana Sipes, Craig Friedman, Lloyd Friedman, Addie Gibson, Planning Commissioner Patrick Thomas, Johnny Simpson, Mike Dietz, Barbra Malinger, Tim Mishik, Delores Johnson, interested citizens, and members of the press. PRESENTATION OF MINUTES: Mayor Johnson presented the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of January 3, 2019 for approval and/or correction at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Councilman Traylor moved, seconded by Councilman Ray that the minutes of the specially scheduled City Council meeting of 20 December 2018 be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CONSENT AGENDA: REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/POLICE DEPARTMENT Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sansing to approve the regular monthly report for December 2018 regarding annual crime statistical comparisons. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/FIRE DEPARTMENT Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sansing to approve the regular monthly report for December 2018 from the Jacksonville Fire Department, reflecting a fire loss of $4,500.00 and a savings total of $655,000.00. REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT/ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sipes to approve the regular monthly report for December 2018. 1  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. PERMITS/LICENSE ISSUED INSPECTIONS PERFORMED Building Permits 5 Building Inspections 13 Business Licenses 0 Electrical 35 Plumbing 21 HVACR 11 REGULAR MONTH REPORT/ANIMAL CONTROL Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sansing to approve the regular monthly report for 2018 and December 2018. ADOPTION FEES/FINES $18,649.00 ADOPTION FEES/FINE $1,475.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 0.00 CONTRIBUTIONS 0.00 TOTALS $18,649.00 $1,475.00 MOTION CARRIED. ROLL CALL: Councilmen: Elliott, Sipes, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. WATER DEPARTMENT: Annual Report by Superintendent Jake Short Superintendent Short stated that on behalf of the Jacksonville Water Commission I am pleased to provide you with the 2018 Annual Water Works report. Jacksonville Water Works had zero water quality violations to report and has once again completed the year within its budget while providing the citizens of Jacksonville with quality water and services that they not only deserve, but have come to expect. The projects completed during 2018 includes the installation of 1,549 linear feet of pipe, 3 additional fire hydrants, and 6 valves. At the end of 2018 we had 11,330 water meters in the water distribution system which includes 69 new water services. Customer service continues to be a top priority of Jacksonville Water Works staff. We continue to take online payments from our customers through our secure internet site. In the year 2018, we received 20,364 online payments totaling $1,835,913. We continue to receive many positive comments from our customers using this updated service. Water Production increased in 2018. On June 30, 2018 we reached a peak demand for the year of 4.8 million gallons. This is well below the previous year’s peak water flow of 5.3 million gallons which occurred on January 31, 2017. The total water production for the year was 1.2 billion gallons, which was a 9.0% increase from the previous year. Our average daily water flow for the year was 3.22 million gallons per day. On July 31, 2017, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Jacksonville Water Works finalized an agreement for the privatization of the water utilities located on Little Rock Air Force Base (LRAFB). This 50-year contract requires JWW to operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and improve the LRAFB water system. 2  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. The LRAFB water distribution system includes 236,416 linear feet (lf) of pipe, 412 hydrants, 3 pump stations, and 1,350,000 gallons of storage. The system provides an average of 450,000 gallons of potable water per day and serves approximately 12,000 people. JWW currently operates and maintains over 1,178,510 lf of water distribution lines, 800 fire hydrants, 7,250,000 gallons of storage capacity, and provides an average of 3,000,000 gallons of potable water per day to the residents of Jacksonville. JWW not only provides reliable water service to a population of over 29,000 people in the Jacksonville area, but also delivers wholesale water to LRAFB and three other wholesale customers. JWW and LRAFB have a long standing history of collaboration and partnership stemming from the relationship formed through the water purchase agreement between the two entities. When first approached about the possibility of privatization in September of 2012, JWW wanted to build on this relationship and enlisted the services of Garver, Tetra Tech, and Wright, Lindsey & Jennings to assist in preparing a proposal for the acquisition of the LRAFB system. After nearly 5 years of negotiations and proposal revisions, a contract is now in place that will benefit both entities for many years into the future. There are many advantages to this contract, but one key benefit to privatization is that by ridding itself of utilities, LRAFB can now focus on its specific mission requirements instead of water system upgrades and repairs. JWW will not only benefit from increased employment and from economies of scale through combined utilization of fixed, general and overhead costs, but it will also gain a closer relationship with the planning and expansion efforts on LRAFB and will be able to integrate planning for both JWW and base customers alike. The full transfer of the LRAFB water system to JWW took place on May 1, 2018. JWW spent the first 4 months of 2018 procuring equipment, hiring staff, and working with LRAFB on a joint system inventory to help ensure a seamless transition. In acquiring these facilities, JWW has begun employing the operations and maintenance methods that have proven successful with Jacksonville’s water distribution system and blended those with procedures familiar to the LRAFB system. JWW is excited about the opportunity to further solidify the partnership between LRAFB and Jacksonville, and looks forward to the benefits all stand to receive. 3  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. This work was accomplished with a workforce of 32 employees. We currently have 13 employees licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health to properly operate the water system with 1 additional employee currently working toward the completion of their water operator license to further enhance the professionalism of the Jacksonville Water Works staff. We appreciate your confidence and continued support in working with the Jacksonville Water Commission to insure that our City will have a safe and adequate supply of high quality water for the future growth of the Great City of Jacksonville today, tomorrow and for many years to come. In response to a question from Councilman Traylor, Superintendent Short explained that the Little Rock Air Force Base usage is included; he added that the water purchase agreement is a separate issue. He then answered that up until June of 2018 it was a dry year and that is where the increase in usage came from. The Council commended the Water Commission. WASTEWATER DEPARTMENTS: Annual Report by General Manager Thea Hughes General Manager Hughes reported that Jacksonville’s sewer system consists of approximately 178 miles of sewer line ranging in size from 6 inch to 42 inch and over 3,500 manholes. The earliest construction dates back over 60 years. The system also includes 14 pump stations. The Wastewater utility is broken down into five departments: technical services, treatment, laboratory, collection system, and administration. The Technical Services handles investigation, cleaning and televising, and oversight of all construction. The report for that department is found on pages 3-6. A few of their statistics include:  Cleaned 48.58 miles of line.  Televised about 9 miles of line.  Inspected 147 services lines and made 2,301 line locates.  Conducted inspections and oversight of all sewer line laid in the city.  Continued to update our GIS system and database management system. Samples of our mapping data has been included on pages 5 and 6. The Treatment & Laboratory departments, which includes Pretreatment & Equipment Maintenance, are responsible for operating the treatment plant, running process control tests in the laboratory to ensure we are within permit regulations, assisting our industries with their wastewater treatment, and maintaining and repairing all plant maintenance and vehicles. Their reports are found on pages 7-8. A few of their achievements include:  Completed our 23rd year without an NPDES permit violation.  The plant treated over 2 billion gallons of water, compared to 1.4 billion last year, and 1.5 billion the previous year. 4  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M.  The increase stems from the Rainfall totals for 2018, which reached 71.41 inches in Little Rock, the fourth-highest rainfall total since record-keeping began for the Little Rock area in 1874, according to statistics from the National Weather Service in North Little Rock. Little Rock's yearly average rainfall is 49.75 inches, based on a 30- year average. Little Rock's record is 81.79 inches, recorded in 2009.  Our plant accepted 5.4 million gallons of landfill leachate from Two Pine Landfill.  Once again, there were no violations from ADEQ inspections of the plant and solid waste monofill, and no violations of our biomonitoring testing.  We performed 9,771 analytical tests in our laboratory and passed all recertification requirements. The Collection Systems department is responsible for repair and replacement of existing sewer line and manholes, and construction of new lines. Their report is found on pages 9-10. A few highlights are:  Contractors replaced 6537 feet of mainline by pipe bursting.  Inspected 480 manholes with 79 receiving some type of repair, and 11 replaced.  Performed 10 street cuts.  24% of all ML customer service calls were related to grease blockages, down from 48% last year. The Administration department handles financial management, personnel, purchasing, and clerical support. Their report is found on pages 11-12. Some of administration’s focus in 2018 was:  We received a perfect independent financial audit again in 2018.  Overall operating revenue was up slightly by .06%, but sewer use fees were down due to a decline in water usage which has been trending over the past few years.  Continued to mail post cards encouraging residents to “can the grease” and “shut the lid on wipes”. Employee Licenses & Certifications:  Utility employees hold the following licenses: CDL License 13 Coll Sys I certification 3 Coll Sys II certification 4 Coll Sys III certification 4 Plumbing Inspector 7 Solid Waste 4 Wastewater I 4 Wastewater II 5 Wastewater III 6 Wastewater IV 7 5  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. Awards & Achievements in 2018:  Kenny Maxwell received the 2018 Dick Morris Employee Excellence Award.  Jay Summers received the AWEA Collection System award and was inducted into the Arkansas Select Society for Sanitary Sludge Shovelers.  Alecia Patton received the WEF Bedell Award The City Council commended the Wastewater Utility. FIRE DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT: STREET DEPARTMENT: SANITATION DEPARTMENT: PARKS & RECREATION: PLANNING COMMISSION: ORDINANCE 1595 (#2-2019) AN ORDINANCE RECLASSIFYING PROPERTY IN THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS (GENERAL LOCATION: 4600 T.P. WHITE DRIVE, JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS); AMENDING ORDINANCE NOS. 213 AND THE LAND USE MAP OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sipes to place Ordinance 1595 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1595. Councilman Mashburn stated that the recommendation to rezone the property was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission, adding that the property is being requested to be rezoned from R-1 to C-4. She noted that the property consists of approximately 16 acres and is located at the northern edge of Jacksonville. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Smith to approve Ordinance 1595 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES to place Ordinance 1595 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Smith to further SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1595 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Traylor moved, seconded by Councilman Ray to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1595. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Sansing, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1595 (#2-2019) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 24th DAY OF JANUARY, 2019. 6  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. GENERAL: a. ORDINANCE 1591 (#13-2018) AN ORDINANCE TO MODIFY JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE § 2.06.010 (MINIMUM SALARY – MAYOR, JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE § 2.08.020 (MINIMUM SALARY – CITY CLERK), AND JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE § 2.10.010 (MINIMUM SALARY – CITY ATTORNEY); AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Councilman Traylor moved, seconded by Councilman Mashburn to table Ordinance 1591 (#13-2018) until Councilman Collins is present to represent. MOTION CARRIED. b. ORDINANCE 1593 (#15-2018) AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A FISCAL BUDGET FOR 2019; MAKING APPROPRIATIONS AND AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURES FOR OPERATION OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF CITY GOVERNMENT; FOR THE PURCHASE OF MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES COVERING GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS, STREET FUND, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FUND, SHOOTING RANGE FUND, AND SANITATION FUND, DECLARING AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sipes to place Ordinance 1593 on FIRST READING. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. Councilman Sansing vote NAY. MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Ordinance 1593. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Mashburn to approve Ordinance 1593 on FIRST READING and SUSPEND THE RULES to place Ordinance 1593 on SECOND READING. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. Councilman Sansing voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Mashburn to further SUSPEND THE RULES and place Ordinance 1593 on THIRD AND FINAL READING. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. Councilman Sansing voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Mashburn to APPROVE AND ADOPT Ordinance 1593 with EMERGENCY CLAUSE. Councilman Traylor questioned how much the reserves would increase with this budget. Finance Director Cheryl Erkel estimated that there would be 25 days of reserve at the end of 2018, adding that she would not be able to estimate the amount of days for 2019 until we have a 2020 budget. She stated that the reserves are based on how much money we have at the end of 2018 that will cover the 2019 budget. In response to a question from Councilman Sipes, Finance Director Cheryl Erkel stated that she does not have a final figure on the carryover from 2018 because the budget has not been closed yet. 7  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. ROLL CALL: Councilman Elliott, Sipes, Ray, Mashburn, Traylor, Twitty, and Smith voted AYE. Councilman Sansing voted NAY. MOTION CARRIED. ORDINANCE 1593 (#2-2019) APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 24th DAY OF JANUARY, 2019. c. RESOLUTION 778 (#1-2019) A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AND APPROVING AN OPTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS, AND JACKSONVILLE HOUSING SOLUTION, INC.; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Councilman Ray moved, seconded by Councilman Sansing to read Resolution 788 (#1-2019). MOTION CARRIED. Whereupon City Attorney Friedman read the heading of Resolution 778 (#1-2019). Mr. Steve Clarke stated that they are still looking to get an application into the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, adding that it is due March 4, 2019. He added that in order to do that they have to show site control and this Resolution would accomplish that site control so they can move forward to determine if the project can even move forward. Mayor Johnson stated that this is authorizing the option to lease the property for one dollar annually so the City can then pay Pulaski County Special School District one dollar annually. Mr. Clarke noted that the biggest advantage for the City is to be released from the liability, pointing out that every time they visit the site they are amazed at the vandalism. He stated they continue to secure the site even though they do not have a lease yet. Councilman Traylor clarified that the Resolution would allow them to proceed with sourcing the funding for the project. Mayor Johnson then answered Councilman Traylor that once funding is secured, the project would go before the Planning Commission. Mr. Clarke stated that it would be the same for any development, it would have to be zoned and issued a building permit. Councilman Traylor moved, seconded by Councilman Twitty to approve Resolution 778 (#1-2019) in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED. d. STATE OF THE CITY Mayor Johnson stated that the number one issue he would like for everyone to understand is that the City is not broke, commenting on earlier statements by Finance Director Cheryl Erkel. He added that we do not have an abundance of money, we cannot do everything we want to do. He then stated that in looking forward into 2019; we have the new Jacksonville High School opening, as well as the completion of the Kum & Go. He added that he and Bob Price have been in contact with several restaurants and have shown property to a potential 8  CITY OF JACKSONVILLE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 24, 2019 7:00 P.M. – 7:36 P.M. business. He stated that opportunities look good for the future. He reminded everyone that the Census would be held in 2020, emphasizing the importance of the Census. He stressed the importance of reaching out to various groups in the community and producing a video to educate people regarding the Census count. He noted that if we increase our population by 2,000 people it means 5 million dollars annually representing a 25% increase in the annual budget. He thanked the Police and Fire Departments for their exceptional service to the City of Jacksonville. He noted their hard work and long hours, which is not always recognized. He acknowledged other dedicated employees who do a tremendous job, also putting in long hours. He offered his appreciation for being Mayor. APPOINTMENTS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: Councilman Twitty announced that the Father/Daughter Banquet will be held February 16th at the Community Center, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mayor Johnson announced that the Annual Chamber Banquet will be held February 5th at the Community Center, and Rex Nelson will be the speaker. First Presbyterian Church is willing to open a warming center but are in need of volunteers. Mayor Johnson encouraged anyone willing to volunteer. ADJOURNMENT: Without objection, Mayor Johnson adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:36 p.m. MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully, ________________________ _________________________ Susan L. Davitt MAYOR BOB JOHNSON City Clerk-Treasurer 9