_Board of Commissioners

City OF NEWPORT, KY REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Monday, October 15, 2018 MINUTES CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Peluso at 7:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Newport Municipal Building at 998 Monmouth Street. The meeting was opened with a moment for silent invocation and the mayor led the Pledge of Allegiance. In attendance were: Commissioner Beth Fennell, Commissioner Thomas Guidugli, Jr., Commissioner Frank Peluso, Commissioner Ken Rechtin, and Mayor Jerry Peluso. Also in attendance were: City Manager Thomas Fromme, Assistant City Manager Larisa Sims, City Attorney Daniel Braun, Police Chief Tom Collins, Fire Chief Bill Darin, Director of Finance Lenny Kuntz, Community Services Director Doug Roell, Code Enforcement Director Brian Steffen, Historic Preservation Officer Scott Clark, Community Liaison Bev Holiday, and City Clerk Amy Able. PERSONNEL ORDERS Tentative R-2018-063 AN ORDER PROMOTING CHRIS HOLMES TO THE POSITION OF ENGINEER/MEDIC 0 IN THE FIRE/EMS DEPARTMENT EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 7, 2018. Commissioner Peluso made a motion to approve; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Guidugli. Upon hearing there were no comments or questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Peluso: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Motion carried 5-0. PRESENTATIONS, AWARDS & PROCLAMATIONS Chief Darin recognized Lt. Chuck Dietz on his retirement after over 17 years of service and was successful with many grant applications over the years. Scott Clark gave an update on the Newport History Museum @ the Southgate Street School which hosted a successful Harvest the Arts and Music Festival. PUBLIC FORUM No one present responded to the Mayor’s invitation to address the Board. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Peluso made a motion to approve the minutes of the Monday, September 17, 2018 regular meeting, the Tuesday, September 18, 2018 special meeting, and the Monday, October 1, 2018 caucus meeting. Commissioner Fennell offered a second to the motion. Upon hearing there were no changes, corrections, comments or questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Peluso: Yes Commissioner Guidugli: Abstain Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Motion carried 5-0. NEW BUSINESS The city clerk read Order R-2018-064 AN ORDER GRANTING A PROPERTY ASSESSMENT MORATORIUM TO MANSION Board of Commissioners of Newport, KY October 15, 2018 Meeting Minutes HILL PROPERTIES, LLC RELATING TO THE RESTORATION OF PROPERTY AT 734 WASHINGTON AVENUE, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY. Commissioner Guidugli made a motion to approve; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Fennell. Upon hearing there were no comments or questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Peluso: Yes Motion carried 5-0. The city clerk read Order R-2018-065 AN ORDER GRANTING A PROPERTY ASSESSMENT MORATORIUM TO RICK SIMS RELATING TO THE RESTORATION OF PROPERTY AT 842 OVERTON STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY. Commissioner Guidugli made a motion to approve; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Fennell. Upon hearing there were no comments or questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Peluso: Yes Motion carried 5-0. The city clerk read Order R-2018-066 AN ORDER GRANTING A PROPERTY ASSESSMENT MORATORIUM TO OMEGA HOLDINGS LLC RELATING TO THE RESTORATION OF PROPERTY AT 830 MONMOUTH STREET, NEWPORT, KENTUCKY. Commissioner Fennell made a motion to approve; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Peluso. Upon hearing there were no comments or questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Peluso: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Motion carried 5-0. The city clerk read Order R-2018-067 AN ORDER OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING CITY MANAGER THOMAS J. FROMME TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH BRAY CONSTRUCTION FOR “LANDFILL CAP REPAIR”. Commissioner Guidugli made a motion to approve; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Fennell. Mr. Roell addressed the Board and responded to questions and explaining some of the history and events leading up to the recent bid process. There is a considerable cost savings ($100,000) as soil meeting standards for compaction is being donated (Mr. Wayne Carlisle is assisting with this) with the City paying for compaction, building a channel drain, and trucking in the soil. ATC will continue working with the City throughout the project. The landfill (actually located in Wilder) was closed in 1979 and the EPA required maintenance of the area to protect the environment from contamination. The repair at the time of closure was a two-foot clay cap with topsoil and grass on top. In addition to mowing, the wells must be monitored, and all testing has been satisfactory. Repairing the cap keeps water out of the material and prevents production of gases. Putting buildings on the site is not an option due to methane collection nor is digging below the cap an option. The site was declared a superfund site, though it is a typical municipal landfill the specific contents are unknown. While the City is responsible for maintenance, it does not own the site as it was transferred to the Port Authority years ago. Upon exhaustion of comments and questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Page 2 of 4 Board of Commissioners of Newport, KY October 15, 2018 Meeting Minutes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Peluso: Yes Motion carried 5-0. The city clerk read Order R-2018-068 AN ORDER OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY AUTHORIZING ACCEPTANCE OF A KENTUCKY OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY (KOHS) GRANT AWARD OF $91,500 TO BE APPLIED TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF DIGITAL RADIO COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT FOR USE BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. Commissioner Guidugli made a motion to approve; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Fennell. Chief Collins stated this assists with the 800mHz transformation. Upon hearing there were no comments or questions, the mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Peluso: Yes Motion carried 5-0. COMMENTS FROM THE CITY MANAGER Trick-or-treat hours will be 6 – 8 p.m. on October 31. Development meetings continue on numerous projects. The Skywheel project is moving forward. A bond hearing for the NOTL sale will take place later this month. The Academy on Fourth is progressing daily. Developers have come forward for a number of other projects such as the condo development at the former Baptist Home. There is considerable work behind the scenes on such projects before details are known publicly. Some projects are two or three years in development, some are 20 years in the making. Great care and attention to detail is given to development plans, zoning, and numerous iterations of plans. This includes oversite and comments from the Board to protect the public interest. Emphasis continues to be on bringing jobs and businesses, the largest source of revenue to the City (42%, versus 12% from property taxes). The next great horizon will be the West Side. COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD Commissioner Fennell: • Fall Clean Up this week allows residents to put out large items for collection on their regular trash collection day. • Property rehabs are in progress all over the city including some buildings that have been untouched for several years. Commissioner Rechtin: • Election Day is approaching. Voter turnout is very important, and residents should consider that County and State officials are aware of voting percentages in the various districts and (throughout their term of office) are more likely to be responsive to cities where voting turnout is strong. Commissioner Peluso: • Thanked Bev Holiday and Scott Clark for their efforts organizing and hosting the Harvest the Arts and Music Festival. He also recognized residents Don and Sherry Spaulding thanking them for their support and involvement volunteering at city events. • A checklist for rental properties was sent to rental property owners with their license renewal notices. Residents experiencing problems with adjacent rental properties can contact the city (code enforcement department.) Page 3 of 4 Board of Commissioners of Newport, KY October 15, 2018 Meeting Minutes Mayor Peluso: • There will be a ribbon cutting for the completed Route 9 project on October 23. • Kentucky Governor Bevin will be in Newport on November 3. • The mayor recognized Gordon Henry of ReNewport who announced a forum for candidates for NISD School Board at 7 p.m. on November 1 at Border Lands. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Commissioner Guidugli made a motion to adjourn; second to the motion was offered by Commissioner Fennell. The mayor called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Guidugli: Yes Commissioner Rechtin: Yes Mayor Peluso: Yes Commissioner Fennell: Yes Commissioner Peluso: Yes Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m. ___________________________ _____________________________ Date Approved/Signed Jerry R. Peluso, Mayor Attest: __________________________ Amy B. Able, City Clerk Page 4 of 4