Work Session

WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES MARCH 23, 2026 PUBLIC OFFICIALS Present: Council President April R. Jackson, Council Vice President Sharon C. Dashiell, Councilwoman Angela M. Blake, Councilwoman Michele R. Gregory and Councilwoman Melissa D. Holland IN ATTENDANCE Mayor Randy Taylor, City Administrator Nick Rice, Fire Chief Rob Frampton, Human Resources Director Meg Caton, Deputy City Clerk Hannah Long, City Solicitor Laura Ryan CALL TO ORDER The City Council convened in Work Session on March 23, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Government Office Building Council Chambers, Room 301, located at 125 N. Division Street. ORDINANCE • Budget Amendment Chief Frampton reported that the hazmat incident recovery revenues exceeded the projected threshold for the year. He requested approval to transfer the surplus amount of $8,834 from the HazMat Special Operations revenue account to the Rescue Supply account to purchase specialized dive equipment for the dive rescue team. Council gave consensus to move forward with the ordinance. • Grant Acceptance Chief Frampton requested approval to accept an $ 18,000 grant from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation to purchase impermeable gear bags, enhancing cancer exposure prevention for the fire department personnel. Council gave consensus to move forward with the ordinance. President Jackson thanked the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. • Requisition of 303 Lake Street Mr. Rice presented the proposed purchase of a property for $385,000 to support the development of Northprong Park. Council gave consensus to move forward with the ordinance. • Requisition of 1123 Parsons Road Mr. Rice presented the purchase of a building for $295,000 to be used as the Westside Community Center, addressing a need for community space on the west side. Ms. Blake questioned how much 1  it would cost to rehab the building. The Mayor answered that they should know in the next 90 days or so after settlement. Council gave consensus to move forward with the ordinance. • Authorized Position Changes Ms. Caton requested approval to reallocate six positions across various departments with no additional funding required. Proposed changes included converting a vacant Executive Administrator position into a Public Information Officer; splitting the vacant Director of Water Works position into two Executive Project Manager roles; reclassifying the Assistant Director of the Arts, Business, and Culture Department as the Assistant Director of the Zoo; reallocating the Event Technical Specialist position to convert the Office Administrator and Downtown Ambassador positions to full-time; retitling the Development Supervisor as Guest Services Manager; and authorizing funding flexibility to hire up to four police cadets. Council reached consensus to move forward with the ordinance. COUNCIL DISCUSSION • Rules of Order Council discussed proposed revisions to council rules, including clarifying the role of the Council President and limiting work sessions to agenda items requiring substantial deliberation. Ms. Gregory and Ms. Blake expressed differing views, balancing efficiency with transparency and public awareness. Consensus was reached to move to a biweekly meeting schedule, combining legislative and work sessions on the same night, with a single public comment period at the end. PUBLIC COMMENT (Agenda Items Only) The following public comments were heard: • Speaker #1 supported the new schedule and asked Council to increase public comment time from three to four minutes. (Council agreed) • Speaker #2 spoke in favor of the proposed rule changes, noting that routine grant approvals should not require work session discussion and that deferring to department expertise was efficient and reasonable. • Speaker #3 supported the new, proposed meeting schedule, recommended extending public comment time, and recommended safeguards to ensure important items could still go to work sessions. ADJOURNMENT/CONVENE IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION The Work Session adjourned at 6:26 p.m. _________________________________ City Clerk _________________________________ Council President