Board of Directors

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF SILOAM SPRINGS, BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, HELD DECEMBER 7, 2021 The City of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, met in regular session at the City of Siloam Springs Administration Building on December 7, 2021. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Judy Nation at 6: 30 pm. Roll Call: Sappington, Smiley, Burns, Hunt, Allen, Rissler— Present. Carroll— Absent. City Representatives Present: Phillip Patterson, City Administrator; Renea Ellis, City Clerk; Ben Rhoads, Sr. City Planner; Chief Jeremey Criner, Fire Department; Christina Petriches, Finance Director; Chief Allan Gilbert, Police Department; Steve Gorszczyk, Public Works Director; and Jay Williams, City Attorney. Opening prayer. Director Smiley led the opening prayer. The mayor led the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Input: No one came forward. The mayor asked if there were any comments from the audience regarding an item on the Consent agenda. No one came forward. Consent Agenda: A. Workshop Minutes/ November 16, 2021 B. Regular Meeting Minutes/ November 16, 2021 C. Appointment/ Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment/ Katie Rennard& Kevin Williams D. Appointments/ Parks Advisory Board/ Manny Anchondo, Michael Henry& Holly Wiles E. Agreement/ Chief Elected Officials/ Workforce Services Development District F. Contract/ Reservoir Pumphouse Upgrade/ Public Works Department/ Water Division/ JCI Industries, Inc./$ 127, 626 G. Consent In-Lieu of Annual Meeting of the Illinois River Water Resource Company H. Resolution 62- 21 / Significant Development Permit/ 3000 Cheri Whitlock Drive( Springs Church of Christ) I. Resolution 63- 21 / Special Use Development Permit/ 300 Block of North Simon Sager Avenue ( Tillman Communications Tower) J. Resolution 64- 21 / Grant Acceptance/ NWA Regional Planning Commission TAP Grant/ N. Mt. Olive Sidepath/$ 376, 000 K. Contract/ Healthcare Re- insurance/ International Assurance of Tennessee. Director Allen asked that Item I be removed from consent. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page 12 December 7, 2021 A motion was made by Smiley and seconded by Hunt to approve the remaining Consent Agenda items. Nation asked for a roll call vote. Motion passed unanimously. Item I: Allen stated he asked for the item to be pulled because he was going to abstain. No explanation why he was abstaining was given. A motion was made by Smiley and seconded by Sappington to approve the item. Motion passed with 5 yes votes and 1 abstention. Item L: Resolution 65- 21 / Significant Development Permit/ 190 AR Highway 59( Jiffy Trip). Ben Rhoads briefed the item. Don on behalf of Jiffy Trip announced he was present and available for questions. Following questions regarding payment for and placement of the drive, a motion was made by Allen and seconded by Smiley to approve the item. Motion passed unanimously. Item M: Resolution 66- 21 / Adopt 2022 Budget. Christina Petriches briefed the item. Allen asked about discrepancies in the total budget numbers and capital projects as reviewed in the workshop; for clarification of the STEP plan for the police department; if approval budget as presented automatically approve the E. Main project; and asked that all capital projects be listed. Hunt pointed out that all projects over$ 50,000 are brought before the Board to approve; Bums pointed out four points that were the objectives of the Board and met and that transparency had been provided and projects would be brought before the Board for a vote. Following other comments and questions from the Board, a motion was made by Allen and seconded by Rissler to table the item to the December 21, 2021, meeting. Motion passed 5/ 1 with Bums voting no. Item N: Resolution 67- 21 / Adopt 2022 Compensation Plan. Misty McGlothlin, HR Manager, briefed the item. Allen made a motion to table the item until an explanation of the STEP plan could be received. Motion died for lack of a second. A motion was made by Bums and seconded by Smiley to approve the item, subject to approval of the 2022 budget. Motion passed unanimously. Item 0: Resolution 68- 21 / Amending Section 405 of the Employee Handbook. McGlothlin briefed the item. Rissler asked how time out be paid out and if all officers were polled on the decision. Allen asked for a breakdown of the STEP program and what happened if the officers didn' t stay until the end of the year. Petriches stated they were all asked and explained how the time would be paid out. A motion was made by Smiley and seconded by Sappington to approve the item. Motion passed unanimously. d Item P: Ordinance 21- 23 / 3` Reading/ Amending Municipal Code Sections 82- 41, 98- 62, 98- 173, and 98- 331 / Adjusting Scheduled Annual Utility Rate Increases for Years 2022- 2027. Phillip Patterson briefed the item; gave a history of rate increases; and presented several options for changes to the ordinance to the Board. Daniel Olenick, 109 N. Britt; Jennifer Thorne, 2125 W. Harvard; Larry Kenemore, 207 Western Hills Drive; Jan Nelson 115 W. Tahlequah; James McGuirk, 412 W. University; Todd Lankford, 3990 S. Elm; all expressed opposition to a rate increase. Following lengthy discussion between the Board and staff, in an effort to decide what was best for the citizens of Siloam Springs, a motion was made by Director Bums and seconded by Smiley to amend Ordinance 21- 23 to include the language in option 3a of the suggestions given by Patterson, which was to have no utility rate increase in 2022 and then proceed with the proposed annual utility rate increases using the then Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page 13 December 7, 2021 current annual CPI in 2023- 2026 subject to be annually reviewed by the board, and to place it on its third reading, suspending the rules and reading title only. Allen made a motion to amend Burns motion to include the language in option 3e of the suggestions given by Patterson, which was to have no automatic utility rate increase for 2022 through 2026 and to annually consider raising rates for 2023 through 2026 based on the recommendations of the 2021 rate study, which was seconded by Rissler. Following discussion on the motion for clarification to wording in the ordinance, a vote was taken. Motion passed unanimously. An ordinance entitled: An Ordinance Adjusting Scheduled Utility Rate Increases for the Years 2022- 2027; was read on its third reading. A motion was made by Burns and seconded by Smiley to adopt Ordinance 21- 23 with the noted changes. Motion passed unanimously. Item Q: Ordinance 21- 24/ 2nd Reading/ Ward Reapportionment Plan. Phillip Patterson briefed the item. A motion to place Ordinance 21- 24 on its second and third reading, suspending the rules and reading title only, was made by Hunt and seconded by Rissler. Motion passed unanimously. An ordinance entitled: An Ordinance Reapportioning City Wards, was read on its second and third reading. A motion was made by Smiley and seconded by Sappington to adopt Ordinance 21- 24. Motion passed unanimously. Item R: Ordinance 21- 25 / 1st and Only Reading/ Waive Competitive Bidding/ Health Insurance Network and Administration/ Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Christina Petriches briefed the item. Director Burns announced he would abstain from the vote, as he is on City insurance. A motion to place Ordinance 21- 25 on its first and only reading, suspending the rules and reading title only, was made by Smiley and seconded by Hunt. Motion passed with 5 yes votes and 1 abstention. An ordinance entitled: An Ordinance Authorizing an Agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the City, Waiving the Requirement of Competitive Bidding; was read on its first and only reading. A motion to adopt Ordinance 21- 25 was made by Allen and seconded by Sappington. Motion passed with 5 yes votes and 1 abstention. Item S: Purchasing Regulations Review Continued. Christina Petriches addressed two questions brought at the previous meeting: cooperative purchasing and the process for utilizing; and regarding renovation and small construction projects and stating the City acting as its own contractor was not against purchasing codes and often saves the City money. Item T: Arkansas 911 Board/ Public Safety Answering Point Consolidation. Patterson briefed the item, explaining that in the future, Siloam may no longer receive state funding for the City' s 911 service if the City does not consolidate. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page 14 December 7, 2021 Item U: October Financials. Patterson pointed out that a copy of the October financials had been proved and any questions regarding the same, should be directed to him or Petriches. Item J: Administrator' s Report: Patterson reviewed the items on the attached report. The city clerk announced that Item" L" in the minutes of the November 2nd meeting, which were approved at the November 16th meeting, had been changed to reflect the correct vote count of 5/ 1. Directors Reports: Mayor thanked the Heritage League and all who worked on and attended" Light Up Siloam Springs" event and attending the parade; thanked the fire department for allowing her to attend its annual banquet; stated that she had received notice that in 2022 Cox Cable rates would be going up; that she had receive a letter from ARDoT denying the warrant of a traffic signal at the intersection of Hwy. 412 E. and Airport Road. Hunt thanked the citizens for interaction; and announced that the" Deck the House" contest was underway and that a winner will be selected this year from each Ward. Burns pointed out the 80th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor and encouraged people to talk with veterans; said that lighting and a transformer issue had recently arisen, and that city staff did a great job correcting them; asked if the Update Memo could be posted to the city' s website; that the Sager Creek Advisory Committee would meet tomorrow and this committee would bring the creek back to a focal point and revenue generator; and said that the energy was great at the Christmas parade and that Memorial Park and Chautauqua Amphitheater has a great light display and encouraged the audience to check it out. Sappington pointed out a utility assistance program that was going on called" LIHEAT" and said the Manna Center has applications and would be happy to assist those who may be interested; asked that the curbing at the corner of Holly and Tulsa could be painted to help visibility; and that she was blessed to be able to live in Siloam Springs. Rissler apologized for missing the fire department banquet; that she would like to see the Board of Directors choose who sits on the City' s Utility Board; and pointed out a Community Prayer would be held at the Chamber of Commerce on January 1, 2022, at 9: 00 am and invited all to attend. Smiley thanked Simmons for the donation to the police department of a utility vehicle; thanked the Heritage League for hosting" Breakfast with Santa" and the parade; congratulated all the fire fighters/ EMT' s who were recognized at the banquet; and thanked all who contacted her regarding the utility rates. Allen also thanked the Heritage League for a great parade; thanked Kevin Williams for being out there; thanked citizens for their interaction; asked staff to reach out to Jonathan Barnett about a Dawn Hill project he is working on; said he hoped everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. With no further business, a Motion to adjourn was made by Allen and seconded by Hunt. A voice,,,,ote was called. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned. t v _ ATTEST: APPROVED: Y,',' 4 t g:Y\ Renea Ellis, City Clerk, CAMC/ 1TY• C1., 9,,, J tion, yor Seal} NGS Aa  Try. rings Administrator' s Report December 7, 2021 1. Expenditures: Electric Department 45, 099. 00—300 AMI Meter w/ Disconnect— Inventory/ New Customer/Maintenance 37, 926. 00— Two 1500kva 480/ 277 3PH Pad Mount Transformers— Inventory/ New Customer/ Maintenance 33, 500. 00—One 2500kva 480/ 277 3PH Pad Mount Transformers— Inventory/ New Customer/ Maintenance 48, 630. 00- 30 50kva 240/ 10 1PH Pad Mount Transformers— Inventory/ New Customer/ Maintenance 50, 172. 50- 17, 500' 4/ 0 URD Primary Wire- Inventory Airport 31, 200. 00— Fuel 2. COVID- 19 Update Per ACHI: o The number of active cases per 1, 000 individuals has increased from 1. 83 in Benton County and 1. 33 in Washington County as of November 7th to 2. 55 and 2. 10 respectively, as of December 5th. See the attached. Per NWAC, from November 16th to December 3rd: o The number of new COVID cases reported in Benton County increased from 61 to 112. o The number of new cased reported in Washington increased from 49 to 88. o COVID patients in NWA hospitals increased from 39 to 50, and the number of ventilators in use decreased from 36 to 33. o Benton County' s percentage of eligible population that is fully immunized increased from 48. 1% to 49. 5% o Washington County' s percentage of eligible population that is fully immunized increased from 49. 8% to 51. 1%. 3. Utility Billing Audit Each time bills are calculated the Billing Supervisor recalculates a sampling of bills for each billing class to confirm there are no errors in the software. Additionally, prior to calculating bills a report is run on usage to compare current usage with prior month. Large, unexpected changes are sent back to the meter reader to be confirmed or corrected. Increases or decreases within an expected range are not sent to be re- read. The following is a list of the results of staff' s researching recent utility billing complaints: o Two customers had less than 12 months to compare. Their electric usage doubled in the hottest month as did their bill.  o Other customers had similar usage, and similar or higher bills compared to last summer. o Customer added a roll cart from the prior year( they now have 2) this increased the bill by $ 17. 73 before tax. o The power cost adjustment( PCA) increased one bill by $22 over prior year' s high by increasing from a credit of$ 11 to a charge of$ 11. In accordance with City Code Sec. 98- 65. - Power cost adjustment( PCA) increases or decreases based on the amount GRDA pays for the raw fuel to provide the electricity. Last year this was a credit for much of the year. Since January 2021, the PCA has ranged from a low of$0. 01892/ kWh in February, to a high of$0.02972 for November. A PCA charge of$ 0.023 is built into the City' s electrical rate. When the PCA charge is less than$ 0.023, we see a credit on our bill, as we did January through June of this year. When the PCA is greater than $ 0. 023, the City will pass on that additional amount as a charge on the utility bill, which is what' s happened since July. If someone has a concern about their utility bill, please call the Utility Billing Office at 479- 524- 5136 extension 1. If the usage is large and unexpected, the City will re- read the meter, and if necessary will verify that the meter is working correctly. Per city code there is a$ 25 fee meter and if the meter is found to be defective( off to test an electric by more than 2%) then the fee is credited back to the customer. 4. City Offices will be closed, Thursday and Friday, December 23rd and 24th for the Christmas Holiday, and on December 31' for the New Year Holiday.  Daily Active Cases per 1, 000 Individuals by County. Daily Active Cases per 1, 000 Individuals by County, Daily Active Cases per 1, 000 Individuals by County, October 3, 2021 October 10, 2021 October 17, 2021 This map shows the daily active cases per 1. 000 individuals among Arkansas counties. This map shows the daily active cases per 1, 000 individuals among Arkansas counties. 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