Board of Directors

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF SILOAM SPRINGS, BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, HELD JANUARY 21, 2025 The City of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, met in regular session at the City of Siloam Springs Administration Building on January 21, 2025. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Judy Nation. Roll Call: Hunt, Wiles, Blair, Rissler, Carroll, Burns and Allen— present. City Representatives Present: Allan Gilbert, City Administrator; Jene' Fain, City Clerk; Jay Williams, City Attorney; Scott Miller, Police Chief; Kris Paxton, Community Development Director; Kevin Moore, City Engineer and Public Works Director; Jason Davis, Public Service Director; Dustin Kindell, Fire Chief; Seagan Morrow, Assistant City Clerk and Admin. II; Megan Whitworth, Communications Manager; Stephanie Freedle, Library Manager; Christina Petriches, Finance Director; Travis Chaney, Parks and Recreation Manager; Ben Rhodes, Senior Planner; and Maegan Thomas, Planner II. Director Wiles led the opening prayer. Mayor Nation led the Pledge of Allegiance. At this time, Mayor Nation asked if there were any comments from the audience regarding an item not on the City' s agenda. David Shelton( 22088 Sawmill Rd.), spoke about how he is a part of Grateful Meals in Siloam, where they provide free food on Fridays at Word of Life in Siloam. He has been part of the emergency heating tent that is in town and is requesting that a more stable structure/ solution be put into place in case of emergency situations regarding weather. He wanted to make sure that the board was aware that he is not looking for a 365- day structure, but more so just a policy that would provide a place in case of severe emergency situations. Karla Cruz( 2104 N. Inglewood St.) has also helped with the emergency shelter and would like there to be further discussion regarding a temperature safe emergency shelter. She mentioned that they have staff to provide any proper training necessary and wanted to make sure the board was aware that this was not government funded, it is strictly run by volunteers. A director read a text that he received from Jesse Parris, who started the emergency tent, about securing a building and the cost that they were spending on propane being able to cover over a month' s rent in the community building. Jesse also mentioned in the text that they would cover everything; they are just in need of the building itself. City Administrator Gilbert mentioned that he and staff were looking into what the city can do as a long-term solution. Ray Hines( 475462 E. 594 Rd., Watts OK), spoke about how he was delighted to hear about the emergency tent in Siloam. He mentioned that there used to be an emergency department in Siloam for such situations. He has been volunteering at the shelter and proposed that there be a committee put together to manage such situations. A few directors recommended that Nathan Hill and Wade Baker be a part of that committee. Presentations Chief Scott Miller/ Police Department/ Introduction of Officers/ Joshua Fowler, Matthew Wilson, Natali Jones, Nathaniel Lee, and Sean O' Brien— Chief Miller introduced four of these new officers and where they came from. He expressed his excitement for these officers. Natali Jones came over Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page 12 January 21, 2025 from Prairie Grove and the other officers graduated in the December academy. Nathaniel Lee was not present. Kris Paxton/ Courts/ Recognition of Service/ City Prosecutor/ David Bailey— Kris wanted to give a certificate of appreciation for 22 years of service for David Bailey as the City Prosecutor. He expressed the city' s gratitude for all his hard work and dedication to the city. David Bailey thanked the Board and the city for the opportunity to work for the City and his love for Siloam. Kris Paxton/ City of Siloam Springs- Floodplain Community of the Year 2024 Award( AFMA)— Kris invited Mckenzie from the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association and Randal Clark, the Floodplain Administrator for Siloam to present this award. Mckenzie thanked the city for their continued support and the safety they provided for their citizens. Megan Whitworth/ City of Siloam Springs— Arkansas Business Trendsetter City 2024 Awards/ Public Works Environmental and Green Management Category— Megan expressed that we won first place in this category and mentioned that this highlighted the work that was done by Parks and Recreation in the Sager Creek project. She invited Kris Paxton and Travis Chaney to accept the award. Megan Whitworth/ City of Siloam Springs— Arkansas Business Trendsetter City 2024 Awards/ Infrastructure and Water Category— Megan mentioned that we got honorable mention in this category for the renovation of the water treatment facility completed in 2022. She gave a shoutout to Josh Napier for his help writing for this award. Kevin Moore and Josh Napier accepted the award. She also mentioned that they are already looking to what awards they can apply for in 2025. Stephanie Freedle/ City of Siloam Springs— 2024 Volunteer Community of the Year Awards/ Innovation Award— Stephanie is a member of the Governor' s Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism that she was appointed as in 2022. She mentioned that each year they recognize outstanding programs utilizing volunteers in the state with this award. The Commission was impressed with the innovation of utilizing non- profit organizations and launching the Love Siloam initiative. She congratulated all the non- profits and volunteers that made this award a success. She invited the Love Siloam Committee, Kris Paxton, and Travis Chaney up to accept the award. She also mentioned that she thinks we get highway signs at each end of 412 as you enter town to notate this award received for the community. Travis Chaney/ Holly Jolly Competition Winners/# 3 Frosty Funk Factory,# 1 The Munsie House, 10 Harper' s Holiday Hideaway— Travis mentioned the winners of this competition and that they had over 1, 000 community members go vote. Each winner received a yard sign. The mayor asked if there were any comments on an item on the Consent Agenda. There were none. Consent Agenda A. Regular Meeting Minutes/ January 7, 2024 B. Resolution 03- 25/ Amending 2024 Budget C. Purchase/ Budget Amendment/ Air- O- Later New Mixer and Mixer Repair/ JCI/$ 50, 514. 54 D. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page 13 January 21, 2025 E. Purchase / Budget Amendment / Belt Press Sludge Pump Repair / Haynes Pump & Process / 17, 742. 15 F. Purchase/ Budget Amendment/ 25HP Fairbanks Morse( RAS) Pump/ EMC/$ 32, 174. 74 G. Purchase / Public Service Department / Solid Waste Division / 2025 Titan 48 Feet Dual Axle Tipper Trailer/ Ken' s Truck Repair, Inc./$ 77, 809. 84 H. Resolution 04- 25/ Setting Hearing Date for Easement Vacation/ 2200 Block of Highway 16 A motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Rissler and seconded by Blair. Motion passed unanimously. 4« Quarter 2024 Non- Profit Reports History Museum— Mary Nolan, Director of Operations, spoke about the unique events that they had. They had a group from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute who took a tour of downtown, the museum and JBU. During the Christmas Parade, Nancy Jesser- Halsey brought all her historic toys to be displayed at the Museum. They had about 100 people come to view the toys and they gave out 45 stocking stuffers to the children that were present. They submitted a grant to upgrade their electronic equipment. They will know more about this by March. Over 1, 000 people from thirty- eight states and eleven countries visit the museum in 2024. They spent about 240 hours with those patrons. About 550 hours of hosting events and outreach in the community. They conducted 700 hours of research as well in 2024. She mentioned that on March 11th between 10: 30am and 1: 00pm, there will be history lessons on the Civil War, primarily the mention on the Battle of Pea Ridge. Scenes will be shared about the city. Rick Parker, who did some work with the Smithsonian group, is going to come and talk about the events leading up to March 7th and 8d`. Main Street Siloam Springs— Stacy Morris, Executive Director, mentioned that they hosted fourteen events and twenty- four farmers market days including six kid' s days at the market. Their Sip and Shop event in December left businesses open until 8: 00pm. It was a remarkable success in collaboration. The homegrown festival increased in attendance to 4, 100. They partnered with the City and Chamber in hosting four 4th Friday' s. They were able to approve$ 9, 500 in grants to downtown businesses. They anticipate being able to award approximately $ 15, 000 in 2025/ 2026. They hosted ten breakfast meetings for downtown stakeholders. They distributed 3, 000 downtown maps in partnership with JBU. The first event of 2025 is the 3`d Annual Cookie Palooza on February 15th at the Brick Ballroom. There were 150 guests last year. Downtown is home to over 100 businesses. Chamber of Commerce— Lindsey Taylor, Director of Economic Development mentioned at that they wrote a check for Callahan' s to have a sign at the golf course, which was discussed at the last board meeting. There have been multiple RFI' s done in the last quarter, all listed code names in the packet. The Chamber has taken on an active role in Tourism, specifically with WOKA. Speaking with stakeholders to increase traffic to that area. Arthur Hulbert, chamber president wrote a letter to the federal government in support of the 412 bypass. They are hosting a free cybersecurity training on Thursday at Noon hosted by Arkansas Apex. She reminded everyone of The Annual Banquet which is on February 11th. The Dogwood festival is in the works, they are collaborating with the Police Department to add additional security measures for the patrons attending. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page 14 January 21, 2025 Item I: Ordinance 25- 1 / 2nd Reading / Amend City Municipal Code / Section 22- 323 / Ambulance Fee Schedule. Dustin Kindell briefed this item. A motion was made by Allen and seconded by Rissler, to place Ordinance 25- 1 on its second reading, suspending the rules and reading by title only. Motion passed unanimously. Item J: Ordinance 25- 02/ 1' Reading/ Annexation of 57. 37 acres/ 20000 Block of Bruce Rutherford Road. Ben Rhoades briefed this item. A motion was made by Rissler and seconded by Bums, to place Ordinance 25- 02 on its first reading, suspending the rules and reading by title only. Motion passed unanimously. Item K: Ordinance 25- 03 / 1s' Reading / Vacation of Utility Easements / 1300 Block of North Britt Street. Maegan Thomas briefed this item. A motion was made by Rissler and seconded by Carroll, to place Ordinance 25- 03 on its first reading, suspending the rules and reading by title only. Motion passed unanimously. Administrator' s Report — Administrator' s Report is attached. Allan reported four expenditures of more than $ 30, 000. Three were for the police department and one was for the street department. He also made the board aware that beginning Thursday, January 23rd, the armory water tank will be out of service for about a week for inspections. After that, they will take on the Hill Street tower for about 10 days. He also mentioned that there was money in the budget for Community Development to paint the park benches in the Spring. Directors Reports— Mayor— Congratulated the city staff and citizens for all the great work that was being done and the awards that were given. She thanked Chief Miller for introducing the new officers and the nonprofits for all they do for the community. Hunt— She welcomed the new police staff and congratulated everyone for the hard work that went into getting the awards presented at AML. She also congratulated the Holly Jolly winners and thanked the nonprofits for their work. Wiles— He appreciated the people that came forward to speak about the emergency shelter and looks forward to seeing what the city can do to assist in this endeavor. He commended the road. crew and the prep that went into the snowstorm. He also gave a shoutout to the Siloam Springs city app and encouraged people to download it. Blair- Finn— She thanked Kevin for his hard work regarding the sidewalk for alleged neighborhoods so that local people do not have to pay a fee to build a sidewalk. Kevin explained the code and the request that was mentioned for the builders. Blair would like a waiver to be put in place until the code is able to be changed. Jay Williams, City Attorney, mentioned that the city has been working on a new development code that should help get this process started. There was discussion about creating a new ordinance and it not contradicting the current ordinances for this issue. Blair also asked about the water bill at Dawn Hill because of the large water leak. She wanted to know how the city was addressing the bill and them going into bankruptcy. There was discussion about potential water disconnection if Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Page ( 5 January 21, 2025 the bill was not covered and what portion was with previous owners. There was also discussion about fixing other leaks that were found from additional meter readings. Lastly, she asked about the bumps on Lake Francis Drive. She had a citizen explain to her that it felt like a washboard as they were driving. Kevin reiterated that there has not been a final inspection, and this would be fixed prior to final payment. Rissler— She commended the emergency shelter for all their work. She also mentioned that there would be a rotary presentation on the February 18th Board Meeting agenda on the drug take back program. There was discussion surrounding whether that needed to be a workshop or not. Chief Scott Miller has a meeting on January 22' d with rotary surrounding this topic and would update the board on how that meeting went. Carroll— He thanked the city for telling the story so well in earning the awards. Burns— He thanked David Shelton with all he is doing at the Word of Life. He discussed Feed My Sheep and the purchase of the food trailer that is mobile. He mentioned that he has volunteered and that there is a huge need for additional volunteers in those areas. He mentioned his attendance at AML and the free money that is readily available in tourism. He had spoken with the Chamber of Commerce but wanted to mention that the city needs to accelerate the tourism program and take advantage of those funds. He would like to see the aging water and sewer system be addressed like how we are addressing streets. He would like to encourage the city to continue looking at land to preserve so that water is protected moving forward. Allen— He read an email from a citizen that has written to him twice about the fireworks in the city limits on New Years Eve and New Years Day and the resending of this ordinance. Allen would like this ordinance to be addressed at the next board meeting. He also mentioned an email from the American Legion regarding the story of the four military chaplains' presentation on February 2"d at First Church. He would like to request that Robert E. Lee' s birthday be removed from the employee handbook. He would also like for the changes that were made to comp time and overtime pay to be reported to the board. With no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Allen and seconded by Burns. ckP", gTFSo'', Meeting adjourned. r SILOAM • ATTEST: APPROVED: Jen . in, 4„. Clerk Mayor S i1 es City udy atio , H p N CLE9'F''% SEAL 1 b0•  rP41 Siloam SRrIngs 1 CITY 01 p4 Administrator' s Report January 21, 2025 Expenditures: In excess of$ 30, 000 49,950/ 270 hours of spot tree trimming/ AECI/ Electric Department 41, 634. 27/ 53 Glock Model 45 / TEECO Safety/ Police Department 30, 967/ Evidence lockers/ School Lockers/ Police Department 32, 500/ 250 tons road salt with beet juice/ Oakley Fertilizer/ Street Department Per Resolution 07- 24 None 1. Beginning Thursday, January 23`d, the Armory water tank will be out of service for about a week. After that, we' ll take the Hill Street towner offline for about 10 days. During this time, you' ll see crews climbing and working around the tanks as part of routine inspections. These inspections, required every five years by the Arkansas Department of Health, are key to ensuring your water stays clean and safe.