Board of Mayor & Aldermen

MINUTES BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN REGULAR MEETING January 18, 2011 Board present Staff present Mayor Billy Paul Carneal City Manager Paul John Nutting Vice-Mayor Bruce Head Asst. City Manager Regina Holt Alderman Willie Mason City Recorder Jane Shugart Murphy Alderman Jerome Ellis City Clerk Connie W. Watson Alderman Ann Schneider City Attorney Jim Balthrop Alderman Shane Shoemaker Alderman James Hubbard 1.1 Mayor Billy Paul Carneal called to order the regular meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at 7:30 p.m. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance to the American flag. 1.2 Alderman Shoemaker moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen held on December 21, 2010. The motion was seconded and the minutes were approved unanimously. 2.0 Legislative 2.1 Alderman Mason moved for the approval of Ordinance 11-01 on 1st reading, an ordinance rescinding Ordinance 09-05 in its entirety and amending Title 7 of the Springfield Municipal Code entitled “Fire Protection and Fireworks” by rescinding Chapter 7 entitled “Automatic Sprinkler and Standpipe Systems”in its entirety and substituting a new Chapter 7 entitled “Automatic Sprinkler and Standpipe Systems.” The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 2.2 Alderman Hubbard moved for the approval of Ordinance 11-02 on 1st reading, an ordinance rezoning a 7.5 acre tract of Robertson County Board of Education property located on Water Bonnett Boulevard from RI, Restricted Industrial, to R10, Residential. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 2.3 Alderman Mason moved for the approval of Resolution 11-01, a resolution to declare certain property as surplus and authorizing the disposal of such property. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.0 Administrative 3.1 Alderman Shoemaker moved to approve the TVA wholesale fuel cost adjustment beginning February 1, 2011 from the current amount of $0.00548 per kilowatt- hour to $0.00436. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. This adjustment represents a decrease of approximately 1.5% in wholesale electric rates. The net result will be a decrease of approximately $1.00 to $2.00 on an average residential electric bill, depending on the usage. 3.2 Alderman Hubbard moved to approve the retail gas rates of the Springfield Gas Department for the month of January as presented. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.3 No action was taken on appointments to the two (2) at-large positions on the Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals. 3.4 Alderman Hubbard moved to authorize an interlocal agreement to establish a Water Supply Board for the utilities operating in Robertson County Tennessee. The motion was seconded. The City Manager informed the Board that the purpose of this new advisory body is to get the Utility District and the Cities to meet at least twice a year to discuss general water concerns and the development of the County. The proposed eleven (11) member board is advisory in nature and will have no powers over any entity’s operating protocol or funding structure. The membership of the eleven member board will consist of the following: the Mayor of Robertson County or his designated representative; one member appointed by each of the governing bodies of the four utilities providing water services; the water services operations director for each of the four utilities providing water services; and two members appointed on a rotating basis by two of the nine incorporated municipalities of Robertson County not otherwise represented. These two (2) positions will rotate on a yearly basis among the nine incorporated entities. The City Manager further stated that it is his recommendation that the board approve the advisory board to further cooperation, coordination, and communication regarding the best options and strategies for providing an adequate future water supply for the citizens of Robertson County. The motion to approve an interlocal agreement to establish a water supply advisory board passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.5 Alderman Hubbard moved to award the contract for the construction of the Highway 41 North sanitary sewer facility to L&C Contractors in the amount of  four hundred seventy-four thousand two hundred seventy-five dollars and twenty cents ($474,275.20). The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.6 Alderman Hubbard moved to award the fireworks display agreement for the Fourth of July Celebration to Pyro Shows, Inc. in the amount of nine thousand nine hundred dollars ($9,900). The motion was seconded. Alderman Ellis moved to amend the contract by changing the wording of the second sentence of Section VII, Permits and Licenses, to read as follows: It is hereby stipulated that this agreement is to be construed and governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, and any suit involving this contract shall be brought in the Court of Robertson County in the State of Tennessee, and the Customer hereby submits itself to the jurisdiction of said Courts and waives its rights to proceed against PYRO SHOWS in and other actions, in any other jurisdiction. The motion to amend was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. The motion to approve the contract passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.7 Alderman Hubbard moved to approve the professional services agreement with Lose and Associates for the design work for the streetscape enhancement project. The project will start at the railroad underpass on Memorial Boulevard and end at Blackpatch Drive. The motion was seconded. The City Manager reminded the Board that the City’s twenty percent (20%) match for the project is twenty-one thousand four hundred fifty dollars ($21,450). The consultant’s fee is included in the total grant amount of one hundred seven thousand two hundred fifty dollars ($107,250). There will also be an administrative fee in the amount of two thousand dollars ($2,000) charged by the State in addition to grant expenditures. The motion passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.8 Alderman Schneider moved to approve contacting Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to discuss the possibility of installing a traffic signal on Highway 431 South, at the entrance of NorthCrest Medical Center. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. The Board suggested the intersection of Batson Parkway as a possible location for a traffic signal. The City Manager stated that staff will talk wth TDOT to discuss the installation of traffic signals at the entrance of NorthCrest Medical Center and/or at the Batson Parkway and make a report for the Board at the regular meeting in February. 3.9 Alderman Hubbard moved to approve a recommendation from the Traffic Committee to reduce the speed limit from 30 MPH to 20 MPH on Dogwood Drive and on Mimosa Drive. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.10 Alderman Hubbard moved to approve the proposal to purchase furniture for the Highland Crest College Campus under the State contract with Synergy Business Environments at an amount of two hundred fifty-four thousand nine hundred seventy-six dollars and five cents ($254,976.05). The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.11 Alderman Hubbard moved to authorize the application for Community Development Block Grant for the Bransford Heights neighborhood. The motion was seconded. The City Manager informed the Board that the application is for two community block grants. One is a blight removal grant which will address the Bransford Youth and Community Development Center (the old high school). The maximum amount of the grant is three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000). The City match is no more than twenty percent (20%). He informed the Board that the intention is to renovate and/or demolish as much of the building as possible. The second grant is for home renovation. It is similar to a HOME grant but will concentrate on improving homes in a specific one or two block area. He informed them that the area near or adjacent to the Bransford Youth and Community Development Center is the main focus for the grant. The motion to authorize staff to submit applications for the two grants passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.12 Assistant City Manager, Regina Holt updated the Board on the offer to purchase the former Precision Products building located on Central Avenue. She stated the owner of the property accepted the proposed offer of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) made by the City. After accepting the offer, the owner discovered a statement in the agreement that required the owner to be responsible for the disposal and removal of some above ground tanks filled with coolant detergent that are on the property. The owner was not aware until after he accepted the offer that this statement was inadvertently left in the agreement. Ms Holt informed the Board that it would cost two thousand six hundred dollars ($2,600) to pump and remove the non-hazardous material from the tanks. She also informed the Board that the tank could possibly be removed from the premises free of charge. She recommended that the Board approve the purchase of the property with the understanding that the City would be responsible for the disposal and removal of the tanks.  Alderman Hubbard moved to approve the expenditure of two thousand six hundred dollars ($2,600) for the removal of the non-hazardous tanks as recommended, and to close on the contract to purchase the property by the second week in February. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.13 Alderman Hubbard moved to approve the proposed agreement with Clark and Associates Architects, Inc. for the design of new roofs for the Main Fire Station on Central Avenue and City Hall. The motion was seconded. The City Manager reminded the Board that the two projects were previously approved at the regular December meeting and will be funded with the 2008 TML Bond proceeds. He informed them that Clark and Associates Architects, Inc. designed the new E911 building and recommended awarding the agreement to the firm. He stated that the fee for the basic design services will be five percent (5%) of the construction cost for basic services based on an initial project budget of two hundred eighty-six thousand seven hundred eighty-six dollars ($286,786) for the projects. The motion passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.14 Alderman Hubbard moved to approve the taxi franchise application from Springfield Taxi submitted by Mr. Clay Sneed. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 4.0 Consent Alderman Ellis moved to approve items 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 on the consent portion of the agenda. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 4.1 Springfield Police Department request for approval to purchase two (2) 2011 Chevrolet Impala police vehicles from the State of Tennessee contract to Alexander Chevrolet Cadillac, Murfreesboro, TN in the amount of $21,530 per vehicle for a total amount of $43,060.00. 4.2 Springfield Water/Wastewater Department request for approval to award the bid for chemicals that are used at the water treatment plant as recommended in the bid tabulation. 4.3 Springfield Fire Department request for approval to award the bid for uniforms including all alterations and embroidery for three (3) years to CMS Uniforms. 5.0 City Manager/Staff Memo Mr. Nutting announced that City Recorder and Finance Officer Jane Murphy and Accounting Supervisor David Crain are members of the inaugural graduating class of State of Tennessee Certified Municipal Finance Officers. Graduation will be on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 1 p.m., in the Tennessee House Chamber, Capitol Hill. He also reminded the Board members that ethics filings are due to be submitted to the state by January 31. 6.0 Adjournment With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned. ______________________________ Billy P. Carneal, Mayor Attest: ______________________________ Jane Shugart Murphy, City Recorder