Board of Mayor & Aldermen

MINUTES BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 17, 2012 Board present Staff present Mayor Billy Paul Carneal City Manager Paul John Nutting Alderman James Hubbard Asst. City Manager Regina Holt Alderman Willie Mason City Recorder Jane Shugart Murphy Vice Mayor Jerome Ellis City Clerk Connie W. Watson Alderman Ann Schneider City Attorney Jim Balthrop Alderman Bruce Head Alderman Shane Shoemaker 1.0 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 Jeff Proctor, a representative of Thurman Campbell Group, PLC, briefed the Board on the 2011 audit for the City of Springfield. 1.3 Alderman Schneider moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen held on December 20, 2011. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. 2.0 Legislative 2.1 Alderman Shoemaker moved for the approval of Resolution 12-01, a resolution declaring certain property surplus and authorizing the disposal of such property. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 2.2 Alderman Mason moved for the approval of Resolution 12-02, a resolution authorizing the submission of an application for the Fiscal Year 2012 Community Development Block Grant. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.0 Administrative 3.1 Alderman Schneider moved to approve the TVA wholesale fuel cost adjustment from the current amount of $0.02479 per kilowatt-hour to $0.01996 per kilowatt-  hour effective February 1, 2012. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. This adjustment represents a decrease of 3.5 % in the wholesale electric rates resulting in a decrease of approximately $2.00 to $4.50 on an average residential electric bill. 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 Alderman Hubbard moved for the reappointment of Mr. Bobby Trotter to the Springfield Housing Authority Board of Directors. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. The new term will extend from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016. 3.4 Alderman Mason moved for the approval of an agreement with Pyro Shows to provide fireworks at the annual Fourth of July celebration at Travis Price Park. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.5 Alderman Hubbard moved to ratify the Moving Expense Agreement with the newly appointed Chief of Police, David Thompson. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 3.6 George Hall, Director of Springfield Gas System, briefed the Board on the proposed Education Scholarship Fund. He informed them the scholarship will be funded with the refunds Springfield Gas System receives from El Paso Corporation for transportation charges. This scholarship is established to raise awareness of pipeline safety through public education for academically qualified students who intend to pursue a technical program to earn a certificate or degree at an accredited public or tax-supported Vocational School, Technical School, or Community College. He stated that counselors at each of the five (5) high schools in the county, that are eligible to receive this scholarship, would be notified by a letter including the criteria for a student’s eligibility. Mr. Hall informed the Board that the scholarship program would be a two (2) year program that pays three thousand dollars ($3,000) per year for each qualified candidate. The City Manager informed the Board that South Haven High School has been added to the list of eligible high schools, since Springfield Gas System services them. Alderman Ellis moved to approve the Springfield Gas System’s proposed Education Scholarship Fund program. The motion was seconded. Mr. Hall informed the Board that if a school does not participate by recommending a candidate, Springfield Gas System would then award it to  another school chosen by the Springfield Gas System Committee, which will consist of one member from the Board, the Assistant City Manager, and the Safety and Training Officer. The motion was brought back to the table and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. The scholarship program will start in 2012 and extend through 2018. 3.7 The City Manager briefed the Board on the bid results for golf carts for The Legacy. He stated that he concurs with staff’s recommendation to award the bid for gas golf carts for a period of forty-eight (48) months to Yamaha. Mr. Nutting informed them that the forty-eight month lease would allow the carts to remain in good working order until the end of the lease and allow the City to competitively bid the carts at that time. The motion was brought back and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. 4.0 Consent 4.1 Alderman Shoemaker moved to award the bid for liquid alum for use at the water treatment plant to General Chemical in the amount $0.208 per pound dry weight. The motion was seconded and passed by 7-0 roll call vote. The Mayor informed the Board that a request for designated “School Zone” signage be posted on Highway 76, for Springfield High School. 5.0 City Manager’s Report Mr. Nutting extended his appreciation to Chief Danny Johnson for his excellent work as Police Chief during the past six and one-half months. Chief Johnson has had to meet some very serious challenges with regard to violent crimes during this period of time and he personally helped to patrol South Main Street and other neighborhoods to interact with residents and others in order to reduce the amount of undesirable activity taking place on and adjacent to certain city streets. He also extended his appreciation to Lieutenant Jeff White for his able assistance during the last six and one-half months. Mr. Nutting stated that both Chief Johnson and Lieutenant White are exceptionally good police officers and that he is very proud of the Springfield Police Department. Mr. Nutting distributed to the Board for future discussion a copy of an architectural services proposal for the renovation of the Precision Products building, which was recently purchased by the Water/Wastewater Department.  He also distributed the Quarterly Report for January 2012 and a report on substandard housing removal and renovation for the first two weeks of the new calendar year. Five (5) properties are in the process of being removed by the City or the owners and one (1) property is being repaired by the owner. A total of thirty-two (32) substandard properties are currently on the list for either demolition or repair. Mr. Nutting distributed to the Board correspondence and documentation pertaining to legal and financial issues that would impact a sale of the golf course. Mr. Nutting also asked the Board to discuss at a future meeting the City’s possible participation in funding the “Realizing Robertson’s Future” campaign. This is an effort to raise one million two hundred thousand dollars ($1,200,000) over a four year period to advance economic development within Robertson County. 6.0 Adjournment With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned. ______________________________ Billy P. Carneal, Mayor Attest: ______________________________ Jane Shugart Murphy, City Recorder