99
SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1996 6:30 P.M.
CALL
TO ORDER
ROLL
CALL, ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM
PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
APPROVAL
OF TIlE AGENDA
NEW
BUSINESS:
Transit Department Issues, Alderwoman Watson
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
ADJOUNMENT
EUREKA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
Mayor
Barbara O’Harris called the special council meeting to order at 6:35
p.m. in
the Council Room on Thursday, March 7, 1996. The subject of the
Special
Meeting was the Transit Department, and most especially the
$1.00
pass.
PRESENT: Mayor O’Harris, Aldermen Jeffrey, Earngey, Watson &
Seratt.
Aldermen
Rubley and Riker were absent.
ALSO
PRESENT: Karen Lindblad, Charles Fargo, Larry Woods, Don Young, and
Clerk
Lee.
Mr. Young
led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Alderman
Seratt made the motion to approve the agenda. Alderman Watson seconded. All
were in favor, 4/0/0.
Alderman
Watson presented to the council the reason for the special meeting. She said
that the Graebner report suggested that the City re-instate the $1.00 one way
pass, and that the Transit Department could lose up to $20,000 in revenue if it
wasn’t done.
The
Council asked Mr. Fargo for his recommendations. Mr. Fargo said that he would
like to see the dollar pass re-instated and leave the $3 pass at
$3. He
also said that in order to get the $1 passes printed in numerical order and
ready for the season, they need to be approved as soon as possible.
Alderman
Seratt made the motion to re-instate the $1.00 pass. Alderman Jeffrey seconded.
Discussion
followed. Alderman Earngey said that Mr. Graebner’s report said that in order
to shrink the deficit that is projected for 1996, there are three options:
1. To
increase the average fare per rider,
2. To
reduce the level of service,’ or
3. To
subsidize the Transit Department.
In the
budget that was prepared and approved to be sent to the State, the amount of
deficit that wasprojected for 1996 was $85,470. Mr. Graebner and Mr. Fargo
agreed that by re-instating the $1.00 pass, it should lower the deficit by
$20,000.
Alderman
Earngey said that the Graebner Report said that increasing the rate about
twenty cents per rider would have the same effect as reducing the service. He started to discuss the Green Route, but
the discussion was postponed until Alderman Watson finished her presentation.
100
EUREKA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
Thursday, March 7,
1996
Alderman Watson continued: The
Transit Department has come up with the idea of selling advertising for the
inside of the trolleys, and using decal type signs, so that the light will
still show through. There are seven trolleys, and there is room for twelve
small signs each, and two larger signs each. She said it could generate $25,000
to $35,000 annually. She said that Chance and Specialty Vehicles will be doing
their presentation at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13th.
The Transit Department is
considering running the new tram from the Trolley Depot to Hillside and just
running it back and forth all day long. If changes are made, they can be on
fliers which are not as expensive to print up. Also the trolley stop benches
could have advertising on them, as long as they were not located in the
Historic District.
Mr. Earngey said that if the Transit
Department would leave the Green Route the way it is now, it would save the
City about $53,000.
Mr. Fargo said that the Transit
Department might take a couple of months to work out a system for advertising
on the trolleys, but that they can work something up to present to the council.
They are also working on a better map, and making more information available at
the trolley stops.
Mr. Fargo said that’ the City cannot
now receive a new Tramstar Tram until August of 1996, and sometime later in the
year, the City will receive the second one. The City may have to buy two more
trams for 1997. At least those can be ordered ahead, and have a more reasonable
delivery time. Right now, Chance will build diesel, gasoline, and propane
trams.
Both Mr. Fargo, and Mr. Graebner
have stated that diesel is a much better fuel’ that it was 3 years ago.
Alderman Jeffrey said that ~diesel is not bad on level ground, but the
emissions are heavy going up and down grades. Alderman Seratt said that people
are looking at the effect diesel has on the environment. Propane has almost no
emission but will be slower on the grades. The trams will burn propane.
Mr. Fargo was asked if he had any
other ideas about lowering the deficit. He said he thought that they had come
up with some good ideas. He said he is not used to operating from a deficit,
and it is a hard position to be in.
Mr. Woods said that a lot of people
walk to town and they would like to ride back. That is one good reason for the
low-rate one-way pass. There was a long discussion on the pros and cons of a
$1.00 versus a $1.50 pass. As was mentioned before, Mr. Graebner’s report had
said that raising the pass twenty cents would have about the same effect on the
deficit that reducing service would.
Alderman Earngey made the motion to
amend the dollar amount to $1.50 a pass. Alderman Watson seconded.
The vote to amend was Aldermen
Jeffrey, Earngey and Watson voted yes, and Alderman Seralt voted no. The Mayor
cast the deciding vote, for, so the final vote to amend was 4/1/0.
The vote on the motion as amended
was 4/0/0, in favor, and the mayor did not vote.
Karen Lindblad came expressly to
object to buying trams and running them downtown. Alderman Earngey said that
the reasons were obvious and that everyone wasn’t thrilled but that sometimes
we have to do what is best, and that hopefully, it won’t be a forever thing. It
was also mentioned that the trams will be green and striped like the trolleys
and have a cupolo on top and that would help the look for the downtown.
The Transit Department will be
checking out how advertising is done on a trolley, and how to set up rules and
guidelines on renting the space. They
will look into decal advertising instead of cardboard. They will more ideas on this to the
council. They are working on a better
map, and making more information available at the trolley stops.
101
EUREKA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
Thursday,
March 7, 1996
The Mayor reminded everyone that
Chance Motor Coach and Specialty
Vehicles will be here at the
courthouse to make presentations at 3 p.m. on
Wednesday, March 13, 1996, and
Chance will demonstrate a Tramstar
Tram. It will not be alternative
fuel, but it will be the same in every
other way. The ride is for the
Tourism Advisory Committee, The City
Council, etc., and then if there is
room, others may want to ride.
Alderman Earngey thought that there
was going to be more discussion on--other issues, but the consensus was to
have a work session at another time, to be set later.
Alderman Seratt made the motion to
adjourn. Alderman Watson seconded. All were in favor. The meeting was adjourned
at 7:30 p.m.