CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

304                          COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

TUESDAY, September 9, 1997

 

9:00 A. M.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Ordinance 1762, Tree Ordinance, Postpone 9-23-97, Discussion 9-16-97

Sidewalk Ordinance, Postpone 9-23-97, Discussion 9-16-97

Sign Ordinance, Postpone 9-23-97, Discussion 9-16-97

McClelland Engineering, Sewer, Sidewalks, Parks, Work in Progress

Vacancy, Position 5, Parking Authority, Term expired 9-1-97

ADJOURNMENT

 

 

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1997, 9 a.m.

 

Mayor Barbara A. O’Harris was on vacation. David Jeffrey, Mayor Pro Tern, called the City Council Meeting to order on Tuesday, September 9,1997, at 9 a.m. in the Western District Courthouse.

 

PRESENT:

Alderwomen Dickens, Watson and Seratt, and Aldermen Jeffrey and

Christman. Alderman Freeland was late.

 

ALSO PRESENT:

Gayle Larimer, David McNeaI, Earl Hyatt, Steve Beachum, Nikki Salazar, Don Matt, Don Young, and Clerk Lee.

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:

Mr. Young led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:

Mayor Pro Tern Jeffrey then said Steve Beachum from the Parks &

Recreation Commission had asked to introduce the new Parks Director,

Nikki Salazar, before getting into the business part of the agenda.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the amending of the Agenda

to include this. By voice vote, all were in favor, 6/0/0.

 

Mr. Beachum then introduced Nikki Salazar, the new Parks Director, who came to us from Murfreesboro, where she was the former Parks Director. She has a degree from Russeilville in Parks and Recreation. She has agreed to use her home as her base, for now. She will be attending the meetings, and keeping the council informed of what is going on with the Parks.

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:

The minutes of the last meeting, August 26, 1997, were not ready.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

1.     Ordinance #1766, adoption of the Vision Plan, (second reading):

Alderwoman Watson made the motion to postpone, and Alderman Jeffrey seconded for purpose of discussion. The notes from Mr. Whittenberg had not arrived. The roll call vote to postpone were 2/4/0, with Alderwoman Watson and Mayor Pro Tern Jeffrey voting yes to a postponement, and the rest voting no.

 

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS                                                                                                                                  305

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1997, 9 a.m.

 

The motion was made and seconded to suspend the rules and place Ordinance #1766 on its second reading by title only. The roll call vote was 5/0/A, with Alderwoman Watson abstaining.

Mr. Young read the ordinance by title only.

The motion was made and seconded to approve. By roll call, the vote to approve was 5/1/0, with Alderwoman Watson voting no.

 

2.     Ordinance #1756, Ordinance Departmentalizing Auditorium,(Second

Reading):

The motion was made and seconded to suspend the rules and place

Ordinance #1756 on its second reading by title only. All were in favor,

6/0/0. By roll call, the vote was 6/0/0.

Mr. Young read the ordinance by title only.

The motion was made and seconded to approve. All were in favor, by roll

call vote, 6/0/0.

 

Mr. Freeland asked Gayle Larimer if she thought it would be okay to wait until the next meeting to do the final reading. She said her only concern and that of the commission was to have a smooth transition to a department. She said they have several things planned through the next few months and the winter, and they would like the transition to be smooth for everyone. Mr. Freeland said he would think that the City would want to keep everything in place as it is until a Director can be hired. Alderwoman Dickens said that the City would need to hire someone fairly soon, so that they can be working on the entertainments for next season. The hiring of a director is going to take time.

 

The motion was made and seconded to further suspend the rules and place Ordinance #1756 on its third and final reading by title only. All were in favor, by roll call vote, 6/0/0.

Mr. Young read the ordinance by title only.

The motion was made and seconded to approve. All were in favor, by roll call vote, 6/0/0.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

1.     Auditorium, request for additional funding for building repairs, Ms.

Larimer:

The Auditorim Commission has asked the City for funds for emergency repairs. They feel they need about $50,000 to repair a leak in the roof over one side of the stage which is causing major damage and the parapets that are crumbling and the guttering that needs fixing. These things are having a drastic effect on the inside.

The Auditorium Commission feels that they may have $6000 to $8000 in their budget, which might be enough to do the guttering. Ms. Larimer said the City had not yet paid the $6000 that the Council had voted to give them for expenses incurred by the Public Restroom.

 

Alderman Freeland said that if the City needs to spend $50,000, they will find the money.

After some discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey said he hated to see this postponed, again.

Alderwoman Seratt said that how do we know that it will take the whole $50,000. She said the Council should give approval to go out for bids. Alderwoman Dickens stated that the City needs to get the Auditorium on some kind of a five-year plan and budget for some of these repairs.

 

Ms. Larimer said that the bid process is full of surprises, especially on a sixty year old building. She said that these repairs are in the Master Plan and the reason everything seems to get done on an crisis basis is because

 

                 CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

    306       CITY COUNCIL MEETING

                 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1997, 9 a.m.

 

of the cash flow problem. She said that they have complied with everything that the Fire Department and the Health Department have required, and they were hoping that the parapets wouldn’t get too bad before they would have the funds to do them, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Their main goal is to keep the building open and protect the integrity of the building.

 

Alderman Freeland made the motion to allocate funds not to exceed $50,000 for the Auditorium in repairs for roof, guttering and the accompanying area. Alderwoman Watson seconded for the purpose of discussion and then asked David Beauchamp how the City stands on money. Mr. Beauchamp, the CPA for the City, said that revenues have not come in as was expected. He directed the Council’s attention to the Budget Summary for July 1997. He said that the money would have to come out of reserves, of which some of the reserves are spoken for. Mayor Pro Tern Jeffrey said that the City may get a small windfall because of the re­appraisal. Mr. Beauchamp said General Fund Capital does not receive any of the Ad Valorem dollars. Those revenues go into General Fund Operating. Alderwoman Dickens said it is important that Mr. Beauchamp does look into the overall budget so that it can be fine tuned when some of these things come up.

Alderman Freeland asked if there were $50,000 sitting around anywhere in the budget that could be pulled out. Mr. Beaucharnp said no. He said that there are some large expenditures that will be coming up, the bond indebtedness and the tram we have to finish paying for, which is the largest outlay. He said that it would be wise not to act quickly under emergency pressures and to sit down and work the way through the budget to see what can be done.

Mayor Pro Tern Jeffrey said that he understands Alderwoman Seratt’s opinion in wanting more definite figures. The figures will not be more definite until someone bids on the project. No one is going to want to take the time to bid if they are not sure that the project will go ahead.

 

Alderman Freeland called the question. The vote to vote was 5/1/0, with

Alderwoman Seratt voting no.

The vote on the motion was, by roll call, 4/2/0, with Alderwomen Dickens

and Seratt voting no.

 

Ms. Larimer then gave a report on where she feels the City stands on the Arkansas Hall of Fame application.

She said that the City still has the Hall of Fame candidacy pending. She knows that the City does not have the money to allocate for any more work on the building. The Auditorium Commission wants to know if the City wants to stay in the running, or back out.

Mayor Pro Tern Jeffrey said he didn’t think that we should take ourselves out of the running. He said that we will have two years to allocate funds after the site is chosen.

Ms. Larimer said she has some ideas of what questions will be asked about the Auditorium, and she feels there will have to be some sort of commit­ment in order for the City to remain in the running. She and Mr. Young agreed that nobody had called, yet, to make an appointment for an on site visit.

Alderman Freeland said that if we did get chosen, it might open things up to more grants, to help us.

Ms. Larimer said she feels we have a good chance as far as location is concerned. Also, if it goes to another city, it will just be another attraction. If it goes in here, it will be one of the major attractions. There is always the possibility that if we are chosen, some of the

 

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1997, 9 a.m.

 

entertainers who are in the Hall of Fame, or their families might help us.

 

MAYORS COMMENTS:

The only announcement was about the hearing on the Lake Leatherwood

Annexation, which will be September 11th at 9 a.m. at the Berryville

Courthouse.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS REPORT:

On October 1, Channel 31 will move to Channel 5.

 

On Wednesday night, September 10th at 7 p.m. there will be a meeting for all of the volunteers who will work at the Antique Car Parade.

 

There will be a radiothon for Boys and Girls Club from 9 to 5 at Acords. It will be broadcast on 1071 on the radio dial. The grant is for $75,000 and $50,000 has to be raised in order to qualify. They still need about $20,000, and will really need the citizens’ support in order to raise it. The deadline to raise the money is September 30th, 1997. This is for the young people of our community. It has nothing to do with government, including the city.

 

Alderwoman Dickens requested an updated monthly transit statement.

 

Mr. Miner has prepared an ordinance for the CAPC request. Mr. Miner will be at the Agenda-setting meeting, for the purposes of discussion.

 

The motion was made and seconded to adjourn. All were in favor, 6/0/0. The meeting was adjourned at 10 a.m.

 

APPROVED:

 

 

 

 

ATTEST:

 

 

                

Mary Ann Lee, City Clerk-Treasurer

 

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

TUESDAY, September 23, 1997

 

9:00 A. M.

 

AGENDA

 

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL, ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:   Regular Council Meeting, August 26, 1997 Regular Council Meeting, September 9, 1997

 

OLD BUSINESS:

 

NEW BUSINESS:

 

1.     Approval of plans and authorization to proceed with re-modeling of old police building.

2.     Ordinance No. 1767, Cemetery meetings established, (first reading)