342

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1997

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This meeting was held directly after the regularly scheduled Agenda-Setting Meeting. Mayor Barbara A. O’Harris called the City Council Meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. This meeting was scheduled in this manner because of the way Christmas falls on the calendar this year.

PRESENT:

Mayor OHarris, Council Members Zeller, Watson, Seratt, Freeland, Christman and Jeffrey.

ALSO PRESENT:

Kirby Murray, Alan Epley, Beau Satori, Alan Long, Kim Dickens, Jay Miner, Don Matt, David Beauchamp, Earl Hyatt, Don Young, and Clerk Lee.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG:

Mr. Young led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:

The motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda as submitted.

All were in favor, 6/0/0.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:

Regular meeting minutes of November 25th, 1997 and Regular Meeting Minutes of December 9th, 1997.

The City Clerk said that at the previous regular meeting, which she could not attend, there was a question of the date on which they would announce the location of the Arkansas Hall of Fame. She listened to the minutes and said that it was not in the minutes. She felt she must have heard it before or after the meeting and put it in there but that it was not on the tape. The motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes for November 25th, 1997. The motion was withdrawn. The amendment was to put the two preceding sentences together and leave out the sentence with the date. The motion was made and seconded to approve as amended. All were in favor, 6/0/0.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of December 9,

1997. All were in favor, 6/0/0.

1. The Council decided to set a date for a budget workshop on January 7th,

1998, at 3 p.m. The Mayor suggested that the Council individually go and

talk to each department head and get some input.

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

Ordinance #1773 on its second reading by title only. All were in favor,

6/0/0.

Mr. Young read the ordinance by title only.

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

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

Ordinance #1773 on its third and final reading by title only. All were in

favor, 6/0/0.

Mr. Young read the ordinance by title only.

The motion was made and seconded to approve. All were favor, 6/0/0.

3. Ordinance #1774, providing additional funding for the Municipal Court

Judge and Clerk retirement fund.

The motion was made and seconded to place Ordinance #1774 on its first

reading in its entirety. All were in favor, 6/0/0.

Mr. Young read the ordinance in its entirety.

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

Bill Freeland provided the Council with copies of Publications from Municipal League about hiring practices. He asked that the Council to look it over.

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

COUNCIL MEETING 343

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1997

Alderman Jeffrey said there had been discussion to place the Eureka Group paper on the agenda for January 6th. He said he had read the paper over and felt that a council meeting was not the appropriate place to discuss the paper. It involves the re-organization of the Chamber of Commerce, which is a private entity, and that is not really proper.

Alderwoman Zeller said that the paper does not need any kind of action. The City Council got copies because it is always talking about needing more money. It probably doesn’t need discussion at the Council table. Mayor O’Harris said one needs to be careful when they publicly discuss a private entity.

The general consensus was that there is nothing wrong with the Eureka Group doing a study, or the paper that they wrote. The question was whether it should be discussed at the Council table.

Alderwoman Watson made the motion to discuss the paper and the main part of the conversation be the CAPC portion. Alderwoman Seratt seconded. Alderman Jeffrey said that there is nothing in the paper that calls for any action by the City Council. He said the appropriate place to discuss the paper is at a CAPC meeting. Alderwoman Watson said that the Council should discuss the CAPC and the members could take it back to the CAPC table. Alderman Jeffrey said he did not see how you can discuss on half of the paper, without discussing the other half. He feels it is inappropriate to discuss it in Council Meeting. It is appropriate to discuss it in a Chamber meeting or a CAPC meeting. The discussion became heated, and Mr. Miner said the Council has the right to discuss anything they want to but they should chose the right forum in which to do so, and he felt he had to agree with Alderman Jeffrey. A vote was taken as to whether it should be discussed at the Council table.

Alderpersons Watson, Zeller, and Freeland voted yes it should be discussed at a Council Meeting. Alderpersons Christman, Jeffrey, and Seratt voted no, it should not be discussed at a Council Meeting. The vote failed, 3/3/0. The Mayor voted no, which did not count. The Mayor can only break a tie with a yes vote.

The motion was made and seconded to adjourn and the meeting was

adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

APPROVED:

Barbara A. O’Harris, Mayor

ATTEST:

CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

TUESDAY, January 13, 1998

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 meeting December 16, 1997

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Ordinance No. 1774, providing additional funding for the Municipal Court Judge and Clerk retirement fund. (For second reading)