CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS

COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

SEPTEMBER 4th, 2001

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Mayor Beau Z. Satori called the September 4th, 2001, City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the jury room in the Carroll County Courthouse.

 

PRESENT:

Mayor Satori, David Stoppel, Bryan Sumpter, Kathy Harrison, Jack Dozier,

Kelly Simon, and James DeVito

 

ALSO PRESENT: Mary Jean Sell, Bill King, Gayle Money, Kim Dickens, Bill Ames, Sherry Wilson and Clerk Lee.

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:

Mayor Satori led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

 

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:

Ms. Dickens said the bond ordinance for the Lake Leatherwood Dam project is not quite ready.  It will need to go through three readings and then be held for the

30 day waiting period before it can go out for bids.  The ordinance was written for a 30 year pay off.  Ms. Dickens and Ms. Murphy said the money was there to pay it off in 10 years.  That would save the City $300,000 in interest on the loan.  The attorneys are writing the ordinance for a 10 year pay off.  She said it would be on the agenda for the September 17th, 2001 meeting.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda as amended.  The vote was 6/0/0.

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:

The motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the August 20th, 2001 Council Meeting.  The amendments were noted and the minutes were approved 6/0/0.

 

The motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the August 20th,2001, Special City Council Meeting.  The amendment was noted and the minutes were approved, 6/0/0.

 

COMMISSION, COMMITTEE: AND AUTHORITY REPORTS AND VACANCIES:

No nominations.

 

DEPARTMENT HEAD COMMENTS:

There were none.

 

 

 

CITY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT:

None.

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Discussion regarding Ordinance No. 1882, Loading Zones, (Second Reading):

The motion was made and seconded to suspend the rules and place Ordinance No. 1882 on its second reading by title only.  The vote on the motion was 5/1/0, with Alderman Simon voting no.

Ms. Dickens read the ordinance by title only.

The motion was made and seconded to approve.  The vote was 5/1/0, with Alderman Simon voting no.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

Discussion regarding Armstrong Street, (Stoppel & Harrison):

The motion was made and seconded to have an ordinance drafted to turn Armstrong Street  to go up hill.  As it is now, it causes traffic to back up on Planer Hill, and the Chief of Police had voiced his concerns.

 

Discussion regarding City Cell Phones, (Simon & Dozier):

Alderman Simon presented the Council with a Cell Phone Proposal that had two options.  One option was to replace a lot of the cell phones with pagers, and the other was to change the plans of all of the phones to one that will supply 150 minutes per phone per month for $20, and use the phones only for emergencies and to get instructions to call in from a regular phone.

This was discussed, but no action was taken.  It will be brought up again at the September 17th, 2001 Council Meeting.  In the meantime, Ms. Dickens will get some more input from the departments.

 

Discussion regarding the nomination process for commission appointments, (Dozier & DeVito):

Mayor Satori made it clear that he felt that the way the Council treated Linda Hager’s nomination was the reason that nobody wanted to go through what she had, to work on the CAPC in the positions that were still open.

Alderman DeVito said that with the two positions open, it is a strain to the rest of the commissioners, and the positions need to be filled as soon as possible.

 

The Mayor then challenged the Council to a “showdown”.  He passed a list to each member of the council, naming the people he had nominated in the last three and one half years.  He also passed a list of the names he had been given by Alderman Simon.  There were five people on that list.  He said some of the people were not restaurant people and some were not acceptable to him.  He said that nobody had suggested any names recently.

 

Alderman Sumpter said he voted his conscience.  It was not directed at any one person.  He said his votes were the direct result of the information he received and he had as much right to his opinion about a nominee as the Mayor had to his.  He said he was elected to represent the people of Eureka Springs, and to do what his conscience dictated in any given situation, and that was what he has done.

 

Alderman Simon said he has voted according to the dictates of his own conscience and to information he has received.  It is not anyone else’s decision to make.

 

Alderman DeVito said that time is being spent disagreeing that could be spent coming up with candidates.  This problem is as much the Mayor’s responsibility as it is the Council’s.

 

Alderman Sumpter said the meeting was going nowhere and asked to go on with business.

 

COUNCIL COMMENTS:

Alderman Sumpter asked how Bill Rubley was doing at the Transit Department, and also how was Don Underwood doing?  Mayor Satori said they were doing well.

 

MAYOR’S COMMENTS:

The Mayor reported that quite a lot of damage has been done to the Civil War Cave behind the Eagle’s Nest.  It is the oldest structure in the City and is a historical cave.  The Mayor, The Reonigks, and Lynn Carrington have put up  $300 for a reward to catch the vandals.  He asked that this be put on the agenda for the September 17th, 2001 Council Meeting.

 

The motion was made and seconded to go into executive session about a personnel matter.  All were in favor, 6/0/0.  The session began at 8 p.m.  The session adjourned at 8:25 p.m. No action was taken.

 

Mayor Satori nominated two additional people for the Transit Committee.  They were Steve Miller and Bill Freeland.  The motion was made and seconded to approve.  The vote to approve was 6/0/0.

 

The motion was made and seconded to adjourn.  All were in favor, 6/0/0.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the signature sheet for the September 4th, 2001 City Council Minutes.

 

                                                                        APPROVED:

 

                                                                        _______________________

Mayor Beau Z. Satori          

 

ATTEST:

 

_____________________________

Mary Ann Lee, City Clerk-Treasurer