CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR
MEETING
This meeting was actually held on
Mayor Kathy Harrison called the Jan. 26/Feb. 2
meeting of the City Council to order at
PRESENT: Mayor Kathy Harrison, Aldermen
Robert “Butch” Berry, Penny Carroll, Karen Lindblad, Gayle Money, Bill Ott,
Earl “Bud” Umland, Finance Director Diane Murphy, City Attorney Tim Weaver,
Building Official Randy Mills, City Advertising and Promotion Commission (CAPC)
Executive Director LeRoy Gorrell, Fire/EMS Chief of Emergency Services David
Stoppel, Administrative Assistant Brenda Spencer and City Clerk Mary Jean Sell.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG:
Mayor Harrison led the Pledge of Allegiance to the
Flag.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:
Ms. Money moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Umland
seconded.
Mayor Harrison said Ordinance #1844 in Item #2 of Old
Business should actually be #1943. New Business Item #5, reading of Ordinance
#1942, adopting the 2004 budget, had been handled during a special council
meeting Jan. 29, 2003.
Ms. Carroll asked for a second executive session to discuss
severance packages.
Ms. Money moved to adopt the agenda as amended. Ms.
Lindblad seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
Ms. Money moved to postpone the reading of the minutes to
the next meeting. Ms. Lindblad seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
COMMISSION, COMMITTEE, AND AUTHORITY REPORTS AND
VACANCIES:
Historic District Commission - Position 1
– Expires
There was some discussion as to whether or not. Ms.
Farthing had actually been nominated during the Jan. 12 meeting or her name
just discussed. Council agreed to vote on her nomination in the Feb. 9 regular
meeting.
Hospital Commission – Position 1 – Expires
Ms. Money moved to approve Dr. Jack Pritchard for the
Position 1 Hospital Commission post. Mr. Umland seconded. All voted aye. Motion
passed 6/0/0
City
Council
CAPC – Posts 6 and 7 – Expires
Mr. Ott nominated Mr. Umland to Position 6. Ms. Money
seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Mr. Umland nominated Ms. Money to Position 7. Ms.
Lindblad seconded. Mr. Ott, Mr. Umland, Ms. Money, Ms. Lindblad voted aye. Mr.
DEPARTMENT HEAD COMMENTS:
CAPC,
Hospital, Fire/EMS, Finance and Building
CAPC Executive Director LeRoy Gorrell reported
on a “positive press push” about Eureka Springs in recent months and the
potential monetary value of national publicity generated by magazines,
television and movie productions. He said the CAPC is partnering with the state
in promotion projects for the opening of the Clinton Library in
There was no report from the Hospital Commission.
Fire/EMS Emergency Services Chief David Stoppel reported
the several-year-old lawsuit against the Western Carroll County Ambulance
District has been declared a “non-case” by a judge and the petitioner given one
year to refile the case. The department has received a $201,000 FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management Agency) grant for equipment. Construction/renovation of
the building at 146 E. Van Buren is 65 percent complete, but moving at a
snail’s pace.
Finance Director Diane Murphy reported the year-end financials are
down in just about every city fund. It is the first time the general fund and
transit department revenues have been down in several years. The general fund
revenues were up, but expenses put the city “in the hole” by $14,000. Street
fund is down $6,500 and water and sewer by $10,000. She is preparing an
ordinance to amend the 2003 budget, taking funds from the city’s reserve
accounts. She said the city’s sales tax revenue of down approximately 5 percent
from 2003, but within 1 percent of budget projections.
Building Official Randy Mills presented a report showing income
from permit fees for the three months he has been on the job. Of the estimated
240 permits issued in 2003, $19,800 in revenue was generated. His projected
permits for 2004 are 400 generating $30,000 in revenue. He is projecting
$16,000 revenue in grease traps for 2004.
NEW COUNCIL COMMITTEES- Bud Umland – Festival
Committee
Butch
Mr. Umland reported his committee is scheduled to have
its first meeting at
Mr. Berry reported it will be necessary to “un-adopt”
Appendix B of the International Building Code (IBC) to give the city authority
to set up a Board of Appeals who are not qualified in the fields set out in the
IBC. There are not local professionals in the fields required.
City
Council
Ms. Money moved to ask the city attorney to draft an ordinance repealing the adoption of Appendix B of the IBC in Ordinance #1902. Mr. Umland seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Mayor
Harrison asked Mr. Ott and Ms. Lindblad to serve on a committee to develop long
and short-range visions plans for the direction of the city. Both agreed.
Ms. Money reported the Salary and Wage Committee, comprised
of herself, Mayor Harrison, Ms. Murphy and Ms. Spencer, had interviewed two
companies qualified and specializing in the analysis of job descriptions and
salary structures to do an analysis of the city’s employee and salary
structure. She said one of the companies would also look at the personnel
handbook and make recommendations. She said the results could be ready in three
months.
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Discussion of adopting Robert’s Rules of Order, time and place of meetings.
Ms. Money moved to use Procedural Rules for Municipal Officials, produced by the Arkansas
Municipal League, as meeting procedure guidelines for 2004 instead of Robert’s Rules of Order. Ms. Carroll
seconded.
Ms. Lindblad moved to postpone the vote to the next
meeting to give council members time to review the rules. Ms. Money seconded.
All voted aye to postpone. Motion passed 6/0/0
Mr. Ott moved to continue holding council meetings at
Mr. Ott asked if the council would continue to have the
quarterly Public Forum meetings. Mayor Harrison said they would continue.
2. Discussion of waiving for 1 year – Ordinance 1943 – raising water rates by 1.4 percent (regular annual)
Ms. Money moved to place Ordinance 1943 on its first
reading. Mr. Umland seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Ms. Sell read the ordinance aloud.
Ms. Money moved to approve Ordinance 1943 on its
first reading. Ms. Lindblad seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed.
Ms. Money moved to place Ordinance 1943 on its second
reading by title only. Mr.
Ms. Sell read the title aloud.
Ms. Money moved to place Ordinance 1943 on its third
reading by title only. Mr. Umland seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Ms. Sell read the title aloud.
Ms. Money moved to approve Ordinance 1943 on its
third reading by title only. Ms. Lindblad seconded. By roll call, all voted
aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Mr. Ott moved to read the emergency clause. Mr.
Ms. Sell read the emergency clause aloud.
Ms. Money moved to approve the emergency clause. Ms.
Lindblad seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0 City Council
3. Discussion of fuel tanks and bids.
Mr. Umland moved to table the discussion of fuel
tanks and award the fuel bids. Ms. Money seconded. Mr. Umland withdrew his
motion and Ms. Money withdrew her second.
Mr. Ott moved to table discussion of fuel tanks to a
future date. Mr. Umland seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Mr. Ott moved to accept Tad’s Quickstop (Kathe
Graham) bid of 5.1 cents discount on each gallon of fuel. Ms. Money seconded.
All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
Ms. Money moved to have a break at
The meeting resumed at
4. Discussion of auditorium.
Mr.
(A) Why weren’t
local persons asked to bid on the carpet for the auditorium?
(B)
Why invoices for work being done are going through
Backstage Connections, the contractor?
(C) Whether or not representatives of the Arkansas
Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) in
(D) Has the
issue of the fire alarm system been addressed?
Mr. Ott added his concern about the work being done
to insure the safety of the structure and whether or not the projects being
accomplished are actually part of the original Saving America’s Treasures grant
proposal.
Mayor Harrison said bids had been advertised in local
and state newspapers. Local carpet vendors were not able to handle the carpet
order so Backstage Connections was asked to find a vendor who could complete
such a large order in a short time. Many of the invoices are going through Backstage connections because they have hired
sub-contractors for portions of the work.
Missy McSwain, federal grants coordinator for AHPP,
is reviewing the project proposals as they are presented to her and forwarding
them on to
She said the fire alarm and extinguisher situation
has been taken care of with the Fire Marshall’s guidance and inspection.
Building Official Randy Mills said he is in the
auditorium several times as week. When structural or safety issues are
discovered, they are taken care of as soon as possible and inspected. He said
an old fire system had been found behind a door and efforts are being make to look into the feasibility of putting in a workable
fire hose.
Mayor Harrison finally commented that this is a CAPC
project and not a council project.
City Attorney Tim Weaver told the council the funds
being spent are not city funds, they are the funds from the tax revenues
collected by the CAPC and that group determines how they are to be spent. He
said a concerted effort has been made to bring in bids when it is practical,
and almost everything has been bid out.
City
Council
Mr.
5. Discussion of speed bumps (Money)
Ms. Lindblad moved to table the discussion to the
next meeting. Ms. Money seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
NEW BUSINESS:
1. State of the City Address
Mayor Harrison read her address to the council and
public. Copy attached to the office copy of the minutes.
2. Discussion of grease trap franchise.
Mr. Mills explained it would be more efficient for
area companies who provide a pumping service to remove grease and solids from
grease traps to be able to pump more than two or three per trip. He said it
would also lessen the cost to restaurant owners.
Ms. Money moved to have the building official look
into the possibility of franchising the grease trap service. Ms. Carroll
seconded. All voted aye. Motion passed 6/0/0
3. Discussion of parks lighting bid – Bruce Levine
Parks Director Levine and Parks Commission Chairman
Bill Featherstone presented bids from All Service Electrical and Techline for
lighting of the Lake Leatherwood Ball Fields and parking lot. Mr. Levine handed
out a worksheet in which he had worked the bid amounts so they could be
comparable for wood or steel posts, lighting fixtures, labor, switching gears,
wire, etc. All Service had bid a total of $204,226, using all steel poles, and
$175,817 using all wood poles. Techline bid a total of $118, 287 for steel
poles.
Mr. Levine favors using wood light poles and Mr.
Featherstone favors using the steel poles. Conversation went back and forth
with council members about the merits of each, the various options and life
expectancy of the poles for about half an hour.
Mr. Ott moved to go ahead with the lighting of the
soccer field and parking area with Techline. Ms. Money seconded.
Mr. Featherstone asked if the motion could be amended
to use Techline for the soccer field and the system of the commission’s choice for
the parking lot. Council agreed to the amendment.
All voted aye on the motion to use Techline for the
soccer field and the system of the commission’s choice for the parking lot.
Motion passed 6/0/0
4. Discussion of creating an ordinance regarding the salary of the mayor and council compensation.
Ms. Money said she is requesting authorization to
include the city council and elected officials in the job and salary analysis
to be done by a consulting firm.
Mr. Ott moved to include the elected officials in the
analysis. Ms. Money seconded. All voted aye. City Council
5. Read Ordinance #1942 – Adopting the 2004 budget.
This item
was taken care of in a special meeting
6. Executive session – regarding public works interim director.
Mayor Harrison adjourned the meeting at
The meeting resumed at
7. Executive session – regarding severance package for former Public Works Director Kirby Murray.
Mayor Harrison adjourned the meeting at
She announced there was no action taken regarding a
severance package.
Mr. Ott moved to accept the person discussed during the
executive session as interim public works director. Mr.
COUNCIL COMMENTS:
Ms. Money reminded the council that the next budget workshop is
scheduled for
Mr. Umland commended the parks director, chairman and commission for
working closely with the council on the lighting project.
Mr. Berry announced the public hearing on Ordinance 1942, regarding
manufactured homes, is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, during the Planning
Commission’s regular meeting. He thanked Kirby Murray for more than two decades
of service to Eureka Springs and commended him for his dedication to the
community.
Ms. Carroll also expressed her appreciation to
Ms. Lindblad wished
MAYOR’S COMMENTS:
Mayor
Harrison said she hoped
ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Ott moved to adjourn at
This is the signature page for the minutes of the Feb. 2
(
______________________________
______________________________
Mayor Kathy Harrison City Clerk
Mary Jean Sell City
Council