Sunday, September 2, 2018
Lee Fuller
1. Call to order
2. Roll call – all present
3. Minutes unanimously accepted
4. Groundwater and gas monitoring plan Presented by Stanly Carr: Report presented and no questions were asked.
5. Resolutions regarding moratorium on mobile homes: A moratorium was issued in May stopping installation on single lots and mobile homes in mobile home courts. On 8/13 a moratorium was passed regarding prohibiting the placements of slabs. This moratorium would abolish the one created in May and only make it prohibited to put mobile homes on single lots and not affect mobile home courts. They can be placed in mobile courts without a slabs and with a buffer per vote on 8/13. No additional questions were asked.
6. Resolution regarding Moratorium on tornado affected areas. A complaint was made at the last meeting that garages were unable to be rebuilt because of new regulations requiring structures to be built 15ft from the property line vs the previous rule requiring 2ft buffer. Requesting moratorium on regulation for residential structures in the tornado affected areas. This would not include apartments as they are considered businesses. Concerns were presented that people may use this as an opportunity to place fences too high or too close to the property line. A suggestion was made that wording could be added to state that fencing cannot go past the property line and cannot encroach a neighboring property or city easement.
7. Board Appointments: Questions were posed as to why sitting Industrial Development Board members were replaced without being given the option to stay and extend their term as in the past. City Council members stated that they assumed that sitting board members did not have an interest in staying on the board as no interest applications forms were received. Council then acknowledged that no written procedure was in place or deadline set. A discussion was held to set a policy so there is a clear procedure on sitting and new board members and to have a clear deadline for expressing interest in a board position. A suggestion was also made to give the current board members an opportunity to fill out an application, as they did not have the opportunity earlier. There was overwhelming support that the new procedure would require currently sitting as well as new members to be required to fill out an application prior to their appointment expiring, or prior to a new seat becoming available. The council decided it is no longer upholding their vote for board members from the previous meeting and the consensus is that a new vote should be held after sitting members are given the opportunity to express interest in continuing their term. One sitting member discussed was Jamie “Red” Etheredge. A heated exchange ensued over whether Mr. Etheredge served Jacksonville well in his board capacities. Some strongly felt he had served well while other council members disagreed and felt it was time to start with a clean slate and that we have actually been losing businesses and that industry commerce has not been created. This discussion continued with no resolution being reached. A proposal was made to add all interested parties, both seated board members and new, to a secret ballot and would be voted on at the next meeting. This would be a regular agenda item and not part of the consent agenda as it is currently listed. After this board vote new procedures would be developed for moving forward.
8. A request was made for an additional employee for the planning commission. The requested personnel increase was to be for a building assistant similar to previous clerks. The council was very vocal in its disagreement. The council supported a code enforcement’s position being created, but not an office position. A representative from the commission made the argument that the assistant could run the office, issue building permits, and take citizen complains. He further made the argument that this would free others up to work in outside field positions. A compromise was reached in the proposed hiring of a part time code enforcement officer and training would given to existing staff to be a backup clerk/assistant when needed. This part-time position would be a 1 year contract and could be reviewed at the end of the contract term.
9. Additional item: A demonstration to market the Chief Ladiga Trail for tourism was presented in another city and one of Jacksonville’s City Council members were present during the demonstration. The proposed cost would be between $10,000 and $12,000 for each city on the trail. Mention was also made of promised funds to match 50% of the cost. This would potentially make the out of pocket expense to be only $5,000-$6,000 for the City of Jacksonville. A question posed by the council was if a presentation could be scheduled for a work session in the City of Jacksonville? Another question presented was if the costs would be split evenly among all cities on the trail or divided by miles on the trail per each city? The discussion ended without any specific dates being made.
10. Adjournment for break
EDITOR CORRECTION: The line numbered 7 did read “Red” Estes when in fact the name is Jamie “Red” Etheredge. The correction is in the article as well.
