Jacksonville City Council Meeting and Work Session 10/25/2021

Work Session

1. Call to order
2. Roll call
   1. Tony Taylor – present
   2. Andy Green – present
   3. Sherry Laster – present
   4. Coty Galloway – present
   5. Terry Wilson – present
3. Acceptance of minutes – no discussion
4. ARPA Premium Pay – Last meeting there was some confusion on the preferred method of compensation so a discussion was held to clarify which of the provided options the council wanted to go with. 
5. Warranty Deed with Habitat for Humanity – The Mayor explained that the the state took over, due to tax issues and bought the property for $100. The request is to deed this to Habitat for Humanity and to add this property as surplus at the same time. The hope is that this property can become a home for someone in need. Councilman Taylor noted he hoped more properties like these become available.  The address is 506 Francis Street East.
6. Spyglass Audit – The city approved a contract with this company back in June. The process took about eight weeks and a report was provided at the end of September. Ms. Grant notes she still had some work to do and this was an interim report only.  She noted some of the items found were a $73.21 a month charge, two Sparklight charges, a wrong charge amount, and a few others.  The overall savings would be about $1200 a month. 
7. Municipal Technology Services, LLC – Tim spoke and thanked the city for the opportunity. He stated it has been great working for the city ant everyone has been respectful and professional. He knows that some of the changes were painful, but necessary. If the city continues to keep working with him there will be more recommendations.  Councilman Taylor noted that Tim was the perfect fit at the perfect time and hopes they can continue to work together.  Tim also notes that he wanted to bring in new people and to work on a business continuity plan.
8. Job Description Discussions
   1. Firefighter/EMT – The original description was created 12-15 years ago. The requirement was that applicants had to be be an EMT and that had to be achieved in three years. The modification being requested is that this be extended to five years. This allows for staggered training. It will also allow new hires to have some down time between consecutive classes and testing. The belief is that this will be better for employees and for the city. 
   2. Code Enforcement Officer – The new position will fall under the Police Department and therefore under the Chief. The Chief will not be the direct point of contact or supervisor. The code enforcement will fall under special operations. The hiring range will be range 14. They will still work under with the building inspector. The Chief expressed a desire that applicants be APOST Certified, but this is not a requirement. If APOST certified, they could be used as a sworn officer in times of emergency or at special events. It is possible for nonactive officers to go through 80 hours of recertification.
      
       
9. New City Hall – There are three versions of City Hall and the architect needs to know what direction to go in. The options range from one story, two story, separate wings…   A request was made to have a called work session to talk with Mr. Whitaker. In addition the council members will forward questions they have to the Mayor and he will have them sent to the architect. Those questions can then be answered at the called work session. 
10. Garbage Fee – The cost for the city has increased about 3.5%. This increase will result in an increase to consumers. This change will go into effect Dec 1, 2021.  A request was made to get information out to residents letting them know about the increase and why. In addition there were questions about recycling. The only service that provides recycling is Republic. While the city wants to continue offering recycling, they are dependent on the service provider. There was also a conversation about the importance of  education and people knowing how the recycling program works and what can and can’t be placed in those bins. 
11. Any other business – Councilwoman Laster wanted to get updates on a few items such as David Schneider and the Cotton Creek drainage issues. The Mayor stated they were waiting on the property owner to respond to move forward with the drainage plans. Councilman Green wanted to know if the Church St paving project was still in progress or if it was completed. Some of the lines are already fading. They Mayor will email the correct person and get an answer. The issue of the Christmas Parade came up and a discussion was held on if the council members would ride together and about candy and decorations. 

City Council Meeting

• Call to order.
• Invocation: Rev. Robert Fowler St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
• Pledge of Allegiance.
• Roll call.
  • Tony Taylor – Present
  • Andy Green – Present
  • Terry Wilson – Present
  • Sherry Laster – Present
  • Coty Galloway – Present
• Adoption of minutes. – Unanimously  Approved
• Adoption of agenda – Unanimously  Approved with changes 
  • Amend: Item 13
  • Add: Item 18a
  • Add: Item 18b
  • Add: Item 23 Item 2
  • Add: Item 23 Item  3 a-d.
• Proclamation:
  • Extra Mile Day – November 1, 2021. – No one present to accept 
• Public comments concerning agenda items. – No Comments
• Consider action to accept the Bid Report for Bid No. 21-09, Purchase of Vehicles for the Street Department and approve a Resolution to award Bid No. 21-09 to Larry Puckett Chevrolet, Inc. for the Purchase two (2) 2021 Chevrolet 1500 Extended Cab 4WD Trucks for the Street Department. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to accept the Bid Report for Bid No. 22-01, Purchase of Equipment for Fire Department and approve a Resolution to award Bid No. 22-01 to Sunbelt Fire for the Purchase of Equipment for the Fire Department at a cost of $30,243.60. (Funding from Assistance to Firefighters Grant) – Unanimously  Approved
• Consideration of Resolution regarding Section 603(c)(1)(B) for Premium Pay created by the American Rescue Plan Act. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consideration of Resolution regarding Section 603(c)(1)(A) and Section 603(c)(1)(C) for Non- Profits and Economic Impact created by the American Rescue Plan Act. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to declare city property located at 506 Francis St, E, Jacksonville, AL as surplus property and to authorize the Mayor to sign the Warranty Deed between the City of Jacksonville and the Calhoun Cleburne Habitat for Humanity, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to authorize the Mayor to sign the IT Service Agreement with Municipal Technology Services, LLC, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to authorize the Mayor, on behalf of the Water Works, Gas and Sewer Board, to sign the IT Service Agreement with Municipal Technology Services, LLC, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to authorize the Mayor to sign the Agreement for Forensic Services, Consultation and Education with Jacksonville State University, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to authorize the Mayor to sign the Agreement with Overhead Door of Anniston- Gadsden, to replace a Bay Door at Fire Station No. 2, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to approve the amended job description for Firefighter/EMT, Rang 11, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
  • Consider action to approve the new job description of Code Enforcement Officer, Range 16, per the attached. – Unanimously  Approved
  • Consider action to abolish the job description for Code Enforcement and Safety Officer, Range 14 – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to approve the following promotion:
  • Shana Leigh Maddox, Lead Public Safety Communications Officer, Range 14, effective October 27, 2021, due to the transfer of Susan Tidwell. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to accept the following resignation:
  • Cameron Pridmore, Public Safety Communications Officer, effective October 22, 2021. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consider action to approve the employment of the following:
  • Michael Angel Demiani-Pinto, Police Officer, Range 18, effective upon compliance with Ordinance No. 273. (new position)  – Unanimously  Approved
  • Quadarius Jovon Cochran, Police Officer, Range 18, effective upon compliance with Ordinance No. 273. (new position) – Unanimously  Approved
  • Joshua Lamar Shears, Police Officer, Range 18, effective uon compliance with Ordinance No. 273, due to the pending promotion to Sergeant to replace Joseph Martin. – Unanimously  Approved
  • Kimberly Faith Spicer, Full-Time Public Safety Communications Officer, Range 12, effective upon compliance with Ordinance No. 273, due to the resignation of Alyssa Breanna Heard. – Unanimously  Approved
  • Evie Elizabeth Marie McCombs, Full-Time Public Safety Communications Officer, Range 12, effective upon compliance with Ordinance No. 273, due to the promotion of Shana Maddox to Lead Public Safety Communications Officer. – Unanimously  Approved
  • Edward Pruitt, III, Part-Time Corrections Officer, Range 9, effective upon compliance with Ordinance No. 273, due to moving Franklin Cinto to Full-Time Corrections Officer. – Unanimously  Approved
• Consent Agenda – Unanimously  Approved
  • Budget Amendment Requests.
  • Purchases Over $7,500.00
  • Requests to Attend Conference/Training Session with Costs Exceeding $1,000.00.
  • PARD
    • $30,891 to Stivers Ford Lincoln for the purchase of a 2021 Ford F150 Supercab 4×4 Pickup Truck, Package #1. (State Contract MA999*129 Line Number 2 (T191)).
  • Street
    • $107,035.86 to Warrior Tractor & Equipment Company, Inc
    • $53,014.23 to Warrior Tractor & Equipment Company, Inc
    • $77,533.38 to Warrior Tractor & Equipment Company, Inc
    • $97,244.15 to Warrior Tractor & Equipment Company, Inc
    • **Purchases authorized due to John Deer Labor Issues and desire to get all equipment in working order. 
  • Boards/Committees.
• Public comments for general items. – No Comments
• Council Member Remarks.
  • Councilman Green congratulate the new officers and the promotions. 
  • He also mentioned the Harvest Festival on Thursday that JSU is holding at the TMB Building. This event is open to the public. 
  • Councilman Taylor also congratulated and welcomed the new employees. 
• Mayor’s report.
  • PARD has many events coming up such as the Not so Haunted Halloween Trail
  • The Boots and BBQ event
  • Jacksonville Walking Tours
  • Library Virtual Story Time
  • Citywide Trick or Treating on 10/30/21
  • Chief Ladiga Half Marathon 11/6/2021
  • Christmas Village 11/30/21
  • Christmas Parade 11/30/21 6:30 pm
  • Visits with Santa 12/4/21, Train Deport
• Any Other Business. – None
• Consider action to adjourn into an Executive Session under the Provisions of the Code of Alabama, Section 36-25A-7(a), Item 6 to discuss the consideration the governmental body is willing to offer when considering the purchase and/or lease of real property. – Unanimously  Approved