Eminence Kentucky-Minutes

The City Council of the City of Eminence, Kentucky met in a regular session on Monday, February 9, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Doug Bates and the following members present: Kelly Shannon, Laura Whitney, Howard Roberts, Tom Ferguson, Drane Stephens and Leeroy Winburn. Absent were none.

The minutes of the previous regular session held on January 12, 2004 were reviewed. Motion made by Member Roberts and seconded by Member Shannon to approve the minutes as presented. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: Website Review – Joyce Meyer was present to review the City’s website with council. Joyce developed and has been maintaining the website for the City. She reviewed the number of sessions on our site, which is averaging 1,600 per month. Joyce made several suggestions to update the site including a link to the adult education center with registration forms being made available, adding a weather channel page, listing the school closing, having an electronic newsletter as a web page, having a map, a list of business and individual property available in the community, more ordinances on line, a list of requirements on the garbage pickup, and a link to trend-micro for a free trial. Joyce suggested school involvement on the newsletter rather than have them working directly on the web page. She also suggested we upgrade from paying $14.00 per month for hosting the site to $22.00 per month which will allow us to have secure socket layers. Joyce stated that if anyone had any suggestions at any time to contact her or Sandy. Motion made by Member Ferguson and seconded by Member Winburn to authorize proceeding with the upgrade from $14.00 to $22.00 and to proceed with making the suggested updates as appropriate to the website. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: Interlocal Agreement with City of Smithfield – Smithfield Mayor Les Bryant was present to discuss with council the possibility of Eminence providing police services for them. They need a police presence in their town. They currently contract for fire protection thru the Lake Jericho and Eminence Fire Departments and now have the trash pickup franchise in the City. Their primary concern is traffic at the intersection. They have less than one mile of city limits. Mayor Bryant reported he has met with our Mayor in January to discuss our assisting them with police protection. Council questioned the number of hours involved. Chief Hadden stated that the intention is to average being in Smithfield two times in a 24-hr. period unless an emergency exists. A unit will always be in Eminence. Chief Hadden stated that they already go into other parts of the County to provide free service and that they are usually the initial responder to Smithfield. Chief Hadden stated that currently some of the shifts overlap which would make going to Smithfield fairly easy. The times that the Department would be in Smithfield could differ each day. The amount that has been discussed for providing this service is $2,800.00 per year to be paid quarterly to Eminence. Attorney Brammell stated that an interlocal agreement would be necessary which will take approximately three to four months to do as we have to get approval from the Department for Local Government. Motion made by Member Shannon and seconded by Member Roberts to authorize Attorney Brammell to proceed with drafting the interlocal agreement based upon the above discussions. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: West Owen Street Re-Development Project – Project Manager Kriss Lowry discussed the project status with council. Reported that the contractor is slowly proceeding on the other two houses. Ms. Lowry reviewed the acquisition list with council and reported on some of the problems with contacting heirs.

Ms. Lowry reviewed the asbestos removal bids she received for six structures. The low bidder was Larkin Environmental at $6,610.00 total if all the work is done. She has worked with them previously and feels they are a good company. Motion made by Member Winburn and seconded by Member Roberts to award the bid to Larkin Environmental for the asbestos removal. All members present voted “Yea”.

Demolition of the houses once the asbestos is removed was discussed. Fire Chief Gary Lucas was present to confirm that the Fire Department can burn the three houses around the corner at the end of West Owen and probably 110 West Owen at the beginning of the street. The other houses that are scheduled for demolition will need to be bid out for removal.

Mr. Lowry stated that her main concern is having enough money to purchase the remainder of the properties, which need to be demolished. The fact that Janet Timberlake has purchased two lots will make more money available for other purchases. The City will need to decide which properties to make an offer on since the funds are limited.

Motion made by Member Stephens and seconded by Member Roberts to go into closed session to discuss possible acquisition of property. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion made by Member Stephens and seconded by Member Roberts to authorize Kriss Lowry to negotiate on behalf of the City of Eminence to purchase the William and Mary Goodloe and James and Emma Thomas properties as discussed in closed session. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: Fire Department Report – Fire Chief Lucas reviewed the monthly activity report with council and reported on several fire schools being held this month. He has made a request to KCTC to have an instructor here.

Chief Lucas reported that all the departments in the County currently need volunteers. Currently in Henry County between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. if a request for service is made anywhere in the County all the departments are called for assistance. Lake Jericho’s pumper is currently down, which creates an additional area to be especially concerned about. Mutual aid agreements are in place with other counties to provide backup support.

Chief Lucas reported on a proposal to purchase a new 4-wheel drive truck with a self-contained field fire unit. The deal previously being worked on with Pleasure Ridge Park fell thru. The department’s current grass fire truck was purchased in 1995 and is a 1986 model and is no longer serviceable as a field fire unit. It can be utilized possibly for other things. They have found a utility body for this truck to use for transporting the Jaws of Life and other equipment. Gary reported on the condition of the other trucks, reporting that our pumpers and tanker are top of the line and in good shape. The 1980 truck is no longer usable. He does not want to put the pumpers and tankers at risk taking them to a field fire.

Chief Lucas reported that they have received a $3,000.00 DES matching grant to purchase lighting, cords, etc. Another matching grant for $4,000.00 has been received to purchase hose and nozzle. Even though these grants have a match, most of the equipment is currently budgeted to be purchased this year and the receipt of the grants will lower the City and Department’s expense. A Tums grant has also been applied for with Sandy Rhodes help.

Recruiting of volunteers was discussed. Chief Lucas reported that they do have an application process and have to take into consideration whether the person can be available for training and how dependable they are. The initial cost to get a person trained and equipped is between $18,000 and $20,000.

Subject – Proposed Development - Milton Allen with Angel City Development Corporation was present to discuss with council a proposed development on North Main Street immediately outside the city limits. He needs a letter of support from the City prior to applying for funds. He is a real estate broker and homebuilder. The proposed location for this development is the Bruther property consisting of 32 acres, which are currently zoned agriculture. They will be requesting a zone change to R-2. His company proposes to build 68 homes in the $90,000 thru $120,000 price range. These houses would mainly be targeted at the 50% median income range with tax credits being given through the Kentucky Housing Corporation. The approximate lot size would be 9,000 square feet minimum (less than ¼ acre). His company is offering to fund ½ of the City’s cost after a possible 50/50 grant is received to upgrade the pump station in that area. The preliminary plans are in the works on moving this station. They will also be working with HUD on their American Dream Program, which assists individuals who qualify with the $7,000/10,000 down payment. This property is currently not in the City limits and would need to be annexed. Discussion held including the location of other similar projects for reference, quality and size of homes, etc. Mr. Allen stated that the letter needs only to say that affordable housing is needed and does not have to commit to anything as it will have to come back before the council for the zone change and that more information will be available at that time. Motion made by Member Shannon and seconded by Member Roberts to authorize Mayor Bates to prepare a letter of support (in theory support under the correct circumstances) of the proposed development. Member Ferguson stated he plans to vote for this but wants it made clear that he does not want a low-income project. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: Eminence Tomorrow – Main Street Director Mary Jane Yates was present to report on the status of the Eminence Tomorrow projects. Ms. Yates reported that the façade grant is currently on hold due to the weather. The old Deposit Bank building that Katie Crotzer is working on is also on hold due to the weather, however no problems are anticipated which would interfere with having it complete by the June 30th deadline.

Ms. Yates reported that the Phase IV application deadline is February 16th but she would like to hand deliver this on Friday the 13th. She reviewed the proposed application, budget amount and area to be covered with council. The proposed application calls for a total of $423,415.00 in funds with the City’s 20% portion being $84,683.00. It will be submitted as 20% cash, however it can be in-kind work. There is no way to know if we will get funded. Motion made by Member Stephens and seconded by Member Ferguson to adopt the resolution as presented to authorize the Mayor to make application for the Phase IV Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) funds in the amount of $423,415.00. All members present voted “Yea”.

Ms. Yates and Mayor Bates reported on the streetscape work. Reported that we are on hold waiting for a structural engineer report from CMW. When the contractors took out the sidewalk it caused a drop in Brenda’s Beauty Shop creating a 1-2 inch opening from the floor to the wall and the wall to the ceiling. Apparently when the building was added onto several years ago the outside wall was set on the sidewalk without its own foundation. The damage can be reversed and hopefully at minimal cost. A footer will need to be poured underneath and a new foundation added. The architect and company are both at fault. Phase I was scheduled to stop at the center of the Rug Man’s property. This has been revised to go to the alley with the steps being done away with and the sidewalk being sloped to comply with ADA requirements.

Reported that the highway department was here last week to evaluate the stoplights, no turns, additional signage and also the possibility of milling out Main Street to assist with the road being so much higher than the properties on the west side of Main Street.

Ms. Yates reported that Kentucky Utilities will only allow pedestals in our streetscape area. No metal posts will be used unless we pay all the cost.

The original plans are for the crosswalk to be brick. This could be a problem being in the roadway. Scored concrete or blacktop has been discussed.

Subject: Police Department Report – Chief Mount Hadden was present. Reviewed the monthly activity report with council. Chief Hadden encouraged each member of council to contact our legislators to encourage them to support HB 413, which could possibly bring between $20,000 and $30,000 back into the City’s budget to replace the lost base court revenue.

Chief Hadden reported that the department is in the middle of a death investigation and that all officers have been put on a gag order, as it is an ongoing investigation. No information will be given to the media at this time either.

Mayor Bates reported that he has sent a letter to Lawrence Moore on the burnt-out house on Elm Street and that they have contacted him to say that as soon as the weather breaks they have someone from Shelbyville who will demolish the rest of the house.

Subject: Community Center Report – The community center activity report was reviewed.

Subject: Public Works Report - Public Works Director William Smith was present. Reviewed the monthly activity report with council. Mr. Smith reported that the houses are scheduled to come down this week in plans for the Subway Restaurant. The weather has been the holdup.

Mr. Smith reported they have had three water main breaks and that he appreciated the Fire Department’s assistance with traffic enforcement. Reported that the valve replacement program started last year has already greatly assisted them in these leak repairs. Reported also that a large wastewater pump had to be repaired at the cost of about $1,000.00.

Mr. Smith reported that we have requested termination of the consent decree with the American Canoe Association, Inc. and the Sierra Club.

Mr. Smith reported that a meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. with the Division of Water to discuss increasing the capacity at the treatment plant. If we don’t get an increase the state could issue a sanction against approving developments. Dave Derrick has included this in the 201 study. We must also continue with our I/I enforcement.

Mr. Smith reported we are working on being able to store salt for road maintenance next year. He is looking at using a bin at Southern States or our own area.

Mayor Bates stated he appreciated the public works employees doing such a good job on the leaks and snow removal.

Subject: Annexation – Holloway and Coomes – Mayor Bates and William Smith reported that we may have a possibility of annexing the Coomes and Holloway properties from the log cabin to the Gerald Bohannon property and across the road to the Holloway property, which would allow us to provide services to the Seven Gables Development. William Smith asked if we would be putting the water line in at our expense or the developer’s. Most communities require the developer to pay for this. The estimated cost of this is $40,000.00. Council questioned being able to use the impact fees for this expansion. Attorney Brammell stated that the sewer impact fees are for expansion at the plant. Mayor Bates stated we might want to keep an open mind about this, as we could possibly be able to get an easement for our sewer plant road at the same time by providing the services. We also need to make sure Shelby County does not encroach on us and if we don’t provide services, they might. Most of the council was in agreement that for the tax and utility money the City would eventually receive that we certainly may want to consider doing this. Member Roberts stated that when we get ready to discuss the Seven Gables Development seriously he would like to have the information direct from the developer or his representative.

Subject: Administrative Office Report - City Clerk Sandra Doane reviewed the monthly activity report with council. Reported that we are still waiting on the draw request from the state in the amount of $46,047.60 for the streetscape project. We have not implemented the line of credit yet but will need to do so soon.

Ms. Doane reported that the specifications for the new computer equipment are ready and that with council’s permission she would like to try an online (reverse auctioning) bidding process. This has been extremely successful in other cities and has saved them quite a bit of money. It would be no different than bidding the old way. The City could still reject any or all bids. The successful company would pay any fees involved with the company (Ecuity) who assists with this process. Motion made by Member Winburn and seconded by Member Ferguson to authorize the City Clerk to proceed with this online bidding for the computer equipment. All members present voted “Yea”.

Ms. Doane stated she has not received any questions from council on the second quarter budget comparison. Line item changes will be requested later.

Ms. Doane stated that the possible transfer of funds will be moved to another meeting, as the spreadsheet information is not yet available.

Ms. Doane discussed an additional leak adjustment request for Lanny Roberts on East Broadway. His leak crossed over into two different months before he knew about it and was able to get it fixed. Motion made by Member Whitney and seconded by Member Stephens to authorize this additional leak adjustment for Lanny Roberts. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: Audit for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2003 – The audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 was presented to council. No problems were reported.

Subject: Local Business Preference Ordinance – A local business preference ordinance that was sent to us by Louisville Metro Government was discussed. If we adopt a similar ordinance, our local vendors would receive a 5% or 5 point preference from Louisville when they award contracts. The consensus of council was to refer this to the ordinance committee for study.

Subject: Committee and Board Appointments – Mayor Bates reviewed the Board and Committee appointments with council. Most members were put on the committees and boards of their choice with a few exceptions. Mayor made the appointments per the attached list.

Subject: Closing of Plant – Mayor Bates reviewed a letter he received from Louisville/Saydah regarding their plant closing effective April 30, 2004. They are relocating in Somerset. Approximately 100 employees will be affected. The property has been listed for sale with a Louisville real estate company. We need to assist with getting someone back into this property as soon as possible.

Subject: Warrants – The warrants presented for payment were reviewed. Motion made by Member Roberts and seconded by Member Stephens to approve the warrants for payment as presented. All members present voted “Yea”.

Subject: Repair At Community Center – Mayor Bates discussed that the carpet in the kitchen and the Director’s office need to be replaced. It is recommended to replace this with tile. The estimated cost is $1,000.00 with enough money in the budget to do this. Motion made by Member Roberts and seconded by Member Ferguson to authorize replacing the carpet in these areas at the Community Center with tile at the estimated cost of $1,000.00. All members present voted “Yea”.

With no further business to be discussed, motion made by Member Roberts and seconded by Member Stephens to adjourn. All members present voted “Yea”. Meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m.

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