Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The City Council convened on December 8, 2009, with the Mayor presiding over the session. The meeting addressed a total of 6 agenda items, all of which were approved, covering a range of municipal matters including land use, business enterprise policy, public financing, infrastructure, and grant funding. Specifically, the Council approved two zone change ordinances, a resolution supporting disadvantaged business enterprise goals, the issuance of general obligation public project bonds, a change order for a pump station upgrade, and a grant application for a chief service officer position. During the meeting, 2 votes were recorded and 2 public comments were heard.

Attendance

All 14 council members were present at the December 8, 2009 Council meeting. No members were recorded as absent or late.

Members Present: - Council Member Ehlinger - Council Member Bruce - Council Member James - Council Member Gordon - Council Member Stennet - Council Member Lane - Council Member Martin - Council Member Henson - Council Member Myers - Council Member Lawless - Council Member Crosby - Council Member Blues - Council Member Wallace - Council Member Ellinger

Votes and Decisions

Two motions came to a vote during the December 8, 2009 Council meeting, both related to the E911 division.

• Refer E911 Staffing and Hiring to Intergovernmental Committee 1:52:13: Council Member Henson moved, and Council Member Crosby seconded, a motion to refer E911 staffing and hiring matters to the Intergovernmental Committee. The motion passed on a voice vote.

• Extend Vacation Hours for E911 Division for 90 Days 2:06:31: Council Member Henson moved, and Council Member Crosby seconded, a motion to extend vacation hours for the E911 division for a period of 90 days. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 9 ayes to 3 nays.

• Voting in favor (9): Council Members Ehlinger, Bruce, James, Gordon, Stennet, Lane, Martin, Henson, and Lawless.
• Voting against (3): Council Members Myers, Crosby, and Blues.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed two financial items during the December 8, 2009 meeting.

• Pump Station Upgrade Contract: The Council considered a contract with Schroeder Construction Inc. valued at $2,400 for a pump station upgrade at the Haley Pike Landfill. No resolution identifier was associated with this item in the meeting record.

• Cities of Service Coalition Grant Application: The Council took up a grant application to the Cities of Service Coalition seeking $100,000 in funding. The grant would support the establishment of a chief service officer position. No specific vendor or recipient organization beyond the coalition itself was identified in connection with this item, and no resolution number was recorded.

No additional budget amendments, appropriations, or financial resolutions were recorded for this meeting.

Public Comment

Two members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period, both speaking to concerns about staffing and working conditions in the E911 department.

• Tracy Wells spoke at approximately 1:32:00, discussing the difficulties E911 staff face when attempting to take vacation time. Wells highlighted understaffing as a central issue, noting that the demands of the job and the shortage of available personnel make it difficult for employees to use their earned time off. Wells also addressed the stress associated with working in E911, suggesting that the inability to take adequate breaks compounds the burden on existing staff.

• Carla Anderson spoke at approximately 2:11:18, further elaborating on the operational challenges within the E911 department. Anderson focused on how staffing shortages directly affect employees' ability to take vacation, echoing concerns raised by Wells and providing additional context around the day-to-day impact these shortages have on department operations.

Both speakers centered their comments on the same core issue: that understaffing in E911 creates a cycle in which employees are unable to take time away from work, which in turn contributes to ongoing stress and operational strain within the department.

Appointments

The Council took action on appointments to various commissions and boards during the December 8, 2009 meeting. The available structured data indicates that multiple individuals were appointed to positions across a range of commissions and boards, though the specific names of the appointees and the particular bodies to which they were assigned are not detailed in the available record.

No timestamps are available for this portion of the meeting.

• Appointees: Various individuals
• Bodies/Roles: Various commissions and boards
• Action taken: Appointed

For the full list of names and their corresponding commission or board assignments, readers are encouraged to consult the official meeting minutes or agenda documentation from the December 8, 2009 Council meeting, which would contain the complete record of each individual appointment as acted upon by the Council.

Contested Items

• E911 Vacation Time Extension [timestamp: N/A]: A heated discussion arose during the meeting regarding a proposal to extend vacation time for E911 employees. The dispute centered on understaffing within the E911 department and the resulting denial of vacation requests to employees. Because staffing levels were insufficient, workers had been unable to take their allotted vacation time, prompting the discussion about whether an extension should be granted to allow them to use that time at a later date. The specific individuals involved in the debate and the final outcome of the discussion are not recorded in the available meeting data.

Zone change ordinance

0:41

The Council took up Agenda Item 19, a zone change ordinance, early in the meeting. The item was handled without a public hearing.

Council Members Ehlinger and Bruce were the key speakers on this item. The ordinance was brought forward for Council consideration and discussion, though no significant debate or concerns are noted in the record from this portion of the meeting.

The Council approved the zone change ordinance.

Zone change ordinance

1:46

The Council took up Agenda Item 20, a zone change ordinance, during the December 8, 2009 meeting. The item was addressed without a public hearing.

Key speakers on this item included Council Member Ehlinger and Council Member Gordon. The ordinance was brought forward for Council consideration and discussion.

The Council approved the zone change ordinance. No additional details regarding the specific properties affected, the nature of the zone change, or any concerns raised during deliberation are available from the meeting record.

Resolution Supporting Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goals

2:19

The Council took up a resolution supporting the adoption of disadvantaged business enterprise goals, which had been added to the docket for consideration at this meeting.

Council Member James was the key speaker on this item. The resolution was brought forward to formally express the Council's support for establishing disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) goals, a framework typically used to ensure that businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals have opportunities to participate in publicly funded contracting and procurement activities.

The record does not reflect extended debate or significant concerns raised during the discussion of this item. The Council moved forward on the resolution, and it was approved.

General obligation public project bonds

3:37

The Council considered an ordinance authorizing the issuance of general obligation public project bonds. Council Member Stennet was the key speaker on this item, which was added to the docket for the Council's consideration.

The ordinance was approved by the Council.

Change order for pump station upgrade

4:45

The Council considered a resolution authorizing a change order to the contract with Schroeder Construction Inc. for a pump station upgrade. The item was added to the docket for the December 8, 2009 meeting.

Council Member Lane was the key speaker on this item. The resolution was brought forward to formally authorize the change order modification to the existing contract with Schroeder Construction Inc. in connection with the pump station upgrade project.

The Council approved the resolution.

Grant application for chief service officer position

5:52

The Council considered a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit a grant application for funding a chief service officer position. The item was added to the docket for the meeting.

Council Member Henson was the key speaker on this agenda item. The resolution was brought forward to seek external grant funding to support the creation of a chief service officer position, with the mayor designated as the authorized party to submit the application on the city's behalf.

The resolution was approved by the Council.