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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFEBRUARY 29, 2016 (2)COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA FEBRUARY 15, 2016 The Common Council of the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana met in regular session in Room 101, 500 Quartermaster Court, Jeffersonville, Indiana at 7:00 pm, on Monday, February 15, 2016. Council President Owen along with City Clerk Conlin called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. Mr. Campbell gave the Invocation and Council President Owen asked those in attendance to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The roll call was conducted and those present were: Councilperson White, Councilperson Zastawny, Councilperson Jahn, Councilperson Maples, Councilperson Gill, Council President Owen, Councilperson Hawkins, Councilperson Webb, and Councilperson Samuel. MINUTES TO BE APPROVED: Minutes from the Council Regular Proceedings February 1, 2016 — Councilperson Gill made a motion to APPROVE the minutes with Councilperson Webb seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. Minutes from the Council Workshop February 1, 2016 — Councilperson Gill made a motion to APPROVE the minutes with Councilperson Maples seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: City Attorney Les Merkley made the request to TABLE 2016 -OR -6. CLAIMS TO BE APPROVED: There is a hand carried claim in the amount of $24,776.00 for the Travelers Umbrellas Insurance minimum payment. This brings the new total to the amount of $709,301.32. Councilperson Gill stated she had come in to go over claims. There is a concern with credit card purchases right now and the receipts are not being turned in like they should be. For the record, in the future if the receipts are not there the claim will not be approved. Councilperson Samuel asked what the "safety equipment" was. That is a new piece of equipment for the employee exercise room. Councilperson Gill moved to APPROVE the claims, contingent that all receipts are in place with Councilperson Webb seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. REPORT OF THE CLERK: Nothing at this time. AGENDA ITMES: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 1 1. Les Merkely — 2016 -OR -6 An Ordinance Adopting an Ordinance Violation Bureau (Passed on ft reading 1/25/16, Tabled 2/1/16) —Tabled 2. Scott Lewis — 2016 -OR -8 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance 2008 -OR -004 and Ordinance 2012 -OR -22 Regarding the Jeffersonville Parks Authority (Passed on 1st and 2nd reading 2/1/16) Councilperson White stated there have been no changes to the ordinance since the first reading. Councilperson White made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -8 on the third and final reading with Councilperson Maples seconding. Before the vote was administered, Councilperson Gill stated she was concerned about how the transition would occur and she hopes that those who voted for this ordinance will help with the transition. Councilperson Zastawny stated again that the way the Parks Authority was set up that is allowed by legislature. He hopes that those on the fence of this matter will vote against the ordinance and will get involved to see how it works before changing the makeup of the Parks Authority. A roll call was requested and the results were as follows: Roll Call Yay Nay Councilperson White X Councilperson Zastawny X Councilperson Jahn X Councilperson Maples X Councilperson Gill X Council President Owen X Councilperson Hawkins X Councilperson Webb X Councilperson Samuel X Final vote: 5-4, YAY votes, White, Jahn, Maples, Owen, Webb, NAY Votes, Zastawny, Gill, Owen, Hawkins PASSING 2016 -OR -8 on the third and final reading. NEW BUSINESS: 1. James Zellman — Honeywell Energy Savings Project This matter was brought before the Council last year and we are here revisiting it. This is a way for the City to maximize energy savings and invest the savings in to capital expenses instead. Honeywell responded to the RFP last year and was the only qualified response, however a selection was never made. If this process needs to start over in order to get the Council on board, Mr. Zellman is happy to meet with the new Council. Councilperson Owen stated the previous Council did approve the $25,000 but the Board of Public Works did not select a bid due to lack of interest from the Council in funding this project. 2 Councilperson Gill stated she does not feel the City is in a place to fund this as there was just a workshop concerning Police and Fire budget needs for public safety. 2. Les Merkley - PUBLIC HEARING 2016 -OR -10 An Ordinance Changing the Zoning Map Designation of a Certain Tract of Property Located at 5600 Lucas Ave. from R3 to C2 This involves 1.6 acres of land across from River Ridge next to Stacey Springs Subdivision. There is currently a mini storage complex and they would like to expand. There is certain requirements that have to be met concerning landscaping and currently there are petitions from Stacey Springs backing this project. Councilperson Gill commended the developer for doing their due diligence and said she appreciated all of the communication regarding this project. Councilperson Hawkins stated this project almost has complete support and those that are not on the petition in favor of this project have not come forward to oppose it, they just have not come forward at all. Councilperson Samuel asked what kind of screening if any was required for the front of the property — currently there is significant landscaping proposed that meets the requirements. Councilperson White asked what the timeline was for completion for this project — currently it is looking like later this year, the application came through about 18 months ago and there was more opposition on the first application. Lack of opposition this round shows the local residents are happy with how it has turned out so far. Council President Owen then opened the Public Hearing at 7:42 PM for anyone to come forward to speak for or against this matter and seeing as no members of the community came forward, the Public Hearing was closed at 7:42. Councilperson Gill made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -10 seconded by Councilperson Webb, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. 3. Les Merkley- 2016 -OR -11 Proposed Ordinance to Amend Animal Shelter Ordinance Regulation the Treatment and Keeping of Domestic, Dangerous and/or Vicious Animals within the City of Jeffersonville Animal Shelter Director Sarah Green presented this ordinance. This is to try and get all rules pertaining to animals under the same umbrella. Changes are as follows: Only a veterinarian will be allowed to crop a dog's ears or tails. No person shall place any poisonous substance in a locations where it may be readily found and consumed by an animal. Any animal in immediate danger may be removed by a police officer of animal control officer. Any animal found that is not restrained without a license or vaccination tag or that may need immediate veterinary care will be presumed to be abandoned. A notice will be posted where the animal was taken. 3 No person will release or attempt to release an animal from a Jeffersonville Animal Shelter or a humane trap which belongs to Jeffersonville Animal Shelter. New guidelines on restraining by chain, leash, or collar specifications including: it is prohibited to restrain a dog or puppy by a fixed point chain or tether for a period of time exceeding one hour in any eight hour period. All dogs or cats that are impounded can only be reclaimed by owners after being microchipped and the owner pays a fee of $25.00 All owners are responsible to provide adequate food, shelter, medical care (as needed). Animal fighting will be an ordinance violation to train and fight as well as to observe. Trap- Neuter -Return cats will be seen as community cats and assistance will be provided to neuter these animals. First violation fee increased from $25.00 to $30.00 —Jeffersonville Animal Shelter director may waive and reduce fees as determined on a case-by-case basis. Councilperson Gill asked how these ordinances will be monitored — they will be complaint driven. Councilperson Samuel asked if there was anything in this ordinance that would require additional employees, Ms. Green stated the current employees would be able to handle the enforcement of the ordinance. Councilperson Hawkins asked if there is certain paraphernalia associated with dog fighting. Ms. Green stated there was, such as a large room with multiple dogs and treadmills in it and Animal Control Officers are equipped to recognize these organizations. Councilperson Maples asked how often a dangerous and violent dog was recognized, Ms. Green stated it is not often, but occasionally an individual will have a dog that chases people, bites, and is aggressive on multiple occasions. Councilperson Owen asked about the dog only being allowed to be on a leash for a maximum of one hour in an eight hour period. That seems a bit excessive, can we change the wording to accommodate owners who are outside with their dogs, but for whatever reason the dog needs to be on a leash still. Ms. Green stated this could be reworded to allow a responsible adult to be outside with their pet on a leash or lead for longer than the hour. This wording was taken from Louisville Metro Ordinance. Public Comment: Trish Roehm 544 Camp Creek Rd. New Washington, IN — Here to support Sarah. She is a great asset and works with the rescues and does a lot for the animals. SIR gets calls all of the time about dogs being chained up because the Animal Shelter cannot do anything about it, it is an issue that is prevalent in the community. Ron Smith — 3310 Holman Lane — there are some older citizens who use dogs as a guard dog instead of having a security system. We'd be better off in some ways to not pass this. As long as the dog has an insulated dog house, it could be warm enough as opposed to brining the dog inside. Some animals are just too large to bring in. Councilperson Samuel made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -11 with Councilperson White seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. 4 4. Sara Green - JB Ogle Animal Shelter discussion on Security Cameras, Vehicle, and Repair of Incinerator A quote was requested for a new security system. Currently there are no cameras in the quarantine area. This will take care of a need for a panic button as well as upgrade the quality of the cameras. As of right now, if someone were to drop off an animal after hours (which is not allowed) then there is no way to get a license plate number because of the current quality of the cameras. The scope of work for the security system was replacing the 4 current cameras as well as the addition of 5 more views of the facility and a panic button. The initial project pricing was $17,762 with a $135 monthly service agreement. Councilperson Gill asked if there was a reason this vendor was chosen. Ms. Green stated they are currently the provider for the security system. The Council agreed that they would like to see additional quotes. Council President Owen asked if the monthly service agreement included if something broke the vendor would come out and fix it. Ms. Green stated that was included in the monthly service fee. Councilperson Samuel asked if the need for this just came up since it was not mentioned and planned for in the budget. Ms. Greene informed the Council there was an incident recently that identified the need for the updated system. Ms. Green also stated she currently has a service fee with Security Pros for approximately 300 quarterly as opposed to monthly. Ms. Green stated that they would like to buy a City Vehicle and an additional $4000- $5000 would be needed to get it equipped for the needed use. 5. Les Merkley — PUBLIC HEARING — 2016 -OR-12 An Ordinance Amending Certain Portions of the Jeffersonville Comprehensive Plan 2015 -OR -58 Planning and Zoning Director Nathan Pruitt presented this matter. There are two minor changes, one being the removal of the bike path at the Port Road area. There has been great concern over this with the tractor trailer congestion in the area. The second change changes the classification of an area. It is currently classified as residential and it will never be residential. This is not changing the zoning just the classification. Council President Owen opened the Public Hearing at 8:25 PM and as no members of the community came forward to speak for or against this matter Public Hearing was closed at 8:26 PM. Councilperson Gill made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -12 on the first and second reading with Councilperson Hawkins seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. 6. Heather Metcalf — 2016 -OR -13 An Ordinance Transferring Certain Funds Within the Same Department The Fire Merit needs money transferred into their Travel and Mileage to be able to pay claims out of the correct line. There is a transfer to cover the cost of AEDs that are needed. The transfer for finance is for a new laptop for the payroll specialist. The current one she takes home is about 5 years old and is getting to the point where it is difficult to use. 5 Councilperson Samuel made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -13 with Councilperson Gill seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. 7. Heather Metcalf — 2016 -OR -14 An Ordinance of Additional Appropriation (Public Hearing March 7, 2016) This is for Planning and Zoning for office supplies and uniforms. Councilperson Gill stated if one department needs uniforms with the City Seal it is the Code Enforcement Officers because they are always going to people's homes and they need to be properly identified. The need for personal printers is because they had about 1700 cases last year and each case requires 1-5 letters. Having personal printers save the Code Enforcement Officers a lot of time as they are out of the office for the majority of their day. Councilperson White asked why there was a request for a $2,000,000 appropriation for the Parks. He was under the understanding that was already voted on and appropriated. Ms. Metcalf explained that the money was appropriated last year, but appropriations cannot be rolled over from one year to the next. Councilperson White asked if that could be voted on separately. The need for the appropriation for the accrued benefits for an individual retiring. Councilperson Samuel asked if we could change this for that money to come out of the LOIT fund since it is for Public Safety. Councilperson Samuel made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -14 with the change that the funds for the accrued benefits were to come out of LOIT. Councilperson Zastawny seconded. Council President Owen stated he did not support the money for the accrued benefits to come out of LOIT due to the fact that the 1782 came back approximately 2.4 million over what was planned. Both Councilperson Samuel and Councilperson Zastawny rescinded their motions. Councilperson Samuel made a motion to APPROVE 2016 -OR -14 as presented with Councilperson Zastawny seconding, PASSING on a vote, 8-1 with Councilperson White opposing the ordinance due to the 2 million appropriation for the Woehrle Complex. CITY COUNCIL ATTORNEY REPORT: Nothing at this time. DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTS: Nothing at this time. PUBLIC COMMENT: Alice Butler —1773 Summerlin PI. Jeffersonville, IN 47130 — Every 4 years it costs the Jeffersonville tax payers $600,000 to provide the City Council Members with Insurance. City Council is a part time job and no other part time employees receive benefits for themselves or their families. Similarly sized cities such as Greenwood and Columbus do not offer this for their City Council. Do the right thing and change how this is done. City Clerk Conlin asked for a copy of the speech for the record. 6 COUNCIL COMMENT: Councilperson White — Councilperson White would like to discuss the Parks Authority Appointments and like to nominate Larry Jordan. Councilperson Hawkins stated he would like to see a pool of applicants and then choose from the list as opposed to choosing one at a time. Councilperson Gill also stated she would like to see a list of potential appointments as well. Councilperson White motioned to APPOINT Council President Owen as the Council Member on the board, with Councilperson Maples seconding, PASSING on a vote, 9-0. Councilperson Zastawny — Nothing at this time. Councilperson Jahn — Nothing at this time. Councilperson Maples — Nothing at this time. Councilperson Gill — Councilperson Gill stated we many need to amend the ordinance regarding credit cards to state that they have to be accompanied by the receipt in order for them to be turned back in. Councilperson Hawkins — Nothing at this time. Councilperson Webb — Nothing at this time. Councilperson Samuel — Councilperson Samuel would like thank the Street Department for all of the work they have done to remove the snow. In regards to the Claims, we may look at seeing if the Street Department can provide snow removal to the police station because there is a claim for $1000.00 that we could utilize city services for. Also Illuminate Claysburg is coming up and Councilperson Samuel will keep everyone updated on that. We need to think about who is going to lead the Parks Authority Transition and how that is going to happy. Just to check back, did Wastewater ever eliminate the position that was moved — Council Attorney Scott Lewis stated they did. As far as additional appropriations go, can we work on getting a running list of those so we can track how much we have approved? At some point, we are going to have to say no in order to not spend our reserves. Council President Owen — We need to establish an Internal Control board prior to July 1, 2016 Clerk Conlin would like to be a part of that. We need to get a small group together to discuss the Ordinance Violations Bureau. Also we need to discuss the Green Team and how we are going to move forward with that for next year. We are still waiting on Circuit Breakers. There is an executive session to discuss the Consent Decree at 10:30 AM on Friday the 19th and then we will need to have a workshop on that. We also need another Workshop about the Salary Ordinance. Scheduled for Monday February 29, 2016 at 6 PM. 7 Clerk Conlin — Clerk Conlin went to the last Department Head meeting and Mayor Moore would like to extend the invitation to all Council Members. ADJOURNMENT: Council President Owen asked for a motion to adjourn, made by Councilperson Webb and seconded by Councilperson Maples meeting adjourned at 9:29 PM. APPROV 1 BY i ice—/ Matt ATTEST: Vicki Conlin, Clerk 8