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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 21, 2023 City Council COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA February 21, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes The Common Council of the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana met for the Regular Meeting on February 21, 2023. Council President Owen along with City Clerk Gill called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. The meeting was open to the public in person as well as live streamed via the City Website using Zoom. INVOCATION: Council President Owen led the Invocation. Pledge of Allegiance: ROLL CALL: The roll call was conducted by City Clerk Lisa Gill and present in Council Chambers were-Councilperson Burns, Councilperson Anderson, Councilperson Croft, Councilperson Webb, Council President Owen and Council Vice President Hawkins. Councilperson White joined by Zoom. Let the record reflect that 6 Council Members were present in Council Chambers and 1 by Zoom. Councilpersons Paris and Ellis were absent. APROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilperson Burns made a motion to approve the Minutes of February 6, 2023 of the Regular Meeting, seconded by Councilperson Croft; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: Councilperson Webb made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Councilperson Anderson; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. CLAIMS TO APPROVE: Civil City$1,107,684.68 City Clerk Gill advised that there is a change in the Civil City claims in the amount of$719.17. The new total is $1,108,403.85. Council President Owen stated he was unaware of the change and said it would be unable to be approved without additional information. Council President Owen asked they come back to the claims at the end of the meeting and he would try to make contact with Mrs. Metcalf for further information. REPORT OF THE CLERK: No Comment UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 1. Heather Metcalf 2023-OR-10 Ordinance od Additional Appropriation Council President Owen advised this is for the Parks Department in the amount of$63,000.00 from the LIT Fund for Park Improvements. Council President Owen opened the Public Hearing at 7:07 pm. Clerk Gill stated there were no comments sent to the Clerk's office. There were no members of the community present to speak for or against the matter. Council President Owen closed the Public Hearing at 7:07 pm. Councilperson Burns made a motion to approve on the Third and Final Reading, seconded by Councilperson Webb; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. 2. Heather Metcalf 2023-OR-11 Ordinance od Additional Appropriation Council President Owen advised this is for the paving and repairs. Council President Owen opened the Public Hearing at 7:09 pm. Clerk Gill stated there were no comments sent to the Clerk's office. There were no members of the community present to speak for or against the matter. Council President Owen closed the Public Hearing at 7:09 pm. Councilperson Anderson made a motion to approve on the Third and Final Reading, seconded by Councilperson Burns; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. 3. Heather Metcalf 2023-OR-12 Ordinance od Additional Appropriation Council President Owen advised this is for the transfer from Riverboat to Riverstage. Council President Owen opened the Public Hearing at 7:09 pm. Clerk Gill stated there were no comments sent to the Clerk's office. There were no members of the community present to speak for or against the matter. Council President Owen closed the Public Hearing at 7:10 pm. Councilperson Burns made a motion to pass on the Third and Final Reading, seconded by Councilperson Anderson; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Kim Calabro 2023-OR-Amendment to the 2023 Salary Ordinance Mrs. Calabro presented changes to the City Salary Ordinance. On page 4 they realized they neglected to put this position in the Salary Ordinance even though it is in the budget. On page 9 Mrs. Metcalf requested that Waste Water Stenographer be changed to Waste Water Secretary to align with state statute. Regarding the change on page 6 on February 16th the Sewer Board made the decision to change the current Safety Specialist to a Manager of Safety Programs. There are multiple reasons for this change. This individual has been here for 13 years and one of the big things he has been doing this year is he is now training CDL Drivers. Brian Smith, the Occupational Manager/Director filed with FMCSA for the City to be a site where we can train our CDL drivers. The individual in the position has trained approximately 13 CDL drivers this year. There have been changes in the DOT rules and regulations and this individual is the primary person training not only the Waste Water CDL drivers but also the Drainage and Street Department CDL drivers. With the new duties being performed Human Resources decided to change his title to align with his job duties. The Sewer Board approved the change at their last meeting and they are going to fund the change at 100%. Mrs. Calabro requested to have the changes approved on three readings if possible so the changes could take effect immediately. The individual would start at entry level and the amount shown includes longevity as well. Mrs. Calabro advised Brian Smith is unable to currently do the CDL training because he has not had his CDL for two years. The individual in the position would be responsible for doing the CDL training for all civilian employees and the annual DOT inspections on all of the vehicles. Mrs. Calabro advised they had done the math and they have saved approximately$35,000 this year on CDL training. Councilperson White asked how many new CDL drivers were trained this year and questioned the necessity of a new position. Council President Owen asked why this needed to be approved on all three readings. Mrs. Calabro advised Waste Water has agreed to fund this. Council President Owen advised the request seemed rushed and was concerned it had not been sent to the HR Consultant. Mrs. Calabro expressed concern about waiting to send to the HR Consultant until she was back in the country because they do not want to risk losing the individual who will be transitioning into this role. Councilperson White stated he did not feel comfortable adding this position at all at this point. He did not feel it financially made sense when comparing the money that would be saved to the money that would be spent on the position. Councilperson White advised he is not in favor of this at this time. Mrs. Calabro informed the Council the when the Salary Grids were last changed it was before the City was approved to be a site to certify CDL drivers. Council President Owen asked how long the City has been doing that and Mrs. Calabro advised just this year, 2023. The Council asked what the salary is for the current employee in the position being changed. Mrs. Calabro advised it is approximately$67,000. Council Vice President Hawkins stated he feels this benefits the City knowing how quickly CDLs come and go and the cost of getting the CDL associated with it. He feels the cost it saves outweighs the increase and the amount of the increase is not being funded by the Council. Councilperson Hawkins made a motion to pass the ordinance on the First and Second reading and Councilperson Webb seconded the motion; roll call: Councilperson White-No Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 6-1. 2. Family Ark State of Indiana Opioid Settlement Match Grant Jeanean Jacobs from Family Ark came before the Council to request a donation of$25,000.00 that would support capacity building projects which is in line with the request from the state for Indiana Opioid Settlement Match Grant. The two items they would be using this money for are advanced training for clinicians which is evidence based practices and technology needs for the women who are in the Lotus House Program for workforce development and career opportunities. Mr. Wilder informed the Council that under the match grant there is very specific criteria the funding can be used for. Mrs.Jacobs advised under Exhibit E-Core Strategies they fall under D and a little under C, but this request is specifically under D. Council President Owen advised there are 2 request to be considered and those are out of the funds that the City is receiving from a settlement that they were involved with as far as the opioid abuse nationwide. The City is receiving money in two different funds that can be used in very specific ways. One is a restricted fund which has $66,000.00 in it that the City received last year. The City will continue to receive smaller distributions of the settlement over the next few years. This year's amount may be approximately $10,000.00. It is not a large sum of money, but it is money that the City will receive, all municipalities will receive a portion that participated in the law suit and there are very specific ways which Council Attorney Larry Wilder was getting at, in which that money can be used as far as those restricted funds. Councilperson Webb asked if the restricted funds are for situations such as this request. Council President Owen advised the restricted fund is the one they have to make sure the money is spent within the criteria provided. Mr. Wilder advised Mr. Zack Stewart recently went through a similar situation in Scott County and he has prepared an agreement for the County outlining things that are acceptable to use these funds for; Mr. Wilder advised he is currently working on a similar document for the City. Council Vice President Hawkins asked if the $66,000 amount was distributed into both accounts and Council President Owen advised that amount is in the restricted fund, the other fund is unrestricted and that amount is a lot smaller, not even $20,000.00. Councilperson Webb asked when the funds were received and if the City has even received the first round. Mr. Stewart advised the first rounds of distributions were sent at the end of 2022. Councilperson Webb advised that the Council has never discussed where to put these funds and expressed concern about other agencies coming forward with requests. Council President Owen said the reason they are here now is because there is a tight deadline. Ms. Jacobs advised the state put out a request for funding announcement at the beginning of this month and it is due at the end of this month. This request required a local provider of these services who meets exhibit E standards to partner with their local City/County partners in order to be able to receive matching funds from the state. Ms.Jacobs advised they have specifically talked to the Health Department and are partnering with them for one of the evidence based practices they are looking to expand, so they would be asking the Health Department for a greater amount but these monies would be going toward the bigger project. Mr. Stewart advised the State imposing such a short deadline has placed many local municipalities in the same situation rushing to look how to best utilize the distribution amounts. One of the requirements for this particular fund is at some point annually the City will be asked to explain how the money was used. It will happen every single year. The grant agreement that is being referenced is more so that the third parties that the City partners with would be able to show up and share with the City specifically how the money was spent. Council Vice President Hawkins asked if this is the same conversation they are getting ready to have on the next agenda item. Council President Owen advised, yes it is and we will hold off on motions until the next item is complete. Mrs.Jacobs advised that she knows the Council has not seen exhibit E in detail that goes over the four strategies for the project and the authorized remedies being offered for use. Family Ark and more specific, Lotus House service fit into the pregnant and parenting piece and serving infants. That is their very specific need. Everything they are asking for is for that treatment program. 3. Bart Medlock Serenity House State of Indiana Opioid Settlement Match Grant Bart Medlock, Vice President of Serenity House Inc. told the Council on January 11, 1998 he was sitting at the old Jeffersonville Token Club and that is when he became sober almost 25 years ago. For the next 2 years, he was there daily, then for the next 15 years it was like his second home not just for him but a lot of other recovering addicts. The Token Club was established in 1981 as a recovery center for Clark County including Jeffersonville and Clarksville. When it closed there were approximately 34 meeting a week held there. When the bridge project came through, they partnered with Serenity House. Mr. Medlock served on the board at the Token Club from the early to mid-2000's, resigned and came back little over a year ago to help complete a project that was never completed. The Serenity House is a 48 bed, men's half way house which was established in 1971 and has been successful and self-sustaining. The building next to it has set uncompleted since around 2011 due to funding running out. Ed Umbright, in 2019 took the position of President of the board for Serenity House and met with the Ogle Foundation who has given a $400,000.00 dollar matching grant. It will take around $750,000.00 to complete the project. After some changes were made and got the board to where it needed to be that the Ogle Foundation was pushing for, in September 2022 they gave the $400,000.00 providing the Serenity House raise the remaining $340,000.00. Mr. Medlock requested $50,000.00 from the Opioid Settlement Funds to help go towards finishing the building. The reason for the expediency is they just released the RFF that Ms.Jacobs spoke about. The State of Indiana on January 31, 2023 released the RFF and gave a deadline of February 28, 2023 to apply for those funds. Mr. Medlock advised he has had a couple of zoom calls with Eric Hunsucker who sets on the Governors Cabinet for Addiction and Mental Health, he made it clear this will not necessarily be a one to one match. They have 25 million dollars. They do not know how many request they will get. It is a very in depth application process. Steve Shoring, Secretary of the Serenity, Inc. Board has started the application process. They were fortunate enough to be awarded $200,000.00 from the Clark County Commissioners last Thursday to go toward this so they can apply for matching funds from the State of Indiana. The $340,000.00 has to be in the escrow account before the Ogle Foundation will release the $400,000.00. Council Vice President Hawkins asked what the address of the location is. Mr. Medlock advised it is 200 Olmsted Ave. Jeffersonville, IN 47130. Mr. Medlock advised the estimate they have for$740,000.00 is from July of 2022. Scott Welch of AML Contractor is in the process of revising the estimate. Mr. Medlock advised he is fairly comfortable saying that it will be at least the same amount or more. Council Attorney Larry Wilder asked to confirm if the Commissioners had committed to $200,000.00 out of the Opioid Grant, Mr. Medlock stated yes. Mr. Wilder stated that before the meeting started both he and Mr. Stewart were in agreement that the funds were not eligible to be spent on a brick and mortar location. Mr. Wilder advised the Council if their inclination was to move forward with this request he would ask they do so with the contingency of him consulting with the County Attorney, Mr. Lewis to confirm the funds being used are the Opioid Settlement Funds and not he ARPA Funds. Mr. Stewart advised there were a number of trainings put out where they answered questions about what the money could be used for and they specifically noted it would not be able to be used for building a treatment facility. and himself met before this meeting and what he would suggest is if you want to move forward, do so with the contiguously of getting the opportunity to speak with Mr. Lewis. Mr. Medlock advised Mr. Lewis also had concerns about the funds being used for a brick and mortar as well when he initially went before the commissions the first week of February. Mr. Medlock advised Mr. Lewis did his due diligence and spoke with the State Attorney General and Mr. Medlock had a zoom call with Emily Truelove who is at the Bureau Chief of Addition Services with The Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction. The call was set up to where questions could be submitted by February 8, 2023 and the answers would be available on February 13, 2023. The Serenity House was established in 1974, is currently a certified level 3 recovery residence, nonprofit and we own the property where the house is. The primary question that the attorney for the Commissioners had was, 'can the funds be used to finish this building'. The response to the question was: based on the question and assumption of what the recovery complex support center would entail, it is believed that finishing the building is an acceptable use of funds per Exhibit E. Any purposed recovery housing must be certified by DMHA and must accept all 3 forms of medication for opioid use disorder(MOUD) in order to be considered for the grant opportunity, this must be documented in your narrative. Mr. Wilder requested of the Council if their inclination is to approve this request they do so in a way that allows Mr. Wilder to confirm the funds are allowed to be utilized for this. Councilperson Webb asked how much are we getting a year out of this and how long will this last, I do not want to spend money that I do not even know how much is there. Council Vice President Hawkins advised that there is $66,000.00 in the restricted fund and $16,000.00 in the non-restricted fund for a total of$82,000.00. Council President Owen advised that next year that the un-restricted share will be $198.67 and the abatement share will be $10,000.00. Council Vice President Hawkins advised that he would want to spend this money on this project for the community especially if they are getting a match from the state in some regard. He is in favor of going forward with both requests pending whatever approval that is needed. Councilperson Croft advised he is very familiar with the Serenity House and they can't do enough to help people, they have helped save thousands and thousands of people and it is free, all people have to do is show up and he feels the programs needs to be supported. Councilperson Burns made a motion to approve both requests as presented pending legal review and giving authorization for Council President Owen to execute any documentation needed to apply for the grant and the resolution, seconded by Councilperson Croft and Council Vice President Hawkins; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. Council President Owen advised that W-9's will have to be gotten from Serenity House and Family Ark in order to proceed. CLAIMS TO APPROVE CIVIL CITY Council President Owen advised Mrs. Metcalf responded and confirmed the amount was for the additional claim was$719.17 and responded that the claim was dated wrong and needs to be approved. It is a monthly bill that comes out of the Edit Fund Income tax dollars, it is in the budget. New total on Civil City Claims is$1,108,403.85. Councilperson Webb made a motion to approve, seconded by Councilperson Croft; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. Parks$110,056.97 Councilperson Burns made a motion to approve Parks Claims, seconded by Councilperson Webb; roll call: Councilperson White-Yes Councilperson Burns-Yes Councilperson Anderson--Yes Councilperson Croft-Yes Councilperson Webb-Yes Council Vice President Hawkins--Yes Council President Owen-Yes; motion passed; 7-0. ATTORNEY COMMENT: Larry Wilder—Mr. Wilder commended the Council for their efforts in trying to help people battling addiction and with Mental Health issues. There is a great need for this. Les Merkley—Not Present Zach Stewart—No Comment DEPARTMENT HEADS: None PUBLIC COMMENTS: None COUNCIL COMMENTS: • Councilperson White—No Comment • Councilperson Burns—No Comment • Councilperson Paris—Not Present • Councilperson Anderson—No Comment • Councilperson Croft—He feels it is a good thing that they are trying to do for these outfits and he appreciates the Councils input tonight. • Councilperson Webb—No Comment • Council Vice President Hawkins—Councilperson Hawkins said he agreed with Councilperson Croft and would like to congratulate his niece on the birth of her little girl, Wrenley. • Councilperson Ellis—Absent • Council President Owen—Council President Owen agreed that Mr. Ashack knows what the Sewer Department needs, and the Sewer Board is willing to take care of it, he would think the Council would generally be supportive of anything they come and ask for. Being asked to approve on all three reading caught everyone off guard, he would have made sure to make time to discuss this prior to tonight's meeting. ADJOURNMENT: Councilperson Hawkins made the motion to ADJOURN the meeting at 8:05 p.m. APROVED B : Matt Owen, Counc. resident — ATTEST: Lisa Gill, Clerk