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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-20-18 Little Rock Board of Directors Meeting November 20,2018 6:00 PM Little Rock Board of Directors Meeting November 20, 2018 6:00 PM The Board of Directors of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, met in a regular meeting with Mayor Mark Stodola presiding. Deputy City Clerk Allison Segars called the roll with the following Directors present: Richardson; Peck; Hines; Wright; Wyrick; Kumpuris; Fortson; Adcock; Vice-Mayor Webb; and Mayor Stodola. Directors Absent: Hendrix. Father Fred Ball, San Damiano with the Ecumenical Catholic Church delivered the invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. DEFERRALS: 8. ORDINANCE: An ordinance to amend certain provisions of the Rental Inspection Code of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas; and for other purposes. (Deferred until December 3,2018,at staff's request) Director Adcock made the motion, seconded by Director Hines, to defer Item 8 until December 3, 2018. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, Item 8 was deferred until December 3, 2018. CONSENT AGENDA(Items 1 —4 and Item 6) 1. MOTION: To approve the minutes of the October 16, 2018, and November 5, 2018, Little Rock City Board of Directors Meetings. 2. RESOLUTION NO. 14,893: To authorize the Mayor and the Board of Directors of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, to certify City Liens attached to private property and forward to the Pulaski County Treasurer's Office for inclusion in the property owner's annual tax bill; and for other purposes. Staff recommends approval. Synopsis: The City attaches liens for work it performs on private property. The lien information is compiled and sent to the Pulaski County Treasurer's Office for inclusion in the annual owner's tax bill. This is an effort to recoup some of the costs for that work which the City performed. 3. RESOLUTION NO. 14,894: To authorize the City Manager to enter into Utility Relocation Agreements necessary to construct the 2016 — 2018 Street and Drainage Capital Improvement Program, as authorized by Resolution No. 14,310 (March 15, 2016); and for other purposes. (Funding from the 2012 3/8-Cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax and the 2013 Limited Tax General Obligation Capital Improvement Bonds) Staff recommends approval. Synopsis: A resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into Utility Relocation Agreements as necessary for the construction of the 2016 through 2018 Street and Drainage Improvement Program. 4. RESOLUTION NO. 14,895: To express the willingness of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, to utilize Federal Land Access Program Grant Funds and to authorize the City Manager to execute and all necessary agreements and contracts for its administration; and for other purposes. Staff recommends approval. 1 Little Rock Board of Directors Meeting November 20,2018 6:00 PM Synopsis: A resolution authorizing the City Manager or his designated representative to execute agreements with the Arkansas Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration for bicycle and pedestrian improvements on the Arkansas River Trail north of LaHarpe Boulevard. 6. RESOLUTION NO. 14,890: To prohibit the purchase of Expanded Polystyrene Foam utilizing City of Little Rock monies; and for other purposes. City Attorney Tom Carpenter stated that Item 5 was originally drafted and read as an resolution; however, due to State Statute, it should be an ordinance and would need to be read separately. Director Adcock made the motion, seconded by Director Wright, to approve the Consent Agenda, without Item 5. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, the Consent Agenda was approved without Item 5. SEPARATE ITEMS (Item 5) 5. ORDINANCE NO. 21,648: To appoint one (1) Commissioner to fill a vacancy on the Board of Commissioners of the Pecan Lake Municipal Recreational Improvement District No. 4 of The City of Little Rock, Arkansas; to declare and emergency; and for other purposes. As a result of the item previously being read once, Director Adcock made the motion, seconded by Director Wright, to read the ordinance a second time. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, the ordinance was read a second time. Director Adcock made the motion, seconded by Director Wright, to suspend the rules and place the ordinance on third reading. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, the rules were suspended and the ordinance was read a third time. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, the ordinance was approved. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, the emergency clause for Item 8 was approved. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION Robert Webb: Crime. Vicki Hatter: Violence & Possible Solutions. Cheryl Warden: Prog Russ Racop, 301 Alamo Drive: Noise. SEPARATE ITEMS (Item 7) Director Hines stated that he would need to recuse from the discussion and vote regarding the First Tee of Central Arkansas due to the fact that he served on their Board of Directors. Director Hines left the Board Chambers. 2 Little Rock Board of Directors Meeting November 20,2018 6:00 PM 7. RESOLUTION NO. 14,898: To appropriate $160,000.00 for the operation of the First Tee Program until December 31, 2018, to ratify previous agreements between the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, and the First Tee of Central Arkansas; to accept at this point an agreement between the World Golf Foundation, Inc., and The First Tee of Central Arkansas for the operation of The First Tee Program within in the City of Little Rock, Arkansas; to direct completion of contractual relations between the City and The First Tee of Central Arkansas during the first quarter of 2019; and for other purposes. (Deferred from November 5,2018) Staff recommends approval. Synopsis: To authorize an agreement with The First Tee of Central Arkansas and to appropriate sufficient operational and maintenance funds for the last four(4)months of 2018. Director Richardson made the motion, seconded by Director Fortson, to approve the resolution. Director Kumpuris asked if the City of Little Rock definitively owned The First Tee Golf Course and if it was the responsibility of the City to take care of the course. City Attorney Carpenter stated that the City had owned The First Tee Golf Course since 1999. City Attorney Carpenter stated that the property was actually purchased by the City in 1994 as part of the 1992 Capital Improvement Bond Issue as park property for a West Little Rock Park Laura Nix, 1 The First Tee Way: Stated that she was the Executive Director of The First Tee of Central Arkansas. Ms. Nix stated that since 2014, the number of children that attended programming at the facility had increased from 4,271 to 15,541, and 51% of the participants were in a minority classification and 49% were female. Ms. Nix stated that The First Tee curriculum was ranked as one of the best Youth Development Programs in the Nation; however, the financial burden of running a City golf course and facility had made making the Chapter financially stable much more difficult. Ms. Nix stated that out of 145 First Tee Chapters, the City of Little Rock had the best facility in the Nation. Ms. Nix stated that between 1999 — 2001, the City was gifted with a 7,000 square-foot learning center and a complete renovation of the 110 acres currently known as the Jack Stephens Youth Golf Academy. Ms. Nix stated that the Stephens Family donated over $6,000,000 Million Dollars and paid for the operation of the facility and golf course for over ten (10) years. Russ Racop, 301 Alamo Drive: Stated that he had questions regarding the outreach numbers posted on The First Tee website. Mr. Racop stated that if the program could not fund itself, it needed to shut down as there were many other needs in the City that needed to be addressed. Rick Blank, 5618 Edgewood Road: Stated that he was a First Tee Board Member and he felt that the facility provided a great service to the City of Little Rock. Arnoud Kriit, 124 Crystal Court: Stated that he was a First Tee Board Member and a volunteer at the facility and asked that the Board support the resolution. Ray Dillon, 57 Soloqne Circle: Stated that he was the Chairman of The First Tee Board and that the program was changing and affecting the lives of the children that were being served every day. Mr. Dillon asked for the Board's support of the resolution. John Flake: Stated that he had no affiliation with The First Tee; however, he was supportive of the facility. Mr. Flake stated that the programming was very beneficial for the children of Little Rock and asked for the Board's support. 3 Little Rock Board of Directors Meeting November 20,2018 6:00 PM Monica Blake, 6 Coachlight Circle: Stated that she was the Program Director for The First Tee and that golf had provided her with many opportunities and it was her desire to see other kids benefit from the same type of opportunities. Chad Hamlin, 2514 Shenandoah Valley Drive: Stated that he was a First Tee Board Member and asked that the Board support the resolution. Joe Hurst, 1921 North Spruce Street: Stated that he was a First Tee Board Member and that the facility provided Youth Outreach Programs, utilizing golf as a tool. Austin Pfeiffer, 1704 Point West Drive: Stated that he was a Level 2 Coach at The First Tee and he felt that the curriculum was making an impact on all of the program participants. Brad Martin, 511 Nancy Court: Stated that he had been with The First Tee for thirteen (13) years and he was currently the Director of Instruction. Mr. Martin stated that the curriculum was outstanding and he felt that he was making a difference in the lives of all the kids that participated. Kendra Pruitt: Stated that she had served on the Board of First Tee for the past three (3) years and thanked that Board for hearing the resolution. Ms. Pruitt stated that The First Tee did great work within the City and asked that the Board support the resolution. Ms. Nix stated that staff visited the schools, conducted physical education classes and provided the students with information regarding the life skills programming at The First Tee. Ms. Nix stated that they were not asking for funding for the programming, but for the maintenance of the facility and the golf course that the City already owned. Director Adcock made the motion, seconded by Director Wyrick, to table Item 7 until the City Attorney could provide a contract to be signed by both the City of Little Rock and The First Tee. By roll call vote, the vote was as follows: Ayes: Wright; Wyrick; and Adcock. Nays: Richardson; Peck; Kumpuris; Fortson; and Vice-Mayor Webb. Absent: Hendrix and Hines. By a vote of three (3) ayes, five (5) nays and two (2) absent, the motion to table failed. Vice-Mayor Webb asked when the overall study of all the City-owned golf courses would be complete and would The First Tee be included in the report. Parks & Recreation Director John Eckhart stated that the Request for Qualifications would be posted later that week and that The First Tee would be a part of the study. Vice-Mayor Webb asked how much funding the City had provided to The First Year year-to-date. Finance Director Sara Lenehan stated that year-to-date, $336,500.00. had been expended in operations and $115,000.00 for the reimbursement for the HVAC System. Vice-Mayor Webb asked for the budgeted amount. Ms. Lenehan stated that the budgeted amount was $246,500.00; however, there had been an additional $90,000.00 included in the Budget Amendment that was approved mid-year and another expenditure of $40,000.00 in September. Director Wright stated that she had spoken with one of the Program Directors for the 21St Century Learning Center Grants regarding training that The First Tee had provided. Director Wright stated that the Program Director reported that she felt that the programming was very beneficial in that it taught the kids team building and training on how to get along well with others. Director Wright stated that it was a large amount of money; however, the City did own the facility and the golf course. 4 Little Rock Board of Directors Meeting November 20,2018 6:00 PM Director Wyrick asked if the request $160,000.00 for maintenance and upkeep was for one quarter and would the total yearly amount actually be $640,000.00. Director Wyrick stated that she had voted to table the item until a contract was in place due to the fact that that the City needed to know their costs and responsibilities. City Manager Bruce Moore stated that the proposed resolution did not obligate the City to fund the operations of The First Tee at $40,000.00/month. Director Wyrick asked if adults were allowed to utilize the golf course and if so, where those green fees were applied. Ms. Nix stated that it cost approximately $602,000.00 to run the facility and golf course, and approximately $110,000.00 - $120,000.00 a year off was generated from the green fees from adult golf and those funds were deducted from the yearly request to the City. By roll call vote, the vote was as follows: Ayes: Peck; Wright; Wyrick; Kumpuris; Fortson; and Vice-Mayor Webb. Nays: Richardson and Adcock. Absent: Hendrix and Hines. By a vote of six (6) ayes, two (2) nays and two (2) absent, the resolution was approved. • Director Kumpuris asked that the City Attorney prepare a resolution for Board Action on December 3, 2018, stating that the Board's first order of business of 2019 was to begin formulating the idea of forming a year-long study regarding the form of government. Mayor Stodola stated that the December 3, 2018, Board of Directors Meeting would be recessed until December 11, 2018, in order for the Board to conduct the employee evaluation of both the City Attorney and City Manager. Director Kumpuris made the motion, seconded by Vice-Mayor Webb, to adjourn the meeting. By unanimous voice vote of the Board Members present, the meeting was adjourned. ATTEST: APPROVED: • • AMA /-iN -borha Allison Segars, pars De u^ ' Clerk rank Scott, Jr.,Ma4 5