The following represents an unofficial account of the significant items discussed and/or voted upon during the January 12, 2015 City Council Regular Meeting. The complete agenda packet as well as a video of the meeting can be viewed here. Draft meeting minutes will most likely be posted at the city website as part of the January 2015 Regular Meeting Agenda packet.
VI. SPECIAL REPORTS
Auditors Report
VII. CONSENT AGENDA 3 items passed by unanimous vote
b. Resolution granting $31,850 to Healthy Start of Anderson County
c. Resolution authorizing city to accept a grant from TDOT in the amount of $165,500 to cover 80% of the operational costs of ETHRA (our public transportation system). Also approving transfer of four surplus buses to ETHRA.
VIII. RESOLUTIONS
a. Contract award to Kimley-Horn of Nashville of $232,200 for Signal Timing Optimization Program (100% federally funded) Motion passed 7-0
b. Resolution accepting (a portion of ) infrastructure for Oak Ridge Summit Subdivision (aka Pine Ridge) for perpetual maintenance. Section in consideration includes 1,420-2,880 linear feet of street, sidewalk, sewer & water lines, storm drains. (Tabled from last month’s meeting) Motion passed 5-0-2 (Baughn & Gooch abstained)
c. Bid award of $98,912 for canine patrol vehicle equipment Motion passed 6-1 with Baughn voting “Nay”
My reasons for not supporting this resolution are the same as they were in August when we authorized the purchase of 2 other patrol vehicles: ORPD spending has been excessive with Chief Akagi spending an additional $1.7M over his $6.3M annual budget in the last 13 months on equipment and vehicles. While I’ve supported some of those expenditures, including the next agenda item, I feel some of these monies would be better used in other departments or on police salaries. Furthermore, our fleet of police vehicles now totals 65, of which are 47 patrol cars yet we only have 38 patrol officers with 6-10 on duty at any given time.
d. Bid award of $97,580 for (34) tough pads for ORPD patrol vehicles from Bizco Technologies, Lincoln Nebraska. Motion passed 7-0
e. Adoption of the City of Oak Ridge 2015 State and Federal Legislative Agenda Motion passed 7-0
f. Resolution authorizing transfer of a 1991 fire truck to Knox County at no cost. Motion passed 7-0
g. Lease extension for the Daniel Arthur building Hope motioned to defer, Motion passed 7-0
h. Establish City Council meeting schedule for 2015. Motion passed 7-0
X. FINAL ADOPTION OF ORDINANCES (first reading results found here)
a. Amendment to amend the FY2014 Budget total appropriations. $500K use of schools transportation Motion passed 7-0 Allowed for the use of $500K by the schools of their reserve funds for transportation with no impact on the city’s annual obligation
b. Amendment to ordinance Title 11 “Municipal Offenses” chapter 8, “Weapons” thereby removing the prohibition of carrying a knife with a blade exceeding 4 inches” in its entirety without replacement to align with state law which recently changed. Motion passed 7-0
c. Amendment to ordinance title 15 “Motor Vehicles, Traffic and Parking” chapter 1 “In General” adding a new definition of “citation” and addition a new section entitled “Electronic Traffic Citation Regulations and Fees” which will allow for the issuance of electronic citations and the collection of $5 per citation for no more than five years. Motion passed 7-0 $1 will go to the City Court for computer equipment and the remaining $4 will go to the police department for elated e-citation expenditures. The fee cannot, by law, revert to the general fund. Question of number of citations issued annually (ranges from 4,911-3,346), I requested that we consider applying those fees against the $40K annual maintenance affiliated with the Spillman software and thereby allow those funds to replenish the ERR fund that was originally used to fund the $500K software in the first place.
d. Ordinance amending Title 6 “Law Enforcement” by creating Chapter 1 “Community Notification System” that notifies schools and child care facilities of a sexual offender residing within city limits and collects $50 fees from resident offenders to defray the cost of this system. Motion passed 7-0 NOTE: There are currently 24-25 registered offenders living in Oak Ridge
XI. ELECTIONS/APPOINTMENTS
The following individuals were appointed by council for the corresponding board or commission:
Anderson County Board of Equalization: Leonard Abbatiello
Anderson County Community Action Commission: Mare Martell-Stotler
Beer Permit Board: William Bailey & David Mosby
Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals: Philip Nipper & Amy Seiber
Board of Zoning Appeals: Judith Mason
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau: Jim Dodson, Anne Garcia Garland, Allison Hummel, Gretchen Julius, Amit Patel Troy Patel and Carol Smallridge
Environmental Quality Advisory Board: Rhonda Bogard, Marisol Bonnett, William Dean, Patricia Imperato, & Robert G. Kennedy
Industrial Development Board: Louise Dunlap, Harold Trapp, David Wilson and Phillip Yager
Oak Ridge Housing Authority: Jean Lantrip
Land Bank Corporation Board of Directors: Colin Anderson, Colin Coverson and Hugh Ward
Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission: Terry Domm, Zabrina Minor, & Austin Lance
Personnel Advisory Board: Martha Wallus
Recreation and Parks Advisory Board: Daniel Robbins, David Kitzmiller & Ken Rueter
Senior Advisory Board: Susan Asbury, Delores Moyer, Alfred Skyberg
Trade Licensing Board: Jeff Lewis
Traffic Safety Advisory Board: Martha Adler-Jasny & Melissa McMahan
Trina Baughn 