REGULAR COUNCIL
MEETING, TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2006 AT 9:00 A.M.
Meeting called to order
by Council President Palmer.
Present: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Absent: None.
The meeting was opened with prayer by Rev. Lamar Lifer of
Motion was made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by
Councilman Harris and unanimously passed by the Council to confirm the agenda
order for this meeting with an amendment to: add as C-9 purchase of Total
Finance property.
Mr. Paul Breazeale with Breazeale, Saunders & O’Neil,
LTD. appeared to make a presentation on the FY 2005 Audit. He went over the following charts:
Indicators/Measurements; Governmental Fund Revenues; Governmental Fund
Expenditures by Function; General Fund Expenditures by Departments; Assessed
Value of Taxable Property; Property Tax Rates Per $1,000 of Assessed Value;
Property Tax Revenues; Sales Tax Revenues; Legal Debt Martin on General
Obligation Debt’ Governmental Activities Long-Term Debt Maturities;
Business-type Activities Long-Term Debt Maturities; General Fund Balance; and
City Employees. Their management letter
contain two areas that needed improvement: 1) a grant administrator is needed;
2) capital asset records need to be revised.
Mr. Breazeale thanked Dave Brown and other for their help.
The hour of 9:30 a.m. having arrived, the hearing as
called in Resolution No. 5333 regarding unclean property was opened with motion
by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by Councilwoman Henson and unanimously
passed by the Council. No one appeared
regarding the two unclean properties on the list. Motion was made by Councilwoman Henson duly
seconded by Councilwoman Perry and unanimously passed by the Council to close
the hearing.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Resolution:
RESO. #5339 RESOLUTION ADJUDICATING
PARCEL OF LAND TO BE A
MENACE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF THE
COMMUNITY (
N 151.5’ WLY 115.51’ SLY 151.5’
ELY 116.85’ TO BEG)
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Resolution was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Resolution:
RESO. #5340 RESOLUTION ADJUDICATING
PARCEL OF LAND TO BE A
MENACE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF THE
COMMUNITY (
12 INCL)
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Resolution was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilmembers expressed their concern about the steps
taken to see that properties are cleaned inside the city. The City Attorney is to look at ways to
improve this process.
Mayor Smith stated he had two appointments to boards and
commissions: Robert Stockton to the Civil Service Commission and H. C.
Partridge, Jr. to the Meridian Airport Authority.
President Palmer called on Mayor Smith for his report. He said the audit was an extremely positive
audit. He thanked Ken Storms , Ed
Skipper and his department, Dave Brown, and Leigh Barbor for their work in
seeing that the city is responsible in it’s management of revenues.
Motion was made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by
Councilwoman Henson and unanimously passed by the Council to approve the
minutes dated April 18, 2006.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13746 ORDER DIRECTING THAT THE DITCH LOCATED AT
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Resolution:
RESO. #5341 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
SIGNATORIES
FOR SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Resolution was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13747 ORDER DECLARING EQUIPMENT SURPLUS AND NO
LONGER NEEDED BY THE CITY OF
AUTHORIZING THE
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13748 ORDER APPROVING TAXI PERMIT FOR:
CHARLES ALBERT GILLENWATER
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13749 ORDER CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT BY THE
MAYOR
OF ROBERT STOCKTON TO THE CIVIL
SERVICE COMMISSION
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13750 ORDER CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT BY THE
MAYOR
OF H.C. PARTRIDGE, JR. TO THE
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13751 ORDER ACCEPTING FISCAL YEAR 2005 ANNUAL
AUDIT
AS PREPARED BY BREAZEALE,
SAUNDERS & O’NEIL, LTD.
and, Councilwoman Henson
seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted by
the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Motion was made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by
Councilwoman Henson and unanimously passed by the Council to approve the
following proclamation to be issued by the Mayor:
May, 2006 –
“Community Action Month”
Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Resolution:
RESO. #5342 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
MAYOR AND CHIEF FINANCIAL
OFFICER/MUNICIPAL CLERK TO
EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS
NECESSARY TO PURCHASE PROPERTY
FROM TOTAL
FINANCE, INC. OR A QUALIFIED
INTERMEDIARY
and, Councilwoman
Henson seconded the motion, whereupon said Resolution was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilwoman Henson offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Ordinance:
ORDIN. #4283 ORDINANCE DESIGNATING AN AREA WITHIN
THE CITY
OF
COMMUNITY AND AUTHORIZING
SUBMITTAL TO THE
STATE TAX COMMISSION FOR
CERTIFICATION
and, Councilman Harris
seconded the motion, whereupon said Ordinance was discussed, passed and adopted
by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilwoman Perry offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Resolution:
RESO. #5343 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES
FOR VOLUNTEERS SERVING AS
CHAIRPERSON AND TREASURER
OF THE
OF
IN
and, Councilman Harris
seconded the motion, whereupon said Resolution was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilwoman Henson offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Resolution:
RESO. #5344 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
THE MEMORANDUM OF
AGREEMENT FOR CONTINUATION IN
STREET ASSOCIATION’S MAIN
STREET-URBAN MAIN
STREET-SMALL TOWN PROGRAM
and, Councilwoman Perry
seconded the motion, whereupon said Resolution was discussed, passed and
adopted by the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Councilwoman Perry offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13752 ORDER AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF
DEVELOPMENT
AGREEMENT AMENDMENT BETWEEN
STEVEN A. JELLENC,
42ND COURT SUBDIVISION
AND THE CITY OF
and, Councilman Thomas
seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted by
the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Next on the agenda was an order authorizing installation
of street lights at Linmoor East Unit #2 subdivision. Motion was made by Councilwoman Henson duly
seconded by Council-woman Perry to approve this order. Discussion was held. Councilman Thomas stated that he could not
support placing more expensive street lights in this subdivision and the
taxpayers paying for them. He said he
did not mind placing distinctive street lights in public areas but had a hard
time with the request. Said motion
failed due to the lack of a majority.
Voting Yea: None. Voting Nay:
Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Councilwoman Perry offered and moved the adoption and
passage of the following Order:
ORDER #13753 ORDER ACCEPTING WARRANTY DEED FROM
MERIDIAN MUTUAL FEDERAL CREDIT
UNION
and, Councilman Harris
seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted by
the Council by a vote as follows:
Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Harris.
Nay: None.
Motion was made by Councilwoman Henson duly seconded by
Councilwoman Perry and unanimously passed by the Council to approve the claims
docket dated April 27, 2006 in the amount of $2,355,313.49.
President Palmer called for citizen comments. No one appeared.
President Palmer called for council comments. Councilman Harris complemented KAB and public
works crews for their work on Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Day. He said this had a great impact on the
communities. Councilwoman Henson stated
she attended a Mississippi Planning and Development District conference last
week. She said this was a good
conference with good information. The
MCC truck driving school is having an open house. She said she has always wanted to learn to
drive an 18-wheeler. Councilwoman Perry
stated many people in her ward have asked for street lights where it is dark
and some of them have not gotten them.
That is the reason she could not support putting in more expensive
street lights in the Linmoor subdivision.
She commended the Main Event and congratulated Ann Alexander for being
chosen as entrepreneur of the year. She
said it costs $600-$800 to put a dumpster in front of a house plus $5.00 a day
that it sits out there. She said
resident need some relief so people can afford to use these. Councilman Thomas stated the city is spending
a lot of money to pick up trash that people are dumping out. He said the houses on the demolition list
need to be torn down. He feels the city
needs to bid these out and charge the property owners for these costs. The Jimmie Rodgers folks did a good job. The city lost an individual who was involved
in a lot of things in the city – Bill Whitworth. He said the city will miss his concerns,
comments, etc. Councilman Palmer said he
had quite a few dealings with Mr. Whitworth.
He said that Old Highway 80 improvements still have not been done and he
wants this work done immediately. Monty
Jackson stated that they are trying to stabilize the concrete slabs on this
section of the highway.
There being no further business to come before the
Council at this time, the meeting was adjourned. Sine die.
Respectfully submitted,
Pam
McInnis, Clerk of Council