REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2002 AT 9:00 A

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 06, 2005 AT 9:00 A.M.

Meeting called to= order by Council President Palmer.

Present: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Har= ris.

Absent: None.

The meeting was opened with prayer by Pastor Dorothy Lloyd of Global Harvest Worship Center and followed by the Pledge to the Flag.

Motion was made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by Councilwoman Henson and unanimously passed by the Council to confirm the agenda order for this meet= ing with an amendment to: remove P-2; add as P-2 a presentation by Patricia Col= lins and Larry Frasier of Comcast Cable; add as R-7 order declaring local emerge= ncy; add as R-8 order declaring continued local emergency.

President Palmer advised of the notification of legal advertisement for the following= : a) sluice gates; b) backhoe.

Patricia Collins and Larry Frasier of Comcast Cable appeared before the Council. Ms. Collins reported that 50% of c= able is up and working. They are continuing to work on restoration and repair of cable services. They are working on giving credit = for those customers who lost cable service.&nb= sp; If anyone is experiencing difficulty they can call 1-800-comcast or 601-693-2366. Mr. Frasier said Comcast is working on restoration of internet access.

Don Jemison and Virginia Williamson made a presentation on the National Flood Insurance Program. The city i= s a member of the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System. Participation in this program and = the city’s Class 8 rating results in a 10% discount to those persons who purchase flood insurance in the city. The city has ten (10) repetitive loss sites. There are five sites the city is researching for potential submission to FEMA for removal.=

Mayor Smith said he had one re-appointment to boards and commissions – Dr. Ronnye Purvis to the Meridian Community College Board of Trustees.

President Palmer called on Mayor Smith for his report. He thanked the City Council for wo= rking so well during and after Hurricane Katrina. The city will be working much hard= er in the coming months. The worklo= ad on the command center did not lessen but got larger. He thanked the people of Meridian for their cooperation and acceptance of the unacceptable and intolerable. The curfews have been working well= and the city has been spared crimes associated with this type of disaster. Regular garbage pick-up routes are= back beginning this week with recycling to begin next week. He thanked the people for keep the streets open to allow Mississippi Power, Atmos and public works crews in to= do their jobs. The city never ra= n out of drinking water even though the north freshwater treatment plant was with= out power for a while and there were a few water line ruptures. About 90% of the assessment has be= en completed indicating 993 homes, 95 businesses and 15 trailers with damage f= rom minor to major to demolished. Since the streets are open he urged everyone to bring out their trees/limbs to cu= rb for debris removal. Citizens = are asked to put leaves in bags to be picked up by the garbage trucks. Everyone was asked not to mingle trees/limbs with household debris (lumber, roofing, appliances, etc.) as the contractor cannot pick up household debris. The contractor will only pick up trees/limbs. At this time the city/county has not been included in FEMA’s list of disaster areas. We will be declared a disaster are= a but the word has not come down yet on this.&nb= sp; The city has a number of refugees in Meridian and we are working with MEMA/F= EMA to help take care of them. This = will be long-term assistance. Refu= gees have been complementing Meridi= an on the welcome that has been extended to them. Health care facilities have been s= et up at NAS Meridian and the Air Guard Base.&nb= sp; The city is currently locating housing for the companions of those w= ho will be at these base health care facilities. One of the Mayor’s friends w= ho is the City Manager for Davenport= , Iowa has four 10-man teams = with equipment and supplies ready to come and assist but they have not received their activation orders. The = city will be asking that in the future the local governments who are capable be given the authority to take necessary action. The Mayor introduced David and Sco= ot with Mississippi Power Company. David said this is the firs time that MPC has lost service to all th= eir customers. Their crews began = work at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday restoring power. The city has been very cooperative in blocking those streets when needed. They lost about 300 p= oles, 1800 transformers and 18,000 spans of conductors. They have worked really hard to ga= in manpower. The city is at abou= t 98% restores and 95% for their whole division.= By mid-afternoon they should be 100% complete to those sites that can take power. There are some da= mages on the homeowner’s side of the power lines that have to be repaired before power can be turned back on. They have a deadline date of September 11 to have all power restored= in Mississippi for = those who can take the power. Scoot thanked the Mayor, city and EOC for their help and response. They have not had any problems with people fussing at they while they have been working. There also have been no accidents.= Mayor Smith said there were so many groups to come to Meridian to help. He sent out special = thanks to the North Carolina Baptist men and women who are set up at First Baptist Church and fixing 23,000 to 26,000 meals a day.

The hour of 9:30 a.m. having arrived, the hearing as called for in Resolution N= o. 5267 regarding unclean property was opened with motion by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by Councilwoman Henson and unanimously passed by the Council. The property located= at the SWC 33^rd Av= enue & Valley Street was removed from the list. No one appeared regarding the other three properties. Motion was = made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by Council-woman Perry and unanimously passed by the Council to close the hearing.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Resoluti= on:

RESO. #5274 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; RESOLUTION ADJUDICATING PARCEL OF LAND TO BE A

= &nb= sp; MENA= CE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE

= &nb= sp; COMM= UNITY (OAKLAND PLACE SUR BLOCK 9 LOTS 11, 12 & 13) &nbs= p; =

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Resoluti= on:

RESO. #5275 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; RESOLUTION ADJUDICATING PARCEL OF LAND TO BE A

= &nb= sp; MENA= NCE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE

= &nb= sp; COMM= UNITY (BALL SUR BLOCK 68 72.5’ N&S X 43 7/8’

= &nb= sp; E&am= p;W BEG 43’E NWC)

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved= the adoption and passage of the following Resolution:

RESO. #5276 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; RESOLUTION ADJUDICATING PARCEL OF LAND TO BE A

= &nb= sp; MENA= CE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE

= &nb= sp; COMM= UNITY (#36 50’ N&S X 95’ E&W BEGIN 90’S NWC<= /span>

= &nb= sp; SESW ¼)

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Motion was made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by Councilwoman Henson and unanimously passed by the Council to approve the minutes dated August 16, 2= 005.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13558 ORDER DECLARING EQUIPMENT SURPLUS AND NO

= &nb= sp; LONG= ER NEEDED BY THE CITY OF MERIDIAN= AND

= &nb= sp; AUTH= ORIZING THE SALE OF SAID SURPLUS EQUIPMENT

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13559 ORDER AUTHORIZING THE SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE

= &nb= sp; OF SENSUS TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY SR METERS

= &nb= sp; ON A NON-COMPETITIVE BASIS

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13560 ORDER AUTHORIZING INSTALLATION OF A STREET

= &nb= sp; LIGHT AT 3629 35^TH AV= ENUE

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13561 ORDER RE-ESTABLISHING PETTY CASH FUNDS

= &nb= sp; FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13562 ORDER CONFIRMING THE RE-APPOINTMENT BY THE

= &nb= sp; MAYOR OF DR. RONNYE PURVIS TO THE ME= RIDIAN

= &nb= sp; COMM= UNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13563 ORDER DECLARING 1997 VACTOR FLUSH TRUCK, VIN

= &nb= sp; NO. 1FDZW82E0VVA16881 SURPLUS AND NO LONGER

= &nb= sp; NEED= ED BY THE CITY OF MERIDIAN AND AUTHORIZING<= o:p>

= &nb= sp; THE TRADE-IN OF SAID SURPLUS VEHICLE TO SANSOM

= &nb= sp; EQUI= PMETN COMPANY ON NEW FLUSH TRUCK

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Motion was made by Councilman Thomas duly seconded by Councilwoman Perry to approve the order authorizing public works department to enter private property alo= ng Robbins Creek to remove trees blocking the flow of water. Motion was made by Councilman Thom= as duly seconded by Councilwoman Perry and unanimously passed by the Council to amend the order to include all creeks and not just Robbins Creek. Councilman Thomas offered and move= d the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13564 ORDER AUTHORIZING PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

= &nb= sp; TO ENTER PRIVATE PROPERTY ALONG CREEKS

= &nb= sp; THRO= UGHOUT THE CITY OF MERIDIAN IN ORDER TO

= &nb= sp; REMO= VE TREES BLOCKING THE FLOW OF WATER AND

= &nb= sp; ACCE= PTING RELEASES FROM PROPERTY OWNERS

and, Councilwoman= Perry seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted= by the Council by a vote as follows:

Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13565 ORDER GRANTING PERMISSION TO RICHARD MORRIS

= &nb= sp; AND MIKE JOHNSON TO TIE INTO CITY WATER AND

= &nb= sp; SEWER LINES FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICE AT 2566

= &nb= sp; GRAND AVENUE

and, Councilwoman= Perry seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted= by the Council by a vote as follows:

Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Motion was made by Councilwoman Henson duly seconded by Councilman Thomas to autho= rize the execution of a service agreement with Waste Manage for the household hazardous waste amnesty day set for September 17, 2005. Monty Jackson stated that this date needs to be changed, however, he does not know the date it would be held. Motion was made by Councilman Thom= as duly seconded by Councilwoman Henson and unanimously passed to remove the d= ate the household hazardous day would be held.= The Council will be notified when the new date has been set. Councilwoman Henson offered and mo= ved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13566 ORDER AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF SERVICE

= &nb= sp; AGRE= EMENT BETWEEN WASTE MANAGEMENT AND

= &nb= sp; THE CITY OF MERIDIAN (MERIDIAN HOUSEHOLD

= &nb= sp; HAZA= RDOUS WASTE AMNESTY DAY)

and, Councilman T= homas seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted= by the Council by a vote as follows:

Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13567 ORDER ACCEPTING THE BID OF DOOLEY’S STEAM WAY

= &nb= sp; CARP= ET CARE, MERIDIAN, MS, FOR HVAC-CLEANING

= &nb= sp; MPD IN THE AMOUNT OF $19,500.00

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13568 ORDER AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

= &nb= sp; AND ACCEPTANCE OF GRANT FUNDS WITH THE MISSISSIPPI

= &nb= sp; DEPA= RTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY FOR COMMUNITY

= &nb= sp; HERI= TAGE PRESERVATION GRANT FOR THE KRESS BUILDING=

and, Councilwoman= Perry seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted= by the Council by a vote as follows:

Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Har= ris.

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 Septem= ber 01, 2005 in the amount of $2,208,494.90.

Councilman Thomas offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13569 ORDER RATIFYING DECLARATION OF A LOCAL

= &nb= sp; EMER= GENCY IN THE CITY OF MERIDIAN AS

= &nb= sp; DETA= ILED IN SECTION 33-15-17(D), MISSI= SSIPPI

= &nb= sp; CODE OF 1972, AS AMENDED

and, Councilwoman= Perry seconded the motion, whereupon said Order was discussed, passed and adopted= by the Council by a vote as follows:

Yea: Thomas, Perry, Henson, Palmer, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

Councilwoman Perry offered and moved the adoption and passage of the following Order:

ORDER #13570 ORDER RATIFYING EXTENSION OF EXISTENCE

= &nb= sp; OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY FOR SEVEN (7) DAYS

= &nb= sp; FOR THE CITY OF MERIDIAN =

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, Har= ris.

Nay: None.

President Palmer called for citizen comments. No one appeared.

President Palmer called for council comments. Councilman Harris thanked the two kids who passed out ice. Councilwoman Henson said Meridian was feat= ured in Southern Living magazine. On September 20^th from 9:00 a.m. until noon she will be at the Seni= or Citizens Center for a day with her constituents. Councilwoman Perry thanked the city crews for cleaning up 22nd Avenue. She asked the churches to adopt families. She thanked the young man who came= to her to let her know he was cleaning up yards for free in her neighborhood.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> She thanked the city staff for work. The comments about Meridian have been great. Councilman Thomas than= ked the people who have helped. T= here is a group who is going to put together a booklet about the good things that have happened during this crisis. President said that everyone needs a battery operated radio. He thanked the administration and staff. There is so much prais= e to go around. Councilwoman Henson advised that Police Chief Benny Dubose lost his grandmother. =

There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, the meet= ing was adjourned. Sine die.=

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; &= nbsp; Respectfully submitted,

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Pam McInnis, Clerk of Council

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp;