September 19, 2011
MINUTES
Mayor Watson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with seven members present. Ward 4 Position 2 is vacant. City Clerk Clausen gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. SPECIAL GUESTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Paul Elliott, of 10 Blue Mountain Drive, gave the Council a report on the Quorum Court. He noted lights on the Two Rivers Pedestrian Bridge, a study of housing bonds, and information on the Lake Maumelle water shed. MINUTES—September 6, 2011 Alderman Johnson moved to approve the minutes of the September 6, 2011 meeting. Alderman Anderson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. FINANCIAL STATEMENT REVIEW Alderman Stell noted that City sales tax was under budget as well as a few other line items. Alderman Johnson commented that department heads were doing well in holding down expenses. Alderman Hogue moved to approve the financials. Alderman Ladner seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. PROCEDURAL MOTION Alderman Saunders moved to have all ordinances and resolutions read by title only. Alderman Brainerd seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. ORDINANCE 788 PROHIBITING THE DISCHARGE OF FIREWORKS With no objections, Mayor Watson called for the first reading of the ordinance prohibiting the discharge of fireworks. The City Clerk gave the reading. Mayor Watson pointed to a fire department memo detailing medical calls and fire runs for fireworks over the last several years. Chief Glenn then presented and elaborated on that data to the Council. Alderman Brainerd asked if we knew how many medical calls had come in on the skate park. Chief Glenn stated that he supported the ban on fireworks. He stated that he enjoyed them but that this was about managing a risk. He noted that he did not think it would stop the issue and that policing the ban would be an issue. Chief Williams stated that you had to weigh the pros and cons of the issue. He stated that he felt the ban would not stop all calls but should be effective. He stated that we had received less than ten calls this year. He stated he would suggest an informational campaign before a no tolerance approach on the issue. Alderman Brainerd asked if problem issues were now enforceable. Chief Williams stated that shooting time was but not the litter problem. Alderman Brainerd asked if folks would clean up fireworks after shooting if there was a ban. Chief Williams stated that he did not think they would. Alderman asked if the ban could be enforced in parks and public places. Chief Williams stated that it could but noted that there would be no on site arrests if the action was not seen. Alderman Stell noted a statement from a conversation he had with Chief Williams in which Chief Williams stated that shooting fireworks was similar to shooting guns in that once they were shot you had no control over where they went. Argie Austin, of 317 Maranes Circle, stated that she was in favor of the ban and noted a fire in her yard caused by fireworks. Steve Mosley, of 16 Riverwood Place, stated that a poll of his group, Maumelle Residents United, showed a 70% support of keeping fireworks in Maumelle. Ray Schott, of 43 Ozark Drive, stated that most people he knew were opposed to the ban. He stated that he loved the 4th of July and celebrating it this way and pled with the Council to not ban fireworks. Debbie Artusy, of 104 Danielle Circle, stated that she had been shooting fireworks for a long time and that it was important to teach children safety. She stated that we couldn’t take everything away and asked the Council to not ban fireworks. Scott Deaton, of 118 Maumelle Valley Drive, stated that he was a fireworks expert and went through a lot of statistics dealing with fireworks and their safety. He noted that while consumption was up, injuries from fireworks were down. He went on to detail his strong opposition to the ordinance. Alderman Hogue stated that she disagreed with Mr. Deaton’s information and that you could make stats say anything. Alderman Stell stated that he had heard a lot of good information and would weigh it and noted that it was the Council’s job to look out for the best interest of the citizens of Maumelle. ORDINANCE 789 AMENDING THE ZONING REGULATIONS With no objections, Mayor Watson called for the second reading of the ordinance amending the zoning regulations to clarify the appeals process for an applicant to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The City Clerk gave the reading. DISCUSSION ON COMMITTEE FORMATION Mayor Watson and Alderman Stell stated that they had been to Cabot to a committee meeting and were still gathering information. Alderman Stell noted that he liked the free flow of ideas that he saw. Alderman Saunders questioned why we were looking at this issue. He stated that we had good processes in place and questioned the need for committees. Mayor Watson noted that there was no proposal to form committees on the table. Alderman Stell and Hogue stated that we were simply looking into an issue and evaluating it to see if it would be helpful in Maumelle. Alderman Johnson stated that he was opposed to committee formation. He stated that he was elected, along with the other elected officials, to run the City. WARD 4 APPOINTMENT Mayor Watson stated that due to a computer error, no ad for the current vacant position had been run. He also disputed several points of a newspaper article regarding the handling of similar situations in the past. He pointed to a memo and minutes on how the situation had actually been addressed. Alderman Stell moved to appoint Alderman Hogue to Ward 4 Position 2. Alderman Ladner seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. RESOLUTION 2011-38 AUTHORIZING THE FORMATION OF A COMMITTEE With no objections, Mayor Watson called for the reading of the resolution authorizing the formation of an ad hoc selection committee. The City Clerk gave the reading. Alderman Stell detailed why he brought this forward. He stated that he wanted to see involvement from the Council and citizens in the selection process as well as all of the following steps. He stated this committee would select the company and then aid in the selection of a further committee to work with the company chosen. Alderman Brainerd asked about charrettes. Mayor Watson stated that public meetings would be part of the process. Alderman Hogue stated that those on the selection committee should have some expertise in the field. Marion Scott, of 12 Spring Drive, asked for more details on the second committee such as would there be minutes taken and how long would the committee stand. Alderman Stell stated that there would be minutes taken and that the committee would dissolve when there was a strategic plan in place. Steve Mosley asked about the cost. Mayor Watson stated that was unknown and that we were involved in the RFQ process now. Alderman Stell moved to approve the resolutions. Alderman Ladner seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. MAYOR’S COMMENTS Mayor Watson stated that the ATM at the Wal-Mart shopping center was still not operational. Mayor Watson stated that we now had a signed environmental assessment back from the Highway Department on the third entrance. He noted that the next step would be a location public hearing followed by design of the interchange. ALDERMEN’S COMMENTS Alderman Brainerd asked about the boat ramp at Park on the River. Mayor Watson stated that we were waiting on Fish and Wild Life and that he hoped to know more soon. ADJOURNMENT Alderman Ladner moved to adjourn the meeting. Alderman Stell seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Watson adjourned the meeting at 7:47 p.m.
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APPROVED |
Maumelle, Arkansas 72113
Phone: 501-851-2500
Fax: 501-851-6738