A marathon two hour Jefferson City Council meeting Tuesday night ultimately ended with three new stop signs going up, new election equipment being purchased and tabling of several items.
New stop signs will be being installed at Dallas and Market, Henderson and Walnut and Walnut and Orleans streets, to help address the speed of traffic, as well as safety of residents.
“I’ve lived here since Feb 2001 when Paula and I moved to town,” said Walnut Street resident Tim Phy. “That street has always been open at Orleans and Walnut and when Stephanie was little there was a lot of foot traffic comes through there. And there’s a lot of rapid traffic of people trying to get to work or school. when those trucks come down here loaded, sinkholes open up and it’s dangerous. I think it would be prudent to have stop signs there to slow everybody down. It’s not going to prohibit anyone from getting to work on time.
Howard Blatch, owner of the Governor’s House at Walnut and Orleans, added “Shortly after we moved in we noticed the amount of traffic and the speed they travel down the streets. The car and pickup traffic is sometimes going 45-50 mph own this street and the drivers don’t realize this is a neighborhood. We have so many people to jog in the street, walk in the street, walk their pets in the street, children with parents riding bicycles and they’re out in the street because the sidewalks are so uneven. The stop signs will allow traffic to slow down and be more cautious. Our home has been affected with cracks in the parlors and above doors due to the speed the heavy trucks go down the street. Jefferson is known as an historic destination and has a love for restored and maintained historic homes. We must, as a city, work to preserve them before there’s any kind of disaster to them. Please help us by installing new stop signs.”
Council unanimously approved the placement of the signs.
“I’m going to ask my police officers, just like I ran the stop sign at Jefferson and Alley streets, to please be nice to the public when we do this,” said Victor Perot, ward 3 alderman.
Council also approved purchasing $40,688 in new hybrid election equipment from Hart Intercivic. The City is joining the County and School District, along with Harrison and Cass counties, to group purchase new equipment at a discounted rate.
The City last purchased equipment after 9/11, and the current equipment goes off support this year.
“During the presentation from Hart to Cass County Commissioners the issue of costs came up and, being a young county judge, I popped off and said] ‘if Marion County and Cass County buys this together what kind of discount you going to give us?’ He said ‘Pretty substantial’,” said Marion County Judge Leward LaFleur.
The new equipment can also be quickly updated after early voting closes and can be used during the general election, thus allowing the city to purchase one less piece of equipment than previously. The current equipment cannot, and requires an additional machine.
“Is there a hanging chad?” asked Ward 3 Alderman Ted Dickson.
“There is no hanging chad on this at all,” said LaFleur. “It’s a hybrid system. It’s got a touch screen like your phone. You fill out the form, it prints it out and then you take it over and scan it in. The paper ballot is then stored as well, so if there is a problem with the electronic, then like the old days, a group can get together and count ballots.”
The largest portion of the meeting was dedicated to presentations from Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott LLP and Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP, two tax law firms. Perdue currently has the contract with the City for delinquent tax collection. Linebarger represents the County and JISD.
Mayor Rob Baker said he’d been approached by both firms about the contract and wanted to bring it to Council to discuss.
“We are six months from the end of a contract, and we have a six month notification requirement with Perdue,” said Mayor Rob Baker. “In the realm of transparency, I wanted to bring in the two parties in and have them do presentations and let us know what they offer.”
After presentations by both firms, Tab Beall of Perdue, clarified the contract for the city.
“The notice issue is 30 days notice to terminate. The six months means we have six months to wrap up what we have in process. It’s not six months notice. We then get six months to wrap-up existing business that is already in place,” said Beall.
The Council decided to table the possibility of changing the delinquent tax attorney firm to a future meeting, after 30 minutes of presentations and discussion.
Council members approved the proposed list of streets for resurfacing in 2021, and added a block of Texas street to the list.
Council approved spending up to $450,000 in 2021 for street resurfacing back in November of 2020. However a list of proposed streets had not been circulated to council members.
The list of streets approved include:
- • Walnut Street from Lafayette to Orleans, overlay, $80,000
- • Camp Street from Marshall to Rusk, pulverize and re-lay, $40,000
- • Marshall Street from Lake to Camp streets, pulverize and re-lay, $13,000
- • Baker Street from Line to Bridge streets, overlay, $10,000
- • Bridge Street from Delta to Baker streets, and from Clay to Watson streets, pulverize and re-lay, $31,000
- • Friou Street from Elizabeth to Broadway, pulverize and re-lay, $15,500
- • Washing Street from Lafayette to City Culvert, pulverize and re-lay, $30,000
- • Jackson Street from Lake to Camp streets, pulverize and re-lay, $19,000
- • Soda Street from Tx Hwy 49 to Henderson street, pulverize and re-lay, $100,000
- • Alley Street from Harrison to RR Tracks, pulverize and re-lay, $32,000
- • Owens Street from Webster to end of street, re-lay and overlay, $13,000
- • Bridge Street from Mosley to Benners, overlay, $13,000
- • Texas Street starting at Common Street, overlay, $19,000
The total proposed streets project is $415,500. The City currently does not have this in the 2020-21 budget, however in November Baker proposed that the City would have the funds available as tax collection and budget savings accumulated during the course of the fiscal year.
The Marion County Chamber of Commerce offered a proposal to the City by asking for the use of the old Police building on Austin Street as a storefront for one year, rent free, and offered to finalize an agreement at a future meeting.
“The Chamber of Commerce is not any different that several others in a 50-mile radius. Most of the funding comes from social events and fundraisers. And that’s what pays the bills a nd the rent. What we’re looking at is trying to bring together the chamber, the tourist bureau, the city and the count. So we’re looking at options to save money to keep the doors open.“ said Paul Moore, current Chamber President. “So I wanted to share with you that we have a new board of directors and we want to pull things together and make Marion County a better place to live.”
“One of the suggestions is to build a deck out where the parking spaces are and there’s a need for roof repair for the building,” said Moore. “And we’d bring the roof out over the deck and have tables and chairs. It would be use of the building. A very good use.”
“You’re saying if the Chamber is there, then the Chamber would put the roof on the building and build the deck?” said Ward 1 Alderman Jim Finstrom.
“We’d get the materials and labor donated,” said Moore.
“So wed be paying utilities for them?” asked Ward 2 Alderman Tyrani Braddock.
“They’d be paying the utilities,” answered Baker.
“We need to see the agreement drafted first,” said Finstrom.
“We have a lease that is up the first of March,” said Moore. “So I’m asking the city to consider this as a proposal and at the same time we’re looking at it as a way to save money.”
The Chamber is currently leasing space at the Jeffersonian Institute, directly across the street from the police building.
Council tabled the request until an agreement is drafted and re-presented to them.
Council also tabled a request by Don and Francene Rainey for waivers on vehicles on city streets, and the use of fireworks and their cannons at various Diamond Don Events held on their property.
Council wanted to work with Police Chief Tino Perez and City Attorney Mike Martin to review what options were needed to be waived and what notification requirements were needed.
Mayor Baker continued his practice of updating Council on actions he as taken since the last meeting.
His update included an update on the City Administrator position where he has contacted the previous applicants, 13 of which wished to still be considered, and that he had not decided if he would be closing the application period in two weeks or continue it for another 30 days.
Baker also said he planned to notify both JEDCO and the Tourism Board the need for them to provide quarterly updates to Council on their activities. Currently the bylaws of both groups require a quarterly update be made to Council, but no reports have been made by either group since JEDCO reported in June 2020, and Tourism hasn’t reported their activities in over a year. JEDCO hasn’t met in several months and Tourism hasn’t met in either November or December.
Lastly Baker announced the launch of a “Banking Initiative” project where he has contact VeraBank, which is where the City conducts business, on options to allow for the processing of credit and debit cards at the Convention and Visitor’s Center, and at City Hall for permits and water bill payment. Baker said he was not including the Police Department in this initiative as they already have the ability to process credit card payments which is integrated into their ticketing system.
In other business:
- • Ward 2 Alderman Gary Amburn replaced his Tourism Board appointee, Christy Gaither who resigned, with Colleen Taylor.
- • Approved advertising for bids for the streets project
- • Transferred ownership of the other half of the alleyway between lots 1,2, 3 and lots 8,9, 10 in Block 50 of the Urquhart Addition to Rob and Pam Baker
- • Transferred ownership of a 10 foot section on the east side of Owens Street along Lots 1-7 in Block 100 of Alley Addition to Christopher and Melissa Richardson
- • Heard a report from Perez on the 2020 Jefferson Police Department activity and goals for 2021
- • Approved in Consent Agenda items the Interlocal agreements with Marion County for Library and Shared Services, and the City’s contract with the Jefferson Carnegie Library