Jennifer Middleton/Jefferson Jimplecute
The Jefferson City Council swore in appointed Ward 2 Alderman Jamey Parsons and agreed to purchase new police car cameras during a special meeting Tuesday.
Mayor Rob Baker swore in the city’s newest council member, who is continuing the term of Gary Amburn, who resigned the seat in May. The council appointed Parsons to the position in July and he was the second place candidate for the seat in the 2020 council election.
The Jefferson Police Department will also soon receive four new police cameras for their official vehicles. Chief Florentino Perez told the council that the cost would be $14,555 for the four cameras, which are needed because the current ones, purchased five years ago, are going out. He added that although officers do have body cameras, the police car cameras give an added layer of protection for both officers and citizens.
“It really does assist with liability issues and concerns because it documents everything that’s happened, and really helps draw a good picture of what the officer experiences during a traffic stop or going on a call,” Perez said.
The council agreed to amend the 2020-21 budget to reflect the cost of the equipment.
The usage of non-golf cart vehicles on Jefferson’s public streets was also discussed during Tuesday’s meeting. Although a city ordinance allows properly equipped golf carts on city streets except Polk, because it is a state highway, other off-highway vehicles like four-wheelers and side-by-sides are not legal on the streets, even during special events.
The current ordinance only allows golf carts to be used during daylight hours and they must have a horn, a reflective triangle, rearview mirror, headlights, tail lights insurance, and a license plate.
Tammy Smith, the owner of Jefferson Ice Express and T&K Ice Cream, said she uses an off-road vehicle to deliver ice to businesses during events. She added that it is brightly lit, has insurance and tags, and meets the qualifications of a golf cart. Smith told the council that sometimes when events go past dark, people still need ice and that the sunset portion of the ordinance was also influencing her businesses.
“Sometimes we need to run ice up to 11 p.m. at night,” she said.
Mayor Baker said one of the biggest issues with allowing off-road vehicles on the city streets was insurance and liability. He also said that the council could look into the possibility of a work permit for situations like Smith’s and that they need to do some research on state law and what is allowed.
“We can definitely scope something that fits,” he said. “We definitely need some sort of work permit or agreement and you are the classic example,” he told Smith.
The item was tabled and the council will work on a draft ordinance once they have the police department’s input on the matter. They agreed that once the draft was complete that the public would have a couple weeks to look at it and offer input or suggestions on the ordinance before it comes to a council vote.
Council held a discussion on the ability of newly appointed Parsons to change or make appointments to JEDCO and the Tourism Board. Baker viewed the situation as Parsons was filling the seat vacated by Amburn and therefore inherited Amburn’s appointments. Parsons took the opposite stance of he was a full alderman and could make or change the appointees. The discussion centered around the position filled by Willie Turlington on JEDCO. Turlington has not completed the Open Meetings, Freedom of Information Act, and Cybersecurity trainings required by law. As such, Parsons wishes to replace Turlington with a new appointee. Elected and appointed officials have 90 days from the time they are sworn in to complete the training. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor and punishable by up a fine. JEDCO bylaws state the appointee automatically vacates the seat if they fail to complete the training, but can be reinstated once the training has been completed.
Council requested City Secretary Doris Hines provide them with a list of all elected and appointed officials and what training they have completed. Council is set to review the information and take appropriate action at the next meeting.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Tracy Jackson addressed the council with concerns about an abandoned house on the corner of East Harrison and Alley Street. He said a tree has fallen through the roof and that he tries to keep it mowed, but that it is an eyesore and something the city should look into. Councilman Eric Kuykendall said the city was aware of the property’s condition and they would actually be working on it next week.
Mayor Baker also announced that the Citizen Action Committee would be launched on August 12 and the Jefferson Diversity Committee would launch on August 19. He said that the Citizen Action Committee is designed for the public to give their input to the council on what needs to be done in the city, whether it be city beautifications, decorative trash cans or city cleanup.
“I’ve had lots of different pieces of input since I was elected mayor,” Baker said. “We have so much energy in the community with those ideas. What I’d like to see is a brainstorming session and actively get citizens involved.”
He added that the Jefferson Diversity Committee is not a new idea, and that at one point it had some momentum and lost traction. Baker said he would like concerned citizens to become involved to consider the city’s problems and potential solutions. He added that they would also get Jefferson Independent School District involved in the process, as well.
Members then went into executive session, but no action was taken.
Following the meeting, the council held a budget workshop, where Baker showed the current budget broken down by actual costs per month. He said that doing the budget in this manner will allow them to better predict trends for expenses and revenues for the 2021-22 budget, which is due by Sept. 1.
He pointed out several items included for consideration, including another police officer and vehicle, animal control funds, the 2022 Street Campaign, redistricting costs, new tourism estimates, equipment and signage for both parks and hospitalization and retirement for city employees.
Baker encouraged council members to get out and talk with the residents in their respective wards to get ideas on what citizens’ concerns are and what changes and additions they would like to see in the city. He said it was easier to include them in the budgeting process rather than go back and add them later in the year.