MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE OZARK CITY COUNCIL
May 8, 2023
Ozark City Council Meeting Room

The Regular meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall and upon a roll call, a quorum was declared to exist for the meeting. Present were Alderpersons Angela Harris, Argest Hyler, David Mahon, Loren Maier, Charlie Meeker, and Randy Melton. Also present were Mayor Hall and City Clerk Susan Stevens. Mayor Hall gave the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by students from the Storm Dance Studio.

A motion was made by David Mahon to approve the April Minutes and seconded by Randy Melton. Upon a roll call vote, all Alderpersons voted aye and the Minutes were approved. A motion was then made by Charlie Meeker to approve the financial reports and seconded by Argest Hyler. Upon a roll call vote, all Alderpersons voted aye and the financial reports were approved.

Michael Brasseaux reported for the Street Department. The AC Unit for the Concession Stand at Westside Park is out. This unit not only cools the Concession Stand but also heats the restroom pipes in the winter to help keep the humidity down to avoid any mold problems. He has money in the budget at this time to cover the cost of a new unit which will be warrantied for parts and labor for 5 years. He would like the Council to approve this and replace it immediately due to heavy usage in the summertime. All Council members and the Mayor expressed their approval. There has been some problems with the lighting at the softball fields and these issues are being worked on by OG&E and Meadors. David Mahon thanked Fire Chief Nick Trotter for his report. Charlie Meeker reported for the Fire& Police Committee meeting. At the meeting they discussed the purchase of hand- held radios for both departments. (Motorola vs Kenwood) It was decided to go with Kenwood as they are in stock and available immediately. These will be purchased through Smith Two Way Radio, Inc. There was discussion regarding the purchase of a new pump for the tanker truck we are leasing from PV. No action was taken so more research can be done.

Michelle Tull Brown reported for the Ozark Pride& Beautification Committee. They are working on a plan to match community service needs with volunteers available for school credit to comply with the LEARNS Act. Their painting projects are going well. They are also working with the Arkansas Game & Fish on a possible interactive tourist map listing the availability of food choices, housing, fuel, local events, etc. available in Ozark.

David Mahon reported for the Planning Commission. A rezoning request for an area on 4th street was tabled for more research. A rezoning request on 14th Street of R1 to R2 or R3 was also brought forward. A property owner requested the rezone in order to build 2 or more small homes for rental properties. Several neighbors in the area came forward to speak against the rezone for reasons of existing population density and proximity to schools/traffic. A motion was
made for the rezoning, but died due to lack of a second.

City Attorney Kevin Barham has put in a request for a final hearing in the matter of the Kimbrough Building downtown. Police Chief Devin Bramlett stated that the building is being patrolled to ensure no trespassing and public safety.

Tonya Talkington reported for the water department. In addition to routine repairs and maintenance, they repaired numerous leaks (including Overlook/Reed Mountain Park), flushed hydrants throughout the system, installed meter risers, replaced 1″ meter sets, geocoded meters, continued adjustments for sodium hypochlorite improvements and completed the report for ARPA infrastructure award regarding same. The Street Department reported that new drainage culverts were installed under 4th Street to help with more water flow.

Fire Chief Nick Trotter reported that Building Inspector Jeff Alan has visited all business in the City with business permits and several without. Total businesses visited is 217. Only 7 have called back for a follow up inspection. This was for an Annual Fire and Life Safety Inspection. These were completed in alphabetical order. He is going to start back over with this list and see how many are ready for a follow up inspection. Currently there are 17 building projects under construction or total remodel. Jeff visits these sights on a regular/daily basis. 43 building permits for fences, storage buildings, roofing, signage etc. have been completed and accepted so far this year. 3 demolitions have been completed. Several certified letters have been sent out to property owners informing them of hazards to their buildings and property. The Fire Department has responded to a total of219 emergency calls from January through April. The main responders for medical calls are myself, (Nick Trotter), Shane Cooper, Jake Trotter, Josh Ciampoli, and Jun Reid. We have had a great response in the last year from all volunteers for all vehicle accidents, fires, and rescues. We just completed building a false wall/ training prop for firefighters to practice moving through. One new member joined last week. He is an EMT with Franklin County and will be a good asset. One other contacted me yesterday wanting to join but I haven’t met with him yet.

Police Chief Devin Bramlett states 94 reports, 38 arrests, 10 accidents, 15 warrants, 3 ordinance tickets, 27 ordinance warnings, 14 subpoenas, 4 motorist assists, 2 juvenile tickets, 147 traffic tickets, and 171 traffic warnings. Ozark hosted a Basic Sniper Operations Class. The U.S. Probation& Parole used our facility for a week. The FBI Regional SWAT team used our facility. The Arkansas Probation& Parole used our facility. The Franklin County Circuit Court held their court in our training room while the Courthouse was being renovated. Officer Zach Sloan graduates from the Academy on May 19th. Officer Earl Ellegood started the Academy on May 1St.

The Ozark Community Center reports they are completely booked on weekends. Spring Break was excellent with revenue of around $9K for the week. They are working on a Blue & You Grant for the exercise room equipment. Graduation is May 12th. The CC will be closing at 7:00p.m. Project Graduation is later that night from 10:00p.m. until Midnight. Several guards are leaving soon so we will be hiring soon. A 3-month membership for the summer is $10 off.

Some daily& some evening activities are being planned to get parents& children involved over the summer.

New Business: Resolution 2023-7. A Resolution approving the purchase of hand-held radios for the Police and Fire Departments amending the 2023 budget and appropriating funds for such purpose. A motion to read the Resolution was made by Randy Melton and seconded by Charlie Meeker. Upon a roll call vote, all Alderpersons voted aye and Angela Harris read the Resolution. After reading, a motion to approve was made by Argest Hyler to approve and
seconded by David Mahon. Upon a roll call vote, all Alderpersons voted aye. Angela Harris then pointed out a typing error in Section 3 where” Police” Department should have been” Fire” Department. A motion to approve the Resolution( with corrections) was made by Argest Hyler and seconded by David Mahon. Upon a roll call vote, all Alderpersons voted aye and Resolution 2023-7 was approved (with corrections).

Resolution 2023- 8 regarding a budget appropriation for the new IT provider was tabled. There is a meeting with ASI, Inc. tomorrow evening at 5:30 for further discussion.

Announcements: *Recycling bins are still available at the Transfer Station, glass and tires are not accepted. Justin at GreenSource Recycling in Clarksville has let us know that citizens are allowed to bring in 4 tires a month. They are located at 2487 Hwy 64. Ozark curbside recycling pick-up is still on the 2nd and 4th Thursday as well as brush pick-up.

*We are still working on finding for the sidewalk from the High School to the round- about with Chad Haberer. The Black Hills Energy grant program still has money available for this year. There may be some cost sharing required between the City and the School System, but would be well worth it since the ARDOT grant could take up to two years to go through. The Mayor pointed out that there is a lot of foot traffic of students and they are either having to walk on the road or in the ditch/field.

*Michael Brasseaux is working on a mitigation grant for the bridge on N. 291 Street. Repairs and/or replacement would help to alleviate flooding in the McElroy Addition and Pleasant Homes.

*A reminder that yard sale permits can be obtained at City Hall. There is no fee, but they are required.

*10 new business licenses have been issued since the first of the year in Ozark.

*Carpenter Fest is coming up on Saturday, May 201 from 3 pm to 11 pm. Please call Code Enforcement with any concerns or problems.

*Police Chief Devin Bramlett stated that an agreement was reached with the School Board in March to increase the salary of the School Resource Office from 20K to 30K yearly.

*There will be a Trash Committee meeting on Monday, May 22nd at 5:30pm. David Mahon is to contact Jason Fitzgerald from CARDS Inc. for a rebidding discussion. There are several issues under review including participation in our spring and fall clean-up. There are several businesses who have expressed disappointment in not being able to hire or make use of their own waste management. The Mayor acknowledged this, but stated we also do not want 45 different companies congesting the streets every week.

A motion to adjourn was made by David Mahon and seconded by Loren Maier. Upon a roll call vote, all Alderpersons voted aye and the meeting was adjourned.

Minutes for the Ozark City Council Meeting held Monday, May 8, 2023 were approved and passed this 12th day of June, 2023.

Mayor Roxie Hall

City Clerk Susan Stevens