City of Ozark

The Regular Meeting was called to order by Mayor Roxie Hall and upon a roll call, a quorum was declared to exist for the meeting. Present were Council Members Argest Hyler, Charlie Meeker, Randy Melton, Angela Harris, Summer Miner and Loren Maier. Also present were City Attorney Kevin Barham, City Clerk Susan Stevens and Treasurer/Deputy City Clerk Marla Ward. Karen Hawkins from the Chamber of Commerce gave the invocation and Marla Ward led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Charlie Meeker made a motion to table the August Meeting Minutes until September' s meeting for corrections as there were several errors and omissions. This was seconded by Argest Hyler. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and the Minutes were tabled.

Charlie Meeker then made a motion to approve the financial reports, seconded by Randy Melton. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and the financial reports were approved.

The Water Department reports processing 58 utility line locates. They investigated/ repaired leaks on 1st, N 2nd, N. 6th, 31", N. 35", W. Gibson Streets and Santa Fe Trail. There was storm damage to the chemical room door and lightening knocked out the transducer and RTU control board at Manitou Water Tank. Attended Dam Safety workshop. Plans were submitted and bids solicited and opened for the sewer extension on Hillbilly Loop.

The Police Department reports 17 arrests, 60 reports, 7 accidents, 36 warrants served, 35

subpoenas served, 1 juvenile ticket, 7 City Ordinance warnings, 1 City Ordinance ticket, 83 traffic tickets, and 381 traffic warnings. The Ozark PD hosted. a Child Sexual Exploitation Class. The ATF SWAT, the State Police, the Fort Smith SWAT, the Sebastian County SWAT, the Franklin County Sheriff' s Office, and the Ozark Fire Department all used our training facility. Chief Bramlett reports that they are still trying to raise money for Shop with a Cop. They escorted 249 motorcycles with the American Legion through, the city. They blocked traffic for the Fair Parade and applied for a grant.

The Street Department reports they were busy with mowing, weed eating and brush hogging. There were several days of storm clean up. They also patched several potholes.

The Fire Department reports 67 calls. The new Dodge truck is in service, and they are working to get it set up. One new volunteer firefighter was added to the roster. There is a need to discuss what to do with the old Tahoe. One County Rural Fire Department has expressed interest in purchasing it for a First Responder vehicle.

The Community Center held a Back-to- School Bash on September 7th. Participating sponsors Webb City Baptist Church provided bounce houses and popsicles, FUMC provided popcorn, the OPD sold hot dogs, chips and drinks for Shop with a Cop. The Fire Department set up and sprayed water in the parking lot. The OCC provided a Foam Party. These activities were FREE to the public. The front window coverings are complete. They will be starting on the back windows (facing Hwy 64) next. We have one committed business for advertisement and are hoping to add more by the time they complete the back. The website is going great! It is set to go live on Friday, September 201h. Please let Brooke know if you have any questions about this or any suggestions to make sure it is on the new website. We have 3 new lifeguards certified. Five current guards were recertified and completed in- service training. We will be planning a few fall activities for October and possibly setting up a booth at Scare on the Square.

The. Fire& Police Committee reports discussion on the tanker currently on loan from the PV Fire Department. They are going to gift the vehicle to us with a nominal fee of
$1. 00. There is money in the Act 833 budget to cover the poly tank purchase.

The Policy& Personnel Committee reports discussion of the retirement plan. It is set to start January 1, 2025. All employees should have the necessary paperwork to make an informed choice.

Ordinance 2024- 12 was presented by the Planning Commission. A motion to read the Ordinance was made by Angela Harris and seconded by Argest Hyler. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and Mr. Barham read the Ordinance. A motion was made by Randy Melton to dispense with the 2nd& 3rd readings and proceed by title only. This was seconded by Angela Harris. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and Mr. Barham read the title twice. A motion to approve the Ordinance was made by Argest Hyler and seconded by Summer Miner. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and Ordinance 2024- 12 was approved. There is no emergency clause.

Mayor Hall presented Robert Chamberlain to be approved as a member of the Planning Commission replacing Tom Forrester who has resigned. A motion to approve was made by Randy Melton and seconded by Charlie Meeker. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and the motion passed.

New Business:

The Agreement Between the City of Ozark, Arkansas, and the Ozark Public School District# 14 for Use of a Recreational Softball Field was presented. A motion to approve the agreement was made by Argest Hyler and seconded by Angela Harris. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and the motion was approved.

Shelbey Beasley, Executive Director of Main Street Ozark presented a draft to establish an Entertainment District downtown. Council Member Randy Melton stated that he has had several calls concerning this proposal. There are at least 3 churches in the area. It will put an extra duty on the Police Department regarding drinking and possibly driving. He believes that the scope of the boundaries is too broad and needs to be tightened up and be more exact to be manageable. He asked if this was meant to be a full-time district and yes, it is— Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10: 00am until 10: 00pm. Mayor Hall stated that we need to get the information out to the people. Charlie Meeker suggested we initiate meetings with Main Street Ozark to handle the proposal and possibly a citizen survey.

Next was the Hillbilly Loop Sanitary Sewer Extension project. We received five bids. Hawkins Weir Engineers, Inc. reviewed the bids and recommended that the contract be awarded to M. Phillips Construction, Inc. of Magazine, Arkansas for a total contract price of$ 169,275.00. A motion was made by Randy Melton to approve this contract agreement and seconded by Argest Hyler. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and the motion passed.

The Lease Renewal with the Department of Community Correction on 200 S. 4th Street was postponed until-next meeting pending paperwork.

There was no Old Business

Public input: There were 6 local residents who attended the meeting to voice their concerns regarding the Entertainment District. These concerns included the presence of open containers around children and teenagers making the district neither child nor family friendly.

There were also concerns about extra trash on the streets and adding an extra burden on the Police Department. One citizen stated that Franklin County already has a high incidence regarding drugs and alcohol, so why add to the problem. The Co- Directors from the Miracle League also voiced concerns. They requested more in-depth research on the legal aspects for potential investors because of the Special Needs children and adults who will be present for games on Tuesdays and Thursday. Mayor Hall urged citizens to be civil to each other when discussing the proposal, no confrontations please.

Announcements: August 31St was the Back- to- School Bash and it was a great success! Thank you to Webb City Baptist Church, Police Department and the Fire Department for their participation. October 7- 12 is scheduled for our Fall Clean- Up week. The Community Center has begun work on the window coverings. Advertisers (sponsors) are needed.

A motion was made by Charlie Meeker to adjourn and seconded by Angela Harris. Upon a roll call vote, all Council Members voted aye and the meeting was adjourned.

Minutes for the Ozark City Council meeting held Monday, September 9th, 2024, were approved and passed this 141h day of October 2024.