OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE OXFORD MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING
REGULAR SESSION
MONDAY, June 1, 2020 – 7:00 PM
Via Teleconference
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT: | APPOINTED/STAFF PRESENT: |
David Eady – Mayor | Matt Pepper – City Manager |
George Holt – Councilmember | Marcia Brooks – City Clerk/Treasurer |
Jim Windham – Councilmember | Jody Reid – Utility Superintendent |
Jeff Wearing – Councilmember | Dave Harvey – Police Chief |
Avis Williams – Councilmember | David Strickland – City Attorney |
Lynn Bohanan – Councilmember | |
ELECTED OFFICIALS NOT PRESENT:Laura McCanless – Councilmember
OTHERS PRESENT: Rev. Johnetta Johnson, Mike Ready, Alice (LNU)
1. The meeting was called to order by the Hon. David Eady, Mayor.
2. The invocation was delivered by Rev. Johnetta Johnson (Rust Chapel United Methodist Church).
3. Pledge of Allegiance.
4. A motion was made by Jeff Wearing to accept the Agenda for June 1, 2020. Avis Williams seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously (6/0). (Attachment A)
5. A motion was made by Jeff Wearing to accept the Consent Agenda for June 1, 2020. Avis Williams seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously (6/0). (Attachment B)
6. Mayor’s Report
Mayor Eady thanked Rev. Johnson for joining the meeting to
deliver the invocation.
As discussed at the May 18th work session, opening City Hall
and the pavilion and playground equipment at Asbury Street Park will be
discussed at the June work session. Two
upcoming events will provide test runs for reopening: the Georgia Primary election on June 9th and
municipal court on June 18th.
7. Planning Commission Recommendations/Petitions
None
8. Citizen Concerns
None.
9. Personnel Recommendations for the FY2021 Budget
Staff is making some recommendations to restructure some personnel
classifications and associated pay structures.
These recommendations were discussed during the Executive Session on May
4, 2020. The changes are aligned with
the FY2021 budget and would become effective July 1, 2020.
George Holt made a motion to approve the personnel
recommendations for the FY2021 budget. Jim
Windham seconded the motion. The motion
carried unanimously (6/0).
10. Latham Home Sanitation, Inc. (Attachment C)
The provider of garbage and recycling pickup services for
the City of Oxford, Latham Home Sanitation, Inc., has requested a .$76 increase
per residential customer. Staff
recommends approval of the request effective with their contract renewal on
July 1, 2020.
Jeff Wearing made a motion to accept the $.76 price per
residential customer increase by Latham Home Sanitation, Inc. effective July 1,
2020. George Holt seconded the
motion. The motion carried unanimously
(6/0).
11. Operating Budget and Capital Budget for FY2021 (Attachment D)
The Operating Budget and Capital Budget for FY2021 have been
discussed during several Council work sessions.
A public hearing was held on May 18 to receive comments regarding the
proposed budgets. All comments have been
addressed. Staff recommends approval of
the budget resolution for the Operating Budget and Capital Budget for FY2021.
George Holt made a motion to approve the Operating Budget
and Capital Budget resolution for FY2021.
Jeff Wearing seconded the motion.
The motion carried unanimously for the Operating Budget (6/0). The motion carried for the Capital Budget
(5/1). Jim Windham voted nay for the
Capital Budget.
12. Change Order and Budget Amendment for Moore Street Sidewalk Repair (Attachment E)
During work on the Moore Street Sidewalk Project, it was
discovered that several large sections of an existing 24” steel storm drainpipe
have severely eroded. The sidewalk is to
be installed over this pipe. Staff
recommends replacement of 264 feet of 24” steel storm drainpipe with a
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe.
The total amount of the change order is $10,000. The revised total cost for the project
exceeds the approved budgeted amount.
Staff recommends approval of a budget amendment to authorize completion
of the project at the revised amount.
George Holt made a motion to approve the budget amendment to
authorize completion of the Moore Street Sidewalk Repair project at the revised
amount. Jim Windham seconded the
motion. The motion carried unanimously
(6/0).
13. 2nd Reading for Ordinance for Health Insurance (Attachment F)
The City of Oxford joined the health and life
insurance plan offered by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) in
April. A requirement of joining this
plan was to adopt an ordinance. The
first reading for the ordinance was the April regular session. Given the timeline to sign up employees for
the plan, it was necessary to sign the ordinance and return it to GMA
immediately after the meeting. The
ordinance is now presented for its second reading per City of Oxford
requirements. Once the ordinance is
approved it will be codified in the City of Oxford ordinances. Staff recommends acceptance of the ordinance
stating that the City of Oxford is joining the GMA’s health and life insurance
plan.
Jim Windham made a motion to accept the ordinance stating
that the City of Oxford is joining the GMA’s health and life insurance
plan. George Holt seconded the
motion. The motion carried unanimously
(6/0).
14. FY2020 Bad Debt Expense
Each fiscal year, the City of Oxford designates a portion of
its Operating Budget to be expensed due to uncollectible utility accounts. The FY2020 Operating Budget include $32,800
for bad debt expense, divided as follows:
$22,500 – Electric Fund; $6,000 – Water/Sewer; $4,300 – Sanitation. Staff has identified uncollectible utility
fees assessed totaling $31,982.33. Staff
recommends approving recognition of these uncollectible accounts as bad debt
expense for FY2020.
George Holt made a motion to approve recognition of the
identified uncollectible accounts as bad debt expense for FY2020. Jeff Wearing seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously (6/0).
15. Invoice Approval
George Holt commented that most of the purchases listed have
already been paid. He asked why they are
being presented for approval. He
acknowledged that some changes to the city’s financial policy to only address
diversions from the budget were discussed in 2014 but he does not know if those
changes ever passed. He will work with
Matt to review the financial policies and determine if any changes are still
needed.
Jim Windham asked what the status of the Moore Street
project is (percentage complete). Public
Utility Superintendent Jody Reid advised they are about 70% complete.
Mr. Windham asked if the vendor has indicated when he plans
to start on East Clark Street. Mayor
Eady stated that the East Clark Street project was put on hold due to budgetary
constraints, and the property was conveyed to the Downtown Development
Authority (DDA). Mr. Holt added that
this was discussed during the Capital Budget reviews.
Mr. Windham stated that the Council has approved $200,000
for the DDA in the FY2021 Capital Budget that they can spend immediately. Mayor Eady reiterated his and Mr. Holt’s
comments from the May 18th Council Work Session. Mr. Holt had stated that items are listed in
the Capital Budget as placeholders and remain there sometimes for several years
until there is funding to complete them.
Mayor Eady had stated that he does not expect the Whatcoat Street, East
Clark Street, and Yarbrough House projects to be completed during FY2021 due to
current economic conditions.
Mr. Windham expressed concern about legal exposure to the
city for delaying the project since it was condemned for transportation purposes. He requested that Mayor Eady discuss this
issue with City Attorney David Strickland.
Mr. Strickland stated that there would not be any further legal exposure
to the city because the matter is concluded.
For clarification, Lynn Bohanan asked if the property must be used for
the original intended use for which it was condemned. Mr. Strickland stated that the transportation
code was used for the condemnation, which does not require that the property be
used for the originally stated purpose.
Mayor Eady asked for confirmation from Mr.
Strickland that the condemned property and the city-owned property behind Orna
Villa were both conveyed to the DDA. Mr.
Strickland stated he believed that was true although he did not have the
paperwork in front of him. Mayor Eady
expressed that because the DDA owns the land, the project must be discussed
further with them, and the source of the money to fund the project must be
identified.
Jeff Wearing made a motion to approve the invoices over $1,000.00. George Holt seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously (6/0).
16. Executive Session
None
17. Jim Windham made a motion to adjourn Regular Session at 7:38 pm. Lynn Bohanan seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously (6/0).
Respectfully Submitted,
Marcia Brooks
City Clerk/Treasurer