In 30 seconds
- No votes were taken on the M2X landfill-gas proposal (a 50-year exclusive gas-rights deal: $50,000 signing bonus plus 10% of net revenue) or on the FY26 Airport Commission budget; both remain under review.
- Two bid waivers -- a $112,000 used bulldozer for the landfill and $14,000 in street repairs for Springdale, Old Little Rock Road, and Tulip Circle -- failed to get the four votes needed to suspend the rules; both were pushed to a special meeting set for Thursday, June 4 at 4:30 p.m., along with a landfill uniform bid waiver.
- Council approved, 4-0, $80,327.63 in water department invoices covering a fire hydrant repair, a service-truck refurbishment, plant aerator work, plumbing, and bypass-pump fuel.
- A council member's disclosure that the city had only $105,000 on hand before a recent payroll date drove a broader debate on financial transparency, staffing levels (96-97 employees, with calls to cut toward 80), and roughly 21-22 pending lawsuits or claims.
- Resident Sheila Smith raised ongoing citywide water leaks and asked about an $11 million loan; officials said the loan has not closed and cited a separate $2.5 million grant for waterline replacement with a one-year deadline to begin work.
- The council lost its quorum at 8:24 p.m.; the mayor declined to commit to closing a city park at night, offering extra police patrols instead.
Recap
Roll Call and Old Business
The clerk called the roll under Mayor Joseph Whitfield. Councilwoman Maxine Miller, Councilman Don Etherly, Councilman Adrian Messina, and Councilman Joe St. Columbia answered present; Councilwoman Monica Davis was absent. No draft of the previous minutes was ready, so the mayor pushed that approval to the next meeting.
M2X Methane-Gas Proposal
A presenter who identified himself as TJ McLaughlin proposed a non-binding partnership for M2X Energy, a landfill-gas company, to build and run a system converting the landfill's methane into a sellable product. In exchange for the landfill's gas rights, the city would get a $50,000 signing bonus and 10% of net revenue for the life of the deal. M2X's own cost is about $2.5 million, paid back through royalties; the city gets no share of revenue beyond the signing bonus until that amount is recovered, an estimated six to eight years. Landfill engineer Philip Fields said the landfill has roughly four to five years of permitted capacity left and will need to start a multi-year expansion permit regardless of this deal. City Attorney Andre Valley told the council the agreement would be a 50-year exclusive franchise and asked members to weigh state and city bidding rules before acting. No vote was taken; the council will review the term sheet further.
Landfill Bulldozer and Uniforms -- No Vote Tonight
Landfill Director Reginald Wilson, introduced by the mayor, asked to buy a used bulldozer, saying the purchase would come from landfill revenue, not the general fund, and pointing to a recent inspection that found no ADEQ violations. Fields said an incoming contract to accept up to 15,000 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil from Y Camp, at about $35 a ton, would help fund the equipment. He and Wilson tied the purchase to a 2023 consent administrative order triggered when the landfill had no working equipment, and to a state requirement for backup equipment. The proposed loan is $112,000: $2,715 a month over 48 months, or $2,236 a month over 60 months. The council did not have the four votes needed to suspend the rules and waive competitive bidding that night. A separate landfill uniform bid waiver, quoted at about $351.82 a month ($4,215.36 a year) under a 5-year contract, was also held. Both were set for a special meeting Thursday, June 4, at 4:30 p.m. A Water Department uniform bid waiver listed on the agenda was not addressed as its own item in this meeting.
Airport Budget and Waste Disposal Ordinance
The mayor said he had requested the Airport Commission's fiscal year 2026 budget and did not know when it was last approved by the council, adding that an auditor's advice prompted the request. No budget document was presented for a vote. On the waste disposal ordinance, the mayor said the draft, prepared by the city attorney, was modeled on ordinances from other Arkansas cities and would let residents set out bulk items like mattresses within limits. Attorney Valley said the city currently has no definition of what residents can put out for pickup, so it must collect nearly everything permitted under state law. Councilman St. Columbia said residents who pay sanitation fees but do not get pickup should get some form of rebate. Valley said a rebate would be legal only if applied uniformly to everyone, and cited legislative-audit pressure to reduce debt before committing new spending. No vote was taken on the ordinance; the council plans to revisit it, along with the rebate idea, at a later meeting.
Street Repairs Ordinance -- Also Held for Lack of Votes
The mayor opened an ordinance to waive competitive bidding for street repairs on Springdale, Old Little Rock Road, and Tulip Circle, quoted at $14,000 total. As with the dozer vote, the council lacked the four votes needed to suspend the rules that night. Councilman Etherly said he opposes any spending decision made without a full financial picture of the city, citing a payroll shortfall two weeks earlier when the clerk reported only $105,000 on hand before a pay date. The clerk confirmed the street fund's balance was $303,000, with about $50,000 to $60,000 coming in monthly. Etherly said that balance funds the entire street department, not just paving, and cautioned against treating it as money available for the ground. No vote was taken; the ordinance may be added to Thursday's agenda.
Water Invoices Approved, $80,327.63
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose presented several water department invoices. A hydrant on a 6-inch or larger line, believed hit by a vehicle roughly a month earlier, separated from the main after Memorial Day, requiring a hot valve insertion and risking a drain of the entire West Helena system. Rose said 18 damaged hydrants had previously been counted, but the actual number is about double that; a DRRA grant-funded line-replacement project will address hydrants in phases. A Red River Ford quote of $16,881.54 would refurbish a 2017 single-cab service truck, which Rose said is cheaper than a used truck (about $20,000) or a new one ($30,000 to $40,000). Rose linked ongoing brown-water complaints partly to filtration and aerator problems at the West Helena plant, saying temporary chlorine increases and filter adjustments have already reduced the issue while a full aerator refurbishment is planned. A $12,795.69 Zylm invoice covers diesel for bypass pumps; Rose said a $75,000 DRA grant will fund removing two more of the city's five bypass pumps within 60 to 90 days. The full package -- hydrant repair, the truck, aerator work, a Quattlebaum plumbing invoice, and the Zylm fuel invoice -- totaled $80,327.63 and passed 4-0 on a roll call including Councilwoman Miller, Councilman Etherly, a third council member, and Mayor Whitfield.
Payroll, Staffing and City Finances
Etherly said the city recently had only $105,000 on hand ahead of a payroll date and asked for documentation before approving new spending. He said water is the only city department that is self-sustaining; every other department draws on the general fund. The city clerk said the current payroll count is 96 or 97 employees, down from about 120 at the time of a prior legislative audit. Councilman Messina repeated a call to get staffing under 80, citing state guidance; the mayor called a flat 80-employee target arbitrary given the city still has to operate. Attorney Valley said the city's active lawsuit count had dropped from about 26 to 21, with a possible 22nd claim received that day.
Resident Sheila Smith's Water Concern
Resident Sheila Smith told the council she sees water leaks on nearly every street, said the erosion is undermining roads and housing, and asked why an $11 million loan has not produced visible repair work. Attorney Valley said the city has not yet closed on that Arkansas Natural Resources Commission loan; the state must first approve the engineer's repair plan, and funds would be released in stages as work is completed, not as a lump sum. He also cited a water-rate study finding that at one point about 80% of the water the city produced was being lost to the ground. The mayor said the city separately has a $2.5 million Delta Regional Authority grant for waterline replacement, with work required to begin within the next year. Staff said a public water-department meeting for residents is planned within about two weeks to explain water rates and ongoing repairs.
Closing Business and Adjournment
Councilman St. Columbia said he has not seen a code enforcement officer report to the council in about two months and asked about their training. The mayor said he had spoken with the police chief about certifying code officers part-time through the police department without adding new positions. Attorney Valley clarified that code officers can file affidavits alleging violations but cannot issue citations, which require state law-enforcement certification. Valley noted the council lost its quorum at 8:24 p.m., meaning no further official business could be conducted. A council member asked the mayor to close a city park, referred to as Battery C, at night due to complaints; the mayor said the city does not close public parks after hours but has requested extra police patrols in some areas. The meeting was then adjourned.
The documents
Everything the council had in front of it, summarized. Page stamps open that page in the document desk.
Meeting Packet Cover Sheet
Cover page for the June 2, 2026 Helena-West Helena City Council meeting packet. Shows the city seal and the date.
Solid Waste and Bulky Waste Disposal Ordinance (draft)
Draft ordinance to set up a comprehensive system for garbage, bulky waste, yard waste, curbside collection, and landfill disposal in Helena-West Helena. It defines waste categories, sets collection rules, bans contractor and construction debris from residential pickup, and gives the City authority to abate nuisances and bill responsible parties for cleanup costs. Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately; the ordinance carries an emergency clause taking effect immediately upon passage. Unsigned draft with blank signature lines for Mayor Joseph Whitfield and City Clerk Sandi Ramsey.
| Maximum fine per violation | $500.00 | |
| Bulky waste collections per residence per year | 2, each up to 8 cubic yards | |
| Mattress/box spring limit per residence per year | 4 | |
| Limb/brush size limit for curbside pickup | 12 ft length or 10 in diameter |
Bell Construction Valves LLC Invoice - Hydrant Replacement
Invoice #03799 dated May 28, 2026, billed to West Helena Water for hydrant work: reattaching a hydrant with valve insertion at Mooney and Hawkins, replacing a wood hydrant on N 1st, and replacing a flushing hydrant at the water tower. Total due is $23,100.00, payable immediately to Bell Construction Valves LLC.
| Invoice total | $23,100.00 | |
| Reattach hydrant, valve insertion (Mooney and Hawkins) | $10,700.00 | |
| Replace RD wood hydrant on N 1st | $9,200.00 | |
| Replace flushing hydrant at water tower | $3,200.00 |
Red River Ford/Toyota Quote - Service Truck Refurbishing
Quote #10654, dated June 2, 2026, from Red River Ford/Toyota (Wynne, AR) to Helena Water Works for refurbishing a single-cab service truck (VIN 1FTMF1CM4EKD33608). Parts and 30 hours of labor bring the total to $16,081.54, including shop supplies and sales tax. The next packet page is blank.
| Quote total | $16,081.54 | |
| Parts and labor subtotal | $9,938.05 | |
| Shop supplies | $600.00 | |
| Sales tax | $1,043.49 | |
| Labor | 30 hours at $150.00/hr = $4,500.00 |
Kurita/Tonkawater Sales Quote - West Helena Plant Aerator Parts
Sales Quote #SLSQ119104, dated May 14, 2026 and expiring June 13, 2026, from Kurita America Inc. to West Helena Water Works for aerator repair parts, including spray nozzles, PVC pipe, bolt stacks, a Baldor motor, and a fan blade. Quoted total is $21,950.40.
| Quote total | $21,950.40 | |
| Baldor Motor SPM3554 | $1,634.00 | |
| Fan blade, 27 in, 6 blades | $804.00 | |
| PVC pipe (510 each) | $10,710.00 |
Quattlebaum Plumbing Company Invoice
Invoice #3609, dated May 29, 2026, billed to the City of Helena-West Helena for plumbing crew labor over the pay period May 18-21, 2026 (21 hours) plus miscellaneous repair parts. Total due is $6,400.00, due on receipt.
| Invoice total | $6,400.00 | |
| Crew #1 labor (21 hours) | $6,300.00 | |
| Miscellaneous parts | $100.00 |
Xylem Invoice - Fuel Charges
Invoice #401497190, dated May 22, 2026, from Xylem Dewatering Solutions to Helena Municipal Water for a series of fuel charges shipped under contract #243011800. Total invoice amount is $12,795.69, combining $11,793.26 in miscellaneous charges and $1,002.43 in taxes, net 60 terms.
| Total invoice | $12,795.69 | |
| Miscellaneous charges (fuel) | $11,793.26 | |
| Taxes | $1,002.43 |
Transcript
Auto-generated from the meeting video's captions and lightly cleaned for readability — wording is kept as spoken, not corrected, except that caption-garbled names of city officials are normalized against the roster. Speaker names follow the attribution work in our governance record; a ° marks a name our reviewers have not yet verified. Every timestamp plays the city's video from that moment. Watch the full meeting ↗
2:41
Unidentified Testing. Testing. One, two. One, two.
11:15
Unidentified Recording in progress.
12:12
All present Our Father, who are in heaven, be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
13:07
Roll call Roll call (attendance) — present: Maxine Miller, Dr. Kyle Miller, Adrian Messina, Joe St. Columbia, Don Etherly. Absent: Monica Davis.
13:26
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Thank you, madam clerk. So we do have a quorum and we'll go ahead and get started this um evening. We do not have a proposal or not proposal but a presentation for the minutes yet. So we will push those minutes approvals to the next meeting. Um and that will take us directly into our new business for the day. We will start with M2X proposal. Um this is a proposal to set up and operate a temporary methane station at the landfill. So we have a representative with us. Um feel free to come up to the U mic and he will give us um a review an overview of uh this proposal.
14:02
Unidentified Great. Good evening. Good evening. Can everyone hear me?
14:06
TJ McLaughlin Thank you for having me. I'm TJ McLaughlin. I'm here on behalf of Ben Energy in the landfill tonight. Tonight in front of you, you will see a non-binding term agreement as well as some information on M2X Energy. We are a startup company that partners with landfills throughout the country generating their landfill gas into a sellable product. So, what I'm proposing tonight and what M2X Energy is proposing tonight is a long-term partnership with the city of Helena, West Helena, so that we can convert the the landfill gas into a sellable project or sellable product or the the landfill can create more revenue. So, what you have in front of you that that non-binding term sheet outline,
14:50
Unidentified I'm sorry, TJ, I just want to expl This is the red folder. So, if you're looking for the materials, this is your red folder. This is what I go ahead. Gotcha. No, sorry about that.
14:58
TJ McLaughlin° Uh, it it outlines that M2X Energy will fully fund the project. Our business model is that we build, own, and operate our systems. Along with that, that that same setup, we we convert that landfill gas into a sellable product. So, in in return for the gas rights to the landfill, the city will receive a $50,000 signing bonus for the gas rights as well as 10% of the net revenue in the project for the duration of the term. If if anybody on the council has any questions, I'm happy to provide it. I I think the the proposal and the presentation give more information on who we are.
15:37
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Thank you. Are there any questions for the represent? And I think it's good to know that um as uh TJ mentions this is an opportunity for the land meal for the landfield to step up its operations and produce um this methane for production and uh selling. Uh the setup of this particular type of operation is modular. So it would not necessarily need to be a permanent fixture in the landfill. it would be present for the duration of the time that we have a partnership with M2X and um it would increase the revenue that the landfill is able to um pull in. Um so just wanted to kind of add some context around this wouldn't be the establishment of a new building or um a new a new uh permanent structure. It's actually pretty flexible and I think that's one of the things that makes this a potential for a good uh partnership. Do you think you could get a little bit more information? Um, I haven't seen so I'm really not sure.
17:04
TJ McLaughlin° Sure. So, currently at the the regional landfill, there is no pipeline or anything like that. There's no project when it comes to the landfill gas that that is currently being emitted into the atmosphere. But what we will do is implement a wellfield and a GCCS or a gas control and condition system which then will divert the gas into our systems and we can create a sellable product and from there our company has an offtake partner where we will sell that product. Currently it is methanol [clears throat] but we'd like to to leave the idea that we are a flexible company. We'll have opportunities to sell RNG in the future as well. So any sellable product that we will have, we will then kick back a royalty to the to the city and we we will fully fund the project. All we ask is the the gas rights agreement in return.
17:55
Unidentified Uh it's the the landfill gas rights. So for for example, the the city currently owns the landfill and and all the gas that comes off of it. So we would ask for the rights to that that gas that comes off the the landfill. And for added context, the gas um TJ, correct me if I'm wrong, but the gas that the landfill produces is from the breaking down of the trash that sits in the landfill over over years. And this is um gas that otherwise would have no use. We don't use it. It's not something that we go and extract ourselves for any operation or any process. It's a very natural process and it presents um being that we have a landfill, this presents us with an opportunity to essentially sell that and that would net the landfill um that increased revenue that that TJ's mentioning.
18:49
Unidentified That's correct. I've heard a little bit about this online and so it's really interesting just never I didn't know that we would ever see that
19:09
TJ McLaughlin° typically these projects happen at larger landfills but with our mobile modular systems we're able to take advantage of smaller landfills that have less flow we can still make them profitable for both the city and ourselves How long?
19:25
TJ McLaughlin° Me personally, I've been with the company for about a year, but M2X Energy is about 5 years old. started in 2020 right around.
19:36
Unidentified So what are what do we
19:39
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° So so this proposal is a potential for us to enter that agreement that would approve a partnership with M2X um upon deliberation and consideration um around the processes that they are seeking the rights to again which is just the gas that naturally is produced in the landfill. we don't use it. Um the setup of the operation itself is pretty much a modular building um in in scale. So potentially you're looking at a trailer um sized uh setup that would extract this gas for for the revenue that the landfill would get. Um
20:18
Unidentified what we would
20:18
Unidentified personel what sort of personnel are we looking at to help do this?
20:23
TJ McLaughlin° I want to say three people if I'm Yes. So we we would have two operators on site at all times. So just and in the beginning when we commissioning the project, we'd have a much larger team there to help support. We also have a I'd like to mention the there's a network operating system that we have that allows us to remotely track how the systems are doing and do maintenance ahead of time. So, so it'll give us kind of a predicted model of when things will need to be removed. And if a system, for example, does go down, we have a manufacturing facility in Florida that has extra systems where we can pull that out and then bring another system online so that it continuously runs. What if any would be a um I don't want to say a negative. What if anything would be a negative for us?
21:19
TJ McLaughlin° I think the way the the contract is set up, the only negative would be the cost initially,
21:25
TJ McLaughlin° but I think what what we can provide for funding initially will allow the city to to not have to worry about it. We also pride ourselves on not having to burden the landfill team. So they all the day-to-day operations would not change. We would try our best to stay away from everyone. So there there really is no negative. It's for this initial non-binding agreement. It's just the first step in the process. But for for the city specifically, that $50,000 award is just kind of a a long-term show that we we're interested in being partners for the long haul.
21:58
Unidentified What is the I'm sorry. What is the startup? What would be the cost to the city initially on that?
22:05
TJ McLaughlin° So there there is no initial cost to the city. However, this is the non-binding term sheet, but if we were to take the next step forward, it would be a gas right gas rights agreement, which which um would be after signing that with the city, you would receive a $50,000 signing bonus as a show of our gratitude for the city. And then from there, as part of the contract, it states that we will give the city 10% of all net revenue that comes from the project till the duration of the term.
22:36
Unidentified In in that same vein of questioning, um, and this I'm sure this would do some good to provide clarity. So, the amount that the city I guess it would be projected to make from this is based on the amount of gas that's projected to be produced over a certain time, right? Yes.
22:54
Unidentified Is have you all um in that figure calculated the percentage of maybe give or take how much gas will be produced because I know like if it's less gas that means less revenue. If it's more gas more revenue potentially. So
23:07
TJ McLaughlin° so we have projections uh we when we revisited the site back in March we we had some projections on based on what we expect it to be. However, personally I don't believe that those projections are 100% accurate. So we wouldn't really know the figures that you would be receiving on a quarterly basis until that wellfield and that that system is in place. So we're currently we're seeing around 400 to 500 SCFM and and the landfill will continue to grow for the next few years.
23:32
Unidentified Yeah.
23:34
Unidentified Is what?
23:35
TJ McLaughlin° It's a standard cubic feet per minute. It's a it's a it's a measurement for the gas that will come out of the the landfill. Mr.
23:45
TJ McLaughlin° Will you be employing local people to work out there? Uh how many will you employ locally? Our intention is to to work with the community to hire people with within it. We view ourselves as a partner for the city. At our first project in Effingham, Illinois, we were able to hire two people in that community to to work as operators. So we'd be very willing to do that uh when the time comes. And that's that's also dependent on the size of the project. So this this project may may need two to four depending on you know the sizing and how how it develops.
24:25
Unidentified Explain to me what pro what are you going to use for products to generate your gas?
24:31
TJ McLaughlin° Can you repeat that? I'm sorry.
24:33
TJ McLaughlin° Yeah. What are you going to use? What products are you going to use that we have to generate the gas that you need? So the gas is is already being produced by the landfill. Uh it's just not being captured. So the everything that all the trash and everything that's being that is is aggregated within the landfill decomposes naturally and emits into the atmosphere. You just you can't see it. So the what what the system that we would input into the landfill is a well field and it captures that gas. It kind of like sucks it out of the ground. And then from there, we would reroute the gas into our systems to generate methanol, which is we can use as a maritime fuel.
25:11
Unidentified So all the garbage that's going out in landfill,
25:16
Unidentified you're going to take that and you going to convert it into gas?
25:19
TJ McLaughlin° No, sir.
25:20
Unidentified No.
25:21
TJ McLaughlin° Anything that's dying, decomposes, releases methane gas.
25:26
Unidentified All right. That's that's where you going to get that from.
25:29
TJ McLaughlin° Yes. So the the the methane u so the the landfill gas is composed of of methane, CO2, nitrogen, a few other things. So that that just h that process happens naturally. Where M2X can come in is is we help capture that gas that's just being emitted into the atmosphere. So it's already there. We would just kind of aggregate all that gas together to use it for a beneficial use.
25:55
Unidentified I got it. Is it Hot Springs that's the closest here in Arkansas that has something like that? It's a city somewhere. I thought it was Hot Springs, but I'm not sure.
26:07
TJ McLaughlin° I'm not familiar with Hot Springs, but the these projects are fairly common throughout the US depending on the size of the landfill and a lot of the larger commercial like Waste Management or Republic Services, they they do these projects quite frequently.
26:22
Unidentified Sounds good. I have a couple questions. Um, I'm looking at your term sheet
26:28
Unidentified and I'm just repeating this so for everybody's understanding. Actually, I think I understand it.
26:33
Unidentified Um, our cost is really 2.5 million,
26:37
Unidentified but it comes out of the royalties, right?
26:39
TJ McLaughlin° Yes.
26:40
Unidentified And we don't receive any royalties until the 2.5 million is paid.
26:43
TJ McLaughlin° Yes.
26:43
Unidentified So, what we get is $50,000. And then so in order for us to know how long it's going to take before we actually receive revenue, we would need some estimate as to how much your sales are going to be.
26:56
TJ McLaughlin° Mhm.
26:56
Unidentified And you don't feel comfortable with the number right now?
26:59
TJ McLaughlin° Well, I I can I can get that number for you guys. I I don't have the I don't I don't believe it's provided in the the presentation or anything of that nature,
27:08
TJ McLaughlin° but uh we I can give a rough estimate of where we would be for that. We we would expect it to take around six to eight years probably to to pay back the total wealth field. I I'm not fully confident of that number because the the wealth field is not in place. However, that's that's typically how long that number would go.
27:24
Unidentified And one followup, what what other cities are you servicing?
27:28
TJ McLaughlin° So our our first project is in Effingham, Illinois. That that project is with a corporate partner and we have two we have a few other landfills that are in development. One is in Richwoods, Missouri, and there are a few other in Texas. But we also have partnerships with or potential partnerships with bio uh anorobic digesttors which also emit bio gas which is very similar to landfill gas and it has similar properties. So that that project in Epingham Illinois is currently being commissioned there. There are a few of our systems there and the site in Richwoods Missouri is currently also being developed but that is at an earlier stage in the process. One of the things that they're doing in this uh for us to consider is they're doing something that eventually the city is going to have to be required to do. And I think Mr. Fields can explain that better than I can. When methane gas gets to a particular level, the city's required not only to collect it and remove it. Uh but the larger the landfill, the more uh waste that you bring in, the more it's going to decompose and the more it's going to produce the B byproduct, which is methane gas. As I said earlier to Mr. Messina, anything that's that's that's dying, when you eat food every day, when it decomposes, it produces methane gas. You know, it's flatulence is very similar to what is being produced out there. Uh but the issue is at some point under the regulatory scheme the landfill has to put in infrastructure to begin to collect methane gas because the larger the gas mass is the more risk there could be and uh the city would have to start collecting the gas to remove it to prevent u some natural disaster. But I would if mayor if I may have some I think Mr. Fields can address that issue as the city's landfield engineer.
29:18
Philip Fields Hello. Uh my name is Philip Fields. I'm with Fields and Associates. My company does the landfield consulting services and engineering and geology. But uh what Mr. Ber just explained is correct. What we're currently looking at is expanding the landfill further. So, we're going to increase the volume out there, which is going to probably fade us into this uh position where we're going to have to construct a, you know, landfill gas collection system in the near future. So, by doing this, we can, you know, cut the cost off the front end, get this expansion done, continue the landfill going forward. I believe underneath the last uh annual engineering inspection report, we had about four to five years remaining, maybe eight years of remaining life on the landfill. So, we're at a point where we need to expand it, get additional volume, and by doing so, we're going to, of course, throw us into those uh possible regulations of having to construct that system. So, there is a distinct advantage of having uh this company come in to do that, and at least uh cut some of that cost and we can keep going forward with the landfill.
30:25
City Attorney Andre Valley° Mr. Phil, would you clarify one thing? You said four to five years of life.
30:29
Philip Fields° You mean permitted life,
30:30
Philip Fields° right? Permitted life. So it's about maybe 5 to 8 years maximum and um you know with currently with the regulatory environment you know it's going to take us at least that long uh you know at least four years maybe five years to get that permit expanded. So we're we're currently starting that process probably in the next month and um and by having this in place it really you know helps out on the perenning process.
30:59
City Attorney Andre Valley° For the sake of the listening audience, the city has one of the largest landfields in the in the state. Uh the issue is uh we can only permit per regulations and only a portion permit it per time that we do landfill expansion. And so currently under the current design we have approximately four to five years left and then we have to go through a permit to expand and that's what I was trying to make sure we clear that the the landfill has much more aged in four or five years since we have to go through a permitting process.
31:31
Philip Fields° Right. Yeah. We've got ample space to expand it. We just have to get it underneath the permit and get that volume u approved by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Thank you, Mr. Fields.
31:48
Unidentified Thank you.
31:54
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Um I just want to add unless there are any questions or it's not assuming that we're done with questions, but um I definitely think that the the model for this agreement would be a deferred incentive. Um we would not see the bulk of the these funds right away, but I do think that that's okay. um this is a natural resource that we're not capitalizing off of right now. So even withhold even the withholding of the royalties um I definitely just want to make sure that um we think about it from a deferred incentive that it's money that the city would eventually benefit from from entering this agreement um that would surpass that withheld royalty. Are there any other questions or comments discussion for uh Mr. TJ?
32:47
Unidentified When will this go into effect?
32:49
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° How could you talk about how soon you all whenever we enter an agreement the timeline for how long that would take for you all to set up and mobilize?
32:57
Unidentified We we would like to start as soon as we can once the agreement is signed, but I think an accurate estimation would be probably 12 to 18 months just to to develop the wellfield. And then we also have to to deal with some permitting like was mentioned and there's some things that are out of our control but we like to get the the site as quick as possible.
33:17
Unidentified Thank you.
33:18
Unidentified Thank you. Thank you all.
33:20
Unidentified Thank thank you.
33:23
City Attorney Andre Valley° Uh one of the question for the city council is uh you still it's above the you're given exclusive franchise. is both state regulations as well as city regulations as to uh bidding and so you will have to consider that this is a 50-year uh agreement. Most franchises when they're making this a significant investment want significant time uh because of the initial investment and those are things for you all to to consider. Um this is akin to your utilities where you previously did investments you gave infrastructure to entitle the last time you did the franchise and also uh we've done one to ara which is now summit um years ago but they for the investing in infrastructure they've won a long-term agreement but those are things for you all to consider. Thank you, attorney. Is there any more discussion while we have a representative here? Any more questions? If not, um so what we will do is make sure that this gets uh adequate time for review for um our city council members and we will hold a vote. Um but we definitely thank you for um our for your uh for being here today and your presentation. Thank you.
34:50
Unidentified Thank you all. appreciate the time.
34:52
Unidentified Thank you.
34:57
Unidentified Moving on to our next order of business. Um item number two, this is we have a couple proposals from the landfield. U Mr. Reginald Wilson is here. This is also in the red folder as well. If you flip to page, excuse me, this is halfway through your packet, but this is a proposal for um equipment cost. I'll yield to Mr. Wilson. This is a proposal that we have in here for a uh 716 dozer. It's a used dozer. Uh let me say this first. Uh we are not trying to put nothing on the general fund. This dozer will be paid for through the lay and fields revenue. We are not trying to put any more debt on this city. All of this will be paid for by landfield revenue. I put a copy of our last inspection in that folder and that last inspection states that we had no violations between ADQ. We are meeting and talking to folks every other day trying to get our road built out there. We have done a lot of things out there with uh our landfield foreman, Mr. Bruce Simpson. He's here. He's been working diligently out there and he is the reason why we have these zero violations in this inspection. So, uh, how the landfield fund is going to pay for this dozer. I would bring Mr. Fields up here to give some updates of current projects that we have going on now that's going to pay for this.
37:21
Philip Fields Yeah. in uh starting in August, we've got a uh possible project coming up with more than likely with a petroleum contaminated soils from Y Camp. And uh I've been working with a consulting firm that's involved on this project. It could be upwards of 15,000 tons of soil that'll come into the landfill and we're looking at about $35 per ton for that soil. So it's just basically they bring it in, place it, and it's revenue for the landfill. The advantage of having this dozer at this point in time would be when that soil comes in, we don't tie up another piece of landfill equipment. We can get it, you know, laid down, put in place. Then also too, we have the benefit of this type of dozer to do road work, which keeps us in compliance with the regulations. So, it's u pretty much a win-win on all sides of this with this revenue coming in with this project, the use of that dozer, keeping everything in compliance. It just keeps moving the landfill forward. You know, Bruce has done an exceptional job out there. I just did an inspection and so, you know, just giving him the tools to work with, uh, you know, just makes his job a lot easier and just keeps everything where we need to be and keep this, you know, keep from going backwards where where we were about three or four years ago where we were underneath the consent order and having all those issues.
38:44
City Attorney Andre Valley° Mr. Phil, since you mentioned that, will you go through the significant strides the landfill has made in 2023? There was no equipment. It was in terrible shape
38:54
City Attorney Andre Valley° and we as a city were placed on a consent administrative order. We're nearing the end of that consent administrative order and all the equipment all the equipment that's being purchased and the regulation 22 that [clears throat] requires the city not only have equipment but also backup equipment. Can you explain that please?
39:11
Unidentified Yes. Yeah. Yeah. In 2023 we're basically down to no equipment. I mean the landfill was in very poor shape. There's very little uh cover placed over the landfill uh waste. You know, there was issues with storm water controls, the issues with the roads. They placed waste off of the lined area. I mean, there was just multiple violations that occurred at that time which prompted the state to step in step in and do the consent administrative order, identify these items that need to be addressed. Part of my uh inspection today was to go out and verify that all those terms of that order had been met and they have. And it was through this, you know, this hard work of everybody on this team to, you know, get that equipment in place with Reggie Bruce out there, you know, working diligently to correct those violations. And now here we are two two or three years later, we see the fruits of that effort. And uh so it's you know that landfill is a a major asset for this city. Without it, you know, as it is, you know, we'd be in a lot worse financial shape than any, you know, having to haul the trash to say Tuna or Kitten County or some place like that. So it's imperative just to keep moving forward and keep it in compliance and, you know, make sure we don't run into these issues again. All right. So, in meeting with ADAQ when we met as you as you talk about this this equipment, uh, Chief, I'm sorry, it's happy I call you Chief Wilson. [laughter]
40:51
Unidentified Yeah. Go ahead. Uh, the, uh, one of the things that they were very concerned about was us not only having adequate equipment as in beginning 2023, we didn't have any,
41:00
Unidentified but also to have backup equipment. Is that part of your
41:04
Unidentified reason for asking for this?
41:06
Unidentified Exactly. Exactly.
41:10
Unidentified So the tonnage that you were describing the 15,000 tons would that uh make the which which contract are you asking for? You're asking for the city. We would have to wave competitive bidding but which contract would are we discussing the the term term you had two different terms in here.
41:24
Unidentified The terms already
41:26
Unidentified no length of terms which one would you request?
41:28
Unidentified Uh let me look at it. Uh, I guess we would go with the 60 months since you since you requested to pay for it from landfield funds. Uh, you said we can go with it. Can this can the landfield support the the 48 months?
41:58
Unidentified I think it was. Yeah, I was going to say 48. I think
42:02
Unidentified yes, we can support the 48 months. with the additional revenue that was that's going to be coming to the landfield what Mr. Fields was talking about, we probably would be able to pay for that dozer in full within probably 4 months.
42:27
Unidentified Say it again.
42:28
Unidentified We will be four months.
42:30
Unidentified Four months. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Four months.
42:39
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° I don't I don't have a lot of discussion or questions about this myself. I don't want to make that mean that you shouldn't either. Um [clears throat] the landfill spun is um it it's healthy. And I think that the letter about um the letter from Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the consent order and the developments that have happened at the landfill have all proven and shown that the landfield is headed in the right direction and they're going um they're going that way because of great leadership and I've uh had time to tell that to Mr. Wilson. I do believe in being in compliance where we're supposed to be. And so [clears throat] the landfield does have uh the necessary funds to cover not only this piece of equipment, but the um the shorter term, which is the 48-month term. Um I'm in support of this use of equipment for the increased [clears throat] capacity. And so um I'll leave it to the floor for extra questions or discussion around
43:39
Unidentified Yes. This should be equipment that we need to keep in reserve. How much would that cost?
43:44
Unidentified Is it is in your packet there, M? Where in the packet?
43:47
Unidentified If you you have to turn about
43:49
Unidentified on the Lee Bear.
43:51
Unidentified You're about four pages away, Mr. Messina. So, if you turn in your red packet about four to five pages, you'll see at the bottom.
43:58
Unidentified We didn't have this tonight. So, yes.
44:03
Unidentified Yes.
44:05
Unidentified Yes, ma'am. for the sake of listening audience. Uh
44:16
Unidentified what we're looking at is a 48 month loan.
44:21
City Attorney Andre Valley The loan amount is $112,000. To pay it in 48 months would be $2,715. 60 months be $2,236.
44:32
Unidentified Doesn't take a whole lot to know.
44:33
Unidentified Director Wilson believes it can be paid for in four months.
44:36
Unidentified Let's see. 48 months long. We just received it this evening. So, if you all desire to approve it, I'd have to bring the ordinance back to the next city council meeting. The ordinance is already done to wave competitive bid. Miss Simpson did that already.
45:09
Unidentified Yes.
45:13
Unidentified Thank you. Is there any That's for the streets. That one's for the streets. She did it. She told me she had did it.
45:50
Unidentified That's something. Is that what you're looking for?
45:53
Unidentified Yeah.
45:58
Unidentified Well, Mr.
46:00
Unidentified Just a 21,000. While attorney's reviewing the um possible drafted ordinance, is there any discussion or extra other questions?
46:12
Unidentified That was probably for the uniforms.
46:15
Unidentified That's the uniforms. I don't see the uniform.
46:19
Unidentified Hold on. M I don't know if you're looking for in your packet. I think um it was shared from from the office directly to the staff. Uh I think that's what we're trying to confirm right now. Yeah.
46:54
Unidentified Yeah. Are are you able to um stay tight for a a moment while we've make sure that we have the ordinance? Are you able to stay tight?
47:08
Unidentified Is that the 112,000 you're looking for?
47:11
Unidentified Yes. Yes.
47:11
Unidentified Okay. That's just
47:13
Unidentified Okay.
47:14
Unidentified Thank you.
47:16
Unidentified Thank you. Thank you, Ma'am.
47:22
Unidentified Yes. This is this is precise ordinance. Yes, sir. This ordinance wave and compares the bill in the amount of $112,000. And I I take back what I said. I have one question. Could you just explain to the body why particular in particular this um this invoice over other potential options? So what why this invoice over other potential options in terms of just the um
47:51
Unidentified where this [clears throat] is it's the We're trying to save money just like everybody else. It's a used dozer. That dozer was brought down to us to use. We had a uh mechanical failure in our big dozer that that particular company brought a dozer down for us to use while other dozer was inoperable. So our foreman, Mr. Simpson, liked the dozer. He said it was good and powerful. So, and it has very low hours on it. So, that's why we decided to go with that dozer.
48:34
Unidentified Thank Thank you, Mr. Wilson.
48:36
Unidentified If I may do, Chief, I mean, yes,
48:39
Unidentified Director Wilson.
48:40
Unidentified Yes, sir.
48:41
Unidentified Uh, one of the issues that we formally had too is we didn't have sufficient landfill equipment dozers.
48:46
Unidentified Exactly.
48:47
Unidentified And this is a this is a landfill specific type of dozer. helmet,
48:52
City Attorney Andre Valley° right? We have to have a backup equipment under the is Arkansas code now. Instead of regulations, it's a Arkansas code for sake of the council. Listen on it. Prior to 2023, the city had regular bulldozers out there and they couldn't do the job and we were required to get heavy duty equipment and that's part of the reason why we need this type of bulldozer. Right.
49:26
Unidentified Exactly. There's an ordinance here if you desire to there's an ordinance here. If you desire to uh place this ordinance on it third and final reading reading the title owner suspending the rules uh then you may do so if you want to adopt this. Matter of fact, what ordinance number is this?
49:47
Unidentified 10. This order number 10, 2026, if you so desire seem like there might be a lot of discussion.
50:06
Unidentified Why are you looking at me? [laughter]
50:09
Unidentified I was looking at you.
50:11
Unidentified Because you know my level of discomfort on financial matters. Right. Just
50:15
Unidentified uh one of the things we keep getting notes for all of us
50:18
Unidentified for all of us. We're not speaking into the mics so we're not projecting and people not hearing us. So I would say for all of us speaking to the mics.
50:27
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) I I understand the need for the equipment at the landfill. I think all of these anything that involves money we should have a larger discussion about our current financial situation. So, it should all fit under the umbrella of where are we now and where are we going? And I I I say this because two weeks ago, the clerk on the Tuesday before Friday said we had $105,000 and that was on a payweek and that wasn't enough to make payroll at that moment in time. And so [clears throat] I I I have a level of discomfort without actually I hear everybody saying we got it, we got it, we got it. Can we have something that shows it? Some some documentation
51:16
Mayor Joseph Whitfield if it's uh appealing to the rest of the body. Uh Madam Clerk, would you um share landfill um stat landfill account status with the body and that can be something that we could send out? We can send that out. Um I do agree uh with Councilman Nephily that being prudent in financial purchases is the best way to go and right now that's the only way um we need to be going. Um but as Director Wilson said at the top of this presentation um this would not be coming out of um general funds. And so that's part of the um precedent I want to make sure we continue to set that certain funds are used for exactly what they're supposed to be for. um if the funds are for landfill and landfield needs equipment um that's the fund we should be looking at and I want to make sure that that's the fund that can support this while simultaneously making sure that we are still um being prudent with our our general uh budget. But we will get a presentation or a handout from account summary from the landfield so that we can all have a look at that. And um it's my hope that everyone's in support of seeing that the landfield can take on this piece of equipment. From a practical standpoint, uh Director Wilson, how long are they giving you are they holding equipment? How long to give the city to make decision on this?
52:46
Unidentified Not long. Not long.
52:54
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3)° Look, I don't I don't mind having a special meeting if necessary, but and I understand the premise that you that you're speaking going forward on, but the reality is the only department that's self- sustaining in this city right now is water. Everybody else depends on general funds for something or another. every single one of them. And so anything that if we overstep in any department, it's going to be another drag on the general fund. So
53:24
Unidentified well, I'm not asking the general fund for a penny.
53:28
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3)° Well, well, you're not. But the landfield, at least last time I understood, was not self- sustaining.
53:37
Unidentified Okay. And if it's not self- sustaining, you may not be taking money from the general fund, but to the extent that the landfield, I mean, the general fund contributes to something that happens at the landfield.
53:49
Unidentified Money becomes money.
53:50
Unidentified Well, the general fund pays all I mean the landfill account pays all the bills for the landfield. So, I don't know of any other entity, the general fund that's paying any bills for the landfill.
54:05
Unidentified I can
54:05
Reginald Wilson other than the landfield account. Yeah, I concur with that. And maybe you I was just trying to think about the specific number for income that comes in monthly um for you all. Do you how much do you all bring into the landfield per month? Uh we make a deposit every Friday. And that deposit is anywhere from 35 to $40,000.
54:30
Unidentified And that's every Friday, correct?
54:31
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° That's every Friday. And monthly we're looking at I think 34,000 roughly going out for bills. Yeah. For bills. So the landfield has the funds and they are pretty much self-sufficient. Um, yes, there are other departments that, you know, general fund does support, but for the landfill, um, the I mean, Director Wilson has done a great job of revitalizing where we were, as we've heard a couple times, and that's not just in terms of getting us off of consent order with the team, but also just financially making sure that um those funds are where they're supposed to be. So this is I don't say it lightly. This is a this is a avenue where we have a need within a department that is sufficient. Uh they have the funds and it's compliance. And so I think we have to look at it from that from that standpoint.
55:22
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3)° Like I said, I don't mind I don't mind a special meeting if he's time restricted, but I would like some documentation.
55:31
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° We will we will expedite that. Is that I see some nods. is that the
55:35
Unidentified but listen now I'm just there's other
55:38
City Attorney Andre Valley° I see I see some n from a practical standpoint there's not enough votes to suspend the rules from a practical standpoint if you're saying you're not going to do it that that essentially stops it unless you're going to read the entire ordinance today and come back on separate days to do it
55:54
Unidentified what's the earliest that we can have
55:58
Unidentified I don't know
56:01
Unidentified I guess it would be how soon
56:03
Unidentified I got to go out of town So,
56:07
Unidentified Thursday,
56:10
Mayor Joseph Whitfield potentially Thursday, and I'm sure this will require um communication with our members that aren't here, too. So, uh following this meeting, if this body isn't um well, we can't. I I understand that now. Um, but I'll send out correspondents to see if we can all do a Thursday meeting to get a special um a special vote and we will make sure that a presentation is prepared for financial uh summary for the landfill. From the practice standpoint, I guess are the four of you all available Thursday?
56:45
Unidentified I can understand that.
56:47
Unidentified He said he's not.
56:48
Unidentified You're not available Thursday.
56:51
Unidentified Are you available Thursday?
56:52
Unidentified Thursday?
56:53
Unidentified Yes, sir. Yes. Yes, I can do it Thursday because I'm Yeah. Are you available Thursday, Mr. M?
57:02
Unidentified I I'll make myself available, ma'am.
57:05
Unidentified Sounds good.
57:06
Unidentified Okay.
57:07
Unidentified We can just notify the the other two that we're meeting at Thursday at 6:00.
57:12
Unidentified 6.
57:14
Unidentified Can we move it up a little bit or is that going to be hard?
57:18
Unidentified I mean, no. I can I can do any time of the day on Thursday. I don't I don't think I have I do not. I can do any time of the day on Thursday.
57:27
Unidentified Let's move it up earlier than that.
57:29
Unidentified It's 5:00 p.m. work.
57:31
Unidentified What about 4 4:30?
57:34
Unidentified I don't know if I'll be back. I have court out of town, but the ordinance is already prepared. I've already If you all want to do it then, that's that's fine.
57:41
Unidentified Is that okay for 4:30?
57:44
Unidentified I can do it anytime. Thursday.
57:47
Unidentified Can we say uh Thursday at 4:30?
57:50
Unidentified That's fine.
57:51
Unidentified Thursday at 4:30. 4:30 4:30 on Thursday. Okay.
57:58
Mayor Joseph Whitfield And I'll make sure I send that force before uh director Wilson leaves the podium. Is there any other question while he's here or any other discussion or comments?
58:10
Unidentified He has another competitive bidding wave for uniforms.
58:13
Unidentified Yeah.
58:16
Unidentified Do you want to um discuss the uniform? Thank you, Mr. Go right on and do that. Uh we've contacted uh Unifs at the current we have no uniforms for the men at the uh landfield. The yearly note from unif is under the the yearly note is under the uh mayor spending limit. But this company is asking for a 5-year contract with us, which puts it over the mayor spending limit. And like I said, I'll say it again, we don't want to cause, we don't want to put anything on the general fund. All of this stuff that I'm asking for will be paid out of the landfield fund, not the general fund. The quoted price for this is the second to last page in your packet. Um just in case you got it second to last page in your packet. So, um like the like the bulldozer for this land the landfill is operating um where they should be getting very close to coming off the consent order and um I believe it's very fitting to make sure that um we have a a sense of pride in uniforms uh for our our men and women that work there. So, um have no I have no further comment on this except for support
59:59[clears throat]
1:00:11
Unidentified on that invoice is a monthly quote, what it will cost monthly and what it will cost yearly. And for the folks at home that aren't looking at the packet, monthly this will roughly be um $351.82 82 and yearly that yearly that would total $4,215.36
1:00:36
Unidentified specifically for uniforms [clears throat] for uniforms
1:00:39
Unidentified five-year contracts
1:00:48
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° and one of one of the uh I one point of consideration I've taken in especially as we've talked to the wire department purchasing uniforms renting uniforms. Um, depending on turnover, depending on size of requirement, renting makes sense because those can be turned back in as opposed to u potential employees getting those uniforms and walking off with them. So, um, so yeah.
1:01:15
Unidentified Yes.
1:01:15
Unidentified What are we using now for uniforms?
1:01:18
Unidentified We don't we don't have any any one that supplies us with uniforms. any company that supplies us with uniforms now.
1:01:27
Unidentified Okay. So, it's a requirement that we all have uniforms.
1:01:30
Unidentified Yes, we need to have uniforms. Yes, sir.
1:01:36
Unidentified All right. I mean, that we're coming back Thursday. Is this something that we could just go ahead and handle at one time?
1:01:56
Unidentified You [snorts] have the uh ordinance up there for this to wave competitive bid on this also. So, it's on you to vote on.
1:02:10
Unidentified The only department that don't have uniforms. All the other
1:02:14
Unidentified No, sir. The water department doesn't have uniforms. The street and sanitation department doesn't have uniforms
1:02:22
Unidentified and we don't have uniforms.
1:02:32
Unidentified So y'all dressing this tonight or I'm sorry.
1:02:34
Unidentified No, no, no, no. I I
1:02:35
Unidentified Or is this something? [clears throat] Are we are we wanting to look at this um for an extra day and bring it back Thursday or we ready to move forward with it today?
1:02:54
Unidentified I was just thinking we might as well just wrap it all up at the same time. I think it's a great idea. I mean, I would imagine that the uniforms that they have to have are specific to hazard materials and all that. So, I mean, I'm for it, but I'm just like, why don't we just wrap all this up Thursday? Sounds good to me.
1:03:16
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Uh we will bring a special vote. Uh we have a special meeting on Thursday at 4:30 to address both uniforms for landfill as well as new equipment in the form of a bulldozer. And um we will you please join us on Thursday uh just for any questions. Thank you. Thank you. Moving right along. Our next order of business is uh just a quick note. [clears throat] So I've sent this is airport commission fiscal year 26 budget council approval of budget. Um I requested the annual uh budget for the from the airport commission. I do not know um and don't want to speculate the when uh the airport budget may have last been um accepted by this body but upon um upon audit findings just we are going to make sure that that step is taken this year so that we know exactly what those funds um are and what they're going towards as well as um the sum of that budget. So that is just a quick note and when that when we do get that budget that will be put before you. Um, are there any questions about that? And that was just at the um at the advice of the auditor that was here two weeks ago. If there's no discussion, we'll move right along. On your desk, um, you also have waste disposal ordinance. This is new business item number four. This is an ordinance for review to regulate disposal of items for street sanitation pickup. This is uh the copy that the chief of staff has brought around. I did um ask Mr. Wilson who just left as well as um Mr. Stradder to make sure they also take a look at this as well just to be able to provide some expertise on um their experience and how they deal with these pickups and drop offs in their respective areas. This is a continued conversation in part from what we what was discussed on KJIW radio last week. Um the city attorney and myself and code enforcement talked talked to Mr. Elijah Mundy about code enforcement and the new um areas that we're trying to norm in in in the sense of uh enforcing code. Part of that conversation was defining what items can and cannot be put out and how those items are to be handled. And so I do thank the city attorney for drafting drafting this copy of a potential ordinance to to regulate that. And prior discussion on KJIW and the uh private discussion with the mayor and code enforcement. We've been dealing with this issue for a while, but we needed to put some in writing for you all to begin to digest and hopefully we can do something before the end of the month. Uh when I emailed you all this week, I just said this was something for you all to review and to look at and so you'll have opportunity uh to um dissect it um and so we can begin to to adopt it. But hopefully by the next meeting we'll be ready to adopt it and finish the conversations because there are a lot of questions about bulk waste. most of the questions that we're getting about both bulk waste, including mattresses, couches, and all those type of things, and how do we do it? Now, in drafting this, I looked at Fedville's ordinance, Jonesboro's ordinance, uh um Pine Bluff. I looked at several cities to see what they do, and most cities do allow citizens to place uh mattresses and other bulk waste on the side of the road. Uh but they put a limit on how many you can do per year. And there's some um accounting forms that we've had to look to to see as to how we would how we would do so. But as we said then that's we have to things to make things uh narrowly tailored for the city of Hawa and what's best for us and the we invite any discussion relating to it. If there is no discussion at this current moment, um I just echo city attorney's comments. Uh we just ask that you review this because we do want to place this um in front of you for an official for an official adoption.
1:07:38
City Attorney Andre Valley° A quick question. So if we go ahead and adopt this and I was hearing what you said about mattresses and so forth. So on College Street there's a toilet and mattresses and some other stuff. So what is the streets the sanitation department going to go ahead and pick up all that stuff um soon anyway even if it's prohibited or how are we going to handle that? Currently, you have no definition as to what's prohibited and what's not. And that's part of the issue while people are putting whatever on the side of the road. Uh at this point, we have no limit. Uh we don't charge the citizens extra money for any of that. And so, whatever put people put out there that that is acceptable by state law, uh is taken to the landfill and disposed of. When I said stuff about state law, the mayor gave you all a list of waste that's excluded per state law. Um, including things like electronics and refrigerators and things containing freon and etc. that that could not be disposed of in the landfill. But most things that are placed on the side of the road, they are. We hadn't addressed things such as how you put limbs out, what limbs, what size, what diameter, what length, uh whether you use uh contractor, whether contractor has to if you contract someone to do it. Those are the type of discussions we have to have to get through. Uh because even with that, contractor may have taken those toilets and and they should be the person that puts that has to pay for it versus the individual. And so those are the kind of discussions we were trying to have to fully define what our policy is. But as is to answer your question in short form, the city right now has to pick it up. And I do want to add that just reminded me I did have a chance to talk briefly about this with director Wilson u before the meeting started and he just upon his uh skimming of it said that he might recommend maybe having a day where we designate certain items to be picked up that you can put out on this day. Um if not just completely regulating what you can and cannot put out through this ordinance. Um, and in the event that you still have residents that might put certain things out, uh, that's what we talked about on KGIW was that's the beauty of having departments that u communicate because you have a code enforcement department that can then report out on the scene of somebody that has an item that's not supposed to be there. Um, so part of part of this is I mean is making sure that departments are also communicating effectively and I think that there are a couple of ways that this could look which is why we ask for a review um for you to review it to so we can make that determination together. But if if I may not bellay the point but we're trying to see from you all is you hear from from constituents you to have your own individual thoughts. What is the best method? How do you want to see the city to handle these items? Whether we should charge fees for them, whether we should not charge fees, what things are reasonable, what things are unreasonable, and we want to have the ordinance to reflect that.
1:11:02
Unidentified I'm in favor of [clears throat] the ordinance first. I mean, you know, a few months ago, I shared that I know the people that I had [clears throat] talked to really didn't have any idea. They said they had no idea what they could and could not even put out on her. So, I'm glad to see this.
1:11:24
Councilman Joe St. Columbia (Ward 2) I've had a lot of people contact me. They pay their sanitation fees. They pay be picked up, have their garbage picked up, and yet we aren't picking it up, you know. And we should not charge these people the services we're not rendering. We need to give some type of rebate, I think, to the public for those times we haven't picked up their haven't been able to do it. We need to make some type of compensation. Uh you stop and think you're paying a bill and you're not getting the services that you're paying for. It's not fair. this is what the people are telling me and they're upset about it.
1:12:29
Mayor Joseph Whitfield I mean, that's a conversation I'm I'm definitely open to having at this table. Um, and I and I think the one thing we would have to engage is as a body understanding the impact of that on potent and I don't prioritize profit over people. I don't I want to start there, but I just want as we talk about numbers at this table thinking about the impact that that has on the income into that department. But yes, I do agree um with you, Mr. St. Columbia, that um it is our duty to offer uh quality services that people are paying for and expected to receive. And I think we all know in in a couple of uh instances that there have been some
1:13:08
Councilman Joe St. Columbia (Ward 2) well like on my some of my stuff they didn't pick up for a month, you know, and then some for two or three weeks. And uh I mean I saw that and uh some people can't afford to be paying and not receiving the services and then when they do get it the trash is all over the streets and dogs get in the cans and you know it creates a big problem.
1:13:35
Unidentified Mhm.
1:13:37
City Attorney Andre Valley Go ahead. If uh if I may say Columbia, a rebate is is legal so long as it's applied neutrally and fairly to everyone. For instance, uh there are cities that have been rebates just for let's get a citizens a break on their next bill on the ordinance and you say whether it's $5, $10, whatever it is. I don't know what type of rebate you're trying to discuss, but it would have to be neutral. It had to be equal to everyone. No one could be treated favorably. And so that that that would be the total issue because when trash is not being picked up, it's not just one house, it's everybody on the route. And if commercial trash is not being picked up, it's everybody on the route typically. Now, there are some anecdotal things where people are saying people have these anecdotal things where they're saying, "Well, no, I didn't get my trash picked up for this day or that day." And I have not been out to verify any of that. I know that there's fodder around the community about that. That would be something that would be addressed better to the mayor's office and sanitation as to whose trash is being picked up and who's not. However, if you want to do a rebate, you'd have to look at a number what the financial cost is and you'd have to pass an ordinance saying that for either one month or two months of high minute that you're going to give a rebate for the to the citizens for this purpose and look at a dollar amount, total dollar amount. And that's how you would do it. But that would be something for the council to do, but you must make an informed decision. Um, as Mr. Etherly continues to say with every financial discussion you have. Uh, and I think part of it is too, Mr. Etherly said and testify before legislative audit. Legislative audit was clear to all of us that we need to be making decisions to reduce debt, pay bills, and do things. And they watched it closely because the question that he was asked several times is what action did you take? What action did you take? what are you going to do? And thankfully, I don't have to go back this year. But the issue with sanitation, of course, is we're paying contractors to help pick up garbage. We're barely making we make payroll some way or another. And every two weeks, payroll comes back around. And I hear all of the all is well, but I don't I don't see that. So to do a rebate, you're talking about giving back money from a source that you probably don't even have. Um, so I think that the the way out of this is to fix the problem so that people's trash gets gets picked up in a timely fashion.
1:16:25
Unidentified I don't know that we're able to do to to give people money back. I mean, when you just look at on a whole
1:16:32
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) and I and I guess that's pro what I keep saying is we're not able to look at it on a whole. We need to have a a meeting where we thoroughly take a deep dive into finances. And I I don't I'm I'm beyond bank balance decisions now. I mean, because there's some obligation that you don't know about when you're making a bank balance decision. So,
1:16:56
City Attorney Andre Valley in that vein, I I think that what we might have to do is I know we've always called them book budget workshops, but we need more like a caucus where we sit down like we're getting ready to do a budget and go through every everything so we understand where we are. I think I think here's a practical problem. From one hand, the city has to get some things done. you have to provide services to the citizens and that's [clears throat] what the mayor is trying to do provide service to the citizens. The the conflict is the city council also has to to provide finances and make sure that we're trying to pay off these bills and etc. Um, at one point the mayor was getting a lawsuit every week. And uh, we've slowed down, but we're getting threats of of lawsuits. And so, uh, one of the things he's keenly aware of, I'm keenly aware of is the lawsuits. And I have a list that I want to give you all because the list we at one point had 26. Now we're down to 21, but we received an email today. We may be getting 22. And so, um, it's just the nature of what's what's going on, uh, that that we have before us. And so, in that vein, it's one of those things. I think a rebate is a good idea. Practically, I don't know what the city can afford to do without greater information, but if that's something the city council is interested in doing, uh, I think you have to make an informed decision to do it. Uh, all of us are citizens as well while we represent the the community. Uh when my trash is not picked up, it's one of those things that's that's frustrating. Uh I think the thing about it is one thing I admit is the people on my route. I laugh because they greet me with a smile. They're they're very uh they have always been very professional when they when they talk to me and I'm typically trying to get the trash to them and they they wait till I get more trash cuz my trash late that has been supposed to pick up on Friday is picked up on Mondays and so we have a pleasant exchange each Monday morning. I do want to just um add to that and and I will put that on an item to make sure that we revisit the the idea of a rebate um to just give that thorough conversation, but there are three trucks that are um Mr. Stradder has turned in to us to look at. Um so the idea or potential of having new trucks hit the ground soon um is possible. So, we want to make sure we do our due diligence to make sure the trucks are um up to par, but also that we have the adequate training. Um, and I do I just think it's from my assessment, the services have the services are not just simply a matter of what equipment we have and don't have. And and I just want to say that so that that's clear. But um we were on Is there any other comment or question about waste disposal ordinance? That's where we were. Any other We're going to revisit that after review. Um
1:20:05
Unidentified so on the 16th we're going to deal with that.
1:20:07
Unidentified Correct. Yep. And correct me if I'm wrong, but we would not be able to wave the bidding for the street repairs tonight either. I'm not
1:20:18
Unidentified you d Yeah. So that one's in the actual packet.
1:20:21
Unidentified Yeah, that ordinance was emailed this the street pass waving competitive bill.
1:20:25
Unidentified You have it?
1:20:26
Unidentified Yeah, you have that.
1:20:30
Unidentified My but do we have enough to wave that today? We have enough to wave
1:20:35
Unidentified if
1:20:36
Unidentified Oh, I guess.
1:20:37
Unidentified Yeah, I see. I I got you. [laughter] I got you. I don't want y'all to come. Okay,
1:20:42
Unidentified you don't.
1:20:42
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Our next order of business is ordinance for street repairs. Um and this is waving competitive bidding for Springdale Little Rock Road and Tulip Circle. So these were streets that um we had Mr. Ken Wland um local engineer present for us at the last meeting. These repairs will be done um they were approved at our last meeting by his body and those repairs will be done by the funds that are coming out of the street fund. I do believe it's imperative and it's important that we start to use those funds to have um small ongoing projects because I think for all of us here we we see the potholes, we drive around them and so I think some of us it's fair to say we've hit them. Um we have to spend those funds on street related projects, nothing else, not bills, not payroll, not debt. Those fit those um funds are only for street projects. So, uh, the ordinance that you have, this is what these, um, chief of staff passed around to you all earlier. This single packet is the drafted ordinance for the waving of bidding. Um, and that total amount for what was quoted from the engineer last week. It's in section one um, se uh, B, but was 14,000.
1:21:57
City Attorney Andre Valley The practical is that Mr. Etherly, uh, Mayor Wood Whitfield and I were laughing about it to suspend the rules that takes four votes. Was Etherly the last meeting said he was opposed to it and we looked to him and we started laughing because we wonder did we have enough. We were not trying to This is a serious matter. We're not trying to make gest of it, but Mr. Ethan is saying he's not voting for it either. Uh, the mayor if he's counted the number goes up so we don't have enough to wave competitive bid tonight. But there's orders need to be passed.
1:22:32
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) And to that I'll restate. I don't want people to mischaracterize what I said though some people may not have heard what I said last week. We have no financial guidance about our street funds at this point. And I'll clarify one issue that I didn't last week. Uh uh you're right. Street funds are for street projects but street funds also for the street department. These funds fund the entire department. It's not just pavement. It's not just asphalt. And so without any financial guidance as to where we are, my suggestion last week and today is that we take the cheapest way to repair those streets and make them safe until we have some guidance as to where we're going and where we stand. And uh uh that that is my opposition to that. And that's been my opposition on every single thing that comes in front of the city. We don't have any financial guidance. We shouldn't be making it's kind of reckless to make the decision. uh uh bank balance decisions. Uh we've done that. We did that for years. Not didn't turn out well. Everybody I can testify is mad at me when they come in front of this body and ask for money. Employees, contract, whatever. Cuz my answer to everyone has been consistent. I don't know that we have the money. And until we can show we do, we're in a a financial bind that dictate dict dictates that we should find out first. But I intend to be consistent on this issue unless it's a dire emergency. I intend to be consistent on every single financial matter until we can ascertain where we are and have some financial guidance. I think it's reckless for us to and these streets need to be repaired. I make no no bones about that. But there's a cheaper way to do it at this point. And so that's where I stand on it. And and thank you. I I want to make sure that's clarified because I don't want people to go and say he don't want to fix his street. It's not what I said. I don't want to give a Cadillac repair. I want to do the cheaper repair.
1:24:33
Unidentified What is what?
1:24:34
Unidentified We I we don't have enough votes on it to to um Yeah. suspend the rules
1:24:39
City Attorney Andre Valley° cuz all three of you need four votes to suspend the rules.
1:24:42
Unidentified Got to have four. How many votes?
1:24:44
Unidentified Four.
1:24:45
City Attorney Andre Valley That takes two. And so from a practical standpoint, if the mayor voted, that takes the number to seven. So four is not two/irds of seven. So this needs four city council members.
1:24:58
Unidentified I know there is next week or week after.
1:25:03
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Um so that I will put this I will I will likely put this on the agenda for um
1:25:10
Unidentified Thursday.
1:25:11
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Potentially Thursday. Um and I and I just want to add so we the street funds the balance of the street funds account was 303,000 um and correct me if I'm wrong u madam clerk but we get approximately 50,000 per month at least
1:25:30
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey° 10th
1:25:31
Unidentified every other so
1:25:32
Unidentified about 50 about 50,000
1:25:34
Unidentified 50 to 60
1:25:35
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° 50 to 60,000 um the compromise here for me is that I recognize that the financial position of the city is dire and we don't have endless funds to fix endless projects. Um but in scope $14,000 to fix three urgent areas is um is the right thing to do and I think that that to me is a happy medium because we're not going to get dangerously close to maxing out um I'm not asking for 150,000 not asking and this is just for the body not not to you Mr. Uh, Anthony.
1:26:10
Unidentified So, are you saying for these three places that we're talking about, $14,000 would take care of it?
1:26:18
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Correct. That's what the um engineer Yes, that's what the engineer quoted us for that.
1:26:22
Unidentified Okay.
1:26:23
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) Your your budget has $50,000 for street repair. The reason why your budget has $50,000 for street repair is because street money doesn't just go in the ground. street lights, street related projects, people, equipment, gas, and oil. All of those things come out of your street money. And so, it's not $300,000 to put on the street. It's $300,000 for the street department. That's why I keep using the word financial guidance. Where are we? What are our oncoming obligations? And if you use your budgeted amount as your guidance, you're going to use onethird of your budgeted amount on this project for the year. So for every other street in town, you're about to use nearly a third of your money. So So I'm just I I'm using every opportunity. I want to clarify what I'm saying, right? Because I think people may leave this conversation thinking that street department has $300,000 and all you do with that is pave streets. That's not accurate. It runs your entire department. Every aspect of it.
1:27:41
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Any other comment, question?
1:27:44
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° I'm just curious, Miss Sandy, do you have any contributions to this conversation?
1:27:52
Unidentified None. I'll ask a question. Have I misstated because I I I try to make everything I say as accurate as possible at this table. Have I misstated any fact?
1:28:02
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey No, Mr. You haven't. And if you want me to say it, it's you're right. Uh street the street money is just not street payment. There's everything else that goes into it. Equipment repair, gas, oil, grease, uniforms if they have them or whatever. And you have to allow for emergencies. And with the way fuel is increasing, fuel is going to be high. Uh then uh you uh at the present time the we're not taking the street fund payroll out of the street, but we could, but we're not right now. Uh we're paying it out of general. Um but uh money is extremely tight and it's going to be tight. we we don't have any money uh to spare to speak of and u I hope you when you do have this caucus you really get down to it and talk about what we have and what we can do and what we're not going to have because this is only June folks and we're getting into the hot season and you're going to you're going to be looking at a lot of emergencies possibly you're going to uh uh we just need to to do to spend what little money we have smartly
1:29:15
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) and And to to what you said, you clarify a point that I just figured in my head. I'm thinking $50 to $60,000 a month. We're in June. We got 300 grand. We're not spending the money that comes in the streets for payroll. And we're spending out a general fund, which explains why we can barely make payroll out of general fund. So th this is this is what I was trying to tell you about the landfield when uh when when the landfield director when when I I almost called him chief as well when he said we're paying it out of landfill funds and I said every department is dependent except for water on the general fund. This is exactly what I was saying. So what you have is a situation where you got a lot of money in street but they're not paying their people according to what Miss Rancher said. So the general fund is paying their people. So they're not self-sufficient. So in order for them to have $300,000, the general fund is taking on some burden that perhaps it you can manage it how you want to, but the general fund is taking on some street burden.
1:30:17
Unidentified The general fund pays the payroll for fire, police, street, sanitation, landfill, code enforcement, administration.
1:30:27
Unidentified Exactly.
1:30:28
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) And electives. And and that's why we have to have a a deeper discussion about I get the feeling sometimes that we have when I when she said $105,000 and payroll was on Friday, I was like whoa. But I didn't get that response from anybody else. And I'm thinking you should be concerned. Everybody should be concerned. We got payroll on Friday and I don't know how big it is and I don't know how much money she has but every two weeks you have payroll that comes around. you have these huge obligations like you got live you got all these other things that come and and we are doing a tap dance so the discussion is about street I don't want to get it too far away from from the street discussion my suggestion two weeks ago is that we take take the cheaper meth method so because we don't have any I say guidance as to where we're going and we we look at long-term solutions when we get in position I think there's a real discussion that we ought to have about claims and where we where we're headed in the future because if we start to project out, people don't like to be told no. And I get that. Nobody wants everybody wants to think everything is all right. We have enough money to do all the things that we want to do. But from my perspective, that's not accurate. And so no matter what happens, whether people like it or don't like it, I'm ready to say no if we don't know where it's going to put us. And so to this project, I think the short-term solution is better because you're hearing that you're hearing that the the the numbers and the facts right here and you got 300,000 in street, but you really don't have 300,000 in street. I mean, you're not doing the things that you said in your budget you were going to do from street. So the general fund is taking on that burden. And then that explains why some of those claim numbers are going up.
1:32:25
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° I mean, the street fund is never I don't know if the street fund the last time the street fund paid the salaries. I I don't think that's been recent. But to that point, when the auditor came, that was a consideration that we're taking into that's something we're taking into consideration now. U potentially paying street department salaries out of street department. Um, but I don't to my impression that's not necessarily new,
1:32:50
Unidentified but I think it's bud that's what's in the budget that we're going to pay salaries out of street farm money.
1:32:56
Unidentified Yeah. I mean, like, dumb question. So, Miss Sandy, when you said that we don't pay street salaries out of the street department fund, why not?
1:33:05
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey What the treasurer usually does is he he uh when he gets to the year end, he backs the the things out. uh we we cut all the checks out of the general fund and then Derek would apply them at the end of the year, you know, but it's kind of an offset, you know, but I don't get any actual money out of the street fund to put into the general fund to make the payroll.
1:33:29
Unidentified Okay.
1:33:37
Councilman Adrian Messina (Ward 2) I got a question simple. How many people are we paying on the payroll right now? How many is on the payroll?
1:33:47
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey° I want to say 96.97.
1:33:49
Unidentified How many?
1:33:50
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey° I want to say 96.97. 96 or 97.
1:33:54
Unidentified 96 or 97.
1:33:55
Unidentified The um the most recent hire, the most recent department that's made a couple hires is um the street street and sanitation
1:34:01
Unidentified somewhere.
1:34:02
Unidentified The street and sanitation.
1:34:04
Councilman Adrian Messina (Ward 2) We got to get down to about 80.
1:34:06
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° So, and trimming trimming to 80 is um trimming to 80 is might be an arbitrary number. I I don't disagree that we've looked at places to see where we can relieve um some numbers, but the city at the end of the day still has to operate. And I think that's part of the challenge there is that finding that number so that the city can still maintain operations.
1:34:29
Councilman Adrian Messina (Ward 2)° Might have to consolidate some of these jobs to eliminate some of these people. I I I don't know the solution
1:34:35
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° and I c I caution us I mean I c when we talk about people's jobs I just caution us from um saying eliminate but I understand that especially as numbers are crunched we have to look at what we can support um my assessment is that the biggest hurdle that we've had through these financial reports looking at them has been just overspending or spending too much out of the budget line item for for things that we weren't intending many people.
1:35:05
Unidentified I think at one point in time you can say
1:35:06
Unidentified the bottom line
1:35:07
Unidentified that has it
1:35:08
Councilman Adrian Messina (Ward 2) I think to Little Rock did Little Rock tell for our our city the size should be operating under 80 people.
1:35:17
Unidentified No sir m you've been saying that since last year and I keep telling you you can't we can't make it with 80 people. That's not even possible.
1:35:27
Unidentified Unless Unless Mayor knows something I don't know. We can't make it with 80 people. He he called it arbitrary. I I agree on that. It's it's not possible to to efficiently run our
1:35:37
Councilman Adrian Messina (Ward 2)° All right. 85 then if that makes you happy.
1:35:40
Unidentified 85.
1:35:42
Unidentified But I mean we we can't sustain what we're doing.
1:35:45
Unidentified You can't spend what you don't have. If you don't have the money, you can't spend it.
1:35:49
Unidentified And that's what I keep saying. You can't go back to
1:35:52
Councilman Don Etherly (Ward 3) I keep saying you can't spend what you don't have. But I keep having trying to have specific discussions about specific expenses and revenue expenses. How's it going? How's it changing?
1:36:05
Unidentified So, I agree with that. Can't spend what you don't have. You can't make it.
1:36:10
Unidentified I, you know, I look at 14,000 is a small amount uh to spend on. I don't see anything wrong with that. I'll be honest with you,
1:36:21
Unidentified it's not a big expense uh to do on streets. We can't afford a 100,000, 200,000, but we
1:36:33
Councilman Don Etherly° Well, in comparison, Mr. Wland's uh statement was that he could do
1:36:38
Councilman Don Etherly he could use a limestone field. He said that would cost about $2,000 and he could do both of those um um old little well, whatever two of those streets he could do for $2,000. My only point in this whole thing is $14,000 for a city who takes in 9 or 10 million. No, that's not a lot of money. But when a city is short at every turn, it is a lot of money. When you have a budget that allocates $50,000 for street repair, what you're really doing is you're spending almost a third of that expense in basically two place, three places, and you got a whole city. I mean, there are dangerous potholes almost on every turn in this city. And so that's my caution about spending $14,000. No, it's not a lot of money. Well, you look at it on the whole, but then maybe in our condition, it is a lot of money.
1:37:34
City Attorney Andre Valley If I may, and this is to Madame Clerk and Mr. Etherly, both of y'all testified, excuse me, both of y'all testified for a legislative
1:37:44
City Attorney Andre Valley right? Both y'all testified for a later state audit and uh you all discussed the numbers. Then M. Messina keeps mentioning 80. That's reasonable. Uh when you all testify, what was yours what was Mr. Turner's testimony as to how many employees were on payroll at that point?
1:38:01
Unidentified It's about 120 at the time. So yeah, when I showed up over here, it was about it was I want to say we did accounts maybe about 117 or 118 when we did an account. We got down under 100. I just don't I don't but I don't know where you cut other employees. um at this point
1:38:23
Unidentified and at the time that was at the time you testified for Well, I do I do, but I wouldn't say it here, but I was I was given some suggestions by some some some
1:38:25
Unidentified Well, I do, but I wouldn't say it here, but I was given some suggestions by some legislators over there on that day after we finished, but I wouldn't make that suggestion here today.
1:38:38
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° I think we can talk about this on Thursday.
1:38:42
Unidentified We'll take Yeah, we'll tell you
1:38:44
Unidentified about this on Thursday. Try to sum it up.
1:38:48
City Attorney Andre Valley Just for clarity, Mr. St. Columbia. By the time we went to legislative audit that day,
1:38:53
City Attorney Andre Valley° by the time we went to legislative aud numbers, uh when they asked about the audit, etc.
1:39:07
City Attorney Andre Valley So, you're at 90 something. It's your duty, your obligation to look at what's sufficient. But also, I think Mr. Ethan and the mayor have a point that you don't want to be arbitrary, appreciative. determined employees.
1:39:20
Unidentified You got some emergency things that have to be taken care of, you know, and I think that's what we've got on these on Springdale and Little Rock and Tulip Circle. Those are emergencies that needed absolutely needed taken care of. And
1:39:42
Mayor Joseph Whitfield so we will revisit this because I mean this is not the end of this discussion. and we'll bring this back when um the body is full and have a more comprehensive conversation about it. I also want to add this also potentially just leads into um understanding that caucus as I've talked to the treasurer um will probably need to be an amending of a budget to a degree. So
1:40:08
City Attorney Andre Valley point of order I would just um when we get to the imports etc. One of the things that I know that the judge has sent us an email about academic being out of courtroom. Um, and at some point we need to address that whether it's Thursday or I know last time it was out this been years ago Mr. Ethan and I we had court in here because we couldn't have court in the courtroom because courtroom gets sweltering hot when there's no air in the building. But I just want to bring that to your attention so we can discuss that eventually.
1:40:37
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Thank you attorney. Thank you attorney. Uh that is another expense to talk about. Um hot air in this uh cool air in this hot heat. Um so moving on to our next order of business will be water invoices. I'm going to invite uh Mr. Rose to come up. These are invoices that have uh some in part been used to render services already, others are waiting approval. And I will uh yield the floor to Mr. Rose to discuss each [clears throat] one specifically. These are in your packet starting on page 10.
1:41:18
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Good evening.
1:41:27
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Okay, the first invoice we have here is a bell construction valves. To give a little context to this particular invoice, uh we had a major line separation from a fire hydrant the day after Memorial Day. And to start repairs on the line, I actually attempted to isolate that section of the line which caused a temporary disconnection disruption in service in West Helena. And what was needed for us to move forward with the repairs was a valve insertion. This basically this is what we call a hot valve insertion where a valve is put into the line under pressure. Now with doing this we were able to finish making a repair to this hydrant which was initially hit by a vehicle um at some point in time and it completely separated. And so when a fire hydrant separates from the main line, it's usually a 6 in or larger line. And this could have potentially drained our entire system in West Helena. So we're still in a sensitive situation with our water supply. Um let me see.
1:42:42
Unidentified When was it struck by a vehicle?
1:42:44
Unidentified I'm sorry.
1:42:44
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° When was it struck by a vehicle? Um, this may have been this was some time. It was probably about a month or so ago the fire hydrant was actually. So, it was hit by a vehicle and behind the auxiliary valve is where the separation was cuz usually these hydrants get hit quite often, unfortunately. But we're able to isolate right there at the auxiliary valve at the base of the hydrant. With this particular case, the brake was behind the auxiliary valve and so it was leaking. We had attention to get to it, but it actually separated because of the pressure at that particular point, which led to this um invoice of us fully repairing [clears throat] the hydrant and getting a balance in search.
1:43:31
Unidentified Did Did you Did we obtain whether they had motor vehicle uh insurance?
1:43:37
Unidentified No. No, not
1:43:38
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° did not have insurance. No, I mean I'm actually I'm making an assumption it was a hit and run. We never saw who actually hit the hydrant. Yeah. So, it's not like I actually have a report on this particular case of the fire hydrant being hit.
1:43:53
Unidentified And a lot of times
1:43:55
Unidentified if their vehicle is able to operate, they go on. This is overnight situations, drunk driving, um, etc. Whatever the case may have been. Um, but this causes us a lot of problems. Go ahead.
1:44:09
Unidentified I don't want to get off the subject. This might be on the same thing you're talking about.
1:44:14
Unidentified I was driving around town held on West Held mostly. I saw it in West Helman. Fire plugs or fire hydrants are completely knocked off at leaning. Yes.
1:44:26
Unidentified Leaning or level with the ground. If there was a fire, they couldn't use that fire hydrant. And the people houses that should be used for those fire hydrants. Hell, we could get sued. The city could be sued for not having proper water. Be like in California where they didn't have any water. So, I mean, how do we how do we fix those? It's um it's it's going to be it's going to be a process and it's going to be a a costly process because So, I mean, how do we fix those? It's um it's going to be a costly process because just like you mentioned, there's so many um hit fire hydrants that are just leaning and we have them isolated. So yeah, they're not leaking, but we can't turn them on cuz we're going to have issues.
1:45:15
Unidentified I think the last time we talked, they brought up it was 18 of them that they counted.
1:45:21
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Okay. Yeah, for sure. Some of them we actually removed to where there's not a fire hydrant right there. Okay. And so, um, with the 18 that was counted, the B actual is doubled that amount, but this is the plan moving forward with these fire hydrants. So, we have a lot of things in the work right now when we're looking at our upcoming line replacement with our DRRA grant. The lines that we're getting replaced are going to include valves and fire hydrants on those particular lines. So each phase that we're doing this line replacement, we're going to attack these fire hydrants as well. Okay. Now,
1:46:00
Unidentified let me ask because I don't know your operation. I know you're trying to do the best you can next a week from not next meeting but meeting after that. Can you give us a report on how many have been repaired or replaced or of 18? Maybe two or three. Yes.
1:46:22
Unidentified Something
1:46:22
Unidentified for sure.
1:46:23
Unidentified So we can get something going.
1:46:25
Unidentified Okay.
1:46:26
Unidentified Is that okay?
1:46:26
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Yeah. No, for sure. Uh because actually I can get a full list because we have been able to do some smaller repairs on the other hydrants. Uh but this with this particular invoice, this is three of the hydrants that was on the list that we got taken care of. And so one was on Hawkins and Mooney. Um another one was actually at our water tower. Um this is a very critical hydrant. Um North First where our water shop is at was replaced. A brand new hydrant actually put in there. And our flushing hydrant which is critical to cleaning our water tower and airator which we're going to talk about next was replaced as well. And so I can have a full update on the u other fire hydrants that we need to repair and that's has been repaired for our next meeting for sure.
1:47:15
Unidentified Okay. This might take a whole year and the rest of the year to get them all done, but at least we can say we have all the fire hydrants replaced
1:47:24
Unidentified for the city.
1:47:25
Unidentified Right.
1:47:26
Unidentified Okay. And thank you very much.
1:47:28
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° No problem. Any more questions about the bail construction invoice?
1:47:37
Unidentified And I think it might be I mean I don't want to stop questioning, but it might you is it plan to go through all of them?
1:47:43
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Oh, for sure. For sure. I uh just wanted to make sure there was no more questions about this particular one. Uh next invoice we have is uh Red River Ford. Now this particular invoice is actually a quote uh but this is for the refurbishment of our single cab Ford truck. This is uh one of our 20 2017 model service trucks that actually had 33,000 miles on it which is very low for that year and model. And the idea was to see what the cost would be to replace the engine to actually get it to where we can add it back to our service fleet. And this is particularly critical because we're looking at not only the recent hires that we have is continuing to bring on more personnel. And as I bring on more personnel, I will need reliable vehicles for them to be in to answer these service calls. There's a lot of issues on getting meters read, um, leaks fixed, situations looked at. I need my employees to be able to get to these locations. And so, yes, we are a little bit better staffed than we were.
1:48:51
Unidentified Was this is this a new truck that we had? It's got 33,000 miles on it.
1:48:55
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Uh, no. This is actually an older truck. Uh, this was purchased back in 2017, 2016.
1:49:01
Unidentified 2017.
1:49:02
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Yes, sir. And so, um, this particular quote with engine replacement, I believe a shaft, I don't know why they don't have that there, but drive shaft and a battery. All of this comes out to a total with tax, shop supplies, labor comes out to a total of $16,81.54. Now, with this particular quote for this refurbishment of a truck that we've already had, um, the engine just went bad. timing belt went out, needed to be replaced. I compared this to a cost of a new used service truck, which comes out to about pretty much about around 20,000 to get a decent used service truck. And if we're going newer, more um let's say compatible models, uh we're looking at 30 40,000, you know, just for one vehicle. And so just my ideal of actually approaching this in a financial um stability mindset where we're making a pretty good choice with moving forward with this particular
1:50:13
Unidentified $16,000 to upgrade that truck and that's all we need. We don't need another one.
1:50:19
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Well, I will need some more, but just to have one more truck to the fleet. I mean, we're going to be able to get so much more done. accessibility shortcuts
1:50:26
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° just on the service aspect um for this particular truck. And so yes, I will be on down the line further and mention um you know adding you know maybe one or two trucks to our fleet but as for now getting one up and running it's going to make a big difference.
1:50:43
Unidentified Good. I got a major question. Who do we have or who do you who do we use as a maintenance man for the city of Helena on our trucks and cars? Who do we have that's legit? Man right here. No, I'm I'm not legitimate. Uh we we've been actually um
1:51:02
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Man right here. No, I'm not legitimate. Uh we've been actually um using uh the mechanic at the street department, you know, when he's able to get to our service trucks. Now, keep in mind the maintenance mechanic that they have there at the street department, they're constantly working on the garbage trucks, police vehicles, everything with the city. And so that has been an issue. Um, but actually we have a few service trucks, I mean, in our fleet. And when we have an issue with them, you know, a lot of times we're going to have to self diagnose that particular issue, try our best to see if we can fix it within our department. If we can't, potentially the mechanic at the street department can get it, but that may not be in a timely manner.
1:51:51
Unidentified at the street?
1:51:52
Unidentified His name. Yeah,
1:51:53
Unidentified I believe it's Dexter.
1:51:54
Unidentified Who's the person that does that
1:51:54
Unidentified Who?
1:51:55
Unidentified Dexter.
1:51:56
Unidentified I can't hear you.
1:51:56
Unidentified Dexter.
1:51:58
Unidentified Dexter. I
1:51:59
Unidentified Cedric. You say Cedric.
1:52:01
Unidentified Dexter.
1:52:04
Unidentified I'm sorry.
1:52:04
Unidentified Well, we need to speak up at this meeting so we can hear.
1:52:07
Unidentified Yeah.
1:52:08
Unidentified We can't hear what's going on and have the meeting. Not necessarily you, but I mean generally we can't hear what's going on for everybody. Every now and then the uh our attorney will speak low, then all of a sudden he speaks loud, then we can hear you. But I'm serious. There's a lot of stuff that we vote on. We can barely hear what the uh information is that's coming out now. You're doing really good. You're doing better. Well, um, for, um, the mechanic now, I don't know if there's multiple mechanics, but the one that I know that has been helping us out when he can is Dexter at the street department. Um, but that is not sufficient for the issues that we have with the vehicles. We have uh right now six vehicles at the water department that are being used every day with the maintenance trucks and that maintenance and the service trucks which is consist of four of the vehicles are constantly running between West Helena, Helena and Long Lake. We're putting high mileage on these vehicles. Uh we're doing our best to keep them serviced in the intervals that they need to be serviced, but we just got to keep in mind that it's wear and tear. It's wear and tear. There has been repairs made. I'm hoping that when you see these water department service trucks that they look better, they're not all beamed up and, you know, tail lights hanging off and things like that. I know um that was experienced in the past, but um it's critical that we have working vehicles to be able to get this job done. Okay. I just want to make sure we got competent people working on the trucks that's competent to fix them.
1:53:49
Unidentified Exactly. We don't need to be just sending checks out to say we got a repair man and he can't fix half the damn trucks,
1:53:56
Unidentified right?
1:53:58
Unidentified Hey, hey, use this right here. It helps. Oh, I got you. I just was uh was there any more questions in regards to this particular
1:54:08
Unidentified I do want to say there was a slight misprint. So, page 12 you'll see is blank. the rest of the 16,000 um from this particular quote for some reason did not print off but it consists of the other parts that uh Mr. Rose was indicating. So um key interchanges with uh cooling interchanges, nuts, studs, gaskets, canister, fuel sensors, valve assembly, um cinder and pump assembly, antifreeze. So, there is another sheet of listed uh repair work that was supposed to be on the page that was blank. So, what what's supposed to be here? Not 66 And I I'll print this out now just so that you can have it, but it's it's a
1:54:45
Unidentified what's supposed to be here? Not 66 6,000.
1:54:48
Unidentified And I'll print this out now just so that you can have it, but it's a list of other items that they will work on the same truck. If you notice, the total is $16,81.54 would be the full repair of this particular truck. But you only see three items listed. So when printing the rest of the items were cut off. Just wanted to make sure we understood. We're not the proposal isn't $16,000 for three pieces of work. That just wanted to make sure that's clear.
1:55:19
Unidentified All right. So Red River is supposed to be how much?
1:55:23
Unidentified The total for the truck is six for the repair of the truck would be $16,8154.
1:55:30
Unidentified And that's what you see. But you only see three items listed at the top where it says description. You only see three items. And I'm clarifying that those three items alone don't total the 16,000. There was a misprint on the page behind it that um is supposed to have the rest of the work orders on it.
1:55:49
Unidentified So we got overcharged on this.
1:55:51
Unidentified Exactly. So you're not the proposal isn't $16,000 for three pieces of repair.
1:55:57
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose I'm just wanted to make that clear. Okay, I move it on to this next invoice is with um tunker water core center. Now this particular invoice is in relation to our aiator which is at our west helena treatment plant. Now our aiator is a part of our filtration process that starts the oxidation process of removing the iron from the raw water well. There's iron that comes up from under the ground and we have to remove that iron before it goes into the treatment process where the chemical is added which is chlorine and fluoride and it goes into our filteration system then it goes into our clear well. Now what is happening our aator needs to be serviced um every so often uh let's say every 5 years roughly and we're right in that mark of this needing to be serviced and so I want to speak a little bit about uh some of the issues with brown water throughout the system and this is not the primary cause but with getting our aiator serviced completely will help this situation. Now, we've made some alterations and repairs to our control panels for our filter system that enabled us to be able to fully close and open all of our filters at the West Island treatment plant. Okay. And so with this, since last week, there's already been improvements with brown water not being in the system. I don't want to get too technical, but with just the adjustments we made to our control panel filtration system and actually moving forward with being able to fully service our airator, we're going to have better water coming through our system. Okay. And now just to speak a little bit about the brown water is an increase of inorganic which is iron in the water. And what we did to combat that is actually turn up our chlorine supply to oxidate the water even more. Okay? So, it's not unsafe when you're seeing discolored water at times. Now, it's only certain sections of the system. So, we've been flushing these areas, but just with making the adjustments that we did at our treatment plant, and the repairs that we're going to do moving forward on our airator is going to fully solve this particular issue. thanks for that. Now, another thing I want to mention with this particular these are all the items needed to fully refurbish the aerator. I am working with the aftermarket engineers to actually see if we need an entire new aiator. If this is the case, we're going to be shifting this particular project to our long range plan and our work with Mr. Ken Wallen and actually putting this potentially, you know, in a project for our ANRC law. So, we're not going to be paying this out of our particular budget potentially. Okay? And so, that's all in the process right now. But I did want to go ahead and present this quote because we're going to move forward with a few of these items which is particularly when you're looking at the nozzle spray gaskets and the PVC piping. We're going to look to go ahead and replace the piping that's going to remove the iron that's in our airator right now to where the airator is not spilling water over. We're getting a better flow into our plant and we're just getting a better filtration process going into our
1:59:57
Unidentified The iron is causing the water to be brown.
2:00:00
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° It's a part of it. It's a part of it because when our filters are not fully closing and one particular filter, we actually have a hole in the drainage gallery. This has been a issue for a long time. Until that hole is repaired, there's sediment that can go through that filter process that's not catching all of the iron at that stage of the filtration process.
2:00:22
Unidentified So, when will we going to have that in operation?
2:00:26
Unidentified Can you repeat that question? What do you mean?
2:00:28
Unidentified Yeah. When are we going to have that hole that you said? Oh well, um that is going to be a part of um let's say the intermediate process of getting work done on the plant because not to get too reason why I'm asking that because everywhere I go in West Helen, I go to Walmart, they stop me. I go in Walmart, they stop me. Why is my water brown? I don't have any idea why the water is brown.
2:00:55
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Yeah. And that's why I want to speak to this evening. Um but just for that particular um issue with the filter, what we've done is actually got it to where when that filter closes all the way, it's going to filter the way it needs to with the water until we can get that hole in the drain repaired. Now, for that to happen, we're actually looking at various options with the engineers on having a portable filter. Um, I've actually spoke with the health department on just shutting down that particular filter and running on three filters at the plant. We have four in total. And so there's different things that we're looking at doing right now.
2:01:32
Unidentified And we'll have fixed in what, 30 days or less.
2:01:35
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° It's probably going to be longer than that. But that's why I wanted to actually get in a little bit detail of what's happening now is that you shouldn't be seeing as much brown water in the system as last week or the week before because now we have those filters actually fully closing and opening like they should. Okay? And now we're also moving to being able to isolate that filter if need be. Like if we get another influx of complaints about brown water, we can shut that filter down and run off of three filters. And so we've already made progress on addressing that situation with the brown water complaints.
2:02:08
Unidentified How often do the state test our water?
2:02:12
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Okay, there's tests done weekly. Okay, we have to submit samples weekly to the health department and get approved. If there's any bad samples from the health department, I have to I mean by state law I have to report this to the public within 24 hours. And so we are passing all of our samples. Um that has not been the case. U the health department only suggestion was that we increase our chlorine to battle the inorganics when there's a severe brownwater issue and to make sure we continue flushing our hydrants, flushing our system. And so all of that is currently taking place to uh keep us in compliance with the state.
2:02:56
Unidentified Long as we know what the problem is and you're working to solve it, we're going to be fine.
2:03:00
Unidentified Yes, sir.
2:03:01
Unidentified Right.
2:03:01
Unidentified Yes, sir. Agreed. Agreed. I'm going to have you answer the questions next time. All right.
2:03:12
City Attorney Andre Valley° Well, the thing about it is you asking the questions, Mr. Messina what he's just trying to explain this is not some people post things and they say that the water is not safe to drink etc. That is completely false. Uh as he said the water is tested every week. Um and water is a matter of public safety and the city's water is fine. U you have an aging system that once we close on the loans and etc. A lot of things that Mr. Rose is speaking about will start being corrected and as he spoke about the area that he's asking you to approve voting on uh what that did did was to get the iron out of out of the system so voting on uh what that did was to get the iron out of the system so it won't have discoloration so that it will have more oxygen and be able to breathe better.
2:04:00
Unidentified Mr. Rose is explaining to us what's going on.
2:04:03
City Attorney Andre Valley° Yes sir. And the issue is like he's talking about airator. If you look at the end of your when it comes out of your sink, you have an air rate on the end of your sink to provide air to your water as it comes out. And so, but the thing about is the filtration system that he wants to make sure that we've got proper air, oxygen, and other things going through so you won't have the discoloration.
2:04:23
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Exactly. Well, I'm glad he's here explaining all this to people who are not water experts. He's explaining doing a good job. And um just um another mention of the testing. We actually do daily testing at the plant every day. We have to run samples to make sure uh to test the chlorine in the water if any chemicals, anything as it's coming into the treatment plant and going out.
2:04:50
Unidentified And that's at the West Helena plant,
2:04:52
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose both our plants, West Helena and um the Helena plant. But test results are submitted weekly into monthly approval. So it's a constant process of ensuring that this water is safe. Okay. Now to the last invoice or second to the last invoice. This is I believe quarter bomb plumbing. Uh this is a reflection of leaks that's been fixed in the pay period of May 18th to May 21st. Now, this particular invoice, we've been repairing leaks in the Helena area. Now, I hope there's been some visual improvement of the leaks and both West Helena and Helena, but we're starting to finally really attack this area to make sure that these long leaks that's been running for a long time that we're getting to. Um, I know we're hitting them in phases. So, next phase is actually going into the Holiday Hill area. I know there's been a long-standing leak uh right there and a couple of other areas that we've been just seeing leaks run for a long time. We're trying to make sure that those get hit no those get taken care of sooner than later um with the assistance of not only our maintenance personnel but qual plumbing that's been um helping us out quite a bit to catch up on these leaks. Okay. And this last one is Zylm. This is a fuel charge for 12,79569. Now, I don't know how much this was explained, but Zylm is our rental service that we're using is bypass pumps that we're renting these bypass pumps from. Um, I made the decision to actually have Zylm bring out tanks and fill the tanks with diesel at a cheaper rate that we were purchasing from Jordans. That's where we were originally getting our diesel and cutting back on man service hours or running diesel. That's been an issue for years. Having diesel on the back of our trucks, taking them to the pump stations, that's all obsolete now. Okay. And so Zyllem is actually providing the service to fill these diesel tanks up to keep these pumps running. Now, one thing I know there's been a few of these Zylm fuel invoices that's been coming across um over the last month or so. They're getting less and less. We're starting to use these pumps less.
2:07:25
Unidentified You're welcome.
2:07:26
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° We're starting to cut them off as we're making repairs. And another item that you'll be all seeing from me soon is the refurbishment and repairs to two of these stations under the DRA grant that we received $75,000 for to remove two more bypass pumps, which is our largest bypass pumps, which is causing our u high fuel bills that we're seeing. Okay,
2:07:58
Unidentified Mr. Rose, how many bypass pumps do we have
2:08:00
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose right now? We have five bypass pumps.
2:08:03
Unidentified Okay.
2:08:04
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° All right. And so where the fuel we have four fuel tanks. That's what this invoice reflects. And one of the bypass pumps we do not have on the fuel tank. But just to kind of recap what I just mentioned, we're in the process of removing two more of these bypass pumps within a timely manner. And I would say that the 60 90 day period roughly on getting two pump two more pump stations fully in operation and um that's going to cut down this cost even more. So just expect to see every time one of these fuel bills come it gets lower and lower and lower. Okay.
2:08:45
Unidentified Do you have an anticipated time when we'll be completely off the bypass pump? Oh, now I I don't want to get ahead of myself and say I would love to say by the end of this year, uh, but that's not necessarily going to be the case because we have some very technical repairs that need to be made to a few of these stations that's been down for quite some time. And not only um technicalities of what need to be done, we have to look at the parts. we have these old stations to where they don't make parts uh for style of these stations in this area. And so we have to really get into uh either another solution of that pump station. And what I mean by another solution is is restyling or re-engineering that pump station to work differently than it has in the past. Or to look at how we can possibly order the parts from another state or possibly even another country at this point in time because we're we're just dealing with a whole setup. Okay.
2:09:56
Unidentified So you're asking the body to approve all of these. This this is in accordance to the consent administrative one as well, right?
2:10:02
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Yes. Yes, sir. And the total for the amount, I don't know if anybody's added up already, but the total for the amount is um $80,32763 for the two um invoices for where work has been done in the three proposals.
2:10:21
Unidentified I have one question, Mr. [clears throat] He jumped my question. You knew I was going to ask him about the fuel char cuz I asked twice. Are you saying that that our people don't fill these pumps anymore?
2:10:34
Unidentified No sir, we do not.
2:10:35
Unidentified So what do we have on what's is there some kind of tank on site? Is that
2:10:39
Unidentified Yes. Yes. There's a cube tank. Um usually it's a 500gallon storage tank that I have at the bypass pumps currently right now.
2:10:51
Unidentified So proportionately that's reduced your overtime as well because of that.
2:10:54
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Yes sir. and the price we've been paying for fuel. Uh because when Zylm is coming out and filling up the tanks, they're actually using the form fuel instead of the fuel that we've been getting from Jordans has been for, you know, basically for the semi-truckss. I can't think of what you call that particular fuel right now, but it's not the chrome fuel. And we're paying we were paying a little bit more for that for that diesel um at the time. And so kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul. But like I said, I just look forward to every time these invoices come, they just slowly getting less and less until we're fully off this bypass system.
2:11:39
Unidentified Well, I I I want I want to go ahead and cut you off the council.
2:11:43
Unidentified I'm just curious, how many how many of your men take trucks
2:11:47
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° right now? Um I have Only three of my personnel is taking trucks on. Okay. Uh this is my field supervisor, one of my plant operators, and another uh maintenance personnel that can come out uh whenever it's needed for overnight calls. Okay. But all other vehicles are being parked. What I wanted to add that the in hopes that the Bible consider is that all of these will lend themselves to having a healthier water department that can provide a better quality service. I I don't think any of us need a lesson in uh hearing residents concerns about the quality of water, the quality of our infrastructure. And so, um, we are at a, um, this is the benefit of of those increased rates that we have a department that can make sure they can, um, operate the way they're supposed to. So, um, I'm in, I'm in support of these repairs, um, as they're helping us improve the quality of our water distribution to residents. Is there any um, discussion? Any other questions for Mr. Rose while he's here. And if not, is there a motion to um is there a motion to accept these proposals and invoices in the total of again 80,32763 for hydrant replacement refurbishing of a single cab truck, West Holland plant operate or air raator repair, qual plumbing invoice and zyllem invoice as well. Is there a second?
2:13:37
Unidentified I second it.
2:13:39
Roll call Roll-call vote — Maxine Miller: yes; Don Etherly: yes; Adrian Messina: yes.
2:13:47
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Yes.
2:13:48
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey Four.
2:13:49
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Motion passes. Thank you, Mr. Rose.
2:13:51
Unidentified Thank you, Comm.
2:13:52
Unidentified Thank you all. While I'm up here, are we going to speak to the [clears throat] uniform census uniform?
2:13:58
Unidentified Oh, yeah. We got a witness.
2:14:00
Unidentified Yeah.
2:14:02
Unidentified Yeah. You don't have to.
2:14:03
Unidentified Yeah. Okay. We may address that Thursday.
2:14:06
Unidentified Completely understand because I need to print out some information for you all anyway.
2:14:09
Unidentified Okay.
2:14:11
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Thank you, Mr. Rose. Um,
2:14:14
Mayor Joseph Whitfield our very last item uh before we um get ready to uh close for the day. We have a resident, Miss Sheila Smith, that wanted to come forth and address the body regarding the um concerns citizen competition.
2:14:30
Unidentified Good afternoon.
2:14:31
Sheila Smith Good afternoon. I'm Sheila and I'm a citizen of Helena West and been here most of my life. One of my biggest concerns is the water of course because you can go pretty much down every street and see a water leak. Um, with the water leaks, they're getting to the point where they're when you let the water leak so long, it erosion causes the soil to leave up under the streets, you got potholes, you got big old sink holes. Then this also is going to affect your housing cuz it's going to affect your house and how it shifts. So, we're going to be looking at all kind of money damage. We don't get this water fixed. It's it's an emergency. We still in a water crisis. And I just yesterday I noticed that my meter and I thought just because all the water from the rain that had come through that the water had just set the usually water is in the meter. But then I realized, okay, the water is just trickling. So there's a leak around the meter. So I called them out today. The they did come cuz they saw them on the camera when they came. So I have to get back with them in the morning to find out what they find out this meter. But um it just everywhere you go there's a water leak. There's water coming out the ground. And this is very important because it's it's causing all the potholes. You're driving in your vehicle, you're gonna cause an accident. When you hit these big old potholes, somebody can make a chance of flipping over, killing theelves. Then what? I mean, all of it has a ripple effect. But majority and a lot of the problem is this water. And I'm trying to figure out like uh because I barely see people fixing on the water. I'm sorry, but um we know we're going to get cuz they say we have $11 million so-called $11 million loan, but uh and it has to be it's so hard to get the money. I uh I don't understand how you got $1 million loan, but you never can get the money to fix the stuff. So, I'm just not understanding that because we're they're saying that the government won't release the money. so hard for the government to release the money. But I'm I'm not understanding like because we're in a crisis. I mean, cuz this is going to affect everything. It's going to affect our roads. It's going to affect our infrastructures. And I know this not coming from under the ground. It's kind of getting over from something different. But water leaks are water leaks. And this be overhead the courthouse. I don't know what it is, but it's water running like a water hydrant. And it's wasting water. What they going to do about it? What is that big structure with that water running out of it?
2:17:41
Unidentified AC.
2:17:42
Sheila Smith° Why the water running out like that on the side?
2:17:45
Unidentified I I'll have to do
2:17:46
Sheila Smith° it's it's tying up the roads. It's running all down the roads. It's pulling off the soil. So, we going to have problems. Why won't they fix that? That is money that we have to pay to fix that [laughter] cuz that's on a public bill. That's citizen money. That needs to be fixed. I'm just looking for some solutions because it's been over this back in 20 24 26 now and I don't see nobody working on no water on no putting no lines in. So, it's time for some solutions. see some work.
2:18:29
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° So, thank thank you, Miss Smith. Um I think the place that um as you talking about the crowds you were talking about right across
2:18:37
Sheila Smith° right across the street this big tin thing and the water just runs like like you know took off one of the water has and uh it's all down the street. So that means you corro the soil is uh coming all out. You got to run all the streets going streets up with and this been going on for why when they going to fix that this city property.
2:19:04
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° I believe if we're thinking about the same place I believe that would be county but but still impacts the city.
2:19:09
Unidentified Still impacts the city.
2:19:11
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Still impacts the city. So, I I just wanted to I just wanted to um answer a couple of the things. So, uh myself, the chief of staff, we're working with Mr. Rose, we're going to be doing a water convening very soon within the next two weeks for the city. It's an opportunity for residents to come out and get questions answered. Also, um get an understanding around how rates are calculated. Pretty much everything water, water, water, water, so people can leave it and understand it. Um, every time someone makes a post on Facebook or online somewhere saying, "This is why water bill is going up. This is why water bills are going up." My response to that as I see these comments or these posts, you're right. That is why water bills going up. Our infrastructure is aged. It's old. Um, I know that you might not see every single repair that happens, but our water department does have a locate team where you have people that spend their whole day locating leaks around the city. Um, I've seen them in West Helena off of Fifth Street. I've seen them in Helena off of Franklin Street. I mean, they they go all over and the reality of the situation is with the manpower that's currently at our disposal within the water department, um the the sheer number of leaks outnumbers them. So, for a lot of our residents and citizens, it may appear that we're not prioritizing leaks. We have so many leaks and and that's why the approvals that we just had with those invoices and repairs, that's why those are urgent so that we can make sure we have a stronger, healthier water department. Uh but I do encourage you to just stay tuned. We're narrowing a date again for the next two within the next two weeks to have that water convening meeting and that will be a public meeting for folks to come out and um get clarity.
2:20:44
Unidentified Okay.
2:20:45
City Attorney Andre Valley If I may, Miss Smith, from a from a standpoint, uh the city has spent thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars repairing leaks. The city has retained the engineer Smith and Wer. uh they're preparing a plan uh for the state to approve. We have uh the Arkansas Department of Health has two what's called consent administrative orders where they identify many of the issues with the Homa and West Ha water utilities that still considered separate from an enforcement standpoint even though we're one uh entity, one city. Uh but there were details about each that Mr. Rose speaks to consistently relating to issues that need to be repaired. Um when we did the rate water rate study with uh Arkansas rural water, they talked about that at some point we had about 80% of the water that was being manufactured was going on the ground. Uh the city has spent uh as I said thousands if not $100,000 getting between qual plumbing between Andre Crawford and others fixing leaks. So you may not see uniform people from the water department but you are seeing them contracting to do it and you are seeing uh Mr. Rose have people out doing it. I can't speak to the dayto-day, but as far as you're talking about $11 million, uh we have not closed on that loan. Uh we're preparing a plan, the engineer preparing a plan to show priority as to here are the things we have to do to comply with the orders that we were given. We were given two orders by the state and he's detailing a plan for the state. The state has to approve that plan before we can get a goal to go forward. Uh we also receive loan paperwork from them. We have not closed on. When we close on it, then we the funds will be available to the citizen to do so. But they need detailed plans. And the issue is as the mayor said with the aging infrastructure when Mr. Rose directs someone to go repair a leak because the age of our pipes, if if we repair a leak on one area, then what happens is the pressure is increased and down the street another pipe burst because of it's the pressure bursts a pipe. That's that's literal. Uh water water would flow and another pipe bust and you think that they didn't fix a leak, but they did, but it moved further down the road. And so you have all those type of issues. And the state came down here and they met with us and they were saying eventually we want a plan for you to replace whole streets at a time till we get this done and going forward. So the 11 million and the 27 million that we've been discussing is about that. That's a holistic plan. Instead of you doing it peace meal, there are things that we're doing. There's still going to be other funds we have to use to replace things. Uh they're addressing issues in Helena and West Helena. And the issue is a serious issue is one that we've taken very seriously. And we're moving forward and that constant communication. Every time that the the engineer does a draft, it has to be approved by the state. Then they send it back to him for corrections. Show me how you're going to address this issue and this issue. So that process is tedious and it takes time. and we're working on it. And as you heard also from Mr. Rose that they're constantly testing the water. They do data samples the weekly that the state tested and they said the water is still good. So the the city is trying to get it done. The issue is the geography of the of the city is very large. It still services the same water line we did when we were two or three times the size that we are now greater. But we still have that infrastructure and the city has to fix all of that infrastructure. We're moving forward and the state is watching everything to make sure we're compliant and they want us to operate with due diligence. Mr. Rose is trying to operate with due diligence. The engineer, the mayor, the city council, everybody should operate with due diligence. Once it gets to the table, city council makes decisions quickly. That's why we approved all these bills tonight so we can try to get those things done. And so we all have to have patience. It wasn't it isn't that the city's ignoring the issue. The issue was so vast and it took so long and now that every time something comes up city council is trying to deal with it and I can't speak for the council for that year and each mayor of the city has tried to deal with it and the thing is it's a large problem and the city is trying to work on it and I would invite either mayor Mr. Ro to to any additional comments. I I just want
2:25:09
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Thank you, Attorney Valet. And I just wanted to add two quick things that um just jog jog my memory. Number one, the $1 million loan um when funds become available, the city's not going to get a lump sum of of those funds. So um we're going to workers and contractors are going to do work. They'll have a request for um payment or approval and those forms. We'll have to confirm that that work is done and we send that in to the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission who is the group that's made that loan for us available for us. So, um, I want to just in case that wasn't known or just in case somebody watching at home doesn't know that the city's not going to get a lump sum of those funds, we will use those funds as we get certain stages of the project completed. Um, the second thing that I just that just came to me also, we also have a $2 million Delta Regional Authority um, grant, full grant for waterline replacement. And correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Rose, but that project was approved, correct? For us to start within the next within the year
2:26:03
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° 2.5 million.
2:26:04
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Two 2 Exactly. So 2.5 million that and that's full grant that is strictly for waterline replacement and within the last I want to say two and a half three weeks ago we got the we got the news that it's um within the next year we need to make sure that that project is is done or worked on. So so that is that is also another source of um opportunity for improvement and some relief coming as well.
2:26:31
Sheila Smith° Okay. Um what what are they going to do about the manpower then for like is they going to get the manpower in here and when and um
2:26:42
Unidentified there the department currently is hiring. I don't h can you I'm not sure when your last hire was I don't want to get to say the wrong date but the water department um they've had advertisements for um they had advertisements for personnel for for new laborers. So how did you need some manpower in? I mean are they doing something trying to get in or what? I mean because you said we need manpower.
2:27:07
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° So our process has been um for any uh open role that that role gets placed into the newspaper. uh sometimes that gets online uh press as well and interviews come in they contact the department head the HR um they go through interview process and um we make sure as I've asked all department heads to make sure that they bring in the most certified uh best people people that also potentially have room to grow um so yeah so that's been a process that they've um that they've been undergoing recently Thank you.
2:27:44
Unidentified Thank Thank you, Miss M. Thank you for making about that water over there.
2:27:50
Unidentified Over there. That's That's a county court office, county building.
2:27:52
Unidentified Also, they're not going to It's just going to ruin
2:27:56
Unidentified I don't know what the county judge is doing over there.
2:27:59
Unidentified Yeah.
2:28:00
Unidentified Does that affect our bill, too?
2:28:03
Unidentified I can't say it affects our bill, but what I can what I can do is will
2:28:08
Unidentified our bill is my business. I don't know when this going to get fixed. All all water leaks that are identified are are are noted. Like I said, we have a locate team and the reality of it is that those locates outpace at times our work um our workforce. So, we will make sure that and and I would invite you back
2:28:31
Unidentified who does
2:28:31
Unidentified I'll invite you to talk about that once we get off um off of this. But I do
2:28:35
Unidentified Yeah. Who does that? Who who's over there?
2:28:38
Unidentified The county judge in court in court. So that's who you speak to, the county judge. Okay. And he's overfunded for the fix. Does that go to do they have like do they get cited for that?
2:28:55
Unidentified I can't say I can't say you fight us. Why can't the uh why can't they be you know for this water run? It's time the streets.
2:29:06
Unidentified It's not a question that's If it was a citizen, you'll site us. I'm just saying.
2:29:14
Unidentified So, no, I understand what you're asking now. I wasn't sure if you were asking um
2:29:18
Unidentified they should be for
2:29:20
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Yeah. I wasn't I wasn't sure if you're asking if there was an oversight body outside of the city, but I do understand what you're asking now. Um you brought it to our attention today and I'm I'm not sure if I I'm not sure if our water department I don't know every single item that's on the locate team or locate list. I'm not sure. But I will make sure that I speak with our water department director who's here now so that we can uh address that one too.
2:29:42
Unidentified Thank you.
2:29:43
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Thank Thank you, Miss Smith, for being a concerned citizen. Um, with that, thank you all and I'll accept a motion to
2:29:53
Unidentified several weeks ago. We we talked about having our code enforcement officers to come to the meeting and give us an update on what they were doing
2:30:04
Unidentified so we would know what they were doing as code enforcement officer and what problems that they have run into
2:30:12
Councilman Adrian Messina (Ward 2)° and I hadn't seen a code enforcement officer here in two months at a meeting. No, no. I think I want to say it was last meeting that we asked um if that was and correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure if my memory serves me correctly.
2:30:29
Unidentified Maybe it was a month ago, but I haven't seen I have not seen the code enforcement officer give us an update on what they're doing. And somebody mentioned to me,
2:30:38
Unidentified so they enforcement officer have to have some kind of certification to be a code enforcement officer. It doesn't have to have certification to be a code enforcement officer. There's training that the code enforcement officer has to do after they're hired.
2:30:52
Unidentified They have to they have to have training.
2:30:55
Unidentified Every employee needs to be trained.
2:30:57
Unidentified Huh?
2:30:58
Unidentified Every employee needs to be trained.
2:31:01
Unidentified Okay. Somebody asked me that question today and I said, I don't know if our code enforcement officer has the proper training. I don't know that.
2:31:09
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Has he? Do they? They've had um I can't identify all the training that they've had, but I've recently spoken with um Chief Sanders and we're going to make sure we're going to work to make sure that they can be part-time certified through the police department. Not adding new personnel to the police department, but allowing them to um get certified under under their
2:31:32
Unidentified train. Can can a code enforcement officer give tickets to people for littering? they can write the uh
2:31:41
City Attorney Andre Valley they can write affidavits to to people for for crimes. Uh as it relates to training, training is an ongoing thing. The longer the person is a code ofform officer, when the city has the capacity to do additional training, they go through HVAC training, they go through building code training, they go through all manner of training as it relates to it. So people that have just been hired a few months wouldn't have all the training, but people as they go forward, they get a variety of training and they lean on other departments when it when they need advice relating to things that they need at the immediate time.
2:32:20
Unidentified Okay. We want to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to do.
2:32:25
Unidentified I do. So
2:32:26
City Attorney Andre Valley° they can they can write an affidavit. They can't write a ticket. Yes, Mr. S.
2:32:33
Unidentified Is that what you're saying?
2:32:34
City Attorney Andre Valley Yes, sir. When I when it's talking about code forance, affidavit and ticket carry the same weight. An affidavit is any citizen can write an affidavit to allege that a crime has occurred and is reviewed by the city attorney's office, by the judge, and a warrant is issued for a misdemeanor. And any person can do that. You can do an affidavit. uh a citation. A person has to be on the law Arkansas law enforcement training academy standards certification in order to write citations. But anybody can write an affidavit.
2:33:06
Unidentified The reason why somebody mentioned that we needed to make some money for the city and I just see people just throwing stuff out of the damn cars.
2:33:16
Mayor Joseph Whitfield To that to that point, Mr. I just want to say quickly, we had a um very similar to what I was just tell describing to Miss Smith, which is going to be a water convening that we'll have. We had a code enforcement um session/town hall where they presented the work that they were doing the updates in terms of uh explaining the stickers that uh people might not recognize and understand breaking down to them what that means. So they have been because it's my belief uh personally that people need to be able to see what departments are doing. We need to be able to make it make sense. people need to have faith that the work that's supposed to be getting done is getting done. So, um the code enforcement did have that community meeting about three weeks ago. Um and I will invite them to come back to the city um council meeting if you would like for them to have um a presentation. They're working every day and I could tell them to be in tomorrow and they would have um a slew of things to show before and after pictures um priority assignments and so um
2:34:12
Unidentified they're they're doing they're doing their jobs
2:34:14
Unidentified if they can write tickets or
2:34:16
Unidentified affidavit
2:34:17
Unidentified affidavits. The city needs to make some money.
2:34:21
Unidentified Well, period.
2:34:23
City Attorney Andre Valley The issue isn't about making money. The first thing we need to do is is is enforce the law. Uh, but just point of information, Mr. Smith has been here at every council meeting. He may not have spoke, but he's been here at every council meeting. I believe he was sitting in the back earlier tonight.
2:34:38
Unidentified I saw him.
2:34:40
City Attorney Andre Valley° Well, if you saw him, it was a miscarriorization to say that he hadn't been here. I understand you're saying he didn't address you, but I think he was here sitting in the back.
2:34:49
Unidentified All right. Now at large I'm at large for the city and I got stopped by somebody who is really upset with that civil war park that we have off. The thing stays open around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And it needs to be on a time where like from 10 to 5, 6 days a week
2:35:25
Unidentified because what they're doing, there's things that are going on that are not acceptable for the city. M we reflected at 8:24 we lost a quorum.
2:35:43
Unidentified Do what now?
2:35:44
Unidentified We lost a quorum at 8:24.
2:35:46
Unidentified Yes.
2:35:46
Unidentified Most definitely walked out at 8:24.
2:35:50
Unidentified What did you just say?
2:35:52
City Attorney Andre Valley° We lost a definitely walked out at 8:24. We lost a quorum at 8:24. We still were still meeting that there's no business that could be conducted because we don't have a quorum.
2:36:02
Unidentified All right. But I want to let y'all know cuz he asked me to make sure that we made a presentation to this to the council. What? Okay. What are y'all's plans to think about it to get that park closed?
2:36:23
Unidentified And I'm trying to Ottabon. This is
2:36:26
Unidentified You know what I'm talking about. The Civil War Park.
2:36:28
Unidentified This Freedom Park.
2:36:30
Unidentified The Civil War Park up Oh, battery. Battery battery. Oh, battery. He's talking about when when you
2:36:36
Unidentified when that battery what A or B or what?
2:36:38
Unidentified We leave port go up the hill and
2:36:40
Unidentified I think it's battery C.
2:36:42
Unidentified Battery C.
2:36:43
Unidentified I think it's battery C.
2:36:44
Unidentified Battery B.
2:36:45
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° But what we can do, um, so I know that park, now that I understand what you're talking about, that park does have a gate. Um, and I know it does have a gate. Um I can't necessarily say I commit to closing it um because we don't necessarily close any of our public parks um after hours. What h what I have done in my time in being in this role has asked um for extra patrols in certain areas. There are a couple parks that are close to my residence where I've asked uh for patrols to make sure that
2:37:15
Unidentified Let me tell you people on Ottabon they're all upset all of what's going on up there. things are going on up there that is not acceptable.
2:37:26
Unidentified Would that be the Delta Cultural Center that um
2:37:29
Unidentified I think I think the city can override the cultural center.
2:37:33
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Well, no, just to have the conversation around ways to pivot. So, we'll figure I'll I'm not sure if that's um AMP or Delta Cultural Center. Um but I'm sure a conversation can be had there with how to address this moving forward. That that's what I'm saying because it is managed. is not managed directly by the city, but um if we and I want to say I believe it's the Delta Culture Center, a conversation can be had to make sure that that gets addressed. Well, I guarantee you if you had the homes up there, the home right next to that Civil War battery B or whatever, you'd make damn sure it was closed cuz things are going up there that's not acceptable to social. Well, what I'm going to do if they want, they call.
2:38:20
Mayor Joseph Whitfield And what I want and what I'm going to do, attorney, I'm going to I'll stay a little bit to talk to you, Mr. Messina, so that I can get a firm understanding. But for the sake of folks watching and for the sake of councilwoman Miller, Attorney Valley, I'm going to just adjourn the meeting, but I will sit to talk with you now to get a little more understand. But thank you all. Uh, meeting is officially Thank you.
How this page was made: built from the city's own meeting video (YouTube ↗) and its posted meeting packet (Drive folder ↗). Dollar figures are quoted from the documents; nothing here is paraphrased from memory. Corrections: cheekforhelena@gmail.com.