Bessemer City News

City Council Minutes - January 11, 2010

January 11, 2010

The Bessemer City Council met in regular session on January 11, 2010 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers of City Hall.

Members Present

Mayor Bob Hovis; Council Members:  Dan Boling, Kay McCathen, Joe Will, Melanie Colvin, Becky Smith and Donnie Griffin.  City Manager Allan Farris and City Attorney David Smith were also present.

Call to Order

Mayor Hovis called the meeting to order and led in the opening prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Adjustment & Approval of Agenda

Upon motion by Becky Smith and second by Dan Boling, the January agenda was approved with the “Council Rules of Procedures” being continued to the February meeting.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the December 14, 2009 meeting were unanimously approved by motion of Becky Smith and second by Kay McCathen.

Request to Speak/Opportunity for Public Comment

A)  Mr. Ted Saunders, Bessemer City High School Principal, 2514 Cherokee Court, Gastonia, addressed Council to request the waiver of the (gas) tap fee for the new field house at the high school.  Mr. Saunders advised that plans for the field house began fifteen years ago with funding mainly by the County, the Booster Club and donations.  Mr. Saunders stated it was likely that the project would not come in under budget due to some bad dirt and other unexpected expenses.  The City Manager advised that the tap fee, based on commercial rates, was $450.00.  During discussion, Becky Smith advised that she had worked many hours raising money for the project, but she also expressed concern over setting a precedent by waiving the tap fee.  Melanie Colvin and Dan Boling were in favor of the waiver.  (The City Attorney reminded the board that any requests for action should be placed on the next agenda for consideration). Donnie Griffin said he understood reservations about setting a precedent and said he would raise the funds himself.

B)  Officer Chad Owens, Gaston County Police, informed Council of a Business “Crime Prevention” Seminar being planned by the Gaston County Police Department for Thursday, February 4, 2010.  The seminar will be held in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 7:00 PM.  Topics will include:  Business Security, Burglary Prevention, Shoplifting, Employee Theft, Bad and Fraudulent Checks.  Light refreshments will be served.

Consent Agenda

Item C) Annual Certification of Firemen was pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion by motion of Melanie Colvin, second of Kay McCathen and unanimous vote.  Council Member Colvin asked questions regarding required training, certification and drug screening of those listed on the Fire Department Roster.  Following discussion, the following items of the “Consent Agenda” were unanimously approved by motion of Kay McCathen and second of Dan Boling:

A)  Overnight Travel Request:  Approved request for the City Clerk to attend a Master Municipal Clerk Academy and the Annual City & County Clerk’s School in Durham on January 20-23, 2010.

B)  Appointment of Fire Chief:  Approved re-appointment of Jamie Ramsey as Fire Chief for 2010.

C)  Annual Certification of Firemen:  Approve roster of eligible firemen as submitted by the Fire Chief and required by N.C. General Statutes.

D)  City Council Rules of Procedure:  Removed from agenda for continuation at the February meeting.

Waste Management Recycling Presentation

Ms. Peggy Poston, Government & Community Relations for Waste Management reviewed options for a recycling program in Bessemer City.  Ms. Poston advised that while Waste Management services are large in scale, their focus is decidedly local.  It is their policy to custom-tailor services to the areas they service to ensure timely, effective response to customer needs.    The options presented were as follows:

Option 1 (Waste Management supplies all services, labor and capital) - 64-gallon cart serviced every other week (cart supplied by WM) - $4.30 per unit/month.

Option 2 - 96-gallon cart (supplied by City) serviced every other week - $3.60 per unit/month.

Waste Management provides public education and communication to residents with all necessary information regarding single stream recycling, a schedule of service and what can and cannot be recycled.  They are currently providing recycling service to Cramerton, Mt. Holly and Belmont.  In closing, Ms. Poston responded to questions regarding mercury lights which cannot be recycled at this time.   Recycling is collected and taken to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) center for sorting and disposal.

Demolition Ordinance (HE04-302 E. Boston Avenue)

Jeffrey Kirchner, City Code Enforcement Officer, reviewed an order for demolition of property located at 302 E. Boston Avenue.  Mr. Kirchner advised that Code Enforcement had been dealing with the vacant property since 2000.  The owners are the heirs of Author Sellers, Author Sellers, Jr. and Kimberlyn Sellers.  All known heirs were all sent a “Notice of Hearing” for September 22, 2009.  No one attended.  The house has been abandoned since 1996 and has been a nuisance and blight to the City for years.  The house is structurally in o.k. condition, but a wreck on the interior.  The cost of repairing the house was over 50% of its value when originally estimated 5 years ago and it has deteriorated substantially since then.  The property currently has approximately $5,000 in unpaid taxes.  Mr. Kirchner stated that demolishing this nuisance structure seems to be the only option since the property really doesn’t have an owner and none of the heirs have tried to settle the estate in the past 5 years.  Upon motion by Joe Will, second by Melanie Colvin and unanimous vote, an ordinance was adopted directing the Code Enforcement Officer to demolish and remove the structure on the premises known as 302 E. Boston Avenue.  (Copy on file in Ordinance/Resolution Book at City Hall).

Kiser Trust Fund Committee

Mayor Hovis provided Council Members with his suggestions for committee considerations in determining utilization of the funds from the Kiser Trust as follows:

Task 1) Determine present use of existing Community Center by compiling a list of activities presently being housed to include details of facility needs for each event, number of persons served by activity, relative age of those being served, projected cost recovery of each activity and requirements of staff time for each activity.  This comprehensive listing of current activities and a scope of involvement will provide a base to understand utilization of the center.

Task 2) Generate the same projections for a new center or upgrade of present center. The initial list should be as broad as possible and later in the process it can be determined what activities meet the facility needs, be it existing or new space.

Task 3) Establish mode of new proposed activities and events and related facility needs.

Mayor Hovis recommended the committee be comprised of no more than ten members with City staff providing support as needed.  Following discussion, Council was asked to forward committee recommendations to the Mayor.

Discussion of Open Items

Sales Tax Distribution Agreement:  City staff will follow the signed agreement between the County and Gastonia to model Bessemer City’s agreement and meet in negotiations with the County Manager.  (Completion of the agreement is necessary for budget preparation for 2010-2011).

Council General Discussion

Check water meter at 704 E. Iowa Avenue for possible leaks; pothole at driveway at 5052 Ashley Place; numerous potholes on Apple Lane (paving thin); driveways being damaged on Jonathan Lane due to lack of turn-around space; why is City not hauling needed gravel in City owned dump truck; flashing light out at 8th Street and Alabama Avenue; question on removal of old water tower on mountain; Natural Selection Building - why was it condemned and why does the City still have it; thanks to Captain Myers for his report regarding the Youth Protection Ordinance; plan tour of City facilities before Planning Retreat and budget preparation; gate(s) not being locked at old sewer facility site - will that site eventually have to be cleared; 508 E. Virginia Avenue selling old sinks, etc. especially on weekends; pay more attention to grass (brush) cutting and cleaning of Indian Springs Park; limbs dumped on Logan; discussion of retreat dates; reminder of “Essentials of Government” class.

Adjourn

With no further business to come before the Board, motion to adjourn at 8:15 PM was made by Dan Boling, seconded by Melanie Colvin with unanimous vote.

Janice M. Costner, City Clerk; William R. Hovis, Mayor