HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-09-19 - Minutes -Vacant
Ward 1 Position I
Council Member D'Andre Jones
Ward 1 Position 2
Council Member Sarah Moore
Ward 2 Position 1
Council Member Mike Wiederkehr
Ward 2 Position 2
Mayor Lioneld Jordan
City Attorney Kit Williams
City Clerk Treasurer Kara Paxton
City of Fayetteville Arkansas
City Council Meeting
September 19, 2023
City Council Meeting Minutes
September 19, 2023
Page 1 of 23
Council Member Scott Berna
Ward 3 Position I
Council Member Sarah Bunch
Ward 3 Position 2
Council Member Teresa Turk
Ward 4 Position 1
Council Member Holly Hertzberg
Ward 4 Position 2
A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council was held on September 19, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in
Room 219 of the City Administration Building located at 113 West Mountain Street,
Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Mayor Jordan called the meeting to order.
PRESENT: D'Andre Jones, Sarah Moore, Mike Wiederkehr, Scott Berna, Teresa Turk,
Holly Hertzberg, Mayor Lioneld Jordan, City Attorney Kit Williams, City Clerk Treasurer
Kara Paxton, Chief of Staff Susan Norton, Chief Financial Officer Paul Becker, Staff, Press
and Audience.
Council Member Sarah Bunch arrived virtually at 5:33 P.M. Pledge of Allegiance
Mavor's :announcements, Proclamations and Recognitions: None
City Council Meeting Presentations, IZei)orts, and Discussion Items:
Nominating Committee Report — Committee Chair
Council Member Wiederkehr, read aloud and listed the members of the Nominating Committee
and reported the names and terms of the individuals recommended by the committee.
Council Member Hertzberg moved to approve the Nominating Committee Report. Council
Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 6-0. Council Member
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September 19, 2023
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Berna, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Council Member Bunch
was absent. Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Agenda Additions: None
Consent:
Approval of the September 5, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes.
APPROVED
Crossland Heavy Contractors, Inc. (Change Order No. 1): A resolution to approve change
order no. 1 to RFQ # 22-07 contract with Crossland Heavy Contractors, Inc. For the midtown
corridor project phase 2 in the amount of $14,600,772.00, approve a project contingency of
$300,000.00, and approve a budget adjustment for this 2019 transportation bond project.
Resolution 200-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Carbon Reduction Program Funding (Resolution): A resolution to express the willingness of
the City of Fayetteville to utilize federal -aid carbon reduction program funds in the amount of
$400,000.00 for the led lighting and video detection improvements project, to approve a city match
of $100,000.00 for the project, and to approve a budget adjustment.
Resolution 201-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Recognize Parking Facilities Revenue And Expenses (Budget Adjustment): A resolution to
approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $86,500.00 recognizing additional revenue and
associated expenses for certain parking facilities and services.
Resolution 202-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Dultmeier Sales, LLC (Purchase Agreement): A resolution to award bid no. 23-28 and
authorizing the purchase of salt brine making equipment from Dultmeier Sales in the amount of
$78,000.00 plus sales tax.
Resolution 203-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Flintco, LLC (Change Order No. 10): A resolution to approve change order no. 10 to the
construction manager at risk contract with Flintco, LLC for the police headquarters project in the
amount of $29,624.00, and to approve a budget adjustment — police headquarters bond project.
Resolution 204-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
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September 19, 2023
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2023 CDBG & HOME (Mayor's Signature Authority): A resolution to approve the 2023
Community Development Block Grant plan and home investment partnerships program (HOME)
agreements, and to authorize Mayor Jordan to execute these agreements for 2023 when received
in the amount of $1,277,184.00.
Resolution 205-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
OzarksGo, LLC. (Construction Agreement / Bid Waiver): A resolution to waive competitive
bidding and approve a contract with OzarksGo, LLC for the construction and installation of fiber
optic conduit and fiber optic cable for an amount not to exceed $576,000.00.
Resolution 206-23 as recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Council Member Turk moved to accept the Consent Agenda as read. Council Member
Moore seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council Member Berna,
Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1 Position 1 was
vacant.
Unfinished Business:
Amend §51.136 Monthly Water Rates And §51.137 Monthly Sewer Rates: An ordinance to
amend §51.136 monthly water rates and §51.137 monthly sewer rates to change water and sewer
rates as recommended by the cost of service study conducted by Black & Veatch. At the August
15, 2023 City Council meeting, this item was left on the second reading and tabled to the
September 19, 2023 City Council meeting.
Council Member Berna motioned to suspend rules and go to the third and final reading.
Council Member Turk seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1,
Position 1 is vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Council Member Turk, requested that the speaking limit be increased to twenty minutes because
of the complexity of the topic.
Council Member Turk motioned to extend allowed time to twenty minutes. Council Member
Hertzberg seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council Member
Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1, Position
1 is vacant.
Tim Nyander, Water and Sewer Director "Thank you Mayor, we are going to give a presentation
and I am going to give an overview of the Utilities Department followed by Anna White the
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principle consultant of Black and Veatch to talk about the details of the rate study and a follow up
with CFO Paul Becker. We get our water from Beaver Lake through Beaver Water District; we
pump it in for storage/distribution and send it to our customers. After they use it, it goes to
wastewater collections and then treatment and discharged into the natural outlets. Our purchase,
as I said comes from the Beaver Water District in Lowell. We have 800 miles of water lines, 15
storage tanks, and roughly 50,000 water meters. Besides providing water to the citizens of
Fayetteville we also provide water and distribution systems maintenance to the City of Farmington,
City of Goshen, City of Greenland, the southern portion of the City of Johnson, the Wheeler area
and we do provide water to a single point of access connection to the City of Elkins, the City of
West Fork and the Mount Olive Water Association. We have 600 miles of sewer lines which are
piped to the two wastewater treatment plants. Our treatment plants are operated 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days per year. We do provide sewer service and collection services and
maintenance to the City of Farmington, City of Greenland, and the southern portion of the City of
Johnson and we do receive and treat wastewater from a single point of distribution from the City
of Elkins and West Fork. The Paul R. Noland wastewater treatment plant treats an average of six
million gallons per day and it discharges into the White River, which goes to Beaver Lake. The
last major upgrade to the Noland plant was in 1988. The West Side wastewater treatment plant
treats an average of 9 million gallons per day, discharges in the Illinois River and it was built in
2007-2008 and put online in 2008. So, the questions are why we perform a rate study, go ahead
Jonathan. We provide a rate study to ensure that the rates provide adequate revenue and to operate
our systems in a safe and lawful manner and to cover the maintenance expenses, now and as our
system grows. We perform rate studies to ensure the rates are equitable, and that no customer
segment carries a disproportionate burden of cost while making sure the City is able to meet
demand for delivery of reliable services needed to date and the future. We provide improvements
through essential capital improvements and utilities infrastructure for a safe and healthy
water/sewer service and last but, not least we are required by State Law to perform a rate study
every five years. So, the operational costs for water distribution and sewer collection in 2022, our
O&M budget was $23,556,000 to provide these services to our customers. In 2023 we anticipate
the cost to be $25,990,362 and in 2024 we estimate it to be $28,109,350. Our wastewater
operational costs in 2022 it cost 7.6 million dollars to provide wastewater treatment to our
customers. In 2023 we anticipate the cost to be right at 8 million dollars and in 2024 we estimate
the cost to be 8.5 million dollars. Our customer classes and number of customers in relation to the
volume, so on the water side our residential customers account for 89% of our customer base and
they account for 58% of the volume of flow. The non-residential customers are 20% of the
customer base and also 20% of the flow. Irrigation is 9% of our customer base and also 9% ofthe
flow. Industrial is about 7% and they account for roughly 8% of water flow and our wholesale
customers account for 5% of our water flow. On the sewer side, the residentials are 61% of our
customer base and they do 62% of our volume. Non-residential is 22% of customer base and 22%
of the flow. Industry is 10% of flow and wholesale customers are 6% of the flow on the wastewater
side. That is a short presentation of our infrastructure, does anyone have any questions on that? If
not, I will turn it over to Anna White with Black and Veatch.
Anna White, Black and Veatch Representative "Good evening everybody, my pleasure to be here
tonight to continue the conversation that we were having a month ago on this topic. My
presentation tonight is going to focus mainly on wastewater. Some of the things I talk about are
applicable to water as well, but we are really going to focus on the numbers for wastewater and
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the processes that we used. So, this slide is just an overview of the process, I know that you have
seen these three steps several times, but we are going to go over them one more time with you. So,
step one is when we project the future revenue and revenue requirements for each utility and then
we determine whether the revenue and existing rates is adequate in order to fund those revenue
requirements. So that basically comes up with, does it, the rates need to increase, so how much
and that we are looking at a revenue increase like 3 percent, 4 percent what's that gap between
revenue and revenue requirements. The second step then is to allocate the costs, those revenue
requirements to the customer classes so that we can determine the cost responsibility for each class.
So, the total cost of sewer is a little under $27,000,000. $23,000,000 of that is allocated for inside
city customers. As Tim was just talking through about the number of customers and how the usage
of different classes for water and sewer, inside city residential is your largest class. We also want
to allocate those costs to the cost components which we used to develop the unit rates that are used
to develop the proposed rate schedule. The third step then is when we develop that rate schedule
using those unit costs. We want to make sure we are recovering the costs, the revenue from each
rate component, from the monthly base charge as well as the volume charge appropriately and also
recovering appropriate amount from each customer class. So, I just want to emphasis that we
followed the industry methodologies for doing a cost of service rate study. There are two manuals,
one for water and one for wastewater. All firms that do this type of work follow the methodologies
in those manuals and we did so with this study as well. So the main purpose of doing cost of
service, that is the second step out of those three steps, is to apportion the costs in an equitable
manner than reflects the differences between the customer classes and that is what really is most
important about doing that cost of service allocation step, is to recognize the difference in the
services that customers receive and how they use the system. We do that so we can then develop
rates that recover the appropriate amount of revenue from each customer class. So, as an example
there is different service requirements for residential customers versus industrial customers. So
industrial customers contribute high strength flow into the system in terms of `BOD" and
suspended solids depending on what kind of industry they are in. The flow that is coming from
those types of customers can be very polluted. Residential customers do not contribute high
strength flow, it is very low strength flow. So, that is an example of what we need to take into
consideration when we do those cost of service allocations, is what's the flow coming from each
of those customer classes and how do we need to recognize the difference in the flow so we make
sure each customer is paying its fair share. So, this is a representation of the wastewater cost
allocation approach and this is what's typically followed in the industry. So, we have the overall
revenue requirements, that blue bar at the top and how they are allocated to the different sewer
operations. So, you can see those operational cost centers in green. So, we have the collections
system, where we are collecting the water that is now wastewater, we are collecting that flow. It's
being pumped through the system. It's going to the treatment plant and then there are customer
related costs as well in terms of billing collection and customer service. So, the functions then
below in the yellow, that is how we recover those costs in terms of rate components. So, as an
example, costs that are associated with the collection system, were toking about collection
interceptors, force mains, those are recovered as cost volume charges. That's because those assets
are sized based on the amount of volume that is going to go through the pipes and needs to go
through the pump stations. When we are talking about the amount of volume, we are talking about
the contributive wastewater, that's the water that is being returned back to the plant as well as
infiltration and inflow. So, that's the water that is coming in through connections in the system,
little joints that aren't quite tight enough, water that is just getting into the system. So, were talking
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about contributive and "I&I" flow is what it's called, infiltration and inflow, it's coming into the
system so, those assets, the pipes in the lift stations are sized to recognize both types of flow. So,
we want to ensure we allocate the types of cost to those systems, the lift stations and the mains
based on flow and recover those costs through the flow, through the volume component. Another
example is the cost associated with high strength flow. Again, there's parts of the plant designed
specifically to treat high strength. So, we want to make sure we identify those costs and we recover
those costs through the surcharge. I want to point out that Elkins and West Fork are the two
wholesale customers on the sewer side. They are allocated costs associated with force mains,
pumping, treatment and treatment. Those are the three, there is no allocation of "I&I" being
allocated to the wholesale customers and well talk about that here in a little more detail in a minute.
So, this is a simplified representation, kind of what Tim was talking about in terms of where the
water goes to the customer and how it goes back. So, the wastewater system, the Fayetteville
wastewater system here is shown with the green checkerboard background, that's Fayetteville's
system. What we are showing there to the left is where Elkins and West Fork come in. So, what's
in orange, that's Elkins and West Fork's system. So, they have their own sewer service lines, they
have their own pump stations, their "I&I" comes in through their system into their lift station and
then that flow is then delivered to Fayetteville's system. So, you can see that's where it enters the
green checkered box. From there it goes through Fayetteville's system, lift stations, interceptors,
goes to the plant, goes to disposal to the river. So, that's Fayetteville's piece of that. So, what's
kind of outlined there in the orange circle, the orange boundary there, those are the parts of
Fayetteville's system that are used to serve Elkins and West Fork. So, they are allocated portion
of the costs for those process that are outlined in the orange line. So, this just summarizes exactly
what is being allocated and what is not being allocated to the wholesale customers versus the retail
customers. So, on the left the wholesale customers are being allocated pumping and conveyance
costs from the point that the flow enters Fayetteville's system, treatment and disposal,
administration costs. These are overhead management costs that are allocated to all customers in
proportion to other costs and then wholesale metering and billing, even though I don't think there
is any metering, billing, the two wholesale customers. You can see on the retail side we have the
sewer, sewer collections system as well as the force mains again on the wholesale side, that sewer
collection system is owned by Elkins and West Fork. Therefore, they are not being allocated any
cost associated with Fayetteville's sewer collection system. Infiltration and inflow is also being
recovered from the retail customers, again it's not being recovered from wholesale because that
flow is already included in the flow that is already coming from the lift station from those two
customers into Fayetteville's system. Retail customers also pay pumping, disposal, administration
costs and metering and billing costs. So, following the meeting from a month ago where we had
acknowledged that we were not aware that the infiltration and inflow was included in the meter
volume coming from the wholesale customers. We went back and corrected that so that we are not
adding any addition "I&I" to the wholesale volume. We still incorporate the "I&I" for other
customers classes, we are not incorporating it for wholesale because it is already in there. So, the
impact of making this change is what's being shown here. So, the allocated cost of service to
wholesale, both Elkins and West Fork combined was a little under $100,000. So, a decrease of
about 8.5 percent. So, that is significant. Elkins decreased by about $46,000 and West Fork
decreased about $53,000 which is how that was split. So, what that did with regards to proposed
volume charge is it decreased by $0.53 per 1000 gallons and that is a decrease of about 8.4%.
We'll see what that rate looks like here in just a minute. Wholesale is not charged a monthly meter
charge so, that wasn't impacted by this change. So, since we decreased the cost that was allocated
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to wholesale by $100,000, we have to recover those costs from somewhere else and that is the
remainder of the customers, the retail customers. So, in order to make up that difference it was
recovered from both inside and outside City customers and it resulted in an increase of $0.03 per
1,000 gallons for the volume charges proposed for inside and outside City retail customers. So,
percentage wise this is about a 0.5 percent increase in the inside city volume charges and a little
less for the outside City volume charge. There was no change to the base charge, meter charge
based on this revision. So, this is just a statement of the proposed base charges that were presented
a month ago and there has been no change based on the revisions we have made to the wholesale
customer cost of service allocation. So, this is the same thing that was presented a month ago. The
next slide is where we can see the change, so this is the volume charge. So, what you'll see there
for residential, non-residential and major industrial customers, circled there in green. You can track
it from the left is what we showed a month ago and track it over to the right side which is what we
are proposing now. You can see those rates all, that the volume charge decreased, I'm sorry,
increased $0.03 for the retail customers. If you look at the red for wholesale and track it from the
left to the right, you can see that it decreased based on this change. So again, because of the
decrease in one customer class we have to recover the total revenue requirements from the system,
therefore that revenue must be recovered from all other customer classes. You can see there has
been a slight increase in the surcharge rate. So, the schedule on the right is what is being proposed
and Paul is going to talk about that a little bit more."
Mayor Jordan, "We are just about up to the 20-minute mark, do you want to give any more
time?"
Council Member Turk, "Mayor, I'd like to ask that we allocate more time so we can hear the
update rates from Paul Becker."
Mayor Jordan, "Is everybody agreeable with that, do we need a vote or anything? Paul go
ahead, you have 5 minutes."
Paul Becker, Chief Financial Officer "I will get through this as rapidly as I can for brevity
purposes. Anna told you what the final correction was made as the last time we came forward and
said we were looking at the rates to make some correction based on what we thought had not been
anticipated before. So, let's take a look at what this means to the current rates. Now remember
when it comes to the water side, we are looking at paying for, between $85,000,000 and
$90,000,000 on the water side for the new line, 48" line coming from Beaver Water from up around
Springdale on down to the City. So, that's going to drive the rates up because of that capital
improvement. If we look at the proposed fixed base rates, there are two components, fixed charge
and quantity charge for pay per usage. So, there is a cost simply to have access to the usage and
there is another cost for the actual quantity used. So, if we look at these fixed base charges inside
the City, we're seeing that on a monthly basis the costs are going to go up about 6.0 percent for
most of the residential. Most of the residential accounts are in the 5/8" to 3/4" rate area and you'll
see that's where most of our customers are. Looking at the outside of the City it is going to go up
about 6.0 percent for residential customers in that point in time. As meter sizes get larger, you get
into your non-residential classification and your industrial. All in all, the average going up for the
monthly rates is 8.9 percent and average for outside of the City is 20.8 percent and that is because
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of the cost for capital embodied in the outside City rates. Can you go to the next one, please? Now
we are going to look at the actual usage charges. We look at them, we are going to see for the City
of Fayetteville, inside the most residential customers, those rates are going up about 2.3 percent.
The non-residential rates, those are going up 17.4 percent. That's because of the study and we look
at the cost of the classification and different classification of the customers and what percentage
of use is. So, it's going to impact the non-residential more than the residential rates. Major
industrial users is going to increase about 6.0 percent and irrigation on the smaller users, it will go
down little bit and it will be up 5.0 percent for irrigation. If we look at outside of the City, we can
see the differential is going to be about 12 percent for most of the residential customers. It will be
28.3 percent for non-residential customers and about a 2.0 percent increase for major industrial,
most of the major industrials is embodied in the City of Fayetteville. Irrigation for them will
average about 7.2 percent. So, as we can see the water costs are going to go up and that is driven
by that line as we discussed. Now if we look at the wholesalers, the wholesalers, Elkins and West
Fork both they have for the fixed charge monthly basis, they have a 4" meter and that will go up
about 6.0 percent on a monthly basis. The outside quantity fee is going from, at peak demand,
$3.20 up to $3.30. That is a 3.0 percent increase. There was at one time, impacted in the rates a
discount for over reduced peak for very large usage. That as we discussed with the Water and
Sewer Committee, we thought that everyone should pay for their exact usage and not be discounted
if they go into a large usage. So, that has been taken out. The average of that is 9.0 percent but,
major impact should be about 3.1 percent if they stay on it at that level. Now, what are we going
to look at, at the wastewater. Now, the wastewater we are going to look at a little differently
because we were able to reduce the capital demand for the wastewater section because the biosolids
we feel we had a solution that is far less expensive than what we thought our solution was when
we originally proposed these rate increases. So, if we look at the wastewater, we are going to see
a little difference. We are going to see some major decreases on the monthly fee for wastewater for
the residential, both inside the City and outside the City. We are going to see some increases on
the wastewater going forward and most of those larger ones are non-residential rates. So, we are
going to see an overall decrease for both outside the City and inside the City. Remember the other
factor driving the wastewater side is Farmington as we discussed when we originally started this.
They were going to pay 8.0 percent of the operating costs of the West Side Plant, we changed that
contract, so they don't pay for that, but par for usage. Do you want me to stop there, Mayor?"
Mayor Jordan, "How much longer will you take?"
Paul Becker, "Shouldn't be more than 3- or 4-minutes max, maybe 5."
Mayor Jordan, "Let's do another 5. Alright, go ahead."
Paul Becker, "So, let's look at the usage charges. Here we are going to see, because of that shift
in the Farmington, we adjusted the cost of capital. We reduced that because the committee thought
that was a charge would be reduced that it was a little high and we had discussed that before with
City Council. As we see some increases in residential wastewater for the City of Fayetteville users
but, it looks like a large percentage. 13.6 percent but it's going to $0.59 per 1,000 gallons, up to
2,000 gallons. Over that, $0.79. So, even though the percentages look high, it is not a lot in dollars.
Now, if we look outside the City, we will see something dramatically opposite. We are going to
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see a decrease and that is because Farmington is not picking up that 8.0 percent of the plant and
more of that is spread on the City of Fayetteville customers. Here we are looking at Farmington,
just want to show you what it would look like with Farmington with that adjustment. Their
residential customers are going to go down where they were going up dramatically before as far
as their usage. It is .90 percent. So there was a dramatic impact on Fayetteville when, excuse me,
on Farmington and Fayetteville when we changed that contract and that contract is fair to all of us,
actually because we are not guaranteeing any part of that plant and most of the growth in
Fayetteville on the West Side is going to be processed by that plant. So, I can go through a couple
of, what we wanted to do, what we though the impact was going to be on some of these customers.
We picked out a 4,200-gallon user and I had my utility billing people do some estimates. Actually,
it looks at that category, actually will be down a little bit. So, it should be pretty flat for everybody
at the residential users. Now we will look at a non-residential user and we used a consumption
basis of 24,900 gallons and it's going to be up about 5.0 percent inside the City of Fayetteville and
a little under 1.0% for the outside City of Fayetteville users. If we look at the industrial, we are
going to see an impact on the industrial users and that is because that class is using more and
consuming more than before. That will be up about 17.0 percent. If we look at the wholesalers, as
the wholesale comes down, what the monthly billing looks like for West Fork will be up about
11.8 percent and Elkins would be up about 21.0 percent if they continue to transmit as much flow,
wastewater flow to us. That is dramatically different from what we had before we made several
adjustments that we thought were fair. Again, these were all calculated by Black and Veatch doing
the rate study and they are the rate study experts in the area. These rates are all going to very
depending on how much people use. The basis of the committee and the basis of the thing we are
bringing forward to you is, you pay for what you use, we are not going to give discounts for major
users. It's all about economy, it's about conserving our precious resources as much as possible.
I'll be happy to answer any questions."
Mayor Jordan, "Okay, what discussion, questions do you have for Black and Veatch or staff. I
know this has been through the Water and Sewer Committee."
Paul Becker, "With that, the basis of my presentation actually was, in front of you, you will have
an amendment and I would like you to look at that amendment. That would be the amendment that
we need to adjust the ordinance to the rate study that Black and Veatch has presented to you
pursuant to their slide. So, I'm asking that amendment be made."
Mayor Jordan, "So, you need an amendment to adjust the rates?
City Attorney Kit Williams, "You can make that amendment now or you can make it after public
comment. However, you choose to do, eventually, probably the new rates as proposed by the Water
and Sewer Committee and Black and Veatch would need to be amended and exchanged to the one
that was there previously."
Council Member Turk motioned to amend the rates to the September 19, 2023 rate schedule.
Council Member Berna seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1,
Position 1 is vacant.
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Council Member Turk, "Mayor if I may, I just want to let the public know that the Water and
Sewer Committee met last week. We had a long discussion. We talked a lot about the numbers and
how much review had gone into that. So, Black and Veatch has assured us that they have double
checked, and triple checked all of their calculations and information. So, I believe that I speak for
the Water and Sewer Committee that we are confident with the information that has been provided
tonight.
Mayor Jordan, "Thank you Teresa."
The City Council received 2 public comments regarding this Ordinance.
Mayor Jordan, "What discussion would the Council like to have or what action would the Council
like to take?"
Council Member Moore, "I would like to thank the Water and Sewer Committee as well as city
staff and the neighboring communities that have been in conversation. I know this has been a
conversation that has been happening before I came on Council. It is very complicated, there are
a lot of data points going into it and at the end of the day, nobody is totally happy. The truth of the
matter is that there are increased costs, the only thing that I would like to be record for is really
looking at the households who have struggled to pay at our current rates and as we move forward,
really being mindful and monitoring how that changes. We know that we are faced with growing
poverty in our community and so we might have to investigate mitigating factors in the future to
help folks who can't afford their water. So, that's just something that I want to put a pin in for us
to continue to look at."
Mayor Jordan asked shall the ordinance pass. Upon roll call the ordinance passed 7-0.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Ordinance 6681 as Recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Rezoning - 2023-0017: (N. Truckers Dr./The Lennon, 208): An ordinance to rezone that
property described in rezoning petition RZN 23-017 located near North Truckers Drive in Ward 2
for approximately 20.23 acres from RPZD, Residential Planned Zoning District to RMF-18,
Residential Multi -Family, 18 units per acre. At the September S, 2023 City Council meeting, this
item was left on the second reading.
Council Member Berna moved to suspend the rules and go to the third and final reading.
Council Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1
Position 1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
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Jonathan Curth, Development Services Director gave a brief explanation of the rezoning and
addressed a question regarding previous entitlements on the property that was brought forth at the
previous City Council meeting. He summarized the previous entitlements and explained that these
entitlements were currently expired. He stated staff recommended in favor of the request and the
Planning Commission forwarded the request to Council unanimously. He stated that there were
members from the Gilbert team that were available for questions.
Mayor Jordan, "Would the applicant like to speak before the Council, you have ten minutes."
Kelly Comber, Applicant Representative explained the area being considered for rezoning and
provided information on the adjacent properties. She explained that this proposed development
would increase housing opportunities for the citizens of Fayetteville and noted that staff and the
Planning Commission are in favor of this rezoning request.
John Gilbert, Applicant Representative provided background on the firm that had plans for
developing the property in question. He stated that he met with Council Member Turk a year
previously and that Council Member Turk had ecological and drainage concerns regarding
development on the property. He explained that he had talked to the Planning Commission several
times and that the site plans had been modified the best they could to address the environmental
and drainage concerns.
Mayor Jordan, "What questions does the Council have for the applicant or staff?" The City
Council received 5 public comments regarding this Ordinance.
Council Member Jones, asked Jonathan what the vote was in support of the rezoning.
Jonathan Curth, stated the Planning Commission supported the rezoning unanimously and the
Environmental Action Committee had a split recommendation but, the majority recommended it
be rezoned to Residential Agricultural.
Council Member Turk, stated that Wilson Springs was important to Fayetteville and the proposed
development would add significant run-off to Wilson Springs. She explained the different flora
and fauna that are associated with Wilson Springs and how this area interacted with the rest of the
environment.
Mayor Jordan asked shall the ordinance pass. Upon roll call the ordinance passed 6-1.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Council Member Turk voted no. Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Ordinance 6682 as Recorded in the office of the City Clerk
New Business:
Fayetteville Fire Department Establishment (Ordinance): An ordinance to enact section
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September 19, 2023
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33.044 establishment of fire department within article V fire department in §33 departments,
boards, commissions and authorities of the Fayetteville code.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Brad Hardin, Fire Chief gave a brief description and history of the Fayetteville Fire Department.
He stated that this ordinance was being brought forth because there was a lack of documentation
and wished to see the Fire Department be established.
Council Member Berna moved to suspend the rules and go to the second reading. Council
Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council Member
Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1 Position
1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Council Member Berna moved to suspend the rules and go to the third and final reading.
Council Member Moore seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1
Position 1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Mayor Jordan asked shall the ordinance pass. Upon roll call the ordinance passed 7-0.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Mayor Jordan, congratulated the Council on forming the Fire Department.
City Attorney Kit Williams, informed the Mayor that there was an emergency clause associated
with the ordinance.
Council Member Hertzberg moved to approve the emergency clause. Council Member Jones
seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 6-0. Council Member Berna, Bunch,
Turk, Hertzberg, Jones and Moore voted yes. Council Member Wiederkehr was absent for
the vote. Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Ordinance 6683 as Recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Ordinance To Amend §39.10 Water And Wastewater Damage Claims (Amendment): An
ordinance to amend §39.10 water and wastewater damage claims of the Fayetteville code to enable
the city council to exceed the $50,000.00 limitation on compensation when large, pressurized
water transmission lines fail and cause catastrophic damage and to declare an emergency.
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City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance. Council Member Berna, explained the
reasoning behind amending the ordinance and referredto a previous item that was considered
at a previous City Council meeting. He referred to Misty Simpsons water damage claim and
how he felt that the existing ordinance would not adequately cover the damages that occurred
to her home. He stated that the amendment was worded in a way as to not open the City to every
water damage claim and that this amendment considered large volume and high-pressure lines.
He then gave a brief background on the water infrastructure as it related to larger, pressurized
waterlines and stated that this amendment would increase the potential compensation from
$50,000 to $100,000.
Council Member Jones moved to suspend the rules and go to the second reading. Council
Member Turk seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council Member
Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1 Position
1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Council Member Turk moved to suspend the rules and go to the third and final reading.
Council Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1
Position 1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Mayor Jordan asked shall the ordinance pass. Upon roll call the ordinance passed 7-0.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Council Member Bunch, thanked Council and staff for the drafting and consideration of this
amendment.
Council Member Turk, thanked everyone involved in the creation of this amendment.
Mayor Jordan, stated there is an emergency clause that needed to be voted on.
Council Member Hertzberg moved to approve an emergency clause. Council MemberTurk
seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council Member Berna, Bunch,
Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Ordinance 6684 as Recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Housing and Urban Development Pro Housing Grant (Resolution): A resolution to address
with urgency the affordable housing crisis and to request that Mayor Jordan apply for a housing
and urban development pro housing grant of up to four million dollars to fund housing -supportive changes
to Fayetteville's land -use and zoning ordinances.
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Council Member Moore, presented a slideshow and gave a brief description of the HUD Pro
Housing Grant. She explained what areas the grant could be used in, how Fayetteville is
competitive, specific hurdles the City would have to overcome and why this grant should be part
of the solution to the housing crisis. She asked for Council consideration and offered to take
questions.
Mayor Jordan, asked Susan if staff had reviewed this item.
Susan Norton, Chief of Staff stated that staff held the previous position taken and requested
Jonathan Curth to provide more background information on the item.
Jonathan Curth, Development Services Director gave a brief explanation of the grant. He stated
staff still had many serious concerns, the most prominent one being that there was no clear project
definition. He stated that Fayetteville was not a priority geography and that there were numerous
other locations that were priority that would gain 10 points ahead of Fayetteville just in location
alone. He stated that he was unsure how the acceptance of this grant would affect current and
future intended projects. He explained that he was unable to support the resolution because of the
factors he stated and offered to take any questions.
Council Member Berna, asked Council Member Moore if there had been any staff involvement
regarding the usage of the proposed grant.
Council Member Moore, stated that she shared it with staff and that this resolution is a starting
point and would plan on dialing it in more if approved.
Susan Norton, expressed that it would be difficult to react to the numbers without having a
defined project.
Council Member Jones, stated he had received a lot of feedback regarding the resolution. He
asked Council Member Moore if a non-profit organization could work with the City to meet the
needs of the grant.
Council Member Moore, explained that she had seen a growing interest and had contacts reach
out to her and say that they were willing to help support this grant and its implementation.
Council Member Jones, stated that he had heard very similar perspectives and that he would be
supporting this resolution. He then stated that the only hurdle that he has heard is the lack of
manpower and saw this grant as an opportunity to collaborate.
The City Council received 20 public comments regarding this Ordinance.
Council Member Jones, stated that during his time as a City Council member, this resolution was
the only one he can remember that had not had any opposition and that seemed to be fully
supported by the public. He explained that as Ward One representative he must do everything he
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could to promote affordable housing. He offered to volunteer his skills and time and stated that he
puts all his personal and political feelings aside and that this was an issue that affects Fayetteville
as whole.
Council Member Wiederkehr, stated that the core issue was the difference between what the
current zoning regulations were and how they work or do not work with the City's 2040 plan. He
explained the incongruence between the two facets. He commended the individuals who
participated in the discussion but, also recommended everyone be cautious regarding the cost that
could be accrued by applying for this grant.
Council Member Hertzberg, explained that due to the lack of definition and competitive
disadvantaged she would not be supporting the resolution.
Council Member Jones, stated that the public was bringing forward solutions because City
Council had not.
Council Member Bunch, stated that she agreed with Council Member Wiederkehr and that staff
would work hard to make sure the wishes of the Council are fulfilled. She expressed concerns that
if this grant was applied for and accepted that it would put major stress on the Development
Services Department. She agreed that zoning could use some more revisions and that it would be
a challenge for staff but, she also sees the benefit of applying for the grant.
Council Member Berna, explained that on the surface this grant seems like a great deal but, when
staff told him that Fayetteville may not qualify, he had to take their recommendations into
consideration. He identified that Fayetteville did not have a project ready for this grant. He
believed that Fayetteville had a housing crisis and does not believe that this grant will fix the
problem or use staff s time wisely. He explained that he does not believe this grant is the right
proposal as there are too many factors stacked against Fayetteville and that the City is understaffed.
He stated he felt like he could not support the resolution at this time.
Council Member Turk, stated that she was also concerned about the over encumbrance of staff.
She also stated that she considered the lack of definition and time constraints regarding the ability
to review a potential proposal. She identified that Fayetteville does have a housing crisis but,
recommended taking time to draft another plan that could alleviate the housing crisis.
Council Member Moore, appreciated everyone that spoke, and the Council Members input on
the grant. She recognized that staff was carrying a large burden and was hopeful that Council
supported this resolution.
Mayor Jordan, stated that he trusted his staff and understood that the City was short staffed, and
that the City is employing more individuals to fill these gaps. He gave a brief explanation and
timeline of the document that Kyle Smith provided him, and that the ultimate decision of staff was
to not pursue it this year. He explained the he and the staff view housing as a serious issue and that
everyone was working on it. He stated the grant looked like a good idea but, that the City does not
have the staff or the time to pull them off other priorities.
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Council Member Moore motioned to approve the resolution. Council Member Jones
seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion failed 4-3. Council Member Bunch, Jones,
Moore, Wiederkehr voted yes. Council Member Berna, Turk, Hertzberg voted no. Ward 1
Position 1 was vacant.
This resolution failed.
Vacation - 2023-0006: (N. Shiloh Dr/Junction At Shiloh, 363): An ordinance to approve VAC
23-06 for property located near n. Shiloh Dr./Junction at Shiloh, 363 in Ward 4 to vacate a 0.39-
acre portion of a multi -use trail easement.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Jonathan Curth, Development Services Director gave a brief description of the ordinance. He
stated staff found no issues with the request and that all the city's franchise utilities had consented
to the vacation. He explained the two conditions of approval and asked for any questions from the
Council and stated the Applicant Representative, Libby Topping, was online and available for
questioning.
Libby Topping, Applicant Representative stated she was available for any questions.
Council Member Turk, asked Jonathan to show a specific presentation slide and asked what the
vacation approval process is.
Jonathan Curth, stated that the trail coordinator will evaluate and ensure trail easements are
captured and recorded before building permits are issues.
Council Member Turk, asked if the City engineers or review committee do not find an acceptable
route and if that had happened before.
Jonathan Curth, stated he had not seen that specific scenario. He explained that this project had
progressed to the point that they know the alignment will work. He stated there are a sequence of
requirements that must be met before dedication is settled.
Council Member Turk, asked if there had been review of where the trail may potentially go.
Jonathan Curth, gave a brief description of the trail location and where it will tie into an existing
trail.
Council Member Wiederkehr moved to suspend the rules and go to the second reading.
Council Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1
Position 1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
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Council Member Wiederkehr moved to suspend the rules and go to the third and final
reading. Council Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Mayor Jordan asked shall the ordinance pass. Upon roll call the ordinance passed 7-0.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Ordinance 6685 as Recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Rezoning - 2023-0020: (741 E. Huntsville Rd/Jones, 564): An ordinance to rezone the property
described in rezoning petition RZN 2023-0020 for approximately 1.34 acres located at 741 East
Huntsville Road in Ward 1 from RSF-4 Residential Single -Family, four units per acre to CS,
Community Services.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Jonathan Curth, Development Services Director gave a brief description of the ordinance. He
stated staff found the request to be compatible with surrounding land uses and briefly spoke of the
proposal's alignment with the Future Land Use Map. He stated staff recommended in favor of the
request and the Planning Commission forwarded the request to council unanimously.
Burt Jones, Applicant Representative stated he was available for questions. The City Council
received 2 public comments regarding this Ordinance.
Council Member Jones moved to suspend the rules and go to the second reading. Council
Member Berna seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council Member
Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1 Position
1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
Council Member Berna moved to suspend the rules and go to the third and final reading.
Council Member Jones seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed 7-0. Council
Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes. Ward 1
Position 1 was vacant.
City Attorney Kit Williams read the ordinance.
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Mayor Jordan asked shall the ordinance pass. Upon roll call the ordinance passed 7-0.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Jones, Moore and Wiederkehr voted yes.
Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
Ordinance 6686 as Recorded in the office of the City Clerk
Ozark Regional Transit Line Expansion (Resolution): A resolution to approve an Ozark
Regional Transit Line expansion for an additional on demand transit service for South Fayetteville
during the fourth quarter of 2023.
Council Member Moore, presented a slideshow and explained the reasoning why there should be
a transit line expansion. She explained that she wanted to implement a pilot program to see the use
of the line and its benefit to the community. She stated that to test a new line from October to
December would cost approximately $75,000. She offered to answer any additional questions.
Joel Gardner, Director of Ozark Regional transport stated he was available to answer any
questions.
Council Member Turk, asked for a more detailed explanation of a direct service line.
Joel Gardner, explained that citizens can utilize an app on their phones that was like uber that
allowed them to find information on the bus routes and pick up times. He stated there was no more
scheduling for transit and everything is done electronically.
Council Member Turk asked if Ozark Transit had enough vehicles and employees to add a new
direct service line.
Joel Gardner, briefly explained the numbers and logistics behind Ozark Regional and concluded
with the opinion that they would be able to service an additional line.
Council Member Wiederkehr, asked what the ratio was for fixed routes and on demand services.
Joel Gardner, explained that the split is roughly 60/40 with 60 percent being individuals who use
on demand services and 40 percent on fixed routes.
Council Member Wiederkehr, asked if Joel had received other requests for additional on demand
services.
Joel Gardner, stated that he had received other requests for on demand transit lines and gave
details on expansions happening in other cities nearby.
Council Member Berna, stated that it sounds like a great idea but, asked how sustainable this
new line would be.
Joel Gardner, explained the different vehicles that are used for direct service lines and that the
idea of using a bus should not be considered. He stated Ozark Transit used smaller compact,
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economy vehicles such as vans of different makes and models to provide these services.
Council Member Berna, asked how long Ozark Transit had been operated.
Joel Gardner, "3 years."
Council Member Berna, asked if the board was looking into ways on how to make this service
better.
Mayor Jordan, stated that Peter Nierengarten and Yolanda Fields were available to answer that
question as Peter currently sits on the board.
Peter Nierengarten, Sustainability Director gave a brief overview of the on -demand transit
system and the history of the system in the City of Fayetteville. He stated that the board was
looking for ways to make this service a charge -based service instead of being a free service to
maintain sustainability.
Council Member Berna, asked if it would become an income -based fee.
Peter Nierengarten, stated that it was one option that was identified amongst others.
Council Member Berna, asked if he sees this program going to an income -based system.
Peter Nierengarten, stated that he was not sure as it had not been tested. He stated that prior to
expanding the service it would be a good idea to better understand what options are available to
maintain the sustainability of the service.
Council Member Wiederkehr, asked if the service had one rider or 10,000 riders if the cost would
be the same.
Joel Gardner, explained that costs had been spread across all zones to keep everything at a flat
rate per hour.
Council Member Turk, asked when the next meeting was and if during the next meeting a
decision would be made regarding fees.
Joel Gardner, "October 26th at 10:00 A.M. I will never speak for the board."
Council Member Berna, asked if the City had anything that mirrors this service.
Yolanda Fields, Community Services Director gave a brief description of the current City services
that provide transportation to the citizens. She stated there was a previous coupon program for
Ozark Transport.
Council Member Turk, asked what the budget was for the taxis.
Yolanda Fields, stated that she typically sets aside $25,000 per year just for the taxis.
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Council Member Turk, asked if that money would be reallocated if the transit lines expand.
Yolanda Fields, answered by stating nothing could happen this coming year because the budget
was already in but, it may be feasible to do something with the money the year after if the transit
line expands.
Chris Brown, Public Works Director stated that he was on the board as well and had concerns
regarding the sustainability of the funding. He gave a brief description of the transportation budget
for the different transit lines and stated a yearly budgeted amounted to add another vehicle to Ozark
Transit would be around $300,000.
Paul Becker, Chief Executive Officer stated the current contract the City had with Ozark Transit
is roughly $700,000 and expanding the transit by one vehicle would increase the amount by 40%.
He gave a brief description of the transportation fund and explained the costs associated with
different transportation items such as fuel and maintenance.
Council Member Hertzberg, asked if there was an excess in the street budget to cover the
addition transit line.
Paul Becker, "we would have to take it out of reserves currently."
Council Member Hertzberg, asked if there was enough money in reserves to continue the
program effectively.
Paul Becker, explained that the main issue was that you can go into reserves but, there should not
be an ongoing cost used for reserves.
Council Member Hertzberg, asked if there were any plans to restructure the street fund to cover
the ongoing costs.
Paul Becker, provided a brief overview of the different pressures the budget will be under with
other items coming up in the future and had a worry about the ability to fund new and existing
employees.
Council Member Turk, remarked about the total cost for the existing services and the additional
costs of adding a new transit line and wanted to ensure that her math was correct.
Paul Becker, stated it would be over $1,000,000 for the transit with the addition line added.
Council Member Turk, asked about the background for Razorback Transit and if there was any
support.
Council Member Moore, remarked that she didn't believe there was any support and that the two
transit lines try not to overlap. She turned over the floor to Joel Gartner.
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Joe Gardner, stated Razorback Transit runs specific routes on the weekends and then gave a
detailed description of the routes that they run. He remarked that they do everything they can to
ensure there are not duplications of routes.
The City Council received 5 public comments regarding this Ordinance.
Council Member Jones, stated he had to step out of the meeting but, fully supports this
resolution.
Council Member Hertzberg, requested to speak to Joel and asked if there was an on -demand
route on Saturdays in South Fayetteville.
Joe Gardner, informed the Council that there was not a Saturday route.
Council Member Hertzberg, stated that she was done with her questions for Joel.
Council Member Moore, stated that a pilot for a new line seems to be the most fiscally responsible
decision and that the need for a line had been expressed by residents in the area of South
Fayetteville. She gave a brief description on why this item coincides with the time of the year and
budget allocations. She asked for support from the Council to at the minimum, test the
sustainability of a new transit line.
Council Member Berna, remarked that there was no doubt there was a call for a new line but,
requested for Council Member Moore to table the item as the transit board was conducting a study
to figure out how to keep the program sustainable. He stated that he had a real concern where the
$300,000 would come from next year if the new line is implemented. He felt that it was too early
in the process to make the decision.
Council Member Moore, asked Joel to come up for questions. Asked Joel if the item was tabled
until after the board meeting when the soonest time would be to implement the new line.
Joel Gardner, "first quarter of 2024."
Council Member Moore, asked when a decision would need to be made to implement in first
quarter of 2024.
Joel Gardner, gave a detailed schedule of events and timeline of implementation.
Council Member Turk, stated that she found it odd there was no transit line in South Fayetteville
and asked how that happened.
Joel Gardner, explained the reasoning behind why there was no on demand transit in South
Fayetteville. He stated the fixed routes go farther South but, do not run on Saturdays.
Council Member Turk, asked if there was consideration to expanding the fixed routes to Saturday
and what the cost would be for that expansion.
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Joel Gardner, gave a brief mathematic calculation with no sum.
Council Member Turk, asked how the process worked between Ozark Transit and Razorback
Transit when they meet to discuss routes.
Joel Gardner, stated that multiple times a year there were meetings where implementation
schedules are reviewed and that there are monthly lunches where engagement occurred to answer
questions or conflicts. He stated there was a phenomenal relationship between the two transits.
Council Member Turk, stated she was happy there was a good relationship between the two
transits and asked if Razorback Transits has identified the same issues in South Fayetteville
regarding accessibility.
Joel Gardner, stated that he does not have answer to that question and was not sure what their
focus is South of 15th Street.
Council Member Berna, stated that it appeared the board members are more reserved about
whether this proposal is the right move to make at this point in time. He asked Peter Nierengarten
if his assumption is correct.
Peter Nierengarten, stated that he is completely supportive of on demand transit but, not having
a plan to sustain the program makes him hesitant to expand. He stated that a new cost-effective
solution may be adding a fixed route to South Fayetteville on Saturdays.
Council Member Wiederkehr, stated he would like to see this approached in a more systemic
manner.
Council Member Moore, asked Joel to remind her how it looks when routes are changed and
asked him to walk her through the process.
Joel Gardner, gave a brief description on the process of route changes.
Council Member Moore, stated that the fixed routes are great, but they do not allow the same
accessibility as on demand service and that on demand was a higher level of accessibility to citizens
that needed to get to appointments or other locations.
Council Member Berna, reiterated his request to table the item and stated he would not support
the resolution.
Council Member Turk, stated she felt the same way Council Member Berna does. She agreed
that South Fayetteville needs more accessible transportation but, she would not support a transit
extension.
Council Member Hertzberg, stated that she would like to come back and visit this issue at another
time and compare fixed route cost and on demand cost for a transit extension.
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City Council Meeting Minutes
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Council Member Moore, she stated that she understood the reasoning for more diligence but,
said that the subject matter experts are in the room and she would be making a motion to approve
the resolution tonight.
Council Member Moore motioned to approve the resolution. Council Member Berna
seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion failed 1-5. Council Member Moore voted yes.
Council Member Berna, Bunch, Turk, Hertzberg, Wiederkehr voted no. Council Member
Jones was absent. Ward 1 Position 1 was vacant.
This resolution failed.
Announcements:
Kara Paxton, City Clerk Treasurer stated she appreciated Council Member Jones for previously
bringing forward the Mental Health First Aid Training resolution. She explained she completed
the hybrid course which consisted of two hours of online learning and 6 hours of in -person
learning. The class not only addressed the importance of keeping the person safe that is
experiencing the mental health crisis but also the importance of keeping the person safe that is
administering the mental health first aid. This course did not focus on how a supervisor should
refer a staff member to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and was not created for just
medical workers. Out of a class of 20, only two attendees were currently in the medical field.
The class focused on helping anyone that you encounter that needed help by providing them what
they need in that moment of distress. She finalized her comment by explaining she had learned a
lot by attending the training course and planned to use the skills she learned daily in her
professional and personal life.
Council Member Wiederkehr, provided information regarding former Mayor Marylin Hefner
and that she would be honored at the Washington County Historical Society.
Cite- Council Agenda Session Presentations:
Housing Solutions and Case Management (RFP 23-12) - Steven Dotson
Cily Council Tour: None
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ti • i !� F1�i � L i L! � -
Kara Paxton, City derk Treasurer:
113 West Mountain Fayetteville; AR 72701 (479) 575-8323 www.fayetteville-ar gov