Mountain View aldermen meet for six hours

The Mountain View City Council meeting last week lasted nearly six hours. All four aldermen and the mayor were present when the meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.

City personnel present were Eddie Owens, Jamie Perkins, Stetson Schwien, Shannon Elliott, Deedra Nicholson, Dave Abbey, Ronnie Neal, and Andrew Abbey, record the draft minutes of the meeting. 

Several guests were also present, including Steven and Rebecca Sills, Bruce and Cindy Isham, Cricket Anderson, Shawn Roach, Karen Gaddy, Myles Smith, Patricia Stoops, James Wardrip, Bethany Busby, Julie Busby, Orrin Phillips, Michelle McClellan, Chance Foster, Brigg Pierson, Linda Lewis, and Chris Bushong.

Electric Supervisor Ronnie Neal addressed the council regarding the electrical set up in downtown alleys. According to Neal, it was due for replacement due to its age. His concern was a system failure that could cause an outage on the south side of the city, affecting both businesses and homes. With a storm, it could fail and cause an outage on the South side of town that would affect businesses and homes. Council considered four bids for replacement, ultimately voting unanimously to accept the low bid from Scobee Powerline Construction LLC for $242,190.  

City Clerk Shannon Elliott gave an update on the Aaron Tippin concert scheduled for June 2, 2023.  She explained to council that a deposit was required this week, and council voted to proceed. 

Representatives from the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce were on hand to request additional funding. Ricky Baker discussed how the community center is used and the benefits that the Chamber provides to the community.  Council asked several questions about how the building is utilized and how the money from rentals is used. The meeting minutes do not record any action taken. 

Cricket Anderson from Mountain View Community Betterment approached the council to request accounts and endowed funds to be returned to the group. These accounts had been transferred to the city’s ownership in 2012. The group has recently reformed, and has use for the accounts and the funds. Alderman Vandevort made a motion to turn over checking accounts #3101 and #4137 back to the Community Betterment and for the City to keep the endowed funds. The motion passed by a vote of three. Alderman Murray Anderson abstained. 

Firefighter Jimmy Wardrip addressed the council with concerns about getting a fire chief hired. He explained they are currently working with a skeleton crew and fire season is here. After a closed session, the aldermen voted to hire Jason Taber as the new fire chief. For more on this vote, see the front page.

After a closed session that lasted from 10:30 p.m. to 11:57 p.m., open session resumed. City Operations Manager Eddie Owens recommended the promotion of Scottie Elliott to supervisor of the water and sewer department.  Owens mentioned Elliott has been team lead for several months and has since received his water license.  The vote was approved by three. Alderman Punkie Stevenson abstained.  

In other actions:

-Ordinance 1724 amending the city purchasing policy passed unanimously.

-A motion to provide a sign for an Adopt a Street program passed unanimously. 

-A motion to provide Mountain View Police Department officers the same holiday pay policy as other city employees passed unanimously. Police Chief Jamie Perkins suggested that the wording of the holiday pay policy be addressed for confusing language. Council is expected to reassess the language in the future. 

-Ordinance 1727 amending rule regarding garage sales passed unanimously. 

-Council accepted the low bid from Hoffcomp for $5,284 for a new fire hose for the fire department, to be paid with ARPA funds. 

-Ordinance 1725 accepting the annexation of land owned by Gary McCann passed unanimously. 

Ordinance 1721 amended solid waste rate had a second reading. Sanitation supervisor Dave Abbey answered questions about bulk items and how dumpsters are set by the city.  

-Shawn Roach made a proposal regarding dumpsters. He asked if he would be permitted to set roll off dumpsters within the city limits. A motion to give Dave Abbey the authority to determine whether a roll off can be set at a city property passed by a vote of three. Alderman Anderson abstained. 

-Council approved the cost of a 16-18 week police cadet program based on Chief Perkins’ recommendation. 

-A motion giving city employees Dec. 23 and 30 off for the holidays passed unanimously. 

Items discussed without action:

-Council review the contract for pool repairs. Mayor Krasuski said the project is progressing. 

-Council resumed discussion of parking on First St. Chance Foster addressed the council about the parking in front of his business, explaining that he understood there was an issue with space but he did not want changes to affect any businesses. He offered suggestions. Chris Bushong from the School District bus garage explained that buses traveling down the street with big trucks parked out in the street was pressing a safety issue. Operations Manager Eddie Owens to measure the space on the street and the width of the sidewalks and bring the info back at the next meeting.

-Golf course superintendent Ty Lewis requested a new sprayer for the course. He also gave more information on the simulator he has mentioned in previous meetings. He reported he has received some donations toward starting a putting green. 

-Ozark Development addressed Council about their organization and progress.

-City Clerk Shannon Elliott compared the amount of late utility late fees the city chargers versus other MPUA co-op members. She will present additional information in the future.