City Council - Regular Meeting

[laughter] You feeling better? Did you have that?

I have eggs. Last day [laughter] I have nothing to do. I usurped the post. [laughter] [snorts] [laughter]

I don't like sweating that. I had a video about staff today. I was searching for it on my computer. [clears throat] friend Starbucks.

Don't worry.

Oh, good. Did you tell her I didn't know what I was doing? [laughter] [laughter] I can fumble my way around.

Well, I like it, but I think it might set up like the middle dog stuff. Hello.

Two this week. Two this week and two next week. Okay. I clicked on next week's meeting. I'm sitting there waiting for him to come on. I was like I looked I was like oh it says January.

Hello sir.

Good. How are you? Happy new year. broke the tape. of course said no 25 they keep Lexus finds.

All right. I've got six like to call the meeting to order. Please. Start with the pledge. 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. [clears throat] Thank you. Welcome. Happy New Year. May we have a roll call, please? Sure. Gillis here. Bogs here. Smith here. Fleming here. Rose here. Cruisin here.

Thank you. Um, everybody's had a chance to look at the minutes. Um, these are the minutes from 12:15 and the special meeting on 12:26. I'll take a motion or questions, comments, or concerns. Make a motion to approve the meeting from the previous session. Second. I have a motion by Alex, a second by Dave Rose. All in favor say I. I. Opposed. That will carry. I do not have any correspondence. Which brings us to bills. Everybody's favorite thing in the world. Again, questions, comments, concerns, or a motion? Make a motion we pay our bills. Second. I have a motion by Alex, a second by Jenny to pay our bills as presented. That is a roll call, please. Yellis. Yes. OGs,

yes. Smith, yes. Fleming, yes. Rose, yes. Cruz, yes. Thank you.

And that um the balance of what counts is there, too. If anybody has any questions. All right. That'll bring us to you, Chief, with the police department report. Ordinance work is continuing. I've gotten a lot of responses from the abandoned homes and some of them that haven't turned in applications have house up for sale. So, I think we're getting somewhere there. The police department received a $500 donation from Midtown Convenience and the money was used to finish buying crime scene supplies. Officer Ice took over as a departmental resource officer and start return control. And our new police vehicle is supposed to be out next week. Uh Brett got most of it done for us, so it's on patrol now. So, we're going to start the transfer of getting 515 out of our fleet and go from there. [laughter]

I have a question. Yeah. So, on the 100 West Pearl lots, are these vacant? Uh I believe most of them are. Sergeant St was the one that went around to the lot there and they turned in every application for each one. tell them what they're going to be doing with them. Some are going to be torn down at some point and other ones they're trying to rehab. So, each one has a different designation what they're going to do with it. So, what do you mean by applications return? Um, what's that mean? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be ignorant about it, but Well, we we put together that vacant vacant home form that needs to be self filled out.

Oh, so that's a good thing. Yes. Oh, okay. I was reading it the other way around. Okay. And and they have been in recently they they bought five or six demolition permits for 100 West. Fantastic. Beautiful. Okay. I just was reading that the wrong way. I was reading it return like oh return to center. So okay one other question. The 43 Burn Street that's been I mean it's right there. It's been on the corner and it's on the radar for a long time. I know that we've said that we're trying to reach family members. Have we had any luck with Lexus Nexus or anything like that with any

I don't know if Shel's ran them through there. I did when I sent that u letter off to them her family members cuz she's deceased. They [snorts] were like, "Well, it's not our problem anymore." No, they wouldn't tell me who actually owns it. Okay. So, that's the problem we're running out to some of these homes. We have one down by Mil Street. Same thing. Do we know if there's a tax lean on any of this stuff or There wasn't when I looked into it, but I'll have to look into it. Well, I mean, if they don't want to, but I think it'd behoove us to go and find out who's paying the taxes and then they're in.

Yeah, that's what I did with a few. The thing with these applications though, if they don't live around here, I certify mail it and half of them are picking them up because they see apartments and police department on there and they won't pick them up. [laughter] So, that's the only downside. a department of lottery. [laughter] Well, it's either that or maybe have, you know, the law office send it certified mail and then it doesn't say it's from city of Farmington, but from, you know, the attorney rather than us, right? Maybe it'll work. Who knows? Try it. See what happens. [laughter]

Any other questions for the chief? You like to make a motion that we approve the [laughter] monthly police report? I second that. That's a motion by Joey, a second by Alex to approve the department [clears throat] reports. All in favor say I. Opposed? That will carry. Uh [clears throat] we don't have any new business or old business that we're talk need to speak of tonight. Uh we do have a small amount of new business. First order for new business. Um I'm going to let the chief kind of fill in on this too. was kind of your meeting this evening um about getting the new K9 dog purchased and getting the training schedule in place.

Okay. We have about a little over $20,000 in our K9 account. Uh our current K9 roll up is probably well past his service time. Um so I reached out to Cedar Creek Kennels. They're the ones that usually do a lot of our training with Kala now. Um they said they had a six week class starting March 2nd and graduation being in April. Uh for the dog, uh price went up on them. Um due to tariffs, but the dog right now is coming in about 10,000. Uh the training for um Officer Holmes to go to is between 5 to 7. So when I was talking to Matt, the owner of that, I was thinking we're going to come in about 15 to 17,000 after all said and done. and then we can retire out the wall and we'll have a different dog. And then I talked with M and we're going to go together and look at the dogs and we're going to make a decision which one we want. Um hopefully get one that's a little more friendly than the last one. So we actually take it out from the valley.

Yeah, it would be nice to It would be nice for the community to see the dog, you know. I mean, you might have to put the muzzle thing on him or something, but we never saw koala and I I understand that. But um, you know, or even I don't Would you be able to take it into the school or not? That's up to the school, but I would see why not. Yeah. It'd be an ICB in the building versus sitting in the truck. Yeah. So, the K9 fund, is that going to be the main purchase? what's going to purchase this and then the training is going to be on us, right?

Training I'm gonna try taking a lot of K9 fun. I do have I do have money set aside for training for officers, right? So, um and hopefully we won't have to hire anymore for a little bit. So, that money's there if we actually have to have it, but I would like to have all of it come from the K9 account. And then officer M and Officer Rice have ideas on how to keep generating like uh fundraisers and stuff like that. And we also have our donation boxes that I collect once a month and put deposits into the account. So at the [laughter] end of the uh So this won't cost the taxpayers anything. It's pure donation basic.

This has been all um fantastically selfunded and selfunded. So sounds great. And I usually try to selfund as much as I can because I know that I don't want the citizens have to put the bills. We've been doing been doing a lot. I get you. Thank you. Like to make a motion that we approve the purchase and training of a new dog and officer unit. Second. A motion from Joey and a second from Dave Rose. That's going to be a roll call, please. Gillis, yes. Bogs, yes. Smith, yes. Fleming, yes. Rose, yes. Cruz,

yes. Thank you. Um, last order of new business that I have, uh, kind of goes back to the police department reports and I've often said that I don't think the city needs to be buying property. However, if we have the opportunity, um there's a couple of real nuisance properties coming up that um with your permission, I'd like to begin to engage Fulton County Advocate out of Edwardsville. Um 427 West Folton Street is right next to Alexander Lumber for those needing a visual. And then 181 East Court Street is on the corner of Court and Cone. Um there's a tree growing out of the middle of the roof there. This house is blatantly not habitable. Um

how much are we looking I don't know before we I I I just want to begin the conversation because they're not even available until after the second round of taxes in September. Yeah. I but I want to I want them to know that we are interested and they will give me [clears throat] what it'll be that I can bring it back to you.

Yeah. I'm I mean I guess they'd have to see what it is, but I mean with that we're going to have to pay demo. We are. And then I do not like to go and hold on to property on the city. I'd like to return it back to the tax bill. It doesn't make a lot of sense for us to have properties as a city. So, I would like to see a way what our plans are for that to not own those properties at the end of it. Unfortunately, I know we're we know we're not in that business, but that's part of being

every small town has to do this. They put money back every year. It might be five, it might be 20. Well, so when we're right now it's only a couple at our Well, it's more than that, but these may be the worst of the worst, but we when we when we convene next week, next in two weeks, we will also have the bid opening for the Wall Street house. So we will get a good, you know, that can that's a small litmus test of kind of seeing, you know, we know

what we've got in it. We know, you know, cuz we're trying to we just all we want to do is get our net zero out of that and then get it back on the rolls to Yeah. No, I definitely and I mean I don't disagree with you, Joey. I don't I I do think that we do have to do something for these blighted properties, but it's just I'd like to have a plan moving forward rather than we have them, we demo them, then it's kind of set stack. I I'd like to see how can we get this back for sale, whatever. Short of collusion. [laughter]

I know. Well, we we I had three people express interest in the Wall Street property and bugged me and bugged me and bugged me and now we've got it and I've not seen any bids yet, but they're not due until the 19th at 4:00. So, um but we will have a bid opening that night and our consensus will be is we'll we'll award that property to somebody that will then get it off the city. The city's only gonna own this thing for less than six months hopefully. I like that. I like to hear that. Without I don't I don't need a motion or anything tonight, but if everybody's under the uh

guys that I can at least find out what it's going to cost us. Absolutely. And I would assume that we probably have somebody interested in the West H place as well. Well, I think that I think the people that own the place, one of the two neighbors.

Yeah. Um, I think we'd like to have it. Plus, [clears throat] that has been an interesting property for a long time. Correct. [clears throat] [laughter] I can leave it at that. Um, so I will engage the people in Edwardsville and find out exactly what that is and bring this back to you. Sounds good. All right. Um, lease committee reports start with you, Jenny. I do not have anything. Thank you. Thank you. Um, Joey, anything further? Public safety? Nothing to report, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Nate on Sewer. Nothing tonight, sir. Thank you, Alex. Street sidewalks.

Nothing to report. Thank you, Leslie. Parks and wreck. I have nothing tonight. Thank you. Dave Rose, public grounds. Nothing to report, sir. Anybody out here? Going once, going twice. Motion to adjourn. Second. Got a motion and a second. All in favor say I. Opposed. Thank you. Thank you, Bill.