City Council - Regular Meeting

I declare the next meeting of the City Council of Jacksonville open. I want to greet everyone present tonight. I see, we have a full bay. And I also greet everyone who watches us on TV G10. Let's start today's meeting of the oath of loyalty, which will be held by a member of the Council Mickey Smith, and then the prayer will follow. I ask everyone to stand up.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic, which it embodies, a united nation under God, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all. Let us pray. Our all-merciful Heavenly Father, we thank you for the beauty of this day, Lord.

We thank you for the weather that you give us. We thank you for our friends, for our families and for the people who chose life in our city. Lord, we know that every day people make a choice. And they continue to choose Jacksonville as their home. And that is the reason. We know that our society is strong. We know that we have wonderful leaders and purposeful residents who want life to get better every day. Lord, we pray for wisdom and transparency for members of our council when they make a decision tonight. Lord, we ask you to bless their thoughts and their voices. Give them the opportunity to see the future and lay out the path that you will be proud of every day. We thank you, Lord, for the many blessings of this day and for all that awaits us in the future. In your name we pray. Amen.

Members of the Council, you were provided with a copy of the agenda for today's meeting, and now I am ready to accept the proposal for its adoption.

It is accepted.

Second, there is a proposal and support. Are there any other questions? If not, then everyone agrees and asks to express this with the word for. For. Who is against? Next, we have the first part of the public comments, but no one has signed up for it. Is there anyone who wants to speak with a public comment? I see that there are no people who want to. Let's move on to the acceptance of the seminar protocol from August 4, 2026 and 6 points of the agenda, accepted for consideration without discussion.

Mayor Phillips, I propose to adopt the protocol and 6 points of the agenda without discussion in the presented form. I support.

There is a proposal and support. Is there a discussion? If not, then everyone agrees and asks to express this word for. For. Who is against? Good. Let's move on to public listening. This is point number 7 in your agenda. And this is Annex E. I think this is the Veterans Administration of Veterans. Yes, the clinic. That's right, that's right. Mr. Masters will present this question. The mayor and council, on behalf of USFP2 , Hofer Welker, submitted a petition for the voluntary annexation of two land plots with a total area of ​​about 31 acres, which are adjacent to the current borders of the city. The property is located on Western Boule-et-Varde, next to Carolina Forest Boulevard. The developer offers to build a commercial building with an area of ​​about 245,400 square feet with a valuation of $ 53,390,000. The financial analysis shows a positive cash flow over a five-year period of consideration of $ 1,567,143. Staff recommends the Council to adopt the bill on annexation as presented. Good. Any questions for Mr. Messi?

I don't have it.

Okay. Thank you, Ron. Of course, taking this into account, I declare a break in the usual meeting and open public hearings on this issue. Does anyone want to speak on this matter? If not, I close public hearings. The Council is offered to approve or consider a resolution on annexation. I support. Second. There are still questions to be discussed. If not, all those who agree, express your consent by saying yes. Yes. All against. I will now move on to our reports. Eh, instead of immediately moving on to the closed session. So, I'll start with Ms. Smith, if you'll excuse me.

Eh, Mayor, all I have for today is, eh, I got a special honor to visit the Hall of the Glory of Veterans of the United States for our own owner of the Medal of Honor of the Congress, no one else but Major James Q. Pierce Jr. Saturday, eh, it was just a wonderful moment to see him there and, eh, the presence of several high-ranking officials, eh.

I was also delighted to hear, eh, Major General Stanley, who was our Commander-in-Chief when I was commissioned to 29 Palmas.

So it was very nice to see him and his wife, eh, there, but again, to see how the community unites to honor, eh, such, eh. I don't even know what to say, I used all the words that I could only say when it comes to Majority Q and Persia, but just being there was definitely an honor. And I just wanted to say that they have already started, there is still something ahead, but there are so many different organizations that distribute school supplies. I just want to say thank you for this, because so many people need help, and although some church or organization is already doing this, I want to urge everyone else not to refuse to participate only because someone else is already doing it. We have a huge need, and we definitely would not be prevented by volunteers to help provide our teachers with everything they need. I know that sometimes they have to use their own funds to at least somehow cover the costs for the needs of their classes during the academic year. Therefore, I want to urge these organizations, if you have not distributed the collected material yet, to preserve it. I assure you, after Christmas holidays it will be very useful. So be sure to think about this time of the year to share with teachers, because they will constantly need these materials. In general, I just want to express my gratitude to those organizations that are engaged in this.

Great news. Mr. Yarrow. I was honored to be present at the ceremony of awarding awards for the public safety of the Anslou district. There were many worthy nominees from our police department, communications and fire department. Lieutenant Post from the fire department was recognized as a fireman of the year in the Anslou district. But I congratulate all the nominees. You know, our Public Safety Service is doing a great job and it was nice to see how these people are awarded. Another point, during the discussion of water supply and sewage issues, we talked a lot about the landslides on the 24th highway related to water supply and sewage. And I just want to thank our staff. They have done excellent work, quickly attracting resources and opening the way. They are the uneducated heroes of our city. You know, they work in dirt and pits, trying to fix everything. And another thing they work on is ensuring the safety of our water supply system. What happened in Flint, Michigan, with lead content, is a critically important lesson. Water is vital to us, they are real heroes, and I also want to express my gratitude to them. And the last thing, I am saddened by the fact that on Monday we will say goodbye to XY Brown. You know, after working with him for 20 years, I can say that he was just devoted to this community. They say that the veterans of the Second World War are the greatest generation, he was part of it, and he was the greatest. I want to say that he spent so much, I am sure, the mayor will confirm, he had to work 35 hours a week, and worked 80-90, just to make sure that everything was safe. Whether it is helping children when crossing the street or regulating the movement at the church, he did all this because he loved this community. We will miss his devotion to this matter very much. Dr. Washington.

Members of the Smith and Yenner Council, in fact, expressed my feelings. We bring our condolences to the Brown family, and Lieutenant James X.Y. Brown, sleep well. You did great. Yes. Of course. I will say.

Many do not even know that for most of the years, working as a policeman, X.Y. did not receive a salary for his service. I did not know that. He was a volunteer. He just loved this community. He loved these children. I'll tell you, it doesn't matter what race, age or religion they were, rich or poor, they were his children, and he always took care of them. Many of those children have grown up, and, you know, if he had voted for the mayor against me, I don't think I would have been able to beat him. Really, I don't think so. He had such powerful support in this community, and, perhaps, you will see it on Monday. I risk assuming that the hall at his funeral will be full.

I expect it to be so. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I have a couple of reminders for those who have connected now or will connect later. First, I want to thank our team and the committee for recreation and parks. They did a great job. I don't know about you, but the southern summer reminds me of why I have to remain a Christian. It feels like 685 degrees outside. I know it's not like that, but it feels terrible. I want to thank all men and women who work full-day or seasonally in this unbearable heat, so that our city remains clean, green, tidy, neat and beautiful. They do a wonderful job. Real uneducated heroes. They work at gas stations. We see them. Be careful when you drive near. Do not drive on them. Please, be careful. And, you know, drink more water. Guys, take care of yourself in the heat. Next, we have a couple of events on the way. On August 28, at 8 a.m., there will be a ceremony to give the Marpeh medals to Marfa Point. which is simply amazing to visit. If you have never been there, I recommend coming and seeing the significance of this moment, as well as almost those who are awarded. Families who have left their lives receive medals in their honor. This is a very serious, but truly amazing moment for our community. And on September 4, we will again have the Rock the Block festival in the center of the city on New Bridge Street from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. So come with friends, have a good time, walk, enjoy music and food trucks, support local traders and business. It should be fun for everyone. That's all I have, sir.

Mr. Wellington, thank you. Once again, I express my condolences to the XY Brown family. I studied and grew up with his children. He has a daughter, my classmate. I would definitely be present at the service, but I will be in the departure. Continuing the report, the recreation department is a partner or sponsor of the Pekubov tournament. Yes, well, it's kind of a street holiday. MGM. I was just going to say tournament. I guess it will be a tournament and it will be just very fun. This is a big event. Okay. I will not be able to participate, since I will be abroad, but we definitely welcome such activity. They seem to really like our object, and I just wanted to remind the participants that there is a speed limit on this street. And I hope that they will remember the safety of the residents of the district, because we already had problems with this. The last thing in my report was rumors about our services for the improvement of districts and how we manage them. And I want to call on the public to pay attention, since the work of these services is absolutely transparent. According to the HUD regulations, they are obliged to hold a certain number of meetings where they present public information and collect reviews. And if you have questions about the program or the order of its implementation, just contact them. They will be happy to answer, and thus we will be able to convey reliable information to the residents. Welcome. Thank you. Now I am ready to accept the proposal to move to a closed session. I beg your pardon. Oh, I completely forgot about you.

Thank you, Dr. Watson, I appreciate that you came today.

The other members of the council are also glad to see you. Earlier, I was just sitting with the mayor in my office. I know, we met with our eyes. Perhaps, we even talked, but thank you, mayor, for this opportunity. Almost everything I wanted to say has already been said, but I will repeat myself, since I am here. We have a couple of points that I would like to discuss. Ms. Smith mentioned this earlier. About the school fair, last week we participated in the YMCA action, back to school. There are many events in the district, but since Monday is the beginning of the academic year in the Unslow district, we are glad to cooperate with our partners to provide students with everything they need for a successful start and continuation of classes. YMCA holds this event every year. The Catalyst Church again served as a partner this year, and many of our employees were present there. Here is our boss and police officers handing out backpacks. There was also a special forces car presented there. This year they will bring children to classes. Our fire department also actively participated. Thus, our police officers and firefighters not only attend schools throughout the year, but also participate in such important events so that children can see the employees of emergency services as often as possible and know, like me in my childhood, if something is needed, these are the people to turn to for help. It is not easy to find such people. Ms. Smith mentioned teachers, but our police and firefighters are also ready to support our boys and girls who go to school every day. So we are very glad to cooperate with YMCA. We look forward to all the wonderful things that Y will continue to do in our district and society in the coming years, especially with their new facility. I hope they will continue to participate with us in the preparation for the school season. Also, last week we had an event in the area of ​​Riveruok. There were several city servants. They were doing their job, just their usual everyday work. Wilhelmina Broadway, Aaron Horan, Kelly Hendricks and Troy Rivers worked in this area, when they noticed an elderly woman, who, apparently, felt bad. They were able to help the lady and bring her to the parking bench. When they realized that they could not move the chained bench from the place, they went and found the zone. They hid it from the sun. They waited for the arrival of the fire department, which was called. The first battalion of the fire department responded to the call of emergency help, and they were able to provide it with the necessary help and provide comfort so that it was safe and under supervision. As Chef Talman noted to the rest of the city's employees, this is a true sign that our team is working together to ensure that the needy citizen receives all the necessary services to avoid heat at 94 degrees Fahrenheit, for reference. but it happens throughout our community. Often we do not know what needs will arise and when it will happen. The fact that our employees are in place, doing their job and ready to help allowed them to assess the situation and react properly. These are our basic values And this is a real moment of unity of the city, thanks to which we did not have to face further problems for this person. So praise this four, our fire service for the operability and all the residents of the area who were there to support them. Thank you, mayor. That's all I have. Mr. Wells.

Yes, sir, I just want to add to the remarks that have already been made about XY. My brothers and sisters graduated from Jacksonville Middle School, where he was a school inspector for some time. And one of my brothers was inspired by this when he got married and moved with his wife to her hometown to become a police officer himself and eventually retired as a police chief. And when I called him to inform him that XY died, he said, I can't believe that he lived such a long and full life. Therefore, I want to join the rest of the words that we respect and honor him for everything he has done for this city. I have nothing more to add. Thank you. Okay, now we are ready to consider the proposal to move to a closed meeting.

Accepted. I support. Everyone who is for, please say yes. Yes. Who is against?