Board of Mayor and Aldermen - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It is 7:00. We will go ahead and call to order this regularly scheduled meeting of the McMeble city board of mayor and alderman. The first item on the agenda is roll call.

Sally Gro present. Derra Dunlap present. Steve Harvey here. Rachel Kirby here. Carrie Morton here. Mayor Chastain present. Carrie Young Bloodood is absent. Thank you. The second item on the agenda is the consent agenda that includes the minutes from the January 27th regular session. I will entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as well as the minutes as read. So moved. Motion by Miss Sally Brock. Second. Second by Miss Dietra Dunlap. All in favor?

I. Motion passes. Item three is recognition of visitors. If anyone wishes to address the board, please approach the podium and state your name for the record. None. We'll move to item four is petitions. There are none. Item five is discussion items. Item 5A is the child advocacy center gayla communication. Cassil,

hello everyone. Um, April is child abuse um awareness and prevention month and that is the month that we have our gayla and we also do our uh pen garden on the in the grassy lot with the exchange club and their field of flags. Um, both of those events are important for our community because it reminds us that child abuse does exist in our community and it also helps us show support for victims who are also survivors. Our gayla helps fund um the programs that we have and services that are free to every child that comes into our center and their non-off family caregivers. Um, we're specially trained to interview children or victims of severe child abuse. Um, we provide family advocacy. We also have trauma-informed therapy that's free to every child that discloses in those interviews. And we also do prevention and education in the community. That's also free. And so we're requesting the donation of the um um my mind just went wrong. Not the civic center, but the mil recreation center for the gayla. It's April 18th. Um the event starts at 5:00. We're doing a social hour this year from 5 to 6. Um and then at 6 is when everything gets going. We're also requesting the donation of the grassy lot on the court square um from April 3rd to April 19th to do the um field of flags and the penguin garden. Um again, both of those help support um children and our community who are also victims and survivors. And I just want to say that last fiscal year um there were 66,497 cases of child abuse reported across Tennessee. This was actually 2023. They haven't updated. I checked again today on the kids count data center. 710 of those were in war in Van Beern counties.

We did 164 forensic interviews last fiscal year. two 2421 family advocacy services and 494 trauma-informed counseling sessions. That's what these that's what the gayla is for to help us raise money for these kids and that's what the pen rolls are for to support these kids in a different way. So we're just requesting those donations please. You've been in touch with Justin about the dates. Good. Yes. I got with the front desk and the dates the dates 18th. Yes. Yes.

Okay. Well, I guess the this request actually encompasses items A and B. The request for waiver of fees for the pin wheels for prevention. Um so I'll entertain a motion to approve items A and B. I'll motion to approve. Motion by Miss Kirby, second by Miss Brock. All in favor? I. Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Uh item 5C is a request for waiver of fees for the annual McMinnville uh Warren County Chamber of Commerce banquet. That's something we do typically for nonprofit organizations uh using the Milner Center. So I'll entertain a motion to approve that request. Motion to approve.

Motion by Miss Dietra Dunlap. Second. Second by Miss Rachel Kirby. All in favor?

I I motion passes. Uh item six is action items. Item 6A is ordinance number 2026-01, an ordinance of the city of McMinnville to repeal and replace chapter 7, title 16 of the McMinnville Municipal Code entitled storm water management and to adopt a revise chapter 7 in its entirety to express time this ordinance shall become effective. If there are no objections from the rest of the board, I would like to consider moving this to our next meeting. That way, frequently asked question information, fee structures, and some other information can be given out to the community for people to see before we take any action on this, as well as for the public comment that we see tonight kind of be used in conjunction with making that decision. So, yes, sir. Uh item A is to update our current storm water ordinance and item B is to adopt the storm water utility which we had public comment on. I just wanted to clarify that.

Oh, my apologies. I got ahead of myself.

The storm water management ordinance. Every 5 to 10 years Tde updates their MS4 permit for us and we have to bring our ordinance up to date to stay in compliance. So these are the minimum requirements that TED has for us implemented. The only thing on here that is not a minimum requirement that I put in there that has been a best practice in municipalities is the section stating for engineering design that an engineer must certify all plans prior to receiving a certificate of occupation pretty much. So an engineer have to come in and certify that detention ponds, storm water measures and things are up to snuff and that what what is required. That's the only thing that's not required. That's a best practice that other municipalities use that I put in there. Everything else is absolutely mandatory that we do.

So is the establishment of the department in in 26 20261 or 02? My apologies to the audience for that oversight. So that's what you're asking. Again, to clarify what I just read, 20 uh 26-01 has nothing to do with the public comment that we just heard. So in line of that, I'll entertain a motion to approve ordinance uh 2026-01. So move motion by Mr. Steve Harvey. Second. Second by Miss Sally Brock. Any questions or discussion? Yes. Yes, ma'am.

Um, so you said an engineer. Yes. So when you get when we get a project that comes in, a development, sometimes they'll have a a structure like a sediment basin that has to be converted to a detention pond. So an engineer that designed it has to come in and certify that they did everything properly and that the detention pond is functional and receive all the water. Okay? And that's on the developer or that's on the developer and the consultant manager. Okay. So that's on them. Um, this is a very lengthy thing. Yes, ma'am.

Is there was there somewhere in here that alluded to the fact that the board was to develop a comprehensive drainage plan for the city? No, it is not in the storm management. That's not in the That's not in there. Okay. Anything else? No, that's it. All right, we'll call for the vote. Sally Brown, yes.

Dietra Dunlow, hi. Steve Harvey, yes. Rachel Carvey, yes. Carrie Morton, yes. Mayor Chastain. I motion passes. Uh, item 6B is ordinance number 2026-02, an ordinance of the city of McMinnville to establish the function of the utility to create a special revenue fund and method for funding this utility and to fix the effective date of the ordinance. This is the ordinance that I would like to push to the next meeting just so that we can get more of this information out into the community and take into account the public comment we received tonight before making a decision. So we can do that if there are no objections by the rest of the board members.

I think these people come tonight expecting to know what our intentions are and we have to pass this in two readings. I mean I you know cuz they also have so many questions. Yeah, they did have a lot of questions. I do agree with that. They do have they did have a lot of questions. I'm not sure if any of this information actually addresses some of them. Would there be a way where they could I wrote down all the questions.

What I what I can do is I can provide a document that answers the all these to the best of my ability and that we have some of them I don't know if there is an answer to and but I would say 95% I have the answers to them and can create the document and send it out. But I won't read every single thing. But for those the record, those watching at home, and those that are here with us, this does include a fee schedule. It explains how apartments, rentals, multif family, and multi-use buildings work. Um, it talks about how the fees are come up with. They're not associated with property value like taxes. Uh and then again it gives the fee schedule based on the surface area. Um there's a packet of frequently asked questions about what storm water is. Uh does McNeville have a problem with that issue? It it cites numerous state and federal statutes. Um how does the current city currently manage storm water? Are these fees legal? what's the basis for them etc etc and has lots of explanations about um various things that were discussed in the public comment. So um I mean I think based on the feedback we got there's interest in seeing some of that information. So, um,

if I can add, if you go to our website, and I can just share this on our Facebook page, but there's a a website dedicated to this with all the information we're talking about. So, um, I'll just share this out to Facebook and y'all can see it. Did they have the cost of equipment and how many people would be on payroll? And that can be provided. would take into consideration not only payroll, but then you got to take in consideration their insurance, their um retirement. We have that all of that stuff. We have it.

All right, we'll defer that uh item to the next meeting. Uh item 6 C is discussion of police station and continuation of discussion regarding resolution number 2072 um in this current budget. We do have money allocated set aside um to get renderings and uh official plans for a um new police station. something that's been discussed for a number of years. Um, from the last meeting we had, resolution number 2072. Um, basically set aside property uh near the water treatment plant for the site of a future police department. And um I'm of the opinion that the city should move forward with that resolution and um get official plans for a buildout of a new police station um located at that designated spot. So I entertain a motion for item 6C to open for discussion.

I'll make that motion. Motion by Miss Ali Brock. Second. Second by Miss Dieter Dunl.

I've been thinking about this a lot and I spoke to three different people who one was a commercial general contractor and the other two are developers. And as opposed to the estimates that we got for a buildout in the existing 202 building on Bell Street, I got price ranges anywhere from 60 to 120 or $150 a square foot, which is significantly less than the estimates we were given um from our architect. Um there's a lot of advantages to a remodel. Um, the main one is it's significantly less expensive. Um, you have a faster start time, you have a shorter build time, you already have parking. We'll improve the overall look of the existing building. And there's more square footage. We're looking at 20,000 square feet in if we do if we do a remodel versus 18 if we do a new build. And also in that new build, you have a stairwell. You also have an elevator that'll take up about 200 square feet on two levels. So, you're losing quite a bit of square footage. Um, in the architect's pros and cons, there was there was a a section I mean a question about the roof being questionable. And I mean, we we have a new roof on that building. We just did it. And if if if the roof is questionable, I don't know about it. I mean, is there something new that's come up that that I don't I haven't heard about?

The roof's good, right? I mean, as far as we know, I hope so. It's been recently replaced. Yes. I just wasn't sure if it was adequate for the new use.

So, the roof that we put on there is a roof for a warehouse. So, I'm not sure that it's adequate for an office space. It's simply a question that we need to confirm. Uh, make sure that it is. Chances are it's probably fine. And also kind of look at the example of the county. You know, the county, I mean, look at William Ball School. They remodeled 30 years ago. That's a great facility. They have the mall now. You can question what you want to about them getting the mall, but you can't say that it hasn't they haven't done a good job with what they've done. There's a lot there's more people there now than there ever has been. And now they're talking about potentially getting the armory for some administration for the jail. And they just they see these buildings as opportunities and not as liabilities. And I I just don't really know why they're so good at it and we're not good at it. Um, and the people, you know, I hear people on this board say, "We just want a new building, and I do too, but I just don't I just really don't think we can afford it." Um, cuz we're talking I mean, by the numbers I was given, and you know, who knows who's right. We were given we've been given numbers anywhere from $60 a square foot to $250 a square foot plus contingencies for a remodel on the new building, but I got to I got to believe that it's in the lower half of that that range. So, in my estimation, we're talking about a savings of anywhere from 3 to 4 million potentially on one from

the other. And having said that, I just can't in good conscious support building a new building. What What did you say? They're lose square footage, the elevator, and what else? We have a stairwell.

Okay. Any other comments, questions, concerns? Yeah, I think it's hard to spend month. my my family's firemen, policemen, and and this has been talked about for so long, and they I understand what they what they want and what they need, but I think it is really hard to even discuss something where you're you're you're spending this kind of money and then we just had the discussion when where these people don't want us to come up with a whole new utility, which is a whole new department. Now, I I'm for I'm for getting and doing something for the police department. Don't get me wrong, all you police officers in here, I support y'all 110%. But when you say one thing out of one side and then tell people they're going to be paying for infrastructure issues that they've been that that should have been being taken care of all this time. That that's what's hard tonight. And I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that in my head. These people out here that have come and talked that are on fixed incomes or whatever. I mean, I know this is totally separate of what we talked about that utility fee, but I do think it's hard when we were just telling people, we're going to start taking more money out of your pocket, but then we're going to spend

money over here, which you weren't here at our meeting that we had before. We've had a very bad tendency in this city to have things we like and get things we like without taking care of things that we have to take care of. And I know this utility fee looks like the be all to end all to help that. I do not agree with that. And I suffer from storm water runoff as much as anybody in this whole city does. So, you know, if if we're going to vote to send it out for a bid, I want everybody to understand what that means. It doesn't mean we're approving and we're going to we're going to start ground tomorrow. Trust me, government does not run like that. But if we send something out for a bid, it means we're we're going to get a bit we're going to get bids in. We're going to look at them and we're going to see where the money's how we're going to fund it first of all. and then which either design that we've decided, I guess, to get a price on. So, I do want everybody here to understand that if we say we're going to get a price, that's all we're doing right now. It don't mean they're cutting ground tomorrow. Am I correct on that?

Correct. Okay. That means we can shrink it, we could grow it, we could do whatever at that point after the numbers come in. All we have right now is a set of drawings outside. That's it. So, you know, we always try to do the best bid and the best thing for tax dollars here in the city and that that is my main goal sitting here. So, that's what I have to say. Well,

I guess I'm one of those people that Steve talked about because um I I would like to see the police department get a new building. they've been shuffled around and shuffled around and I'm not so sure that the water department doesn't need uh some of that space we're talking about for for their um use. Um so I I'm in favor of getting um the bids and all of that sort of thing that we need

right now. what's on the consider what is on the table for consideration is new and moving forward with getting the the plans and bids for that. So in in order to further explore the renovation I think we would need to resend the two resolutions. Is that right? Um or not just the first one just 2072. Yeah. I mean you could do the other one too which would remove the funding for the plans. Yeah.

So both of them or just one? I mean that's 2072 would you would have to do both. Have to do both. 2077 approves the amount of money to be paid to uh a uh Peter Mets uh to do the plans. So I think if you go A or B, the money can still go to whichever one we choose.

Yeah, the money can go to whichever one. It's just that resolution number 2072, which even though it's been several years, is still technically in effect, which designated the spot below the water treatment planted Bell Street uh water utility building for the site.

Okay. I think I got confused. reporting on old versus new or rescending the the where the site this the site. Can you pull up that resolution so we can like reiterate it? It's not right here in front of I think that was okay in there near the bottom. Yeah, I think it's near the end. Where is it? It's near the end of the packet. Passed out there. Is it passed out?

Here's 2072. That's 2072. Okay. It's just going to be Is it It looks like that. That's 77. 72 before 77. So you guys 72 site authorizes the old Morrison Road location for the site of the future McMinnville Police Department.

And then down in here, there's an attached map with the site plan and the property. So just one.

Yeah. Okay. I'll make a motion to resend resend resolution 2072 and to further explore the option of renovating the existing building at 202 Bell Street. There's a motion. Is there a second? I'm going to second that. All right. Any questions or discussion hearing? None. We'll call for the vote. Sally Bro, no. Dietra Dunlap. Hi. Steve Harvey,

yes. Rachel Kirby, yes. Carrie Morton, yes. Mayor Chastain, no. Motion passes. All right. Resin 2072. Further explore the renovation 202 building. And depending on what that comes in at, then we can I just want better a better idea of what we're Well, we can't get to that point cuz are are we going to have him do the plans for the buildout then? Or are we taking this back to the safety committee?

Maybe it's got to go back to safety committee. Yeah. Mhm. So safety committee would re make a recommendation to the full board. Yeah. To proceed with getting the plan. This is being reined. It goes to a region. Yep. Okay. Do we not have a plan out here for that? We do. It's It's a base plan. It's a Okay. You can't bid off of that. Okay. Okay. So, we've got to spend the $100,000 to get to that point to where we can bid the project out and get a hard cost on what that'll be. And that money has already been budgeted. Budgeted. That's right. We

currently in the budget. Yes. Okay. All right. Item moving on. Item seven is recognition of employees and departmental reports. If anyone wishes to give any updates to the board, come on up. Mr. Maine, do you have anything for the board? I do not. Mr. Purle, no. All right. If there's nothing else come Oh, Chief, come on. I do have something.

I do have something when she's done. Yeah, I just want to I'm sure y'all seen it on Facebook and stuff, but on February 4th, we received our we received our sixth accreditation w award um at the chief's association and you know for our accredititation process for the state and Stuart Whitman is our accreditation managers where as well as our admin lieutenant he's worked very hard as well as our department. I mean it's a very it's not an easy thing. were the first ones in the state to become accredited. That makes our department very professional and you know they work very hard of protecting our citizens being there 24/7 and um people we don't even know and then they we're professional at everything we do and treat people very well. So, and I believe in being a creative agency means each member of the McMill Police Department is devoted to providing pre professional services to every person. Each day will continue to provide service and protection to all citizens and visitors. And like I said, you know, they're all deserving and and I go here, we've had this discussion about the police department. I've been here 31 years and my time is probably limited about how long I'll be here even going forward. We have been put here there. We've never had our own place. We've been put in warehouses where we it's leaked uh roaches every bats all kinds of stuff. And it's but we've not fussed about it. We have done it through the years and it's like an elephant in the room anytime that's it's brought up about a police department. Far as far we've been 2019 and getting that resolution and then it's been seven years and they're able to push it aside. Don't want to talk about it. This that

and the other and we've come up with I don't know three or four different plans we paid money for. And there's been money put aside for these plans. I mean, this is a real passionate thing for me and my people cuz when I'm gone, I like to see these people have a place of their own they can be proud of. They're deserving of it. It takes a special place to be a police department. If you hadn't worked in one, you don't know what's required to have as far as safety, evidence rooms, all kinds of specs it has to have. But we've been in we were at Red Road for 11 years, which was temporary. That was a work factory warehouse. We got leaked on. We got, you know, for 11 years. But we didn't fuss about it. You know, we do our job still no matter what. And y'all have been great. Everything we've come up, you know, equipment, we've gotten our personnel up, but it's hard to keep people that want to work here when they they're separated. You know, we're sharing with a building over here with the water department up here on the third floor. You know, there's money there that it's not going to raise taxpayers money. You know, it's not going to be on their taxes. We we know how we pay for it. And I just just wish you consider that going forward of your thoughts and I you know and I do appreciate y'all been great. Um we're fortunate to have the things equipment we do and we've got a great department here for our citizens and y'all you know when everybody's sleeping safe at night you know so you know that's why this you know I'm a little bit emotional about this subject because like I said this is 31 years you know and that's all I've ever seen. We just been here, there, and we're supposed to just be okay with it. It's it's what we should have because it's a reflection to what our community looks at their safety police department. We have people call up here and say, "How what's the crime rate? What's this? What's that?" You know, we're y'all don't even have your own place. You're having to share here. You're split. You know, when we have visitors come, you know, they're amazed that we don't have our own place. But I just wanted to say

that. I'm going to rant. I'm sorry, but I do appreciate everything um y'all have done for us. Thank

Thank you. I'll say some things. All right. If you're driving out on the highway with the bypass, you'll notice our T dot projects have started. We broke ground on replacing a lot of the intersections, traffic signals. You'll start seeing that happen. Uh we're starting over road right now where the high school's at. We'll be replacing traffic signals out there. And then moving on up till we get to Red Road, that intersection. Tree grades going in downtown. They're looking good. We just ordered more trees to put in. Everything's looking great on that on that front. PCI studies in as well. We've reviewed it. We got our plan coming in tomorrow for us to go over. So, we should be able to release that and talk more about that. I was thinking maybe next meeting, but might be meeting up next. Might be a busy meeting next meeting. Uh, but you know, public works is also going to be out at Cardinal Drive. I know the sidewalks was a thing. That was a big deal. We're going to hopefully start that Thursday or Friday of this week as well. Start performing the sidewalks. We've already started canvasing the neighborhood, talking to the neighbors out there and everything. So, that'll probably start as well. So, public works is out and quite busy. Just wanted to let you all know.

Hey, come back. I have a question on behalf of everyone who lives in McMinnville, Warren County, and it passes through. Is there any way that the signaling can be alternated a little bit so you don't get stopped at every light from Old Shelbyville Road to the hospital? If you hit one, you hit them all, right?

Yeah. So, instead of the loop detectors, they will be on radar. So, you'll have little cameras up there and everything. So, it should go a lot smoother through here. Some of our loop detectors are broken underground. So, for instance, Mullikin Street, Faulner Springs Road, they're broken underground. So they don't really detect cars that they just go through the cycle. So that's why you're getting stopped on a lot of those intersections because it's broken underground. This would remedy that issue with the cameras that are up there. So hopefully it'll be a lot smoother going from one end of town to the other. But yeah, Rob, put that in paper. Yeah. Is preeemption included in this project?

No, preemption is not included in this project. The preeemption would be for downtown area. Gets us closer to being able to correct have preeemption then. It will. Which would allow the first responders to switch signals as they come to them. Yep. It'll be in their police car and fire engines where they can flip it and it'll turn green and they can they'll be able to get there. Much safer. Yep. So that's it. All right. Thank you, sir.

I just had one last thing. Uh, Miss Young Bloodood couldn't be here, but she wanted to let everyone know that she has some time slots available to come and ask questions on Friday uh about the storm water uh utility. And I'm going to just put this up here. If you want to meet with her to talk about it, it'll be up here and you can schedule a time. That's it. All right. Uh, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all.