Board of Alderman - Regular Meeting

He he came through the window. Oh, he All right. All right. Like we're live, y'all. I like to make sure y'all know. Yeah, we are. We all the way live.

Let me know when it's time to roll.

It's almost there, man. All right. Good evening everyone. I call this meeting of the Hornik uh mayor and board of almond to order this February 17th, 2026 at 6 p.m. at Hornik City Hall. We have a corum present tonight so we can proceed with our agenda. We have our invocation by Aldwoman Johnson and pledge of allegiance by Alderman McKinnon.

Let us bow. Heavenly Father, we come this evening to say thank you. Lord God, thank you for another day. Lord God, I ask that you just bless each individual that's represented here. Lord God, bless our homes. Bless our finances, Lord God. Some may be lacking, Lord God, in different areas of their lives, Lord God. We ask for increase if it be your will. Lord God, we ask that you just continue to bless our city. Bless each worker, Lord God. Each department, Lord God. Let this be a place where people have a desire to work, Lord God, to grow and to share. Lord, as we go through our meeting on tonight, let us have grace for others, Lord God, and help us to be kind. These things I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Let's rise for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance 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. All right, we'll now have our roll call by Miss Carter. Alderman McKenna here. Alderman Bledsoe here. Alderwoman Armstrong here. Alderman Smith here.

Alderwoman Johnson here. Alderman Langston. Alderman Bostic here. All right. All here and one absent. All right. Let's move on to uh I entertain a motion to accept the municipal docket. May I make that motion to accept the medicine? Motion second by Alder Vostic. Second by Alman Bitso. All right. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Alderman Bostic. I. Alderman Langston. Alderwoman Johnson. I.

Alderman Smith. Hi. Alderwoman Armstrong. I. Alderman Bledsoe. Hi. Alderman McKenna. I motion passes six uh with one absent. All right. I entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. Mayor Alman make a motion to approve the consent agenda items A through O. Items A through O. You have a second. A second. Want to Johnson? Any discussion? Mayor, Armstrong.

Um, item number G. Can we get a little bit more information on the request for um Barracuda backup? Um, that's going to come from Daniel. Daniel, can you come up? Sure. You want to move that to new business? Um, yeah, we move it to new business. Need to amend the motion to move it to new business.

Amen to move that. Okay. So, item uh G. All right. All right. We have an amendment by Alderman Bos. You still good with the second? No. I mean John still. All right. All right. Any more discussion? Roll call, please. Alderman McKenna. Hi. Alderman Bledo. Hi. Alderwoman Armstrong. I. Alderman Smith. Hi. Alderwoman Johnson. Hi.

Alderman Langston. Alderman Bostic. I. Motion passes 601 absent. All right. I entertain a motion to approve the claims docket. Mayor, hold on. motion.

I'd like to motion that we accept the claim stockage general fund 56,725.83 Library Fund $1,972.84. Economic development fund $3,42643. utility fund $76,45452 for a total docket of $588,57962.

Thank you all the judge. We have a second. A second, mayor. All right, got second by woman Armstrong. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Miss Carter. Alderman Bastic. I Alderman Langston, Alderwoman Johnson. Hi, Alderman Smith. Hi, Alderwoman Armstrong. I alderman Bledo. Hi, Alderman McKenna. Hi.

Motion pass 6 to zero with one absent. All right, we don't have any presentation special guests tonight. No planning. Uh, but we have moved um item G for the consent agenda uh to new business. So, we Daniel to come on up. Um so my question is um this backup can you tell me a little bit more about why we need it?

Uh yes ma'am. So um all of our systems here servers have to be backed up um the way our choices are doing an entire cloud backup um or also having local backups and cloud backups. Uh, since I've gotten here, our backup space has grown almost like 10 to 12 uh terabytes. So, we've actually upgraded the local device because we kept running out of space. Um, this our Barracuda backup is a hybrid where we have some we keep daily local copies and then we put the other copies out in the cloud and then we store them up to three years depending on what the requirement is for historical data for different applications or different services. So that's uh what the barracuda backup is. It's the appliance here locally and then also all of our cloud space to where we back up 13 local servers. We had hoped to decrease the size of this some um but we're looking at a new document sharing software. So maybe next year we can bring this down, but it's actually increased over the last three years because um as I had sent Miss Carter an email a few weeks ago. Um some of our servers are growing by half a terabyte a week in in size and there's just nothing I can do about it with new technology and photographs and documents. If users aren't purging that information and saving documents in multiple areas and it just keeps growing and growing until we can shrink it all back down and possibly in the next few years we'll have a few of our servers go out to the cloud which will then decrease our size and footprint here and our risk responsibility and that's the main

reason for having local copies. Um, last time we had a server failed. We luckily had the server here that we were going to replace that one with before it collapsed. But to pull down all the files and and folders off of that, it still took us 17 hours to get a good clean copy from the cloud. Um, whereas if we when we copied it local, um, it was like within 6 hours we were able to move that 10 to 11 terabytes that that server had. Um my second question um it says renewal um when did it expire and did and and it does it's a yearly license so it's every year.

Yes ma'am. So the other question is um I notice you said it's the space we're grow is growing. Yes ma'am. Constantly. Have we looked into cleaning up things before Oh yes.

doing this back up. Yeah, we um well I mean we do daily we we do a daily, weekly and then monthly and then yearly backups that we roll out. Um so in essence, every time a file is saved on a server, if I save it and somebody else saves it and then it was scanned into another folder, that's three copies of that file. Um and that I have no way of monitoring that constantly. what I ask and I do send emails out to um different department heads is to um go out and purge old data um as much as they can. Um and that's really our only way to bring it down. But like as we grow, we've we've grown u five four code officers I think in the last four years. They're half of what they do is photographs that are then being brought in. Now the officers have body cameras and video footage that we're downloading and we're storing for evidentiary files. So as technology for all the departments expands, it kind of negates what we do um whenever we try to purge just small files and stuff. But we do try to stay on top of it.

Has every department purged per your email? Um from what I can tell, yeah, they do. Um I mean I can't go into everybody's individual files and look and see how you know do a comparison of size but I do see size amounts from the backup size that decrease or remains constant but then there's always new data coming in. Um it's even like our MUN server it grew uh 300 gig last week and that's our accounting software. So that's a database that's growing. We had hoped to move all that off which would have decreased four servers but then we moved a different direction um with the new administration so that those servers are going to stay put for a little while.

When's the actual ex expiration date for that contract? Um this renewal is good until the end of February and they've discounted the rate. Um, the second when I took it out to other contractors that sell the license space and the appliance license, which I can look at as well, um, that still have it under state contract, the price was 50,000. So, they've discounted it down about 10 grand for us. Um, my last question, um, when Protek came through, was that in the report that this is getting ready to expire or as is that?

It's a standard, it's a standard thing. um licensing and renewals for all soft for software just like our MUN application that was I think 80,000 or more to renew it for this year with support and everything. Barracuda this is a yearly license and support and the appliance and and everything else contract.

Um I didn't notice a copy of the contract. Is that privy? Are we privy to have a copy of the contract to look at expiration and all those things? I I can get copies of that. Um, but it's really it's just a licensing agreement. Um, the the bids and all this, they've been using Barracuda since when I got here. We've just replaced the the appliance every year. Um, but yeah, and Protek, I mean, they saw all this and looked at it and were happy with what we had for a backup solution and how we were were doing it. I mean, they wouldn't have done I don't think they recommended anything different. Um, when I ran MSP, we did something similar. Um, but if you did a a whole cloud environment, one of our doctor's offices or actually

the town of Arlington got hit with ransomware and so because they didn't want to do local on-site backups um for us to recover their domain controller and other servers and stuff like that. It took us about a week and a half um to be able to do that. And I'm trying to keep us, you know, I look at risk and I look at um cost and this is we we've got a pretty good happy medium here. And is this is this the same price that was played the year before?

Um I would have to go back and look, but I think it it it does increase by uh size of cloud space. Um but again like I I I took this to HSHI as well um with the specs of of what we have to do for a renewal. Um they all go back to Barracuda for you know because that's where the the cloud environment actually is and then they they bid against the state contract. So um because we had set the contract last year with Howard who had won the bid from HSI. I gave HSI Yeah. Um, I gave them the opportunity to rebid and they came back with 10,000 more, which I can get you a copy of that bid if you want to look at it. So,

um, uh, okay. Thank you for answering all those questions. I appreciate it. No problem. All right. Go ahead. Um, on the police data and the code, how often can you delete that? How long do you have to keep to be lawful?

So for us, we have uh retention rules that we have to stick by for like a a felony has to stay for 50 years, I believe it is. Um if it's a an arrest, we've got until any appeals run out. I mean that we have to stand we have to stick with what that standard is set by law. So, um, we we can't purge ours that those videos are evidence that we just can't get rid of. So, share pretty much the same way as code.

Um, it we went back and we looked at code retention and planning retention um two years ago and we got rid of everything up till 2017 which was for planning and what code was required at that time. Um that was when Chad Bar was here. Um so we we've done a pretty heavy purge. Um but it's still just with new data and everything that comes in it just you know the technologies changed every like your email sizes. You look at what size files are coming where they um now people are sending us um 20 30 40meg files thinking that they're going to come through our email filter and it's like no we stop it at five. but then it's, you know, something important for court or for one of the other departments. So, we have to send that through. So, those are backed up, of course. Um, and that cost us money. But, um, you know, it's in an ideal world, a lot of these files would be stored in a native software package. And that's where moving stuff to the cloud um allows us to shrink our footprint here and also our liability for all this information and how it's backed up and where it's backed up. Um we were looking at for the planning department the Camino software. Well, that would store that stuff out of here. So all their documents, all their planning stuff, all their site stuff would be stored in that software and in their database and the retention would be held there where it wouldn't be here. Um, of course, every software has its cost. And it's kind of like finding that happy medium of balancing between what you want to hold and what you don't. I look at getting liability out of the city and off prim as being a a better solution because it um

you know you never know what's going to happen to this building. A tornado could hit it and then it's where where do you go? Where do you restore to? Um if we're doing cloud-based applications and all our stuff is out there then that kind of negates that. Well, we used to store stuff in boxes and we put it in the water tower and it leaked. Don't tell anybody. We're working on that too, right? Yeah, we're working on that too. Um to get those that stuff out of our file filing cabinets and boxes stored in somebody's uh back seat or wherever they are. So, it's a problem.

Daniel, can you explain to them that $40,000 that consists of 24 different licenses? Can you explain that? Oh, that's it's not 24 licenses. That's for 24 terab 24 terab of space. Um and that's um

the size of the appliance and what we have out in the cloud that we're reserving for for us right now. We are um when we replaced this appliance last year, we had grown over 17 terabyte. Um right now we're at 20. So, I'm hoping that we can keep it below the 24. That's my goal. Um, but now we have an appliance that we can add a hard drive to. They used to not make those and they found the need to do that. So, we don't get it won't be another full appliance upgrade. Be able to just put a drive in and recoup what we have on site and what we have to have and then manage what we have off prim. But it's across the board. Doesn't matter who the backup company is. Um prices are going to be very similar if

Did you get other bids? Oh yeah. I mean I I did against the Barracuda appliance. Um but since this is new, we didn't want to go out and reinvent this again. Um but I've also looked at other solutions and they all come back just right in the same ballpark. So, it's we it's a there's there's not I don't I can't see a cost benefit right now of moving everything off because it's going to be another appliance. It's going to go through the whole bidding phase. That's something I will entertain this year if that's what we need to do. We just hadn't uh we didn't want to take that entire environment back out and get it out

with Camino. Uh I know that utilities use I know planning use Camino. What other department use Camino? uh planning and code, we're going to use it. So, as they begin to load more onto uh documents, so we can see an probably an increase. And then, you know, even like MUN, if if they force us into their cloud environment, then that's going to get rid of three full servers that are growing individually by um what did I say earlier? It grew the backup grew by 300 gig and that was just on the database server. And then there's the other two servers that probably grew by 15 or so between. So we see a decrease or increase.

Well, this as we move things off, it'll decrease the our footprint here. Um, as I can purge things again, like chief said, she's got a whole file for 50 years. So everything that was being stored here locally, um, until we can figure out another place to put it, it's still there's going to be a backup somewhere. Um, but we'll be able to decrease what the new input is and that'll be a shrinkage. But you got to have backups unfortunately and used to be and I'll give you a real good example is everybody used to do tape backups and a good example was uh my sister's company that she worked for up was in New York was in Tower 2. They had an office up in uh upper Manhattan. Well, when the plane hit, thank God she lived through it. But when the plane hit, the FedEx package of where they were sending the backup tape out from the day before, the other one came back in and they hadn't pick and they didn't pick up the new one that was going out because it was at that same time both backups were in the building. Instead of doing a neckup, a network backup, cloud backup, all that technology really wasn't going in 2001. Well, they lost everything right then and they were doing uh pension fund financial management stuff out of their office. B that head was headquartered in London. So, it's this is just kind of where where everything has gone. Um all it is is getting more and more expensive right now, especially with hardware shortages and uh chip building and everything being changed and hit. So we tried to prepare last year with servers and everything

and beat the price. So right a lot better than putting it on a floppy just bagging. Yeah. And that's I mean and that's what it took us all night to do ours from one day. Oh yeah. Any more questions? I can I can I can get it. We we had um we just renewed with the same assume that when you made your budget it was already Yeah, it was it was already in there. We already approved this anyway. Just waiting on Thank you so much. No doubt. And I can get that other quote. Any more questions, Mr. D? All right. Can we get a motion?

Mayor, I make that motion to approve item. Second. Motion by Alderman Bostic, second by Blitzo. Any discussion? All right. Roll call, please. Mer. Alderman McKenna. Hi. Alderman Bledsoe. Hi. Alderwoman Armstrong. Nay. Alderman Smith. Hi. Alderwoman Johnson. I Alderman Langston, Alderman Bostic.

I motion passes with five years with one name and one absent. All right. Um, let's move on. We don't have anything for citizen remarks. Uh, mayor and alderman court correspondence. We're going to begin that. I just want to uh send our prayers for uh Reverend Jesse Jackson, his family uh and all those who dealing with the death. I know a lot of people nation also mourning over him and all the work you've done in this area in the mids south. Uh so we're just praying for him and his family. We just want to continue to thank all of y'all for all your hard work you do. Uh it don't go unnoticed. We just thank you all. Every department, every single worker uh in this department, even Neo Sha over there, uh we thank him too. So we just thank all y'all for all that you do. All right. Uh, let's see. I forgot how to do this. Chief Lynville,

I don't really have anything. I've been out for about three weeks. Welcome back. Welcome back and everybody else. We We made through it. We made it. We made it. All right, Drew. All right, Andrew. Yes, sir. I don't have anything in that. All right, Ryan, I know you don't want me to call. You got anything? Right? I'm good. I don't have anything. All right. Uh, I was here just in case. Daniel, you have anything? No, I'm good. Thank you. You saying you sitting in an audience anyway? All right. Uh, Chief Will, you got anything? No, sir. All right. Wayne, yes, I do. Go ahead.

With the potholes through Ward One through W six. So, we getting around to everybody. So, don't think that the board ain't going to be done. So we just got to make it through everybody. It's whole lot everywhere. So we working on it. Yeah. I know we get a lot of a lot of calls about come do particular streets, but the way to get more done is actually to work work a whole area first. So just be patient with us. I hope people online know to be patient. Uh it's best for us to work at a time instead of jumping all the way across the city. They get more done. So thank you Wayne. Anything else? Uh, but Patricia Twin Lake down there. Uh, Philip, can you explain to him about that? Sure. I can't talk about that.

Boy, that was Philip. I a call your name over there. You guys, oh, go ahead. I'm sorry. Go in.

Come on. Come on to the uh the hot seat over there. Um, as everybody knows, uh, has probably received calls on this, quite a few calls. Um, we are doing a lift station replacement on Twin Lakes and Patricia. And uh with the snow and ice uh we had two weeks of shutdown and then after that some um unanticipated uh problems arose um and we have been working with the contractor to navigate their claims um and what we see is legitimate versus what they're claiming. and uh they've they've pulled off site and um in the in the midst of all this discussion and and exchanging information and requests for breakdowns and such. Anyway, um

we had a meeting um today and uh I think we have a good good way forward and unified vision from the city on work items that we agree with. Um, we're going to put that together and present it to the contractor and try to push this thing forward and move on and get the road open up that I know all of us have probably been getting calls on. So,

yeah, cuz I know right after the ice storm it was it was two weeks uh and I think you said it's probably like a week or two worth of work left, but unfortunately they saying the charges are higher what they have to deal with. Uh so we're going to we're going to be dealing with that or hopefully meet with uh White Construction soon uh and and make sure they understand that uh you ain't going to milk us, but you going to get that job done. You tell everything is uh

that's correct. So there is a difference in $40,000. Um we anticipated some change but not $40,000. um some items were needed, pumps were needed and in exchange and and it's kind of like a double double billing. So what will happen um Neil Schaefer's office is putting together what we know to be factual that should be um dollars that should be applied to that project outside of the initial contract scope. And we'll present that with them saying this is this is what we owe. at they're at a point like well if you don't pay this we're at a stopping point. Well, that's that can't happen for one, right? So, we'll get that call. So, we'll see what happens. Um once those figures are given to them in the morning, um we'll have a a come to Jesus meeting and say this is what it is. This is what we see outside the scope of the initial contract. Um and then get busy. The issue that we're having is um outside of that, this project consists of four lift stations and they're only on the first, thus being the issue. Um where we figure while that is on hold, you've got three other lift stations that could be worked on. So that's all part of the initial plan for the morning. Um and then we'll see what happens from there.

I have a question. Um, you mentioned some problems. What were some of the problems that were found over there that kind of held up the project? So, in the process of taking the old lift station offline and getting the new one online, a leak in the bypass, the city's bypass port was discovered. And uh there was a pretty substantial repair that had to be happen that had to happen to that bypass line that was supposed to be operational, but everything's underground and it's always until you using it. You don't know what it you know we didn't anticipate an issue with the bypass system and they had to install some new valves and various items like that. But the leak in the bypass is now fixed or we still waiting? I wasn't sure.

Fixed. They've installed some new valving and u it's it's operational now and uh so that's that's been corrected. Um, and then there's been uh some field verification that uh we feel like did not happen on a the the gravity line that's taking the old one off line and draining everything to the new um that is having to be relayed and that's that's kind of the contentious point I guess so to speak. Mayor mentioned that it was one to two a possible one to two work weeks left in in finishing that project. Is that accurate? No. You shaking your head. No.

The well to get the road open because all they lack they have to relay a gravity line, put in electrical conduit in the same trench, back fill it, and they could have that road open in probably a week or two max once we can get them. Um, we send them what we have agreed is legitimate and they get back to work once everybody's on the same page. It's just taking a second to sort this out on his claims versus our review. Is it hopeful for us to get started soon? Well, the the he had asked for an extension to April 30th, but that's the project as a whole,

including all four.

Including all four. Um the standstill is at this point for this particular lift station on Patricia. Um so we can't understand why in the midst of the issues that were happening there why did we not go to a second or third or fourth lift station. So we don't we're assuming his stance is no pay not doing any of them. But we will have that uh conversation in the morning with them once some actual figures um are drawn up as to what we see fitting as a fair payment. Um we're seeing 60,000. He's roughly inund,000 or whatever crazy it is in excess of what has actually been done.

Okay. Thank you. Bless her. Uh so the project supposed to end around April sometime because what people going to be asking that's the newest extension that was granted to them. But but the streets but but the streets once they get started the streets can be reopened within two weeks. That's that's right. The streets got it. it that the April 30 is just she's project the street once we get them back out there should be open within I don't see any more than two weeks of work to get that thing back open

that's I've had people call me and I told them call Miss Armstrong I left you open up that's interesting no only one person called um about it and of course there's some social media presence about this project or what have you. Um but I have a lot more information than I had before. So that's helpful to have. I had a few calls but that's pretty much when I got the two weeks from that they showed up but then come to find out they didn't show up after the ice storm. So hopefully hopefully we can get right

and some of it due to the electrical which is now in as well when they're large lead time on electrical. That's that's right. Oh some of the hold up on the project as well. And this is being funded by our money, right? That's correct. Okay. Yes.

All right. Uh any more questions? All right. Uh, so Wayne, do you let S, do you have anything? Wayne, did you have anything else? I did. All right. Thank you. S, do you have anything? We have 59 dogs and six cats. Go ahead, girl.

Next week, next. Go ahead, brother. All you have something in the morning at 9. Y'all going to be on channel 3 again? Not in the morning. That's what was on the news. 9:00 in the morning. Didn't know that. All right. All right. Y All right. You have anything else to say? You have anything else? Anything else? Yes, sir. Okay, Belinda. Yes, sir.

Did I miss anybody? All right, board. Do you have anything for the department heads? Oh, I always doing backwards, don't All right. All right. All right. Alman Arman Armstrong. Um I just wanted to say I've seen the work trucks out in Ward Six um putting um the fixing the potholes. So y'all have been busy. So thank you very very much. I appreciate that. Going every day.

So much going on that big. And let me remind everybody uh we're still working on uh I think we could going to commit $3 million to uh street repairs as well. So uh we're working with Neil Sha on that that was canceled for this year but we keep we starting that program. We want to keep continue to do $3 million uh and we're going to be looking for the worst streets. I know a lot of people call email text but we're going to be looking for the worst streets and keep building up to hopefully make more progress overall throughout the city. So thank you. But till the end we on pole duty. All right Johnson. No sir. Alman Bostic. I'm good. All in bless.

I just want to commend everybody during the snow and ice. Y'all did a great job. A great job. Mar did a good job. He riding around with you how to drive. Thank you. Thank y'all. Uh I said I got your name right. I know. I only have my cheat sheet. Alman McKenna, nothing. Alman Smith, nothing. All right. Attorney, you have anything? I do not. Good evening, everyone. I don't know if there are any questions for me.

Any questions for attorneys? Griffin with us. All right. Uh, make sure read. Make sure I'm doing it right. All right. No executive session. So, I'm do my favorite part of the meeting. I entertain a motion to adjourn. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to adjourn tonight's meeting. Thank you. All on the Johnson. Uh, do we have a second? I second. Uh, Kelly Smith. Uh, a second. Uh, all right. Any discussion? Roll call. Miss Carter. Alderman McKenna. Hi. Alderman Bledsoe. Hi.

Alderwoman Armstrong. Hi. Alderman Smith. I. Alderwoman Johnson. Hi. Alderman Langston. Alderman Bostic. I. Motion passes six. Uh, and one with one. All right. Thank y'all. You have a wonderful night.

He's on mute. cuz it'll make you