City Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Call the meeting in order. The Ashland Board of City Commissioners. If you will rise, we'll ask Commissioner Gutt to do our invocation.

Let us pray. Lord, tonight we are thankful for our city. and the opportunity to serve and conduct city business. We ask and invite your Holy Spirit to preside over our meeting tonight. We ask for wisdom and guidance over this Board of Mayor and Commissioners as we strive to meet the needs of our city and the citizens that live here. Guide us in our decision-making this evening.

Bless our city manager, our staff and employees, and those in attendance this evening.

We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

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, motion to receive and file the agenda presented.

So moved. Second.

Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? All right, we'll move into our hearings for mayor and commissioners. We'll start with Mr. Goud.

I just want to welcome everybody to this evening meeting. And I just want to say we had a successful work session at the Paramount the other day. And I think we discussed many positive projects. It was a great time, and we had a good Labor Day celebration in Catlasburg. Saw many of you there. And tomorrow morning, we're going to have a 9-11 service at the riverfront at 830. That's all I have, Mayor.

Great. Mr. Martin. All right.

I just want to welcome everybody here tonight. ARF has a fundraising event until, I believe, 8 o'clock tonight at their location in the county. So if you have a chance, maybe check that out. They're taking donations for some of the projects that they're doing. And tomorrow, as Commissioner Goot mentioned, we have our 9-11 ceremony. It would be good to see folks come out to that and support that. 8.30. 8.30. All right, Commissioner Renfro. I have nothing.

Just a couple of things before I do. I have a proclamation I'd like to do today. Exciting news on our conference center that a lot of work we've seen been going on down on the 14th in Winchester. Nice big crane down there. That's a sign of progress. And I understand that next week you'll start seeing things vertical. That the steel is going to be arriving next week and you'll see a lot of progress of starting to go up, and that's really exciting for me. Just a word of information that Kentucky Power is about to embark on putting new meters on everybody's homes for service. They're going to start that in October, and you'll hear more about that in the future. Just a heads up. And, of course, our 9-11 ceremony tomorrow, that's going to be on the riverfront. But I do have a proclamation. This is National Service Dog Month. And I've asked Ashley Lane. She has a new partner. If you will come up to the front, I will read this proclamation. Okay. As a former canine officer in Alexandria, Virginia, I worked a dog on the street for seven years, so I know what Ms. Lane is going through with a new partner and would like to read this proclamation. Whereas we believe in the joyful transformative power of the human-canine bond and inclusivity of all citizens. Whereas in the United States, more than 70 million adults and children have a disability and only 16,000 service dogs from accredited training programs exist nationwide. And the need is growing. Whereas Canine Companions is a nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing expertly trained service dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Whereas Canine Companions and their service dogs empower people with disabilities to lead a life with greater independence, by providing best-in-class training, ongoing follow-up and services, and a deeply committed community of support. Whereas the National Service Dog Month aims to educate our community about the benefits of service dogs and the laws protecting them. Whereas in the 250th year of our nation, the city of Ashland continues to support toward becoming an inclusive community in which all citizens and their trained service dogs are embraced. Now therefore, Mayor Chuck D. Charles, along with our city commission, in recognition of service dogs and the adults and children with disabilities in our community, do hereby proclaim September to be National Service Dog Month. Thank you very much.

And good luck. Thank you.

She's gone through a lot of different training now and support training, which she'll probably have for several more months to work with her new companion.

Okay, let's move on the city manager report. I have no report at this time, sir.

Okay, we'll move into our public participation. If we have anybody in the audience who'd like to address the commission. Now's the chance to do that. Okay, hearing none.

We'll move into our old business, item A. Second reading and final adoption of an ordinance entitled An Ordinance of the City of Ashland, Kentucky Amending Section 2 of Ordinance Number 59, Series of 2026, which is commonly known and referred to as the FY 2026-2027 Budget Ordinance of the City of Ashland.

So moved. Second.

Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Consent agenda. A resolution of the city of Ashland, Kentucky adopting, authorizing, and approving the course of action presented by the city manager on the items appearing on the consent agenda for the regular meeting of the Board of City Commissioners of September 10, 2026. Second.

Second? Yes. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? New business, item A.

First reading and approval of an ordinance entitled, An Ordinance of the City of Ashland, Kentucky, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute a real estate purchase agreement between the City of Ashland, Kentucky and George and Sandy Arnold for the purchase of property located at 1013 Carter Avenue by the City of Ashland in the amount of $55,000 and authorizing the mayor to execute any and all documents associated with and or necessary to complete said purchase of real property.

Second.

On the discussion, Chief, I know there's tenants into that building. Do you have a timeline of what you're going to do with that?

We don't have any timeline established at this time.

In the agreement, is there any mention of a tenant?

No, I found out about that yesterday.

I think they're looking for another location at the time.

That's why I want to try to Yeah, well, ordinarily, there'd be entitled a 30 day notice.

Okay, how many tenants are in the building? Yeah.

As far as I know, it's one, possibly a couple others that maybe do a sublease situation. I'm not 100% sure.

These beauty salons, they rent substations to the different beauticians.

There is, if the commission wants to table it to the next meeting to consider and we can reach out to them, that's certainly an option. We haven't done a title search yet. There is an appraisal that's been provided, and so we do have that. But there's certainly time that we you know, between now and closing that something could be worked out with the tenants.

Well, I think, you know, I think we can proceed on this or I wouldn't care to as long as we and they're aware that the well, they are, but they've just been told, you know, that the property is being sold and that's not necessarily adequate. No, I agree.

I mean, I think probably what we need to do is either amend the agreement or we get some kind of a waiver or consent from the tenant that, you know, the sale can go forward. I mean, I these people have rights and yeah, let's need to be recognized.

I want to make a motion to table this until the next meeting that would allow Mr. Wheeler to reach out to the owner, see if there's some type of agreement in place.

There is no lease, but I'll reach out to the tenants directly and find out what their position is. There's no written lease? I was advised yesterday when I found out that there was a tenant that there is no written lease, but I just found out this morning.

This is news to me also. I thought it was vacant.

Well, you know, we were just approached about the sale, not about anything else.

Yeah. I mean, I just found out that the tenants exist this morning. Right. A tenant called me and asked me how many days she had before she had to get out.

Well, I'll get back with you. Well, since everybody found out today, I found out about 14 minutes ago. So that's why I want to table this for the next meeting.

Move to table. Second. He already did.

He already did. All in favor of tabling, say aye. Aye. All opposed?

All right. Item B. First reading and approval of an ordinance entitled An Ordinance of the City of Ashland, Kentucky, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute an agreement with the Salvation Army of Ashland, the subrecipient of $10,000 for operating costs from the Community Development Block Grant.

Move.

Second.

Second. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed?

Abstain. Show Marty's abstention.

Yes.

Got it. Item C, reading and adoption of a municipal order entitled a municipal order of the city of Ashland, Kentucky, authorizing the Ashland Fire Department to submit an application for the Marathon Petroleum Grant in the amount of $32,000, and if awarded, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute any and all other documents related to the acceptance of said grant.

So moved.

Second. On this one, Chief, does anybody have this system in the area? I mean, will we be the first or the only?

I believe the only department that has these capabilities currently is the Grayson Fire Department.

The Grayson. OK. All right. OK. Anything else? All in favor say aye. Aye.

All opposed? Item D. Reading an adoption of municipal order entitled a municipal order of the city of Ashland, Kentucky authorized in directing the mayor to execute a grant agreement in the approximate amount of $145,000 between the city of Ashland, Kentucky and the county of Boyd, Kentucky, the county of Greenup, Kentucky, the Ashland-Boyd County Airport Board, and the US Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration for a project to construct slash expand a hangar at the Ashland Regional Airport.

So moved. Second. Discussion? Do we know if there will be a match to this? Or is this 100% funded?

As far as I can tell, it's 100%. I just spoke with Mr. McGinnis this morning just to get a little bit more detail. And I think there are some of the work. This is only the dirt work that they're actually doing. And they're going to add six more hangers and kind of down toward where ashen oils hanger was. So this is basically just the dirt work. Any other questions? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed?

Out of E. Reading an adoption of municipal order entitled a municipal order of the city of Ashland, Kentucky, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute an interlocal cooperative agreement for the regional custody, maintenance, and shared use of an underwater remotely operated vehicle, ROV, between the Five Co. Area Development District and Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup, and Lawrence County Emergency Management Agencies, designating the city of Ashland, Ashland Fire Department, as the custodial agency of said ROV. So moved. Second.

Second.

Discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed?

Show my abstention. I drafted the agreement. Yeah.

Well, I'm glad that it's going to stay with the logical place to be.

Yeah, I agree.

All right. Do we need to go into an executive session?

We will go into closed session to discuss individual personnel.

And also a potential property acquisition and actually there'll be one other individual personnel matter. So multiple individual personnel.

Okay. All right. Second. Motion. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye.

you Thank you. Oh. Thank you. Thank you. you you Thank you. So, Thank you. So, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

There we are. Okay. All right, we're back in the session. No action was taken, but I will entertain a motion.

designated as the city's representative representative with the Congress do we need to add in there the contractual part of it that Mr. Wheeler and the Mr. Wheeler act as a contact for contractual issues is that right?

There you go. All right. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? All right. Anything else need to come?