City Council - Regular Meeting

Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear.

Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Tonight, before we go to regular citizens' comments, we do have a special presentation from the representatives of the Wilson County Fair, Tennessee State Fair. So I might ask them to step up first, then we'll go to our regular citizens' comments.

As always, we appreciate all the volunteers and all the hard work that Wills Canyon Promotions puts into this. A lot of people may not realize that you're a non-profit and you've been on this fair. And it's all volunteers. You've been doing it for a long time. So thank you for that. Move on to communication with citizens. So if you want to speak to the council tonight, now is the time. So please step to the podium, state your name and address, and you have three minutes to speak. There's a light system that tells you the time that you have to speak up there, and it'll give you a countdown as w

Thank you. Thank you. Let's go ahead and state your name and address, please.

Anyone else? Okay, so now I'll move on to my comments. I do have a couple things to announce tonight or talk about. The first one is this, the new splash pad in Don Fox Park. So we got our final state inspection today and it passed. So I want to thank Alex Major, even though it's in Don Fox Park, it does come under the Department of the Jimmy Ford Center. And so I want to thank Alex for his work on this, and also Jake Pruitt, our capital projects director, for helping shepherd that through the process. So we went over it today and passed inspection. Alex and Jake turned it on to make sure it w

You can come back to me. Okay. Thank you.

We do not do floats in the Fairport. We haven't historically. They have invited me and the other three mayors in the county to ride back the pickup truck, but that's the only thing that I know this is their parade, and so they're in charge, and so they sound the invitations, but no, we're not going to have a float.

Well, I want to thank everybody for coming, of course, tonight. And this is the place to have discussions and to voice your opinion. So I do appreciate people coming in, and I appreciate them expressing their opinions. We don't always agree, but it means more to us if you come in here and look at us and tell us what you think. We are going to listen to you. I guess the only thing I have is to invite everybody down to the square. I think we've made some great improvements in the square over really the last eight years. It seems like it's come a long way. We've not just done that here as a city.

Okay, well, wish we could have started that earlier and then I hope we're going to every property owner down there, make sure we have the right easements. I did want to comment, we are making great strides with the, there is a trail that is going from the train station through the back of the mill area. and going through the property of the mill and then we'll end up on maple on north maple and we hope to continue that hopefully to the park in the future but step by step and that property owner generously gave us a easement and the city is work doing the work there by clearing the brush and th

And that's all I have. Okay, thank you. Councilor Crowe?

Mayor, thank you. I just want to take a moment because I didn't last time. I think it was mentioned by Derek about Fred Burton's funeral and lying in state here. I don't remember who the last person with Mayor Fox. I can't remember who the last one was that was in state here. But Fred made great contributions to our community. in so many ways, his tenure of service was really incredible given today's environment where lots of folks are chewed up and spit out over time. And he quietly at times took care of his business and made sure that his constituents were represented. that roads were paved

Passes all, Mayor. Thank you. Councilor Cormack?

I will just kind of touch on the changing laws one day at a time. I wasn't at the budget work session because I was in a jury trial. To my understanding from other individuals that was at the budget work session, it was removed at the request of two people. I'm not going to state who it was. But that recording is no longer available. So of course, we can't go back and listen to what was said. But there was another nonprofit removed. And this lady that is asking for it, Ms. Siobhan Johnson, has came to me because she is an award one. She is an African-American lady and she had a feeling that so

Thank you. We have a consent agenda. It has five items on it. I'll read each one of those. Orders number 26-7442, second reading to authorize budget amendment for the wastewater treatment plant by Regina Santana, utilities director. Orders number 26-7443, second reading to approve budget amendment for the police department local option fund by Lindsay Wolfenbarger, finance director. Orders number 26-7444, second reading to approve budget amendments for the police department to purchase vehicles for the CERT program by Mike Justice, Police Chief. Orsimer 26-74-47, second reading to approve purc

Motion by Councillor Carmack. Second by Councillor Bryan. Discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Thank you. Now to Old Business. Orsmore 26-74-41. First reading to amend the future land use plan of the City of Lebanon, Tennessee by changing 65 and 85 Rutledge Lane from RPO Rural Preservation Open Space to CI Interchange Commercial in the Urban Growth Boundary. Request by James Orsmore. We approve. I have a motion by Councillor Bryan, and that motion dies for lack of a second. Now, number two, order number 267445, first reading to the Senate, order number 155030, relating to the city's annual contribution to Willis County for the Expo Center. So moved. Terminating future annua

OK. I just want to make a few comments on this. First of all, I want to commend my fellow counselors and support their effort to save the city money. As I said in the last meeting, I know Tick has brought this issue up in the past. So it's not something new from his standpoint. and certainly appreciate the effort to maximize our budget efficiency. I've already had some folks reach out to me in case we do rescind this, that they would be first in line to get the $100,000. So always good. I do question a little bit our timing on this. You know, again, I know something Tick has talked about befor

So what happens to the money if it is if we're not paying the county? Where does it go?

The general fund, I thought it was out of economic development's budget.

It's an economic development budget. It was placed there years ago before I was here. It did come out of another fund. It got placed there because that is, I guess I feel like it belonged in that budget. But as far as rescinding this, that money, you know, Lindsay's the finance director, but I believe it can go back into general funding wherever we need it to be.

It was budgeted in the economic development.

replace it go back in there because it's supposed to be used for tourism is that right it can't go back in i mean if we don't spend it then right and i guess well it doesn't matter um like i said i i i or i am going to abstain from voting because like chris i am not um I don't know that our attorney has looked at this. I feel like it's a financial obligation from the way I read it, but I'm not an attorney. We found out at the last meeting the $100,000 wasn't paid for last year. To me, that is an obligation as well. I believe in meeting our obligations. I am definitely open to talking about it

yeah um you know what i co-sponsor on this and my feeling is when this was done probably 10 years ago there was a much greater need for that money now that the state fair has come to wilson county as well in the city of lebanon the state's pouring in millions of dollars as i said at the last meeting they paid for the maiden tennessee building they've done a lot of improvements they as they mentioned tonight the the money that's been donated i think the fair is standing in the fairground all on its own without our assistance and personally i'd rather see that million dollars of the next 10 year

Anyone else? Okay. All in favor say aye.

Motion dies. Okay. Thank you. Now to new business. Orders number 26, 74, 46. Motion to approve. First reading to approve a donation to Change the Lives One Day at a Time, Inc. by Jory Carmack, Councilman. We have a motion by Councilman Carmack, second by Councilman Crowell. Discussion.

I wasn't on that one. No, I wasn't. I was on jury trial.

I'm going to call for the question. I mean, I'm not going to debate where I was, because I was in a jury trial. Okay. Well, let's forget that. I'm calling for the question, though.

But he calls for the question. That ends the discussion. So all in favor say aye. Opposed? Thank you. Resolution number 262875, to acknowledge the presentation of the report of debt obligation related to the general obligation for refunded bonds, series 2026B, refunding of the 2018 public safety loan and 2024 radio communications bond in the amount of $8,055,000 by Lindsey Wolfenbarger, finance director.

Councilor Crowell, second by Councilor Cormack, discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution number 262876 to approve the escrow agreement between James M. Bush Construction at the City of Lebanon, Tennessee and Wilson-Bacon Trust as escrow agent relative to the 2026 Natural Gas System Rehabilitation Project for Castle Heights and Indian Hills by Sue Ann Smith, accounting manager.

That's my counselor crowds like my counselor Carmack discussion on privacy. Hi. Any opposed? Thank you. Versus 2628 77 to approve an agreement with the WSP USA Inc for programmatic scripting assistance and GIS operations support by Mike Cosworth, MIS director. Motion by Councilor Moorhead. Second by Councilor Crowell. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution number 262878 to renew the agreement with City Works for software products utilized by various city departments by Mike Collinsworth, MIS Director.

Motion by Councilor Carmack. Second by Councilor Crowell. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution number 262879 to accept the quote from Civic Plus for community development software for codes enforcement by Mike Justice, please. Motion approved. Councilor Moorhead. Second by Councilor Crowell. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution 26-2880, to approve the statement of work with Data Bank for on-base GCS upgrade assistance by Mike Consworth, MIS Director.

Last one, Councilor Crowell. Second, Councilor Carmack. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution 26-2881, in support of the annual observance of a day of prayer for our schools by Rick Bell, Mayor. Carmack, second with Councilor Crowell. Discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution number 262882 to approve the Professional Services Agreement with C Spire Business for Block of Engineering and Hours by Mike Carnsworth, MIS Director.

Councilor Crowell, second by Councilor Carmack, discussion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution 26-2883 to approve totaling agreement with Ares entities relative to the gasification facility matter by Regina Santana, Utilities Director, and Stephen Chambers, Assistant City Attorney.

Second. Councilor Moorhead, second by Councilor Crowell, discussion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Resolution 262884 to approve the rental agreement for the rental of a centrifuge skid system for the wastewater treatment plant by Regina Santana, Utilities Director, and Jeremiah Exum, Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager. Motion to approve. Motion by Councilor Carmack. Second by Councilor Crowell. Discussion? I'm sorry. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. I got confused there for a second. We are adjourned.