Council - Regular Meeting

Okay.

Okay. I'd like to call to order the council work session for Monday, March 9th, 2026 at 5:00 pm being here being held here at Rackom City Hall being streamed live on Facebook. We're going to have an invocation and a pledge. Uh but if you can remain standing, we're going to have a moment of silence with Sergeant Sergeant Pennington passed away. So he's from Glendale. So if you all please rise and we will do a moment of silence. Father, we thank you for today. Father, we ask that you give comfort and you give strength to Sergeant Benjamin Pennington's family. Father, we are thankful for our soldiers. We are thankful for their service and their selfless dedication to our nation, Father, and keeping us safe both here and abroad. Father, we ask that you bless our families who love them and who keep things here at home. And Father, we ask that you keep his family in under your control, Father, for their comfort and their strength. Father, we ask that you bless this city, bless our mayor, bless our city council, keep us safe, guide us and direct us in all that we do and the decisions that are made here today. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen. To the flag of the United States of America and to the stands nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

Hope everyone's doing well. Warmed out today. Didn't get as sunny as they thought it would, but at least it's not rainy and it's not cold. That's it. So, um, thank you all for being here again. Uh, our condolences. So, you're good. I guess we'll start with Sanders Springs. Vince, you coming up? Vince is the chairman of our board. A lot of great things been going on. We had a meeting last week. A lot of It's a place I don't want to be right now. all the allergies and pollen and buds coming on the trees. And so Vince, uh we want to talk a little bit, you and I have met and over the over the years and this this meeting is to talk a little bit about the forestry board and I can let you share some things about the forestry board, but ultimately the goal for the uh this discussion that we have today uh for the council is consideration of possibly uh doing away with the board. Um Vince has been on it for since 2015. 2014

chairman chairman from 1514. So he came on that was yeah and um you know he has a lot of insight and a lot of knowledge and in previous discussions this conversation has come up in this last meeting uh really I think it's kind of come to that point where we think the board maybe is just not doing as much as it probably used to when it was created. The fact that we have a hired person now that does that and then of course um with with Becky being back there's a different dynamic. So, you want to talk a little bit about what's going on at Solder Springs from your point of view?

The board's been going strong since 20 or 2000 since the property was picked up in 1996. Um, a lot of the early days of the board, those were the guys making out there working. Um, we're down to four folks. Um, we're a little bit hamstrung by the fact that we we need somebody from inside the city. We've had opportunities to reach out to folks, but they've either been in county or they've been in Listown and sometimes West Point and we just can't get that connected together. And some of the board members right the front I'll pull it right there.

Okay. Um I'm guess on the um volunteerism as far as board members goes has fallen. Um well as one of Mr. Bambini's uh visions is he wrote out the job description uh for a naturalist about 10 years ago and proposed that and that's very much what Barbara does. Um we communicate a lot um but this isn't the only project that I work with. I'm also co-chair of friends in West Point and I've done things like commission and some other stuff. Um we're kind of almost at the point where that's an hour a month that each one of us that does go volunteer in the preserve could go volunteer in the pres. Um there is a movement coming together with some volunteers of a friends. No,

no, my friends. I'm sorry. Springs transport already exists. Um, but it's young folks that are excited about the place, but they don't live here. Their schedule doesn't fit. Take them out Thursday evening to go to a meeting to to talk about this stuff. And honestly, so much of it is handled in house or when it comes to trails in the annex, Kimbo takes care of it association. We've had an agreement since the mayor's first term to to map out and put those drills together and that's very much what we

done a great job over the years. So, I kind of feel that the the board has has ticked the boxes of what it was there to do, which was to establish springs, and now we're at the point of an um to to let our board members that that want to step back and just enjoy it and sit by the let them do that. And then our volunteers, we especially stay in touch with Barber with the myself. Uh my co-chair James Bailey also still wants to be very much involved and we would help guide projects. We're still going to be involved with helping lead scouts, do Eagle projects or Girl Scout Silver involved projects. Um so that's that's kind of where we are with this.

And um just for the council's knowledge, the board in the past, and this is and I'm going back several years, but the board when it was created job was to help and bring together and help build things out of the park. If you all remember Vince Kea, u he was probably the Adrien Vanini before Adrien Vanini and spent a lot of time and effort out there. In fact, there's always a running joke that he would come in here and Barbara, you can attest to this, he would come in here and you knew he was working out at Sanders Springs by the sweat and smell, you know. So, um, but there's, uh, you fast forward to today, uh, based on my conversation with Vince, we don't have a lot of that same and that's not taking away from the board volunteer, but when the board was created, they were created to help do things that the city couldn't fund or had the opportunity or the help to work out there was really the creation of the board to come up with ideas and things that could be done. in the past few years with us having someone that's out there uh working and then of course the members of the board communicating the it's just it's it's a different dynamic than it was initially when the board was created and this has been something Vince and I talked about for the last probably year or so um until our last meeting I said well we can bring it to the council I believe and if it has been we'll double check but I believe it was created by ordinance back when it was created and that would be an action of the council to uh dissolve the Um, and I think that's what Vince is recommending from from the the committee and the chair. So, any questions y'all for?

I don't understand. You need people to continue the board or you're giving up because you're giving up. Uh the the trailblazing's been done, the purpose of the board,

and now we're forming a basically a nonprofit that would be a Friends of Solar Springs, and that would continue to plug in people. But like for example, speed bumps. Um several years ago, we recommended that speed bumps put in. If it was a couple years before that, Adrian would have been out there hauling him out of the trunk of his car and stay with him in the road. Now we make the recommendation and a couple weeks later there's speed bumps. So now we contact Parks and Rec. Parks and Rec takes care of that part. We still are going to be an active part of programming like the Full Moon Heights. I'm the the the head of the snake that walks through the woods and James is the the tail. We're going to continue to do those things, but we don't need to be in a planning role any longer because there is a naturalist that's been hired to to manage and the working relationship they have is is good um between the director, the naturalist and the core has always been a good relationship. I think the the willingness to volunteer in some aspects has gone away um because there's more workers. All of Sonor Springs prior other than some of the labor work that the city did obviously to help get it there was done by volunteers. Yeah. So they've done a great job and we had jail help and we had inmate help and we had a lot of things a lot of people put a lot of effort into it.

But in the last year we only had three viable meetings in 12 because we only had a quorum for three meetings in 2021. In 2024 we had nine meetings that were so the number is tripling down. this year we had to cancel the only meeting that we had scheduled because we couldn't get you just seeing less people getting involved and and Vince and what Vince was saying earlier is some of the there's people maybe from outside the area that would like to participate uh but the way the ordinance was done it it limits that people from outside the city limits to participate we had discussed whether or not that that should be changed or not changed and this idea of well people would still like to participate they don't have to be on a board to do so uh is kind of still where this idea came up from. And then the Fort Dield Fred of Fort Dfield is kind of what Vince led into Friends of Solder Springs and it still gives it that same aspect. It's just not necessarily a board form set up.

There are different opinions if you are a volunteer if you are on the board because you're building out Sand Springs and now with the marketing that we got this is I don't I think the wrong time to the board the well the board was created to help build Sun Springs like get it to where it kind of is.

Um I don't think that what you're talking about I don't think that goes away uh because the board necessarily was never really involved in that side of it anyways. the board was basically created for uh people to get together to talk about what projects needed to be done inside the park. And now that's what he's saying is that because of the hire that we've had, that stuff is now being taken care of by someone else. And the board's relevancy when it comes to that is what Adrian's vision was back then the the natural disposition. So what the volunteers job is to pick up leaves and trash and and um we leave hikes. So we do programming, we put on the field trips. Um so we host the uh field trips that go on in the preserve. We do bike trail maintenance. Uh in a week we are hosting a John Deere Legacy Trail workshop at Coleman Community Center because we're we're looking to put make Solder Springs part of a chain of parks from Louisville to Florida for for John's walk in 1867. So volunteers are doing that. Um we're hosting a bike and running race next month to fund raise for projects at the preserve. So we're going to be doing that. Um but things we can't do is we can't rebuild the counties. Um, trails are built out and the way we design them and build them in the annex side and we're now helping volunteer to rebuild them in the preserve side is the maintenance is much lower than the original trails that we're putting. I I got involved as a trail builder. I've been trailing since 1997 and I I get to do it all. And so what we do is we brought smart design where there's m that take place. We take place with maintenance. When there's um when

Barbara has a school that comes in for for education, we host four of the five stations that students come to and we lead the hikes into and out of the bottom of the preserve where the students are. So, we answer questions, we plant plants, we clear trails, we do a lot of That was you all volunteering, not necessarily the

That wasn't the part of the board too. So out of right now four members of the board really only two of the members are active which is another member. The other team members are really they really just sit on the side. Yeah. They don't do so much. One of them occasionally

how many board members? So right now we have four. We there are seven positions. We have not backed filled We have not gotten the back for Adrian meeting when he left when he left when he left. That's where we get some people maybe from the outside and the other two have already expressed an interest in stepping off the board.

But with the volunteers is is they would rather go to the woods and do something active than go sit in a room because that vision done. We don't control or we don't control the budget. We don't we honestly all we do is we put up recommendations. Well, those recommendations are being taken care of directly and a lot of them are coming from house now because experience and the fact that that was really the question that Vince brought to me was what you know, how does the city see the board? Do we allow him to continue this? And I I asked him from his perspective and his vision and what he sees from his years of service on the board where he thinks it needs to go and that's where some of that direction. I said, "Well, all we do is go to council. It's a discussion. That's what we like to do." You know, it's not you all say, "Hey, I think we should keep I think Vince is open to everything, but I think that's the discussion we hope to have here is just a this is honest discussion just to see where we want to go." So back when the board was originally created, we didn't have such hands on as a city with that area as we do now is what you're trying to say.

You know, if they needed a load of gravel, they would they would call public works, public works, go pick a load of gravel up, dump it, and then the boards, the members of the board that were volunteering would go out, move the gravel, shovel it, take it to places. Now it's we actually go out and dump the gravel, but we actually put help put the gravel out, do all the work. I'm part of Rackcliffe Rotary Club and I remember when I first joined the club, they were very active in clearing paths, cutting trees and removing those. So the city from what I'm hearing you say is doing some of that now a lot of it. So

and we still have work in relationship which I'm vice president. So if there's a tree down off the pavement, nine times out of 10 it's me or somebody and that arrangement

and like just recently able to follow that. So, if I'm hearing correctly that it sounds like the board and over the past several years has gotten the programs and the projects that that were really needed and necessary to get this whole thing up and running. And now that it's everything's in place, it's pretty much it's it's on the tracks. All you have to do is just push the toggle switch to on and it runs itself.

Or we give input directly and They've got the experience to know if that's quality input or not. And also

I'm not in favor of dissolving the board though. I would mother I would much rather mothball it for the time being and just see where we are and maybe a year or two and see if there's something we need to re and have it reemerge if it needs to be as your volunteer from what 2020 maybe we have a trail there it's the eagle trail so our team red white and blue cleans that up monthly but you're right being being with Adrien Bambini and some of the projects It is sort of the first phase was to tackle all of the different projects and now we have the people in place where you don't have to be the gobetween. You can still recommend things but because we cleared a lot of stuff out there but now we've have a a true unit if you will that has to tackle those things and we don't have to worry about Josh Lyn Bloom and the crew coming in from the Harden County detention or anybody else with that kind of outdoor skill. But I do I do agree of keeping you sort of in ad hoc and if we need to pull you up because the spirit of volunteerism is low. It really is. It's just us. I'm older than you are. So, it is just us trying to cut back things and roots and moving rocks or getting ready for the bike the event that was a couple years ago. We're out at the Buffalo Lake, you know, pouring cement and moving rocks, you know, manually. That is what we did. and tore down a house that had a a or shed had a beehive or something and it was just us or a dumbfield. We had to clear the trails at Dumbfield. It was just us and now it doesn't have to be just us. It it is Miss Barbara and it is Miss Baker and Miss Rebecca, sorry, and public works and parks and rec all together. So, we know I'm have to do those ad hoc kind of activities. But I wouldn't get rid of you though. So $7,500 from that grant. We're actually

paying for professionals to come in and work. They're going to turn and it's going to be top because they've already worked on several projects all around the state. fun is it's a soldier veteran his wife that I used to work with and some those kind of durable things kind of plugging in that we didn't have Um,

I'd like to add also that um I guess a question that I have too because I agree as I'm sitting here I'm like gosh I really don't want to dissolve it either because it's it's already in place. I don't know if you've um solicited for other volunteers and they're just not stepping up or they're not not getting them. that I think and maybe talk out of turn here and I don't mean to cut you off but I think one of the things I think would help if we wanted to consider and fence and I have talked about this on numerous times going back for a while is opening up the parameters to allow um folks that may not live in the city limits but that love Serr um have some sort of voice on the board. I think that may help. Um, but we'd have to define what that looks like just to keep it fair, you know.

I think that's a good idea, too. But also, if you're talking about a 501c3, that means there's going to be other people involved in a 501c3 for Saunders Springs with a board. I'm a little bit I guess confused on how all that's going to look. Are you trying to get a nonprofit as far as for fundraising, an actual you're actually going to register a 501c3? So, you're going to have that entity and those volunteers and they're all going to be friends of Saunders Springs. They they would be really connected with the board. Uh, I would think so. I think it's still I think it's just really a bigger picture and more more inclusive with more people rather than rather than doing away with if that makes sense.

Okay. I think actors

and maybe some of those uh members would be would serve on the board which you know and then I don't know what the fundraising will go towards but I'm assuming it's going to go towards programs and uh the different things for spring. So personally I feel like that's a good idea. A lot of friends of organizations can raise a lot of money and do a lot of good for their organ for their their organization, but they can also be inclusive into this into the board into the for the um for the board members to sit on the board and be on that board at the same time because I'm on a board of two other nonprofits this board that I sit on.

And so I go Wednesday night, I have a board meeting for one night I have train and then on the weekend I have another board meeting someplace else. I'm spending three four hours a month in other board meetings when I appreciate that aspect of it as well. Um it just seems like that maybe I know this you haven't even organized the nonprofit yet. I'm I'm assuming you don't even have all your players and and when you get a friends up a lot of times you get a lot of volunteers and they're friends of because it's different than sitting on the board, but they may step up to the board.

So, I'm kind of, you know, also would would back out. So, and and the bulk of our volunteers are four hubs, hard county and county because we're volunteers from outside of there. We get a lot of volunteers out of um because like our our preserve, they love it. And then I have actually a student that left with the college and he'll be back for community service this week for college. So he's going to be coming down here for his medicine. I think opening it up probably is the best solution and a great idea because it just gets more gets the word out more. we expand on Saunders Springs and what it all has to offer and then you opening it up to uh other other experienced or even not experienced people. I think personally I think that's the route I would like to see all this go. I agree and it's the wrong time to give up because the marketing I've seen pictures I've seen the videos of soccer springs and more people are going to start being more interested. I'm sure of that and we are interested too.

Right. We've just got to the point to not viable. So right now the board didn't do its job. We weren't able to convene a board enough to make a decision because our four we only have four people on the board. If we can get a variance on the board because honestly the other part of it is there's folks that have been ready to step off the board now and we need to get we need to respect them enough to let them step away and get that new load on the board uh to to carry it forward because I got to have somebody to hand it to. And right now I'm in

well like council woman not the board the nonprofit means directors too. You are going to have more than three. Well, there's interest, but there's not interest from someone who fits the rules to be on the board. And one of those has has expressed due to work, they can't even be here on Thursday. So, we would have to make changes for that.

We did that while the time The other fun thing there was no so looking at the codified ordinance there's no requirement that the board members be residents of the city of so I'm looking at the codified ordinance here under 250

put I'm within sections 255 through 258 which governs the establishment of the board all week through conflict of interest. And in terms of membership, it says members of the board shall be appointed by the mayor of the city subject to the approval of the city council. All subsequent appointments shall be for a term of three years. A member may be reappointed subject to the approval of the city council. It talks about vacancies removal. Doesn't mention residency. It talks about compensation for attendance. Talks about officers regular meetings third Thursday the month at 5:00 p.m. You can have special call meetings obviously cover records per majority of the forum should be necessary for any official action. and it's kept conflict of interest. So there's no you you could open it up now whether there's interest to do that.

Yes, but that's but this this is a diff no this is a different board.

Well, planning commission, board of adjustments, those all those have to be citizen members. There's there's a little bit of an exception with planning commission if it's a joint planning commission. But anyway, all of the members here for board adjustment and rec and planning commission are are actual residents of the city. And of course, mayor. So maybe Adrian put it together as

maybe it was just a misunderstanding that got communicated in either way. So, so Vince, would that would that help maybe provide a little bit of energy back to the board where you could open it up and maybe a few of these folks who were wanting to get off could resign and maybe get some folks that would want to be nominated for the council to approve them?

I think maybe what we need to do is have that discussion. Maybe look at the Maybe instead of two, three years, make it a two-year term and then set the meeting up to where if someone can't be there, it could be zoomed in or something that makes it maybe a little more easier for people to be able to attend the meeting. They could do that already. No, it's not. We don't have Oh, you mean the technology? So maybe give some more options to get young folks.

Have you brought it to the attention of the principal the schools?

Yeah, we do presentations. So I think what I'm hearing is that they would like to see the continue but maybe possibly look at a revamp update of moving forward and then we'll Mike seems to be pretty clear on what he believes the the boundaries are the ball perspective of what our other boards have to do. So you may be free and clear. I believe you're free and clear based on just said to have outside folks outside the city and then you all would probably make a recommendation to me regarding who you'd like to see on the board. I'd probably let people obviously have something to let people know what they're volunteering for and what is expected of I know you already know that but I'm just saying just from a general perspective and you know the people you've got your Kim organization that look I mean it shouldn't be difficult because we've talked about outside folks But it has truly been over the years. I mean, the volunteerism that goes out there, the people that I mean, it's the park must be where it is. But for the folks, it's really been out there and worked a great job. So, anybody else? Everybody okay with that?

You good with that solution? Barbara, one quick question. I saw my finger. You have to change the date. The council would need to approve that, right? Yes. Because it's set by and if the board came and said, "Hey, we like our meeting date changed." I'm sure the council would obl and a lot of the same. Does it have to have a specific date like Thursday? Can it just be held once a month? Are you allowed to do that in an ordinance?

Well, because it's subject to open records, they have to publicize the date and time of the meeting and the location. So, if you have a regular meeting, it's already established by ordinance and you have it set. But that that meeting could be, you know, Saturday morning at 9:00. It could be whenever the board wants just, you know, our meetings used to be back when I was on council used to be at 1:30 in the afternoon for work session. Work session. We changed it to afterwards. So,

and and they're open to the public. It's open meetings. that that you really need to have at least one meeting every whether it's monthly or bimonthly, quarterly, what have you. That's all I need is that may be another thing too is maybe not monthly meetings. would be amazing. Yeah, that would you probably that's a that's a bigger that's a better ask for people especially younger folks but anybody under 50 is younger than me so anybody else

yeah all right next uh Becky has talked has discussed with me potential payu uh for concession of lifeguards at the pool. Obviously, um everyone knows we compete for good lifeguards um with Fort Knox, Elizabeth Town, and surrounding areas that have any kind of water sports when they need lifeguards. Um just like everyone else, they go where the money's at. And so, uh this year, I believe we're at 16. And we are the concessions.

You're considering 14 concessions and 17 and part of that um part of that would come out of this year's budget and then we'd have to budget July budget because that other half would come out and that's where I would have managers. Um that would be I'm trying to think have you we discussed I can't remember what was

it too. Um, but my big thing is I would at least like the I'm doing that first. So at least the age is start 15 for life and and

concessions. Yes. And the sales Yes. Satisfactory. Yes. I mean, we haven't um for the past two seasons I've been here, we really haven't had that issue. Um like I said, I just know the public on my end stressful especially someone yelling at you over something. So, yeah. And I'm sure Ted could also attest to

any questions or any we think we're fine as far as dollar be obviously want to make sure you all aware of any changes or potential changes. What is our anticipated staffing level for those positions?

How many do you realize? Last year we had um right around 20 at the start of the season and then we lost a couple season but we gained we usually gain about that and then stands So 20 life. Yes.

And then you go every year. Yeah. Some of them some of those choose to come back. Um some of the lifeguard certifications for two years. So we retain those um sign contract with us to come back. So they typically come back to back.

So how many of them have complained that they don't get paid enough? Um none. I'm just trying to Okay. Yeah. I'm just trying to I'm just trying to get there for Yeah, they're usually pretty happy here. Like I said, I'm just trying to make it fair for them. No one they start complaining they're not getting paid enough. I'm not doing my job. That's right. They lose as some of our parents go back to college, start losing. That's one reason why the pool can't stay open as long

both college and high school. So, we have that's one reason why we have to close the pool at So it will open on tomorrow.

Out of curiosity, they start they can start at 15. What age do they start? whenever they can stop taking so I mean there's um so actually just there's a really interesting article on I can pass it along to you read it but if you're comfortable I could pass onification I was a swimmer yeah if you want to swim open open seas not not pools Anybody else?

When do they need to start the training? You already have. So, we do since we do have it in house now, that makes it a lot easier. It'll start to apply and be registered to train.

So, there she'll in right now. And then we've already got our trainer on board on staff. She's all of her certifications are up to date. Um she's one of our managers. Um but we get all of her hiring training. If they don't pass able to get a clerk sometimes But then we'll do those about

and then since we do have the trainer on staff that does make it nice for training. So this is more of not a vote. This is just a be an amendment to the budget based on if we need to. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we got Chief Cross.

More policy updates. Ongoing ongoing thing every month. Every time I call him, what you doing? All reading these policies. There's a whole lot of

get you one of AI like some of these people got on Facebook. Just ask.

All right. I got I got nine of these policies that I brought y'all this month. Um know I don't normally But most of these are just minor changes and what's happening is April. something I could have given there's not a lot of major change but I could have given the current ones and it would have been okay but I just thought that look at the questions.

Excuse me. I glanced at this subject matter and uh one is a little bit new to me called duty to intervene. Yes, sir. present back duty to intervene is a a law that was passed a few years back that um in a use of force situation I'm an officer that's along with another officer and I see that that officer is doing something to violate the constitutional rights of that person I'm required to step in

not really clear examples giving Uh well, for instance, if if I if I witness that an officer is using force that I that a reasonable person such as myself or other officers would reasonably recognize that it isn't justified. So I need to step in and stop that before it gets bad.

Okay. Does it also apply to officers who are off duty duty to intervene? Well, you know, um, off duty, we're we're sworn, you know, 24/7. So, if if an action is required to take place, we need to enforce the law. I mean, we're expected to interject and try to prevent that from happening. Now, there are situations that our offduty policy uh says that, you know, if you're if you're an officer and you're in your truck with your family and that's going to put your family in danger, you know, there's there's nothing to to that requires you that mandates that you step in and do that other than maybe calling, you know, the on duty authorities to come and take care of business. Um, so it's kind of a situational dictation of should I or shouldn't I, you know, um, you know, like like if you're off duty, you somebody speeding or, you know,

if if an offduty officer were to see an onduty officer violating use of force policies and he or she were not able to intervene physically, at a minimum, they would have a duty to for to the chain of command and the excessive force incident that they witnessed. So whether they could safely intervene or not, that's case by case basis.

Some some of this is probably an offshoot and a natural result of the George Floyd situation, I would imagine, where you've got citizens who arguably are having rights violated by other officers. That's a lot of what this is for. The days of Well, that's not my case. I'm just going to stand here and make sure that traffic's flowing. That those days are over. I guess I keep bringing these to your attention and talking about them because excuse me, working at a job at the jail was something that was totally new to me. I never I never saw myself in a in a place of that nature doing the job I did. And I was in the SAP program, substance abuse program. And while I was there, these young men, mostly young, were just the nicest people that you could possibly be. Um, they had they were focused and they were determined to get out because they got perks when they graduated the program. But what I found out was from the officers that I talked with, when these men were under the influence, when they had been taking drugs, when they had been, they knew more about pharmacy than any drugist I've ever come across. These guys knew all this all about this stuff. They were It's like Jacqueline Hyde. Their personalities completely changed. people who are as nice as they could possibly be turn turned into people you don't recognize when they're under that

influence. It's just so I guess it's just me trying to understand. I admire what you all go through what what you put up with the way that you you cope with these stressful situations and I'm glad to see these policies. I know it's just tough on yourself and everybody down the down the line.

Well, we appreciate that. It's good. You know, it's it's my job to make sure that the agency has policies to protect their liability any officers

and the citizens safety, you know, just good for all of us is something that it takes up a lot of time these things, but it's extremely important. A a good officer will always have his or her notes in a book or an iPad or something reading up on the latest greatest whether it's policies, updates, memoranda, what other agencies are doing, technology, weaponry, right? It it never ends. Equipment, it never ends. And believe it or not, you hate to see this, but a lot of a lot of learning and prevention takes place because you're reading about what someone else did. You don't want that to happen. Anybody else?

If you have any questions between now and next, you feel free.

Actually, pass out something for the next that's for item number five. So, you know, don't have to worry about that just yet. Uh, Mr. Pike uh has been in contact regarding number four. This is an email that was sent uh by a franchise that's I guess expanding here. I'll let you explain.

So very briefly, Windstream, as you folks know, they are a telecommunications company. Um they we believe have a current franchise with the city of Radcliffe. They are basically splitting off um part of their operations into another company that I believe will be a wholly owned subsidiary. And they've hired an attorney who's wanting to make sure that their franchise is in good order and that if the new entity needs its own separate franchise that we make sure that that's established and and working. So, in the next month or two, we probably I think will be bringing you a franchise ordinance for this Windstream telecommunications uh offshoot. Uh they have assured us that no customer service interruptions will occur. Things will be smooth and seamless. And uh so that's just a heads up of what's coming. Uh we will have a franchise agreement and uh franchise ordinance and by law we are allowed to constitutionally to grant franchises for the use of our public ways and we are also allowed to charge franchise fees as a part of that. So historically we've done that. So just a heads up it'll be coming in the next month or two. We'd like to get it all wrapped up by June. I think that's what they would like and I think that's reasonable we can get it done. So just a heads up on that. We'll have more to come in future meetings.

Yeah, I think the majority of what stream does have in our area is on the south end of town. We'll see. It's probably Cali. I don't know how far up it comes, but I know I had it in my old address. They they could have one street a franchise. They're they're not a huge provider in the city. Anyway, it's on the horizon. So, just a heads up.

Thank you. Uh number five, I just I apologize, but I had to I had an update and I want to give you all the information here. This has to do with the road fund money and then some equipment replacement. So, we'll start with the road fund first. You all should have that. That's going to be where it says we received. That's for chance. You all see that one?

So, obviously this is going to be based on a few past months, not the increase that we're seeing in fuel prices right now today. But the money that we do receive from the state regarding road fund dollars um is based on the fuel tax and that number because fuel costs did drop. Our anticipated budget that we did budget for was $465,000 which was in line with that of previous of course if you remember last year we pulled some money out out of extra rollovers to actually do a couple more roads. Um and so based on a few months of transactions, um Chance has seen that those numbers are a little bit below uh what we anticipate in the budget. So what he's anticipating looks like about $100,000 short of that, which put us around 360 363,000. Uh so basically in theory, um that looks like we' be we would be doing less roads uh than we anticipated. And so what I would like to do based on our reserves and what we currently have in reserves, I would like to boost that number back up to what we at least anticipated budget. And if not, maybe go a little bit above that. Um we have I think we're safe. We have the reserve money. That's what the reserves are there for. Um and I think it's just a fair use of the tax dollars to do the infrastructure. Uh but the now granted at the end of the budget, it would be an amendment. We may not have to do as much as we anticipate because levels may come back, but I think it's only fair to get the council support and doing a little bit extra not, you know, shorting up taxpayers on some of this black

top. You go to the big hole. Yeah, it's a wash out over there. Yes, it's a wash out.

Um I had to look and see where Hill Street is on that list. Hill Street is probably going to be a separate road because of the amount of dollars it would probably cost to do it. You're probably looking at I don't guess because I put a number out there and someone say that's what you said, but it was at one time when it was black top the city parlor black top that's it was pretty expensive. Not saying we can't do it. So I want to go say that. I just don't want to throw a number out there without knowing exactly. Can it be budged up on the sides? Yeah. Yeah. Well, if the sides washed out, there's some stuff we have to do to get to point, but usually they they fill up the gravel and it just that doesn't wash. It's usually the curve. There's one back curve and I think I know you're probably talking about

Did you see what happened with Dicks coming from Valley Station? They did it two days before the wash out and it was about 50. The cars were gone like this. Oh. potholes. Yeah. Uh does council have an issue regarding that suggestion? I'd rather I'd like to see it at least what we have to do. If we can bump it up a little bit, I think we need to keep our roads well maintained.

Yeah. And the reason why I say pop is because what we the process with this is we always black in the spring. The reason I I don't like the black top in the fall because we get our budget, we black top in the fall. the amount of salt that we put on the roads to fresh black top. It's not cured and sealed in my opinion and it it just kind of gets into it and works it. I like to do fresh black top in the spring. Uh we go out to we go out to bid. Typically Scotty's is the one that bids it. We do have several others that bid and Scotty's is typically within the the ballpark. Um and then uh they bid the amount based on how many roads they anticipate they're going to do based on that touch.

And that's why you know some roads are longer and they cost the road between to do roads amount of money. Um I think those like Hill Street roads like Southwest and Northwest Road when we do those those are maybe something I think we're in a good spot to like I said financially to to do a little bit more than we typically would. sidewalks are included in this project.

Not at this fund and that was established during the previous uh chance had a recommendation regarding equipment replacement. This is a copier. Um it's basically u Xerox has basically said that uh it's outdated. It was purchased back in 2015. So it's 10 years old. That's basically the typical use of the copier. And so a replacement quote is for 6,000 and it's one of our main copies that we use. Those you probably work with a copier business. So, uh, it's just one of those out of expenses that we had for that budget as well.

And I think you probably see that the last item trans budget for this one this year. Therefore, it's in the budget amendment needed for the fiscal year. Any questions? All these, you know, we got all these requests, open requests. We got

All right, that mayor council comments. I always try to rotate start. Panda Rosha stole all my good ideas. She saw me writing them down and then she just started putting them on her page. I just knew she was gonna and so everything good that she says should actually come from me. So I don't trust you. Never never trust her. You spend all that time making those comments when you could have said something. I know

Jerry is going to be out of line, but I'm gonna say it just because it's on my mind. You sat in that seat when I was a council member and I sat next to you. I felt the same way you feel right now about you.

Um, well, I just wanted to say what a wonderful mayor's breakfast you had. I think it was a great turnout for that. Lots of people providing food for the day. So, that was an awesome event. Even though it got moved from its original, I think it landed on the perfect day. Oh my goodness. The door crises were never ending.

But u couldn't have asked for a better day, I think, with the uh anniversary of the city. I think the timing of that was very good. So, and then I see that we have Shakespeare in the Park on Friday, May the 8th at 6:30. If it's rain, uh, will be moved into Calvin Community Center. So, um, that that should be a good time. So, if you're looking for something to do, Shakespeare in the park, Mother's Day weekend.

Mother's Day weekend, Barbara says. Um, and then there's going to be pictures with the Easter Bunny on 3:27 at Calvin Community Center from 6:00 to 8 with the neon dance party afterwards at Calvin. And then I see where we have spring cleanup which is coming up in April. I'm going to encourage everybody in our community to please pick up, put away. Um, my husband and I walk and the garbage is terrible. It's like there.

Oh my gosh. And so, I mean, I'm going to be out there cleaning up myself. Um, I usually don't have the gloves to pick it up when I'm walking, so I know it's out there. Um, my neighbors sitting in the audience, we both know how bad it is on Longston Parkway. So, this cleanup is if you have paint or used tires, um, looks like we need to place it on the curb. The paint is a limit of 10 gallons. So, if you have more than that, I guess you could only set out 10 gallons to be picked up. Um, limit of 10 tires. So, if you've got more than that, you'll have to hang on to it till next year. But, so you're going to place it on the curb and call city or call public works at 270-351-8150. That's during the month of April. But I say, let's all do our part and do more than just setting that stuff out on the curve. Let's all pick up. I'll just continue on with some more events uh in the city. So, at Call of Dan, we have scrapbooking if you're looking for something to do with the friend or yourself. It's they have several dates every month, but for March, it's the 21st at 10 to 2, and that is at the resource center next to the police station, not at Calvin. It's at the resource center March 21st. Um and Broadbent in Saunders Springs is doing a wildlife education event. Um there's three scheduled for this year, which is Saturday, April 18th, Saturday, May 16th, and Saturday, June 13th. Uh they're going to have wildlife education, some animals that will actually be there. That's in their um rehab center. Um and there's more information also on call the community center page. You can also stop by and pick up these flyers. They have flyers out. Please share them with your

friends. And the Optimus Club of Radcliffe is hosting their annual Easter egg hunt. That is Saturday, March 28th, 11:00 a.m. And that is at 275 South Wooden Drive in Radcliffe um at the um Radcliffe United Methodist Church. So you can get your pictures taken and then you can go to the egg hunt at the raptimus uh church. And the Kentucky Youth Football League is starting their signups for the football uh league of Radcliffe. And that first sign up is March 14th, which is this Saturday, 11 to 2. It's outside across from city hall in the field. They have several sign up dates if you want to contact um the person to ask more questions. 502 5024302071.

That is it. Yes, sir. Uh two things.

Today I got to be with the Lieutenant uh Governor Coleman. She's part of our women's on commission. overseas, it gives us a legislative update. And so all year with our commission and the cabinet of health, we start to pull data on women and girls, everything from mental health to uh neonatal pre-birth after birth and and just the general health of women and girls in the state of Kentucky. So all the work we did for last year that used a lot of the census data from 18 to 22 and 19 to 23 to culminate all those things. So we have a a good media release if I can read just a little bit. It says a part of the Women's History Month, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman will join the Kentucky Commission on Women and officials from the Cabinet of Health and Family Services to release a new report on the status of women in health. So we're talking about us. The report was developed in partnership with the division of women's health as a collection of public health data indications for Kentucky women such as the rate of insurance coverage. We know with Medicaid maybe going away for certain people depending on where they work and where they live and maybe some of the rural hospitals that we may be losing. this has an effect on health care whether they can get to it or if they have to make decisions on whether to go this month and not go next month or maybe they're withholding going to get their own pharmaceuticals because maybe they can't afford the co-pay that goes with getting a prescription so maybe they take longer or they wait longer to go get them or I've known people who have them they kind of share with someone else if someone else has diabetes and they're sort of sharing the uh medication because of the cost. So we looked at data that way. We also looked at chronic disease prevalence, cancer, mortality rates, mental health data, domestic violence rates, perinatal and maternal health indicators and data

related to well-being of high school girls. So, as our state legislators are working on uh women's health, not only pro-choice or any other, you think about here when we talk about things like the uh pink dot and women having minstal supplies, young girls, I would say, having menstrual supplies and just mental health over just over a spans of a year or as Jerry was saying about the substance abuse program both for men and women over the Harden County Detention Center, all those kind of things tie into what we may see as an offshoot, which could be homelessness and displacement. You see people sort of wandering around. we're not as heavy as it is in some of the major cities where you see outwardly see displaced individuals. But then when you look at their mental health when that declines or domestic assault and abuse tends to happen. We all know about Spring Haven and Silver Leaf and those recovery services there's still something tied to those services being able to be provided when they are able to charge folks who have Medicaid. And when they don't have health care, these things sort of start to be very prevalent and we don't know what to do. And someone like Maria can't put them all up in a hotel. You can't feed them all. I have one on the phone now that needs food, drink, and hotel. And I'll cover that today. But you're right. And then just the taxing of the 501c3 such as a warm blessings kitchen and a helping hand hope and salvation army and it all just seems like it levels and levels and levels, sir. And as we talk about all the good things that are happening such as the breakfasts and and the moonwalks and all of that, the reality is when we have things that are happening at the federal government level that makes its way down to the state and then of course down to the the municipal level, we get this data that tells us 32% or 33% of the babies that were born here died needlessly and it was only because the

mother didn't have prenatal care or post-natal care. And so it's all those things that we talked about. We're at UL Medical Center today in the East Wing right off of Dutchman's Road in Louisville. And so you get this glaring report about what we look like when we're talking about the health of girls and women. And we got women here. We've got kids, we got grandkids. You don't think about going to the doctor when you have health care. You don't skip a beat. You don't worry about a co-ayment if you're able to make that co. But for the the average person that may be affected by the things that are happening at the federal level and they have to make a choice whether they get their medication this week or they hold out one more week before they get that medication or they decide which child has to go to the dentist. And so those that was the stats that we looked at last year along with the cabinet of health. There's about 24 of us and women in commission that get to represent Harden County and we have a real diverse group. So, it's not just us in a sense. We've got some attorneys there, some nonprofit gurus, and a few doctors. And so, looking at what we had to put together, it's a glaring it's a glaring litmus of what our health status looks like for women like us and the women that we're trying to protect as we govern the city. So, I just wanted to put that out. But on a on a great note, on Friday at St. Christopher's is Fish Friday. fish fry. Please stop by. It's been going really well. It starts at 4. It ends at 7. We tend to run out of food. We have hush puppies, salmon cakes, uh baked fish, fried fish, frog legs, and even the former mayor Weaver is handmixing the hush puppies in the kitchen. So, please come by, get you some fries and some fish, celebrate the the rest of Lent and come to St. Christopher on Friday and it

is every Friday. We have four more Fridays starting Friday. So we got about four more Fridays to do but that's from 4 to 7 at St. Christopher's Church off of South Wilson Road in Franklin. Everybody are you?

We are having a meeting up with Councilwoman Owens. We are having a meeting about very very I would say I don't know how to say it very touchy subject and which is the homeless that they are spreading and the help is little and I call my great fellow rat citizens come the 16th at 5:30 at 8:49 North Dixie Boulevard and give us your opinion, pitch in ideas or offer assistance how to aliv alleviate if not alleviate but minimize the need for motel rooms in Radcliffe And because we've been very subdued and the weather is also subdued. I don't know what's happened to the spring. I would also suggest that start carrying in your car a tank top, sunscreen, umbrella, heavy coat, short sleeve t-shirt, sandals, boots, bathing suit, and socks because you're never going to know when you're going to need them. That's all. And a little caveat as we talk about saving people. I'm I'm literally up here texting someone who needs food, drink, and motel. That's an everyday thing. It is an everything.

I got it on. Yes. Right now. Yeah. That is what I would do when I leave building day is to save another person. 16 next Monday 5:30 a second.

All right. Well, thank you all. Um, real quick and again, I want to thank everyone that came out and supported the mayor's breakfast. It was very good. As everyone said, there's a lot of uh donations. A lot of people have to get up and and a lot of organizations spend their own money to feed over 200 people. And so, uh, thank everyone that donated prizes. All the elected people and of course the ones that are running came out, donated. So, we appreciate all that. Um, also want to mention, um, let's see what else we got. Hold on here. One thing on this. Oh, appreciation. Um, employee appreciation. And I want to thank uh the ad for putting together and and Ashley for organizing help organize everybody. Um Ashley, you want to run through those again? You just let them run. Everybody probably saw them, but it's on our Facebook page. All the departments, we appreciate all our city employees, all the workers, all the hard work they do. of course celebrating the 70th year of Rackcliffe uh with a new logo new logo as well as um just a whole new vibe that we got going on and and updating and and freshness that we're trying to add back to the Facebook page. Um so we appreciate all that hard work and again our employees. It's so funny when you try to get employees together and some just do we have to it just seems like a normal fire department's pretty police department's pretty excited about it. You can tell with Tim's reaction right now, can't you? But we appreciate everybody and all the hard work. Um, and then lastly, uh, I know there's some events going on this weekend and some things going on. I will not, you know, I apologize to Barbara Baker when she was on council. Uh, we used to tease her if she left or didn't make a meeting or if she had to leave early because she had to go to a kid sports. Uh, and Bob Hannah probably knows this. My kids are in travel ball. So, um, I mean, we're constantly on the road and this weekend I'll be out of town. So, I know there's a few events I'm going to miss and I just want to apologize publicly to those people that won't be able to attend. Um, but, uh, with that,

I think we have gotten each got a candle. It's closest thing. Mike Mike's just going to have to hold his. He don't like cupcakes. They don't like me. Ashley, you didn't get one. Mr. Mahana, I won't sing.

Please don't. I'm not sing. We're just gonna say on behalf of all of us, happy birthday 1956 to We're going to sing this. Happy birthday, guys. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. There you go. Happy birthday.

All right. Next meeting scheduled uh Tuesday night, uh March 17th, 2026. And then the last thing I want to mention, good luck tonight to our uh boys are playing in Dair County. U good luck to them. If they win this one, I believe they want the championship. That's funny. Huh? Was that dog? You said something. I got you. Um, so on behalf of them, we wish them good luck and hopefully they win tonight. So, all right. Congratulations. Happy birthday, and we're done. Thank you all.