MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING
City Hall April 17, 2006
Council Chambers 7:00
p.m.
The Mayor led with the Pledge of
Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Mayor Kelly,
Alderwoman Clements, Alderman Marshall, Alderman Leahy, Alderman Golfin,
Alderman Kramer, Alderman Robertson, Alderman Wynn, Alderman Cross.
City
Attorney Albrecht, City Clerk/Administrator Seemayer, Director of Economic
Development/Asst. City Administrator Denton and Executive Secretary Williams.
ABSENT: None.
CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF
THE AGENDA OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF APRIL 17, 2006
Motion was made by Alderwoman
Clements, second by Alderman Robertson to approve and adopt the Agenda of the
Regular Board of Aldermen meeting of April 17, 2006. Roll call: Alderwoman
Clements, yes; Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin,
yes; Alderman Kramer, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes;
Alderman Cross, yes.
CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF
THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF MARCH 31, 2006
Motion was made by Alderman
Golfin, second by Alderman Marshall to approve and adopt the Minutes of the
Special Board of Aldermen Meeting of March 31, 2006. Roll call: Alderwoman Clements, yes; Alderman Marshall,
yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderman Kramer, yes; Alderman
Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF
THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF APRIL 3, 2006
Motion was made by Alderman
Golfin, second by Alderwoman Clements to approve and adopt the Minutes of the
Regular Board of Aldermen meeting of April 3, 2006. Roll call: Alderwoman
Clements, yes; Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin,
yes; Alderman Kramer, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes;
Alderman Cross, yes.
PROCLAMATION – Arbor Day
Mayor Kelly stated a proclamation
for Arbor Day is before the Board. The
Arbor Day celebration would be held on Friday, April 21st at 11:30
a.m. at Memorial Park.
Motion was made by Alderman
Leahy, second by Alderman Marshall to accept the proclamation for Arbor
Day. All in favor none opposed.
ACCEPT CERTIFIED ELECTION RESULTS
City Administrator Seemayer read
the certified election results from the April 4, 2006 election as follows:
Ward
1 Barbara
Clements 165 Unopposed
Ward
2 Mike
Marshall 104 Unopposed
Ward
3 Andrew
Leahy 157 Unopposed
Ward
4 Leon
Golfin
86
Ward
4 Lorraine
Krewson 97
Motion was made by Alderwoman
Clements, second by Alderman Leahy to accept the certified election results
from the April 4, 2006 election. All in
favor none opposed.
BIDS
Request for Quotations
City Administrator Seemayer
stated the Request for Quotations came in for the proposed flood buyout
properties in Hanley Industrial Court.
As part of that project, the City had to obtain quotes to have the
properties appraised. Two quotes were
received as follows:
Real
Estate Analysts Limited $3,500
McReynolds
Realty Advisors $3,050
Surplus Property Sale
City Administrator Seemayer
stated that bids were opened on Monday, April 10th for two surplus
vehicles. The high bids were received
as follows:
M&M Investment 2001 Ford Crown Victoria $4,225
Tom Moore 2000 Ford Crown
Victoria $3,666
HEARING OF ANY MATTER OF PUBLIC
INTEREST UPON REQUEST OF ANY PERSON PRESENT
Steve Johnson/Allstate Insurance
– regarding 8812 Madge Avenue came before the Board and stated that he has been
an Allstate agent in Brentwood for 10 years.
He is before the Board to request permission to use the building at 8812
Madge Avenue as an office. Gerad Wolf
has stated that it was not a problem in that it is a permitted use in the “PD”
Planned Development district. However,
he needs Board approval to use the space.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated it is a residential home which is zoned commercial. It has been zoned “PD” Planned Development
for a number of years. The lot size requirement in “PD” Planned Development is
a minimum of 1 acre, which this is not.
However, in the same section of the Code, the Board of Aldermen has the
ability to waive the lot size requirement.
Mayor Kelly pointed out that the
residential home to the west is zoned commercial as well.
Alderman Leahy stated as he
understands it, Mr. Johnson is taking a residential home within the commercial
zoning district and converting it into a business use which by zoning
arrangements is allowable. The
question before the Board is, are they allowing the encroachment of the
commercially zoned to come into residential.
The way he is reading the Code is the minimum lot size and everything
that they are dealing with was intended that if they wished to change the
commercial depth and go as far as to make it a business district area. The Board is looking to approve changing the
home that is residential to commercial.
He is not very comfortable with allowing the encroachment into
residential. He agrees that they have a
zone, but the 150 foot zone is based on the fact that if they wanted to develop
the Brentwood Boulevard stretch and use that area, that would be a commercial
area for that purpose, to take individual homes and roll them into
offices. He is not sure that is a good
thing for the Board to do. He is
looking more towards maintaining the residential neighborhood.
Mayor Kelly stated when it was
zoned to “PD” Planned Development it was done with the intent that in order to
facilitate businesses, the City would have to have larger lot sizes than the
ones that were on Brentwood Boulevard at the time, so they increased the
commercial depth with the thought that someone could acquire pieces of
properties large enough to be an acre to redevelop an entire site.
Alderman Leahy stated right now
the home that is there is residential inside a commercial zone. They faced the same problem when West
Community Credit Union needed to pick up more land so that they could do their
remodeling and they ended up picking up the house next door.
Mayor Kelly stated the difference
is that it was not zoned yet. If it
were already zoned they would not have had the problem of changing the zoning
in order to facilitate that new construction.
Alderman Leahy stated he would
like to try to keep the residential area residential.
Mayor Kelly stated that you could
see why waiting for that to happen is why you have a slow turnover of
businesses and deteriorating properties because businesses do not have the
ability to expand. This property is
already zoned commercial. It is just a
matter of Mr. Johnson asking to use the building for what it is zoned for
currently.
Alderman Golfin asked Mr. Johnson
if he is planning to use the building as office space for himself, or does he
plan to develop it as offices that would be available to others.
Mr. Johnson responded that it
would be his office. He is not going to
be doing anything that will hinder the future development of that “PD” Planned
Development zone. He is not looking to
rebuild the building and put some structure that is going to keep someone else
from coming in.
Alderman Golfin stated that
ordinarily if Mr. Johnson were a resident at 8812 Madge, there would be no
question about him having an office there.
Mr. Johnson stated he would not
be living there.
Alderman Golfin asked how
extensive is the office operation going to be.
Mr. Johnson stated it would be
he, his wife and one part time employee in the office. He will not be using the upstairs for the
office at all, just the downstairs.
Alderman Cross asked about the
hours of operation, parking and signage on the building.
Mr. Johnson stated the office
would be opened from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, no Saturdays
or Sundays. They will only need two to
three parking spaces and the driveway will be used for what they need. They
occasionally have customers come in, but very little traffic. Mr. Johnson stated that he had previously
asked if he could put a sign on the building and was told that there was no
ordinance against it, so he is intending to put the sign on the building.
Alderman Cross asked if the
signage would be whatever is allowed in the “PD” Planned Development district.
Mayor Kelly responded yes.
Alderman Kramer stated his
understanding is along the corridor, both north and south of the location being
discussed, on Brentwood Boulevard there are a number of structures that are
currently used for businesses that are appearing to be residential from the
exterior that are inside what used to be the “GC” General Commercial district
and now it is the “PD” Planned Development district. He asked Mr. Johnson if he would be receiving daily deliveries or
calls from customers.
Mr. Johnson stated they do the
greatest majority of their business over the phone. They have occasional customers come in, but not even on a daily
basis.
Alderman Kramer stated behind
what is going to be the new Starbucks, there was a home east of there that was
taken down that was part of the district and was a residential use prior. Many
of the neighbors were a little concerned about that. However, the zoning has been there for a long time. In this particular case, the house at 8812
Madge Avenue falls within that zone.
Although it is next to residential, if they were to go beyond that point
is where he would be concerned. In this
particular case, it sounds like it might be okay.
Alderman Robertson stated he does
not see how they can go backwards and restore residential to a property that is
behind a busy commercial property. It
is a good use. He does not see why they
should not grant it.
Alderwoman Clements asked for
clarification on the signage location.
Mr. Johnson stated it would be on
the house, not in the yard.
Alderwoman Clements stated that
would keep the look of residential if there is no sign in the yard, even though
you are going to see it the east side of the house is still commercial.
Alderman Cross asked if it will
be a lit sign and will it be on all night.
Mr. Johnson stated it is an
electronic sign with a timer, which will be turned off at midnight. It is the sign on the current building,
which is about 2 feet x 10 feet.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated as far as the signage, Mr. Johnson would have to comply with the
requirements of the district. Generally
it is that percentage of a building.
Alderman Leahy asked Mr. Johnson
if he is looking to put the sign on the east wall, which would face Manchester
Road or is he looking to put it on the face of the building?
Mr. Johnson stated the sign would
be located on the east facing Brentwood Boulevard.
Alderman Leahy stated the house
itself is addressed on Madge, which would require permission of a
variance. The Code states the sign
should be 80% of the face of the building, which would be on the Madge Avenue
side.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated he does not believe that is correct.
It is 80% of the face of whatever wall you are using for the sign.
Alderman Leahy asked if a
variance would be needed on the parking, per requirement, per square footage
under roof. The residential
requirements of this property will be changed to the commercial
requirements. Lot size is only one of
the three things that need to be changed in the variances. By the square footage under roof, Mr.
Johnson has to provide a certain amount of parking spaces.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated that is not approved by the Board of Aldermen, the zoning administrator
approves that. It is determined by
whatever floor space he is going to use by the office calculations. Mr. Wolf notified him that Mr. Johnson would
not be required more than three parking spaces and that he could put three in
the driveway. If he needed more, he
would have to go to the Board of Adjustment for a variance. The Board of Aldermen is not granting what
is technically known as a variance because only the Board of Adjustment can
grant variances. It is written into the
Code that the Board of Aldermen is allowed to waive the provision for the
one-acre minimum lot size. If it is
under ½ acre, which his is, it could only be used as a professional building,
which is what he is using it for.
Motion was made by Alderman
Robertson, second by Alderman Wynn to waive the lot size requirement for the
“PD” Planned Development to allow a business to occupy 8812 Madge Avenue. Roll call:
Alderwoman Clements, yes; Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, no;
Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderman Kramer, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman
Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
INTRODUCTIONS, READINGS, AND
PASSAGE OF BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
Bill No. 5318 – Commercial Vehicles and
Motorbuses
Bill No. 5318 will remain on
hold.
Bill No. 5325 – Southern Sno
1st and 2nd
Readings
Motion was made by Alderwoman
Clements, second by Alderman Golfin to give Bill No. 5325 first and second
readings. Roll call: Alderwoman Clements, yes; Alderman Marshall,
yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderman Kramer, yes; Alderman
Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
City Attorney Albrecht gave Bill
No. 5325,AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A LEASE
AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD, MISSOURI, WITH RAYMOND A. DAVIS
AND KAREN S. DAVIS D/B/A SOUTHERN SNO, OF 8817 POWELL AVENUE, BRENTWOOD,
MISSOURI 63144 FOR RENTING A PORTION OF LAND IN MEMORIAL PARK; AND PROVIDING
FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS ORDINANCE, its first and second readings.
Alderman Leahy stated in the
Exhibit A attached to Bill No. 5325, section 3 reads as if it is a 66-month
consecutive lease. In the past, it has
been a May through November term.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated it should read May 1st through November 1st, 2006
through 2011. They do not occupy the
space or pay rent in the months between November and May.
Motion was made by Alderman
Leahy, second by Alderman Cross to amend Bill No. 5325 by changing the terms of
the agreement to run from May 1st through November 1st of
each year, starting in 2006 and ending on November 1st, 2011. All in favor none opposed.
Alderman Leahy asked if they have
had any problems with Southern Sno at Memorial Park in the past five years.
City Administrator Seemayer
responded no.
Alderman Leahy stated the
operation of the business in the agreement stated from 6:00 a.m. to dusk. He believes in the past it was always
afternoon to evening hours.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated the vendor came in a couple of years ago and asked for the 6:00 a.m.
starting time because of early customers from Hanley Industrial Court.
Alderman Kramer read a synopsis
of Bill No. 5325 as a bill that authorizes a lease agreement between the City
of Brentwood and Southern Sno to operate a concession stand in the parking lot
of Memorial Park. The lease requires a $125.00 monthly payment to the City and
it runs from May 1st to November 1st. The term of the
lease is five years. This matter was reviewed and approved by the Public Works
Committee.
Motion was made by Alderman
Cross, second by Alderman Marshall to approve and adopt Bill No. 5325 as
amended. Roll call: Alderwoman Clements, yes; Alderman Marshall,
yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderman Kramer, yes; Alderman
Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon declared Bill
No. 5325 duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 4019.
Resolution No. 934 – Street Name Change
Alderman Kramer read a synopsis
of Resolution No. 934, which states the City’s intention to rename a portion of
Hanley Industrial Court to Strassner Drive. Once the Resolution is adopted
there will be a four-week open comment period. At the end of the comment period
the City will entertain an ordinance to officially change the name of the
street.
Mayor Kelly stated there has been
talk over a number of years about renaming streets and doing other things in
Hanley Industrial Court. A number of
the businesses there did not like the idea of changing the street to Strassner
Road. They wanted to rename Strassner
Road and name the new section Hanley Industrial Drive or something along those
lines. He thought it was important to
maintain Strassner Road since it was named after a former Brentwood
resident.
Alderman Golfin stated that
changing the name to Strassner Road and improving the signage in Hanley
Industrial Court is a project they have been wanting for years. They need to start somewhere and this is a
logical place to start. He would be in
favor of that change.
Mayor Kelly stated the City would
be sending out a letter to the affected property owners notifying them of the
change.
Motion was made by Alderman
Golfin, second by Alderman Marshall to approve and adopt Resolution No.
934. All in favor none opposed.
ACCOUNTS AGAINST THE CITY
Motion was made by Alderman
Marshall, second by Alderwoman Clements to accept the warrant list dated
4/17/06 as submitted. All in favor none
opposed.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES AND DEPARTMENT
HEADS:
Updates
Mayor Kelly stated he had
previously mentioned that he was approached about the City sharing some of the
cost of rebuilding the bridge between Breckenridge Industrial Court Drive and
Webster Groves. Originally they had
agreed with Webster Groves that each municipality would contribute
$25,000. They got a letter from the
Breckenridge Industrial Court Association that the contribution would be more
than the $25,000. They came back with
bids and are requesting $55,000 from Brentwood and $55,000 from Webster
Groves. Mayor Kelly stated he would
forward it to the Ways and Means Committee for discussion. The City’s only benefit of the improvements
to that bridge is the removal of the center pier from the bridge, which would
alleviate a lot of blockage during heavy rain and flooding on Manchester Road.
Study
Mayor Kelly stated the union for
the fire departments is working with a number of municipalities regarding a
study of the fire departments in the central area and analyzing future fire
departments needs. The study is starting to move forward and they have come to
a tentative agreement on how it would work.
The real issue will be determining the cost and how much they would want
municipalities to contribute.
Golf Tournament
Mayor Kelly reminded everyone of
the City of Brentwood’s Invitational Golf Tournament to be held on Friday, June
16, 2006 at Paradise Valley Country Club.
Camera System
Mayor Kelly stated the Public
Safety Committee is going to be moving on the red light system right away. He thinks it is an important issue. The red light system is out to bid and is
due back on May 5th.
Plaque
Mayor Kelly thanked Leon Golfin
for his service to the Board and presented him with a plaque from the City for
his 13 years of service to the Brentwood community.
Alderman Golfin accepted the
plaque and stated that it has been a great run. He is honored and proud to have been elected for seven terms, and
to have had a part in doing some of the great work that they have accomplished
in the past 13 years, which helped move Brentwood forward to what it is
today. He thanked City staff, the Board
past and present and Brentwood Forest residents who have supported him over the
past 13 years.
Alderman Kramer stated that he
moved into Brentwood Forest a short time ago for what he thought was going to
be a short transition, not only to discover until later how wonderful a
community they are fortunate enough to be living in. It was twelve years ago when he moved in. Before that, for a good period and up until
today, Alderman Golfin has served the community very well. As his co-alderman, it has been his honor
and privilege, and the Brentwood Forest residents, to have Alderman Golfin
serve them. He has learned a great deal
from his experience and it means a lot.
Public Safety Committee
Camera System
Alderman Robertson reminded
everyone that there was a negative recommendation on the red light traffic
program from the Public Safety Committee.
Public Works Committee
Approval of Bandwagon
Alderman Cross requested that
Craig Strohbeck from the Parks Department come before the Board and give a
presentation on the purchase of the bandwagon which was reviewed by the Public
Works Committee and forwarded to the Board with a positive recommendation.
Craig Strohbeck, Ice Arena
Superintendent came before the Board and stated City Administrator Seemayer
approached him last fall about looking into a bandwagon that could be used on a
regular basis for activities throughout the City. They had been using the St. Louis County bandwagon for the last
six years for their concerts. They are
not able to secure that every year on a guaranteed basis. They looked for different options and found
that if they could identify a sponsor who would be willing to help support the
bandwagon it would be profitable in a short period. They have selected a hard shell bandwagon from Century
Industry. The bandwagon would be used
for Brentwood Days, summer concerts, National Night Out, as well as other
partnerships they might make with other businesses within the community. West Community Credit Union has verbally
committed to a $41,000 sponsorship out of an $82,000 plus purchase price, which
would be paid over three installments.
The City would incur some costs each year, but it would save the City
the rental costs every year. It would
also turn into a profit opportunity down the line, as they would be able to
rent it each year for use, not only in Brentwood, but also outside of the area.
Alderman Leahy asked if it would
include a sound system.
Mr. Strohbeck stated it would
include a basic sound system and basic lighting, enough that if they wanted to
use it for a small event. It would not
have enough sound system to accommodate an entire band.
Alderman Leahy asked about
storage for the bandwagon when it is not in use.
Mr. Strohbeck stated it would be
stored in one of the locked areas where the sanitation trucks are stored.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated the price includes a generator so it is not necessary to have
electricity nearby for it.
Alderman Leahy asked if the
current parks trucks would be capable of towing something that size.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated yes, the two-ton trucks. Without
the efforts that Mr. Strohbeck put forward, they would have never been able to
do it. He went out and got nearly 50%
of the cost of it secured by a sponsor.
Alderman Cross stated when Mr.
Strohbeck came to the Public Works Committee with the proposal the amount of
money that was going to be donated was much lower than what it is now. She thanked him for his work.
Alderman Leahy stated because of
the value that they are dealing with on the equipment are they required under
ordinance to get bids.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated they are required and they obtained bids.
Alderman Cross stated depending
on when it is ordered how long until it is delivered.
Mr. Strohbeck stated anticipated
delivery is 90 to 120 days.
Motion was made by Alderman
Cross, second by Alderman Marshall to approve the purchase of the
bandwagon. Alderwoman Clements, yes;
Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderman
Kramer, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
City Engineer – No report
Ways and Means Committee
– No report
City Attorney – No
report
City Clerk/Administrator
Special Use Permit/Home Depot
City Administrator Seemayer
stated there is an application from Home Depot requesting approval of a Special
Use Permit to hold a contractor’s event at their store. They will be putting up a temporary tent on
May 10th. The event is May
11th and the tent would be taken down that evening.
Motion was made by Alderwoman
Clements, second by Alderman Marshall to grant the Special Use Permit for Home
Depot. All in favor none opposed.
Director of Economic Development – No
report
Excise Commissioner
Temporary Liquor License/Brentwood Parks Summer
Concert Series
Alderman Cross stated there is an
application from the Parks Department for a temporary liquor license for their
summer concert series, which would allow the guests to bring alcoholic
beverages into the park for the concerts.
Motion was made by Alderman
Cross, second by Alderwoman Clements to grant the temporary liquor license to
the Brentwood Parks Department. Roll
call: Alderwoman Clements, yes;
Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderman
Kramer, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, no; Alderman Cross, yes.
Library – No report
Municipal League –
No report
Waste Management Commission
– No report
Communication – No
further report
Insurance Committee
– No report
Historical Society
– No report
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Update on Path and Bridge
Alderman Marshall stated the
tractors and bulldozers have been working on the path and bridge on
Rosalie.
Easements
Mayor Kelly stated that Alderman
Marshall has been working very hard and meeting with the residents on getting
the easements signed for the Rosalie sewer project.
Update on New Stores
Alderman Kramer asked for an
update on the Ultimate Electronics and Organized Living sites.
Mayor Kelly stated there is
nothing new to update since the last meeting.
Organized Living has a potential tenant who does not want to commit
until they know exactly what is happening with Highway 40. That would be a new business to the St.
Louis area and would be a very good addition to that center and the shopping
district. Office Max has turned in
their plans for the interior remodeling of the Ultimate Electronics site. They are taking half of that site.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated Men’s Warehouse has turned in their plans for the Meridian project where
the Red Robin was going to go at one point.
Thank You
Alderman Wynn stated that
Alderman Golfin and his wife Elaine have been good friends and they have meant
a lot to their family and the Brentwood family. He is thankful for the time Alderman Golfin has been on the Board
and for all of his accomplishments.
Meeting Schedule
Alderwoman Clements stated they
are an efficient group and six months out of the year they operate with one
meeting a month. She proposed that they
go to one meeting a month twelve months of the year on the first Monday of each
month. She is looking for a vote to
have it put into ordinance form for the next meeting.
Alderman Cross asked if they
would have to hold a public hearing to change the meeting schedule.
Mayor Kelly responded no, but it
would have to be put into ordinance form.
The important thing to remember is that they have the option of calling
a special meeting.
Alderman Wynn stated he opposes
the one meeting a month proposal. The
two meetings a month gives the citizens a published time when they could come
before the Board.
Alderman Robertson stated it
might be wise to get some public input on what people think and what they would
like to see happen.
Alderwoman Clements asked would
it give the public an opportunity to voice their opinions if they advertised
the proposed ordinance. Could it be put on the website?
Mayor Kelly stated the next
meeting is May 1st. It could
be put on the website.
Alderman Cross stated if they are
going to do it a public hearing should be held. If the legislation is put on the website, people that do not have
a computer will not see it.
Alderwoman Clements stated when
she was on the Board previously they went to a summer schedule without any
problem. They did not get any negative
feedback from the residents and they do not get any negative feedback from them
in January, February, June, July, August or September every year. She is not saying that there would not be
people out there that might want to come twice a month. They did not advertise it then, or ask for
any input and they did not get any opposition.
Alderman Wynn stated that those
are all months of either a special holiday or in the summer time. He thinks people accept that because of
summer vacations and holidays. There is
no reason not to meet twice a month in those other months.
Alderman Leahy asked if it could
be put on the agenda on May 1st and posted at the 21 locations
throughout Brentwood for public notice and draft legislation to change the
meeting schedule in the Code.
City Administrator Seemayer
stated notice for a public hearing has to be done 15 days ahead and they do not
have 15 days. This does not fall under
a public hearing, but it could still be advertised and posted as a public
information topic.
Alderman Leahy stated it is a
courtesy to the residents that it be advised and is under consideration. This would give them the opportunity to
present their best reasons for approving or disapproving the request.
Alderman Cross stated if
Alderwoman Clements is agreeable she would like the opportunity to have an
article in the Pulse and the Brentwood Bulletin.
Alderman Marshall stated one of
the concerns he has is the time sensitive issues they deal with on a daily
basis. He is afraid they will end up
having special meetings anyway. If he
only has a couple of days notice for a special meeting, the chances of him
switching his schedule around to accommodate that doesn’t work as well. If the Board has consistent special meetings
that may leave the public out because they are not looking for special
meetings. They are looking for the
Board of Aldermen meetings and they know there is going to be a meeting held on
certain dates. With special meetings
they would have to check the board weekly, if not daily, to see if there are
any special meetings scheduled.
Alderman Golfin stated he
sponsored the ordinance that took them to one meeting a month during the
holidays and the summer. It has worked
out very well. There was really no
reason for any question about it because they were not meeting because of the
holidays anyway. As far as extending it
to the rest of the year, he feels that they are very efficient doing a great
deal of the work in committee meetings.
The arguments and details should be hashed out in committee meetings
thoroughly and then the Board would approve or disapprove the committee’s
work. He does not think they should
barrel into something like this. He
remembers when they have had meetings, even after cutting down the schedule to
one meeting a month six months of the year; they met for only 20 minutes. As time goes on they will find through
experience that they are attending meetings that are embarrassingly short.
Motion was made by Alderwoman
Clements, second by Alderman Leahy to draw up an ordinance changing the meeting
schedule to the first Monday of each month and publicize it as if it were up
for a public hearing.
Alderman Kramer asked if they are
seeking to gain the insight of the residents before they vote on the actual
legislation, or are they voting on the legislation and getting the input later.
Alderwoman Clements stated getting
the input, if people attend the meeting after they see the published comment
section, then they would vote on the legislation after that. Their telephone number is everywhere. If there is going to be feedback, the
residents will let them know. She does
not recall there being a lot of special meetings called when there is one
meeting a month.
Mayor Kelly stated usually a
special meeting is called to resolve one specific issue that needs to be taken
care of in a timely manner. Experience
will show you that you do not have meetings just to have meetings, at least if
you want people to be involved. It
takes just as much time to prepare for an eight-minute meeting as it does to
prepare for a one and a half hour meeting.
The other thing that should be looked at is it’s not only their time
that is involved in having the meetings when nobody is there, but it is also
the time of City staff. There is a cost
associated with having the meetings, with people preparing documents, etc.
Alderman Cross asked where is the
legislation going to be advertised. Are
they going to take the time to get it in the Brentwood Bulletin and the Pulse?
Mayor Kelly stated the next
Brentwood Bulletin would not come out until June. The Pulse will not come out until around May 15th.
Alderwoman Clements stated if
Alderman Cross is more comfortable, even if the legislation is drawn up and
they have public comments, they could have the first reading and it does not
have to be passed that night.
Mayor Kelly stated he is for
informing the public when there is a major issue before them, but he can
guarantee you that the only people that will come to the meeting is the people
that will be against it. When they went
to the summer schedule a few years ago they just did it. The Board’s job is to make those
decisions. The Board is elected to
represent the residents and to perform those duties for the residents of the
City of Brentwood. He does not think
you need to go out and do a survey every time you make a decision. You can advertise it all you want and the
more you advertise it the more you’re going to get the people that don’t want
it or think that you’re doing something underhanded. He can guarantee you that there will be more negative comments
than positive ones.
Alderman Wynn stated he disagrees
because it sounds to him like if you want all the positive people don’t tell
anybody and the less you say you will get the positive folks. They should tell everybody, whether they are
gripers, or the little guy down the street who never show up at meetings. If they have an eight-minute meeting and one
resident showed up to speak; that eight minutes has been worth it. They have served the citizen. He does not see it as a lost meeting even if
nobody shows up.
Alderman Cross stated she by no
means wanted to do a city mailing or a survey. It is something they should not
rush into. If they wait for the
Brentwood Bulletin to come out in June and they wait for the Pulse to come out
again there is no harm done.
Mayor Kelly stated he does not
think they should spend the time drawing up the legislation.
Alderwoman Clements withdrew her
motion and Alderman Leahy his second.
Swearing-in
Mayor Kelly stated the
swearing-in ceremony for newly elected officials will be held on May 1st
and there will be a reception after the meeting.
Ward 3 Meeting
Alderman Leahy announced a Ward 3
meeting would be held on Tuesday, April 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the
Council Chambers.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by Alderwoman
Clements, second by Alderman Wynn to adjourn the meeting at 8:12 p.m. All in favor none opposed.
Pat Kelly, Mayor
Attest:
Chris Seemayer, City Clerk