20200818 Andalusia City Council Meeting August 18 2020
Date: 2020-08-18 Type: Regular Meeting
Quick Summary
The council approved the August 4, 2020 meeting minutes and adopted Ordinance 2020-06 to declare the Opera House/McCarten Building surplus so development per contract can proceed. Resolutions adopted include 2020-28 (abatements, with property #6 removed), 2020-29 (award Pinewood culvert/bridge low bid of $155,840 to Brady Balls and Sons and authorization to enter contract with funding identified from capital), and 2020-30 (rename Will Coleman Center to include Richard Robertson). The proposed FY2021 budget was presented (operating expenses $20,040,000; ~3.5% increase and a projected surplus of nearly $1.5M if revenues meet projections).
Key Decisions
- Approved minutes of the August 4, 2020 council meeting (motion by Mr. Mount, second by Ms. Griffin; adopted by hand/voice vote).
- Adopted Ordinance 2020-06 declaring the Opera House/McCarten Building surplus to allow development and conveyance under the existing contract (motion by Mr. Powell; adopted by hand/voice vote).
- Adopted Resolution 2020-28 to abate five properties on the list (property #6 removed); motion by Mr. Powell, second by Mr. Wells; adopted.
- Adopted Resolution 2020-29 to accept the low bid for Pinewood culvert/bridge repair (low bid $155,840 from Brady Balls and Sons); amended to specify funding from the capital fund and authorized entering the contract.
- Adopted Resolution 2020-30 to rename the Will Coleman Center to the Will Coleman / Richard Robertson Center (adopted by hand/voice vote).
- Authorized funding not to exceed $100,000 for the youth/high school–LBW partnership and approved establishing a contractual relationship between the city, the high school and LBW (motion and second; adopted).
Notable Discussion
- The Opera House/McCarten Building cleanup is underway and declaration as surplus is needed to begin construction and convey the property per the development contract.
- Property #6 was removed from the abatement list before adoption of Resolution 2020-28; five properties remain for abatement action.
- Bids for the Pinewood culvert/bridge repair ranged from about $247,000 to a low of $155,840.
- Council discussed the FY2021 proposed budget: $20,040,000 in operating expenses, a 3.5% increase over the current year, and a projected surplus of nearly $1.5M if revenues meet projections.
- Staff reported local census self-response at 61.2% (about 0.1% higher than the state’s rate as of that morning) and encouraged continued outreach.
Action Items
- Enter approval of the August 4, 2020 minutes into the official meeting record.
- Proceed with development and conveyance steps for the Opera House/McCarten Building under the existing contract now that the property is declared surplus.
- Finalize and sign the contract with Brady Balls and Sons for the Pinewood culvert/bridge repair and initiate work once the contract is executed; ensure funding source is noted as the capital fund.
- Council members to review the proposed FY2021 budget document and send questions or suggestions to the mayor or John.
- Continue and amplify census outreach (staff/Adult Activity Center calls) to improve the city’s self-response rate.