Aldermen Minutes
MINUTES
MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN
CITY OF OCEAN SPRINGS
RECESS MEETING OF JUNE 15, 2010
Be it remembered that the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Ocean Springs met in a Recess meeting at City Hall in the City of Ocean Springs at 6:00 p.m. on June 15, 2010. Mayor Moran presiding, Aldermen Ross, McDonnell, Cody, Dalgo, Denyer and Hagan were present. Also present was City Clerk Shelly Ferguson and City Attorney John Edwards. Alderman Gill was absent but arrives at the meeting at 6:43 p.m.
Alderman Cody led the invocation and the Mayor led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ADDENDUM
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to add the Addendum to the Agenda.
DEPARTMENT REPORTS – ADDENDUM
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Hagan and unanimously carried to authorize Anchor QEA to research and provide recommendations regarding the use of ocean boom technology and comparison testing for remedial products to be used for oil spill remediation (Exhibit A-3b).
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to open the Public Hearing for lot clearing at 205 Front Beach (Exhibit A-1a).
The property owner’s grandson, Josh Anderson, explained his grandmother, Mercedes Hall, was in a nursing home at this time. Mr. Anderson stated the foundation slab was present on the property but argued that it did not constitute a menace to the public health and safety of the citizens of Ocean Springs and asked the Board to rescind any property cleanup actions. The Building Official stated all proper notifications were followed with no response from the homeowner and found the property to be in such a state of uncleanliness so as to be a menace to the public health and safety of the citizens of Ocean Springs (Exhibit A-1a).
Motion was made by Alderman Gill, seconded by Alderman McDonnell and unanimously carried to close the Public Hearing for lot clearing at 205 Front Beach (Exhibit A-1a).
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to authorize the Mayor to coordinate with Ms. Mercedes Hall to find assistance to remove the slab at 205 Front Beach and if no assistance is available, allow Ms. Hall until the end of December, 2010 to have it removed (Exhibit A-1a).
Motion was made by Alderman Cody, seconded by Alderman Ross and unanimously carried to open the Public Hearing for lot clearing at 111 Clark Avenue (Exhibit A-1b).
The homeowner was not present. The Building Official stated he had a letter of promise from the homeowner to remove the slab by August 29, 2010 (Exhibit A-1b).
Motion was made by Alderman Gill, seconded by Alderman McDonnell and unanimously carried to close the Public Hearing for lot clearing at 111 Clark Avenue (Exhibit A-1b).
No action was taken on lot clearing at 111 Clark Avenue (Exhibit A-1b).
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to open the Public Hearing for lot clearing at 4102 Groveland Road (Exhibit A-1c).
The homeowner was not present. The Building Official stated the proper notifications were followed with no response from the homeowner and found the property to be in such a state of uncleanliness so as to be a menace to the public health and safety of the citizens of Ocean Springs due to debris, derelict car and other miscellaneous items on the property and the overgrown condition of the lot (Exhibit A-1c).
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Gill and unanimously carried to close the Public Hearing for lot clearing at 4201 Groveland Road (Exhibit A-1c).
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to proceed with lot clearing procedures at 4102 Groveland Road because the house is a menace to public health and safety in such a state of uncleanliness that the necessary steps must be taken (Exhibit A-1c).
PUBLIC COMMENTS
None
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion was made by Alderman Dalgo, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to accept the Consent Agenda with exception of item (A-2a) which was pulled by Alderman Hagan. Alderman Gill abstained from the vote.
Alderman Hagan pulled item (A-2a) and stated he does not want BP to deny access to private property because due to securing access points. The Mayor further explained the need for additional security and monitoring due to vandalism with the booms and the fencing. Motion was made by Alderman Hagan, seconded by Alderman McDonnell and unanimously carried to authorize the Police Chief and City Attorney to develop an agreement of services to provide security at key locations related to the oil spill and place two vehicles on the list of approved equipment purchases (Exhibit A-2a).
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Mayor:
The Mayor reported the Mississippi Municipal League’s Awards Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, June 30th at 11:30 a.m. at the Beau Rivage Hotel. She further stated the City will receive the Award of Excellence for the top economic development and planning project in the State for the Front Beach Master Plan and the Fort Maurepas park project (Exhibit 5-a).
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to authorize the Mayor to inform DMR that the top priorities for the 2010 Tidelands funding would be the Front Beach Boardwalk and Harbor Boardwalk (Exhibit A-3a).
The Mayor recognized Ms. Teenna Francisco, the records clerk for the Ocean Springs Police Department. She will be retiring after 24+ years of service with the City.
City Attorney:
Motion was made by Alderman Hagan and seconded by Alderman McDonnell to adopt Ordinance No. 2010-07 AN ORDINANCE REGULATING AND RESTRICTING PARKING IN THE CITY OF OCEAN SPRINGS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF MOSELEY AVENUE (Exhibit 5-b). The motion passed with a roll call vote as follows:
Alderman Ross Voted Aye
Alderman Gill Absent
Alderman McDonnell Voted Aye
Alderman Cody Voted Aye
Alderman Denyer Voted Aye
Alderman Dalgo Voted Aye
Alderman Hagan Voted Aye
ALDERMEN’S FORUM
Alderman Dalgo asked the Mayor to contact Mississippi Power Company to place a shield on the security light shining directly on the residents’ house at 116 Pevey Street.
Motion was made by Alderman Hagan, seconded by Alderman Dalgo and unanimously carried to authorize up to $9,500.00 from Ward 6 Capital Improvement Account for the Trentwood Homeowners Association project. County money and a $4,000.00 from Jackson County Board of Supervisors for the project is to be issued to the City.
Alderman Ross asked if Bechtel Road would be repaired where the wastewater facility was rebuilt. The Public Works Director advised the road would be milled, cleaned and overlaid.
The Mayor stated the security system at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center needs to be improved. Motion was made by Alderman Denyer, seconded by Alderman Cody and unanimously carried to authorize the Grants Coordinator, Police Chief and Fire Chief to determine the cost of a security system for the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center and report at the next board meeting.
Alderman McDonnell asked the Building Official for a status on Jan Walker’s house. He stated his concern about the condition of the house and the large hole on her property and wants a solution by the next Board meeting.
Alderman McDonnell asked for a status on the home partially completed and a timeline for completion. The Building Official stated he drafted a letter giving the property owner 10 days to clean the property.
Alderman Gill asked if the new splash park at Fort Maurepas was open. It was reported to be open Monday-Sunday from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The City Engineer stated there is a monitoring system in lift station #1 to determine what effect the pumps will have on the lift station.
Alderman Denyer requested a hard copy of all expenditures paid to date from the $2million BP grant funds.
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Dalgo and unanimously carried to authorize the Mayor to contract for Booms, skimmer boats, vacuums and other equipment approved by the project manager, David Keith, to keep oil off of our shores, and in our estuaries and notify the Board within a 12/24 hour period prior to Mayor taking any action.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion was made by Alderman Cody, seconded by Alderman Hagan and unanimously carried to go into closed session to determine the necessity of going into executive session.
The City Clerk returned to the meeting and announced the Board determined there was not a need for an executive session.
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell, seconded by Alderman Gill and unanimously carried to return to regular session.
Motion was made by Alderman McDonnell and seconded by Alderman Gill to authorize Public Works to advertise to fill a position of Engineer Inspector at a salary of $35,000.00 to $45,000.00 based on qualifications and make a recommendation to the Board and to fund this position from existing Public Works budget with no increases. Motion carried with Aldermen Gill, McDonnell, Cody, Denyer and Hagan voting aye and Aldermen Ross and Dalgo voting nay. The Mayor attempted to exercise her right to veto the motion, but the City Attorney advised her that the veto must be in writing.
Motion was made by Alderman Ross, seconded by Alderman Denyer and unanimously carried to prioritize the projects for the 2012 Tidelands grant funding as follows: #1 Harbor Improvements near Boat Ramps; #2 Highway 90 Boat Ramp and #3 Boat Trailer Parking.
Motion was made by Alderman Dalgo, seconded by Alderman Hagan and unanimously carried to adjourn until 6:00 p.m. on July 6, 2010.
Meeting ended at 8:39 p.m.
_______________________________ ___________________________
City Clerk Mayor
___________________ ____________________
Date Date
