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January 25, 1979MIi~lUTES WEST ~IEMPEl I S C ITY COU~JC I L January 25, 1979 A meeting of t~~e West ~lemphi s City Counci 1 was hel d Thursday, January 25, 1979, at 1:30 P. P~1. in the Council Chambers of City ' E~all. This meeting was a reconvening of the Council meeting held January 18, 1979. Mayor Ferguson called the meeting to order. Those oresent at the meeting were as follows: ~~ayor Joyce T. Ferguson City Attorney Robert Smith ''~ Aldermen: '~ Bob Ber;tl ey Leon Duvall ' James Eli ghto~~rer Rcberta Jackson Doug f~orri s ~. Es. Rav ~ar.y !Talker Vince Angeletti Pritchard Horton Absent from the meeting eras Alderman Lloyd Woodell. ' Prayer eras offered by Alderman P.ay. The first item of business concerned the 1979 budget. Alder- .. man Duvall made a motion, seconded by Alderman Horton, that the proposed budget be approved, a copy of ~rhich is on file in the ', i~a.yor's office. Upon roll call vote, the vote was as follows: AYE : Aldermen : Bentl e.y, Duval 1 , Ni ghto-~-er, F~orton , ~~orri s , Ray, And b~dal ker ~~ X10: Alderman Angeletti Alderman Jackson was not present at the time of the vote. The bud- ~i get was approved by the Council. Alderman Bentley then made a motion; seconded by Alderman Ra,y, that the P~1a.yor's Mate of the Ci t,y "~1essane be made a part of the minutes. A copy of this message is on file in the Piayor's office. Upon voice vote of the Council, the motion was passed unanimously. Mayor Ferguson then asked the Council to approve the following ' appointments: ~~ir. Frank Waggener to the Advertising and Promotion Committee, Alderman Morris to the Ad-Hoc Committee, and ~-9r. Cecil ' Kerley to the Public Works Committee. Upon voice vote of the Council, these appointments were approved unanimously. r ~ s STATE OF TEiE CITY MESSAGE January 18, 1979 Each year, the law requires that the Mayor deliver a report on the state of things in the city and outline programs for the coming year. Thi s State of the City P~essage i s an important one for the city and its citizens--it lets the people knotiv just how their city is running, whether smoothly or not, in good times and bad, and it tel 1 s our publ i c official s where 4ve have been and where ~rre hone to go. I can report that 1978 ror lJest ^'~er~phi s was nqt 4vhat ive 4~roul d call a great year, but it wasn't a bad year, either. Inflation continued to eat away at our vital economic processes, just as it has gripped the entire nation--instead of a 4.7% ~rot~~rth rate forecasted by President Carter's Council of Econornic Advisors, the output of goods and services hit around the 3.8 nark; consumer .prices jumped to near the 10% level. Our nation's inability to ~ solve the inflation problem boosts the cost of delivering nuhlic services. We all knoar that the dollar took a terrible beating in the year past. When this happens, are all suffer--as the dollar falls, jobs decline and prices begin to rise in a vicious cycle that cuts to the core. ode began the year on a bare bones budget, and it is a good thing. }lore slicing may still yet be necessary. But, we learned in 1978, that we must make do with what ~~~e have, and this is, I think, j a pattern that will be with us for quite some time as oil nrcQs hegin to creep up again, causing the little and big things in our lives to cost gui to a bi t more. Though the year was not one to write home about from an economic standpoint, tree community did escape tranic disasters, though flonding continued to be a problem and winter raged with an arctic wreath early on. We did suffer from high winds and downed power lines and our city was without lights for a while in August due to big grinds that (1? !~ touched down in the city. A portion of Broad~~~ay also sufferad severe damage from a fire in our business district, but though property damago was higs~, no lives were lost and we can be thankful for that. There vrere some extremely positive events that took place in city governr~~ent thi s year .that tiri 11 , I think, have far-reaching ' effects for years to come. For example, the Fort Authority was begun anew and befcre the year ~~ias over, it had played a 1arQe role in hel!~ina us find federal funds for the possible construction of a slack-water port in !•lest tiemphi s . Thi s one thi ng~. cool d ~mean~ hundreds. of jobs and qui to a boon. I~~' for the city's economy. ~•!e need a port aryd I think now it is a oos- sibility within the ,near future, with Economic Development Administra- -ti_on money_ and hel p f.r-Qm:..th.e ::O.z.a.rk- :kt~,g.onal ~C.ommi;ss,.on..•.- •..:..; :... ~ ..., .:. ~- ... :..... }:~. • In early October, ~,ie 1 earned that a bond-financing plan of 1 ovrer interest rates for low and moderate income families was being studied -:.~..~ ~ - - for stimulating the housing. constr-ucti.on-=and rea-l~ .e~s~tate market. F:i-:~. :~. .. r -~ nancing existing homes and new construction had virtually come to a stand still. FFiA, ~A, and convent~onai loans were scarce, Since ~~ie 10~ limit on loans is mandated by state statute. We were told that only six states had the authority to create a housing facilities board. The blest. r~lemphi s Housing Faci 1 i ti es Board ti~ras created by city ordinance i n i~~QVember. The=~ very competent board- of citizens has - - the power to i ssue bonds. fo.r .new construction of homes , buyi nn of . ~';~ existing houses, and some remodeling. The board is worl%ing mQthodi- I, cally, and I expect, that a bond issue will be ready early in :.1979 ._ .. For the first time ~i n recent ~ mer7ory, the city was able to come up with ne4v sources of revenue. By that, I mean the hotel and motel - tax on dross receipts. The one cent tax on those receipts has beefed . ~~ up the city's treasury by over X150,000. ~~lost of this money comes from tourists and visitors to~our city, and is restricted to use on advertising and promoting the city. Irlhen the tax went i nto effect, t~~e had no i dea that the tax would bring that much in revenue. But now that it has, I hone some of the funds can be used to help the Chamber of Commerce secure a c2} capita in State Turnback Fees for the year. This is a breakdoa~n of $18.00 for street funds, and $15.00 for general funds. The city's operating budget for 1979 is expected to be approved at $ 4,54.7,100. Capital outlay is included at~$332,800 in the 1979 budget, while less than $40,000 was appropriated for capital outlay in 1978... The.1978 operating budget .was amended. b.ythe end of .the ear to 3.9 million. Excludin .capital outlay, the total increase . y 9 . in the 1979 budget will be 7%, included are 5% increases i'n cost-of- 1 i v i n g r a i see s for c.i ty .: empa ay a e-s - s ar } a~~-~.es. ~.:.-:~~~~~.n~c=~~~s..e~ -.;:~;~?o~~.~ ~ 5~~~~~ ,~ 4:~:-,; u. to $40,000 for ami,ul ance service ti~~as granted. Plow, let's look at some of the accomplishments of the cityy's departments i n 1978.. There were ~qui to a few hi g~h~ s~pots~ i~n° each.~~de-~~, ~ :~~-~ -~;- partment. .. ~ .. ~ ~ . Under ,the ,stable hand..o.f Chief Thomas Bur.khar,t~. ,th.e ._F..re..~Jepa,rt.-. ~..,~. . .: .. :.. , merit aimed most of its, tra..in.n9 -~ow~rd .:1.-ifs,.~.av.sn:9.~.:::.tea~c#~:i:n~.x.t:~.~, t.;~....:-_. ...,~~,,-~. •men the necessary methods. of helping those who are near the brink of death . ..-. s ~ . - .fine- fireman :completed .his.. ad~ra.nce i nsar-u~tor.':s ofl~.r-s.e .3.-r~ ~~~r;©~~:r~4_ . ;:`~. ,~=>- pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) this past year, and fifty men completed the basic CPR course, giving us quite a backup team. P1 us, fifty six firemen comnl eted the basic first aid course, adding to the departn~ent' s overal 1 expertise . t•!e nov~~ have eleven Emergency P~9edi cal Technicians (EP~1TS) , four of whom were a-dried i n .,, ..: ~ .~.~a_ .^.. .:. ,, . '. . , . - ~, ;- I n: a rid i tai ors x one. f~. re m.a n - come e ec#. -.h~a;s -:~a~.a~~d.~~c~: t:~a-a~~=i-ng~..r~,~.. ~ ,~:. -.~ ~..~.,~-~~ A~ In the Purchasing Department, over 4500 purchase orders were I, issued last year under Joe Scarbrough. With the. central._ourch~asing department; `the city has ~ stri v~e~d' to h~r.i•ng honesty and i~ntegri~ty t~o the purchasing for the city. Also, with central purchasing, we have brought a closer ~vorking ~ relationship among department heads and the city's employees. 'Under Lee Cramer; the Parks Department o`pened~ six new tenni s ~~` courts with restrooms and a concession facil~it.y at ?ogers Park on .Airport road. Six .new tennis courts are under construction at that. site, with just a 1 i ttl a over 10' of the ~~iork 1 eft to be done. ;;n 'the cQUrts . Y. - _ . . (4) . 'In a~d~`i~~t~'a`o~n~~~.,~.ahe._ P~a~rk~~s~~Depa~r~tment~..ope.n.e~~d•::~t~~..e Te~r~re~~ 1~-L~oo~ne Swimming Pool. This was formerly the Wonder Pool, and so far, ire have had almost six thousand swimmers to utilize this newly renovated facility. ~~~ _ The department completed renovation of the L. R. Jackson Civic Center, which the city leased to the Wonder Boys Club for three . _ .. years. Renovation ran to almost $8.0,000. Another big job was ,central i zi n~g the arts and crafts summer pr:ogram. to ,the West ..~~[emp.h:i.s.,.Edupati onal .Cent:er _n ,the,.,ol ~, cafet,er,~a . building. So far, about 2500 have participated in the program. An adult basketball league came into existence this past year at the West C~emphis Educationa] Center with sixteen teams for both men and woven. ~~ The baseball and softball programs were successful as usual. There were from 1200 to 1400 league and tournament games this .past ,season, pointing out the success and interest we have in these sports. When one adds the players and spectators, we find that are could .estimate .that: 5000 ~ ci ti zens ar.e enjoying. these fine bal 1 fields . ~ ., ._ The Records and ~~icrofilm Department had a big year. Under Jerry Riddle`, the department compl ete~d th'e fol l nwi ng ---filming of all police department records; ---acquired storage space and material for all municipal court records ---completed the inventory of municipal court records; --destroyed about 350,000 old and useless municipal documents since the department was brought into existence. This has _ ;: resul t.ed in a sav..i ngs of about $14,DOO.~ that .would have been ,..:-... needed for additional work space; ---microfilmed about 300,.000 mun,i ci pal court records; _ ~. ;,,. :... r, . , .:. . -=-was ~the~~drivingforce in estabhishing an area chapter of ~' ~~ '' Association of Records titanagers and Administrators; ', The department hopes to complete the microfilming of municipal court ~~ records; finish thre Utility Department records inventory; receive a state approved retention schedule for municipal documents, and es- tablish a permanent records center. `~ ~ The City Sanitation Department, under Theodore Robertson, picked . up 685 tors of trash -and garbage each .week during .1978.- Including both business and residential, this amounted to ©ver 35,620 tons dur- i ng the .year. .. _. • . Other projects in the Public Works Department were: ~5) full-ti me~public relations person, who will jo out and seek new husi- Hess and industry for best "lemphis. If that can be accomplished this ,year, then it will mean that tax dollars, your tax money, is going to bring in more business, vrhich wi 1 1 i n turn bring i n more taxes , ~~rhi ch hopeful l.y can be used to 1 o!~rer the tax burden on our citizens. Government is costly and sound judgment must be utilized when Tt comes to 1 ocal revenues ,~ ~ a~~ pre~emi Went problem with cities'. .. .a who.l a to meet th,er..~~rtc~e~s:~ t~,g . :,~...,:~~:.. _ Pri ors y .. ,.. e.; ty .s... .. . K...~,.. ..~. ... . . . • t must go .t.o, th G ~ . a. needs of the citizens. Edith the right guidance, we will make the right choices and decisions--as I think we did with the motel and 3 ' hotel tax--for the greatest ~ good for~.the Largest.. number Q~.:o.ur. ci ti..= zens. Cities and counties have become increasingly dependent~~upon .: General Revenue Sharing, CETA, Anti-Recessionary,.and Community ,. ._ ._ ... ~. :- - .. .., .- ~:.. r .. Development 61ock Grant Funds doled out by 'the Federal government to help local economies. . _. West P~emphi s had .to .use .its revenue sham n-g money.; th~.s ~ast,.a ~~ ,. .. ... -s. ~: _: .:~ . .~. .... :- ~, ,~. -_ ~~ .. _ year for city employee salaries, whereas the two years before over ~. $600,000 i n revenue sharing ~r~as used for capital improvement's . ~ That is a sign of the times in which cities--as well as citizens--live. Inflation hits us all, cities included. Economic conditions have made it necessary for the Federal govern- ment, to. assist ci ti.es in. hi.r-sing. ~a tiz.ens for.~::pu.~:~•a~.~-.~~.!??!~-~.~~~..A.~~_-4~,~y..~.~. r:~=~~.a unemployment rate has creeped back up to 9.0%.at the end of. 19.78. ..., At the end of 1978, a total of fifty two CETA employees were working throughout the various departments of the city. .. . , The city also received g©vernment fiundi na _ fi-~r~~ th.e~=~ fa~~•~f,.:f-~A . ~ ~~~=:- ~ : ;:•`...: money which was used ~to comp1etely rebuild Sauth 'Seve~nt~h~=~~~~tre~et~.' ~ ~ ~~~ " CDP money was used to rebuff 1 d ~~orth Tarel ft.h Street and_ north. Thirteenth . Street, and for a drainage project on north Center Drive. Also, LEAS money was approved and wi 1 7 be used .to r}urchase su.rve,i ~ 1 anc.~e.. ec~ui nment .. for the Pal i ce Department i n the very near future . LEAA~ money wa~s~ re- .., . ceived to renovate the municipal courtroom. The city and county each appropriated $25,000 in addition to the $10,000 LEAA grant. In 1978, the City received $139,934.75 in privilege licenses, included is $4000 in carport sales. tie expect to rece.i.ve ~appro.xi,-.. ~.. ,. mately the same amount in 19.79.Also, we anticipate a $3.00 per ~3~ 'ry ~ ~ ' S~tree~t~ De ar~tment--~Seventh~ ~S~t~reet was completed ~wi ~h~ ~an rE~~. ~ ~ ' grant. Total cost of the project, using FAUS funds, was X750,000 with the city's share at $225,000. As this -was the EDA money, the city had no cost involved in the project. - - ----The traffic light at Broadway and Eighth was moved to '~~ Broadway and Seventh, rerouting truck traffic down, Seventh from the . . . interstate. This has been a big, big help in getting heavy trucks off Broadway . ~ .. -. . ----Ere;caed :.or._: r:ep~:a.ce.ci~.:a.bo~~t:.:170~ . s~ gr~s stop, y ;: parking, and street markers. ---Eilled owners in 360 vacant lots for grass cutting. ---Used about 2600 tons. of asphalt and 275. cubic yards of con- Crete in street maintenance. _. . ----Chemically treated Ten f4ile Eayou's ditches in residential areas to keep .down .weeds and other ..growth. .. ~. A bright spot in the. Public !~lorks Department is that the city shop is now completed. This will .help with the maintenance of more ~ khan 100 pieces of equipment which. is used. by street, sanitation, po- dice, and parks and recreation departments. An open house for the public is planned for the very near future. The city shop v~~as financed with revenue sharing funds in 1976 and 1977. Also, plans are in the ~~~orks now for Southland Drive, an east 4vest artery that will help relieve some of the terrible congestion on I-55 and I-40. The drive will be funded through 70~ federal money .:~~. and 30~~- local capital, and Southland Corporation has agreed to pay .. ,, ... .' _ the- .~i ty's shar..e of .the project. .... .A {. .. Under Don Christian, the Convention Complex, made up of the Civic Auditorium and the Community Center, had a good season. ~" ~ The 'audi tari um had fi"fty~ six contracts with over 35,000 oeopl e coming through the doors. Some 68% of these events were sponsored locally, fulfilling the building's purpose of being an outlet for local expression. Fifteen of the events this past year fall under . the category of~ conventior~~ events, and they .attracted 14,250 peor~le. About $1,068,750 was spent by those out-of-town guests ~~~ho visited the auditorium. Ey extending this figure out, based on ~lati onal Tourist E3ureau information, the businesses i n blest ~ler~phi s ~6} ,~"'!: . 1 ~:•.ti.• !.~;q,~• ..~_',+4"r%:R frt. ..i`a `'-~~'r. x'f~~ 1~'.'Y.-. -:.~...a :~.a .i"c,a.. .'t ihM*~ .': _ ::. .~ ~. .~ profited some $8,550,000 by these fifteen events alone. The civic center continues to gro:y each year...- In 1.978, some _ __~ . 1,380 events were held, bringing in about 125,000 people. ' ~ ~ By the way, t~h•e eonv~e~n~t-ion center operates seven. days a week, ~~ ~ - fifty two weeks a year with four full-time staffers and three part- '_ time.. .. ..~ ._ ... _ . .... .. .. .~. . _ . .. ,.... ~ ~.. ... i n 1 i brar. celebrated .its ..twentieth ann.i v~ers.ar:y The c.~ ty s ma. . ; y. .. • . ~, in X978. ~ It~ is estimated' that app.roximately• one fifth of the city's ~~' - ,:. ~- '' ~ ~,,.:~ , .gyp «: ,'~ '~ . - ...~ . ... :.. ~ P' ~~ ~ x .... . ... ... ~ ~~~a a ~~ c~ ~ . ~o ~~- a "~,~~'' U~'~`e'' ~ ? ' V 11 i ` I ~+ 1 ~- bra ~"Y .,~..~~~- ~. ~~ •~ art ~f~crn; _;~t~o"~ft~ -• . inn '~ , with those using the library in 1977. Under the direction of Police Chief Eobby Keen, the Hest ~~lemphi s ' ', ': ~ of l owi n accompl i shmerrts : ~ ~ ... ~ _ . .. had the f . ~Pol~ce Department 9 the !4lest "" . (1} .Trainin ---During 1978, Memphis Police Department _ - ~ec'ei v~ed~-certi fi'c.ati on to~ cond~~ct. and ~ oper~a~te •-~ .. .~:. P.o.l~i ce T.r.a~..i n.i ng,..Acad.emy, .one of .foyr . n, the, ... ~.~ .:~ _ .. .. , .., state; . . .. .C- f ;mom ..~:' -~~ .~. .:a_ ... ... ...... .,..~:. _.. •~~~. ~. ~ ~ f ~ t 1 ~ the a ~ ~d a 11 Graduated the i rs ass ~ro ca my, a • of w~~i ch were females ,, the first female police to work as patrol officers in the history of _ the department; _ ~ j ,... _.: :: .. .. ~:et:•:al~e- .red-o:fr`e~e~t•s cif-.: t~~E:° ~€mi•s~~,~_:..on ~~;~~.- - Enforcement Standards by providing forty hours . in-service training for members of the department; Conducted a management course for supervisor personnel. This course was conducted by staff members of the ~•lanagement Traininc Division from the FBI ~~ational Training P,cadem.y, ~uanti co, Va., a first for the department; .. . . , . Obtained training films for the Training Academy e ng ri h stress These films were s own to ,. - :~ . ,. .. _ ,.. M...N-... t~i~•~ obi: ~ ~~r~s`; pct dr .:t~i~e ~r .... ,. :i ~.. ~~~ .,a=~`t°~~rp't'_- ~~-o a educate both officer and wife on how police ~h~ork d/~ .~ _, ~~..~ :, E~ . .. .. ~- :r=...~, :' .•aL•!'yaJr.~~•,. -.+ +a•_'i't :rr~~+ .,., jr;,~~1~~`t't's ~.t '~~` .. J.'1!T ~~~ FT.j~t~ ~ ~':s~` .'a'+'? .. a~~ s~ .. .. - ~ -4 Obtained additional firearms,~bot" handguns and rifles to be used by the department in traininn and .f.i e1 d operati ons ~ ~ ~ ~ - .., y` .K . . f ... ~. ' ~ Con ucted a~ rai•ning session for the Crittenden ;:,'. .. ~_ .... ::~. ~,:.. :Go~nty _She..r.ff's--._Off.ic:e<..t.o cer.,ti fy,~m.em.b~-r...s of _ ' their department to meet training standards. (2) Under benefiis, the department had: Pay raises for all department personnel. The pay scale was updated in Jul y. of 1978;. • Hi red .'new personnel to bring department up to authorized strength of s i xt,y t~~ree . ~ (T~e fi rs.t time i n t!~ree years that this has. been done);. .. . Started work on the Police. Pension Plan to un- - .. . . . .• ... _ .. ..> .. , .. ,. .. t: .. .. . / ~ t ,a ., • .~.~~ ,j..q:.~,:y.:~we,:;a...:.~:'~~,'~~,~ "ra:.',''*t-T„•3: o,; .keys~,"'':~:. ~..~. :ate, 4~ ~r:,-:R_.: t./,•: ~~~~,tY:l...{~:.`7i`1 ~~ •? -4~u ~. j~~;i~a'-VY ~" •t~'~'L' '.i-r„A+`,': ,~.~ - • ~ grade the retirement •benefits ~of persons on retirement status ti~rith the department; (3) - .. `¢ia-de ~prormoti on`s to f~i ~ 1= rank that was • open ~ .. _ .. - ;: ..~ within the. department. Also, a nevr rank was created by separating the ~darcotics Section .. .: , a..n:d the• Crim.i na1 'Intel.l i Bence D.i ui si~on wa th~i n a: ~ ' • the department. One of the promotions went to Captain Pearl Lyon, the first wor~an in the history of the department to hold a supervisory • .. position within .the department. ,. .. ;. .. •~Techni ca•1• Advancements---Instal 1 end l~oggi ng equipment i n ~ • • ~ ' • .. the 'radio'. room~~ to record al.l i n~comi.ng ~a.n~ .out.- :. ~ • . go~i rig radio and telephone cal 1 s ; J Tw f. ~t' 5.}~ r. ~-s -S" , ,r~~-n:s~s~.:~" 1 \~i ~ ,-~';:.~~1rTi~~'f• P:~,~'~"~/.~.L~•.Q!"zt1._; i~.$~+.7L7xd~"!.[~'~,~. S: ~•: ~(' ~.r `~~1?..rw> 1. B.y;~. ~M ~, ~~ _•:Y ~~k+~-', ,~ r. .., Installed er.ergency generator for emergency . lighting and power to operate police radios during a power failure; -• -.pbtai n-ed speci~~al . i n~vesti gati~ve~~ equ'i-pment fo•r ~. ~ • the detective division; .~ ~.:C.onst.ructed new..evide.nce.vault ~f,or. the-~depa.rtment; -' -... ;... '~ ..... ;..... ,:. Y :.:..: ~- .. ..- ~ • ~ _ O b i - .•.. _ ~,i - - ~ ~ r a • ..t:o:. •~a i d " i n - ~ r o - ....... ~ta ned a :nP mug shot cam . .'. ~: r..s a n s. ar, r.e .. ,~;,.:. _.. i .n ess ,, .. .. 9, .. ~ . .:• , .. „. Reduced the number of personal injury accidents in the city. (~)' i~iet the•requirements of the Jail Standards Commission by • ,.~,: .'.,xt~y;~i:.ti;. .i : . .; s `". ,«i.. e, ''.'°~ surer':' ~,n~- .. instal,ling a -fire exit door and removing bunks to allow ~~ . th.e h.ousi ng~ of .the p.rop.er a.mount..Af. i:ram.ates. pe:r ;~e,1;1::.. _ .'>> :..- (5} Constructed a new enclosed fenced in area to store stolen bicycles, etc., for safe keeping. .With Gary Pospisil serving as department head, the, Code Enforce-. ment Department's Plumbing and Sewer Inspection Division accomplished .. n ~, .~ .. .. •, .. C. '..-..A • ~ the following in 1978: .~- •k'° '~ v' - ~-'~f i~•~~`a::.. i s':>:, M~f..~. ~..r•~y...r ~_«x'w..~.~:s~~?'t~a~ .. .~'.~..~ a. :`-.. •~tA~°"'r ~- ~.. .. _• <.i,,t'•. i:i . ~. .~ . ~• (1) With the cooperation of Don~Chr•istian, Auditorium Director, the two fountains in front of City Hall were put into v~rork- ,~ r .,~ i n•g condi_,ti on This came after an..ab~ence of .about .two_ ... _ ,- . ,.ears rri th . a .year of, .wo.rk, ng, on, the,.poo.l s..invol,ve'd_._. Ltand•-~.. . scaping had to be redone around the fountain to accomodate them. These new fountains give that area a new and improved 1 ook; .. ~ - .. .. - • .• (2..} A program was .initiated ,an handicap i nspect.i ores on al 1 ci ty- owned properties and buildings to bring them in compliance with the Acts of Arkansas (Act 122 and Act 484}•. These . ~. - ~ _ .. ~.~ .~: t~:ns~p.e.,e-ti vns -C.©n.si~'sted of~ checking ,the b~i~hd~•r~g 'fo~r~~ha•~rd~i...' : •. . (a) ~ _, . .- :`:.. ~ ~ ~ ~ .~' ~'nd th•s,~fwas~~rf~o1 l~o~wed ~u~p wi th~ .~ report o~n .. .. . ca~p~' b~arri~e~r~s a the violations vri th suggestions as to !~ovr the city can come in compliance with the act and correct the handicap barrier. These i nspecti ores .have. c.onti nued .to. the streets., _~ as far as new streets being made usable by handicapped persons; ... :. ,,. .. ~~ . .. ..:: _ "' ', 3) The Sewer Tnspecti on Division has had main .sev~rer l i ne~~ ex= ~ .. . tensions inspections . These m~i n hi ne se~~ier i n•s~pect ons~ ~:. h v~; .t o...be.:super.ui.s~:d end in_sp.~:~~e_d, tie ~.~~.i.r~~;~~e ~?,~~;~~~:~->~:- ., . are being put into t~~e ground. There is a final inspection and test before being accepted by the city; _~ (4) The division has taken all the ordinances :.hat .~pertai.n. to ~ ~ ~-.~ plumbing, gas, or sewer, work and revised them. This con- sisted of combining ordinances and voiding ones that were outdated. or non-enforceable; :. _ .,.. .~,. :. -, ~ ..__ ._~::~.: (5) The plumbing inspector has made numerous r?sidents fix leaking sewer lines; ~ ~ . (6) Due to the fall ure of restaurants_,and .ot~he.r. bus.i.ness.e.s..;_~:o..,._ . , ::.:. .. maintain their grease interceptors, the Utility Sewer De- "partment has had a orobl em of ~ grease bui 1 duQ~ ~i`n ~ the mai~n+ sewer line, which causes sewer stops. The inspector has written and enforced an ordinance that requires these inter- -~ ceptors to be permitted and inspected. ,.. ; _;. ~7 ~ ...T.here aier.e .222, bui l di n ermi.ts .-f©~~, new -aa.ames:,•:n-ew ~.b..u-s.i-~-~s.s~s,.~:.~~ . - - 9 ~R . . ~T h-,. ~ y~Q :.M i ~ye: .~ ~r• 1 TA f .IX~'y'TK'~1:4:, . .and addi t~ ons issued.. r ~. _~• • . . .- Under the leadership of Calvin Avery, the Code Enforcement De- par•tment's Building and Electrical Division accomplished the following a! .G' ". ... things:.. .. ., . (T) As of P~ovember, 1978, a total of 317 ~ bui 1 di no ' fermi t~s~ had ' been issued. This total includes residential, commercial, .`~' industrial, public works, churches, and religious huildings; _ (2) ~ City Inspector proposed- a ne~r.- ordi nance~.to i ncre~ase the cost of bui 1 di nc~ permits . This ordinance era's recently ..passed by the City Council; . (3) The.department adopted the 1977 Southern Building Code; (9) ~. ~; .. ~~`he ~'~.ns.pe~c.to~r~~::~poke to~ ~t?ie ~R,p..a.~-hors off.,-`~~~~~~ Y ~4) the Lions Club on codes of the building enforcement of ,the City ~of ~~lest E~1emphi s . r of 1978 .was also an eventful and. busy one . f.or the. City The yea 'ful Commission. The members presented Yard of "9erit awards Beauti ' di vi duals in residential areas and businesses for their efforts to ~ n _ . ., ndsca i n and improving the appearance of ~the~i~r :~p,rooerty. `~ ~ ~ ^ ~ ~~ ~n 1a p 9 . .. ~' Commission also held a city wi d~e~~."Cl~e~~~ ~lip'•~Day~"~ wi'th' out-~ -~ The r c lot :.m „a"Tn.. . ... ,: i• y J . _ *~•. .e , se: of their fQr ~,p. ~?~~.,.: ~::~ .fir". :_ .r . .; standing resu.l ts... ~ Be~~u .. .. _ f . ~ . ~t ....r ..~~~ .. ,.. . ..: ... . ~1es t '"gem his i s a city which we can al 1 be proud of cerned c~tlzens, P n Januar 9, 1979, Judge Henry !rJi 1 son's. decision on a 1 a~~fsui t 0 y d the West Memph.i s Civil Ser.v.i ce Commi s.s_TOl~ u:rtcons~ti tut onal , ._ that. declare , was received. ~ ~~ The Data Processing manager, Bryant ~4Ji therspoon, ;continues to~ _ :.. add ro rams to the city's computer.. The entire utilit bill~n system, ,; .~ ... ~:~ ._ - ,. .. .. ..:. .. . .. .. , _ ., was rewritten to utilize the magnetic tape bought in 1977. The city's gas and oil report was programmed in July, and the privilege license . ,~ ro ram was, rewritten. General ledger,,general asset, inventory, bank, P g. _ .-.. _ .. ~' reconciliation, and deposit accounting were expanded. Accounts payable is being studied for 1979. ~ - Under the able guidance of the ~~rtest "lemphi s Uti 1 i ty Commission, 'a one million gallon overhead water storage tank has been 90% com- -pleted, the Ira Owens electric substation completed, and a new water ~~ t we) l built behind the West P~emnhi s Educati o~a_1; ..G p..~.t.e,r_.,:.. -~ .., ..... ,:; ~- - ~»,~~ p ... G. .._ Para ~. manager of the Ut.i l i ty_ Commi s_s i on, rep.or.ted that ,. ,. .. , plans are being looked into to buy into generating plants for future power. needs. West ~~lemphis is fortunate that we did not receive an e1 ectri cal rate 1 ncrease from Arkansas Power anc~ ~a,i:.4-h.t.. d~ur~i n~g~~~1~-978-.: :.° ~ . Efforts through our Senators and Representati v-es -in-~~aashi~ng~ton seemed to keep alive the prolonged hope that West ~lemphis Utility Com- - mission may someday be able to purchase cheaper electric power from TVA... It will require congressional. action. ~. ~~ - - ~ ~ ~~ Arkansas State University offered four courses at the !~Fest "ier~- .phis Educational Center for the two summer semesters. The total en- ro~llment was eighty nine students for the summer. The~fall semester (l0) .~.~.:{ .`.::.. `d,Tdn,,.,t..~at~~t:r~~~.~`.: e~n~ou~g-F~'~students ~to' m~a'k~e` `c'lasse`s'. ~'Sl~~ ~~s no~~~ enra? for the spring semester. A new s ark was kindled in December fora Vocational-Technical P S hool in Crittenden County. An enthusiastic delegation prepa,red.. . c lication and presented it in Little Rock. This need for Vo-Tech an app s in our county has been met by these dedicated legislators and . ski l l - _ `citizens . If tl~e 1 egi sl ature funds thi s~ school; - i't~ w~i-11 mean -that i.~.=-'~~ dusty arrd~ business will ,have tra~ne~d workeris~~in~~the l7est~: Mem~ph~s~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~- y labor force which wi 11 attract industry toy our c~.i~, an.d~ ~.~e~a,tea~,jobs..f ,y ~.... r - ..- .. !; . .; ,. ..... ~' ... ~ for our unemployed. '~ The Cable TV Advisory Board 4,ras appointed and will r~eet in January with the new. American Cabl evi s i on manager. A bui.i.d-i n:g ,ai to .has been ~ . urchased and architect's plans are ready for the new t~lest "lemphis P Cabl evi s i on op~rati on . Pot es havebeen rented and ~~s trand ~ maps dra~yn ~ " ;, . ., . . arty. April. .. with the f i r_st customers to rece~ ve service i n e ~, r.. _ l ,.. ,. ...w ,~ ,~µ.. tie need to elir;inate duplication of services by consolidating duplicated service at ti;e "higher" level of government. _As of this.. moment, the city anal count share ex enses on the f~ei ~ hborh.o.od .Faci^11 ty, ..._- Municipal judge and clerks salaries, the sanitary landfill, and am- bulance service. ~ In the future, I believe ~that~ 1-oc~~~`~'~governments ~~ F will have to cooperate and share services, in order to minimize over- 'lapping jurisdictions and functions between units of governments. '~!e . may have to consolidate political subdivisions in order to minimize .the number of units o,f governm,ent di.re,ctay,,.imp,~ct,p.g~.Q.nw_our ~ci: z~n~..._ . -.~..,.:_. We shvul d . re , ui re, coo erat~ ve l.on ra.n e,,. 1 anni n for needs Y common ._ . .~ f ~ 1. t }., ." Y .~ ~ N '. r '.. ,. , •.. .' a to several jurisdictions. I believe that the state and federal~~overn- ment should grant cities more home rule so that citizens may choose . whether ~ they want to 1 owes our tax burden --or whet~l~~r~=.t~be:y~ -r~ant~ to .. _.. _.,.:.~*,: make government more efficient and 1 ess com!~l i cated~.•~~ ,Thee squeeze on - municipal finances is not confined to any one city or state, since publicity from Washington indicates that the work to cut federal spend- ing .cores ..from. all over the. nation. Since :state. ~.nd..federal leg.is- nation from time to time mandate that local c~overnments~soPnd money to meet certain regulations and restriction, I believe that no standard, requirement, or restriction should be imposed on a local (~ 1 ~ ~~ ~M .. .s .. , • =fit~s~ •=c•o~n-ts:~ -~.t:a•t~e~ :~.n~,d.::, f,e-c~er`a.: ~`. ,:~ , r .. •~~'d~~'"7tr~'ter~''tt•~iN-~~~kt~'c~tY- '°~`p~e~C~ f~<i~~~ overnment have placed a heavier burden on local governments by of g _ . - n a~i r and water and care for Nandi capped : ~ ~ ~~ .mandating clea 'The cit 's first task is to help citizens recognize and appreciate • y .~ 1 ...... - ffs and choices they must make between their desire for trade o d better ublic services and the taxes needed to pay for them. .more an P. .. ~ _ .,-_ ... . ~~on~l ., we ~ shout d b~e- the source of sot i d~ 1 egi-tmate concerns r. .,. .~A~d next,. `we.``shou~}~d. dev.el~op_ rea~~onabl~~ .and.-.real-isti.c~ ..-~• o~f. a11. taxpaye s for financing of needed public services Lastly,tha city ~, .. +- ` ~- alternatives _ - _ ~ ~~ . - . J. ~ . .~ ~ - .~ .:a Nom. :... yr t;~t .• - ..> >~~1~:~..~ -s~'M'~.~7ty.1~'~sYe1' s:.: s~`a:r* ,.+;,, '•. .. .. e C t ~ V - tinize existing programs to assure their value and ffe e should scru Hess. th and ~ rosperi ty of ~~dest Memphis . ~rri 1 1 only continue if Grow P. _ .~.. ._ -::. '~ .n la~men, and local citizens continue to dedicate them- businessme , y . ..' ~ the -welfare -of~ the city. - . The city nee~ds~ -the help- 'and pa~rti ci -~ .. 'selves to , .. _. _- ._ .... :.. pation of all citizens, cooperation and love since they have tivithin wer to chan-g e.. progress for. the •bett~r in our community. I ~en- their po _ 'ours a all citizens who enjoy the privilege of living in a democracy c g ose ver rincip~l is based on citizen involvement) to participate .. ... ., . q... '~y~' ,~ _ • in all levels of government.. There is no goal that we cannot reach, ~i f each o~f ~ us resod ved to-•-jo~i n hands--bl ack• and white,- bus•i ne~~s ~, schoo=l., -. city, churches and put 1 together. If ~~~e al 1 have courae?e to set aside differences and pull together to make 'Hest Memphis a better vlace to l:i ve,- we ..can mold the future. for .our. chi 1 dren . .. We have so much potential and wealth--we have ~pE_ ,, _,. _ .. . .~ ~ .. ..: -«. _..: ..: r . _ - . ideal geographical location for business, since transportation sys m {~: ,....4. .: :~ . .;. ~. .~„ iC ~.• ,. ... ... !t ~ .. ., xcellent; we have th.e !lississippi River, two interstate hiah- are so e wa s railroads, state highways and a reliever airport. Potential for y~ i g.re.at.n~ss..a.b.~.u ur z t.~ ... ~,- ,~ - . } . ~ -. ~ ~ ~ _ . ,: The c-i ti z:ens- of west -F~e.mphi s ~ have _el-ected~four. n.ew ~m.ember-~ -t~o : :-. ~ ' _.~- serve on the City Council for 1979-1980. 6~lith the cooperation that ~ 1 members of the City Council have pledged, I believe that 1979 al hat ~~lest :1emohian.s, wi 11 . enjoy,. an even bet- wi 1 1 be progressive and . t _ _ ter quality of life. (l2) v PASSED ACJD APPROVED thi s __ ~ _day of ~'~~~, , 1 D79. f~ J .yce T. Ferguson Mayor There being no further business to come before the Council, Alderman Duvall made a motion, seconded by Alderman Ray, that the meeting be adjourned. Dpon voice vote of the Council, this motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned. ATTEST: dbe Dan Craft City Clerk ~~)