The City Council convened for its final meeting of the year to honor four departing council members with farewell remarks, approve a new affordable housing purchase on 899 Morrison Drive while terminating the agreement with the county for 993-995 Morrison Drive, and vote to sunset the current HARC commission. The meeting featured student presentations, public testimony on racial conciliation, and the renaming of public infrastructure to honor outgoing officials.
All right, I'd like to call the December sixteenth meeting of City Council to order. Madam Clerk, please call a roll. Council Member Greg, Councilmember Sheeley, Council Member McBride, Councilmember Mitchell, Councilmember Brady, President, Council Member Gregory, Councilmember Waring, Councilmember Seekings, Councilmember Tinkler, Councilmember Balden, Councilmember Appel, Councilmember Parker, Mayor Codswell. Here. Help us to see the divine spark in each other, regardless of our paths or beliefs. May the love that brought light into the world fill our homes, communities, and nations. Remove barriers of prejudice, selfishness, and division, replacing them with compassion, forgiveness, and empathy. Inspire us to extend kindness, grace, and a helping hand to all, fostering peace beyond our own traditions. May this season renew our commitment to walk together in love, celebrating our shared humanity and reflecting the best of all our faiths. Amen. Again, the Susan Griffin Customer Service Award and the title of employee of the year. This award embodies the very spirit of public service, dedication, compassion, and excellence in meeting the needs of our citizens. Over the past year, 31 quarterly winners have stood out for their remarkable contributions and countless additional nominees, both internal and external, have demonstrated the extraordinary talent and commitment that makes our city thrive. From this outstanding field, one individual has risen above, as exemplifying the very best of who we are and what we strive to be. Their work has touched colleagues, residents, and partners alike, and setting a standard of service that again inspires us all. So it is with great pride that I announce the winner of the Susan Griffith Customer Service Award and our employee of the year 2025, Mr. Rossi Brown. Come on up. So he's as shocked as everyone else is. But I did want to read the nomination because I think this is really uh just talks about how uh Mr. Brown has gone above and beyond, literally, for this city. And this is from this was the uh um uh nomination that came from Mr. Terry Williams. And by the way, uh Rossi is an in the accounting BFRC, an accounting technician and finance and who's been with the city for two years. But this is what Mrs. Terry Williams provided uh the nomination. This is her words. On Friday, February 28th, I was sitting at my desk getting some work done, picking it some breakfast. I'm not sure what happened, but the next thing I knew, I was choking, and I was totally unable to breathe. I approached Rossi holding my throat, and he immediately asked if I was choking. I turned and he started with the Heimlich. Rossi never lost his cool and continued until I was finally able to breathe. At no time did he ever seem to lack the confidence or knowledge to help me. He sent me a text message that evening checking on me, and only then did he tell me how concerned he was that he wasn't working that it wasn't working and was contemplating getting help. He showed the courage and confidence to step up, and I'm very thankful for him and for having him as a part of the AP team. So again, everybody, please join me in congratulating Mr. Rossi Brown for this well-deserved honor. He truly is a lifesaver. Good stuff, good stuff. Jesus. This will be their last meeting. So I would first like to ask Councilmember Robert Mitchell to join me up on stage, and he is also the mayor pro Tim. Come on. Mayor Pro Tim. And I'll just say briefly that it has been quite an honor to serve with Councilman Mitchell. He is somebody that uh has a deep love and appreciation and connection to this place. Uh his institutional knowledge has proven invaluable to me as a new mayor. He's been very patient with me, uh, very supportive, uh, especially when I've done stupid things. So I just want to say thank you for uh all that you have done for this city and your time here, and would love to give you an opportunity to say a few words. I think I had spoken enough low host here, but I always say let the work I've done speak for me.