Good afternoon, everybody.

It's four o'clock.

I'm gonna call today's Finance Administration Council Committee meeting to order.

Um, please record your attendance if you're here.

Do have a quorum.

Next up is approval approval of minutes from the finance committee meeting on Tuesday, September 9th, 2025.

Move to approve unless there's an order to change.

Second.

I motion second.

Any questions or comments on the minutes as presented?

If not, please record your vote on whether or not to approve the minutes.

Next up, we'll move into new business.

First up is ordinance 25034, an ordinance authorizing Mid South Auto Service to do business with the City of Jonesboro, whereas Arkansas Code annotated 1442 107 provides that interest in office or contracts is prohibited by any alderman, council member, official or municipal employee, and whereas Justin Tittle is owner or owns an interest in mid-South Auto Service located in Jonesville, Arkansas, and whereas Mid South Auto Service is one of many auto repair shops that provide services to municipalities and individuals, and whereas the City of Jones Rural desires to have Mid South Auto Service continue their availability to provide services in accordance with standard purchasing guidelines followed by the city, and whereas special permissions required by the city council for mid South Auto Service owned by City Parks employee Justin Tittle to provide these services to for the City of Jonesboro.

Now therefore be enacted by the City Council of for the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas that section one, the city council for the city of Jonesboro gives special permission for mid South Auto Service owned by Justin Tittle, a city employee to provide auto repair services to the city of Jonesboro.

Move forward to full council.

Second.

Motion second forward to full council.

Any questions or comments from the committee?

I have a couple of questions, Mr.

Chairman on this one.

Um has he already been providing services?

Has Mid South already been providing services for the city?

Yes, sir.

Prior to him coming on as softball coordinator, uh, Mid South has provided our percentage of auto repairs for city vehicles.

Softball coordinator.

Uh just in the last few months.

Got it.

Yeah, good.

Yeah, so I just didn't want to take away from that opportunity.

It's not, and he isn't the only business that provides that service.

It's just I didn't want to take the opportunity away.

So we he provides just for parks and records in like police.

Any city uh vehicle potentially wants to go there.

It's just part of the same uh auto repair service that any other provider provides in the city.

So I guess the follow-up question, Mr.

Chairman, so it spells it out that no employee, municipal employee, can have a contract with us.

So are we I understand we're asking for special permission, but I mean am I wrong that it spells it out pretty clearly we can't?

I I don't think that's exactly correct.

Um we've had past instances where city employees, city council members, etc.

have had businesses that have done business with the city just has to be disclosed.

Do they do a similar agreement?

Which is what we're doing right now, right?

But do they do a similar agreement?

Yeah, we're doing the same process.

Yeah, this is actually a copy of that agreement and adjusted to it from a another situation the same way.

So the auditor every year comes in and asks for that.

State auditors does.

Okay, okay.

Thank you.

It's only question I had anything else from the committee.

Anything from the staff or city or public in attendance.

If not, please record your vote on whether or not to forward ordinance 25034 to full council.

Next up, resolution 25128.

A resolution by the city council of the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas to accept the cost proposal and issue a purchase order to matrix consulting group to provide professional services for the building code review and permitting process assessment study.

Whereas the city of Jonesboro desires to accept the cost proposal and issue a purchase order to provide professional services for the building code review and permitting process assessment study.

Whereas the selection committee has determined matrix consulting group is the most qualified firm for the project.

That section one, the City of Johnsborough shall accept the cost proposal and issue a purchase order to matrix consulting group to provide professional services for the building code review and permitting process assessment study.

Section two, the funding for the execution of the agreement shall come from the American Rescue Plan Act, revenue replacement restricted fund and compensation shall be paid in accordance with the proposal.

Move forward full council.

Second.

Any questions or comments regarding I do have one.

Is this to Craig?

Uh I was just curious as to what you're hoping to what do you think this is going to do for us to improve where we're at right now?

This study is going to review our process as an internal process, how we handle uh applications and permitting and inspections of uh new developments and new buildings, commercial residential buildings in the city of Johnsborough.

So this is kind of a review of how we do it and uh where we might be lacking and where it's uh where we need to uh maybe make some changes uh to do it better.

Um so it's a it's an out uh third party review of our process.

Noticed in the uh in the breakdown here there is a customer survey and focus group.

So I guess that's gonna be put out for some kind of meeting with anyone who wants to have input on that or it will be.

We'll invite architects and and general contractors and and home builders uh their you know to to it to give us their input on where they're having issues with us in terms of getting permits or getting inspections or getting their product you know done complete.

Um hopefully this would streamline our process and bring us up to date and maybe modernize the way we conduct permits and things like that.

Correct.

You know, there may be some you know recommendations of how we use AI in the future to to review you know, it could be that there's some bottlenecks in our system or or grievances that builders and that have with us that we're really not aware of, or that there may be an easy fix that other communities have done.

So hopefully they'll come in and review us and and you know identify those areas that we're having issues and and give us good recommendations on how we resolve those.

Yeah, thank you.

Just to follow up kind of what John's touching on.

Um so right now the process is online.

Am I correct?

Where you submit I submit plans, I you review them.

Here's the pro here's a problem.

We you send it back, they send it back.

Um, are they gonna help with working with that system that we currently have, or maybe they say, well, I think you need to scrap this, go towards the new system.

And if so, do you think there will be additional cost there if we do scrap currently what we do?

I'm not sure what their recommendations are gonna be until they do the study.

Um, they may they may make some recommendations that we change software or or they may not.

Um we won't know until they do the do the study.

Should be a fairly quick turnaround in the study.

They were only looking about three months, I believe, to do it.

So we should get their recommendations uh fairly quickly, and then we'll any recommendations we want to move forward with, we'll we'd come back with.

Right.

That'll look like at our all our building codes, our process fire codes.

Yeah, they're they're not gonna spend a whole lot of time getting into the code since we have that the comprehensive study going on that's doing the same thing.

This is more about our processes.

Um they'll look at what codes we have adopted for building codes, but I don't know that we're gonna spend a lot of time uh dissecting those codes.

It's more about processes of how do we get from an application to uh to a permit, get all the inspections done and get the certificate of occupancy and and uh make it a pleasant experience for uh the the building community.

So I I guess I have one question because I've been working with a couple of contractors.

It's not you don't have a uh Hispanic connotation in there at all because when I was helping the guy just the other day, uh Hispanic individual and helping try to get his permit on online.

Are they gonna be discussing about how they're gonna do that too?

Uh we definitely can look at uh accessibility on on the site for different languages for Spanish speakers.

So that hasn't been something that's come up at least to me directly, but that is something we could definitely look at.

Uh what it would take to do something like that.

Anything else for Craig while he's up there?

Thanks, Craig.

Is that anything else for Craig while he's up there?

All right, thank you.

Anything else from staff or the public in attendance?

All right, if not, please record your vote on whether or not to forward resolution 25128 to full council.

Resolution 25129, resolution by the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas to approve the attached fee and proposal for additional services for the Mary and Barry Parkway multi-use trail project, whereas Pickering Firm Incorporated was selected for the Marion Barry Parkway multi-use trail project, whereas the city of Jonesboro desires to increase the project with the attached fee proposal, the amount of $19,801 for trail design and $18,400 for lighting design, and whereas funding for the execution of the fee proposal proposals shall come from the capital improvement budget and compensation shall be paid in accordance with fee proposal.

Now therefore be it resolved by the city council of the city of Jonesboro, Arkansas that section one, the city of Jonesboro hereby accepts the attached fee proposal in the amount of nineteen thousand eight hundred one dollars for trail design and eighteen thousand four hundred dollars for lighting design for the Mary and Barry Parkway multi-use trail project.

Section two that funding for the execution of the fee proposal shall come from the capital improvement budget and compensation shall be paid in accordance with the fee proposal.

Section three, the mayor and city clerk are hereby authorized by the city council for the city of Jones for to accept a fee proposal and direct the purchase and agent to increase the purchase order amount.

Move forward full council, second.

Any questions or comments regarding this item?

Anything from staff or the public in attendance.

If not, please record your vote on whether or not to forward resolution 25129 to full council.

Resolution 25131.

Resolution authorized the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas to accept the FY 2023 low dash no emissions grant from the Federal Transit Administration and accept the sole source bid and enter into a contract with hometown manufacturing incorporated for the purchase of hybrid trolley buses, whereas the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas was awarded the FY 2023 low-no emissions grant for the federal from the federal transit administration the amount of 1 million 10,372 for the purchase of hybrid trolley style buses, and whereas the City of Jonesboro will provide a 15% local match, and whereas a sole source bid of $1,188,672 was submitted by hometown manufacturing incorporated, which will be paid by the aforementioned grant.

Section three, the City of Jonesboro will enter into a contract with hometown manufacturing incorporated for the purchase of four hybrid trolley buses.

Move forward to full council.

Second motion second forward to full council.

Any questions or comments regarding this item?

Anything from the staff or the public in attendance.

If not, please record your vote on whether or not to forward resolution 25-131 to full council.

All right.

Move forward to full council.

Second.

Any questions or comments on this resolution from the committee or anybody else in attendance?

All right.

Seeing none, please record your vote on whether or not to forward resolution 25132 to full council.

Resolution 2513.

Resolution by the city council of the city of Jonesburg, Arkansas to place the municipal lien on property located at 1400 Merrywood, partial 01-144 to 03-16200 on by Tonya R.

Hines in the amount of 315.

Move forward to full council.

Second.

Not please record your vote on whether or not to forward resolution 2513 to full council.

Resolution 25134, resolution by the city council of City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, to place the municipal lien on property located at 3806 School Street, parcel 01-144, 272-16500 on by Ogla Hernandez in the amount of 275 dollars.

Move to forward a full council.

Second.

Oh, second forward to full council.

Any questions or comments on this resolution from anybody in council chambers?

All right, not seeing any.

Please record your vote on whether or not to afford resolution 25134 to full council.

All right, that was the last item under new business.

I'm not aware of any pending items.

Does anybody on the committee have any other business for us tonight?

Mr.

Chairman, uh I wanted to ask uh a question on the uh where the uh I guess for the truck where the bus is stop.

How far are they along on putting sheds over all these stops?

So we have uh Aljondra may be better at answering this, but we have selected a contractor, and I think that we're in, I guess the ordering phase.

Um I believe we're expected delivery on those well before the end of the year.

I know there was some concrete, is that correct?

I know there was some concrete pads that we had to rebuild to meet ADA specs.

Um, and then obviously there's some utility alignment that might be needed for a few of them, but maybe in the way that the light is at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

So we're we're looking forward to getting those in, and uh you know that they'll be a good service.

And I know that we were in we had a discussion the other day about some of the info boards that were on those, and and you know, some of those talks are starting to advance about not just if we're gonna get these but but when we're actually gonna get them in and when they're gonna be programmed and when when they're actually gonna be usable by the public.

So I I appreciate it.

I I keep fasting by it because we it's getting close to winter.

Yes, and a lot of these people have to stand out there, and I I guess it it continue bothers me until we get it done.

Yeah, and uh you know, just commend uh grants and and jet and engineering for sticking with this.

Um, you know, this band grant, I guess that we were ordered two and a half years ago or something along those lines.

But any time that you get a you know grant with the federal funding, there are a especially when it comes to jets, there are a lot of of items that you've got to kind of work through in boxes you have to check, and uh then come to find out you know, at some point down the line the original manufacturer that at first quoted it.

I guess they were they were no longer in business, so we had to find somebody else, so that was fun.

Uh but but they fought through it and uh very question I have uh though are those pads if there's they're put legal sizes uh there are there a state requirement or there are uh federal requirements.

Uh well the the issue that we had with them was we didn't I guess we didn't have the uh they were constructed several years ago and we didn't have any kind of the uh the engineering specs as far as if they could meet the requirements for being able to bolt to to ensure that you know they're not gonna blow away or something along those lines.

ADA requirements too, don't you?

Correct.

And and they were ADA compliant, but there was just some there was some question about if we could you know prove the integrity of the concrete that they would meet the requirements necessary to anchor the the shelter to it.

Um you know, and some so some of those had to be reported.

Um didn't really hurt anything just slows slows the time process down a little bit.

It's a relatively small pad, but you know, we just wanted to make extra sure that we comply with the grant in every way possible, so didn't want to take any chances on that piece.

I have a question along the same line.

Something I brought up last week at the MPO meeting about continuing concern that um Dr.

Coleman and I both have mentioned in the past about the need for sidewalks on North Patrick.

And it has occurred to me, and I know that there's a lot there's a lot of engineering will be required because the ditches and it's the narrow shoulder there, which also the narrow shoulder is what makes it very unsafe for foot traffic along there, and it and thus the need for it.

And but it occurred to me when I was driving up that way one day that we've we've got the jets bus stops there, and uh I I know that uh getting federal transit funds uh in the past uh helped us uh build the sidewalks on Careway, much needed sidewalks that we needed for a long time.

We were able to use uh federal transit funds for that because it was necessary for you know potential riders to get to the bus stop that needed sidewalks, and uh so I wonder if it's possible that we uh look to maybe accessing federal transit funds to help with the cost of the sidewalks on North Patrick.

Correct, and actually got uh Director Wells and and uh several staff.

We we had this a similar discussion um a couple weeks ago as they're working on next year's, I guess, action plan and budget for for JET to submit to the um transit authority, you know, trying to get as much funding as we could for pedestrian infrastructure just because I mean it's it's building sidewalks on sale essentially, so we'll definitely take as much of that as we can as we can get as we're comfortable locally matching because I mean we do we do there is a local match to it, but you know, especially areas of high need like uh you know we're getting less and less of them, but there's still some areas of high need that have zero pedestrian infrastructure, and so there is a formula that does allow you to to build pedestrian infrastructure with federal tax dollars.

Um you know, out it has to be within an X number of feet, uh maybe it's a quarter or a half mile.

Um, there are some other stipulations on shared use pass that maybe allow for a little bit wider swath that that we're getting some clarity on and also going to request some funding for that.

So really it's just a question of how much funding is going to be available for us to try to get from the federal government for transit purposes next year, and you know, it right now we just don't know.

Um, but I know that that jets and finance are are are working on putting together some figures for that.

You know, I think that we we also looked at some other parts and some other areas of town that that were in needs of sidewalk and we're done talked to engineering the other day and they're gathering some price estimates on that just so we can go ahead and be prepared to put that in the budget whenever funds come available and we kind of know what we're looking at for the guidelines.

I think the original plan was to go out to make know you, right?

Okay, so how far are we from halfway?

Um you know, if you go from Belt Street, you know, another sidewalk there at Belt and uh Patrick Well they built that new uh housing project out there correct the sidewalks there, but I think past or um I don't I don't remember this, so you might need to correct me on this.

Did that complex build that particular stretch of sidewalks or did the city build that the complex did because it matches the entrance there develop the developer built that yeah?

So we need from from that point going to make know you is the point that we're okay, okay.

Correct.

There are no pedestrian accommodations.

If there are, there it's a very small portion, but I don't believe there's any from where they currently end in front of that housing development too, Magnolia.

If you're looking from belt on, yeah, yeah, it ends about that second development.

Is all correct?

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Any other business?

Uh if not, we'll move in to number seven public comments.

Gives the public a chance to comment on something that was not already discussed on today's agenda.

Any public comments?

Nope.

All right, we'll move into number eight adjournment.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

We said adjourned.