Special Session December 28, 2023

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[0:06] The December 28, 2023 special session of the Clarksville City Council is now called order. Elder Tanya Russ, Operation Restoration Ministries, and another of our outstanding city employee family, will be our chaplain of the day, pledges of allegiance for we led by Councilperson Shikinam. I'll invite you to stand if you wish, and elder Russ, if you would, lead us in prayer.
[0:31] Let us pray.
[0:33] Heavenly Father, we thank you for another beautiful day.
[0:35] We thank you for allowing us to come together once again,
[0:39] while I pray that you continue to bless this city,
[0:41] bless our mayor, his family,
[0:43] while I pray that you're blessed,
[0:44] everyone that sits in the seat of leadership.
[0:46] I pray that you give them wisdom, guidance,
[0:49] and strategy to make sure that everything goes as you
[0:52] desire for it to go in the city of carpool.
[0:55] In Jesus name, I pray, amen.
[1:26] Thank you, Madam Clerk, the only two items on our special session agenda are as a result of the December 9, 2023 tornado that devastated many parts of our community.
[1:38] They are assigned to the standing committees of the council and the first item is gas and water
[1:45] committee chairperson Holliman, you're recognized.
[1:49] Thank you, Mayor. First up, we have ordinance 57, 2023, 24, first reading, an ordinance
[1:55] authorizing the City of Clarksville Gas and Water Department to forgive certain water
[1:58] usage for customers. Suffering leakage due to damage to structures caused by EF3,
[2:05] on December 9th, 2023. I'll make a motion for approval.
[2:10] Motion made in properly seconded in favor of ordinance 57. I have I have
[2:14] dismissed a rig in, so we put my teeth in, so I can talk. To come forward and give us
[2:20] a brief explanation of the ordinance and answer questions. Mr. Riggins, you recognize.
[2:24] Thank you Mayor. Good evening, Mayor. Council. After serving in the damage of the
[2:28] tornado, it was plain to see early on. We were going to need to invoke some of the
[2:34] code. Of course, thank you, Mayor. We'll quickly make that call and you allow us to do that.
[2:39] In further assessment, again, looking at the damage and seeing that a lot of the most of the
[2:44] structures that had severe damage throughout, as you can imagine the water piping in those
[2:49] when the pipe comes into when the house is either gone or severely damaged, that water is leaking.
[2:54] Well, so happens. It's on the customer side, which means the meter is actually reading that water
[2:58] charge it to the customer. The code is not allowed for bill forgiveness and that we are
[3:04] not asking to change the code. I do believe this is one of the things that needs to be asked
[3:09] on one time basis as you have events like this. But in this we are basically asking for those
[3:16] as the ordinance says those who can prove they were in the path of the tornado that we would
[3:22] do an average bill from the last time they were read up until the water was shut off. Anything
[3:27] above that being the leakage that was caused we would forgive that. I do just want to point
[3:33] out to as far as proof of damage we have info very good info from the Austin P's GIS department
[3:39] that tracks that so we have those addresses. So when the when the resident or business owner
[3:44] calls and says that address we will check that list if they're on that list that's all the
[3:49] proof we need. If they're beyond that we may ask for something from an insurance company something
[3:54] like that beyond, but other than that, that's all we need.
[3:59] Happy to answer your questions.
[4:00] Thank you, Mr. Regan.
[4:00] Any comment or question?
[4:01] Council person McLaughlin, you're recognized.
[4:04] Thank you, Mayor.
[4:04] Mr. Regan's just a couple of questions.
[4:07] And this will be the same for Mr. Frasby, just a general question.
[4:13] Are there, do you have costs estimates?
[4:15] Like if everybody was within that path,
[4:20] did have a claim to get wave?
[4:22] do you have an idea of the dollar amount? I do not, because it's a big difference between the
[4:28] partial split of a pipe, a complete split. I don't know, you know, if my foot, like I can tell you
[4:34] initially, when the tornado first came through, with gas leaks, it's a little easier. You just
[4:38] made everybody smells gas. They call, we get out there immediately and shut it off. Now those folks
[4:43] who were out there addressing that gas, if they saw water pouring out, they went ahead and turned
[4:47] the water meter off as well. It's those that we didn't see and we may not have gotten out there or nobody got
[4:53] through two or a couple days later or something like that. We're a ran, but I really, we are tracking that.
[4:59] I can't tell you over the next, as we have in here 60 days, I would imagine within, I can have you a figure by next week
[5:08] of what we have up to this point and we may can do some kind of assessment based off of that. I'll try to get you the numbers I came before next week.
[5:15] Well, the reason I ask is, I would hope that you all are able to file some kind of reimbursement
[5:22] with FEMA and you'll need those numbers, but I just curious, then packed, and I know several
[5:27] of us saw structures that, for sure, nobody checked anything after they got out safely or
[5:34] until they were allowed to go back. So I'm not against this. I just am hoping that we'll have some
[5:39] number so that we have an opportunity to ask for a reimbursement from FEMA if that opportunity
[5:44] presents itself.
[5:45] We certainly will. We're tracking everything right down to fee transfer fee was way that
[5:51] we would usually charge for which course we're not. We're tracking everything. I would rather
[5:56] have something to be turned down forward than them, something that they would allow me
[5:59] not having.
[6:00] But we will have everything.
[6:01] Okay. Thank you so much.
[6:02] Thank you very well.
[6:03] Thank you, Councillor Lovato, you recognized.
[6:05] Thank you, Mayor. I just want to clarify that process if they are on the
[6:09] they do still need to call and take it back for getting us correct or is it automatically applied to them?
[6:15] They need to call and needs to be initiated and once they see the bell I would imagine they'll call.
[6:22] And we'll be able to tell quickly through that as well.
[6:25] We'll be able to see that abnormal usage and in some of this we've never done this before that I know of.
[6:32] So there may be some, I'll let's talk to my staff if someone doesn't call.
[6:36] We may try to reach out to them.
[6:38] Okay. We're going to figure this out. We're going to try to make sure everybody's taken care of.
[6:42] And then once they call how quickly can they see the built reflectiveness?
[6:47] We'll adjust it right away. Right away. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much.
[6:51] Count's person Smith, you recognize? Thank you, Mayor. Mr. Riga, I see that this is only for water.
[6:57] What about gas? Because I know there was some gas leakage just, or houses that were flattened.
[7:02] Right. So on the gas for now we don't know. Everything on the water we know
[7:07] was behind the meter on the gas we don't know that.
[7:10] We know in the gas we responded rather immediately, and I thought about this after this
[7:16] what I plan to do is look and see what the effect is on gas, of course gas is a different
[7:21] beast because we pay for gas for the water we treat ourselves, but if it looks like the same
[7:27] type of scenario where we need to do something I'll simply come back with a gas, it wouldn't
[7:31] as well. But I don't have those numbers and again it's so it's so different. Again, it may
[7:36] be a gas leak where the meter came, as you can imagine, some gas meters will never recover.
[7:41] Well, that gas leak is on our side. It wasn't built up again with it. So I would be eating
[7:46] that gas anyway. But again, as we, that's our plan, is to check that out if we see
[7:50] that becomes an issue, I'll just come back with another ordinance.
[7:53] Okay, thank you.
[7:56] Councillor Stringman, you recognize?
[7:57] Thank you, sir. Mr. Riggins, something I thought about in regard
[8:00] to you have individuals that are set up to automatically draft their payment, and as was mentioned,
[8:06] they would initiate the process, they may not, with everything they have to think of, may not
[8:11] think about that until after it's already drafted out of their account. Would that be something
[8:16] to where, if they initiated the process that they would be able to get, not necessarily just a credit
[8:22] because depending on the situation, a credit might not be something that would be advantageous to
[8:28] could they actually get a refund issued back to them?
[8:32] Yes, we would give them the option of, would they rather have the credit, would they want
[8:36] it refunded back?
[8:38] The good thing about the way the code is structured now already, any kind of fees, late fee, let's
[8:45] say the bank didn't process, because it was insufficient funds.
[8:47] We can wave all those fees already, this just strengthens that we work with the customers
[8:53] all that.
[8:54] Thank you, sir.
[8:55] Thank you.
[8:56] Any other questions?
[8:57] Hearing none, saying none, are you ready to vote?
[9:00] All members please cast your vote.
[9:02] And remember, voted.
[9:03] And you remember, wish to change their vote.
[9:04] Madam Clerk, please take the vote.
[9:07] 10, yes.
[9:08] One, no.
[9:08] Zero.
[9:09] Same.
[9:09] Or, in his 57 passes first, read.
[9:11] Thank you.
[9:12] Next item is the Public Safety Committee, Chairperson Red.
[9:16] We have assigned those to the Standing Committee, and I'll come to you for the reading
[9:20] of the ordinance and emotion you recognized.
[9:22] Okay.
[9:24] One second.
[9:25] Can we come back to me later?
[9:26] I'm coming back to you. I'll go ahead and read it in your state.
[9:29] It has an ordinance 62, 22, 23, 24, and ordinance authorizing the City of Clarksville
[9:34] in Cubs Department to weigh permit fees for customers, suffering a total loss or damage to
[9:40] structures caused by the EF3 tornado on December 9, 2023. I'll entertain a motion in a second.
[9:46] Motion made in properly seconded in favor of ordinance 62. Mr. Crosby, Justin Crosby,
[9:52] director of building Cubs Department of Asking to come and give us a brief explanation.
[9:55] Mr. Crosby, you recognize.
[9:57] Thank you, Mayor. Council.
[10:00] Through our meetings that we've had after the tornado,
[10:03] we found the need that folks who
[10:06] do not have help that need help in the way of
[10:12] our fees are a little different.
[10:13] So the building code fees,
[10:16] what you're looking at is demolishing fees,
[10:18] electrical safety inspection fees,
[10:21] gas safety inspection fees, and permit fees.
[10:24] So, as we talked to folks and heard from folks in the community, some folks are not served but they didn't have insurance or they didn't have, they've got somebody here to help them demolish their house and they don't know where to turn.
[10:39] Part of these fees would be for the way the demolition fees, their minimal, our responsibilities under those are minimal, but they're important.
[10:48] So, we have to follow our process, we have to issue those permits and we're asking the way the fees for those folks in order to help them move forward.
[10:57] A lot of them are having help from the community that they're not having to pay for.
[11:01] And these permit fees will want to do the same.
[11:05] Okay, you've heard the explanation in the commenter question.
[11:08] Councillor Personsmith, you recognized?
[11:10] I just want to thank the city for taking the time and effort to make things better for the citizens in Clark's field.
[11:18] I think we have those fees is awesome, also I say that these are tax payers and I think
[11:24] we are doing them just, thank you.
[11:28] Thank you.
[11:28] Any other commenter question?
[11:30] Seeing none.
[11:31] Hearing none.
[11:31] Thank you, Mr. Crossley.
[11:33] Are you ready to vote?
[11:34] All members please cast your vote.
[11:36] Every member voted.
[11:37] Any member wish to change their vote?
[11:39] Madam Clerk, please take the vote.
[11:41] 11, yes.
[11:42] Zero.
[11:42] No.
[11:43] Zero.
[11:43] or in the 62's, passes first reading.
[11:46] We're now ready for public comment.
[11:48] Any member of the public wish to address the council?
[11:51] Seeing none, any council member have a comment
[11:53] before we adjourn this special session.
[11:57] Seeing none hearing none, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.
[12:00] Without objection, where adjourn?
[12:02] See.