[0:07] Good evening everyone.

[0:08] » Good evening.

[0:09] » At this time, it's now 6:30 and I'd like

[0:12] to council I'd like to call December

[0:14] 29th

[0:16] uh 2025

[0:18] uh regular council meeting to order.

[0:20] Roll call, please.

[0:21] » Council member Books

[0:23] » Here.

[0:24] » Brown is absent. Eastman

[0:26] » Here.

[0:27] » Miles,

[0:28] » Here. Moika

[0:29] » Here.

[0:29] » Montes doca is absent. Newberry

[0:32] » Here.

[0:32] » Parson

[0:33] » Here.

[0:33] » Jabiscoco

[0:34] » Here.

[0:36] Everyone please stand for the pledge of

[0:37] allegiance.

[1:11] Notice of this meeting has been sent to

[1:13] the official newspapers and adequate and

[1:15] electronic notice has been provided in

[1:17] accordance with the open public meetings

[1:19] act as required by law.

[1:22] » At this time, Mr. Maddie, would you like

[1:24] to have some words, please?

[1:33] Bob,

[1:39] » First let me thank council for coming

[1:40] out in the middle of the holiday season

[1:42] and and spending a few moments with me

[1:44] and with us. Um I'm going to uh real

[1:47] briefly go through the agenda. We only

[1:48] have four items this evening. Um I do

[1:51] want to spend a moment and and talk

[1:52] about the first one and that's a

[1:54] resolution that awards a contract uh to

[1:56] remove some trees. Um, and we've talked

[1:59] about this uh in different settings, but

[2:02] um uh we had an arborist uh do a review

[2:05] um of all the shade trees in the city a

[2:07] couple years back. Um he made a

[2:09] recommendation uh to remove um a

[2:12] substantial number of trees and and this

[2:13] is one of the contract that's being

[2:15] awarded and further into those of that

[2:17] recommendation. Um and that's a pretty

[2:19] easy uh recommendation to follow and I

[2:22] use the term recommendation advisably.

[2:25] Um when the when an arbor says that tree

[2:28] needs to come down, it's pretty easy to

[2:30] concur with that and say, "Okay, we're

[2:31] going to remove that tree." Um but there

[2:35] are many times when you get a

[2:37] recommendation that the tree doesn't

[2:39] need to be removed. Um it needs

[2:42] treatment. It needs to be periodically

[2:44] inspected. It needs to be per

[2:46] periodically pruned and trimmed. Um may

[2:50] ultimately need to be removed. Um there

[2:53] are oftentimes that we chose we choose

[2:55] to remove those trees. Um and the reason

[2:58] is that an arborous recommendation that

[3:02] a tree does not need to immediately be

[3:05] removed is simply that it's a

[3:07] recommendation. It's not a mandate. It's

[3:10] a guide. So we use that as one factor

[3:14] that we will um uh utilize uh in making

[3:18] those determinations. multitude of other

[3:21] factors. Um how how diseased is the

[3:24] tree? What's the what's the anticipated

[3:26] longevity of of that tree? Um what's the

[3:30] uh potential that that tree um will shed

[3:33] limbs um and cause uh personal injury or

[3:38] uh damage to personal property? Um

[3:41] what's uh it in all probability it's on

[3:43] a walkway. How heavily traversed is that

[3:45] walkway? Um a lot of pedestrians on it.

[3:49] Is it a is it a a route where a lot of

[3:51] school children um walk u where there

[3:55] would be real potential for harm? Um

[3:59] what's the planting area? How wide is

[4:01] it? Is are the tree roots causing damage

[4:03] to uh sidewalks um causing expense to

[4:07] homeowners? Uh are they c are they

[4:09] protruding into sanitary or storm sores

[4:12] um causing uh the city problem or

[4:14] perhaps homeowners u issues? Um so all

[4:19] those types of factors we look at uh and

[4:22] sometimes um and it would be the BA that

[4:25] makes that decision. A decision is made

[4:28] to remove a tree that an arborist might

[4:30] not have uh recommended be removed. Um

[4:34] and the one I didn't hit on but I I

[4:36] really want to hit on it hard is there's

[4:38] an accessibility issue. Trees sometimes

[4:41] are planted in areas uh that cause real

[4:44] accessibility issues. um um tree roots

[4:48] um that throw through uh show through to

[4:50] the surface uh can very often cause

[4:53] accessibility issues. So, individuals

[4:57] uh with disabilities uh that are not

[4:59] fully able to traverse that may use a

[5:02] wheelchair, a cane, um crutches, um even

[5:06] baby carriages are unable to access um

[5:11] some walkways u because of the way the

[5:13] trees are planted or they've grown. Um

[5:16] those types of issues we factor in all

[5:19] the time when we look at a

[5:21] recommendation by an arborist um whether

[5:24] to remove or not remove a tree and I

[5:27] think that's important that we reiterate

[5:28] that in public and and frankly for the

[5:31] public because oftentimes we'll come to

[5:33] the conclusion that removal of a tree

[5:35] that may not have been recommended to be

[5:37] removed because of all the other factors

[5:39] involved makes a lot of sense to remove

[5:42] and we do that. Um so I spent enough

[5:45] time u the other three uh the other so

[5:48] we have the the uh resolution of award.

[5:51] Um the other three resolutions are from

[5:53] finance. Um the first is mandatory. It

[5:56] implements a corrective action plan. Uh

[5:58] you received the audit. You acted

[6:00] favorably upon the audit. You accepted

[6:02] it. Um this is a corrective action plan

[6:04] our chief financial officer puts

[6:05] together to implement the

[6:07] recommendations that are made in the

[6:08] audit. Um

[6:11] we're permitted. Um the second

[6:13] resolution is a transfer resolution.

[6:15] It's very straightforward. We're

[6:16] permitted um in November and December to

[6:20] uh transfer uh money with within

[6:22] accounts in the budget. Um it's a common

[6:25] practice. Um quite frankly, it's the

[6:27] reason we asked you to come in so late

[6:29] in the year. Uh it gave Frank the

[6:31] opportunity to really um drill down into

[6:34] what those transfers needed to uh be,

[6:36] make them as price uh precise as

[6:38] possible. Uh and the last resolution um

[6:41] you may have may not have seen this type

[6:43] of resolution before. It creates an

[6:44] emergency um appropriation. We may come

[6:47] back to you next year by the way to uh

[6:50] create a funding mechanism for that. Uh

[6:52] but it creates a an emergency

[6:54] appropriation to fund uh terminal leave

[6:57] payments. A lot of those are out of the

[6:58] police department. They're

[6:59] unanticipated.

[7:01] Um there is some latitude within

[7:02] collective bargaining agreements as to

[7:04] how and when they can be taken. Um, so

[7:06] this is a common mechanism that's you

[7:08] utilized by a lot of municipalities

[7:10] to fund those terminal leave payments

[7:12] and we're asking you to move favorably

[7:14] on that tonight. Um, so that is all that

[7:16] the administration has, but I the mayor

[7:18] did ask me to to uh extend his uh

[7:21] sincere hope for a happy and uh healthy

[7:24] new year uh going into 2026.

[7:27] » Thank you, Mr. Unduly. Now, any of my

[7:29] council members have any questions to

[7:31] Mr.

[7:32] No, we don't. Okay, we're going to

[7:34] continue on hearing for citizens.

[7:36] Obviously, I see no one in the audience.

[7:38] So, I'm just going to ask our uh clerk,

[7:41] is there anybody who signed up?

[7:42] » No one signed up.

[7:43] » Okay, no one has signed up. And we're

[7:45] going to

[7:52] » So moved.

[7:53] » I second.

[7:54] » So move. Roll call, please.

[7:56] » Council member Brooks,

[7:57] » Yes.

[7:57] » Brown is absent. Eastman,

[7:59] » Yes.

[8:00] » Miles,

[8:00] » Yes.

[8:00] » Moika,

[8:01] » Yes.

[8:02] » Montestio is absent. Newberry.

[8:03] » Yes.

[8:04] » Parson.

[8:04] » Yes.

[8:05] » Jabliscoco.

[8:06] » Yes. Okay. Now we're going are we're

[8:08] going to talk about the resolution.

[8:09] Resolution AR 290-25

[8:13] through AR29325

[8:16] will be adopted as one motion and

[8:18] consent agenda. Does do any of the

[8:21] council members wish to remove or

[8:24] reassign any any uh

[8:27] consult agenda?

[8:29] » Anyone?

[8:30] » No.

[8:30] » No. Okay. May I have a motion to adopt

[8:33] and a second?

[8:33] » So moved. I second.

[8:35] » I have one and two. We're adopted. Okay.

[8:37] » Uh roll call, please.

[8:39] » Council member Brooks,

[8:39] » Yes.

[8:40] » Brown is absent. Eastman,

[8:41] » Yes.

[8:42] » Miles,

[8:42] » Yes.

[8:43] » Moika,

[8:43] » Yes.

[8:44] » Montestio is absent. Newberry,

[8:46] » Yes.

[8:46] » Parson,

[8:47] » Yes.

[8:47] » Jisco,

[8:48] » Yes.

[9:02] M at this time I have a motion to

[9:04] adjurnn.

[9:08] Meeting adjourned. Okay. Thank you.

Special Council Meeting: December 29, 2025

Transcript