[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.