Minutes oft the Meeting of The Liberty Town Council Budget Retreat Held on March 5, 2024 9:00AM  Present  Mayor: Council:  The Honorable Filmore York and Greg Carpenter Scott Kidd Jessica Brown Bill Flowe  Larry Coble, Terry Caviness, Don Herndon, Tyson Nixon  Town Manager: Town Clerk: Town. Attorney: Staff:  Police Chief; David Semrad, Library Director; Brenda Heindl, Finance Director/HR; Kathy Bond, Fire Chief; Matt Talbott, Safety Director; Bret Pedigo, Interim Parks and Recreation Director; Kolby McPherson, Assistant Town Manager; Janie Phelps, Public Works Director; Joseph Walsh and Finance Specialist; Adrian Abbott  Call to Orderand Welcome - Mayor  Mayor York called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM and welcomed everyone.He attended the RCC Board meeting last night and the purchase of land in Liberty was approved. The Town Manager Scott Kidd welcomed everyone. A lot is happening as the Mayor said. Developers come in almost every day. This meeting will go over the goals for all departments except Water and Sewer which will be next week as well as: audit update, debt review, tax rates and evaluation discussion, county wide water and sewer, more staff  Agenda Review/Opening Remarks - Scott Kidd  needed in the future, and cost of living. Fire - Bret Pedigo and Matt Talbott  Bret Pedigo spoke first. They usually run four people per shift 24/7. There are two full time and two part time on about every shift. They are always on call. They have a part time fire marshall. There are twenty four firefighters at this time. They had nine saves for structures and eleven people saved in 2023. Their biggest challenge is getting employees and keeping them. There is a lot of part time turnover. Six left last year. The audit has held up the purchase oft the fire truck. Until we are off the distressed list the LGC: is not giving us any direction. It will be two to four years out once it is ordered. A Matt Talbott said with the growth they may one day need a substation and have already talked with pallet express about possibly donating land or selling at a good price. The water line is there. Eighteen percent oft the time they are running multiple calls and expect  resolution was passed and should still be valid.    this to double. Julian, Kimesville, and Staley automatically get a call when they do. Kimesville is one hundred percent volunteer sO they depend on us more than we do on them. With all the new business expected they may need a full time fire marshal in the They will order a fire truck when they can and will probably need additional staffing. They will continue their testing and maintenance and their ultimate goal is to be Class 1. Council Member Larry Coble said they are doing a great job and have come al long way.  future.  Maybe look at an awards system. We want to keep our people.  Police Department- David Semrad  The building should last twenty years before anything needs to be done. They have lost one officer and one is about to retire. They may look at turning animal control over to the County. Their telephone and postage have gone up significantly since moving into the new building as well as utilities. Cleaning services have gone up due to the larger building. The cost to replace an officer is $5,000 up front. They are looking at putting two cameras on top of Town Hall as a trial. It is hard to send officers to training right now because they do not have the coverage. There are more people retiring law enforcement now than going into it. A rookie will usually start in the $65,000 range. Tire prices and oil changes are up. With growth there will be more drinking establishments which call for more police personnel. Detective Summers is taking a leadership class.  Parks and Recreation - Kolby McPherson  His budget is about the same as last year. The increases and decreases evened out. He hopes to have more seasonal programs. They are reseeding the dog park and hope to open next year. They are also reseeding the soccer field since the grass didn'ttake. He is looking at solutions for the small ball field. Rain creates a ditch and washes away gravel. They may place drains underneath the ball field. He took up the rotted bases at Paul Henry and put up soccer goals. There are a lot ofc concerns with the bathroom there that has been vandalized in the past and he would like some: input on that. They have asked Council Member Coble said if they do something at Freedom they need to also do at] Paul  for an extension for their grant to 8/31/2025.  Henry.  Library - Brenda Hornsby Heindl  Library Director Brenda Heindl said the library is notj just books anymore. She has two full time and three part time staffi members. She tries to have twoj people in the building at all times. They have a Community Navigator, a social worker who can advise clients where and what kind ofhelp is available for certain needs. They try to address teens' mental health and have summer programming. She tries to add twenty to thirty new books to each category per year and keep people coming back. She tries to offset the cost ofbooks for homeschooled children. Third grade reading levels have been shown to impact the future of the community. The. Advisory Board has approved the use ofLowe funds for preliminary drawings for the expansion of the library. The Town Manager said  they need these plans to go after certain grants.  Break  There was a briefbreak. Streets and Sanitation - Joseph Walsh  Public Works Director. Joseph Walsh said they need toi increase streetlights. Hei is losing one employee and one employee is out with surgery. They have increased the boot rate    for employees. Duke Energy is doing away with Christmas light outlets. Uniform prices are up. They are changing the styles ofuniforms to make them more breathable. The cost ofl landfill pick up is rising. They are going back to one run, on Tuesday and only picking  up bulky items.  Planning and Zoning - Janie Phelps  She has already had several discussions with contractors about subdivisions. The Fire Department is doing inspections for the ETJ now. We need to get ahead of growth and identify property for the Fire satellite station. We will be drawing more commercial businesses. We may want to look at implementing more rec fees. Ifyou place port potties for more than six months you need to get them inspected. There must be a more permanent solution to the restroom problem at Paul Henry. We need tol balance commercial, industrial and: residential. When looking at curbouts keep in mind some trees do not do well in heat but shade would help make the experience more enjoyable.  Overview oft the Day and Takeaways - Scott Kidd  The Town Manager thanked everyone and gave out agendas for next week to be thinking about. Mayor York thanked the Department heads for thinking outside the box and  reminded them to vote. Adjourn  Council Member Tyson Nixon made ai motion to adjourn the meeting. Council Member Don Herndon seconded the motion which passed unanimously with Council Members: Tyson Nixon, Greg Carpenter, Don Herndon, Terry Caviness, and Larry Coble voting  yes. The meeting was adjourned.  himu Mayor Filmore York  lyb  ATTEST: ARPNA gBm  Town Clerk