PUBLIC NOTICE Mayor & Council "Called Meeting" 4:30pm Tuesday, October 1, 2024 IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS SPARTA MAYOR & COUNCIL AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Prayer 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Roll Call 5. Mayor & Staff's Report on Storm Issues 6. Vote Approve M. E. Sack Environmental for On-Site Utilities' Services 8. Adjournment 7. Executive Session Personnel & Legal Matters City ofs Sparta Mayor & Council Called Meeting 4:30 PM Tuesday, October 1, 2024 Elected Officials present Mayor R. Allen Haywood, Mayor ProTem Rav' Yisrael, Councilmembers Brandon Nolley, Tom Roberts, and Sandra Sherrod. City Clerk Virginia Webb was present. City Attorney. John Hitchcock was present. The meeting was called to order at 4:41 PM by Mayor Protem Yisrael followed by a moment of silence, The Lord's Prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor & Staff's Report's Report on Storm Issues during and after Hurricane Helene. Mayor Haywood praised the city employees for their hard work and dedication to serve the city Amanda Akins, utilities administrator, reported on each department. Water Plant The plant was down for 2.5 days due toi the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Generator ran out of diesel earlier than anticipated; plans include exploring portable and Turbidity levels rose higher than normal during the hurricane, contributing to system Intake was blocked by downed trees for nearly an hour, nearly resulting in the loss of the The Dixie Water Tank lost signal; it was discovered that the solenoid valve is electronic, AE Deep Cycle Battery was installed on the Tin Man Water Tank, replacing the 12V mini battery, which has nowincreased power retention from 1 hour to several days/months Communication challenges arose as all cell towers were knocked out by the storm, The prison's water usage increased significantly, exceeding 2,000 gallons per hour due to dedicated tanks. maintenance challenges and potential violations. water plant as the switch to generator power was delayed. despite the altitude-based system. (TBD). The clear well level fell to 8.5 feet (critical shutoff at 7 feet). highlighting the need for reliable radios. the intake of several hundred inmates. Wastewater: e A total of 12 lift stations went offline due to power outages. No major sewage line breaks were reported. Seven lift stations were down for more than 12 hours. : : : Staff had to direct wire in 3-phase electrical lines to the stations because the generator The storage pond filled up by 110 inches within 24 hours, a significant increase from the Staff conducted around-the-clock pumping before the storm to prepare for high rainfali. Rotational shifts were implemented to maintain pond levels. Two sewage spills occurred atl lift stations (Stubwood and' Twin Plum Tree). Repairs to the main lift station'st transducer and generator battery charger held up, Highway 22 lift station failed temporarily due to a wiring issue but was repaired. Downed trees blocked access to certain lift stations, delaying response times. Staff worked extended hours, from 4 AM to 11 PM, to mitigate further major issues. The department faced challenges due to insufficient skilled staff, who were stretched plugs did not match the stations. Power was lost for approximately 1 hour at the wastewater facility. usual 8-10 inches. e preventing issues during the storm. thin across multiple locations. Public' Works: e The team focused on clearing tree debris, excluding private properties. Full cleanup and repairs are estimated to take several months. Employees recorded 151 to 30 hours of overtime. The most impacted areas were Hancock Street, Poweltown Avenue, and MLK Boulevard. Police and Fire Department: Communications were completely lost, and power was unavailable. e o A generator was provided to the Police Department to power computers and radios. The Fire Department relied on satellite communications for emergency operations. Av water truck for residents is expected to arrive today. Animal Shelter: Sustained the least amount of damage among all departments. All animals, particularly dogs, were reported safe. City Hall: Staff began assessing damage and compiling a comprehensive list to apply for potential funding. Power was lost on Friday. Water service cutoffs were postponed due toi the storm. The building sustained roof and structural damage. Vote to Approve M.E. Sack Environmental for On-Site Utilities' Services City Attorney. John Hitchcock reviewed the contract's termination clause, noting that the 24- month agreement automatically renews unless terminated. The city can end the contract at any time, with or without cause, by providing 90 days' written notice. This allows flexibility for hiring a new vendor, bringing services in-house, or making other changes. During the notice period, the city would cover anyi incurred monthly fees, and M.E. Mack Environmental would continue services unless both parties agree to an earlier end. Additionally, the city can terminate the contract immediately and without extra costs if the vendor fails to perform adequately. Mayor ProTem Yisrael asked for clarification on several key points regarding the vendor contract. First, he wanted to confirm ift the vendor explicitly declined ai trial run outside oft the 90-day contract and asked whether the vendor would be open to a pilot project to address specific issues before the city fully commits. He also raised concerns about verbal commitments, particularly the vendor's promise to train city staff, and questioned whether this commitment was documented in the contract to prevent misunderstandings. Additionally, Mayor ProTem Yisrael emphasized the financial impact, noting that the monthly cost of $14,750issi significant fort the city. Given this, he suggested exploring aj pilot project to evaluate the vendor's performance, ensuring the cityi is not locked into a full contract without proper vetting. Councilman Roberts suggested that corrections be made by adding a five-day written notice within the first 90 days and providing an outline oft thei training for staff. There was no motion made at that time. Executive Session Personnel & Legal Matter Councilwoman Sherrod refused to vote. Motion passed. Councilman Roberts motioned to go into executive session; Council Nolley seconded. Back to Called Meeting Motion passed. Councilman Nolley motioned to regular session; Councilman Roberts seconded. NO discussion. Councilman Nolley motioned to hire Captain Nasser Thompkins for employment; Councilman Roberts seconded. No discussion. Motion passed. Adjournment Councilman Nolley motioned to adjourn the meeting; Councilman Roberts second. Councilwoman Sherrod refused to vote. No discussion. Motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 5:44 pm.