City Hall, Monroe, Louisiana
September 26, 2023
6:00 p.m.
The Honorable Vice Chairman Juanita Woods, called the meeting to order. She then asked the clerk to call roll.
There were present: Mr. Harvey, Ms. Woods, Mr. Marshall, & Mrs. Dawson.
There was absent: Mrs. Ezernack
Vice Chairman Woods announced that a quorum was present, and that the Invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance would be led by Mayor Ellis.
The Invocation was led by Mr. Morgan McCallister, City Engineer.
Ms. Woods noted Chairman Ezernack is not here this evening because she is not feeling well. She asked everyone to keep the Chairman and her husband lifted up in prayer and pray for a speedy recovery for them both.
COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mr. Harvey had no announcements.
Mr. Marshall said good evening and thanked everyone for coming out to the City Council meeting. He commended Ms. Kenya Roberson for an awesome Wealth Expo this past week and he said a lot of information was shared by black entrepreneurs in the area. He noted the play Memphis was another event this past weekend that his daughter was a part of and Councilwoman Dawson as well. He further noted a lot of great things are going on in the City but not enough support for those events. He said he believes the event the Monroe Regional Black Chamber put on, as well as the play had a very diverse cast, wonderful play, family oriented, and extraordinary which should have been a packed house for each play. He said he is not sure what the City can do to get everyone to the point where we are supporting these events. He said we often say there is nothing to do in the City and these things are happening month after month and if they get the support they need he feels it can expand to bigger and greater things. He noted even though it is the Regional Black Chamber it is not just geared towards African Americans. He said it is geared towards anyone that is in business that is looking to expand their knowledge and grow their business. He further noted that even for the plays there were people of all backgrounds, races, and cultures and he said when you see those things share them and take a look at them sometimes. He said think outside the box and just take a couple steps North, South, East, and West to see what s going on.
Mrs. Dawson thanked everyone for attending the City Council meeting and she reiterated that the event Mr. Marshall said she was a part of this weekend was phenomenal. She thanked everyone that participated and attended the play. She said continuing the arts in the community is very important and music brings different cultures in the community together. She said when you have a Broadway musical production with class and excellence you would want everyone to attend. She said going forward, let s start supporting all the events in the City if you re not busy. On another note, she said on October 14th there will be an Alzheimer s Walk at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, and she said to join her team online at Kema Dawson Monroe City Council District 5 and also give a donation. She stated Boo at the Zoo is on Saturday October 28th and they are looking forward to having a good time with the kiddos. She said all the vendors that would like to participate can contact the Zoological Society. She further stated the picnic tables at Charles Johnson Park had new lumber sprayed and sand has been put around the playground at Benoit Recreation Center and she said it looks beautiful. She said she can t wait for the finish product, and she thanked everyone for their support.
Mayor Ellis stated the City had a productive few weeks really advocating for the City of Monroe throughout the State. He said the City had a great opportunity to speak to the Chamber of Commerce statewide through the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) to brag on some of the things going on in the City of Monroe with a podcast that was heard throughout the State of Louisiana. He said he spoke with his fellow colleague from Lake Charles, LA about two cities on each side of the State experiencing similar challenges but also working together to help the State recover through disasters. On another note, he said the City was featured in Site Selection magazine which is a global publication that companies look at when they are looking to relocate a business. He said the article is available on the City s Facebook page and it talks about things people can experience while here in the City of Monroe. He gave a shout out to Ms. Nirali Patel, Main Street Director, for doing a wonderful job and he said the City hosted Destination Downtown with about 250 people from all three states to talk about the work being done for historic revitalization and some of the riverfront projects. He said it was a reason for the City to host people from around the region to talk about all the good things going on in the City. Lastly, the Mayor said the Mayor Cup Challenge partnered with Entergy to provide cash scholarships to families and this year the scholarship awards were $14,000 to students across the City of Monroe. He thanked Community Affairs, Public Works, and Chief Jimmie Bryant, Chief Operating Officer, for putting this event on and the partners from Entergy. He noted these are great scholarships and it has been a great program since its inception. He said the City is proud to continue the work and partner with Entergy.
Ms. Woods said at the last City Council meeting Mr. Bill Kight, a prominent businessman in Monroe, had passed away and it was an oversight on her part. She said if you knew Mr. Kight and the family keep them in your prayers. She said he was very active with the Strauss Theatre, in which he was a member of that board, and he was a genuinely good man that did a lot to help anybody and everybody. She noted he owned several businesses in the area, around the State, and country and she said he would be dearly missed. She said community prayer for Carroll High School will be Thursday September 28th at 6pm at Carroll High School. She said they are calling on all Carroll alumni, friends of Carroll High School, and supporters as they try to get through this ordeal they are dealing with at Carroll High School. On another note, she stated it is election time in the State of Louisiana with the gubernatorial race along with the State Offices, Sheriff Office and Police Juror, and your vote matters. She further stated the election day is October 4th
and they want everyone to go out and vote. She said early voting begins on Saturday September 30th through October 7th 8am until 6pm daily excluding Sunday. She noted the Zeta Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha and the Monroe Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta will be hosting a political information virtual forum on Thursday September 28th at 7pm. She further noted the speakers for the event will include yours truly, Councilwoman Woods, Ms. Isabelle Butler, Ouachita Parish Registrar of Voter, and Ms. Charla Burns, Ouachita DPEC Official. She stated this is an informational forum that will talk about what s on the ballot and what you will need to cast your vote. She further stated another event in that same vein, Greek to the Streets and that is coinciding with early voting on September 30th through October 7th. She reiterated your vote matters, and they want to get people out to vote. She noted there is an infestation with the West Nile virus in our region and if you are outside to wear appropriate clothing, use bug spray, and do all that you can to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall the minutes of the Legal and Regular Session of September 12, 2023, were unanimously approved. (There were no public comments.)
ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF BIDS:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved to accept the bids of Industrial Research Corporation, Allied Universal Corporation and TDC, LLC for the purchase of Water Treatment Chemicals for the City of Monroe as recommended by the Purchasing Division for a one (1) year term of the contract with the option to renew two (2) times if the prices remain the same. The Bid Tabulation is attached. (There were no public comments.)
(b) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8590 accepting the Base Bid of Byrnes Mechanical Contractors, Inc., in the amount of $618,000.00 for the replacement of Air Handling Unit Civic Center Banquet Hall Project, and further authorizing an authorized city representative, to enter into and execute a contract for said work. (There were no public comments.)
RESOLUTIONS AND MINUTE ENTRIES:
Council:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8591 granting an exception to the Open Container Ordinance to ARCO (The Arc of Ouachita) for a fundraiser/party (Sippin with the Skillies) pursuant to Monroe City Code Sec. 12-231 D. (Open Container Ordinance), and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(b) Upon motion of Mr. Marshall, seconded by Mr. Harvey and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8592 granting an exception to the Open Container Ordinance to the City of Monroe for (Rolling on the Riverfront) pursuant to Monroe City Code Sec. 12-231 D. (open container ordinance), and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
Department of Administration:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8593 authorizing a designated city representative to enter into an Agreement with Travelers Insurance Company to provide insurance for the Monroe Transit System and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
Department of Planning & Urban Development:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved to remove item (a) from the agenda Consider request from Tower Storage of Monroe/J. Gregory Hull for a Major Conditional Use Permit authorizing the use of this location (605 & 609 North 31st Street) to operate mini warehouses in the B-3 (General Business/Commercial District). The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance allows this as a Major Conditional Use in the B-3 (General Business/Commercial District). Major Conditional Uses are those uses that require another level of approval; therefore, this request comes before the City Council for their approval in addition to that of the Planning Commission. (There were no public comments.)
Mr. Harvey wanted to know what drove the removal of this item.
Mr. Brandon Creekbaum, City Attorney, stated the removal is tied to the Ordinance that is being considered later that will change the law to allow this and this was inadvertently put on the agenda before that was finally adopted.
Legal Department:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8594 authorizing the City of Monroe to enter into a Professional Services Agreement with Charles W. Herold III, APLC for Legal Services relating to the Kansas Lane Garrett Road Connector Project (H.007300) and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
Mayor s Office:
(a) Upon motion of Mrs. Dawson, seconded by Mr. Harvey and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8595 accepting and approving the Monroe Regional Economic Development Plan created under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural business development grant program.
Ms. Kenya Roberson, 116 Glenwood Drive, wanted the City to elaborate on what this Resolution is and what it includes.
Mrs. Kelsea McCrary, Chief Cultural & Economic Development Officer, stated this is a grant focused around rural regional economic development the Council approved in 2022 that was received from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Mrs. Meghan Risinger, Grant Writer, stated the City took a more of a regional approach instead of just the City of Monroe and the Parish outlined area also impacts the City. She said looking at the City as one entity and not the Parish as a whole would not do the plan justice when the City is looking forward to economic development. She said the City had a consultant and community stakeholders come in to have round table discussions. She said a subcontractor was hired to do data and studies to formulate the overarching plan going forward. She said there are priority projects that are ranked short, medium, or long term that would ultimately benefit the City s economic development. She said some of the projects will be the City s job to take the lead on and some will be another workforce development entity job. She said it not only looked at the City s projects but also other projects such as nonprofit or educational institutions.
Ms. Roberson wanted to know how the varies Chambers would be included within communications and projects.
Mrs. McCrary stated the plan in the Council packet have minor edits that have to occur, but the main components are there. She said its 70 pages long and some of that is very high level, some of that says, for example there s this workforce development grant that University of Louisiana at Monroe could use, there s this small business focus grant VCOM could use to expand what they are doing at small business development centers (SBDC). She said some of it is high level, some of it does get granular but there are definite recommendations around who the different partners will be but none of that is set in stone and yes the Chambers are involved.
Ms. Roberson stated she will hold Mrs. McCrary to that.
Ms. Woods wanted to know if the City is just looking at Ouachita Parish or some of the surrounding parishes as well.
Mrs. McCrary said like Ms. Risinger stated this does use the City as the tip of the spear for many of these projects, however, since ULM is involved and Delta would be involved in some of the projects, should the City decide to pursue them, this is not a specific plan this is the USDA saying here are somethings that are beneficial based on the demographics, existing institutions, and existing partners. She said when the Council takes a look at that some of the stuff is flexible. She said that is where the City would come together to say what is most important or what is short term. She said the City has a gridded matrix for each section and there are three different sections for instance one focuses on infrastructure, and you will see how some of those things that are short term are already in play. She said some of the things that are 5 years to 10 years might switch places based on what happens in the next few years and what funding becomes available.
Mayor Ellis stated the way the City is seeing the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) come down right now from all these different buckets that the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA) is funding, or the way things are flowing down the City has to take a regional approach. He said especially the way a lot of these projects are in rubric for collaborating with the parish or collaborating with the university, the City scores higher taking a regional approach.
Mrs. McCrary stated it will be mainly seen in the workflow data, that s larger than just the City. She said the City can only do what it can do but the City is aware people move, live, and work regionally which will be seen in some of the appendices that they produced from what they are studying.
Ms. Woods said dealing with the USDA and it being rural the City has to include, and she wanted to see if the City has identified who is included.
Mayor Ellis noted the USDA considers the City rural when it comes to lending, not with grant distribution or their funding because of the City s population. He said there are opportunities as a city or municipality that the City can participate in under rural, but we re excluded from other funding opportunities. He said that is why it s important that the City bring regional partners together.
Mr. Marshall said he read some things in reference to small business retention arts and culture, and he wanted to know how the community would be involved in that process moving forward.
Mrs. McCrary said the team at Atlas Studios and USDA gave them a high level guided document and that s up to the City to determine who those partners are within the framework of that section. She said some of those conversations will occur now that the document is finished, and the City sees where those priority projects are laying out.
Ms. Woods wanted to know how much money was approved.
Mrs. McCrary said the City was approved $99,000 and matched it with $40,000. She said the Council will have the updated document soon.
Police Department:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8596 authorizing Mayor Friday Ellis to sign and accept a Louisiana Highway Safety Commission fy 2024 Traffic Safety Enforcement Grant and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
Engineering Services:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8597 authorizing a designated city representative to execute no cost Close Out Change Order No. One (1) for the Young s Bayou Retention Area Project, between the City of Monroe and Womack & Sons Construction Group, LLC at the request of Louisiana DOTD and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(b) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall and unanimously approved to remove item (b) from the agenda accepting as substantially complete work done by Womack and Sons Construction Group, LLC on the Young s Bayou Retention Area Project at the request of Louisiana DOTD and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(c) Upon motion of Mrs. Dawson, seconded by Mr. Harvey and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8598 accepting the Young s Bayou Retention Area Project, between the City of Monroe and Womack and Sons Construction Group, LLC, at the request of Louisiana DOTD, and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(d) Upon motion of Mr. Marshall, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8599 authorizing Mayor Friday Ellis to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of Monroe and the State of Louisiana through the Office of Community Development for the West Parkview Drainage Project and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(e) Upon motion of Mrs. Dawson, seconded by Mr. Harvey and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8600 accepting as substantially complete work done by Womack and Sons Construction Group, LLC for the Monroe Tire Storage Building Project and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(f) Upon motion of Mrs. Dawson, seconded by Mr. Harvey and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8601 authorizing a designated city representative to execute Change Order No. One (1) for the Hadley Trunk Sewer Emergency Repair Project to decrease the contract amount by $234,075.00 and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(g) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8602 accepting as substantially complete work done by Hemphill Construction Company, Inc. for the Hadley Trunk Sewer Emergency Repair Project and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
(h) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved Resolution No. 8603 authorizing Mayor Friday Ellis to execute Supplemental Agreement No. 6 between Volkert, Inc. and the City of Monroe for the Kansas Lane Extension Project Phase 1 (h.007289) and further providing with respect thereto. (There were no public comments.)
INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTIONS & ORDINANCES:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mrs. Dawson and unanimously approved to Introduce an Ordinance authorizing the City of Monroe to take corporeal possession of the property described below and sell to Katie Lee Banks, all rights, title, and interest that the City may have acquired to the Lot 21, Square 53, Ouachita Cotton Mills 2nd Addition, Ouachita Parish, 1301 Georgia St., District 4, Monroe, La, by adjudication at Tax Sale dated July 13, 1999, and further with respect thereto. (legal) (There were no public comments.)
(b) Upon motion of Mr. Marshall, seconded by Mr. Harvey and unanimously approved to Introduce an Ordinance amending the Schedule of General Fees and Charges for certain Monroe Recreational Facilities, redesignating Aerobics as Instructor Led Programs, increasing the maximum allowable fee, and further providing with respect thereto. (Comm.Aff.)
Ms. Kenya Roberson, 116 Glenwood Drive, wanted to know what are the fees and the reason for the increase.
Ms. Patience Talley, Director of Community Centers and Programs, said currently in the ordinance there is an aerobics contract that allows the community to do line dancing, aerobics, hip hop fitness, and boxing but the community member that leads that class can only charge $1.50 for their classes and the City gets 25%. She said they are imposing to not increase that fee from $1.50 to $15 but give the community a range between $0 and $15 to charge each participant. She said they will ensure that the prices and fee schedule is reasonable for the community because they know the community centers are in a lot of low income areas. She said they don t want to minimize the opportunities within the community centers.
Ms. Roberson stated her only concern is if there is a range from $0 to $15 who decides the actual cost and what entity is going to be subject to that charge. She further stated if there is not a set price then there could be an issue with favoritism or someone getting charged a different price. She wanted to know when they do the range will it still be a 25% split for the City.
Ms. Talley said yes.
Ms. Roberson said that is a wide range and the recreational centers are at the maximum that they can afford. She said if the City is talking about increasing those amounts it might be strenuous on the community. She said she thinks the City can charge something somewhere else other than the community centers.
Mr. Harvey wanted to know if the instructors set their price.
Ms. Talley stated that is a negotiation between the director and the instructor in which they will look at their certifications, the demographic of people that they are serving, and allow them to charge depending on her and the director s fee schedule.
Mr. Marshall wanted to know if there is a charted fee schedule.
Ms. Talley stated most of the community centers are doing aerobics which they are looking to charge $5 for those classes. She said they don t just have low income citizens coming into the community centers and she said there are professional pickleball instructors charging $85 everywhere else. She said the pickleball instructors want to do private lessons with the pickleball population but the max they could charge is $15 if this ordinance is approved. She noted they consider the program and certification with everything that they are doing but they don t want to limit who they are allowing to lead programs with the community centers.
Ms. Roberson noted the City has the Monroe Civic Center and other venue spaces where the community can charge whatever the instructor wants to charge. She said she thinks the community centers should be for the community and for people who cannot rent the civic center or the Zoo pavilion. She further noted there are some senior citizens she knows that take Zumba classes.
Ms. Talley stated the Zumba classes at the community centers are paying $25 for the rental and they are allowing or charging people for those classes $5.
Ms. Roberson noted it is $1.
Ms. Talley noted the community centers can t get a Zumba instructor that will charge $1 anymore.
Ms. Roberson wanted to know why.
Ms. Talley stated the instructors aren t making any money and there is no benefit for them to charge $1.
Ms. Roberson stated the City can drop their 25% because it is for the community.
Mr. Harvey stated the City has to charge something.
Ms. Roberson said she agrees.
Mayor Friday Ellis wanted to know if this decision was being made in a vacuum or did Ms. Talley speak with instructors that give the classes.
Ms. Talley stated they spoke with several instructors and the community center has a line dance instructor that has been doing classes for years. She said the instructor stated she may as well do the classes for free because she isn t making any money off of it and she further stated that is the only contract they have right now because of the fee. She said with the fee increase the community centers could potentially have fitness programs in all the community centers. She said that is an aspect of the community centers that is not being given to the public because they don t have staff fitness instructors. She said this is a benefit to the community, it is not to charge people a bunch of money, there is a range and she wanted to give them the leverage to feel they are valued.
Ms. Roberson stated she thinks the range needs to come before the Council.
Mr. Marshall said there needs to be a range for each program to make sure it will be fair across the board.
Mr. Brandon Creekbaum, City Attorney, stated this is setting a range from $0 to $15.
Mr. Marshall said it s a range but it s not a range for individual programs.
Ms. Talley stated because they don t want to minimize the programs.
Mr. Creekbaum noted this was set at a range from $0 to $15 to accommodate a broad range of programs. He further noted for example if someone wanted to come teach an art class and have a little built in for materials and supplies. He said that would fall under the instructor led programs and it was brought to include a broad range of programs.
Ms. Woods stated her only concern is the community centers went from a $1 to $15 why not stop at $10. She further stated we know a lot of the people that use the facilities such as Marbles and Powell Recreation Center, even with the summer programs, people defray the cost so the children can go. She noted the City charges a fee and organizations come defray the cost. She said she doesn t have a problem because everything is going up but did the cost have to go up $0 to $15 why it couldn t go up $0 to $10.
Mrs. Dawson said maybe she is misunderstanding something, because she is hearing that this is not the City going up on fees, but it is just to give the people that are trying to bring business into the recreation centers. She said the City will broaden it to have a certain amount in different recreation centers and letting the instructor say what they will charge but the City is not saying what they have to charge but it is the range the instructor chooses to charge for their business. She said that it is not the City telling the instructor what to charge, right?
Ms. Talley said no.
Mr. Marshall wanted to know if it was at the discretion of the instructor.
Ms. Talley said it will be a conversation between the directors and the instructor. She said she wouldn t allow someone to come charge $15 for Zumba and the directors would have to agree $5 is what the community could probably afford for Zumba. She said if there was a pickleball instructor that said they would like to pay $15 because they have a population of people that they charge that amount at other places. She said they only went to $15 because she had this conversation with a pickleball professional that wanted to come to Saul Alder to host training to teach the skill of pickleball. She said that is the max she would allow anyone in the community to pay at the community centers for an instructor led program. She said for basic programs at the community such as aerobics or art classes $5 would be the max.
Mr. Harvey said he understands both sides and the City will definitely have a need of space situations and if the City doesn t increase the rates, you re not going to have programs. He said ultimately people will decide what they re going to pay for, and he thinks potentially what Ms. Roberson was alluding to is how do the City decide what the prices are going to be. He noted for example Zumba rates are $5 a person and classes go down to nothing. He said does the City review the policy and say maybe this made sense at $3 to $4 so the program can go back into the centers. He further noted ultimately he wants to see the centers full across the City.
Mrs. Dawson stated that is only if the instructor says they want to move down $3 or $4.
Mr. Harvey said the City has to mutually agree to the price.
Mr. Creekbaum said what he thinks Ms. Talley is driving at, right now the City has a dearth of instructor led programs and people aren t beating down the City s doors to charge $1.50 which is the mandated price. He said the City isn t getting any new or diverse programming with people trying to come in to teach these programs. He said allowing opportunity for an instructor to come in and say this is what they think their time is worth and Ms. Talley and her group looks at it. He noted Mr. Harvey is right, if the community takes a look at that and see the instructor is offering a class for $5 and don t want to pay while they are not going to come, and the instructor can rethink if it s worth their time to teach that class or lower the price. He said without that flexibility and what they can charge because some programming might be worth more to others than other programming.
Ms. Woods said she thinks everyone clearly understands the part about flexibility and the City is not doing the range. She wanted to know what is the range right now.
Mr. Creekbaum stated it is a mandated $1.50. 0
Ms. Woods said to go to $15 you still might not accomplish what you are trying to accomplish because you might be putting it at a point where people might be outpriced for the better programs. She said pickleball would probably go over very well at Saul Alder but that would be something new we would like to introduce in some of the other recreation centers but if the cost on that program is $15 the chances are you will get less participation at Marbles because people might not have $15 to come for pickleball. She said she learned that game, which is a great sport she believes and does the City have to jump on a range so big, could it have been $10 instead of $15.
Mr. Marshall stated he understands the range but his concerns, for example, for art, one artist that can only charge $10 and then another artist that may be at the same level or better but can only charge $8. He said then the City has a window in the community where someone can say they only allowed me to charge $8 and somebody else charged $10.
Mayor Ellis said the City is assuming things will or will not work but currently there is no other option. He said when the range is provided the City will ultimately figure out whether it is working or not. He said if not the City can definitely see the oversight because ultimately he is sure the will of the Councilmembers is the same will of Community Affairs, they want to see these programs succeed. He said if there is no participation in it the City has the opportunity in certain centers to say the City can adjust but right now if you have another center willing to pay for it but can t get an instructor what does the City do at that point.
Mr. Creekbaum stated he thinks Mr. Marshall s concern is, he doesn t want Community Affairs telling one artist they can charge $5 and another artist you can charge $7 with no reason. He said the answer to that concern is that is not what Ms. Talley, or her group will be doing. He further stated it will be the artist proposal for a price and saying they want to charge at this price point and Ms. Talley taking a review of it. He said it is to try and encourage a price point where people will come take the class as opposed to dictating the price to the person.
Mr. Marshall stated they want to encourage that most definitely.
Mrs. Dawson said in other words, someone can say, they want to come into Emily P and only charge $2 for aerobics but somebody else can say they want to charge $4 but at Benoit. She stated its pretty much the instructor giving the City a price and not them having a price just because they are in this category.
Ms. Talley said yes.
RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES FOR SECOND READING AND FINAL ADOPTION AND SUBJECT TO PUBLIC HEARING:
(a) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall and unanimously approved to Passover item (a) Ordinance revoking a 60 wide by 1,195 long portion of Adams Street from North 14th Street to North 18th Street and further providing with respect thereto – Applicant James Machine Works (PUD/P&Z) (There were no public comments.)
The Chairman opened the Public Hearing and seeing no one come forward the Hearing was closed.
(b) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall and unanimously approved Ordinance No. 12,195 Ordinance to amend the Zoning Map for the City of Monroe, Louisiana and providing further with respect thereto – Applicant Sanjib Datta (PUD/P&Z) (There were no public comments.)
Ms. Woods said she doesn t have a question, but she has a statement. She said she has had numerous conversations with Mr. Datta, and she wanted to thank him for coming into District 3 proposing to make a 10 million dollar investment. She said she has gotten a lot of conversation around it but in the scheme of things, for the record, this property is sitting vacant, and nothing is being done with it. She said the fact that Mr. Datta is willing to come to Monroe and make this investment and the concern she has been getting is that the City doesn t want it to be another Windsor Inn, and she has mentioned that to Mr. Datta. She said she thinks the City have the opportunity to make sure it does not become Windsor Inn because it will be dependent upon the people who live there. She said she thinks at the end of the day the fact that the City is proposing to do it the way Mr. Datta is proposing to do it. She said it will give the residents more rights as renters as opposed to Windsor Inn and if there are things that they are unhappy with or unclear with you have the maintenance department on sight these kind of issues will be addressed. She noted she thinks at the end of the day this is going to be good for all that is involved.
Mr. Brandon Creekbaum said just so the record is clear, and we ever have to read the minutes of this one day to clarify the vote on this ordinance. He stated a vote yes is to reject the Planning Commission denial and to approve the project. He further stated a vote no is to accept the Planning Commission recommendation and deny the project. He said the Planning Commission voted to deny it but the way the ordinance is written if the Council votes yes tonight they are saying they disagree with the Planning Commission and the Council will approve this project.
Ms. Woods said in other words, yes is approving it and saying Mr. Datta can go forward with the project and no is saying the Council is upholding what the Planning Commission said.
Mr. Marshall thanked Mr. Datta for investing and voted aye.
Mayor Ellis thanked Mr. Datta and He stated Mr. Datta came into the community and met with the right folks to set his vision forward and invest.
Mr. Sanjib Datta said he is looking for a long term partnership.
The Chairman opened the Public Hearing and seeing no one come forward the Hearing was closed.
(c) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall and unanimously approved Ordinance No. 12,196 Ordinance to amend the Zoning Map for the City of Monroe, Louisiana and providing further with respect thereto – Applicant Cody Bauman/Biomedical Research & Innovation Park (PUD/P&Z) (There were no public comments.)
Mayor Ellis wanted to clarify that the Applicant is Biomedical Research & Innovation Park.
Mr. Creekbaum stated it is a typographical error on the agenda and it is reflected correctly in the ordinance.
Mr. Harvey stated just for clarification the Applicant is Cody Bauman/Biomedical Research & Innovation Park.
The Chairman opened the Public Hearing and seeing no one come forward the Hearing was closed.
(d) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall and unanimously approved Ordinance No. 12,197 Ordinance Amendment to Chapter 37, Zoning, of the Code of the City of Monroe, Article III, Use Districts, Section 37-37 Commercial Use District, Table 3.3 Commercial Districts Permitted and Conditional Uses and providing with respect thereto. (PUD/P&Z) (There were no public comments.)
The Chairman opened the Public Hearing and seeing no one come forward the Hearing was closed.
(e) Upon motion of Mr. Harvey, seconded by Mr. Marshall and unanimously approved Ordinance No. 12,198 Ordinance accepting the donation from Vincent David Ditta to the City of Monroe of a 1.680 acre tract of immovable property needed for the Ruffin Drive-Water Distribution System Improvements Project and further providing with respect thereto. (Legal) (There were no public comments.)
There being no further business to come before the council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:07 p.m., upon motion of Mr. Harvey and it was seconded by Mr. Marshall.
Ms. Juanita Woods
Vice Chairman
Ms. Carolus S. Riley
Council Clerk
Ms. Ileana Murray
Staff Secretary
