Transition Team Minutes

October 20, 2005

NINE WEEKS UNTIL UNIFICATION

 

Members Present: Chuck Anderson, Leroy Carter, Jim Frazier, Lula Hicks,

Dorothy Martin, Henry Richmond

Observers: Charles Hathaway, Consultant to Transition Team

Donna Rice, Administrative Assistant

The meeting was opened with an invocation by Rev. Leroy Carter.

Jim Frazier, Chairman, convened the meeting. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes dated October 6, 2005. Motion carried.

Landfill Update

The non-profit organization presented their proposal regarding the landfill to the City of West Helena at a recent meeting at which there was a quorum present. However, there is political opposition at the present time so it is anticipated that a resolution will not be reached until the new city council and mayor are in place.

Clinton School of Public Service Forum

An open forum for citizens of Helena and West Helena will be held tonight at PCCUA. The forum is being held in order for the students at the Clinton School to get a vision and gather information regarding the upcoming merger of the two cities. Transition Team members were encouraged to attend.

Second Reading of Recommendation No. 12: On Staffing for the Newly United Helena-West Helena

A second reading of Recommendation No. 12 was presented by C.E. Hathaway.

A motion was made and seconded to approve Recommendation No. 12: On Staffing for the Newly United Helena-West Helena. Motion Carried.

First Readings of Recommendations No. 13 through No. 19

First readings the following recommendations were presented:

No. 13: On the Organization of the Governance and Service Units of the City of Helena-West Helena

No. 14: On the Creation of a Metro Police Force

No. 15: On a Codification for the City of Helena-West Helena

No. 16: On Communication Between the Governance of the City of Helena-West Helena and the Citizens

No. 17: On the Expansion of the Water/Sewer Commission

No. 18: On the Creation of a Controller/Financial Officer Position

No. 19: On the Endorsement of the Strategic Community Plan for Phillips County

Rough Draft of the Report to the Newly Elected Officials

A draft of the report to be presented to the newly elected officials was distributed and reviewed in detail. Team members were asked to edit the report in the upcoming week, and further discussion will be held at the next meeting.

Uniformity of Water/Sewer Rates

Discussion was held regarding the water rates and sewer schedules for both cities. It was noted that a uniform rate needs to be established for the new city. A recommendation will be drafted and presented as soon as possible regarding such.

Blues Festival

Rayne Gordon reported that the recent Blues Festival was designed for financial gain for the community, and that the overall consensus is that is was profitable for the city. Sales increased over the previous year. Attendance was estimated to be approximately 90,000.

Educational Training – December 1-2, 2005

Plans are ongoing for the Educational Training Retreat planned for the newly elected council and mayor. The retreat will be held on December 1-2, 2005. Preliminary plans indicate that the retreat will include an excellent slate of speakers. Team members were reminded that they are invited to attend as well.

For the Good of the Order

Various "For the Good of the Order" topics were presented by the team members.

Benediction

The benediction was given by Rev. Leroy Carter.