Town Council 01-19-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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f 1584 Councilman Cook detailed his desire to award a bonus of $1,000 to each employee who was employed with the Town on or before January 1, 2021. This includes 66 employees for a total of $66,000 and granting an additional holiday on June 19, known as Juneteenth or Emancipation Day. Councilman Williams stated he favored employee bonuses as a reward to the employees and detailed his conversation with Baker Tilley about the projected incomes and cash reserves. Also, he is in favor of the Juneteenth holiday. Councilman Swinney stated that he favors bonuses; however, he is also in favor of considering the timing and uncertainty of COVID-19. He proposed possibly reconsidering the bonuses in the 4th quarter. Councilman Stanley stated that he favors the Juneteenth holiday for the employees; however, he is not in favor of issuing bonuses at this time. Council President Warthen presented his ideas to free up funds and benefit the Town in the long run rather than just paying out bonuses to the employees to ensure sustainable cash reserves in the future. Councilman Williams made a motion to move forward with $1,000 bonuses for 66 town employees. Councilman Cook seconded. Motion failed 2-3 The town attorney stated the Juneteenth holiday would require an ordinance. Employee Handbook Amendment - Holidays Councilman Cook proposed amending the holiday schedule to include Juneteenth and four personal days. Councilman Cook made a motion to move forward with the Juneteenth holiday with Councilman Williams seconding. Motion carried 5-0 There was a discussion of other ways to provide compensation for the employees for the years, including a possible permanent raise or four additional personal days that must be used during 2021. New Business — Vickie Nowak discussed some of the available COVID-19 grants that could be available to the Town. Councilman Williams has been working with her to apply for a specific grant. She discussed what would be required to apply for this grant, including an income study, the length of time those would take to complete, and the amount of time to complete the grant proposals. To avoid submitting a subpar request, Vicki mentioned possibly waiting to submit the proposal for this grant until the next phase if it becomes available due to the lack of an income study before the January 26 proposal deadline. Council President Warthen inquired about an income study procedure that would need to be done to apply for future grants. Vicki described the process and what getting an income study would entail as an expenditure for the Town and her grant writing qualifications. Council President Warthen requested a proposal for an income study to submitted to the council for consideration. Everyone on the council expressed their agreement they would like to look at having an income study done to be prepared for future grant opportunities. Universal Valuation Discussion LLC evaluates all the property the Town owns in case of a significant loss with the insurance companies and a reported value on all assets to provide to the state board of accounts. The cost to do this is $5,750. Councilman Williams made a motion to enter into the agreement with Universal Valuation Councilman Swinney seconded. Motion Carried 5-0 Councilman Williams made a motion that the Council President be the signatory on all documents. Councilman Cook seconded motion passed 5-0 Fred Settles' term on the police commission has expired, and there was another resignation from the police commission. Having been grandfathered in, he does not need to reapply for the position on the police commission. Councilman Williams made the motion to reappoint Fred Settles to the Police Commission. Councilman Swinney seconded the motion. Motion Carried 5-0