May 2021 Meeting Minutes
Town of Pollock
Town Meeting Minutes
MONDAY, MAY 3, 2021
The Mayor & Town Council met on said date in a Regular Session at 9 A.M. in the Pollock Municipal Building Council Room, Pollock, La. The following members were present: Mayor Douglas Beavers, Councilwoman Dee Thorne, Councilwoman Cynthia Dickey, Councilwoman Misty Kinn, and Councilman Carroll Cathey. Absent: Councilman Ron Wilkins
Mayor Beavers called the meeting to order by leading the “Lord’s Prayer”, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilwoman Cynthia Dickey. Mayor Beavers welcomed guests. Mayor Beavers gave a report on the work completed on the basketball court and the installation of the new goals and fence around the court concerning the total cost of the project.
The town attorney, Mr. Greg Jones made a donation of new basketballs for the courts which will be at the Police Department for use during the hours specified.
Meeting opened for public comments or questions from anyone in attendance.
Motion was made to approve the monthly Meeting Minutes of April 5, 2021 by Councilwoman Thorne, seconded by Councilwoman Dickey. Roll call vote: 3 Yeas, Councilwoman Thorne, Councilwoman Dickey, Councilwoman Kinn; 1 Abstain, Councilman Cathey; 1 Absent, Councilman Wilkins. Motion carried.
At this time the council reviewed and discussed the public poll results concerning the change of the monthly council meeting time. The Mayor recognized a citizen who was concerned about the poll on social media stating that some people had voted in the poll that lived out of state. The Mayor agreed to remove the social media poll from the votes counted. With this being done the vote was still in favor of the town meeting time to be changed. However, there was discussion that everyone did not receive a ballot and that this poll should not be counted. Councilwoman Kinn requested a door to door type petition/poll be taken and Mr. Greg Jones addressed the cost of such an endeavor. The decision was made to mail out more ballots with multiple lines for signatures and a choice to be made by each individual over the age of 18 living in each household. The cost of this was discussed and Councilman Carroll Cathey stated “please let the record reflect that I had requested several months prior that a poll be mailed out and my request for this was denied because of what this would cost and now we are about to spend this amount for a second time”.
Motion was made by Councilman Carroll Cathey and seconded by Councilwoman Thorne to introduce an ordinance to change the time of the monthly meeting. Roll call vote: Yeas 3, Councilman Cathey, Councilwoman Thorne, Councilwoman Dickey; Abstain 1, Councilwoman Kinn; Absent 1, Councilman Wilkins. Motion carried.
Pan American Representatives, Mr. Tom David and Mr. Jacob Guillory were present and reviewed the bids for the project titled “Town-Wide Roadway Improvements”. The bids that were received were above budget and there was a discussion as to whether or not to proceed with the project. Mr. David spoke concerning the project and the possibility of “holding up” on such project which would be costly. The price of materials are on the rise and it would be in the best interest of the Town to proceed.
Motion by Councilwoman Thorne, seconded by Councilman Cathey to adopt the Resolution awarding the contract to the low bidder, Gilchrist Construction Company, LLC for the base bid and move forward with contingency being deletion. Roll call vote: 4 Ayes, Councilwoman Thorne, Councilwoman Dickey, Councilman Cathey, and Councilwoman Kinn. 0 Nays, 1 Absent, Councilman Wilkins. Motion carried.
Motion by Councilwoman Kinn, seconded by Councilwoman Dickey to adopt the Resolution for project selection FY 22/23 LCDBG Application. Roll call vote: 4 Ayes, Councilwoman Kinn, Councilwoman Dickey, Councilwoman Thorne, Councilman Cathey. 0 Nays, 1 Absent, Councilman Wilkins. Motion carried.
Motion by Councilwoman Kinn, seconded by Councilwoman Thorne to adopt the Resolution to commit local funding for engineering services if FY22/23 LCDBG application is funded. Roll Call vote: 3 Yea, Councilwoman Kinn, Councilwoman Dickey, Councilwoman Thorne. 1 Nay, Councilman Cathey, 1 Absent, Councilman Wilkins.
The Mayor made note that a citizen had inquired as to whether or not the town could install speed bumps on Hickory Street due to the fact that traffic is heavy in the area and they travel at an excessive speed and there are children in the area. Councilman Cathey reminded the council that in 2018 there was a discussion on speed bumps and a motion was made to Ban all future speed bumps in the city limits. The placement of a stop sign was discussed and the Chief of Police said that perhaps that would help slow the traffic down.
CPA, Steven McKay addressed the operating budget and presented an ordinance.
Motion by Councilman Cathey, seconded by Councilwoman Thorne to add the ordinance adopting an amended operating budget for the year beginning January 1, 2021 and ending December 31, 2021. Roll call vote: 4 Yeas, Councilman Cathey, Councilwoman Thorne, Councilwoman Dickey and Councilwoman Kinn. 0 Nays. 1 Absent, Councilman Wilkins. Motion carried.
Town Attorney, Mr. Greg Jones discussed the 79 JBE 2021 Proclamation.
Chief of Police, Chris Paul, presented his monthly report and informed the council members that he had filled the open position for a deputy. He stated that the deputy had completed the police academy and was very qualified to fill the position.
Motion by Councilwoman Kinn, seconded by Councilman Cathey to approve Deputy Justin Rachal for the position. Roll call vote: 4 Yeas, Councilwoman Kinn, Councilman Cathey, Councilwoman Thorne, Councilwoman Dickey. 0 Nays. 1 Absent, Councilman Wilkins. Motion carried.
The Town Financial report was given to the Council members for review.
Supervisor Matt Dezendorf gave an update on the culvert project and noted that the project would be completed this day.
Councilwoman Kinn addressed the movie night for the Town and expressed an interest in helping with this special time for the citizens of Pollock. Councilwoman Thorne reported that Mr. Kendrew had been awarded Yard of the Month. The Mayor noted that Mr. Kendrew’s yard always looked great.
The Mayor discussed the splash pad and reported that it would be cleaned and opened. He also discussed the improvements planned for Foster Park. He stated that he wanted to include everyone on the project. Councilwoman Kinn suggested that we contact the Rapides or Cabrini Foundation to inquire about grants for handicap facilities. There were a lot of great suggestions for the improvement of the park.
Motion was made by Councilwoman Thorne, seconded by Councilwoman Kinn to adjourn. Roll call vote: 4 yeas. Motion carried.
MAYOR DOUGLAS BEAVERS
Deborah Durham, Interim Town Clerk
