| 2005-10-25 Special Session |  |  |  |
 PRATTVILLE CITY COUNCIL The Prattville City Council met in adjourned session on Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Roll was called and Councilman Macready was recorded as being absent. AGENDA 1. ORDINANCE: AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPROVEMENT WARRANTS. (ORDINANCE BOOK 2005, PAGE 022). Councilman Miller made the motion to adopt the Ordinance and Councilman Renegar seconded the motion. Because Ordinances are generally held for 2 weeks, it is necessary for the Council rules to be suspended. Councilman Renegar made the motion to suspend the rules and Councilman Fank seconded the motion. The rules were suspended (6-0). Councilman Renegar said that he was under the impression that the bond issue would be for $47,000,000.00 rather than a total amount not to exceed $48,000,000.00, which is the verbiage in the Ordinance. He also asked if this amount included all of the economic development. Mayor Byard stated that the actual amount borrowed shouldn’t exceed $47,000,000.00 and by approving the bond issue for $48,000,000.00 it allows for some flexibility for issuance costs relating to capitalized interest, one year’s bond payment in escrow and possible adjustments to interest rates. The Mayor also stated that this bond issue includes all of the economic development with the exception of Bass Pro. Mayor Byard encouraged council support on this Ordinance, which will allow the City to grow its revenues without raising our taxes. Councilman Wood asked City Finance Director Mac Champion what the City’s current total debt is and Mr. Champion stated that it is less than $14,500,000.00. Councilman Wood asked if the City’s general obligation borrowing power would be maxed out with this bond issue. Mr. Champion stated that it would. Councilman Argo asked for clarification that the agreed upon square footage for the retail space is listed as the same amount in the bond issue. Councilman Fank asked for clarification if State and Federal funds we receive will lower the amount necessary for the City to borrow. Mayor Byard stated that was correct. Councilman Wood asked the Mayor if other cities are competing for the retailers who have expressed an interest in locating in Prattville and Mayor Byard said that they are. Councilman Renegar called for the question and Councilman Fank seconded the call for the question. All were in favor (6-0). The Ordinance was adopted with the following results:
City Attorney David McDowell stated that any time a municipality commits taxpayers’ dollars to a private party, approval from a judge must be sought. Therefore, a petition will be filed in Circuit Court by 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. 2. ORDINANCE: AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH BASS PRO FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Councilman Wood made a motion to table the Ordinance indefinitely and Councilman Fank seconded the motion. All were in favor (6-0). CLOSING COMMENTS: Mayor Byard reminded everyone to support the Nationwide Golf Tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail next week. He also reminded everyone of the Halloween Candy Walk, which is scheduled for Monday, October 31st from 4:00-5:00 p.m. Councilman Gillespie recognized Mr. Dan Diguglielmo, 8643 Vintage Way, Montgomery, AL. Mr. Diguglielmo is a Nextel Representative who was in attendance at the evening’s meeting to discuss a Nextel vs. SouthernLinc proposal. He offered a list of services his company provides and a listing of agencies who are current customers. He stated that Nextel plans to add 2 ½ -3 towers in Prattville to increase communication coverage. He further stated that his figures show that Nextel would save the City of Prattville $30,000.00 per year. Mayor Byard commented that he did not have before him the FY 2006 Budget, nor the memorandum which was being referred to, because he was unaware that Mr. Diguglielmo would attend the evening’s meeting to discuss proposals, facts and figures. The Mayor said that he could only speak to the list of approximately 35 agencies that City of Prattville public safety and emergency personnel are in constant contact with. The Mayor went on to say that while the cost of any and all telecommunication services is debatable, the welfare and safety of the citizens of Prattville is not. Therefore, it is not important which company is less expensive. The important issue is to determine which company can provide the best quality communication service to ensure that the citizens of our community are protected. Councilman Argo stated that the main concern of our emergency personnel is the claim that Nextel does not provide a signal out in the county ambulance service area. He asked Mr. Diguglielmo if the additional 2 ½ -3 towers will cover those areas. Mr. Diguglielmo said that he would need to look at a coverage map in order to answer his question. Councilman Argo said that he recalled that Nextel had negotiated to be added to the State’s bid list and asked if that had taken place. Mr. Diguglielmo stated that his company was still working on the issue. Councilman Argo stated that when reviewing proposals the City is faced with issues such as cost vs. benefits. He asked if it was true that it is almost impossible to make comparisons in telecommunication companies due to the various packages that offer different amounts of cell minutes, radio minutes, long distance, and coverage areas. Mr. Diguglielmo said that that statement is correct. Councilman Miller recognized Mr. and Mrs. Jones who attended the evening’s meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Jones live in his district. ADJOURN: There being no further business to come before the Council, Councilman Fank made the motion to adjourn and the motion was seconded. The meeting closed at 8:15 p.m. APPROVED:
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