Peter Nierengarten, the city’s director of sustainability and strategic planning, presents the Wedington Corridor Neighborhood Master Plan Tuesday evening.
Flyer photo
A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council was held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2013 inside room 219 of the City Administration Building, located at 113 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville.
Roll call
Present: Adella Gray, Sarah Marsh, Mark Kinion, Matthew Petty, Mayor Lioneld Jordan, Rhonda Adams, Alan Long
Absent: Justin Tennant, Martin Schoppmeyer
Listed below are the items up for approval during the meeting including action taken and links to downloadable PDFs for each item.
Reports
1. Nominating Committee Report – Pass 6-0
Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission – Matt Behrend
Fayetteville Public Library Board – Suzanne Clark, Charles Adams
Animal Services Advisory Board – Lea Criss
Audit Committee – no applicants
City Board of Health – No applicants
Civil Services Commission – Nancy Allen, Betty Martin
Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeal – Bill Hairston, John Dupree, Jules Beck
Housing Authority Board of Commissioners – No applicants
Planning Commission – Sarah Bunch, William Chesser, Ron Autry
Agenda highlights
- A proposal to set the monthly pay amount for Planning Commission members.
- An architectural contract with Crafton Tull for renovations of Wilson Park pool buildings.
- Adoption of the Wedington Corridor Neighborhood Master Plan.
- Formation of a group to study policies to promote urban agriculture.
- Changes to the Farmers’ Market ordinance.
Consent
1. Approval of the March 5, 2013 City Council meeting minutes. – Pass 6-0
2. Portable Changeable Message Sign (PDF): A resolution approving a budget adjustment in the total amount of $14,500.00 to provide funding for the purchase of a portable changeable message sign for the Transportation Department. – Pass 6-0
3. Bid #13-12 North Point Ford (PDF): A resolution awarding Bid #13-12 and authorizing the purchase of three (3) Ford F-550 service body trucks from North Point Ford of North Little Rock in the total amount of $121,812.00 for use by the Water and Sewer Division. – Pass 6-0
4. Bid #13-13 North Point Ford (PDF): A resolution awarding Bid #13-13 and authorizing the purchase of one (1) Ford F-250 utility truck from North Point Ford of North Little Rock in the amount of $32,969.00 for use by the Transportation Department. – Pass 6-0
5. North Point Ford – Information Technology Division (PDF): A resolution authorizing the purchase of one (1) Ford F-150 pickup truck in the amount of $18,492.00, pursuant to a state procurement contract, from North Point Ford of North Little Rock for use by the Information Technology Division, and approving a budget adjustment. – Pass 6-0
6. Bale Chevrolet – Transportation Department (PDF): A resolution authorizing the purchase of one (1) Chevrolet Tahoe in the amount of $28,789.00, pursuant to a state procurement contract, from Bale Chevrolet of Little Rock for use by the Transportation Department, and approving a budget adjustment. – Pass 6-0
7. Bale Chevrolet – Solid Waste Division (PDF): A resolution authorizing the purchase of one (1) Chevrolet Tahoe in the amount of $28,789.00, pursuant to a state procurement contract, from Bale Chevrolet of Little Rock for use by the Solid Waste Division. – Pass 6-0
8. Mountain Street and College Avenue Sidewalk Improvements (PDF): A resolution approving a budget adjustment in the amount of $60,600.00 recognizing revenue for improvements to sidewalks on Mountain Street and College Avenue. – Pass 6-0
9. Crafton Tull (PDF): A resolution approving a contract with Crafton Tull in an amount not to exceed $42,430.00 for architectural and bidding services related to renovations of pool buildings at Wilson Park. – Pass 6-0
10. Rupple Road Improvements (PDF): A resolution expressing the willingness of the City of Fayetteville to utilize federal-aid funds for reconstruction and relocation of Rupple Road from Wedington Drive to Mount Comfort Road. – Pass 6-0
Unfinished Business
1. Wedington Corridor Neighborhood Master Plan (PDF): A resolution to adopt the Wedington Corridor Neighborhood Master Plan vision document and illustrative master plan. This item was tabled at the March 05, 2013 City Council meeting to the March 19, 2013 City Council meeting. – Pass 6-0
New Business
1. Amend §33.108 Compensation (PDF): An ordinance to amend §33.108 Compensation relating to the Planning Commissioners and to approve a budget adjustment. – Pass 6-0
2. VAC 12-4203 (Halsell Road Sewer Easements) (PDF): An ordinance approving VAC 12-4203 submitted by the City of Fayetteville for several blanket easements along Halsell Road, Maple Street and Oliver Avenue. – Pass 6-0
3. First Community Bank of Crawford County Cost Share Agreement (PDF): An ordinance waiving the requirements of formal competitive bidding and approving a $64,000.00 cost-share agreement with First Community Bank of Crawford County for the milling and paving of streets within the Sunbridge Villas Development, and approving a budget adjustment of $64,000.00 recognizing revenue from letters of credit. – Pass 6-0
4. U.S. Geological Survey Agreement (PDF): An ordinance waiving the requirements of formal competitive bidding and approving an agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S. Department of the Interior) in the amount of $21,528.00 for the operation and maintenance of three (3) urban stream gauging stations in the City for calendar year 2013. – Pass 6-0
5. ADM 13-4331 Local Foods Ordinance Review (PDF): A resolution to request city staff review the Unified Development Code and prepare amendments to allow residents to raise farm animals and sell crops, animals and animal products in non-agriculturally zoned areas to provide greater food security for Fayetteville residents. – Pass 6-0
6. Amend §114.02 Farmers’ Market (PDF): An ordinance to amend §114.02 Farmers’ Market to transfer the current free use of the south parking spaces on Mountain Street to the control of the Rural Mountain Producers Exchange Board, to close Mountain Street to traffic, to permit sound application during Farmers’ Market and to make other changes. – Left on first reading
I wonder why we spend all that money in North Little Rock for vehicles. Why not spend the money here even if it does cost more?
I have often wondered why local vendors do not submit bids or do not submit the low bid when they do. The City Council cannot be faulted for taking the lower bid for identical vehicles and saving taxpayer dollars. Otherwise, why advertise and take sealed bids at all?
They are using state bids. The state has already bid them, so they are just using the states bid so they do not have to rebid them.
Lowest bid is not the best bid.
Way back in 2009 I started putting together an ordinance that would weight bidders according to their relative proximity. Fayetteville firms would get the best advantage, then county firms, then state firms, then out-of-state firms. I didn’t get very far before I was told that would be illegal. State law requires us to take the lowest bid and the Constitution prevents us from regulating interstate commerce.
It’s too bad we couldn’t do it. So much more of the money we spend with Fayetteville businesses stays here.
You thought that would be legal?
I thought it was compelling enough to ascertain its legality.
I have long thought, and particularly so after working on a number of public projects in an architecture firm, that the law should be modified to allow the second-lowest bid to be taken if it is within some percentage more than the lowest bid. The current law encourages bidders to cut estimates unrealistically, and particularly in the case of built projects compromises the intentions and the execution of the project. It usually turned out that the inevitable change orders that came about as a result of the lowest bid made the project cost more than the second-lowest bid would have.
I know that at least on the IT side of things you don’t have to go with the lowest bidder (and bid projects are totally different than buying off state contract) if you can provide a justified and defensible reason for why not.