News Flash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Summary of May 9, 2017 Meeting of Branson Board of Aldermen

MAY EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH – CAPTAIN DAVE ETZ, BRANSON FIRE DEPARTMENT

City of Branson Alderman Mike Booth presented the May 2017 Employee of the Month Award to Captain Dave Etz of the Branson Fire Department. Recently while off-duty, Dave and his son were helping a family friend with some yard work and other chores when he noticed smoke at a house down the block. He saw smoke coming from the eaves and vents of the attic and investigated to discover a possible fire in the wall above a wood stove. He alerted the two occupants and a call to 9-1-1 was made.

Meanwhile, Dave continued to examine the area and found a large amount of heat indicating the probability of an active fire in the wall above a wood stove. He grabbed a splitting maul from a nearby woodpile at the home and penetrated the wall above the stove pipe giving arriving firefighters immediate access to an active fire. These actions prevented the potential risk of property loss and injury to the home’s two occupants, allowing firefighters to quickly extinguish the fire.  

Captain Etz is recognized for demonstrating the City of Branson Values of: 1) Volunteerism/Involvement in helping a single woman with her yard work and also checking on the neighbor after seeing smoke emitting from his home; 2) Teamwork and Cooperation by alerting his peers at the Branson Fire Department while actively working to reduce potential damage to the home and preventing human injury; and 3) Service & Courtesy representing his commitment to service Excellence to serve and protect the community even when off-duty from the fire department.

CONSENT AGENDA:

Approved Board of Aldermen Minutes:

• April 20, 2017 Study Session
• April 25, 2017 Regular Meeting
• April 25, 2017 Joint Meeting
• April 27, 2017 Special Meeting
• April 28, 2017 Special Meeting
• May 2, 2017 Special Meeting

Acknowledged Receipt of Minutes:

• Budget & Finance Committee meeting of March 24, 2017
• Planning Commission Regular meeting of April 4, 2017
• Planning Commission Study Session of April 4, 2017
• Tree Board meeting of April 5, 2017

CONSENTS / FINAL READINGS:  The Board of Aldermen approved the following final readings:

1. Bill #5160 authorized $50,000 from the City’s Tourism Tax Contingency Fund to be awarded to Babe Ruth League, Inc./Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series – a 501C3 organization focused on youth sports – for marketing and promotion of the 2017 Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series to be held in Branson.
2. Bill #5161 approves the second renewal of the Agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. pertaining to the Enterprise License Agreement.  
3. Bill #5162 approves the vacation of an unnamed road in the Table Rock Townsite Subdivision.

REGULAR AGENDA – FIRST READINGS and PUBLIC HEARINGS: The Board of Aldermen approved first readings of the following items:

1. Branson Convention Center 1st Quarter 2017 Review – presented by Marc Mulherin
2. City of Branson 1st Quarter 2017 Financial Review – presented by Finance Director Jamie Rouch
3. Intergovernmental Funding Agreement to Reimburse Costs of Utility Upgrades: (Bill #5163): The Taney County Commission set aside funding from the ½-cent County Sewer Sales Tax to be used for sewer system improvement projects for municipalities within the county. Branson Utilities submitted four planned 2017 sewer improvement projects that meet the criteria of the TCC fund including engineering to design equipment and facility upgrades at Lift Station #10 on Bird Road and Lift Station #34 located in the area of Austin Avenue and Highway 165. The projects also include installation of pumps and controls at Lift Station #46 located in the Whisper Cove development near Table Rock Lake, a complete upgrade of Lift Station #5 near Alexander Park to eliminate flooding issues, and for the upgrade of treatment process components at the Cooper Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility. Total cost of these projects are estimated at $2,093,398. This bill seeks approval of an Intergovernmental Funding Agreement with Taney County for reimbursement to the City of Branson for costs associated with upgrades to Sunset Road Lift Station No. 5, the Cooper Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility, Lift Station No. 46 and design of upgrades for Lift Station No. 10 and No. 34. If approved, sewer sales tax funding up to $1,000,000.00 will be made available to the City to go towards the cost of these projects. Although the Cooper Creek sewer improvement project may be delayed due to the need to fund other City of Branson projects, proceeding with lift station projects can be fully funded by the current allotment of sewer sales tax funding.
4. 2016 Budget Amendment to Adjust Tourism Fund Monies for Branson Airport (Bill #5164): This bill seeks approval to amend the adopted 2016 Budget for the City of Branson to adjust monies in the Tourism Fund to pay the most recent billing in the amount of $25,766.48 to the Branson Airport for the period dated July 1, 2016 thru December 31, 2016. The terms of payment in the “Pay for Performance (PPP)” agreement between the City of Branson and the Branson Airport identifies the City’s commitment to contribute to the success of the airport from the Tourism Fund, anticipating the business model will prove successful and mutually beneficial to all parties (including the City) by generating increased business and tax revenues for Branson’s economy. City Administration and the Branson Board of Aldermen clearly communicated that payments under the agreement are subject to appropriation, while at the same time expressing the desire for Branson Airport to achieve its objectives to increase visitation to Branson and become a viable, sustainable transportation resource and economic development motivator. The City has made payments from the Tourism Fund to the Branson Airport since its inception July 16, 2010 for a total of $2,979,500 satisfying all billings through June 30, 2016. The Board of Aldermen elected to appropriate these funds, making the entire July 1 thru December 31, 2016 payment of $25,766.48 from the Tourism Fund.
5. HVAC System for Compton Drive Wastewater Plant (Bill #5165): This item accepts the proposal of Delong Plumbing Two, Inc. to provide and install one 30-ton HVAC system for the Compton Drive Wastewater Plant Laboratory and Operational Control Building. The existing unit was part of the original equipment installed during construction of the Lab and Operations Control Building in 1995 and is no longer functioning and unrepairable. Delong Plumbing Two, Inc was the lowest of six bids received on April 4, 2017 to replace the unit with a 30-ton Trane HVAC system as scheduled in the 2018 capital budget. This replacement expects to provide an estimated energy cost savings of 30% per year. Funds have been adjusted for the 2017 water and sewer operational capital budget for this expense, and the Board approved the acceptance of this proposal.

APPOINTMENTS: The appointment process is in accordance with the Board and Committee Appointments Procedure, and allows the following names to be voted on individually in Categories 1-3, while the Category 4 names are announced by the Mayor only with no vote by the Board. Category 5 individuals are presented as a slate to be approved with one motion.

CATEGORY 1 – Appointments made by Mayor with approval by Board of Aldermen

1. Advisory Park Board:                                                             Danielle Dingman (term expires June 2020)

CATEGORY 2 – Appointments made by Governing Body

1. Board of Adjustment:                                                            Walt Stone (term expires April 2022)

CATEGORY 3 – Appointments made by Mayor and the Board of Aldermen

1. Capital Improvement Committee:                                    Gerald Buckley (term expires April 2018)
2. Human Resources Committee:                                           Bryson Allen (term expires April 2018)

CATEGORY 4 – Appointments made by the Mayor without Board of Aldermen vote

The Mayor announces the following appointments with all terms expiring April 2018:  

1. Budget and Finance Committee:                                       Bob Simmons and Betsy Seay 
2. Capital Improvement Committee:                                    Mike Booth and Rick Castillon  
3. Human Resources Committee:                                           Cris Bohinc and Kevin McConnell 
4. Chamber of Commerce Representative:                         Rick Castillon 
5. Taney County Partnership Board:                                     Mike Booth 

CATEGORY 5 – Appointments made by Mayor with Board of Aldermen approval

The Mayor made the following appointments and received approval by vote of the Board of Aldermen:

1. Advisory Park Board (Alderman Rep):                            Bob Simmons (term expires April 2018)
2. Planning Commission (Alderman Rep):                          Kevin McConnell (term expires April 2018)
3. M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport Board:               Mike Booth (term expires April 2018)

DISBURSEMENTS:

Approved Disbursements from the period of March 22, 2017 thru April 13, 2017

MAYOR/CITY ALDERMEN/CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS

• Bob Simmons requested volunteers to help with clean-up efforts at North Beach Park from 4-7:00PM on Wednesday May 10 and at Stockstill Park from 4:00-8:00PM on Thursday May 11 and Friday May 12. He also shared the citizen feedback received about the excellent work of City of Branson leadership during the floods as well as the continuous on-point communications and neighborhood patrol to protect homeowner properties when evacuated from their homes.
• Rick Castillon shared that the Scott’s Firefighter Combat Challenge has been rescheduled to June 9-10.
• Betsy Seay expressed kudos to city employees and department heads for assisting in all areas of need during the flood mitigation efforts and also to the volunteers who showed up to help from throughout the City.
• Kevin McConnell shared feedback received from residents and property owners praising Keith Francis and his team for excellent response and communication with regard to city streets.
• Mike Booth shared the results of the Taney County Partnership trip to Puerto Rico in which they received 67 qualified applicants who were processed and ready to come to work in Branson.
• Cris Bohinc expressed her satisfaction with the professional quality and frequency of communication using many communication vehicles like social media and text messaging to inform citizens of flood.
• City Administrator Malinen reflected on the “Over-Prepared, Under-Whelmed” message led by Fire Chief Ted Martin during the flood, and applauded the leadership, teamwork and communications generated in the EOC during recent floods. Chief Martin shared that better forecasting models and streamlined communication from the Corps of Engineers helped to be prepared well in advance of the floods, and the “Open for Business” message reached residents, businesses and visitors successfully.
• Mayor Best thanked Senator Blunt for his work to help change the cap on the H2B program. She also thanked those who had the foresight to pull pumps and costly infrastructure throughout City of Branson utility facilities to safeguard against potential damage from severe weather, and the installation of the AquaDam. Mayor Best thanked Chief Martin and Jennifer Langford for the well-prepared messaging and the continuous flow of communication through news media, constituents, and via social media direct to citizens and visitors.  

ADJOURN

Executive Session pursuant to 610.021.1 RSMo for litigation and 610.021.3 RSMo for personnel.

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Media inquiries related to this content may be directed to Jennifer Langford, Communications Manager, City of Branson at JLangford@BransonMO.gov or by calling 417.337.0017. 

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About the City of Branson, Missouri:  Located in Southwest Missouri, the City of Branson is committed to its citizens and to those who visit here, to ensure a safe and environmentally sound community. We will work as a team to maintain and promote the growth of our City, and to provide professional, courteous service to all through fair and open communication. We look to tomorrow, remembering yesterday, dedicated to excellence today.