 Good afternoon Everybody's awake at least so we know we can we can start Madam clerk, would you mind calling the roll, please? Mr. Taylor Mr. Herbert here dr. Bussell here mr. Brennan present mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall present Mary come in here. Thank you. Would y'all please stand for the pledge of allegiance One nation under God Reverend McDowell our honorable mayor pro tem would you mind Taking care of the invocation for us or your tender mercies that showers upon us each and every day For the city of ours that continues to mushroom itself with nutrients of grace and mercy We pray lord that in your own way You might touch us Sensitize us and Yet allow us to feel and sense each other's presence in this room Allow us as we sit here today to hear to listen and To act upon things that are necessary For the advancement of our city We ask it we claim it the creator's name Amen. Amen. Move for adoption of the agenda. I would Like to move for the agenda to be adopted other than we're deferring item 18 ordinance 2022-047 an item 23 which is a c-pack item 20 resolution 2022 Dash 038 has been withdrawn with that. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda as stated? Is there a second? Any discussions questions? Hearing none seeing none madam clerk. Could you read the role, please mr. Taylor? Ms. Herbert Mr. Brennan, yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I At this point we have public input on any agenda items. There is Input for general discussion or comments at the end of the agenda But this is for any item that is on there is there anybody here that would like to speak at this time Ms. Wally Good morning. We're doing great. Thank you Yes, ma'am Yes, ma'am You know, we got two on belt line the need The roads to go over the train track one on belt line Where I live and the other one on down belt line and Main Street and it's a traffic problem, too We want to make sure y'all put that in in there Long term those sections are part of our our safety program Uh-huh that we're working on right now with senator Harpool in and and at the federal level Yeah, to prove and that's going to improve the safety around the crossings But the volume at that set intersection doesn't come for a group, but we you will see be seeing some improvements Oh, okay. Yes, ma'am. I'll share with you the overall safety plan because it stretches all as you know We have 55 crossing over 55 crossings in our community Yeah, because just like we got the school behind in our neighborhood They'd be crossing up over in it when that track, you know, I will share that information with Bert and Pat Thank you. Yes ma'am. Thank you for bringing that up Is there anybody else that would like to speak on an item? on the agenda Here none, I would move that we approve the minutes So I can from March 8th 15th and 19th Is there any Discussion questions Hearing none seeing none madam Clark. Mr. Taylor. Hi, Ms. Herbert. Hi, dr. Boussles. Hi, mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Yes, mr. Duvall. Hi mayor recommend. Hi Thank You mayor and council Starting today's agenda with a few presentations the first being the national bike month and bicycle safety month proclamation the honorable Daniel J Rickman mayor So as we celebrate several things this month One more is the national bike month and bike safety month And I'll read this proclamation and then present it the bicycle is a viable and environmentally sound form of transportation And an excellent form of recreation many of columbians will experience the joys of bicycling during the month of May through participation in education programs races commuting Events trail workdays helmet protection activities charity events are just getting out and enjoying our community on their bike The palmeta trail attracts trail users each year from around the state providing economic health and scenic benefits to the citizens of South Carolina and the southeast Whereas these bicycling activities Attractions have great potential to have a positive impact on columbia's economy tourism industry and Stimulate economic development by making the city attractive to businesses and citizens who enjoy spending times outdoors and leading healthy lifestyles Creating bicycle friendly communities has shown to improve citizens health well-being quality of life boost community spirit To improve traffic safety and to reduce pollution and congestion So may has been declared national bike month. So again in 2022 I Daniel J rickenman mayor of the city of columbia along with my fellow members of city council Dubai here recognized the month of may 2022 is national bike and bike safety month and the week of may 16th through 20 the 22nd of 2022 as bike to work week and so all of you I know miss herbert is going to bike herself to work because she was talking about it the other day and Some of us will attempt to bike to work Bike work week Day will be may 20th. So we look forward to seeing all of you out on your bikes Around town making it to work Who will be here to to receive this? Do we have anybody from the b-pack? Yes, I want my I have a feeling they're gonna see who uses it. That's why she's making sure she knows whose numbers are on there But I will say for for bike week. I know there's been a lot of discussions I just spoke to a reporter today about but we have calhoun street project is finished in design and is Going to be let this summer for its bid I also know that the blossom street is part of the blossom street bridge renovations, uh, the walk by bike path there is also Being a ministry so we're we're picking them off slowly But surely and hopefully as we continue to see infrastructure money and other opportunities for funding We'd be able to leverage to close the loop not only our greenways, but finish up the bike walk path Program that was adopted I think the process started in 2010 if I believe and then was officially adopted 17 I believe so we're We're not there yet, but we're making progress and I look forward to Seeing all of y'all out on May 20th on your bikes I'll be there. Thank you Oh, no, don't worry, Howard. They got you They got one with a with it two baskets on it for you Thank you Thank you so much Madam city manager, you you prepare for me to move forward to the next one I'll read it for the record mayor the item Is number three and it is the national historic preservation month proclamation the honorable daniel j recommend and a note mere recommend the 2022 may ball pain historic preservation award Is to miss amy more the principal planner for the planning and development services department I was gonna mention that afterwards, but you beat me to the punch there That's all right Make sure we we present this proclamation to uh miss more Pardon me. Actually, we have I am I am presenting the award winner. You didn't win it. I did not win it this year You won it in the past happy. I won it, but it was not the city award. It was historic preservation award You know what miss more? We're gonna let you go first since oh, okay All right. I will be happy to do that Delighted to so if you haven't already gathered i'm amy more preservation planner with the city of columbia And not the winner of the mable paying and not the winner of the mable paying award Um But nationwide people use may as a month to celebrate historic preservation and what it can do in their communities Strengthening neighborhoods conserving resources bolstering economic development and tourism And preserving a sense of place and history Here in columbia our events this month include virtual bike rides in historic districts children's crafts which can be found online A modern architectural tour on main street and a joint research round table with historic columbia Who i might add is celebrating their 60th birthday this year Each year as part of preservation month we give out the mable paying award Mabel was a city employee whose work in the 1950s documenting and presenting historic structures Laid the foundation for the preservation of so much of what still exists today The buildings on main street the vista robert mills district our historic neighborhoods and so many others all of these are All of these are pivotal to the character of columbia and are still with us only through the cumulative efforts of very many people So our award winners may work behind the scenes or they may be front and center But their work has had significant impact on columbia and its historic built environment through their outstanding efforts in education leadership Conservation or stewardship at the city's historic resources And this year i'm very pleased to announce our award recipient for conservation and stewardship Is richard burks a local developer whose rehabilitation projects are many and varied They include 701 waley the palmetto compress warehouse buildings and five points Mill houses in the grand b mill district and others Buildings which run the gamut of 2000 square feet to well over 300 000 square feet richard looks at a historic building often one which is failing or regarded as undevelopable He sees amazing possibilities, and then he works harder than almost anybody i know to make that happen Richard has been described as dedicated persevering detail oriented a visionary a perfectionist Somewhere between crazy and brilliant and a leader A leader who inspires others All of which i can attest to because it's been my pleasure and privilege to work with him on projects over over the years He is a guy who puts his money where his mouth is and time and time again It's the city of columbia who is the richer for it Please join me in thanking richard for his decades of work revitalizing historic buildings and giving them new life and energy Amy would have been a much better choice I will say that um and some of you guys are heavily involved in historic preservation as well you know as a Person who loves old buildings. It's a challenge To make them economically viable. I think if if more people could see that they can be economically viable We'd have much Fewer arguments and bites on our hands when it comes to trying to preserve something additionally You know every old building owner Is just a generally a small fraction Of that building's timeline So we're caretakers We're trying to leave that property that building that structure a little bit better than we found it for the next generation And I think that all goes back to creating You know whether it's architecture engineering Memories of how that building got used but that's what helps us create a sense of place for this community so I Thank you for this award and uh means a lot to me Please help join in the effort to save as much fabric as we can Well, that was the perfect segue for us to go to the next proclamation You know as may has been declared national preservation month and has been since 1973 So again here in 2022 the city of columbia adopt adopted Its first preservation ordinance in 1963 and created its first historic districts in 1964 Historic preservation is relevant for communities across the nation both urban and rural and for americans of all ages all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds Historic preservation has been established in cities across the nation is an effective tool for economic and sustainable development Tourism promotion community revitalization fostering local pride and maintaining community character while enhancing livability It is important to celebrate the role of history in our lives And the contributions made by so many dedicated individuals in helping preserve the tangible aspects of heritage that have shaped us as a community Historic preservation is the key to protecting the unique character and viability of city of columbia Now therefore i daniel j rickerman The mayor of city of columbia south carolina along with the fellow members of city council Do hear bryer proclaim the city honors and recognizes the month of may of 2022 as national preservation month and i have a proclamation amy and the staff if y'all will all come up Okay, our next item item for the asian american and pacific islander heritage month proclamation the honorable daniel j rickerman mayor So earlier today, I had the opportunity to go to the state house and support our fellow council member Dr. oddity bustles as she received a proclamation from our delegation um proclaiming um asian american and being the first asian american pacific islander elected to public office in south carolina and she was recognized On on the house floor by our delegation And it was great to be there and she was supported by several several folks from the business community But with that i'm going to read the proclamation and then i'm going to ask dr Bustles to take it along with some of the folks from the the community that are here on behalf of The asian americans and pacific islanders so um And they're they're abbreviating this so when i say the aapi population Is comprised of over 40 different ethnic subgroups and are expected to more than double by 51 million In 2060 there are more than 555 thousand asian owned businesses in the united state That's roughly one out of every ten of all businesses There are more than 5100 native hawaiian and other pacific islander owned businesses in united states counting out Counting for about one out of every hundred businesses The asian american pacific islanders community is made up of culturally linguistic diverse people Presenting populations from many countries and islands who are setting high standards of achievement and sharing With us their unique ideas talents for art science economic development And whereas south carolina is the home of over 94 000 Asian american and pacific islanders who contribute greatly to our economy Our diversity and the well-being of our community So whereas the month of may has been chosen to observe asian american and pacific islanders heritage for many Reasons including to commemorate the first japanese immigrants who came to the united states in may of 1843 As well as to mark the completion of the trans continental railroad in may of 1869 which involved The strenuous labor of many chinese and pacific immigrants Therefore i the mayor of columbia And the and city council do by proclaim may 2022 is asian american pacific islander heritage month in recognition of the history of achievement of asian americans and pacific islanders in the united states And with that i would love to invite the folks from the business community and dr. Bustle's up to to receive this proclamation Yeah, and i'll just take a quick point of personal privilege and acknowledge that we have members of the media We have business owners. We have our mayors fellow. We have a member of cpd i'm forever thankful for all of your hard work, and i hope that all of you will join me this month in Visiting asian american businesses in the city learning a little bit more about the asian american community in columbia because we are here I'm and just learn a little bit more about the diversity and the rich traditions that so many immigrants bring to this country to achieve the american dream So i hope the folks that are in the audience will come join us for a photo How did you leave the camera? That'll be the lead story on wltx tonight It should be thank you And then last but not least may as much might be the most popular month in In the in the u.s. We have The 2022 small business week proclamation As you know small businesses are a backbone of our community throughout and has been historically we celebrated Several businesses the other day on main street, and we have a lot of events kicking off But we have a proclamation, you know that for more than 50 years the us small business administration Has celebrated national small business week, and so what i would encourage for everyone Is to support all our small businesses if it's up the north main quarter or down south belt line if it's out in the northeast Spears creek or if it's down garner's ferry or Right here down in the vista five points Every quarter of our community has a lot of small businesses So take the opportunity today to support those small businesses If you need accounting service call a small firm If you need real estate call call an agent There are there's so many people out there and of course all our great restaurants If you're on river road go by and see our folks at the food gallery Uh, if you're down in the vista go by and stop in and look at the the hundreds of small restaurants up and down from historic restaurants like Motor supply, but also the ramen house that's that's located there Go down to five points and try some japanese food at the bento box Um, there's so many opportunities for you to support small businesses so please take the opportunity to do it and um I don't know who will be here to accept this deon you want to accept the small business week proclamation He's one of our highlighted businesses And our know our staffs here ebony and and others This is deon sunday 7 One of our great producers and idea guy. I've had the best time getting to know deon And i'm excited that he's one of our five businesses that are being highlighted as part of our small business week So deon wants you come on up bless you With that we can move to the consent agenda Of consent agenda items 6 through 13 for council's consideration I have a motion. Is there a second? Any discussion questions concerns highlights? Hearing none seeing none madame clark. Could you please read the roll? Mr. Taylor I miss herbert I dr. Bussells Mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Mr. Duvall, I may recommend I thank you Moving into a period of ordinances first reading item 14 ordinance number 2020 2 0 1 3 granting an encroachment to mongol homes property LLC and e-sphere development llc for the use of the right-of-way areas of the 500 block of e-sphere drive The 600 block of legacy park court and 1400 block of sandro drive adjacent to 635 636 and 652 legacy park court I have a motion. Is there a second second any questions concern or discussion? Seeing none hearing none madame clark. Could you please read the roll? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I item 15 ordinance number 2022 034 authorizing the city manager to execute a reinstatement and 17th amendment to the purchase agreement between The city of colombia and bright mires 2001 llc for the sale of 5.97 acres the capital city stadium Check it. I have a motion. I have a second. Is there any discussion? Any concern comments Not hearing none or seeing none madame clark. Could you please read the roll? Mr. Taylor. Miss herbert. I dr. Bussell. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Mr. Duvall. I may recommend I item 16 ordinance number 2022 035 amending the 1998 code of ordinances of the city of colombia south carolina chapter 15 parts and recreation section 15 1 prohibited acts in the parks Regarding item 8 alcohol Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second part of what we're doing this is that events like drivetree Bridge aren't allowed to serve alcohol on our side of the street without changing this so they have to push everything to west colombia So long walk. Yeah, all of these but this all of this runs through the police department and d or So it's not like somebody can just show up to one of our public parks and declare that they're having a party So just want to make everybody clear that there's there's guidelines and definitions around this so With that madame clark. Could you read the roll? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I Item 17 ordinance number 2022 036 granting an encroachment to lee and maple llc for the use of the right-of-way area of the 2700 block of lee street for the installation and maintenance of four on-street parking spaces to break columns Second There's been a motion. There's been a second. Is there any discussion? Seeing none hearing none madame clark. Could you read the roll, please? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Mr. Duvall. I may recommend I Item 18 is deferred moving into a period of resolutions item 19 resolution number r 2022 037 approval for release and abandonment of a portion of an existing city of colombia sanitary sewer easement for the c.i.p. Project number ss 757 and c.i.p. Project number ss 7261 and late catherine Is there a motion? I have a motion. Is there a second second? There are any questions discussions Hearing none seeing none madame clark. Could you read the roll? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Mr. Duvall. I may recommend I Item 20 was withdrawn. We have one event resolution resolution number r 2022 033 authorizing consumption of beer and wine beverages only at the main street latin festival in the 1300 and 1400 blocks of main street and the eastern half block of the 1100 block of washington street on august 27th 2022 with a rain date contingency of september 3rd Motion to approve I have a motion to approve in a second. Is there any discussion questions or concerns? Hearing none seeing none madame clark. Could you please read the roll? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Mr. Duvall. I may recommend I Moving into a period of appointments and ashley he is here to assist Several appointments today the first being item 22 the accommodations tax advisory committee First of all, I'd like to thank council for working together to coming up with a list that I could bring forth So that we we had some agreement across the board. So for accommodations My motion is to reappoint stephenson langley simms and cook and new appointees being bullard Dio and nut Second second So we have a motion in a second Is there any discussions or concerns not hearing none seeing none madame clark? Please read the roll Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell mr. Duvall May I recommend I thank you The next appointment is item 24 the adventure children's museum and I think we have our I have a motion to Appoint dr. Bussells to the adventure board and I have a second, please We have a motion and a second Madam clerk. Could you read the roll? So we're we moved on to item 24. Yes, ma'am 23 was deferred Thank you. Sorry, I made that clear. Sorry. I was still writing. Mr. Taylor and miss herbert. I dr. Bussells Mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Mr. Duvall I may recommend I thank you Item 25 is the historic colombia foundation One vacancy for a citizen appointment and one vacancy for a council member appointment. I have a motion to approve Gwen thurmond to be council's choice to be on historic colombia. Can I have a second second? We have a motion and a second madam clerk. Could you read the roll for that nomination? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. I dr. Bussells. I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell mr. Duvall. I may recommend I thank you She's she is very on top of the ball very thankful for her Item 26 the hospitality tax advisory committee. There are currently six vacancies three at large and three restaurant tours So we the motion would be to reappoint Hampton david lz bridges in kindrick And then the new appointees would be Jonathan tyler kelly glenn and Sharon tomson And hank davis. I'm sorry. I missed I missed him at the top So we have a motion and a second madam clerk. Could you read the roll mr. Taylor I miss herbert. I dr. Bussells I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I I can ride along impressive impressive Item 27 the planning commission. There are currently two vacancies Um, I'd like to move forth steve cook and ryan causey For the planning commission motion to approve Second I have a first and a second madam clerk. Could you read the roll, please? Mr. Taylor. Hi, mr. Harbert. Hi dr. Bussell. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I And finally item 28 the task force to prevent an in homelessness I would defer to the chair for any nominations Well, we have a list of um folks representing the neighborhood associations as well as um local homelessness experts and community advocates. Do you want me to read them one by one? Do you want me to do that? Okay um, all right apologies All right, so we have uh, george whitehead department of probation and patrol alson ferrell um John wilkerson chief holbrook steve cook matt kennel Dr. Brett clues judge amy mccullough gene burns And we're holding three more spots as we continue to seek diverse input from our community members Motion to approve that list Second mr. Mayor, we are going to hold the three positions correct. Yes, sir Madam clerk, could you read the roll? Just one one point is uh, we want to have a lot of different neighborhoods involved So the intention behind um, mr. John wilkerson Being there is not only for elmwood, but for the downtown coalition of neighborhoods because we recognize that that is an area That has been greatly impacted with persons experiencing homelessness So if approved, we would hope that um, you know, john can serve as a point of contact for all of our downtown neighborhoods And with that I would add that hopefully we will we can grab some folks We need we need some representation from the harbison area from the garner's ferry area And others because homelessness is is an issue that is spread through all four corners of our neighborhood It's not just one area And we want to make sure that we're all working together to solve the issue and reduce the amount of homelessness that is in our community Mr. Taylor, uh, mr. Mayor and dr. Bussells. Let me I just want to thank y'all and graduate I think you've picked a really good diverse mix of business people neighborhoods law enforcement and And I think it's the right type group to bring together to to really address this issue and and I just want to say nice job in your selection zone With that madame clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Taylor Miss herbert. Hi dr. Bussell. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I thank you Thank you Thank you, hall and thank you, ashley Moving into a period of other matters item 29 Council is asked to approve the installation of one speed hump on randolph street as requested by the public works department The request has been approved Second And we have a second. Is there any discussion any concerns celebration? Madam clerk, could you read the roll mr. Taylor? I Mr. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussell. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend I Item 30 council is asked to approve the installation of three speed humps on howlcourt as requested by the public works department And it's been approved by the fire department and police department I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. I have a second. Are there any discussions questions concerns? Hearing none seeing none. Madam clerk. Could you read the roll? Sir, mr. Taylor. Uh Ms. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussell. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Hi, may I recommend I thank you Thank you council. You should be receiving my city manager's report for today um Ended up being a little bit longer than what I expected. We're trying to revamp a little bit Thank you for your feedback at the your retreat which y'all did a great job at the retreat and We're looking forward to moving forward with with all of your strategic initiatives But of course the report is meant for me to share some highlights and things going on good things in the city And um things that I think are worthy of the public's Knowledge and so one of those things as you'll see in the report Is our 2022 city of columbia job fair That the city hosted at the convention center last week and from all Reports, it was a big success and you'll see my note of congratulations to our staff It was very well attended and professionally executed the career fair on april 26 2022 We made it happen and my understanding Is that um our attendees that came were both Impressed and excited to apply for jobs on the spot So i'm very happy that our city teams all across the city Participate it And we had 125 attendees who pre-registered 357 event day registrations So we had 482 event day visitors Ultimately and 20 city of columbia departments represented with Approximately 200 on-site interviews that occurred Which is significant as you know in the job market We're facing and the need across the city for qualified applicants We were able to make an estimated 80 contingent offers of employment that day So that was very successful and something that we would like to continue Uh i would i would hope Madam city manager that we could have another one of those Sooner than later because it does i do think people did grasp and they did attend and i think you know The more we can continue to reach out to folks and make it easier for them to engage with us The more opportunities we'll have absolutely absolutely I know we already set our date for next year. It sounds like we need to do it sooner than that, right? Would be waiting. Okay Do you have a question? I thought I saw your hand. I'm sorry Our next item is the columbia water customer response plan that all of you are familiar with All of you have given feedback to us on Doing that plan of response for columbia water to address our A high volume of calls the long wait times the backlog with our Road and yard restorations Water leaks, etc. So a few stats to update you We have for the week of april 25th april 29th hot off the presses from tiffany And you all know tiffany latimer our customer here administrator, but she shared some information I'm sorry. I think I skipped a page. I'll come back To the second page. This was my third item actually But for the week of april 25th through the 29th We handle 500 337 calls with an average wait time of two minutes and 25 seconds To put it in perspective for the public and you all know that is greatly improved greatly improved from um, february from it for example when We were experiencing a wait time of 11 minutes and 42 seconds on average So we and tiffany put here for you all to see Some analytics from february march in april So you can see the trend has been downward every month um, you know with the call volume monthly averaging around 25 thousand six hundred and 64 calls for example in april So that's a lot of calls that our center experiences We're getting those wait times down to two minutes and 46 seconds in april and now this past week two minutes and 25 seconds So we're making improvement We're really happy about that The customer care team of course was redeployed From night and weekend staff to work in the normal day shift and hire and we hired a third party call service Partner to answer our after hours urgent calls So that ability to shift staff to the daytime when the majority of the calls are received and our Personal team members can attend to our citizens and customers has been working It's it. Yes. No, I just wanted to say this is So this is really good information and I use it in my neighborhood meetings to encourage people to start calling This number as opposed to My number okay And well no because I really want them to get the system working so this information is good Because that was one of the biggest complaints. I probably am I'm really glad to hear. Please share. Please share it. Thank you Um it as you said councilwoman This is significantly reducing our wait times improving employee morale also because Who wants to feel overwhelmed? You know with that high volume and trying to work to help citizens It doesn't allow us for an increased focus on resolving our billing adjustments and escalated billing issues We also as part of the customer water the Columbia water customer response plan Have increased our usage of private contractors something that we continue to talk about And hope to fill those buckets as y'all refer to it to keep doing that to supplement city staff to address leaks Road and yard restorations and new meter installations That is beginning to reduce our work order backlog and improve Improve our responsiveness as of April 28th 3,575 work order backlog Is um is what we have which is down from 4,155 during the month of february So we've resolved work orders um and double the amount that we've resolved from february to march That's really significant and we want to keep that going And finally we also have been working on some retention of our staff our key staff in the field By providing after hours on duty pay For them an increased amount and pay increases are being implemented that I had shared with you In that same vein of regarding recruitment and retention We know that particularly as we're experiencing Unfortunately increased gun violence in the city We um are trying to work with chief holbrook to address a recruitment and retention plan that we think is really sustainable And so I'm gonna defer to mr. Deval because I think he wanted to present out I have the same information here, but I'll allow you to do that sir during your committee report unless you want me to do it now But I wanted to share that we are moving forward with this plan a pay plan um and implementing a Funding of the plan hopefully through our upcoming budget On some level that we are using Our consultant to help us address and we presented that to your public safety committee yesterday You go ahead and do it since you're on a roll Let me give you an introduction that the public safety committee met yesterday and and took up the topic that the city manager Will review with you. We all agreed that we're in a different world now as far as employment And dealing with employees and we needed to take some of these Make some of these changes What what is not contained in the report that the city manager is going to review with you Is we also went back and reviewed what the city has done Since 2016 when we got a brand new police chief who used to be around the whole area But we have made significant efforts over the since 2016 to get our pay scales up so that we would not be poached on by agencies that steal our well-trained offices and Now we're proposing this and city manager if you will go through that. Yes, sir. Thank you for saying that Councilman DeVall we have and we did share with us this public safety committee The various increases over time, you know since back since 2015 or 2016 and those were you know The one-time increases trying to get our department and on par Potentially with neighboring agencies, but you know, you're always chasing salaries I think what we're proposing now is more of a career pathway For the officer so that they will be able to see through this plan the potential If they want to continue to make this their career and that's what we want them to do Not just the ability to be promoted and move vertically but to move horizontally through The pay scales and be able to project out potentially for years to come where they would stand with the city of colombia as the ought to be premier agency We think it is we've just got to address some things that are going on um nationwide really with hiring and recruitment and retention and so to continue To have that premier law enforcement department in the state as the capital city the city leadership is recommending the following Implementation and funding of the final compensation plan recommended by evergreen consultants and outside firm To help the city address the challenge of recruiting and retaining quality staff The plan will include creating a separate pay plan for the colombia police department based on being competitive With other law enforcement organizations in the region in the state Providing a system that has wider pay bans and allows more room for progression of pay for experience without having To be promoted implementing this step pay plan that would allow officers to receive pay increases every step or year And allow us to hire sworn staff from other agencies By offering salaries that are reflective of the experience And so that is really key the pay plan piece, but chief holbrook would tell you it's not just about the pay Of course, it's about the work life balance of our officers It's about the take home car program that we hope to fully fund to provide our vehicle more vehicles to our officers Hiring an officer wellness coordinator to improve the staff's physical fitness I would love to implement some programs for their mental health to make sure that they are Able on a daily basis to go talk and You know reflect and release anything they may need to do Them and their families to assess the colombia police department facility needs Yes, sir and to perform a regional realignment and staffing assessment that the chief thinks is critical So those are the highlights you'll be hearing more Um, and I really want to thank the public safety committee for listening to us giving us some Feedback yesterday and we'll be bringing you more information as we go through the budget miss wilson I really do want to emphasize the mental health piece of this Talking to a lot of the officers. That's a piece that's really needed I mean these guys carry a lot on their shoulders And if you've had the opportunity to be in the field with them the compassion and everything that they put out there And the strong force, but they also need to release that the other piece I want to make sure that we don't forget about is training Training is just as important as we've saw We had an opportunity to go to charlotte and visit with The see the police training that they have there But also talked to some of the officers and the head of the training and even with the Chief of police and and I think training is one of the key elements that fits right into with what you're doing that is what Would be very helpful for us in retention and recruitment Absolutely couldn't agree more Yes, sir Let me just make one observation you all What you what you're reporting to us sort of represents One avenue of public safety Apparently What are we going to do this is just about the officers You just talk about this is just about the other piece what i'm going to ask is that the other piece Will come out later. Yeah. Yes. All right. I just want to make sure we don't get one one part of the apple at That's the absolute because i'm going to make sure we got an apple And that uh We need to make sure we buy exclusively not only on the side Because it's much needed But on the other side also All right, we're going to give them another turnout This Just don't want to leave that out We've already taken care I just wanted to add that we did talk about the office of gun violence prevention That'll be coming out of the mayor's office as to to deal with the other side But that's still in development Mr. Mayor yeah, mr. Taylor I mean, I just want to say it was an excellent Excellent public safety meeting and and I want the people of clumb to know that what what I heard in the room was that There is a commitment from the staff and council to ensure that the clumb you the capital city of saucuron has the finest police force in the state And uh, really appreciate chief holdbrook's comments at that meeting yesterday about the studies on how we might You know how you mentioned and how we might Look at different areas of service and things like that I I just want I want the people of clumb you know that we are all committed in these tough times that we live in to make sure to make sure that We have a safe place to live because public safety is the cornerstone of prosperity And and that's we're going to continue with our commitment on that and I thank you for everything you're doing on that and chief Thank you too. Thank you sir. This is just one one part of the puzzle So we're we're we're we we are continuing to move forward in all aspects. Thank you. Yes, sir And some additional initiatives that were showing improvements upon involve our new zoning and overlay Um and some analytics related to our new unified development ordinance that was that went into effect August 30th of 2021. We're seeing positive results with regard to streamlining development review I thought these numbers were really Um instructive of what happens when you do some streamlining because it really does impact The citizens we serve and our business owners and folks trying to do business in the city As a case in point there's been a significant decrease in the number of cases required to go to the board of zoning appeals and so again, that's um Really key for someone who's trying to get something done, right? They don't have to wait for the next meeting and all that goes along with with going To to one of those land use boards So for the period since our adoption of the unit of the udo the unified development ordinance Which is september 2021 through april of 2022 There have been 32 cases to include two months where no cases were heard at all For the same period prior to adoption. There had been 82 cases for so that's showing us a total reduction in cases of 60 And that was worth reporting on I think Staff is continuing to monitor the implementation of the code for additional amendments and you've got some um analytics there for you to look at some data on the type of Uh hearings where there's special exceptions says variances re hearings and so forth But the that reduction has shown for you And of course, um, we are always as a municipality having to adhere to Changes in state law that might impact What we may be doing in policies that we make we might have of course The previously seated council and this council have been very forward thinking with uh, regard to covet 19 protocols and procedures and We had initiated the mandatory mandatory covet 19 vaccination policy On april 25th, however This year governor made master sign legislation that requires the city to make a change in our policy related to covet 19 Bill h3126 Which is the vaccination mandates of employers and public accommodations bill prohibit cities from implementing policies Mandating covet 19 vaccinations and limits routine covet 19 testing. So We have to lift our mandatory covet 19 vaccination policy And we have done that effective immediately. So I just wanted to Be clear about that. Um, and I think you have before you what all that means But it's essentially what it says that we have to lift our policy And we have um begun to do that It does not mean that we will not still ensure because i'm very proud of the measures We've taken to provide a safe work environment for our employees. And so we will continue to ensure that it is safe And ensure that our um employees that adhere to safety measures uh, accordingly There is a DOE a department of energy pilot program for colombia the community's local energy action program the leap leap program And colombia has been chosen For the department of energies community's Local energy action program after we applied for the pilot in december of 2021 It will help create a roadmap for 100 percent renewable energy with a focus on developing clean energy programs and addressing energy burden for low income renters in our city and multi-family housing And so this is really neat. It's more of a technical assistance type opportunity And um, we're really proud of mary pat baldoff in our office of sustainability. It works with robert anderson in public works Who took this on and applied and we were awarded. So that's really exciting Um, there's several partners in the proposal like homeless no more and tn development corporation our cpac uh climate protection action committee and the sierra club, but we'll take the lead And we will work with those other entities as we are working towards The city's ready for 100 renewable energy goal And finally you've already done this. Like I said, you all are quite impressive today with all the appointments that you've made And I wanted to share some Uh feedback from ashley that since the implementation of match board We've seen a significant increase in applications for advertised boards and commissions And on average we would used to receive about five to ten applications per board and no More than 30 applications overall. Um, when we were really trying to seek qualified candidates But now we've received 116 applications from march 22nd to april 30th, which is a big increase Uh cola today also posted about the boards and commissions process Which is accounting for about we think 3.5 of the incoming applications We anticipate an ongoing interest in serving on city of colombia boards and commissions and as the staff We will continue to implement new strategies to attract and retain citizens who are qualified to serve and mostly You just want to say thank you to each one of you because y'all have been doing it I've seen and heard how you're posting and seeking candidates that are qualified So thank you to our mayor and members of city council for your continued support for thought and citizen recommendations And that's my report and please share anything in it or ask me if you need any information Thank you, uh, madam city manager Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I had one more but go ahead councilman I was just gonna see if if you would ask ashley to send us a list of the ones we appointed today It was it was a lot of people and I'd like to know Yes, sir. What would I oh absolutely and I know that miss erico will be having it always in her minutes as well I will use it may not be in my report, which is why I was I'm getting used to my how I'm going to do this But I do want to take this opportunity at times to recognize staff who are so well-deserved won't be necessarily in the written report And I'm bringing back a staff member that I think mere Recommend told us we should have had Demetrius here last time Demetrius romp who is our director of safety and risk management I'm going to ask Demetrius to come up and pamp to come up with him As he reports up to her because we want to actually give him the award that I told you about Last meeting he was awarded the South Carolina Public Management Association's risk professional of the year award And it aims to raise the profile and recognition of an individual who exemplifies excellence innovation and commitment To the risk and safety management field and the outstanding programs the honoree has implemented Within our organization. I told you last time about those numbers and they are much improved We talked about our workers compensation claims dropping 48 percent And so a continued downward trend and cost for claims and such So that's really a big deal for the city and we're proud of Demetrius and I'd like for them to come up Just an old rest up. Well, thank you all for indulging me and We will move now into your city council committee referrals reports and new business Activity, so I'm assuming we're going to get some reports here The public safety is already reported via the city manager. Okay Mr. Vile, I would like to add one thing to the to the report that I think is Great news for the city and that was the city manager in the police chief's report on our pathways program Oh, yeah, and uh that the interviews first round of interviews are happening this week This it will input Five mental health professionals into our police department To respond to homeless on the street and mental health crisis. I think it's a An absolutely fantastic program and I think it's one that All across columbia will be very much appreciated Thank you. Mr. Taylor. That was a good addition I I have a question about the heat map that was announced in the last couple of weeks. Is that part of the leap? What sir, uh, they're gonna map the city of columbia for Um Heat sources at myself. No, that is a University of South Carolina grant that would have us as a stakeholder where they would present the results to us In terms of where there needs to be more shade You know where there could be more trees and beautification to help with the long-term goal of Making our community more green and sustainable. So We had somebody reach out to us from the university to share that news It's exciting. Um to to get that data, but unfortunately, no not city led university led Thank you, dr. Busley. Yes We will be able to use the data that yeah sounds interesting Hopefully the university will follow step of the city and continue to improve because I know They're they're a little behind us and so maybe this will give them a little nudge as well Any other we have any other committee referrals reports The administrative policy committee met and uh, there were three substantive items discussed And uh, we have not We don't have final recommendations yet, but at our next next meeting is scheduled for I think the 19th the 19th 17th, I'm sorry at our next council meeting After that meeting we will have something substantive to offer Thank you, mr. Mayor of the tax modernization committee met at 10 o'clock this morning For when we had public comments I think it was probably the most I've ever seen this room filled with private business folks. Um I think great cases were made And great progress was made and our next meeting will be on may the 19th at 2 o'clock in the afternoon And we should be prepared to submit the final Recommendations to to you Uh to take to form the next level of committee for see how we implement I thought it was a great turnout as well today. Um, also I have to you know, recognize too that we had Stephen Gilcrest the head of the african-american chamber in here talking about how to how the tax has affected the 900 Minority owned businesses in this community, but in statewide how it has effect and the two things that they surveyed was Access to capital and high taxes that are affecting growth So I thought it was great to have him part of that and as we continue to talk about the modernization About how it affects all the non owner occupied properties and people forget that's renters those folks in apartment complexes And and the majority of our houses in our community are rented So it does affect when three and a half months worth of collection is going to property tax So as we levelize that uh when we talk about affordability, we talk about investment We talk about growth this all plays a real key role and we're seeing it across Our community and in every every neighborhood. So it was a really good meeting I mean community and economic development committee met today as well Um, we'll submit a more formal. I think written written report for the next council meeting But let me just say it was Kind of went hand in hand with the tax committee The city staff is really working hard to come up with With ways that make it easier for small businesses to start and be successful in columbia Um, I think they'll have a an announcement on some staff packages that we we can implement uh sometime this month And we're we're examining some other things and then on the community development side We heard from from miss ahead on on what their plans are for for fiscal 23 How the goal is to wrap up the flood programs during fiscal actually between now and i think january And uh, and like I said, we'll submit a more formal deal, but uh We had a very very long and informative meeting this afternoon. So thank you, sir Are there any more updates or referrals? Mr. Taylor in that report That was given by miss syed Did we talk about the progress in terms of those families that are still displaced because of the flood Yes, sir, she she basically informed the committee and we'll we'll include the slides as a matter of fact We'll include those with our report and Where they intend all the displacements That program should be finished This year the calendar year 22 That's where we are Okay, thank you before we go to public input I just wanted to put this out that is small business Week and I wanted to put out next thursday The wiley kennedy foundation is hosting a small business Expo is the best way to describe it out at the wiley Kennedy family center at 10 37 eastman street in columbia. That's 29203 from six to eight They're gonna be if you want to if you're a small business owner thinking about starting a business this meetings for you free services available Meet small business professionals assist you and I can tell you that the wiley kennedy foundation is really Really pushing to create growth in one of our gateways and I hope if you have an opportunity to attend that you will Just wanted to bring that attention Before we moved on to public input Yes, ma'am any public input from Those in attendance or listening in We have miss christie savage. She has signed up to speak All right. She has changed her mind We must have satisfied her increase Is there anybody else that would like to speak? This afternoon on any subject miss wiley. We heard from you earlier. It's always good to see you here I We are well that part. I believe yes, ma'am But you're welcome to speak if you got something that can't is sitting on your heart. You can't wait to get off of it Yes, ma'am Miss kennedy Um, but thank you so much. I recommend for your support about our that we're having i'm in gundaline single terry I'm the executive director of the wiley kennedy foundation and i'm also the president united alliance Of a north clemen neighborhoods, which includes neighborhood associations businesses churches and non-profits We're doing a quite a few things and Mary rickerman came out and dr brussel's count and tina. We were cleaning up to build up Last saturday, which was a great event in terms of cleaning our community up and taking it back and to go through that Our next stage of our work toward the end is our Small business forum that we have because we believe economic development is important for us housing is important for In such education when our area 292 if we have a particular area So the specific issues that are facing the area more importantly than some other areas And to that end we are also going to have on the 24th, which is a tuesday And these all the things are coming out of our rally. We want to make sure that people know We didn't have a rally to have a rally we have a rally with steps to get us back in track and so, um chef ho chuf holbrook chief holbrook And chef lot will be there on the 24th on that tuesday for community And law enforcement round table to discuss how we work better how to be more impactful Now this is not a situation to come important fingers or complain about anything you've had issues with If you do have those issues you can talk about another time But at this session we'll talk about plans to go forward and I think that's important And we talk about that and we have to continue to work together and I have to say law enforcement in the city and the county Have been more and more supportive to us. We have meetings. We have events there there to help us In fact, they can't your your police became I helped us clean up They were out there picking up and cleaning up as well. So I want to see I'll talk about that as well. Thank you Well, thank you your single dairy Is there anybody else that like to speak or signed up? Do we have any? voicemails or emails that we need to address madam clark Yes, sir, please come to the podium You are you here to tell me you found my package? I did not find your package. It's lost forever Um, my name is jarrett johnson for the record. Thank you, madam city manager I know it's our first time me liking the flesh for sure This question is more so based because I don't know that much about it. So it's based on one of my ignorance But is city council taking steps to make sure that any Municipal revenue cuts or tax cuts will also benefit those who actually rent Because I know there's a huge tax burden on business owners and people who own large pieces of property like homes That's actually the the whole plan of this modernization is not It's not about the homeowner. It's about the non owner occupied, which is the commercial and the renters That's what we're targeting to levelize and bring it down to equal to the homeowners because As you know, we're 48 more expensive than Charleston and 38 more than greenville So we're trying to levelize that thing so that the small businesses the renters And the and the non homeowners are at equal level So they see that benefit because that affects all the way across our city clear just um It's from my understanding the planning police I'm sure it's still developing but there is a planning police to make sure the actual renter within the home That's owned by someone else benefits from the tax cut Absolutely because that'll allow the owners of those properties to reinvest because right now It used to be and we had somebody testify today that It used to be one month's worth of rent now It's three and a half months worth of rent and that's driving up the costs of that rental And I think one of the things that we hope to see is that more More disclosure is done in the future so that people know exactly What what's being what they're paying for in their rent last question just within that same realm Is that being communicated? You know While you research as you roll out the plan to implement that homeowners like hey, you know We want this to benefit renters because is it a guarantee that for example? I rent in my home that my owner because they have lower taxes Is there a guarantee that I'll have a lower rent or they won't go up on rent? Well, we're communicating with everyone Obviously the goal is to reduce it to create more affordability in our in our community and that's what's I mean this this will really help so Can I guarantee that each one of these guys or or gals will do that? No our intention is to make sure that they understand the reason we're We're trying to levelize the playing field to make it more affordable and that we can have more options In investment as well. So you will have more choices of where you live But thank you for the information And hopefully we can help you get to home ownership and not be a renter because that's really the goal at the end of the day I might not buy in columbia, but no, you know, you never know You never know you're not gonna buy in columbia What I might purchase house in florans. You never know He's gonna move to earlwood. We're gonna Sure, but no thank you for the information But last little point too if that can be like part of the the push the actual Campaign like that way Early on you're reinforcing that hey like this will benefit you as a property owner But our main goal is to make it, you know equitable for everyone not just those who Traditionally have owned property and always get you know, well, that's why trying to encourage that investment So we have more options because you know, we have a lot of empty lots and we've lost a Part of our population and part of it has been because of the cost To live and we've got to change that because we want to make sure that we keep our community diverse I look forward to seeing what you get done. Hi. Thank you, sir But jared wonder things that I think is critically important And your questions are important, but please understand that we are still in the process Of forming and framing this new tax modernization And I think it's going to be it's going I really think it's going to be an advantage to those who are homeowners and renters So working out all of the specifics We hadn't done all that yet. We're on a real good road But we hadn't got there yet and when that role completes that's when we We Become very transparent in making sure that communities know exactly what's going on Thank you, sir. Oh, it's thank you Thank you jared Yeah, is there anybody else? Yes, ma'am Could you put your mic down so that people listening at home can hear you? Yes, um, my name is dureen skelton And I often come to these meetings. I'm very concerned about getting the homeless off the streets As you all know, I've talked to some of the city council members and city manager uh, and I want to know what is it that I can do To help the city move forward and helping the homeless get off the streets I see them on the streets every day. I saw a gentleman over in my area, which is near the kill-borne area And I sent uh city council woman a picture of it and I sent it to the mayor and uh It made me really sad That the man had I asked him. I said, why are you on the street? He said because I failed I said, who did you fail? I didn't ask him that but i'm like, who did he fail? Why does people have to be on the streets? What can we do? What can I do? I'm I'm here to help. I'm retired I'll be glad to do whatever it is to help these people get off the streets So, um, you all have my information Let's move forward in that, you know, I was told that June the 1st We're gonna see about getting, um The committee together but that's kind of Far down the road What can we do? Like starting like yesterday Well, ma'am, I will say, you know, obviously we put a committee together to study it One of the things we've also done is looked at who are all the providers so that we can create a book of Understanding who all the providers are and who's providing what service Part of that allows us to bring people together because obviously what we're doing right now Isn't working very well because we've seen that population grow Some of it has to do with mental health. Some of it has to do with addiction Some of it has to do with people who just don't want to be In a home or a shelter. So we're dealing with multiple facets I will tell you our commitment as an entire council. Dr. Bussells is heading up the the Homeless task force is to get people out of the streets get them into the wraparound services Or help them get to where their support system is whatever we need to do to make a difference We have a commitment. It's just not going to happen overnight, but I applaud your Compassion applaud your willingness to help and hopefully we can find a role for you to help us Achieve that goal to reduce this homelessness You know, I wish we could say we could eliminate it But the reality of that is homelessness has been around for a long long time But our goal is to reduce it and make sure that we have the ability To take care of the folks who need it can make sure they get to the wraparound services they need And also engage but we want to make sure that that all of our community partners Also have the same goals And that they have accountability because we all need to be held accountable to make sure that we are making a difference So I I'll give you that commitment. I wish I had something I could tell you to do right now, but I don't Ms. Gelton, I do want to share the first time we met you shared some of your ideas about tiny homes and You know bedding and and access to beds for our Persons experiencing homelessness, particularly those that may congregate in finley park So I did want to share with you that as we are getting the task force together Know that there's going to be plenty of opportunities to participate Just the task force itself is just one part of it We're going to have subject matter expert community experts providers come and comment on the final plan We want to make sure it's something that is community led, but is also evidence based So one of the things I have been doing is really trying to understand the number of beds that are available in our city And if that those beds are meeting the demands of those experiencing homelessness Just before this meeting I met with our public defender of richland county as well as a homeless advocate And provider to learn a little bit more about why people don't engage in services And what are some policies that are in place that may not actually be doing what they're intending Which is to help people that are experiencing this hardship And so we spent about an hour and a half talking through some of the local policies that could be hindering some of our efforts But then we also thought about our hopes and dreams in terms of what we'd like to do to Ensure that homelessness doesn't happen moving forward in our community And then in addition to that we've continued to meet with those who've been in this space like homeless no more mercy Some of our researchers that exclusively work on homelessness to understand The root cause because what we don't want to do Is to just move the problem somewhere else right because these are our citizens These are our neighbors we want to ensure that we're dealing with them in a compassionate way But also recognizing that this is something that is very eminent and it's something that needs to be addressed very soon So when you shared the idea of the tiny homes I also reached out to someone in portland oregon Who has found success in creating those tinier homes and looking at different affordable housing options because we know that Housing is a key component of homelessness So I want you to hear that the feedback that you've provided including the pictures that you've shared Is something that I don't take lightly and is something that I've continued to keep Close to me as we do a lot of the work behind the scenes Before we get to that committee phase because I want to be very intentional and make sure we have results after this report is released so Happy to talk with you more But would love to get you engaged with helping us with some of those report strategies and ideas that you may have a issue here in columbia zoning I tried myself to Like I said, I'm retired and I'm on a fixed income and if my uh mortgage keeps going up one day I love to be homeless but Zoning does not allow For you to have two kitchens two baths It's like a multi it becomes a multifamily dwelling if you allow someone else to live in your home So i'm bringing this up because I have caught zoning because I was interested in Open my home up one part of my home to help someone get off the streets And uh, they told me that you can't um do that because they don't allow two kitchens to bathrooms Which I have two bathrooms already And uh, there's other ways to Have two kitchens without actually having stoves and things like that. So but um Like I said zoning we really need to Have zoning change To allow people like myself Or um other people that need second income and don't want to go out and work To have other people come live in their homes Of course, I would not charge the people a lot because I realized that People don't have money A lot of people don't have the money to pay for rent and their medical expenses and food and clothing and other Things that they would need so um, I would be very reasonable with that But um, we really need to look at some and help them Some of the people get off the streets Okay, thank you for your comments. You're welcome. Is there anyone else? Not seeing anybody I'll encourage them Mr. Deval, mr. Mayor I make a motion we go into executive session for discussion of negotiations Incident to propose contractual arrangements pursuant to seco 30-4 s 78 to Farrow road property Discussion of employment of an employee pursuant to seco 30-4 s 78 one Columbia police department municipal court judges Is there a second any discussion? Seeing none hearing none. Madam clerk. Can you read the roll mr. Taylor? Ms. Herbert dr. Bustle mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. Mcdowell. Mr. Deval. I may recommend