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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 01/19/2010MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF TH E A M ES C ITY CO UN CIL AMES, IOWA JANUA RY 19, 2010 The Am es City Co unc il met in sp ecial sessio n at 5:15 p.m . on the 19 th day of January, 2010, in the City Co unc il Cha mb ers in C ity Ha ll, 515 C lark A ven ue, pu rsuan t to law w ith M ayo r An n C am pbe ll presiding and the follow ing Co uncil mem bers present: Da vis, Goodman, Larson, Mahayni, Orazem, and W acha . Ex o fficio M em ber K epp y w as also p resent. UN IT NO . 8 STE AM GE NE RA TO R W AT ER W AL L P AN EL S: Mo ved by M ahayni, seconded by Davis, to adopt RESOLU TION NO. 10-018 approving Change Order No. 4 for Unit No . 8 Steam Gen erator Wa terwall Panels. Ro ll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby mad e a portion of these m inutes. WEBFILINGS, INC .: Moved by Goodman, seconded by Wacha, to adopt RESOLU TION NO. 10- 019 approv ing subm ittal of an application to Iowa D epartmen t of Ec onomic Development for econ om ic deve lopm ent assistan ce on beha lf of W ebfiling s, LL C, an d direc ting staff to begin loan agreem ent nego tiations. Ro ll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby mad e a portion of these m inutes. WORKSHOP ON THE 2010 -2015 CA PIT AL IMP RO VE M EN TS P LA N (C IP): City Manager Steve Schainker explained that tonight’s discussion would concen trate on the five-year Capital Imp rove me nts Plan, w hich is comprised of major public improvement projects. The 2010-2015 CIP has a total expenditure of $223,269,246. M r. Schainker emphasized that the document is a plan; some projects are added and some drop off throu gho ut the five -year p eriod. He stated that projec ts listed un der the first year of th e CIP (201 0-11 ), wh en ap prov ed, w ill be prog ram me d into the City’s Operating Budget. According to City Manager Schainker, approval of the C IP is not being asked for at this meeting; public input will be taken at the Council meeting scheduled for January 26, 2010, and again at the final budget public hearing to be held on February 9, 2010. Finance Director Duane Pitcher brought the Council’s attention to two important summar ies contained in the CIP: the Pro jection of Deb t Capacity and Sum mary o f Major B ond Issue s. Mr. Pitche r advise d that the state place s a deb t limitation on all de bt that is sub ject to pro perty taxes; tha t limitation is 5% of total actu al valua tion. He a lso rem inded the C oun cil of its policy to reserve 25% of that 5% General Obligation Bond debt limit for emergencies that might come up. City M anag er Sch ainke r said that, because of that policy, Ames is one of the few cities in the country that has a AA A bo nd rating; deb t-per-capita is rela tively low. It was clarified by Mr. Schainker that Revenue Bond Debt incurred by the Utilities (Water, Sewer, Electric, Resource Reco very) doe s not appea r in those sum mary p ages. Police Department. Police Chief C huck C ychosz explained o ne new project: (1) Co mm unica tion Center Radio Consoles. The funding sources are the Story County E-9 -1-1 B oard and a state grant. Funding for the E-9-1-1 Board comes through a telephone surcharge. Fire Department. City Manager Schainker explained that a new projec t: Mo bile D ata Te rmin als (MD Ts) for Fire A ppa ratus, w as pro gram me d in for 2 011 /12. O ut of the nine v ehicles to be equipped, four were completed last year with grant funding. This project will cover the other five. 2 The City will continue to ap ply fo r grant funding. Two other new projects: Fire Station #1 Maintenance and Fire Station #3 Maintenance, will occur in FY 2012/13 and 2013/14, respectively. Station #1 Driveway Renovation will be delayed. Pu blic Safe ty - Tr affic . Municipal Engineer Tracy Warner explained the cost change to the Shared -Use Path System Exp ansion. City Manager Schainker reported that this is one area whe re the recommended annual amount has increased. Public Works Director John Joiner sa id that in 2010/11 and 2011/12, the Skunk River Trail will be expanded. Director Joiner described the site change for the Traffic Signal Program. In 2010/11, the locations have changed to 28th Street/Grand Avenue and South Dayton Avenue/S.E. 16 th Street. There will be cost chang es to U.S. 69 Intersection Impro vem ents and T raffic Engineeri ng S tudies. New projects: Sha red-Use Path Signage and Lighting Pilot Project, programmed for 2010/11, and No rth Dakota Avenue Railroad Overpass, programmed for 201 2/13 , were describ ed. The latter is contingent on receipt of congressionally directed funds. West Lincoln Way Intersection Impro vem ents, which is related to the further development of South Fork Subdivision, will be delay ed to F Y 2 013 /14. Resource Recovery . Ongo ing projects: System Improvem en ts and Recyclables Bu ilding/Staging Area were described by Director Joiner. City Manag er Schainker pointed out that this is an Enterprise Fund; user fees pay for the im prov em ents. Mr. Joiner explained Pre-Process Material Handling Bu ilding a nd T ruck Bay and a Fire Sy stem U pgra de, w hich is a n ew projec t that will span from 2010/11 to 2012/13. W ater and Pollution Control. Water and Pollution Control Director John Dunn introduced new ly hired Assista nt D irector S teve D uva ll. Mr. Dunn described changes to three projects: New Water Treatment Plant, NADC Pump Station Impro vem ents, and W ater Plant Facility Improvem ents. Council Member Good man asked to be reminded of the reason for the increase cost of th e new Treatm ent Pla nt. Mr. Dun n advised that the original estimate was based on the possible renovation of the existing facility, but that is not feasible. He said that the design process of the new Plant is underway; construction of the Plant is anticipated to be finished in 2014. Mr. Dunn reported that the cost and scope change o f the N AD C P um p Statio n Im prov em ents reflects a request from the US DA that the wastewater met ering fro m the N ational Veterinary Services Lab oratory be ev aluated as part of th e proje ct. The US DA will repay 100% of the project costs; an agreem ent will be neg otiated to schedu le repaym ent of the impro vem ents. Low -Head Dam M odifica tions, a new project to occur in 2010/11, was described. Mr. Dunn said that an IDNR grant in the amount of $75,000 has already been received. Donations from Am es residents and groups are estimated at approximately $25,000. According to Mr. Dunn, the Water Supply Expansion has been delayed due to the an ticipated timing for add itional cap acity co ntaine d in the study for the n ew W ater Plan t Projec t. A new project, Automatic Meter Reading Con versi on, w as desc ribed a s a mu lti-year plan to convert the meter reading system from the existing technology to automatic meter reading. 3 A revenue change has been made to Water Plant Disinfection. Mr. Dunn noted that disinfection will become a mand atory requirement when the new NPDES Permit for the Plant is issued by the Department of Natural Resources. An I-Jobs Grant has been applied for; any amou nt not received from that G rant is pro pose d to be funded from the C lean W ater State Revo lving Fu nd in the form of a low-interest loan. Cost and scope changes to Plant Facility Improvements, which will include additional storage capa city and contracted land app lication, and Plant R esiduals Han dling Imp rovem ents were briefly described. New projec ts: Disaste r Imp rove me nts and Flow Equalization Expansion, to begin in FY 2012/13 and 2013/14, respectively, were explained. Elec tric . Direc tor D ona ld K om reporte d that E lectric Services is forecasting total capital expenditures over the next five years of $50,431,396. That amou nt will encompa ss proje cts in four ca tegorie s: Dem and Side M anag em ent, Tra nsm ission, D istribution , and P ow er Plan t. Con struction of the 161kV line from Am es to Mid-A merican Energy Com pany’s switching statio n northw est of A nke ny rem ains a h igh p riority. This multi-year project began in FY 2003/04 and is scheduled to be completed in FY 2011/12. Vet M ed S ubsta tion E xpa nsion will see a c ost in crease. T he pro ject has b een m ove d up to ac com mo date ISU’s advanced schedule for the Vet Met Campus load additions and add itional transformer. The Council was briefed on the Unit #8 Boiler Tube Repair, Feedwater Hea ter Tu be R eplace me nt, and U nit #8 Air H eater Basket R eplacem ent projects. Director Kom reported that $8 00,0 00 w ill be allocate d in 201 0/11 for D em and -Side M anag em ent. That amount will increase to $1,000,000 for FY 2011/12 and 2012/13 and to $1,200,000 in FY 2013/14 and 2014/15. As a result of this program to date, Mr. Kom n oted that Electric’s estimated peak had b een d ecrease d by appro xim ately 5 m egaw att. New projects: Mary Greeley Medical Center Steam Line Evaporator Replacement and Ph ase III of the Power Plant Roof Replacement, were described. The contra ct for U nits #7 and #8 D istributive Control System (DC S) U pgra de w ill be brou ght to the Council for approval on January 26, 201 0. Th is projec t is listed in the CIP to be accomplished in FY 2010/11. Cost changes to the Gas Turbine #1 Engine/Generator Turbine Inspection and Overhaul and Top- O-Hollow Substation Expansion and Breaker Addition were described. Mr. Kom advised that the Cit y’s insurance carrier had made several loss prevention recommendations for the Power Plant. A Fire Protection System in the amount of $550,000 has been programmed for FY 2010/11. 4 Un it #8 Nitrogen Ox ide Control Capital has been delayed and will be completed after regulations from the Env ironmental Protection Agency (EPA) are known. Equipment procurement and installation are recommended in the second and third years of the C IP. Th e sam e is true for U nit #7 N itrogen Ox ide C ontro l Cap ital. Oil Guns and Igniter, previously split into tw o parts, w ill now be done at the same time as the boiler tube rep air on U nit #8. It is programmed to occur in FY 2010/11. Also, in 2010/11, a pre- heater will be in stalled into Gas Turb ine #2 (Inlet H eating for G T2 ), wh ich w ill allow for more reliable reserve generating capacity. A project that has been advanced to FY 2010/11 is Unit #7 Boiler Tube Repair. Refuse-Derived- Fuel (RDF) Bin Work has been delayed to 2011/12. Cooling Tower R epairs are prog ram me d to oc cur in 2 011 /12 an d 20 12/1 3 for U nit #8.a nd U nit #7, respectively. It is anticipated that the cost for the Unit #8 Turbine Generator Five-Year Overhaul will increase to $1,500,000; the project will be done in 2011/12. According to Assistant Director Trower, future EPA regulations will require the reduction of mercu ry emissions. Staff believes, based on anticipated regulations, that Unit #8 will require a mercu ry control and Unit #7 may also require one. It is expected that regulations will be in place by 2011/12, which is the first year when funding has been allocated. A new project, Turbine Con trol Upgrad es, will convert the supervisory controls on Units #7 and #8 turbine generators from electric-mechanical to electronic. This is programmed to begin in FY 2011/12. The Ames Plant 69kV Switchyard Relay and Control Replacemen t will be d elayed , with engineering to occur in 2011/12 and construction in 2012/13. The Ontario Substation 69kV Breaker Addition remai ns in FY 2012 /13 (engine ering) and F Y 20 13/14 (co nstruction). There is no chan ge for Un it #7 Turb ine Generator Five-Y ear Ove rhaul; disassemb ly and nec essary repairs is still planned to occur in 2012/13. Co unc il M em ber O razem asked if there w as eno ugh lead time to come up w ith a more- comprehensive system if EPA requirements dictate. Assistant Director Trower advised that the City has hired a consultant with expertise in that issue . H e said tha t the City met w ith representatives of the Department of Natural Resources in November 2009. The City’s strategy wa s revea led, and the EP A rep resenta tives ind icated th at it was ap prop riate and rational. Asked about redundancy by Council Member Goodman, Director Kom advised that the City had finished the internal 161kV line. He further explained that there are two lines that feed into the City, a 69,000 -volt line that goes to the John Deere Substation (in the Johnston area) and a 161-kV line that go es to the B oon e Jun ction S ubsta tion. Mr. Kom said that with those two lines in service and as long as the City has Unit #8 on-line, there is no problem. However, when Unit #8 is down and Unit #7 is no t running, M idAm erican (wh o ow ns the grid aro u nd Am es) limits the City’s impo rt to no m ore than 37 mega watts; the City’s load during hot-weather days is 126 mega watts, which does not include Iowa State. Even though the lines are capable of carrying more energy, 5 the City still is limited to 37 megaw atts. To remedy that issue, E lectric Serv ices w ould start up GT1, so instea d of ru nnin g $3 5-40 gene ratio n , the City would run $200-$300 generation. Economically, GT 1 canno t run for mo re than two days. Once the line to Ankeny is in place, the City will not need to run Unit #8 because there will be two very strong feeds into the City, and the 37-m egaw att limitation ceases. Mr. Kom also gave the reasoning behind the imposition of the 37-megawatt limitation. City Man ager Sch ainker bro ug ht the C oun cil’s attention to Pag e 58 o f the C IP an d spe cifically to Electric R even ue B ond s bein g listed as a source of reve nue. Th ose Bo nds are nece ssary because the amount of cash needed to fund the many large projects would be cost-prohibitive to taxpayers. Mr. Schainker noted that the Electric Utility is now debt-free. The meeting recessed at 7:05 p.m. and reconvened at 7:12 p.m. W ater Distributi on/Storm Sewer . Annu al program s: Water System Impro vem ents, Storm Water Facility Rehabilitation, Low-Point Drainage, and Storm S ew er In take Reh abilitation were explained by Director Joiner. Council Member Larson pointed out that South 2 nd Street/Oak Avenue has been moved up to 2011/12. Storm Sewer Ou tlet Erosion Control was describ ed by M unicip al En ginee r W arner. It was noted that College Creek will be the site for 2010/11 and Stone Brooke Subdivision Creek will be stabilized in 2011/12. Sanitary Sewer . Sanitary Sewer System Evaluation, a new project, will begin in FY 2010/11. Discussion ensued whether flow monitoring, programmed for 2011/12, should be moved up. Director Joiner advised that after 2010/11 and co ntinuing until the Sanitary Sewer System Evaluation is complete, the footing drain portion of the Clear Water Diversion program will be suspended and construction of a collector line to eliminate icing on streets will be reduced. T ransportation - Engineering. The follow ing an nua l prog ram s we re sum ma rized: Cy Rid e Ro ute Pav em ent Im prov em ents, A rterial Street P avem ent Improvemen ts, Collector Street Pavement Improv emen ts, Concrete Pavement Improvements, Asphalt Pavement Improv emen ts, Downtown Street Pavemen t Improvements, Asphalt Resurfacing & Seal Coat Rem ova l/Asp halt Reconstruction. The Gran d A ven ue E xtens ion w as delay ed du e to the C ity not receiving congressionally directed funding for 20 10/1 1. Als o delayed was So uth D ako ta Av enu e W idenin g (Lin coln W ay to Mortensen Road) in order to balance G. O. Bond funding in the 2010-2015 CIP. Transportation - Street Maintenance . An nua l prog ram s: Neig hbo rhoo d C urb R eplace me nt, Sha red-U se Path Pav em ent Im prov em ents, Sid ew alk Sa fety Pro gram , and R etaining W all Reconstruction will continue. Repairs to the 6th Street Bridge over Squaw Creek (Brid ge Rehabilitation Program) have been programmed for 2010/11. Director Joiner noted that the City hopes to share a Salt Storage Facility w ith Story County, Am es Co mm unity Sch ool D istrict, and Iow a State Un iversity. In 2011/12, $350,000 has been allocated. 6 Transportation - Airport. West A pron Im provem ents, which will occur in 20 10/11, w ere described. It was no ted that the majority of the finan cing w ill come from FA A G rants. Co unc il Member Larson commented that the Airport is really an entrance to the City and shou ld have a broader presence. He recommen ded that conversations occur with other partners, i.e., Iowa State Un iversity an d the p rivate sec tor, to start de velo ping a revenue stream to allow imp rove me nts. M r. Larso n spe cifically w ould like to pu rsue im prov em ents to th e term inal. Transportation - Transit . Director Sheri Kyras explained that CyRide depends heavily on federal grants. She stated that CyRide has the unenvious designation of being the 14th-oldest fleet in the na tion. Another challenge is the size of the fleet in light of record ridership levels. The fleet size w ill be increa sed fro m a larg e bus fleet o f 59 to 76 through 18 new and 30 used bus purchase s over the nex t five years. The need for Building Expansion and M odernization was described by Ms. Kyras. With limited space at its existing site, a satellite location has been identified as the best option to meet CyRide’s future n eeds. C yR ide’s ex isting bu ilding w ill also need to be m aintaine d and repaired . Per ta ining to CyR ide Sho p and O ffice Equipm ent, transit scheduling softw are to prepare passenger sched ules, driv ers’ work assignments, and vehicle service will be procured. That scheduling is currently being done manually. Grants will be sought to pay fo r 80% of the p roject. Bus Stop Imp rove me nts is bu dge ted in the amo unt o f $50 ,000 for each year fro m F Y 2 010 /11 to FY 2014/15. A new project, Alternative A nalysis of the Bu s R apid Transit-type service, is programmed for 2011/12. AVL Tech nolo gy h as m ove d up to 201 2/13 . This w ill enable CyRide to track the exact location of buses to giv e better service on bo th the Fixed R oute and Mo onlight Ex press. Co unc il Member Larson asked if bus service would be extended to the eastern portion of A mes. Ms. Kyra s e xplained that the Transit Board recently approved a minimal level of service to be provided to that location. Parks & Recreation . Director Na ncy C arroll explained the Joint U se Agreement (with the Am es Co mm unity School District) for the Municipal Pool. Consultants have warned that after 2015, the cost of further repairs to that facility could be cost-prohibitive. Improvements to be made from 201 0/11 throu gh 2 014 /15 w ere sum ma rized. Noting that the Joint Use Agreem ent expires in 201 5, Co unc il Me mb er Da vis stron gly rec om me nde d that the City not replace the boiler/pumps in FY 2012/13 until agreement to share those costs with the School District has been reached. In 2010/11, the tennis courts at Ames High School will be resurfaced at an estimated cost of $40,000. Also, if an analysis conducted in 2010 indicates the need, the Brookside Courts will be totally reconstructed at a cost of $300,000. Ms. Carroll advised that, in 2010, staff will host a pub lic input session to gain insight on the role that the Brookside Courts play within the neighborhood and community. 7 Maintenance issues at various Parks and Recreation facilities were summa rized; they will be addressed throu gho ut the five years o f this CIP . Reg arding the D og P ark, C o uncil Memb er Larson said that he had heard from several small dog owner s that the a rea des ignate d for sm all dogs w as too large. He sug gested that the area for sm all dogs be m ade sm aller. The Forest Managem ent of Brookside Park was explained by M s. Carro ll. She stated that pu blic education about this prog ram is crucial to its success. Council Member G oodm an suggested that a list serve be created to gain pub lic input about this and other issues. Replacement of Lighting and Fen cing o f Sou th Riv er Va lley Pa rk is programmed in the CIP for FY 2012/13. Ms. Carroll no ted that staff will meet with sports participants and adjacent homeowners to glean information as to the impacts of the lighting. Co unc il Mem ber Orazem asked if the City would be willing to entertain offers to either lease or purchase Carr P ool. C ity M anag er Sch ain ker p resented the following options: (1) City can continue to subsidize the Pool. (2) The Pool could be leased to a private entity. (3) C ity wo uld continue to operate th e Pool, but an outside agency would provide funding to offset the City’s costs. Mr. S chain ker no ted that d em olition o f the Po ol w as inclu ded in the CIP, but not un til 2011. Regarding the request for creation of list serves, Public Information Officer Susan Gw iasda added that list serves will be part of the new web Req uest F or Pro posa l. Cou ncil Mem ber Davis asked why the development of the C ity’s w ebsite w as no t includ ed in th e CIP . City Manag er Schainker adv ised tha t it is financed out of th e Op eration s Bu dge t. Ms. Carro ll continu ed, ex plainin g th at the next phase of the Playground/Park Equipment Improvement calls for the installation of unique pieces of play equipment (swings, boulders, large slides, etc.) in neighb orhoo d and co mm unity parks. Development of Greenbriar Park (located on South 16 th Street) has been programmed for 2010/11 at a cost of $138,100. Imp rove me nts to Ad a Ha yde n H eritage P ark sp ecificall y to const ruct a parking lot in the northwest area and resurface the north and south loop trails will begin in 2012/13. Ms. Carroll described an Interactive Fountain, pavilion, and green space for the Downtow n that has been prog ram me d in the CIP for 2013/14 at a cost of $1,000,000. She added that the Ames Foundation offered to priva tely raise $700 ,000 . It was n oted th at this has b een p ut on hold until the issue of the location of a new/renovated library has been resolved. Co unc il Member Larson noted that the when the Interactive Fountain idea first surfaced, it related to a catalyst project and a parking structure in the Downtown. He asked for an update on the proposal submitted by the McK el Group, which he believed was entitled, “The Livery .” City Man ager Schainker recalled that staff reported back to C ouncil w ith several parking ram p options. Mr. Schaink er said that he would check w ith the developers, but he does not have a recom me nda tion for p arking in the D ow ntow n bas ed on that no t being directed by the Co unc il. It was noted that a copy of the Downtown Parking Ramp Study had been provided to the new 8 Cou ncil mem bers. Library . Director Art Weeks noted that construction of a new library is not included in this CIP. He sum ma rized thre e proje cts that w ould proce ed if construction of a new library does not move forward: Skyligh t Replacem ent (2010 /11), Air Conditioning System Replacement (2011/12), and Floor Covering Replacement (2012/13). M r. Weeks recalled that there is a joint meeting between the City Council and the Library Board scheduled for February 16, 2010. Co mm unity Enrichment. City Manager Schainker d escribed the ongoing Neighborhood Improvement Program. Planning & Housing Director Steve Osguthorpe explained the Downtown Facade Improvement Program. Both programs have annual allocations of $50,000. Council Mem ber Larson ask ed if there were any plans t o expand the boundaries for the Facade Improvement Program. Mr. Osguthorpe advised that staff is exploring expanding the Program to include other D ow ntow n areas. Facilities/Fleet Services. City M anag er Sch ainke r advise d that th ere is a need to replace heat pumps in the City Hall at a cost of $880,000. He said that the City had been approved for EECDBG funding, and the City Council had formerly directed that staff explore energy- efficiency projects at the Animal Control Shelter, City Hall, and a pilot parking lot/street lighting projec t. Mr. S chain ker su gge sted tha t energ y-efficien cy im prov em ents to An imal C ontro l could still be done with a portion of the grant funding. He asked, however, that some of the EECDBG funds be used to pay for the h eat pu mp s. Cou ncil M em ber L arson agreed with th at, but wanted to make sure that putting the funding into the heat pumps did not jeopardize the grant funding. It was noted by Cou ncil Member G oodm an that Council had provided direction to sta ff for grant funding to go to wa rds en ergy -efficienc y pro jects at the Animal Control Shelter. He wo uld prefer that this issue come b efore the Council memb ers again to allow them to provide d irection to staff. Assistant City M anag er Bo b K indred noted that a con sultant h as bee n hired to com e up w ith energy-efficiency projects at Animal Control. Those projects will have a number of funding options. The intent was for Animal Control to serve as a model. Mr. Schainker said that this issue will come back to the City Council in the near future. Fleet Services Director Paul Hind eraker raised the Council’s awareness that there are major maintenance items needed for the City Hall building. He also described building maintenance that is need ed for th e City M ainten ance Facility o n Ed ison S treet. A new projec t with an annual budget of $200,000 is for City Facility Energy Imp rovements under the Cool Cities Program initiative. Mr. Hinderaker recalled that the intent of this Program is to meet the Council’s goal to decrease carbon emissions by 15% by 2014. Special C ity Coun cil meetings pertaining to the budg et were listed by M r. Pitcher. Discussion ensued concerning a date and time to finalize the tasks asso ciated w ith the go als recen tly set by the City Council. It was concurred that the goal-setting session would continue on January 22, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. COM MENT S: Moved by Goodman, seconded by D avis, to refer to staff the letter from FOX Engineering dated Janu ary 15, 20 10, p ertaining to parking requirements for grocery stores in the 9 HO C Zon e. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Mo ved by Orazem, seconded by Goo dman, to refer to staff the req uest from M ark G ood ale requ esting a sidew alk be installed fro m h is hom e to A me s Hig h Sc hoo l. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Da vis, seco nded by Wach a, to adjo urn the mee ting at 10:15 p.m. ______________________________________________________________ Diane V oss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor