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Minutes for the Stormwater Management Board Meeting on May 15, 2019
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STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BOARD MEETING MINUTES
Date: May 15, 2019
Location: Municipal Center
First Floor Conference Room
300 South Church
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Opening:
In Attendance marked in bold
Members:
Susan Merideth
Jeremy Bevill
L.J. Bryant
Charles Coleman
Jerry Farris
Woody Freeman
Jeannie Gillis
Chris Kidd
Brett Provost
Matt Taylor
Rick Wyatt, Chairman
Officials & Staff:
Harold Perrin - Mayor
Derrel Smith - Director of Planning & Zoning
Craig Light - Chief City Engineer
Roger Gibson - Stormwater Manager
Marvin Day, Craighead County Judge
Eugene Neff - Road Superintendent
Bobby Clark - ASU
Tracey Cooper - Secretary
John Carvell, ASU (Proxy for Bobby Clark)
I. CALL TO ORDER
Wyatt called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.
II. ROLL CALL
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
*Minutes for the April 17, 2019, Stormwater Management Board Meeting
Motion to approve the minutes was made by Farris and seconded by Day. The minutes were unanimously approved.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
Wyatt ask the new members to introduce themselves.
Brett Provost is a loan officer at Integrity First Bank in Jonesboro. He has farm interest
in Poinsett County.
Matt Taylor has been a landscape architect for 15 years. He has experience with stormwater design, municipalities, and subdivisions.
Wyatt welcomed the new members and read the purpose of the Board. In order to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of Jonesboro, the provisions of these regulations are intended to: (1) reduce property damage and human suffering, (2) minimize the hazards of personal injury and loss of life due to flooding, and (3) protect water quality and the environment.
Day relinquished is role as Vice-Chair of the Board and has agreed to continue to serve on the Board as an ex officio member. Wyatt opened the floor for nominations for the Vice-Chair position. Coleman nominated Gillis. Seconded by Farris. All voted Aye.
V. OLD BUSINESS
Light stated the comments from the last meeting have been added to the attached version of the Stormwater Management Plan. If there are no other comments or changes, the Board needs to endorse the plan and make a motion to accept the plan and begin the City Council approval process. Freeman ask if the plan addressed agricultural land. Would it be exempt or would something extra have to be done for the exemption? Light explained this is the plan for the City of Jonesboro to manage/operate a stormwater collection system. There are separate permits for individual properties and farm land is exempt. Carvell ask if the plan addresses the tax to take care of maintenance. Light stated there is no tax. Farris made a motion to accept this version of the plan. Freeman seconded. All vote Aye. Motion carried.
The Board was given an update on the Flood Mitigation grant. The City has closed on two properties and waiting on one owner to find a place to live and the other is taking care of some issues. The fifth property chose not to participate in the buyout. Light stated the grant pays for 100% of the purchase and demo of the properties. The space will become deed-restricted greenspace. Freeman ask is there anything the property can be used for with the restriction in place. Wyatt stated that civic clubs are always looking at ways to enrich the community. Some clubs might want to fund playground equipment for the space. Light stated he would discuss the idea with the Parks Director. If this were done, the maintenance of the space would become the responsibility of the Parks Department. Coleman ask if this information is on the website. Gibson stated not currently but it can be added.
Light met with the Mayor and Finance Director regarding the Stormwater Utility Fee and the Mayor wants to put it on hold. The contract will be closeout. Wyatt explained there is no designated revenue stream and funds for drainage currently come from the Street Fund. He stated the fee comes with many issues. Things that were thought to be simple turned into a difficult process. Light stated the operating cost alone was over 1 million. The intent was to raise money to address drainage issue not manage a “beast”. The City will look into other ways to raise the funds.
Light stated the latest Corp updated is attached. Light is going to schedule a meeting with Corp in Memphis to discuss the update. The Mayor wants to get the Colonel to visit Jonesboro in August to meet with the drainage districts. Day stated the Colonel has announced his retirement so the visit maybe with the new Colonel. There was a meeting approximately two weeks ago with the Poinsett Drainage district. The drainage from Craighead County bottlenecks in Poinsett County and is causing the farmers problems. The Master Plan is looking at mitigation measures on how to store and release the water before it gets to Poinsett County. There needs to be a consistent outlook. In the past the water has left Craighead County and because of the bottleneck in Poinsett County is has come back to the City and flooded some factories. Day stated in that meeting it was explained that the ditches were designed in the 1950’s using current conditions. They did not take in account such things are the farmland that has been cleared and the growth. The federal funding is based on the 1950’s design and it has to maintain 10 - 20 percent of impairment to the volume it was originally designed to do. The contract the Corp is working on is from 2013. Several individuals explained some things have change considerably since then. The Corp has a contractor in the area and agreed to look at the
areas mentioned but they are not sure if funds are available.
VI. OTHER COMMUNICATIONS
Wyatt ask Farris to briefly discuss the Arkansas Water Resource Conference being held in Fayetteville. He stated it would be held July 30 - 31 at the Fayetteville Town Center. He ask that the link be forwarded to the Board.
Gibson stated the June meeting maybe held at 9:30 a.m. because the Stormwater 101 presentation being presented by ANRC. ANRC has not confirmed but the Board will be notified as soon as they do.
Wyatt stated that the July meeting would be a bus tour to view repetitive loss areas. The Mayor must give approval and a route map must be given the Michael Black, JET Director.
Farris stated that he recently drove an interviewee around and showed her drainage areas. She was very interested in the City’s drainage and this Board gave him the opportunity to know the areas to show her.
Day stated the reason the Corp is so far behind is because Congress has to authorize criteria.
Coleman stated he does not feel the US, as a whole, is keeping up and feels citizens should be encouraged to contact Congressmen, Senators, and get other entities involved.
Light stated that it would be two years before the County Hazard Mitigation Plan is updated but needs the section regarding the Floodplain Management included. There is a step that kept the City from getting all of its CRS credits. It was not included last time it was updated but needs to be addressed this time. The Board needs to be made aware of the plan with regards to the Floodplain section. The City is currently under the County’s plan.
Light mentioned that the State Water Plan needs to be looked at. He does not know when it is scheduled for renewal but he will check into it. The Cache River basin was identified in the last plans and a lot of funds have been spent on it. There needs to be a push to have the St. Francis River basin particularly the Big Bay Ditch channel to be included in the new plan.
VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Wyatt adjourned the meeting at 9:01 a.m.