City Board covers LGW, Main Street & NAFD plans, FY24 budget and more in under 21 minutes

City Of New Albany Board of Aldermen meeting, September 5, 2023

Agenda Items

Public Hearing on FY 2024 budget:

The Board held a public hearing of about one minute length to discuss the FY 24 budget, which goes into effect in October. With no objections or comments, they approved updates for the budget year 2024.

Departmental Business (See available details on Agenda)

New Albany Light Gas and Water Approvals and Updates (Bill Mattox).

• Atwell & Gent Engineering Pay Request Approved: The New Albany Light Gas and Water board has approved a payment of $121,625.13 to Atwell & Gent Engineering for their design services in the Electrical Communication project. Electric System
• Projects to be submitted for Grid Resilience Innovation Partnership (GRIP) Grant: The Board approved New Albany Light Gas and Water’s submission of 14 electric system projects for consideration in the Grid Resilience Innovation Partnership (GRIP) Grant through TVA. The grant requests total about $46.7 million dollars.
• Negotiations with ATT for Apple Street Water Tower Lease: The board has given approval to enter negotiations with ATT for a facilities lease on the Apple Street Water Tower for something involving their 5G service (possibly an antenna, etc.)
• Advertisement for Construction Assistance: Approval has been granted to advertise for multiple contracts for construction assistance for Electric, Gas, Water, and Wastewater purposes.
• Re-advertisement for Marshall County Gas Facilities Relocation: The board has approved the re-advertisement of the Marshall County gas facilities relocation associated with the MDOT bridge replacement. Re-advertisement is necessary to comply with bidding of portions that involve federal funds.
• Bid Approval for USDA approved project($48,930) to repair Kings Creek EW Project: The bid for the USDA-sponsored project to repair the Kings Creek EW Project has been approved, with A and B construction winning the bid. The project will replace a previous USDA approved repair that did not last. USDA will pay most of $48,950 replacement costs, with city portion being about $10,000.
• Update on Emergency Sewer Repair: The board was provided an update on the emergency declaration for sewer repair on the line between 116 Highway 15 South and East Bankhead, $22,380.50.
• New Hire Approval: The board has given approval for a new hire Robert Hancock in wastewater department.

Community Development (Billye Jean Stroud)

• Mississippi Main Street was approved to secure funds for the downtown area, specifically for the implementation of wayfinding signage. The $400,000 Mississippi Main Street Revitalization Grant application is due this weekend, and must include a resolution that demonstrates the city’s commitment to providing matching funds of $70,000. The Mississippi Main Street Board will meticulously evaluate the grant proposals, selecting the most deserving projects. However, the ultimate approval rests with the state legislature.

New Albany Fire Department (Mark Whiteside)

• The Board approved new hire Holden Little
• Whiteside  explained that for AFG grant ($35, 500) quotes came in under budget. The department will be able to get bids for upsized gear extractor washer and gear drying cabinet with excess grant funds.

The  Board of Aldermen meeting continued with other routine department matters, with all agenda listings discussed being approved.  A possible litigation matter was to be discussed in Executive session.

The next board meeting scheduled for October 3, 2023.

Meeting Agenda: New Albany City Board September 2023