The Fairfield City Council met Tuesday night and approved a number of resolutions, appointments, funding requests and personnel matters during its regular meeting.
Council members approved minutes from the April 14th meeting along with executive session minutes from January 13th. The council also approved payment of bills.
During public comments, a Fairfield resident thanked the council and cemetery department for improvements made at the city cemetery. The resident had previously appeared before the council last November expressing concerns about mowing and trimming around grave sites and monuments.
Mayor Gary Moore presented a resolution establishing future city council meeting dates for the fiscal year. Meetings will continue to be held once each month on Tuesdays beginning at 6 p.m. The approved dates include May 12th, June 9th, July 14th, August 11th, September 8th, October 13th, November 10th, December 8th and January 12th, February 9th, March 9th and April 13th in 2027.
The council also approved annual forgiveness of interfund loans between city departments, a process Mayor Moore said is conducted each year.
Several appointments were approved including:
Shirley Edgington and Diane Downs to three-year terms on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners
Terry Weedman to a two-year term on the Police Pension Board
Jala Morris, Steven Lee and Marcia Puckett to three-year terms on the Library Board
Galen Dunn and Karissa Miller to five-year terms on the Zoning Board
Henry Simmers to a three-year term and Dena Stout to a one-year appointment on the Recreation Committee
The council unanimously approved a pay increase for City Treasurer, Kayla Warren raising her hourly wage from $26.31 to $28.81 retroactive to May 1st. Mayor Moore said the adjustment aligns with other employee raises, including IBEW employees, and praised the treasurer’s job performance.
Annual informational reports were presented for the city’s fire and police pension funds, outlining fund balances and fiscal year cash flow activity.
The council approved $7,000 in funding for the city band, which performs during summer concerts and Independence Day activities.
A separate recreational fund expenditure of $6,500 was approved for July 4 fireworks at Southwest Park, the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration at Leo French Park and additional summer events. Officials said the activities will include vendors, food and inflatable attractions and will be funded through hotel-motel tax revenue.
The mayor presented April financial results concluding the fiscal year, showing expenses of $1,816,077 against revenues of $1,668,230 for a negative net income of $147,847. Year-to-date totals revealed expenses of $22,228,000 versus revenues of $20,902,000, creating a net loss of $1,325,000 compared to the previous year’s positive $513,870. The power plant cost approximately $1.2 million, significantly impacting the city’s financial performance. General fund cash balance decreased from $2.1 million to $1,478,137, though the city maintains a $1,133,237 interest-bearing CD.
Following a 35-minute executive session, the council approved the conditional hiring of Ryan Ellis as a new city firefighter from the eligibility list published June 19, 2024. The hiring remains contingent upon completion of background checks, polygraph testing and certification training.
Additional updates during the meeting included ongoing EPA compliance issues involving the city light plant and the hotel development on the west side of Fairfield. Fairfield Police Chief, Ben Lewis reported that emergency training exercises are scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Southwest Park, which will involve police presence and mild explosions for training purposes. Lewis stated he wanted to make the public aware of the exercises and also traffic in the area of Southwest Park near the Fairfield Police Department will be closed for the training.