--- date: "2012-01-11" title: "Council Meeting Minutes 2012-01-11" source: "2012-01-11-minutes-council-monthly.pdf" --- City of Prairie City CITY COUNCIL MEETING January 11, 2012 Attended: Alvan Cooley, Mayor Gary Waterhouse, Councilor Carole Garrison, Councilor Tim Coe, Councilor Roger McKinley, Councilor Les Church, Councilor Georgia Patterson John Marciel Mayor Cooley called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and roll call taken, all members being present. The minutes of the December 14 meeting were considered. MSP: To approve the minutes as written, Tim Coe/Gary Waterhouse. All members voted in favor, none opposed. Mayor Cooley noted that a request had been made by Sheila Hoberg to use the meeting room at the Public Works building for an exercise class on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm and asked the Council to consider it. An agenda request for the February meeting had been made but he felt there was no reason to put it off until then. It was generally agreed that the use would be OK. MSP: To allow her to use the building for exercise classes as requested, Carole Garrison/Tim Coe, all members voted in favor, none opposed. Public Safety: The Mayor explained that there had been vandalism of City property over the New Year’s holiday. The inside of the restrooms at the City Park, the exterior of the restrooms at Depot Park and the inside of the picnic shelter at Depot Park had been spray painted. He said the public works crew had the City Park restrooms cleaned up and opened again within 24 hours, but that he and the County Judge had agreed Depot Park should be closed to all use until the graffiti had been removed and the investigation complete. Mayor Cooley said he authorized the Sheriff’s Deputy to post No Trespassing signs in the mean time. Although the park is officially closed for the season, the Mayor said he has received some complaints from citizens that say they like to use the park during the day. It was agreed that the Council should consult the agreement with the County to see what is required and set a policy regarding the hours the park is open. There was question as to whether or not an ordinance would be required to enforce closures and whether or not it would have to be a City or a County ordinance since the County owns the park. A workshop was scheduled for January 25 to discuss the issue in more depth and to work on establishing a policy. With regard to the extent of the damage to the park buildings, it was noted that the damage to the picnic shelter will require replacement of the countertop and sink by a contractor which will bring the dollar amount over $1,000 and thus qualifies the offense as a felony. The Mayor said the Sheriff’s Office does have suspects in the case but he asked the Council their thoughts on offering a reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible. Georgia January 11, 2012 Patterson reported that damage had also been done to the old chlorine building. Someone had run into it with a vehicle and left considerable damage. She said she reported it to the Sheriff and the insurance company. Carole Garrison said she found a tiny amount of the spray paint on the museum building as if the can of spray paint may have just run out. It was generally agreed that offering a reward for information leading to the conviction of such offenders would be a good idea and it was suggested that up to $500 be offered. MSP: To offer rewards of up to $500 for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for destruction or vandalism of City property, Les Church/Gary Waterhouse. All members voted in favor, none opposed. It was agreed that the park incidences would be kept separate from the chlorine building damage with regard to offering rewards. Georgia Patterson commented that she would again contact OTEC about getting the street light at the City Park hooked back up. Well Drilling: The Council was asked to consider the change order for the well project. By doing a change order the contractor that drilled the well is able to give the Council a price for installing the piping and pump instead of the City having to go through the entire bid process again. MSP: To approve the change order and accept the bid by Mariel Well Drilling in the amount of $57,380.55 for the described work, Gary Waterhouse/Carole Garrison. All members voted in favor, none opposed. Museum: Carole Garrison referred to the proposed operating policies for the museum developed by the Museum Committee. She noted that the museum has historically been operated very informally and as a result is losing visitors and operating at a deficit of nearly $8K annually. She said the policies are intended to guide the operation into running more like a business and to protect the integrity of the artifacts as well. She said the Mayor and the City Recorder had both reviewed them and given their input. Roger McKinley asked if “the woman running the museum” had been consulted. Mrs. Garrison said yes, she had talked with the employees, but reminded him that the museum belongs to the City and should be treated in the same manner as other City departments. It was noted that having written policies will help with efficiency and also in obtaining grants. MSP: To adopt the policies for operating the museum, Les Church/Tim Coe, all members voted in favor, none opposed. Garrison also asked the Council for approval to apply for a $1,500 Cultural Trust Grant for supplies and permission to pursue other assistance grants as long as they do not require a substantial match from the City. MSP: To approve the request for the Museum Committee to determine and apply for appropriate assistance grants for the museum, Les Church/Tim Coe, all members voted in favor, none opposed. Landfill: A landfill report was received. Georgia Patterson reported that the DEQ would be performing an inspection on January 13. Public Works: Georgia Patterson reported that Bill Goss of OHA would be inspecting the City’s water system on January 12. She explained that he had taken Gary Burnett’s place and had not yet visited the City’s facilities. Accounts Payable: MSP: To pay the accounts payable, Tim Coe/Carole all voted in favor, none opposed. The City Recorder noted that the Council had been given a six-month Revenue and Expenditure report for their review. It was noted that they had also received a recap of the Christmas Assistance Program and that donations had exceeded expenditures this year. January 11, 2012 Other Business: Georgia Patterson asked the Council to consider the plan submitted for the picnic shelter in the City Park as drawn by Kevin Kimberling. It was noted that a pre-bid meeting will be held where Kimberling will detail the specifications for interested contractors to make sure everyone bids on the same thing and doesn’t make their own changes. 6:55 p.m. It was moved and seconded to adjourn, all members voted in favor. Submitted by: ___________________________________ Diane Clingman, City Recorder Approved by the City Council this ____ day of ___________________, 2012 and signed by the Mayor. _______________________________ Alvan F. Cooley, Mayor January 11, 2012