--- date: "2012-03-14" title: "Council Meeting Minutes 2012-03-14" source: "2012-03-14-minutes-council-monthly.pdf" --- City of Prairie City CITY COUNCIL MEETING March 14, 2012 Attended: Alvan Cooley, Mayor Carole Garrison, Councilor Roger McKinley, Councilor Les Church, Councilor Ray Wenger, Public Works Storie Mooser Kathy Smith Iva Gill Mayor Cooley called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and roll call taken, Tim Coe and Gary Waterhouse being absent. The minutes of the February 8, 2012 meeting were considered. MSP: To approve the minutes as written, Tim Cooley/Carole Garrison. All members voted in favor. Kathy Smith was recognized and asked to comment on her interest in being appointed to the Budget Committee. She cited her expertise in grant writing and bookkeeping along with a general intent to be of assistance in the process. MSP: To appoint Kathy Smith to the Budget Committee, Les Church/Carole Garrison, all members voted in favor. Storie Mooser was recognized and addressed the Council regarding his request to conduct fitness classes in the meeting area of the Public Works building. He explained it would be a non-profit class for individuals with health limitations or injuries and distributed a flyer outlining the program. He said the schedule would be dependent on the demand but expected it to possibly be twice a week. He said he would work around any scheduled uses of the building. MSP: To Allow Mooser to conduct Callanetics Exercise Classes in the Public Works building in cooperation with any existing uses, Les Church/Carole Garrison. All members voted in favor. Public Safety: The Recorder said she had been contacted by Ashley Daniel of the Grant County District Attorney’s office/Victim Assistance Program. Daniel said they are applying for a grant to fund a Law Enforcement Investigator position 10 hours per week for three years to conduct follow up investigations for sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking crimes as well as outreach programs. Daniel proposed that if the City would consent to allowing their contracted Deputy to participate 10 hours per week they would pay one quarter of his salary (.25FTE) for the three year period. The City’s consent is needed in order for them to sign and submit the grant by March 29, hence the short notice. The grant period would be from October 2012 through September 30, 2015. It was generally agreed that it would benefit the City financially and it was noted that part of the 10 hours per week would include investigations in Prairie City anyway. MSP: To agree to negotiate with the County for utilizing the contracted deputy at .25 FTE, Tim Cooley/Roger McKinley. All members voted in favor. March 14, 2012 Landfill: Receipt of a Landfill Report was noted. Museum: Carole Garrison and Kathy Smith reported that the museum committee had received the Cultural Trust grant in the amount of $7,190 and said that a matching amount of $670 would be required, possibly less. They gave a recap of what the funds will be used for, i.e., to have the museum collection and building assessed to determine recommendations for efficient operation and preservation of the contents and building. Smith said one of the assessors would likely attend the April Council meeting to give an update on the progress. The Council was asked to approve the expenditure of matching funds. MSP: To approve the expenditure of $670 in matching funds for the grant, Carole Garrison/Les Church. All members voted in favor. In other museum grant business, Kathy Smith said another grant for $500 had been received and that a ceremony to present the funds would be held in Mount Vernon on March 19 if anyone was interested in attending. It was suggested that she and Carole Garrison attend on behalf of the City. Carole Garrison referred to the revised and updated job descriptions for the museum employees and volunteers. It was noted that the descriptions were more concise as to relevant duties and physical requirements as job descriptions should be and as suggested by the City’s Loss Prevention Specialist/Insurer. One description is dedicated to the operation of the museum and the other to conservation of the collections and building. The third description is primarily for volunteers. MSP: To approve the revised job descriptions as presented, Les Church/Tim Cooley. All members voted in favor. Roger McKinley asked for clarification on whether or not they were additional paid positions or simply updated descriptions for the existing employees. Garrison explained that they were updated descriptions for the exiting positions. Abatement: Mayor Cooley noted that a written update had been received from Iva Gill on the progress they were making on bringing their property into compliance as requested by the Council. He read the letter aloud and thanked her for continuing to keep them informed. Well Drilling: Ray Wenger reported on the progress of the well drilling and presented an estimate for materials to build a chain link fence around the site in the amount of $1,343.50. He noted that that the public works crew will build it. Public Works: The Council considered the bids for construction of a picnic shelter in the City Park. Les Church recused himself from the discussion due to a conflict of interest. Council member Tim Coe who was not in attendance due to illness was contacted via telephone in order to have a quorum to make a decision. The Mayor read the bid amounts as follows: Double D Construction $17,520, Voigt Construction $12,750 and Action Concrete, $7,724. There was concern about the large differences in bid amounts and that no breakdowns were included in order to make comparisons that might reveal mistakes. It was noted that each contractor had attended a meeting and was given the exact same criteria on which to bid. There was a question as to who Action Concrete is since there was no contact information on the bid. It was noted that the bid was from Kevin Kimberling. There was also a question about when the project should be completed by. It was agreed that the project must be completed by June 30, 2012. MSP: To accept the lowest bid and require the project be completed by June 30, 2012, Tim Cooley/Tim Coe. Cooley, Coe and Garrison voted in favor, McKinley opposed. Carole Garrison asked for clarification that if the bid of $7,724 is found to be insufficient would additional charges be paid? It was agreed that no additional charges would be approved. March 14, 2012 Ray Wenger reported that they had repaired a main sewer line break just above the booster station and noted that it had been the third break in two years. There was some discussion as to the age of the line. Wenger said they had experienced a small amount of overflow and would be reporting it to the DEQ as required. In other business, Wenger (on behalf of the Public Works Director) asked the Council to consider paying their comp time down to 30 hours each. He estimated his would be around $500 and Patterson’s was approximately $1,100. He said his total hours are 70 and Patterson’s 84 (the cap being 80 hours each.) MSP: To go ahead and clear it up, Roger McKinley/Les Church. All members voted in favor. Carole Garrison addressed the Council and said they had received applications for the Park Host at Depot Park and that Georgia Patterson would be interviewing by the end of the month. Accounts Payable: MSP: To pay the bills, Carole Garrison/Les Church, all members voted in favor. The contract for the annual audit by Oster Professional Group was considered. MSP: To approve the contract, Carole Garrison/Roger McKinley, all members voted in favor. The Mayor addressed the Council and said he had been approached by Greg Smith to write a letter in response to the proposed geographic name changes and process being conducted by the US Board of Geographic Names. He said a sample letter had been included for the City’s consideration, but that he had talked with the Recorder about drafting a more comprehensive letter. He read both the sample and the Recorder’s draft. The Council preferred the Recorder’s letter. MSP: To authorize the Mayor to sign and send the letter to the USBGN drafted by the Recorder, Les Church/Carole Garrison. All members voted in favor. 7:15 pm: 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 March 14, 2012