--- date: "2018-12-10" title: "Council Meeting Minutes 2018-12-10" source: "2018-12-10-minutes-council-monthly.pdf" --- City of Prairie City Council Meeting December 10, 2018 1. Attendance 2. Mayor Jim Hamsher 3. Councilor Georgia Patterson 4. Councilor Carole Garrison 5. Councilor Joe Phippen 6. Councilor Frank Primozic 7. Councilor Les Church 8. Councilor Dottie Miller 9. 10. Visitors 11. Carlos Bortell 12. Anna Bass, Solutions CPA 13. Tish Packard 14. Scott Officer 15. Chase McClung 16. Glenda Harvey 17. Chris Camarena, PW Director 18. Marin Rynearson 19. Katy Nelson 20. 21. Mayor Hamsher opened the regular council meeting at 6:00pm and roll call was taken. 22. 23. Mayor Hamsher made an amendment to the agenda to have a conference call with Branden Buckley 24. who is a consultant for Grant County Economic Opportunities Analysis. Mayor Hamsher will call into 25. the conference at 6:30pm. MSP: To approve the amendment to the agenda for a conference call at 26. 6:30pm with Branden Buckley. Mayor Hamsher/Councilor Church. All members voted in favor. 27. 28. The council thanked the Sheriff’s Department for doing a good job, and Chris Camarena for helping 29. with the Small Cities Allotment grant for street repair in Prairie City. 30. 31. Mayor Hamsher opened the public hearing on the supplemental budget for the Water Fund and asked 32. Anna Bass from Solutions, CPA to give an explanation on the supplemental budget. Anna explained that 33. in order to except grant money, the City will need to do a supplemental budget. The Water Fund revenue 34. is being increased by $375,000 and $16,000 which is a result of much needed water for the town, 35. and the Faiman Water Project. There are $350,000 of debt proceeds, and a $100,000 Bank of Eastern 36. Oregon line of credit for Well #3 and water hauling during the water emergency this summer. There is 37. another $300,000 line of credit through the Bank of Eastern Oregon that has not been drawn on. The 38. $300,000 line of credit is a short-term loan to start the Faiman Well Project while the City is waiting for 39. the State grant and loan monies to come through. $4,000 is the payment for the $300,000 line of credit if 40. we draw on it before the State grant and loan are available. 41. Mayor Hamsher asked at this time if there is any public comment or questions. He said that the public 42. can ask throughout the meeting until we close the public hearing. 43. 44. Mayor Hamsher gave an update on the Faiman Well Project. He said that he went to Salem on 45. December 7, 2018 to go before the State board to ask for the $550,000 grant for the Faiman Well 46. Project. Dave Wildman from Anderson, Perry and Associates took part in the hearing by telephone and 47. Scott Fairly from Business Oregon helped present with Mayor Hamsher in Salem. The State board 48. unanimously approved the total grant for $550,000 and a $950,000 loan for the Faiman Well Project. 49. Mayor Hamsher announced that the City had a pre-construction meeting with Clackamas Construction, 50. USDA Rural Development, Public Works Director, Chris Camarena, City Recorder, Bobbie Brown, and 51. Mayor Hamsher to start the Wastewater Project. This is a requirement from the USDA for the funding of 52. the project. Work will begin on Tuesday December 11, 2018 with replacing the sewer pumps by the city 53. shops. 54. Mayor Hamsher informed the council of a bit of good news of a $100,000 Small City Allotment Grant 55. through ODOT to repair streets within the City. 56. The City Attorneys are finalizing the contact between the City and US Cellular for the cell tower being 57. placed out by city limits to the West of town, and the monthly funds from that will be allocated to the 58. Faiman Well Project. 59. 60. Approval of Minutes 61. The minutes of November 20, 2018 council meeting were considered. MSP: To 62. approve the minutes of November 20, 2018 council meeting with corrections. Councilor 63. Garrison/Councilor Church. All members present voted in favor. 64. 65. Fire Report 66. Mayor Hamsher called on Fire Chief Marvin Rynearson for a brief update. Chief Rynearson said that he 67. attended a meeting with Harney Fire Coop and discussed fire prevention programs they have done in the 68. past. The Deputy State Fire Marshal, Dave Fields will be retiring in May of 2019, and his last official 69. duty will be at the Prairie City School for a presentation on fire prevention. Chief Rynearson said that 70. there will be a hazardous material training soon for Grant and Harney County in January of 2019. 71. 72. Mayor Hamsher said that the City will be receiving a letter of support for the USDA grant for the water 73. project from Senator Merkley, Senator Benz, Representative Findley, Congressman Walden, and Senator 74. Wyden. 75. Mayor Hamsher said that he received an email from T-Mobile for 5 new cell sites that will be located in 76. and around Monument, Ochoco Pass, and Seneca area. This will help cell service in those areas where 77. there is no coverage. Verizon is also looking at putting in towers for coverage in and around the same 78. areas. 79. Mayor Hamsher informed the council that the County has sped up the redemption period on Eula Waits 80. property on South Bridge Street that burnt down in 2017. It will be up for auction on January 17, 2019. 81. 82. Public Works 83. Public Works Director, Chris Camarena gave an update on the Wastewater Project that began 84. December 11, 2019. He said that the main lift station located by the city shops has been vacuumed out 85. and sanitized. Clackamas Construction are fabricating new mounts for the new pumps that will replace 86. the old pumps. At this time, the city is using a by-pass pump until the new pumps are in place and ready 87. to use. 88. 89. Payables 90. To ratify the payment of bills. MSP: To pay the bills. Councilor Patterson/Councilor Miller. All 91. members voted in favor. 92. 93. Mayor Hamsher moved on to the conference call at 6:30p.m. with Branden Buckley who is a 94. representative for the Grant County Economic Opportunities Analysis. This program will allow the City 95. to plan for economical commercial growth over the next 20 years and insuring the City of Prairie City 96. has enough land to expand for business growth. The City Council will serve as their own advisory 97. committee and have the right to make any decisions in this matter. The State of Oregon budgeted for this 98. opportunity to help rural cities to plan for economical growth over the next 20 year. Branden predicts 40 99. new jobs for Prairie City over the next 20 years and these include jobs in Health Care, Education, 100. Forestry, and independent merchants. In January/February 2019 the GCEOA will look at land 101. inventory, growth & demand, economic development policy, strategy, and goals the council would like 102. to see. In March 2019 the GCEOA will do a public review on their forecast findings and then finish the 103. analysis in June of 2019. 104. 105. Mayor Hamsher move on to Resolution 2018-17, a Resolution to change appropriations by 106. supplemental budget. This Resolution is for a supplemental budget for the Faiman Water Project for 107. loan and grant monies that have been awarded to the City of Prairie City for the project. MSP: To 108. approve Resolution 2018-17, a Resolution to change appropriations by supplemental budget. 109. Councilor Garrison/Councilor Miller. All members voted in favor. 110. 111. 112. 113. Mayor Hamsher adjourned the regular council meeting at 6:58pm. 114. 115. 116. 117. ________________________________ 118. Bobbie Brown, City Recorder 119. 120. 121. 122. Approved by the City Council this 9th day of January, 2019 123. and signed by the Mayor: 124. 125. 126. _______________________________ Jim Hamsher, Mayor