DRAFT ONLY. Without council review or approval.
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
April 26, 2011

CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Echanove called the Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Cecil Floyd; Tim Jones; Mike Milano; Connie Newman; Jeff Snook; Rick Wekenman. Absent: Norm Schorzman. Also present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson. Public present: Pete Hertz; Jeslyn Lemke; Rebecca & Sean from Alternatives to Violence.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Newman MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of April 12, 2011. Councilmember Snook seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report. Additionally they had to replace the sewer line from the city park restrooms to the street. The chipper site filled up in two weeks so the county chipper will be here again tomorrow. We are using the county chipper solely for the manpower the county provides.

POLICE REPORT:
-Park signs have been ordered.
-City received a complaint about free-range chickens. Poultry must be caged at all times; cannot run free. We may need to also look at limiting the number of chickens allowed as we do for other animals. With the exception of dogs and cats, all animals are supposed to have prior approval from the BOA.
-WSU/UI bike race was a success. There were 172 registered racers.
-The Easter egg hunt was also a success.
-Once the weather gets warmer we will begin work on the PD to make it more energy efficient.

JFB REPORT: 1 fire call in March, 3 YTD. 1 EMT call in March, 14 YTD. Our EMTs got a great deal on the purchase of a new stretcher for $1.00. No news on the grant for the radios.

NEW BUSINESS:
Alternatives to Violence. Alternatives to Violence is a free program available to anyone in the county. They have a 24-hour crisis hot line (332-HELP). A confidential shelter is available. They also do preventative educational presentations to schools, etc. Most of their funding is through the United Way. For more information call 332-0552.

OLD BUSINESS
Ordinance No. 888: Palouse fiber optics contract. There were questions at last council meeting regarding this ordinance. For the sake of clarification, Mayor read aloud various sections for further discussion. Three issues need further clarification in the contract: the need for a warranty on any construction work the Port does; some of the wording should say permit vs. permission & vice-versa; getting editable electronic and hard paper formats for inclusion in our document inventory. Supt. Griffin and Councilmember Floyd are going to look into installation specs. If the Port is going to come through town regardless, the Mayor believes it’s good that we have this agreement because it gets the control to the city. Much discussion ensued. Councilmember Jones MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Milano, authorizing the mayor to sign Ordinance 888 pending the three items of discussion as mentioned. Motion carried unanimously.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:

Streets & Sidewalks-Cecil Floyd, Chair: Cecil met with TIB Director Steven Gorchester and WC Commissioner Partch. He indicated Whitman County is one of the only counties in the state that works together as a team. Any projects we can bid and work through the county, TIB is eager to fund. One project that is a possibility for TIB is a multi-purpose pathway on Cove Road. TIB is going to look at that and then meet with our committee with their feedback. Cecil is meeting with the school May 4th and will then meet with his committee, Supt. Griffin, and Chief Neumann to put ideas together for traffic flow at the school.

Water & Sewer-Connie Newman, Chair: Committee, Doug Willcox, & Don Myott met with the four engineering candidates for WSP. After extensive work they are recommending Taylor Engineering out of Pullman. Councilmember Newman MOVED to enter into negotiations with Taylor Engineering to develop the WSP for the City of Palouse. Seconded by Councilmember Milano. At this point we’re just entering into negotiations to discuss project specs, cash flow, etc. After the first meeting, Taylor Engineering will bring back their proposal at which point we would negotiate a contract and bring it back for council. Committee was very impressed with Taylor Engineering. Due to a conflict of interest, Councilmember Wekenman recused himself from voting. Motion carried unanimously.

MAYOR’S REPORT:
-AWC conference is coming up in Spokane in June.
-May 4th is the regional AWC connector here in Palouse.
-MFA met with DOE a few weeks ago and now it’s all pending on state budget.
-Councilmember Newman MOVED to not excuse Councilmember Schorzman’s absence based on his pattern of excessive absences. Councilmember Snook seconded. Councilmember Newman stated excessive absences are a dereliction of duties. Motion carried unanimously.

Councilmember Milano attended the Little Sprouts parent group regarding the pending closure of the daycare. The group has asked the chamber and the city for any suggestions to keep it open. They are in a crisis situation. Discussion ensued.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Councilmember Milano MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Snook seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

ADJOURN: Councilmember Snook MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Newman seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 9:16 PM.

The following checks are approved for payment:
Claims Paid Ck. No. 3105 – 3121 $7,846.15

APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________