August 22, 2023 Agenda

07-25-23 Agenda

Draft Minutes 07-25-2023

Res 2023-17 EMS Levy draft

Res 2023-18 Infrastructure draft

Res 2023-19 Pool Levy draft

Res 2023-20 Street Levy draft

07-11-23 Agenda

Draft Minutes 07-11-2023

Signed Minutes 07-11-2023

06-27-23 Agenda

Draft Minute 06-27-2023

Ordinance 1021-Amending Ord 1019 to Ord 1020 – signed

Ordinance 1020-Shoreline Master Program 2023

06-13-23 Agenda

Signed Minutes 06-13-2023

Ord 1019 Shoreline Master Program 2023 – signed

05-23-23 Agenda

05-23-23 Signed Minutes

Resolution 2023-15 Authorizing application for CERB Grant St. Elmo Feasibility Study, signed 05-23-23

Resolution 2023-14 Sale of Surplus PW Vehicle to EMS, signed 5-23-23

05-09-23 Agenda

Signed Minutes 05-09-23

A public hearing with a representative from Avista will be held on May 9, 2023, at 7:00 pm, at the Palouse Community Center. The regular Palouse City Council Meeting will follow this hearing.

Avista proposes installing a 4” steel gas line from W. Main St. south through the City of Palouse Hayton Green Park. The line will continue south under the Palouse River and along Palouse Cove Rd., ending at the existing regulator station near W. Union Ave. Avista has submitted plans for pre-, during, and post-construction work within the park.

Copies of all the documentation submitted by Avista regarding this project can be found at the following link: http://visitpalouse.com/government/avista-gas-line-2023/

04-25-23 Agenda

04-25-23 Signed Minutes

Resolution 2023-12 Purchase PD Vehicle, signed 4-25-23

Resolution 2023-13 Amended Fee Schedule, signed 4-25-23

04-11-23 Agenda

04-11-23 Minutes – Signed

03-28-23 Agenda

03-28-23 Minutes Signed

03-14-23 Agenda

03-14-23 Minute – signed

02-28-23 Agenda

02-28-23 Minutes – signed

02-14-23 Agenda

02-14-2023 Minutes – Approved

01-24-23 Agenda

01-24-23 Meeting Minutes

01-10-23 Agenda

01-10-23 Meeting Minutes

12-27-22 Agenda

12-27-22 City Council Minutes – Signed

12-13-22 Agenda

12-13-22 Minutes

Draft Minutes of the Palouse City Council Meeting and Budget Hearing on November 22, 2022

Approved Minutes for the Palouse City Council meeting on November 8, 2022

Approved Minutes from the October 25, 2022, Palouse City Council

Approved Minutes from the Palouse City Council meeting on October 11, 2022

Approved Minutes from the Palouse City Council on September 27, 2022

Approved Minutes from the Palouse City Council on September 13, 2022

Approved Minutes from the Palouse City Council on August 23, 2022

Approved Minutes of the Palouse City Council on August 9, 2022

July 26, 2022, Agenda for the Palouse City Council Meeting

July 12, 2022, Approved Minutes of the Palouse City Council Meeting

June 28, 2022, Approved Minutes from the Palouse City Council

June 14, 2022, Approved Minutes from the Palouse City Council

May 10, 2022, Approved Minutes for the City Council Meeting

Draft minutes from April 26, 2022, Palouse City Council Meeting

Approved minutes from April 12, 2022, Palouse City Council Meeting

Draft Minutes for the March 22, 2022, City Council Meeting

Draft Minutes for the March 8, 2022, City Council Meeting

Draft Minutes for the February 22, 2022, Council Meeting

Approved Minutes from the February 8, 2022, Council Meeting

Minutes from January 25, 2022, Council Meeting

Draft Minutes of the Palouse City Council on 12-28-21 

Agenda for the Palouse City Council Meeting on 01-11-2022

Approved Minutes of the December 14, 2021, City Council Meeting

Approved of the Minutes of the Final Budget Hearing on December 6, 2021

Minutes for November 23, 2021, City Council Meeting and Budget Hearing

Approved Minutes of the November 9, 2021 City Council Meeting

Approved Minutes of the October 26, 2021, Council Meeting

Approved Minutes of the October 12, 2021, City Council Minutes

Approved Minutes of the September 28, 2021, City Council Meeting

Minutes of the September 16, 2021, City Council Meeting

http://visitpalouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/8-24-21-Council-Minutes.pdf

Minutes of the August 10, 2021, City Council Meeting

Minutes of July 27, 2021, City Council Meeting (PDF)

DRAFT (Not Adopted by Council)

 PALOUSE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

Regular Council Meeting

July 13,2021, 2021 @ 7:00 pm

120 E. Main City Hall

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

ROLL CALL:

Deputy Clerk La Follett took Roll Call

Council members present Mary Welcome, Bill Slinkard, John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper.

Council members absent: Tim Sievers.

Councilmember Fielder introduced a MOTION to excuse Councilmember Sievers, MOTION seconded by: Councilmember Cooper. Council unanimously passed the MOTION.

City staff present: City Administrator (CA) Coughenour, Deputy Clerk (DC) Misty La Follett; Police Officer Joel Anderson; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf.

CHANGES TO AGENDA:

Mayor Cook requested the “Open Forum” portion of the meeting be moved to the front of the agenda.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

June 8th, 2021, minutes: Councilmember Welcome introduced a change to the June 8th, 2021 minutes. CA Coughenour will insert Councilmember Welcome’s requested language into the minutes.  Councilmember Akin introduced a MOTION to approve; Councilmember Slinkard seconded MOTION. Council unanimously approved.

June 22nd, 2021, minutes: Councilmember Welcome introduced a change to the minutes to clarify that Councilmember Slinkard could join the meeting via Zoom. CA Coughenour will correct the language in the minutes. Councilmember Cooper also introduced language to clarify that the Spillman police call report was omitted from the Council’s packet. CA Coughenour will correct the language in the minutes to reflect this request.  Councilmember Synder introduced a MOTION to approve the minutes; MOTION, seconded by Councilmember Slinkard, MOTION passed unanimously.

OPEN FORUM:

Three citizens registered to address the Council:

Angie Griner: Presented a question to the Council relating to civil service classifications within the Police Department. Mayor Cook responded that Council’s only action was acknowledging that the previous Civil Service Commission was not established correctly. Ms. Griner also emphasized her support for Chief Neumann and his 15 years of service and dedication to the city.

Brad Pearce: Requested information on Chief Neumann’s employment status, new chief search criteria plan, and city employees’ retention plan.

Ron Weller: Inquired about the city’s position on funding or defunding the police department. Mayor Cook emphasized that the city will fund the police department.

Audience: Numerous citizens in attendance questioned the councils’ actions on adopting or not adopting Civil Service Rules for employees. For reference, the previous discussion on civil service and steps taken by the Council regarding civil service were discussed in the minutes dated February 23rd, 2021.  Councilmember Synder provided a short history of the actions taken by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and previous Council. Councilmember Synder informed the audience that the CSC was never adequately formed, nor did any appointed commissioners maintain the required meetings and minutes. The mayor did remark that the Council’s personnel committee serves in the role of personnel actions.

Other members of the community provided various comments and discussion points for the city council to consider.

Jill Weller volunteered to write the “For” statement for the pool and special streets levy.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: 

 Supt. Wolf provided the city council with his written report. Supt Wolf verbally briefed the city council on the city facilities, roads, and the public work personnel. Supt Wolf also updated the city council about the potential chlorine shortage from June 22nd, 2021, and that the issue has been resolved. Supt Wolf also informed the Council that water consumption was up approximately 50% from last year. Mayor, Council, and city staff all recognized that the Pool staff was performing very well considering their experience level.

*Report attached to the minutes.

POLICE REPORT: 

 Officer Anderson presented his report to the city council. There were 24 calls for service since the last council meeting.

*Report attached to the minutes.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR/DEPUTY CLERK REPORT:

CA Coughenour presented the City Administrator Report. The pool has received $800.00 in donations from patrons. The water Consumer Confidence Report was completed and published, continuing to work with the state on the Water Efficiency Report, 2^nd quarter finance documents have been either sent or printed. CA is waiting on two state offices to confirm the change of administrators.

CA Coughenour and Deputy Clerk La Follett received partial training on the BIAS financial software. CA Coughenour has learned of some efficiencies that could be adopted. These changes would need to be confirmed with the state auditor’s office (SAO) and review internal policy and procedures.

Road oiling bid was published and will close on July 16th, 2021, at 5 PM.

OLD BUSINESS: 

 FY 22 Levy Process:

CA Coughenour explained the process to the city council for completing the Pool and Special Streets levy process and the action items the city staff and Council must complete before August 3^rd and 17^th, 2021. CA asked the city council to confirm the levy rate for each levy. Mayor Cook recommended that Streets, Property, Facilities Chair Sievers, the pool manager, and the public works superintendent provide funding recommendations based on operations and repairs identified to maintain and operate the pool. CA Coughenour will draft the levy resolutions for the July 27th, 2021, council meeting. Additionally, the city council needs volunteers to write the “For and Against” language for the November 2021 voters’ pamphlet or decide to take no action specifically for the “For and Against” language.

Cove Sidewalk Project Update:

CA Coughenour updated the Council on the project. At this time, the engineering firm of Munir Duad and Associates is developing the award bid and contract based on the city council’s approval on June 22nd, 2021. These changes are about asphalt versus concrete for the sidewalk and base rock that the city agreed to supply,

Meeting Minutes:

Councilmember Cooper opened the discussion about the drafting and timeline of the city council minutes and when draft minutes should be made public. The Council supported the idea of making the draft minutes available to the public in approximately one week or less. This allows council members the opportunity to receive feedback before the next council meeting. CA Coughenour was made aware that the city council generally reviews a draft of the minutes before posting the minutes. This process allows each council member the opportunity to correct, add, delete, or modify the draft version before the draft minutes being made public. Councilmember Akin wanted to ensure the minutes provided clarity and brevity, but at the same time, provided the citizens with enough information concerning actions taken by the Council. Mayor Cook also emphasized the need for the actions to be timely for the Council and citizens.

NEW BUSINESS:

Mayor Cook requested the Council to confirm Jacob Billington as the city’s “Building Inspector.” Councilmember Welcome introduced the MOTION to confirm Jacob Billington and Councilmember Cooper seconded the MOTION. The Council unanimously passed the MOTION. Mayor Cook also informed the Council that Mr. Billington might need to take on additional responsibility as the building inspector and the building plan reviewer. The former plans reviewer has not shown an interest in the role of the plan’s inspector.

Safe Streets Grant Application: CA Coughenour informed the Council that the Safe Streets Grant application period was open. The general concept of the grant application is to expand the Cove Sidewalk to the Bridge St pedestrian crossing, install pedestrian crossing warning lights, and install steps into the Lion Parks.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

 Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome

Chair Welcome presented the Council with a comprehensive plan from the finance committee, developed from past actions and identified needs. The whole Council commended Chair Welcome on the in-depth and comprehensive report.

Councilmember Cooper introduced a MOTION to adopt the plan; Councilmember Fielder Seconded the MOTION, Council passed the MOTION unanimously.

Overview of ARPA Funding:

Councilmember Welcome gave an overview of the Finance Committee’s budget recommendation regarding the funding coming to the City of Palouse from the American Rescue Plan Act (see the attached summary). Councilmember Welcome reviewed expenditures and community results from the 2020 CARES Act funding and summarized eligible uses of the incoming ARPA funding. The suggested allocation of the first and second payments is based on critical needs and community research. The recommendation prioritizes investment of the local recovery funds directly back into the community, business sector, and non-profits in the first deposit.

The Finance Committee recommends the following usage of the ARPA funding:

35% to support Community and Public Services, Non-Profits

– Joint Fire Board, Fire/EMS, Palouse Community Center, Palouse Print Museum, Palouse Library, Educational Programming, Gar-Pal Schools, Youth Advisory Board, downtown reader board

24% to support Business Relief and Recovery Efforts

– Chamber of Commerce business advocacy and redistribution of recovery funds directly to business owners

31% to support Infrastructure and Local Municipal Upgrades

– PPE stock for public and business use, support funding for Water/Sewer infrastructure projects, support funding for Palouse Cove Sidewalk Project, support funding for the Palouse Community Pool, support funding for research and development of community broadband or other communications technology infrastructure

10% in contingency, to be decided based on need

– For further support funding on eligible expenses, to address unforeseen impacts, and identify future needs.

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers: No Report

 Personnel, Chair Snyder: No report

Water and Sewer, Chair Slinkard: No report. Chair Slinkard informed the Council of an upcoming meeting on July 14th, 2021, at 1 PM with the Department of Ecology about the 100K “forgivable loan /grant” for conducting a value study to confirm the city needs of our wastewater.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper; No Report

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder: Chair Fielder did not present a report since the board has not met. Councilman Fielder emphasized the Red Flag warning. He also asked the city to consider fronting the costs for the radios for the fire department in the amount of 8K with the intent to use the American Rescue Plan Act funds to reimburse. Councilmember Welcome and CA Coughenour advised that this would not be a normal process and could cause grant reporting issues but investigate the matter.

 EXECUTIVE SESSION: No session was held.

MAYOR’S REPORT: 

Mayor Cook informed the Council of the request from “The Congress” to renew their liquor license. No opposition from Council or city staff was made, Mayor Cook approved the license.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Councilmember Synder introduced a MOTION to allow payment of the bills listed on the check register; Councilmember Akin seconded the MOTION, MOTION unanimously passed.

ADJOURN: Councilmember Synder MOVED to adjourn; Councilmember Akin seconded the MOTION. The MOTION was carried. The council meeting adjourned at 9:07 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Public Works Superintendent Report

July 13th, 2021, WATER: June’s water usage was up 56% from June 2020, with a little more than *.5 million gallons pumped. May was up 44% from May 2020. Installed two new water meters for new builds in the city. Many locates Read water meter’ June 24th and 25th Chlorine shortages are solved as we are now getting the same product strength out of California. Booster Pump on north hill burned a connection on July 4th, so residents on the booster pump were under reduced pressure for about three hours that day. KME out of Troy ID came and fixed the problem. Sent out a request to reduce water by 20% but was not mandated a week ago. We have had a couple of complaints since then. STREETS: We got around 350 tons of gravel delivered to us in the last three weeks. $5000.00. Swept streets last week. I picked up a dead deer on Cove Road last week. PARKS: A phone line came down off the pole blocking the swimming pool parking lot entrance. Avista came and restrung the line to the pole. Parks are getting browner and will continue to do so as we conserve water. CEMETERY: Working on getting it cleaned up. I have got a 3–4-year plan in place to get it back into shape like it was. We have had some complaints about the appearance. We are also doing less watering. COMPOST: We have watered the pile to help the compost to mature faster. POOL: We have been working with the pool manager on daily issues. Things are getting better as time goes along.

Police Department Report

Download the minutes from June 22, 2021  (PDF format)

Download the minutes of June 8, 2021  (PDF format)

Regular Palouse City Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing
May 25, 2021

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper; Bill Slinkard (7:17 pm). Staff present: Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; incoming City Administrator Brad Coughenour; incoming Deputy Clerk Misty La Follett.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Public Hearing and Regular Council Meeting of May 11, 2021. Councilmember Fielder seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

We have enough chlorine to get us through the season (during this current national chlorine shortage).

Councilmember Welcome praised Public Works for the condition of the cemetery.

PW Supt. Wolf will discuss with Mayor Cook next week the possibility of hiring a seasonal helper.

Thanks to resident Monty Nearing for all his volunteer work caring for the nature walk.

PW Supt. Wolf thanked Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson for everything all these years.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

DEPUTY CLERK REPORT:

-DC Thompson submitted the April 2021 Treasurer’s Report. Everything is balanced. No red flags at this time.

-The reservations are really starting to pick up at the RV Park for the upcoming summer.

-DC Thompson began training her replacement (Misty La Follett) yesterday (5/24). Ann is optimistic and confident that Misty’s skills will prove beneficial to the city.

-This is DC Thompson’s 277^th and final council meeting as an employee of Palouse. Her last day is Thursday.

OLD BUSINESS:

Michelle Bly of TD&H gave an update on Water System Improvements: Luke and Morgan from TD&H met with PW staff and went through the project with them and after that submitted the report and plans to DOH for review. We’re hoping to get comments back soon so we can address them before our contract expires. The PWTF loan expires June 30, 2021. The city needs to submit requests for reimbursement before this deadline. TD&H did not use the full amount of the contract. Moving forward from there it has been TD&H’s intent to help Palouse find funding for construction for the Church Street, Culton Street, and H Street looping main. Costs are escalating for materials. When pursuing construction funding it would be the recommendation of TD&H to pursue funds where the construction funds requested are in excess of 40% greater than the construction estimates. Michelle doesn’t believe Palouse will need all that funding but it’s a placeholder so the city isn’t put in a cash-poor position if the city wants TD&H to find funding for city. There is an opportunity with PW Board for construction funding. Councilmembers Sievers and Slinkard think the time is right to move forward to get an application in and see what happens. Michelle will proceed with application with the PW Board and should come before council at second meeting in June. In meantime she will be working with PW Board on city’s behalf to work toward closing out the preconstruction loan city has.

Ordinance No. 1007 – adopting K Street vacation: This is the formal adoption of the K Street vacation previously discussed at the May 11, 2021 public hearing.  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 1007. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 1008 – Budget Amendment to Water System Reserve Fund 412:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adopt Ord. No. 1008. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.

Resolution No. 2021-06 – New salary schedule to add the salaries for the new City Administrator and the new Deputy Clerk. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2021-06. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

Executive Session – Council adjourned at 7:28 pm to go into Executive Session to discuss Building Inspector position. Council reconvened at 7:41 pm.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome–

-We have ready our recommendations for the allocation of our Cares Act funding. We’re anticipating the arrival of those funds mid-June and when they’re distributed there will be a new set of guidelines. Councilmember Welcome will ensure that the spending will be in compliance with Dept of Commerce and that the expenditures are a sound use of the funds.

-At the request of outgoing Deputy Clerk Thompson, Councilmember Welcome will be doing an exit accounting of the city’s petty cash funds.

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers-

-DC Thompson met last week with Councilmember Sievers and pool manager Beck Meisel to try, before her departure, to go over everything pool-related. Councilmember Sievers took a lot of notes in hopes of moving forward.

Personnel, Chair Snyder– *See Mayor’s report.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

-Committee met to continue discussion about ways to address the feral cat problem in Palouse. The committee is toying with idea of putting into city code a requirement that outdoor cats have to be spayed or neutered. There is still a lot of discussion to be had.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Council took a moment of silence in recognition of former councilmember Steve Alred who passed away earlier this month.

Appointment of Mayor Pro-Tem: Councilmember Cooper is stepping down from the position effective May 27. Councilmember Welcome MOVED to nominate Councilmember Sievers. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

Hiring of new City Administrator and new Deputy Clerk:  Misty La Follett was hired as the new Deputy Clerk and began training yesterday (5/24/21) with outgoing DC Thompson. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to confirm the hiring of Misty La Follett as DC. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.  Brad Coughenour was hired as the new City Administrator to begin work tomorrow (5/26/21). Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to confirm the hiring of Brad Coughenour as City Administrator. Councilmember Akin seconded. Motion carried.

Mayor Cook thanked Deputy Clerk Thompson for her service to Palouse. Mayor Cook has requested to retroactively increase DC Thompson’s salary to that of the City Administrator salary effective from date of CA Dixon’s departure until her departure because she has been fulfilling the role of both positions by herself. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to retroactively increase the salary of DC Thompson to the salary of City Administrator from the time of CA Dixon’s departure date until her departure date. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. Councilmembers thanked DC Thompson for her years of service to Palouse.

The only bid received for the Palouse Cove sidewalk project came in high. Mayor Cook spoke with TIB to see about getting some additional funds for this project. He also spoke with the bidder, White Diamond Concrete, to see if they could cut back on their bid. There was a $40,000 increase in this bid from previous bid.  Engineer MD&A isn’t happy with the bid and how this is unfolding. He is of the opinion that unless TIB and White Diamond Concrete pick up those costs, the city should consider a different project. Discussion will continue. Mayor Cook will notify council when he hears a response.

Youth Advisory Board update. Councilmember Akin and Mayor Cook held an informational meeting last week with interested students in the Youth Advisory Board. They have received four applications so far. Other teens in the Palouse area are still welcome to apply. Councilmember Akin will keep council informed of the progress.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  There was some concern over an invoice from Hemphill Electric for $850 to install a 20-amp circuit so the vending machine could be relocated from inside the pool house to outside the pool house (check #11626). Discussion ensued about the project. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that, with the exception of check #11626 for Hemphill Electric, the remaining bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Fielder seconded. City staff will hold check #11626 until Mayor Cook discusses the cost with Hemphill Electric and advises staff how to proceed. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 5/25/2021               Ck# 11622-11632 & EFT            $53,820.01

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Akin MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Welcome seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:24 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Public Hearing to decide Kyle Waterhouse’s petition to vacate a portion of “K “Street
followed by Regular Palouse City Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing
May 11, 2021

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf.

PUBLIC HEARING: Council received last month Kyle Waterhouse’s paid application for a petition to vacate a 30’ wide x 250’ long portion of “K” Street. The land is at the dead-end of street and the abutting land is not owned by the city. If expansion were to ever happen then the city has access to build from “I” Street. Vacating this small portion on “K” Street would not result in any land denied access now or in the future. The existing Avista easement will remain in place. Mayor Cook opened the public hearing at 7:03 pm. Kyle Waterhouse added that the land is vacant and it’s a steep hill that turns into a marshland. The only affected neighbor is Monica Burleson and she signed her support of this. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the street vacation request. Councilmember Akin seconded. Motion carried. Public Hearing closed at 7:10 PM.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Welcome MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of April 27, 2021. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

DEPUTY CLERK REPORT:

DC Thompson reported she has balanced and closed April’s Treasurer Report.

Fast-Signs installed the new signs at the pool last week.

DC Thompson submitted her resignation letter on May 8. Her last day will be May 27, 2021.

EXECUTIVE SESSION: Council went into executive session at 7:22 pm to discuss personnel. Council reconvened at 8:05 pm.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel, Chair Snyder- We are looking at filling three city positions: City Administrator, Deputy Clerk, and Building Inspector. On Thursday the Personnel Committee and Mayor Cook will be conducting a second interview with one of the CA applicants. The Deputy Clerk position is currently being advertised online. The city is going to look at combining the contract for Building Inspector services with other communities.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Bid closing for the Palouse Cove Sidewalk Project was May 4 at 2:00 pm. The city received only one bid. White Diamond Concrete LLC bid as follows: Alternate A – $240,550; Alternate B – $230,530. The city has $197,000 in TIB funds for the project. The project is currently in Mayor Cook’s hands awaiting more information on how to proceed and what kinds of funds might be available.to supplement either this project or perhaps to apply to a completely different project.

Councilmember Cooper has resigned her position as Mayor Pro-Tem effective May 27, 2021. Another councilperson will need to be appointed to that role.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Akin MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Fielder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 5/11/2021               Ck# 11601-11621 & EFT            $14,396.62

Voided Check                           Ck# 10607

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:11 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Regular Palouse City Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing April 27, 2021

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Welcome MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of April 13, 2021. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. 

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log. 

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Bids for the Palouse Cove Sidewalk are due next Tuesday, May 4th at 2PM. DC Thompson will be the city’s representative to open bids and award the project to the ‘apparent’ low bidder. Low bid will be presented for council consideration at our next meeting on May 11th. 

The City of Palouse will have simultaneous FTTH (Fiber to the home) installations for fiber internet access very soon. Inland Fiber Networks (formerly NW Fiber) is in the process of installing via underground microtrenching; Ziply Fiber will be going overhead using Avista Poles. These businesses, along with First Step Internet have inquired about how to get information about their product to our residents. Since the city cannot advertise for private business, we have encouraged these companies to connect with the Palouse Chamber of Commerce to get their information out. The city can work with the Chamber to get this information out to the public, with information possibly posted on the website when it becomes available.

CA Dixon is working on the 2020 annual financial report for the city. It is due May 31st. It would be a good exercise for the incoming Administrator to review, finalize and submit this report to the State Auditor’s Office.

Completed packets for the application to vacate the northernmost portion of K St will be sent to Mayor and Council tomorrow for the public hearing and council decision scheduled for May 11th. 

Mary Estes of the Palouse Rose Group has requested more planter space at Heritage Park and $120 for landscaping rock. They provide a very nice service to Palouse. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the Palouse Rose Group’s request. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried. 

CA Dixon’s last full day with the city is this Friday, April 30th. He thanked the residents, staff and leadership for welcoming him into the community and this role and will be forever grateful. He will consult and assist when possible until a new Administrator steps into the position.

OLD BUSINESS:

Varela update on next steps for Wastewater Facility Plan: John Patrouch gave an update. City had provided a letter to ECY in February asking them to re-score our funding application for design phase improvements. They responded in April saying they weren’t going to re-score but they are providing a $100k forgivable principal loan for value-engineering to evaluate existing options and other potential solutions. Art Jenkins & David Dunn from ECY indicated they are a couple weeks away from finalizing agreement for the city at which time they will meet with city to go over work scope. John spoke to Art and asked to be part of finalizing the scope due to Varela’s history with this project. The funding agreement will require city to hire a third-party engineer who will then provide a report that confirms our current plan for improvements or provides another alternative for the city to consider. The earliest John believes we could get funding for construction is 2024 or 2025 if everything goes well. Follow up meetings with Varela and ECY will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Ordinance No. 1006 – Budget amendment for Current Expense and Arterial Streets funds:  This is mostly housekeeping. In anticipation of the Palouse Cove sidewalk project, to give us flexibility with those bid documents coming in next week, we’ve allocated an additional $20,000 for expenditure in Arterial Streets. In Current Expense, we’re allocating an additional $7,000 for an engineer’s structural inspection of the walking bridge over Palouse River. Another budget amendment will be needed when we get the COVID American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 1006. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome- Has created a budget recommendation spreadsheet for the incoming COVID ARP money. She will be following up for edits before submitting. 

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder- 

February 2021: Had two fire calls and three meetings/trainings. Also had annual fit testing for masks and equipment. Had ten EMS calls (7 city and 3 rural), and two meetings.

March 2021: Had two fire calls and three meetings. Had two fleet vehicles repaired. Had nine EMS calls. There were 32 EMS calls in first three months which could be a record-setting year if trend continues. 

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

Mayor Cook and Councilmember Akin presented to council their draft Youth Advisory Board application packet. Council had no changes, so they will continue to move forward with that. 

Last Thursday Councilmember Welcome and Mayor Cook attended the Mayor’s Roundtable meeting. Good meeting, in particular the discussion on various entities’ plans on spending their ARP funds. 

Council adjourned to Executive Session at 7:37 PM to discuss a personnel matter. Council reconvened at 7:56 PM  

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Akin MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded. The motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 4/27/2021 Ck# 11572-11584 & EFT $27,407.93

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Regular Palouse City Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

April 13, 2021

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Cooper MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of March 23, 2021. Councilmember Sievers seconded.  Motion carried. 

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

The city is soliciting applicants for a part-time, seasonal (approx. May – Aug), public works assistant for mowing, weed-eating, etc. Those interested can contact City Hall for an application. 

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log. 

Council discussed the various types of police reports available and which report style council wants in the future.  

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

The city received a response from ECY last week addressing the letter we sent them back in February. They will authorize the $100K forgivable loan to conduct a value planning review, which is a combination of a brief overview of work done to date as well as identifying any potential alternatives yet to be considered. We will invite our wastewater engineers Varela, and possibly some contacts from ECY to our next council meeting, as they will be acting as partners in this process.

As part of the latest round of pandemic-related federal stimulus legislation, cities are slated to receive direct payments as early as next month for the following: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, covering costs incurred from the public health emergency, addressing negative economic impacts on local businesses and nonprofits, and making necessary improvements in critical local infrastructure. Palouse is estimated to receive $234,000 in total, with payments coming in two separate installments from the State Treasurer’s Office. Unlike the previous round of pandemic-related funding last year which had to be spent within months, cities have three years to spend these dollars. Councilmember Welcome will address this further in her report.

Palouse Cove Sidewalk Project engineer Munir Daud has created two options for us to proceed with soliciting bids for this project. 1) Proceed with block wall along sidewalk as originally proposed last year, and 2) introduce fill material to reduce the slope and eliminate the block wall. If a bid comes within the budget, the first option is preferential. Bids will be presented to council for consideration in May.

On April 16th Whitman County will move back to Phase 2 of Gov. Inslee’s phased approach to reopening after failing both metrics for case counts and hospitalizations. Businesses are reduced to 25% capacity. A full list of Phase 2 guidelines can be found on www.coronavirus.wa.gov . The next evaluation for counties is scheduled for May 3rd.

DC Thompson has been actively recruiting and advertising for lifeguards for the pool this summer. Staffing the pool has become a challenge for the past few years. This issue is much larger than Palouse, as surrounding towns, including Pullman are also experiencing a staffing shortage for lifeguards. Assuming we are eventually able to hire a full staff, the pool will be open as normal. However, if we enter the pool season short-staffed, days and hours may need to be cut accordingly. Anyone who is interested in becoming a lifeguard for us this summer is encouraged to contact City Hall and we can guide them through the process of getting certified. 

.

City council candidate filing deadlines are coming up in May. Entities looking to place excess levies on upcoming ballots must now establish “for” and “against” committees in an effort to provide additional information to voters.

CA Dixon has accepted an offer from the City of Liberty Lake to be their Finance Director beginning May 3rd. His last day in a full-time role with Palouse will be Friday, April 30th. The city has posted this position and will be scheduling interviews in the next week.

OLD BUSINESS:

Luke Antonich & Michelle Bly, engineers from TD&H Engineering – update on our water main reconstruction/upgrades on West Church and Culton Streets as well as the H Street Looping main. 

WSDOT has reviewed the plans for the main. They need an internal review. CA Dixon reported that we need the project reports completed soon because our PWTF funding expires in June. Michelle is hoping for some council direction on pursuing funding on the water main projects. CA Dixon said the city needs to see an estimated project cost before deciding on how to move forward. 

Ongoing discussion on Civil Service Commission (CSC): Councilmember Sievers has continued to look into the CSC and our present position. It appears that the CSC has operated outside its own rules and regulations from the beginning (not deliberately or with malintent). They haven’t enforced their own term limits; meetings have been irregular, spontaneous, and without public knowledge. They are exercising enormous influence and power over an important area where we already have a council personnel committee that has been charged with handling these responsibilities. The city needs a fresh start when it comes to the CSC. Councilmember Sievers wants to put some policies and procedures in place that we can follow and come up with a new path forward. Councilmember Fielder added that the Personnel Committee has taken an active and large role in the review and interview of police officer candidates. Councilmember Snyder brought up due process measures that are in place. If we assume those due process measures go through the Personnel Committee, then Councilmember Snyder supports this Resolution. We need to move forward with a balanced and fair process for all employees. Council thanked the CSC for their service and efforts over the years. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2021-05 (from prior council meeting) which affirms that a CSC has never been established by the city and repealing the act of appointing commissioners to serve on a purported Civil Service Commission. Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion. Councilmember Snyder opposed. Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Resolution No. 2021-04 – setting a date to hear the street vacation proposal for all of North K St. west of lots 2,3,4,5 & 6, Block 1, Johnston’s Addn. This is just a procedure to set the date for the hearing at a council meeting. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2021-04. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried. 

Humane Society contract renewal: This is essentially a continuation of our contract but they have now included cats and three “trap and release” events annually. The cost is $1,200 a year and is split 50/50 with Garfield. This contract will be from April 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022. This will be a trial run for one year and if all parties are satisfied, it may become a three-year contract moving forward. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to accept the Humane Society contract. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

Ongoing development and business opportunities report: Local resident and realtor Connie Newman reported on the real estate market in the county right now. There are currently only 40 homes for sale in all of Whitman County which is a drastically low supply. County-wide out of the 40 homes for sale the average price is $340,000. In Pullman, there are only 28 single-family homes for sale and they are going for an average price of $413,000. As a result, more people are wanting to move to Palouse. Currently there are only two homes for sale in the Palouse zip code. There is ongoing construction in the new developments at Amber Ridge and Harvest Loop. Those listings will be opening up in a couple days. 

State Bank and Pullman Regional Hospital have both signed leases with the owners of the old gymnasium building on Main Street in Palouse. Both businesses will be on the first floor. The owners are still looking for additional potential lessees. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome- Councilmember Welcome is working with CA Dixon on the disbursement of the American Rescue Plan Funds. She is working on distribution recommendations that she will bring to committee for discussion. The money will come in two payments; the first one coming in June. She wants to push the money back into our community immediately to assist our local businesses. When the second payment comes in, we can reevaluate need and shift the focus to local infrastructure.

With Whitman County going back to Phase 2 (in regards to COVID), mask-wearing is just as important as ever and we need to set good examples. 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- Committee met a couple weeks ago with CA Dixon, Chief Neumann, and PW Supt. Wolf, WSDOT, UTC and the rail owners to discuss repairing and improving the signage at the railroad crossing by grain bins. Also discussed the large retaining wall at the back of the RV Park. It needs cleaned up, repaired, reinforced, and/or replaced. WSDOT also performed a preliminary inspection of the Bridge Street Bridge and indicated it’s another area that needs attention. All of these are currently ongoing discussions with WSDOT. 

Personnel, Chair Snyder- Anticipating another resolution to resolve the Civil Service Commission issue.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper– Still working on a way to get cats addressed in the Palouse Municipal Code that makes sense.

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

Scott Adams, the CEO of Pullman Regional Board, has informed Mayor Cook that at this time they aren’t moving forward with combining Palouse into Pullman’s taxing district. In the future, if it comes up again, Palouse and its surrounding district will be able to decide for themselves if this is something they want.

School Supt. Johnson thanked Mayor Cook and the city for assisting them with acquiring no-touch sinks at the Palouse School using COVID relief dollars last year. 

Mayor Cook met with Councilmember Akin regarding the Palouse Youth Advisory Board. They’ve come up with an application. 

The city received a thank you letter from John and Chris Bofenkamp for helping install the speed sign coming in from Pullman, along with two other issues they would like to see addressed: 

1) loud semi-truck compression brake noise by their house on the highway. Chief Neumann explained that when we dealt with WSDOT, they are concerned with removing safety equipment from semis. Chief has a highway below his house as well and hears the jake brakes. Its just something he accepts living near a highway. Compression brakes are loud in general and annoying but we need to learn to live with it living in a farming community with heavy equipment and many trucks. 

2) vehicle speed when leaving Palouse at city limits. The Bofenkamps appreciate the flashing speed sign coming into Palouse. However, they are requesting the following: a) another flashing sign placed heading out of town; b) the outgoing 55 mph sign was placed incorrectly and should be moved farther down the highway outside of the city limits; c) increased patrols/visibility by the Palouse PD. Chief Neumann reminded all that WSDOT put the signs up and has the final say.  

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Akin seconded.  The motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid 3/31/2021 Ck#11508, 11525-11544 & EFT $48,449.39

Claims Paid 4/13/2021 Ck# 11545-11571 & EFT $29,971.89

Void Ck #11568

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:39 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

March 23, 2021

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Snyder MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of March 9, 2021. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. Repaired the West Church Street water line and a 6” main at the cemetery last week.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

Chief Neumann has contacted numerous residences around town regarding out-of-state plates. People who reside in Washington (including renting), have 15 days upon residence to get their license transferred to Washington. These people are long past that 15 days. Chief hasn’t cited anyone yet or been aggressive because the first ticket is $500, the second ticket is $1500 and the third ticket is a felony tax evasion. Chief is trying to encourage people to do that on their own such as the law states. Chief will next submit letters and copies of the law and give them a compliance cutoff date.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

The Dept of Ecology updated CA Dixon on their timeline for a response regarding a path forward for wastewater facility upgrades. An official response will be sent in the coming days for mayor and council to review and discuss at our next council meeting.

We received clarification from the Dept of Health regarding requirements for water main upgrades on Culton and Church St. Originally, our engineers TDH indicated, with concurrence from DOH, a transition to a new water system management plan was going to be required. After further discussion with additional staff at DOH, CA Dixon was informed that in lieu of this updated management plan, construction documents and a project report added to our existing water system plan will be sufficient. This clears the way for us to proceed with our proposed main upgrades. TDH Engineering will be at our next council meeting with an update. We do not need a new water system plan.

The Whitman County Humane Society is currently in the process of crafting our upcoming 3-year renewal for animal control. Among the areas of consideration is the possibility for them to allow for the intake of cats. The Policy Committee has been discussing different strategies for controlling the feral cat population in Palouse, and this may provide an avenue for addressing that. We will know more details next month. The city has budgeted for the purchase of humane feline traps this year.

CA Dixon is working with an applicant that is requesting the city vacate the northern most 250 ft’ of K St. Once the application has been finalized and fees paid, CA Dixon will collect department reports and schedule a hearing via resolution. City Council will then consider the application at an upcoming council meeting and vote to approve or deny.

CA Dixon and Munir Daud and Associates are ready to proceed with the legal notice to solicit bids for the Palouse Cove Sidewalk project. We will present these bids to council for approval at the council meeting following the closing date.

Public Works Assistant Taylor Redman’s last day with the city will be next Tuesday, March 30^th. She has accepted another opportunity and we wish her all the best. She was a great addition to the PW team and will be missed. We are going to proceed with three employees. We feel good with where we’re at and three people can handle the workload. Four people were too many for our needs. If temporary seasonal help is needed that can be tackled at the time.

Upon entering Phase 3, we will continue to monitor for transitioning back to in-person meetings.

Andres Sena update on 2021 swim team: The league coaches have begun to reengage and discuss swim league. They are wanting to have swim team this year (assuming Covid allows it). Andres is open to organizing things in non-traditional ways to abide by whatever guidelines. He offered to volunteer his time in the process.  

OLD BUSINESS:

Ongoing discussion on Civil Service Commission: This came about for a couple reasons: 1) the size of our department doesn’t legally require a CSC. Three FT officers is the threshold that requires a CSC. Less than three FT, the CSC becomes optional; 2) because the CSC was never enacted legally. Mayor Cook reiterated that this is not an attempt to “defund the police” or dissolve our police dept.

Councilmember Snyder – When talking employment law, once you engage in a certain level of due process rights it becomes extremely difficult to back out of those due process rights and I don’t know if its appropriate. We still have a process even if it wasn’t properly enacted; it’s still there. If we dispose of it, we could be making a small problem bigger than it needs to be.

Councilmember Sievers: I reviewed the history of this. Only very few references to the CSC creation in the minutes and no enacting legislation from council as the resolution addresses. The city operates through our city code and sets up a manner of how we do business. We have commissions which are outlined in our city code and that does not exist for this commission. Having a commission out there with some authority they’ve created themselves and hasn’t’ been approved by any council since, muddies the waters of who does what and who has what responsibility. Essentially, we’ve operated in an unlawful manner for 14 years. We did not establish this in our city code. We give authority but have no accountability or structure. Councilmember Sievers is uncomfortable operating under the current situation. It’s not good to go forward without an enacting legislation and with members whose terms expired long ago.

Councilmember Welcome’s concerns are similar to Councilmember Sievers’. My red flags are around compliance. Our CSC isn’t in compliance with these rules (term limits, procedures, minutes). Would like to discuss where we can go forward from this.

Councilmember Cooper: Has concerns about transparency and openness of the meetings. If we have a city-based commission then there should be some kind of public notice of when the meetings are and where, similar to Council meetings. That doesn’t seem to be the case with the CSC.

Councilmember Fielder: when on the Planning Commission, we dug through the rules and we worked hard to be in compliance and to fix anything that wasn’t. We have something well-intended but not built properly.

Chief Neumann echoed maybe it is broken but he would like to move forward and do what we need to do to become compliant. The CSC provides a service to the PD.

Mayor Cook: Palouse already has code in place to address fairness. We have a personnel committee to have checks and balances. If the chief or an officer has a grievance, they take it to the Personnel Committee.

Much discussion ensued. Council is very appreciative of the time and energy put in by the volunteer CSC members. Council will continue deliberation on this and will make a determination on how to proceed at a subsequent council meeting.

NEW BUSINESS:

Amended Solicitor’s Permit policy: The new policy now requires solicitors to 1) pay a $15 application fee per person (not per company); and 2) upon clearance by the PD, each solicitor pays a $25 daily fee to solicit. We are hoping this new policy will discourage any unscrupulous solicitors. Other entities have taken these exact measures. Councilmember Welcome MOVED to amend our solicitor’s policy by adding these fees as written. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

Resolution No. 2021-03 – amended fee schedule: This adds the two solicitor permit fees and the contractor rate at the RV Park as voted on at last council meeting. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Reso. No 2021-03. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- Have a meeting coming up with WSDOT to discuss the railroad crossing on W Main, the retaining wall near the RV Park and also the Bridge St bridge.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

Councilwoman Akin is filling the vacancy on the JFB. The JFB consists of the Palouse FD, three council representatives and three rural commissioners.

FD is looking at purchasing a used fire truck for the fleet. They’re putting together a list of necessary requirements.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Creation of Youth Advisory Council: Mayor Cook continues to work on the creation of this. Councilmember Akin offered to assist. This will be open to any teenager who resides in the Palouse School District.

Pullman Regional Hospital taxing district update: The PRH Board of Commissioners is going to reconsider their position on redistricting. It’s a positive sign. They are going to advance the conversation at their May meeting.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Fielder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 3/23/2021               Ck# 11509-11524 & EFT            $12,469.96

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Akin MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:29 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

March 9, 2021

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

OATH OF OFFICE: Mayor Cook swore in new councilmember Libby Akin.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Libby Akin; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of February 23, 2021. Councilmember Sievers Seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. Water line replacement on Fir and W Church should be done this week. Beeson lift station has been repaired. Boards on the foot bridge have been replaced. Supt Wolf passed his water certification test today. Public Works will be grading roads this week.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:  No major updates to report.

CA Dixon is waiting on information to proceed with various projects including:

-Response from ECY regarding comments submitted last month to review wastewater alternatives by a 3^rd party engineer.

-Official statement from the Dept of Health indicating what the city needs to provide to proceed with water distribution improvements on Church and Culton Street.

-Bid documents from Munir Daud and Associates to proceed with Palouse Cove sidewalk project

-Whitman County Landfill is looking to acquire additional community recycling bins at the new biennium (July 1^st). CA Dixon has Palouse on their list if they are ultimately funded.

-Community-wide cleanup this spring. Whitman County Landfill has not announced their spring cleanup dates yet, and there is a chance they do not offer this service in 2021.

NEW BUSINESS:

Citizens Climate Lobby advocating for Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act:

Linda Jovanovich from the Citizens Climate Lobby was on the call to give an update to council on what they are working on and to answer any questions. She updated council on specific bills and where they sit in the legislative session. The Citizens Climate Lobby updated their request to advocate for climate change in general as opposed to any specific proposal. Council will consider the material presented and proceed with a statement if they choose to do so.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper- 

Councilmember Cooper and the Policy Committee recommend the following changes to the Palouse RV Park policies as a mutually beneficial option for both the city and those who are improving and expanding our community:

A contractor rate of $700/month will be offered at the RV park subject to the following conditions:

-Must have active building permit within city limits of Palouse

-Maximum of 5 spaces for the contractor rate at any given time, subject to availability

-Refunds approved with 2-week notice

-Must adhere to RV park rules at all times or stay will be terminated

Councilmember Cooper MOVED to approve the proposed changes. Councilmember Fielder seconded. The motion carried.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

There were 6 fire calls for January: 1 mutual aid to Garfield, 2 down power lines, 1 traffic accident and 1 false alarm at the Community Center. 3 meetings and 2 trainings in January.

There were 9 EMS calls in January: 6 city residents including 1 fire standby; 1 rural; and 2 non-resident.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Mayor Cook provided an update on his proposal to create a youth advisory board and will have a document to run by council when finalized.

Proposal for pool house upgrades were discussed. Will be finalized soon.

Palouse Family Foods liquor license up for renewal. No concerns.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid 2/28/2021               Ck# 11469-11484 & EFT            $41,756.54

Claims Paid 3/9/2021                 Ck# 11485-11507 & EFT            $12,359.22

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Akin MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Fielder seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:37 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

February 23, 2021

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Officer Joel Anderson; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of February 9, 2021. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. Additionally, the following M&R issues were reported:

-Had a water leak on 8^th Street service line which has been repaired.

-Have a water leak on a service line at intersection of Church and Fir Streets. We hit the galvanized line with the backhoe yesterday so Roach Construction is coming tomorrow to replace with a poly line.

-The high flow alarm at the Beeson lift station has been going off about twice a day lately. PW washed the lift station this morning but are still experiencing some issues with the alarm. KME is coming tomorrow to replace a portion of the pump that continues to trip the alarm.

-One of the pumps/motors on the snowplow blade is going out.

-The sander has been repaired with a few minor tweaks to work out.

-The 1-ton has a flat tire, getting fixed.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Comments on the results of our wastewater funding application with ECY as discussed at our last meeting were submitted on February 11^th and we are now awaiting their response.

WSDOT will be scheduling a site visit to replace railroad crossing equipment on West Main Street/Spokane Street this spring. We will also have them look at the retaining wall just north of the RV park as well and discuss some options to restore and enhance that area.

The Citizens Climate Lobby of Palouse will be at our next council meeting to discuss steps that they would like city leaders to take regarding climate change initiatives.

The Dept of Health is reviewing our path to finalize Church and Culton Street water main upgrades. We should be in a position to give TDH direction on next steps in March.

NEW BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2021-03 – repealing the act of appointing commissioners to serve on a purported Civil Service Commission (CSC): To summarize, traditionally Palouse has been a two-person department based on our size and budget; however, in 2008 Palouse entered into an agreement with Garfield for a joint department with three full-time officers which then required a CSC.  However, we have discovered that our CSC was never established through an enactment of council legislation which thereby means the commissioners had no authority to act on civil service matters. Fast-forward to March 2020 when we discontinued our contract with Garfield and returned back to a two-man department, which means the requirement for a CSC ceased. Thus, there is no longer a need for a CSC and this resolution clarifies both points.

While there was intent, the management and operation of the CSC hasn’t really operated in conjunction with or had good dialogue with the council to any degree. At this point in time, the resolution is really about addressing an issue of how it came to be. Mayor Cook stated “this is 100% not a means to defund or dissolve our police department”. This was technically an issue that wasn’t done right in the first place and now we need to address it. He looks at this as an opportunity to reset and move forward. We have an opportunity here to pause and see what makes the best sense for Palouse, garner community-wide input and increase transparency. Council can then make a decision on what’s best for Palouse. There are some management pieces that need some addressing.

Chief Neumann and Officer Anderson both want to retain the CSC as some form of protection for the officers. It makes Neumann and Anderson concerned for their future with the city of Palouse PD. Chief wants to recognize what we already have in place and take the steps to enact it properly. Dave Tharp of the CSC pointed out that they (the CSC) have the best interests of the city and that the policies in place should remain because the CSC is still beneficial, even if the requirement no longer exists. He would offer to resign from CSC if others expressed interest in serving.

Much discussion ensued. Atty Hanson reiterated that since no legislation was enacted by council, the CSC was never properly established and never had any authority to act as such. Councilmember Snyder indicated that if we gave the CSC adjudicatory powers, properly or not, with regard to complaints within the PD, we may have an issue if we’re taking a benefit away from our police unless we have something set up to take its place.

No action was taken on the resolution and council will investigate further on how to proceed.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Policy committee is still looking into how we can best update the solicitor’s policy. We’re considering having a fee associated with the permitting process.

Policy committee is considering the idea of offering a contractor rate at the RV Park to contractors with an active building permit within the city limits. They would be subject to all the existing rules. City would limit the amount of contractor spaces and the window of availability.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Liquor license renewal for Palouse Caboose. No issues or concerns.

Interview for Council Position # 6:  The city had two Palouse residents apply for council position #6: Libby Akin and Ron Weller. Both applicants attested to being registered voters within Whitman County. Both applicants were asked the same set of questions, separately. Council went into executive session at 8:20 pm to review the interviewees. Council reconvened at 8:30 pm. Mayor thanked both applicants. Both did an excellent job. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to appoint Libby Akin to council position #6. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Slinkard inquired about the Jones Truck and Implement bill for DOT Fire Vehicle inspections. Half of this cost is covered by Rural Fire District #4. Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Snyder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      2/23/2021          Ck. #11451-#11468        $19,107.47

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Welcome seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:36 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

February 9, 2021

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of January 26, 2021. Councilmember Welcome seconded.  Motion carried. 

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. 

Check valve on chlorinator and then the pump went bad last week. Everything has been replaced but we need to purchase a spare. 

Phone line going into the well is working again. Got a quote from Bigfoot Technologies for alarms for about $2,700. They will install a box to communicate emergency alerts to our Public Works phones. 

Hoping to have the sander up and running by end of next week.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

Covid numbers are down about 50%. 

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

CA Dixon has resumed discussions with Munir Daud & Associates to put the Palouse Cove Sidewalk Project out for bids again soon. We put this project to bid last year but wound up rejecting all bids due to cost vs projected budget. We have eliminated the block wall along Palouse Cove, opting for winding the sidewalk more with the terrain, away from the road, which will cut a substantial cost. The rapid flashing beacon won’t be included either but we can purchase one later and have our Public Works install. We will present final plans to council to put out for bid likely at our next meeting.

NW Fiber LLC is building out their fiber network in town. Originally, they planned to begin micro-trenching this week, but weather has pushed it to next week for now. We will send out information to the community to connect to their network when it is provided to us. Ziply Fiber, who initially planned to install fiber last year, is also scheduled to begin their buildout in town sometime this spring.

We sold the ’95 Ford F250 last week for $400.

Sumner foot bridge inspection is scheduled for this summer. In the meantime, Public Works will be replacing boards and securing railing. The bridge may be closed to the public intermittently while these repairs take place.

The Washington State Legislature is currently in session. Early feedback on proposed budget indicates that State Shared Revenues to cities will remain stable which is always good news. Cities will likely see another allocation of COVID relief but it’s too early to predict size and scope. They are also looking into ways to expand cities’ use of Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) funds. Palouse currently has roughly $140k in this fund. Major area of focus for legislators is social justice and policing policy reform. Again, too early to speculate which bills will make it to the floor for a vote. CA Dixon will provide an update when we have a better idea of which bills are likely to advance. The 2021 session concludes on April 25th.

On January 11th, the Washington State COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery plan was unveiled. Palouse is in the East Region, which is currently still in Phase 1 of reopening. In order to advance to Phase 2, a region must show improving trends in 3 of the following 4 metrics: Case rates, Hospital Admission rates, Percent ICU occupancy, and Percent positivity. Currently the East region is showing improvements in Hospital Admission rate and Percent ICU occupancy. The next update will be reported on February 12th for potential phase movement beginning February 15th if the East region meets 3 of the 4 criteria.

The City of Palouse is still accepting letters of interest for vacated council position #6 until Tuesday, February 23rd at 5PM. 

DC Thompson processed 13 building permits in last two weeks, 12 of which are for new houses. 

TD&H touched base with council, continuing to remain on standby for the completion of the Palouse Water System Improvements project. Palouse will reach out to them when we are ready to reengage but there are too many other mandatory and more pressing projects going on at this time.  It is not in our best interest right now to go after any major water improvements because we aren’t scoring well on funding applications because our water system is adequate. We’ll look to finalize main upgrades on Church Street and Culton Street this Spring after the Dept of Health gets back to us regarding specific requirements.

OLD BUSINESS:

Varela Engineering to discuss design phase funding for WWTP: John Patrouch from Varela was present to give overview. We summarized preferred path forward as discussed in our last meeting. Palouse likes the idea of value engineering to review work done to date to see if another firm can identify any less-costly alternatives to comply with upcoming NPDES permits. It is rare for ECY to offer this alternative. We also want to demonstrate to ECY that we corrected the funding application and would like them to re-evaluate it. A comment letter is due to ECY on Feb. 14th. The letter will ask to extend the 2024 temperature permit deadline to coincide with our Dissolved Inorganic Nitrate permit scheduled for 2030. The letter will also request ECY expedite this process to show good faith on the part of the city.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper- Committee met to preliminarily discuss Palouse’s solicitor’s permit ordinance. There seems to be a large percentage of Palouse residents who aren’t comfortable with for-profit, door-to-door solicitors. Do we want to make changes? Just eliminate for-profit soliciting completely? Put a moratorium on soliciting during pandemic? Committee will continue researching the legalities.

Committee also discussed options to address the ongoing feral cat problem in Palouse. Humanely trapping, then spaying/neutering and rereleasing is one solution. Monthly volunteers will be needed. Committee is still exploring the potential of a policy forbidding unfixed cats outdoors. Topic is still being researched.   

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

Mayor sat in on Pullman Regional Hospital’s executive board meeting on the topic of boundary annexation. Their president acknowledged receiving our letter and indicated that Palouse’s concerns are valid but they are still pointing to the upcoming November election for annexing Palouse into their hospital tax boundary. This summer is our community’s only opportunity to voice concerns. Mayor or a council representative will continue to attend the meetings so Palouse is represented. 

Mayor would like to create a Palouse Youth Advisory Board which would have a single representative attend one of our monthly meetings. 

We are still moving forward with pool facility upgrades. Mayor and staff met with Fast Signs today to continue with new and improved graphics/signage at the pool. 

The city received a letter of interest from Jay Iverson for the Board of Adjustment vacancy. Mayor Cook appointed Jay Iverson to the BOA. Council approved. 

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded. The motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid 1/31/2021 Ck. #11416-11431 & EFT $40,558.01

Claims Paid 2/09/2021 Ck. #11432-11450 & EFT $  5,964.25

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Snyder seconded. The motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:56 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

January 26, 2021

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The Mayor’s report is amended to include dates and a couple minor wording changes. No material changes. It will read as follows:

“It came as a surprise to Mayor and Council last week to learn that Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) is looking to expand their taxing district to include Palouse, which may increase taxes in Palouse substantially via subsequent levies. Pullman citizens voted down the PRH tax levy bonds in 2019 and are seeking a larger tax base (Albion all the way to Palouse, including county), to help carry their tax burden. On January 5^th and 6^th Mayor Cook communicated with PRH CEO Scott Adams to better understand the process, mindset, and ultimately get some questions answered as well as express our concerns. That very day (1/6/21) the PRH board was already voting on continuing down this path. Mayor Cook expressed that Palouse hasn’t had a voice despite what was perceived to be a transparent relationship. There are a number of issues with this, including the fact that Palouse’s population also uses Gritman, Whitman, & Lewiston hospitals. Palouse has some major infrastructure issues coming and our own street and pool levies are vital for ongoing O&M costs; if PRH goes through with this, it may force Palouse residents to choose between city levies and the hospital levy. We need to make sure PRH is aware of Palouse’s stance on this and Palouse voters need to be made aware of this. PRH needs to know this is not good for Palouse and PRH needs to hear our position prior to them moving forward. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to send a formal letter from Palouse City Council to PRH CEO Adams and the PRH Board of Commissioners, outlining our concerns as well as requesting they open the public comment period early to give Palouse an opportunity to voice our concerns on the matter. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.”

Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adopt the minutes as amended. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

-Supt. Wolf met with Whitney Equipment to look at updating the well telemetry and sewer plant. The new telemetry would include an emergency alert system directly linked with PW cell phones in the event of a breakdown at the wells or sewer plant. The estimate for this upgrade on the water side alone is approximately $20,000.

-City is without our street sander right now because the gear box went out. Supt. Wolf is going to have it repaired.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-2020 taxes have been completed and submitted electronically.

-The city as accepting bids on the surplus 1995 Ford pickup until this Thursday, January 28^th, at 2 pm.

-City is accepting letters of interest for vacant council position #6 until Tuesday, February 23^rd, at 5 pm or until filled.

-City is accepting letters of interest for Board of Adjustment vacancy.

-Whitman County did an inspection on the Sumner foot bridge (walking bridge over the river that connects the south hill residential area to downtown). Additionally, a structural engineer from Spokane is coming down for a structural inspection. When/if it passes the structural inspection, Public Works will address the superficial repairs identified by the county.

OLD BUSINESS:

Update from Varela & Associates on the funding application for wastewater upgrades:

ECY did not fund our application to proceed to design phase of improvements.

Varela submitted a written update in regards to the ECY funding application & offer. The funding list was published in mid-January and Palouse scored low and was not funded primarily due to two factors:

• In October, when submitting Palouse’s application for funding for our wastewater treatment project, Varela uploaded the wrong city’s project budget file with Palouse’s application. Therefore, ECY was not able to properly score parts of the funding application.
• An overall concern by ECY that the project cost is high and unaffordable to Palouse residents.

.

As a result, Palouse was not offered design funding this funding cycle. Palouse was instead offered $100,000 of forgivable loan, which is the same as a grant, to have a third-party value engineering review of the project (instead of Palouse’s request for $1.8 million for design funding).  Much discussion ensued.

Options moving forward are:

Option 1 – Request a re-evaluation of the funding application

• During the 30-day comment period that ends February 14, 2021 request that ECY re-evaluate/ rescore Palouse’s funding application, with the correct budget information.
• Indicate to ECY that without having design funding this cycle, the ability for Palouse to meet its effluent temperature limits by 2024 is significantly decreased.
• If the request for re-evaluation is denied, or if reevaluation still scores too low, the City could move forward with 3^rd party value engineering of the current project.
• If the request for re-evaluation succeeds and the requested $1.8 million design loan funding is granted, then Palouse would be compelled to move into the design phase.

Option 2 – Move forward with the ECY value planning / engineering offer

• Prepare a memo that acknowledges that the City is interested in accepting ECY’s alternate $100k (forgivable loan) to conduct value engineering.
• Also, acknowledge to ECY that this approach is appealing to the City as it strongly favors exploring whether cost reduction or a less costly alternative exists.
• Acknowledge that if the design funding was available now, the ability for the City to meet the 2024 deadline to reduce effluent temperature is questionable. Denying the design funding in this cycle further exacerbates the ability for the City to meet the deadline.
• Request that the temperature deadline be extended to coincide with the nitrogen effluent limit deadline to provide time for value engineering and possible changes to the wastewater plan.

Varela has had internal discussions regarding ECY’s approach and think that the third-party value engineering of the project could potentially benefit the City by:

• Providing a pause and a formal review, with ECY’s support and involvement.
• A final effort to potentially find a less costly solution(s)
• Potentially allow further regulatory discussion on effluent temperature and the use of adaptive management to phase improvements to water quality.
• If value engineering efforts identify significant cost reductions, the resulting project will receive stronger funding support by funding agencies and/or by the Legislature.
• And, if value engineering does not result in significant cost reductions, the resulting project will also receive stronger funding support by funding agencies and/or the Legislature, with the knowledge that all avenues of cost reduction and cost effectiveness have been explored.

Discussion on the history and timeline of the project ensued. We feel like we have done everything that has been asked of us from ECY and we keep running into obstacles. Communication within ECY seems to be lacking as the Eastern Region approved the facility plan back in October of 2020 but the funding arm of ECY is telling us this project is not viable due to high cost of improvements. We absolutely agree that the cost of this project is too high and that these improvements would represent a major waste of public funds. This is not the first time we have received conflicting information from ECY on this project. The timeline for meeting the temperature TMDL by the Summer of 2024 is already quite aggressive, this setback has the potential to eliminate it as a possibility. A discussion with ECY and Varela regarding moving the temperature TMDL compliance requirements to the summer of 2030 (to coincide with the timing of our Dissolved Inorganic Nitrate TMDL) is encouraged. Palouse and Varela should provide the updated budget during the comment period to show that we have corrected this error, but we like the idea of having a 3^rd party engineering company review the work done to date and see if any other less expensive alternatives exist. This will be discussed further at our next council meeting on February 9^th with Varela.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

-Councilmember Fielder will be the chair of the JFB for 2021.

-There were 0 fire calls in December, and 54 for year. There were 32 training sessions.

-There were 7 EMS calls in December. 126 for year.

-Most of Fire/EMS personnel have had both rounds of COVID vaccine.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Mayor Cook sent a detailed letter on behalf of Palouse City Council to president of PRH Board and the CEO of PRH addressing Palouse’s concerns regarding the potential expansion of taxing district boundaries, outlining the city’s position, summarizing our concerns, and requesting early community feedback options.

Mayor Cook, CA Dixon, and Supt. Wolf met with the Garfield Mayor and PW Supt to discuss the potential of sharing Palouse’s newly-created 4^th public works position. Garfield wasn’t sure on their need so for now the plan is to share for six months and then evaluate both city’s needs moving forward. Whatever hours are worked in Garfield will be paid by Garfield.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Fielder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      01/26/2021        Ck. #11398-11415 & EFT           $14,881.78

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:37 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

January 12, 2021

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; Jim Fielder; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to excuse Councilmember Snyder’s absence. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of December 8, 2020.  Councilmember Fielder seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. Water reservoir overflowed on Sunday as a result of telemetry failing. And Friday, a lift station pump and the clarifier at the sewer plant had an issue due to run-off. Problems are solved but Supt. Wolf is getting quotes for equipment that can alert the crew in real time via their cell phones when the city infrastructure alarms are activated.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

-Chief Neumann is monitoring the river flow for potential flooding.

-Getting some preliminary numbers for the replacement of the 2007 Durango patrol car. Looking at a 2017 or newer, under 40,000 miles. Price range is in the $25,000-$28,000 range, plus $2,000-$3,000 in equipment.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

We anticipate ECY releasing the results of their latest round of funding sometime this week or next. Assuming our application is approved, we will begin the process of designing wastewater facility upgrades while also continuing to investigate all possible alternatives that will reduce the final cost of the project.

Effective this month, base rates for sewer utilities have increased bringing the total water & sewer bill from $73.06 to $77.18 for a standard single-family residence. These increases will be used for the sewer operating fund and the sewer facility reserve fund in preparation of impending facility improvements and increasing operation & maintenance costs.

NW Fiber LLC, out of Colfax, has started trenching and installing underground fiber internet infrastructure in town. Beginning at the city hall building, their plan is to work north up Beach St. and expand east/west through side streets and alleys, where appropriate. No timeline for fiber internet access in homes has been given at this time. Ziply Fiber is also in the final planning stages before they begin installation of their own fiber infrastructure in town.

The red 1995 Ford pickup is long past its useful life and has been sitting by the Public Works shop for the last month. CA Dixon and PW Supt Wolf would encourage City Council to declare it surplus so we can attempt to sell it via sealed bid with a minimum of bid of $500.00. Councilmember Welcome MOVED to surplus the 1995 Ford pickup. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

CA Dixon is working with one landowner off Palouse Cove Rd on a minor subdivision, and another on North K St on a proposed street vacation. When the minor subdivision is ready to proceed, it will be heard and voted on by the Planning Commission. Petitions for street vacations are heard and voted on by City Council.

CA Dixon will process 2020 year-end tax paperwork and have W2’s to city employees on or before next Friday, January 22^nd.

NEW BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2021-01: fee schedule – As discussed in 2020, fee increases effective Jan. 1, 2021, are for cemetery plot $500, burial cost $750, water connection fee $1,825, and sewer connection fee $1,825. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2021-01. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried.

Resolution No. 2021-02: salary schedule – Only change was to reflect minimum wage increase from $13.50 to $13.69 for extra labor. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2021-02. Councilmember Fielder seconded.  Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

In November there were five fire department calls and 11 EMS calls.

All 16 Fire/EMS staff have received both rounds of their Covid vaccinations.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

It came as a surprise to Mayor and Council last week to learn that Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) is looking to expand their taxing district to include Palouse, which may increase taxes in Palouse substantially via subsequent levies. Pullman citizens voted down the PRH tax levy bonds in 2019 and are seeking a larger tax base (Albion all the way to Palouse, including county), to help carry their tax burden. On January 6^th Mayor Cook called PRH CEO Scott Adams to try and get some questions answered and express our concerns. That very day the PRH board was already voting on continuing down this path. Palouse hasn’t had a voice in this. There are a number of issues with this, including the fact that Palouse’s population also uses Gritman, Whitman, & Lewiston hospitals. Palouse has some major infrastructure issues coming and our own street and pool levies are vital for ongoing O&M costs; if PRH goes through with this, it may force Palouse residents to choose between city levies and the hospital levy. We need to make sure PRH is aware of Palouse’s stance on this and Palouse voters need to be made aware of this. PRH needs to know this is not good for Palouse and PRH needs to hear our position prior to them moving forward. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to send a formal letter from Palouse City Council to PRH and the PRH Board of Commissioners, requesting they open the public comment period early and give Palouse an opportunity to voice our concerns on the matter. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

The city will be accepting letters of interest for vacant council seat #6 until 5PM on Tuesday, February 23^rd. This is a council appointed position to serve until December 31^st, 2021 and eligible for reelection on the November ballot.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Welcome seconded.  The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      12/23/2020        Ck. #11339-11354 & EFT           $29,201.09

Payroll Paid      12/31/2020        Ck. #11355-11374 & EFT           $48,686.81

Claims Paid      12/31/2020        Ck. #11375-11388 & EFT           $  6,661.12

Claims Paid      01/12/2021        Ck. #11389-11397                      $  9,252.76

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:49 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

The December 22, 2020 meeting was cancelled.

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

December 8, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Welcome MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of November 24, 2020. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. 

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

There have been some queries about where people can legally target shoot. The Garfield Gun Club is a safe and legal place for target practice. 

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

No significant updates to report. Working on various year-end items. 

With the demise of the old red pickup, we will repurpose the 3rd PD patrol vehicle for use as WWTP Operator Fealy’s vehicle and also as a vehicle for parts runs. We will credit the fair market value of the vehicle to the PD Vehicle and Equipment Fund. 

CA Dixon is meeting with representatives from Ziply Fiber tomorrow. No revised timeline yet for fiber service to homes. Will have an update at our next council meeting.

NEW BUSINESS: 

New owners of 305 E. Main (old gymnasium) to present plans for the building: Connie Newman introduced the new co-owners David Birge and David Grizwald of Spokane and then gave a brief history of the building along with a slide show of the building as it currently exists. The building was originally built in 1928 as a gymnasium. There was even a roller-skating rink in the building in mid-1900’s. The building is 10,000 sf, 5,000 on each level. The new owners want to have commercial on the ground floor and luxury but affordable 1- and 2-bedroom apartments upstairs. They are working with an architect on the plans, and a structural engineer to address any structural issues to make sure the building is structurally safe and legal before moving on to the renovation. They hope to accentuate the architectural appeal and preserve the historical integrity of the building. 

Ord. No. 1002 – setting new rates for Sewer, Sewer Reserve, and sewer connection fee, effective Jan. 1, 2021

We have been talking about these increases for over a year now. This ordinance raises the fee from $250 to $1,825 to connect to the city’s sewer system. The fee has been the same for over 40 years. The committee did a lot of research on neighboring cities and towns as well as those of similar size across the state to come up with this rough market average. Additionally, the base sewer rate and the sewer reserve rate will both increase $2 per month, per unit. This increase is a necessity because it is a good faith effort to show ECY that the city is a partner for these upgrades and it is incumbent upon us to share the cost of these upgrades. We are taking appropriate steps to tackle these improvements. This ordinance also allows for sewer rate and fee increases to be done via council resolution instead of ordinance. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 1002. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried. 

Ord. No. 1003 – setting new water overage rate and water connection fee, effective Jan. 1, 2021

This ordinance raises the fee to connect to the city’s water supply system from $200 to $1,825. The fee at other entities is $3,000 and up. The fee has been the same since its inception over 40 years ago. The committee did a lot of research on neighboring cities and towns as well as those of similar size across the state to come up with this figure. Additionally, this ordinance increases the water overage rate from $1.25 to $1.50 per each additional 100 cubic feet of water metered over the base 600 cubic feet. This shows that the city is taking steps to encourage water conversation. Base water rates are not increasing at this time. This ordinance also allows for water rate and fee increases to be done via council resolution instead of ordinance. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 1003. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. 

Ord. No. 1004 – 2020 Budget amendments for Current Expense, Cemetery, and Sewer funds

This is standard end-of-year housekeeping to address budget issues we weren’t anticipating. We had to spend some more money than anticipated for labor on cemetery upkeep. We also hired two public works assistants instead of one so there are additional labor hours. Sewer had a lift pump purchase and a lift pump repair and other outside labor issues we weren’t anticipating in 2020. But we are still in the black. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 1004. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried. 

Ord. No. 1005 – 2021 Annual Budget

We have some solid rollover dollars. Looking at about 1.2 million in our reserves due to good stewardship of previous years administration. We are holding tough. CA Dixon sees current expense ending where it started. Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 1005. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried. 

Whitman County Public Works Interlocal Agreement:

This agreement is just an updated agreement of the old agreement. It allows for Whitman County to provide labor, equipment, and materials as requested by the city, at a discounted price. Whitman County is a great partner. Overwhelmingly it is streets and materials that Palouse uses them for most. The contract is indefinite. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt the interlocal agreement between WC and Palouse. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- 

Requesting to use the RV Park for a drive-in movie night on December 19th to bring some much-needed Christmas cheer to the community. The storage building will be the screen. Palouse Federated Church is loaning their local radio transmitter for the audio. This will provide a COVID-safe way for some entertainment. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to allow the event. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried. 

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

There were 7 fire calls and 10 EMS calls in October.

As of today, EMS has had 121 calls and fire has had 54 calls. It has been a busy year.  

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

The Heritage Park public restrooms were temporarily closed again due to COVID concerns. They are open again. Moving forward, the bathrooms will be open seven days a week, from 8 am to 7 pm. Public Works will unlock them every morning and the PD will lock them every evening at 7 pm. The city will look into a product such as Google Lock for the doors which could then be operated remotely by the PD and PW via their smart phones.   

Emily Akin has submitted a letter of interest for the vacant spot on the Planning Commission. Mayor appointed her to the PC.

Councilmember Cooper MOVED to cancel the second meeting in December. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded. The motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid 11/30/2020 Ck. #11259-11268, 11291-11308 & EFT $54,293.11

Claims Paid 12/08/2020 Ck. #11290, 11309-11338 & EFT $98,538.92

VOID Ck. 11269

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

November 24, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson. 

Councilmember Alred submitted his letter of resignation today. He is thanked for his service and wished well. The city will seek his replacement after the holidays.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Welcome MOVED to approve the minutes of the Public Hearing and Regular Council Meeting of November 10, 2020. Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried. 

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

PW ordered a spare drive for the booster pump so there will always be a spare on hand.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

-Thanks to the generous donation of a community member who wishes to be anonymous, Palouse PD was honored to be involved with the giving of gift cards to deserving Palouse families. 

-Chief would like council to consider his request for a tiered city staff vacation policy to reward career longevity and loyalty.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

ECY sent us notification on Nov 18th that our Wastewater Facility Plan has been approved to construct seasonal storage lagoons to eliminate river discharge during periods of low river flow between April and October. While this should be a considered a milestone, it is important to understand that it took roughly 6 years and $300,000 in planning dollars to get this approved document. ECY rejected this identical proposal back in 2017 and we subsequently vetted several other alternatives that all eventually proved unfeasible or were again rejected by ECY. Perhaps as important, we lost those 3.5 years of design and funding prep to move this project forward. We are now faced with an aggressive timeline to fund and construct our proposed improvements. We are still planning to meet with ECY and various funding agencies via video teleconference before the end of the year to chart our course leading up to construction. We applied for design phase funding back in October and approvals will be announced in January. CA Dixon will continue to lobby for legislative funds in Olympia. Water and Sewer Committee Chair Slinkard will discuss the committee’s recommendation for 2021 utility rate increases in his report.

The city’s statutory general and EMS levy increase is 1% per year and must be passed annually by Ordinance. The rate of inflation has averaged roughly 2% over the last 5 years and climbed as high as 4% in a preceding year. As such, the current trajectory of only accepting the statutory 1% increase each year will see our tax rate per $1000 of assessed value continue to fall. When the tax rate is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of city operations, a levy lid lift may be necessary to increase the tax rate to an appropriate level. This will be discussed further during our next budget cycle in 2021 once next year’s valuations are finalized. 

2021 budget adoption, 2020 budget amendments, and 2021 water/sewer utility rate proposals will be on the agenda for council vote at our next meeting.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Pullman EMS Interlocal Agreement Renewal for 2021-2023: This contract is up for renewal every three years.

Every time there is an EMS call, an ambulance from Pullman is dispatched to Palouse. It’s a big benefit to the community. New negotiated contract is as follows:  

• 2021, 1.0% increase, to $18,995
• 2022, 1.5% increase, to $19,280
• 2023, 2.0% increase, to $19,666

Councilmember Cooper MOVED to accept the agreement as written. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

Ord. No. 999  – adopting property tax increase for collection in 2021: The dollar amount of the increase over the actual levy amount for the previous year shall be $1,940.70 which is an increase of 1%. Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adopt Ord. 999. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. 

Ord. No. 1000 –adopting the property tax increase for EMS services for collection in 2021: Excess levy specifically for EMS services. The dollar amount of the increase over the actual levy amount for the previous year shall be $305.24, which is an increase of 1%. Councilmember Snyder MOVED to adopt Ord. 1000. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried. 

Ord. No. 1001 – setting the regular and special levy amounts for the Budget Year 2021: the regular and special levy amounts as follows:

• Voted Regular EMS Levy – $31,233.35
• General Levy – $198,574.92

Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ord. No. 1001. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers– Thanked city staff for getting the Sgt. Jacob Demand street signs ordered and put up. 

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard– Committee met with Kyle to discuss some potential changes to sewer and water rates effective in January. With the upcoming major wastewater improvements, we couldn’t let a year go by without increasing the rate. Being proposed will be a $2 increase to the base sewer rate, and a $2 increase to sewer reserve fund. Also being proposed will be a .25 cent increase to the water overage rate. 

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper– Committee met to discuss a possible ordinance addressing the feral cat problem in Palouse. They have been looking at various ordinances from other cities. Committee is looking for something that would limit the number of outdoor cats that are allowed. 

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder– On behalf of the Joint Fire Board, he thanked the council for approving the Pullman EMS Interlocal Agreement. 

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

Mayor has had some ongoing conversations with Garfield about the possibility of a contract to split 50/50 our 4th public works employee Evan Weagraff. This would allow him to stay full time between both cities and possibly get benefits. 

The City of Palouse is giving $5,000 from its emergency COVID funds to the Palouse School for the purchase of touchless faucets to mitigate potential virus spread on high touch areas.

The Congress is up for liquor license renewal. No police concerns. No council objections. 

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  The motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 11/24/2020 Ck. #11258, 11270-11289, & EFT $38,464.97

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Welcome seconded. The motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:43 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

DRAFT ONLY.  Without council review or approval.

Palouse City Council

Public Hearing – 2021 Preliminary Budget

Followed by

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

November 10, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon.

PUBLIC HEARING WRITTEN COMMENTS ON 2021 PRELIMINARY BUDGET:

No written comments received.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Alred MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of October 27, 2020. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

2021 Budget prep ongoing but nearly complete. Possibly ready for adoption at our next council meeting, but no later than December 8^th meeting. With the onset of the pandemic and uncertainty of how the economic shutdown will impact revenues in 2021, CA Dixon is not recommending any staff salary increases or decreases for next year.

Old John Deere tractor used for plowing sidewalks is at the end of its useful life and breaks down frequently. Local resident Phyllis Montgomery offered her ATV w/ plow, trailer, and winch at a significant discount as a gesture of gratitude for everything the city crew does. A big thanks to her.

Ordinances for adoption of annual 1% property tax increase for General and EMS levies will be ready at our next meeting.

We heard back from two sign companies last week regarding SGT Jacob Demand Way and will likely proceed with purchasing 5 from the lower offer later this week.

Planning Commission update: Chair Echanove updated council on the Planning Commission’s discussion on Accessory Dwelling Units and how or if the city would like to incorporate these into our existing code. Commission is considering requirements such as separate water/sewer hookups, residence requirements for property owners, minimum lot size, additional permitting process..etc…Commission will continue research and draft recommendation to city council when ready. This process will take time. They are looking at what other entities are doing to address this topic as well.

OLD BUSINESS:

NEW BUSINESS:

Staff Compensation and Benefits Proposal: Chair Snyder and Mayor Cook gave a brief overview of work done to date to develop a salary and benefits model that serves city staff and stakeholders in a responsible fashion. Future salary increases will be based on formula that accounts for marketplace averages of similar entities and would also incorporate Direct Job Experience, Longevity with the City of Palouse, and Merit increases supported by staff evaluations. If approved, the model and evaluation process would be implemented in 2021 with any compensation adjustments beginning in 2022. Discussion ensued. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the compensation model [with correction of discrepancy in outstanding merit adjustment scale from 1.6-3.0% to 1.1-3.0%] beginning in 2021. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carries.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome–

Streets, Property & Facilities, Chair Sievers-

Personnel, Chair Snyder- Chair Snyder thanked those who submitted feedback during the compensation model discussion.

Water & Sewer Slinkard-

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper- Planning to schedule follow up meeting to discuss potentially setting limits on number of cats that property owners are allowed to keep.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

MAYOR’S REPORT– Reiterated thanks for those who submitted feedback for compensation model discussions. Still planning to meet with ECY this month regarding wastewater funding. Council discussed complaint received regarding property appearances. Proposed Spring-cleaning event will be an opportunity to address areas that may be in violation of junk, health, and safety Ordinances. Chief Neumann has been working with property owner to address these issues.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Welcome seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      10/31/2020        Ck. #11197-11213 & EFT           $45,343.82

Claims Paid      11/10/2020        Ck. #11214-11257 & EFT           $42,844.58

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:53 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Public Hearing – 2021 Preliminary Budget

Followed by

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

October 27, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

PUBLIC HEARING ON 2021 PRELIMINARY BUDGET:

No written comments received.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Alred MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of October 13, 2020. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. Due to the unexpected snow and freeze, water meters won’t be read until April or May. Public Works will still winterize the meter boxes.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

2021 budget prep is ongoing. Major expenses in the budget include new a PD vehicle, replacing the old, red PW truck, various PW shop equipment, and a spring-cleaning event to address some properties in town that violate junk/health/safety/nuisance ordinances. The spring-cleaning will be a jumping-off point with the intention to then start cracking down more on violators. Junk yards were the biggest concern received on the city survey.

The city will continue to solicit written public comment on the 2021 preliminary budget up to the November 10^th council meeting.

The brick building (old gymnasium) on Main Street between the Brownfields site and the Palouse Health Center sold last week. New owners would like to present their ideas for the building at an upcoming council meeting.

CA Dixon along with Mayor Cook and W/S committee will meet with ECY and various other funding agencies in November to discuss options for funding wastewater improvements. After that time, CA Dixon will make recommendations for any 2021 water and sewer rate increases.

Water system sanitary survey report from Dept of Health was received last week. Two items noted in their report were:

-Seal access port used to track the groundwater level in the well

-Begin tracking regular inspections of the reservoir interior and exterior. Annual inspections recommended.

OLD BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2020-06 – renaming “H Street” to “Sgt. Jacob Demand Way”: “H Street” from Main Street north to Mohr St. is being renamed “Sgt. Jacob Demand Way” in honor and recognition of Sgt. Jacob Demand, a graduate of Palouse HS. Jacob served in the US Army from 1995-2004 and received both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Jacob gave the last full measure of his devotion while serving our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2020-06. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ord. No. 996 – amending 13.20.100, so that the reconnection fee is set via fee schedule instead of via ordinance.  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adopt Ord. No. 996. Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

Ord. No. 997 – This is a housekeeping item for code consistency. It combines 15.34 “Mobile Home Installation” into PMC 17.16 “Mobile Homes”. Both chapters cover mobile homes (includes manufactured homes). Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 997. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

Ord. No. 998 – repealing PMC 15.34.  PMC 15.34 was moved into PMC 17.16, thereby making PMC 15.34 unnecessary.  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adopt Ordinance no. 998. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome– encourages people to submit in writing any 2021 budget concerns or recommendations.

Personnel, Chair Snyder-  Met last week with Palouse PD in regards to their compensation. Councilmember Snyder thought we had some things worked out but more questions have since arisen. He will bring committee suggestions to the next meeting.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper- Met with local veterinarian Andi Edwards regarding the feral cat problem in Palouse. Committee will investigate possible solutions.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

In September there were 11 fire calls: 7 were mutual aid to other cities and 4 were local (2 were false alarms).

There were 12 EMS calls in September, 99 for the year so far.

The ambulance contract with Pullman is pending.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Alred seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      10/27/2020        Ck. #11183-11196 & EFT           $20,254.80

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:34 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

October 13, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Snyder MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of September 22, 2020. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

New lift pump for sewer plant should be here this week. Irrigation systems almost winterized. Asphalt patching and crack fill prep ongoing.

Supt Wolf would like to grant Nagle Construction permission to work in city right of way to install water and sewer utilities at the corner of 8^th and C St. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to grant permission. Councilmember Fielder seconded and the motion carried.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log. Furnace in PD is being repaired this week. PD ordered a replacement printer.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

ECY has reviewed our latest facility plan submittal and has only minor comments. Varela will address those comments by next week and we will have an approved facility plan. We received one public comment on the SEPA process that we will address in the final plan as well.

ECY funding application for design phase of wastewater facility upgrades was submitted today. ECY will publish results of this round of funding by mid-January.

Preliminary budget should be completed by early next week. CA Dixon is still gathering information. City will still solicit written public comment on the proposed budget on October 27 and November 10 council meetings. Preliminary budget will be available upon request once completed.

Palouse Chamber of Commerce is seeking council approval for a maximum of $14,500 of the city’s $49,000 allocation of CARES Act COVID Relief Funds. This money will be put toward program and communications development for the Palouse business community in response to COVID-19 and the subsequent changing landscape of local business. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to approve Chamber request. Councilmember Sievers seconded and the motion carried. Councilmember Welcome abstained.

RV revenue has bounced back some from loss of revenue due to COVID cancellations. It is at 63% YTD

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome- Will be meeting next week to discuss budget.

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- Putting forth a proposal to rename ‘H Street’ to ‘SGT Jacob Demand Way’. Chair Sievers will welcome feedback leading up to next meeting. Public may request copy of proposed resolution by contacting CA Dixon.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Discussed messaging from city regarding safe Halloween practices with CA Dixon. City will send out info and post flyers promoting best practices.

Chair Cooper and CA Dixon will meet with TLC Animal Care owner Andi Edwards next week to discuss feral cat population in town and how the city may help mitigate growing numbers. Chief Neumann said local businesses can certify as authorized feral cat catchers, set humane traps, and send cats to vet to get fixed.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Bank Left Gallery up for liquor license renewal. No objections.

Mayor Cook provided update on water task group. Doug Willcox and group have had ongoing discussions with Keller Associate’s Angela Taylor and will consult with additional regional engineer to vet concepts prior to bringing any recommendations to council.

Items acquired by law enforcement grant received by Garfield/Palouse PD back in 2009 will potentially be split between the two departments. Currently with Atty Hanson for review.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      9/30/2020          Ck. #11129-11149 & EFT           $48,810.85

Claims Paid      10/13/2020        Ck. #11150-11182 & EFT           $42,772.87

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Alred seconded the motion and the motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:32 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

September 22, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Alred MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of September 8, 2020. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

DOH did their inspection on our reservoir and it needs some repairs. They will send us a written report and we will pursue options. Depending on scope of work, the repairs might get tied in with the water project.

Councilmember Fielder will notify the skatepark committee that the tree on east end of skatepark needs trimmed again; it’s blocking street light.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

The Wastewater Facility Plan was submitted again to ECY with responses to comments from their initial review. Major change to the plan was the elimination of the short-term potable water blending alternative with a goal to have lagoons constructed by 2024. Permit Manager Diana Washington indicated that they will not be able to begin their review of this latest submittal until the end of October. We are still proceeding with an application for design funding assuming the facility plan is approved.

The post for the radar speed sign requires a 5’ hole drilled with an auger. The city does not have this equipment, but our local Avista rep has agreed to assist us with this hopefully by the end of next week.

2021 budget prep continues. Mayor Cook will present a rough draft budget document at the next council meeting that will be amended and fine-tuned leading up to budget adoption at the second meeting in November or the first meeting in December. The city will solicit written public comments on the proposed budget that will be shared during the public hearing portions at the October 27 and November 10 council meetings.

Quote from Ziply Fiber representative to Port of Whitman regarding fiber buildout in Palouse: “In Palouse we have finished our design and submission to Avista. I am hoping to see an approved joint pole agreement from them here shortly.” …… “Looking to move the crews in mid to late October, with service before the holidays.”

We are anticipating next week a completed building permit application for the vet clinic from the owners of the Brownsfield site. It will be stick-built with an elevated, slab concrete foundation because it’s in the flood plain.

TDH submitted a written update regarding status of water system improvements. Phase 1 is for the replacing and upsizing of mains under Culton and Church Streets. Phase 1 is moving forward.  Phase 2 is for the full water system improvement upgrade. Phase 2 is on hold right now because we have other more pressing projects on the sewer side. There is a citizen workgroup still looking at options and alternatives for Phase 2. We will reach out to them regarding their timeline for presenting recommendations.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers– Committee will have an official resolution up for consideration at the next meeting for the renaming of H Street (school house hill) in honor of Sgt. Jacob Demand, a Palouse native who was killed in Iraq in 2004. The city will solicit written public comment on the proposed resolution between the October 13 meeting and the October 27 meeting. No one lives on H Street so no addresses will be affected.

Councilmember Sievers is still working with FastSigns about modifications to interior pool signage. Should be finalized before winter.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Ordinance No. 995 – adding Patriot Day to the flag policy:  This ordinance adds September 11 (Patriot Day) to the existing list of designated dates for flying the flags. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 995.  Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

FD had three regular meetings and two special meetings in August. We have three new firefighters and three retired firefighters came back on crew.

FD had seven fire calls in August: 6 mutual aid & 1 in-district.

EMS had 11 calls and 2 trainings in August.

The FD voted to purchase equipment for fit-testing EMS N95 masks and FD airpacks. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the purchase of the fit-testing system out of COVID funds, not to exceed $12,500. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. The city received a $32,400 CARES Act distribution for the purchase of COVID supplies and will be receiving another one for $16,800 shortly. The city has worked with the Fire Dept., EMS, the Palouse Chamber of Commerce to purchase COVID-related supplies.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

All the park bathrooms were reopened Sept. 4.

Liquor License Renewal for Palouse Lions Club. No objections.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Sievers seconded.  The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      8/22/2020          Ck. #11113-11128 & EFT           $14,352.07

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:41 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

September 8, 2020

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to excuse Councilmember Welcome’s absence. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:   Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of August 25, 2020. Councilmember Alred seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

A reminder to watch for elementary kids walking to and from school.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Varela & Associates is finalizing our Wastewater Facility Plan for submittal to ECY later this week. A meeting is tentatively schedule for the 3^rd week of September to discuss with us, Varela, and ECY to solidify path forward for design phase and application for funding.

CA Dixon is getting estimates for wireless water meter reading devices. Going wireless will provide a host of benefits to our system, but the conversion is costly. We will be investigating funding options with the hope to have the majority of the project funded by grants. The goal is to have enough information by the end of the year to develop a cost estimate for the 2021 budget.

The rail line that services the tracks through town was recently acquired by a new company (Spokane, Spangle and Palouse Railway). We have received complaints about the storage of the PROCOR tanks in city limits. CA Dixon has reached out to them and they confirmed that there is nothing in the tanks and that their plan is to have them removed by the end of the month.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ord. 994 – NWFiber, LLC franchise agreement: The city is authorized to grant non-exclusive franchises for the maintenance of fiber optic cable networks. This agreement is identical to First Step’s agreement. It grants NWFiber LLC, the right, privilege, and authority to construct, operate, maintain, replace, acquire, sell, lease, and use all necessary facilities for a fiber optic cable network in Palouse. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 994 as written. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

Resolution 2020-05 amends the 2020 salary schedule to reflect the changes to the new Public Works Supt’s pay, the new Public Works Assistant’s pay, and to add the Entry Level Public Works Assistant position and pay. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2020-05. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel, Chair Snyder- Working slowly and steadily on the pay and promotion model. We will take to city staff for feedback and then present it to council.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder- In the last three weeks the Palouse FD has responded to 10 mutual aid fire calls including two last Saturday (8/29/20). There were multiple serious fires in Whitman County yesterday (9/7/2020). A total of 14 firefighters were either deployed or on call for 12 straight hours. They were at three different scenes concurrently. During the Malden fire the water tender truck suffered a breakdown; it has since been repaired. Our gratitude to all the firefighters and EMS.

OPEN FORUM:

GPHS student Christian Burt is seeking permission and funding to paint 17 of the city’s fire hydrants as part of his Eagle Scout project. He will be painting all the yellow hydrants which are part of the FD’s color-coded hydrant system. He estimates $500 to cover supplies and paint. Councilmember Alred MOVED to fund up to $500 towards supplies to paint the 17 fire hydrants. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried. He will return any usable leftover tools & supplies to Public Works.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Native Plant Walk is looking great and people have been seen enjoying it this week.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Snyder MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cooper seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      8/31/2020          Ck. #11075-11093 & EFT           $50,042.47

Claims Paid      8/08/2020          Ck. #11094-11112 & EFT           $18,451.12

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Cooper seconded. The motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:35 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

DRAFT ONLY.  Without council review or approval.

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via ZOOM teleconferencing

August 25, 2020

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:04 PM.

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to excuse Councilmember’s Sievers absence. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of August 11, 2020. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report. Public restrooms are still closed.

Another irrigation line broke at the cemetery. We will see more of this as time goes on because the pipes there are thin-walled PVC and 40 years old. PW will replace this broken line and will continue to fix and replace with better pipe as we go.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

We have hired two new employees to join our Public Works team: Taylor Redman has accepted our offer for the Public Works Assistant position. Her first day will be next Monday, August 31^st. Evan Weagraff has accepted the newly created Entry Level Public Works Assistant position and his first day was August 17^th. We are excited to have both aboard and to get the crew settled into their new roles.

We are finalizing agreement with WSDOT to relocate one of their speed signs on northbound HWY 27 at south end of city limits to accommodate the radar feedback sign currently installed at the railroad crossing.

The Palouse Native Plant Park was trimmed up last week with the help of Chief Neumann and resident Monty Nearing. A big thanks to both for their work improving the appearance of the park.

The Port of Whitman has officially partnered with Ziply Fiber (formerly Frontier) to build fiber to the home in Palouse. The agreement maintains an open-access network, where other providers will still be able to lease the fiber infrastructure and give customers more service options. According to the press release, buildout will begin this year and continue into 2021. They will pass along a more definitive timeline once those details are finalized.

Jim Kuznir of NW Fiber, LLC has submitted a proposed franchise agreement similar to the agreement we have with First Step internet to build out fiber infrastructure in Palouse as well. It is with Atty Hanson for review.

Every year we pass resolutions authorizing the county to place on the November ballot excess property tax levies for the swimming pool and arterial (project-based) street levies. Due to an oversight by CA Dixon, those resolutions were never prepared for council consideration, and the deadline to file for the November ballot has since passed (August 4^th). Last year, Palouse voters approved the pool levy for $34,000, and the arterial streets levy for $44,000 for collection in 2020. 2021 Levy amounts would have been reduced significantly for both. We likely would not have had enough information by our 2^nd meeting in July to provide an accurate forecast of needs for the pool in 2021 due to the pool closure this year. Similarly, TIB denied our funding request this year to turn the remainder of West Whitman street to Fir street from gravel to a hard surface street. We also did not proceed to construction on the Palouse Cove Sidewalk, so a large portion of the levy collected this year for Arterial Streets would be held over for next year. The next opportunity to place these levies on a ballot will be in April of 2021. This affords us time to put together a much more accurate assessment of need for each of these levies. Another option would be to roll these smaller amounts into our yearly levy forecast for the ballot next November. In either scenario, current reserves and 2020 levy collection will be able to cover normal operations in 2021. Our proposed General Levy for 2021 is $196,011 and proposed EMS Levy is $32,381. Both include the 1% increase from the prior year. Levy information is available upon request. CA Dixon has started working on the 2021 budget and will provide regular updates leading up to budget adoption in November.

OLD BUSINESS:

Wastewater Facility Plan update: John Patrouch of Varela, the city’s principal engineer on the project, submitted a summary update. Since the last meeting on July 27, they have reviewed the latest ECY comments and discussed strategy to revise the WWFP. Approach is to construct seasonal storage lagoons on city-owned property to meet both temperature and nitrogen effluent limits. ECY requested a resubmittal by Sept. 1, 2020 but Varela isn’t going to have it ready until around Sept. 11.  ECY funding apps are due by October 13, 2020.  Mayor Cook met with Art Jenkins of ECY to get his take on city’s direction and to confirm ECY would support the timeline for improvements should 3^rd parties seek to exploit compliance issues. Art Jenkins acknowledges Palouse has a documented history of trying to solve this problem and he is very supportive of Palouse’s efforts. The city would like to perhaps try to deliver our revised facility plan combined with our funding application at the same time.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome- Councilwoman Cooper inquired about the executive order regarding payroll tax. CA Dixon discussed his concern with implementing this until something more formal was put in place. At this time, it would be considered a deferral, which indicates any payroll tax payments suspended now would become due in a lump sum when employees file 2020 income taxes. CA Dixon will consult with employees and provide updates when more information becomes available.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

3 fire calls in July:  1 assist on car wreck, 1 garage fire in city, 1 smoke detector alarm in city.

3 fire meetings in July – Wildland training, pump operations, on-scene structure fire scenario, and station night.

Fire department will be adding some reserve firefighters to the roster for summer wildland fire responses, three of whom are former Palouse firefighters with experience.

15 EMS calls in July: 9 Pullman ambulance transports to PRH, 2 Pullman Ambulance transfers to Colfax, 1 Private transport, 1 no transport, 1 fire standby, and 1 non-resident Pullman Ambulance transfer to LifeFlight to Sacred Heart. Rural fire had 0 calls. 85 calls total for year so far.

2 EMS trainings in July.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

As a gesture of good will, the city paid our lifeguards for the entire month of July even though the pool closed on July 6^th.  Today, the city received an email from resident Andres Sena. He wants the city lifeguards to be paid for the entire season, through August 15. The city tried to strike a balance between doing right by lifeguards but also right by the taxpayers. Lifeguards were well-informed of the potential of pool not opening/staying open prior to the start of the season. Council is satisfied with the city’s actions already taken on this matter.

Planning Commission vacancy. Letters of interest can be submitted to City Hall.

The Palouse chamber of Commerce emailed council requesting the city’s help to ensure and communicate public safety measures in regards to the state’s COVID-19 response and requirements (enforcing masks & social distancing). Chief pointed out that businesses have the right of refusal of service; if someone refuses to leave, call police and he will support the businesses wishes. Chief will meet with businesses if they want, but businesses need to self-regulate and enforce. Chief said the pop-up music performances around town need to stop; those are strictly prohibited under the governor’s guidelines. Councilmember Cooper asked that a message about mask requirements be put on the readerboard. Mayor Cook brought up that a lot of this is compliance issues; people are aware but just don’t want to comply. At the heart of the matter is there are folks who have their views. Councilmember Cooper asked Chief to meet with chamber to see how they can work together to make people comply. Perhaps showing solidarity between the city and the businesses will go a long way in aiding.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Fielder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      8/25/2020          Ck. #11064-11074 & EFT           $5,622.70

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Welcome seconded. The motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:02 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council via Zoom Teleconferencing

Regular Council Meeting

August 11, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Councilmembers present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Public Works Supt. Mike Wolf; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:   Councilmember Welcome MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of July 28, 2020. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Wolf submitted a written report.

The Heritage Park restrooms have been the victim of some disgusting vandalism involving excrement. The cleanup and sanitizing require an extra hour each time, not to mention the associated health risks to public and staff.  PW Supt Wolf Would like to temporarily close the public bathrooms for a couple weeks until the third PW position is filled. At that time, we can open on a trial basis during business hours and see how it goes. Chief Neumann offered to lock the bathrooms every evening when the time comes.

POLICE REPORT: Chief Neumann submitted a police log.

-Radar sign is ready to be installed, just waiting for WSDOT authorization. The sign will be for northbound traffic (coming into Palouse from Pullman).

-Chief requested a meeting with the personnel and budget committees to go over some issues.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

City is still working with WSDOT regarding placement of radar speed sign on HWY 27 at the south entrance to town. They have very specific restrictions, so it is not as simple as putting a post in the ground wherever we choose in their right-of-way.

There should be an update from our wastewater engineers at our next meeting regarding the timeline for a response to ECY comments on the facility plan.

CA Dixon will have a proposed update to the city’s 6-year street improvement plan (STIP) for the street committee’s consideration by the end of the month. It cannot be formally adopted until a public hearing is held. As we get into budget season, if in-person meetings are unlikely to resume, we will solicit written comment and proceed with adoption. He will also have 2021 revenue sources available soon. This is an estimation of taxes to be collected next year. The finance committee will meet in September and October to discuss the 2021 budget, with emphasis on pool levy numbers and potential impacts the pandemic will have on our revenues in 2021 and beyond.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- Met last week to discuss increase to fees for cemetery plots and opening/closing gravesites. Committee is close to a recommendation.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper- Met to discuss whether we want to pursue a policy for street naming/dedicating. After researching, committee is recommending we address these rare requests on an ad-hoc basis.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Twenty people applied for the position of Public Works Assistant. Interviews are being held this week.

We are also potentially looking at an additional part-time hourly helper.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cooper seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      7/31/2020          Ck. #11018-11040 & EFT           $51,808.08

Claims Paid      8/11/2020          Ck. #11041-11063 & EFT           $19,352.10

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:27 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

July 28, 2020

Via Zoom Videoconferencing

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of July 14, 2020. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

Repaired and replaced pump at sewer plant

POLICE REPORT: Chief Neumann submitted the police log.

PD is still having an ongoing issue with a habitually loose dog who acts aggressively in the neighborhood. We are going to hold the owner accountable through the legal system.

Chief wants to remind residents to not mess with people’s private property; leave yard signs alone even if you disagree with the message. Chief stated that video evidence is wonderful and admissible.

Council addressed concerns with people not following the mask mandate and wanted to know how this could be better enforced. Chief indicated that responsibility falls on the health department to hold people accountable. Chief isn’t going to be the mask police but will try and encourage people to wear them.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Effective July 20^th, the state implemented additional limitations to slow the spread of COVID-19. The number of individuals allowed in social gatherings during Phase 3 has been reduced from 50 to 10. As such, city council meetings will be held via Zoom until this order has been lifted and in-person meetings have been deemed safe to resume.

This is Supt. Griffin’s final week with the city after 14 years of service. He has been integral to the operation and appearance of the City of Palouse and we are sad to see him go.  Mike Wolf was offered and has accepted the PW Supt. position on a one-year interim basis. He has been training with Supt. Griffin. The city is now advertising for Mike’s replacement, which is a Public Works Assistant in charge of the cemetery and parks. We hope to have this role filled by mid-August. Garfield has assured us that they will assist us indefinitely if needed for emergency infrastructure repairs with the understanding that we will do the same if called upon.

Mary Estes expressed need for some plant work at Heritage Park that is outside the Rose Ladies’ capabilities. CA Dixon will hand over to PW to address and if they are unable, they will hand it over to an outside party.

We continue to receive complaints about the Native Plant Park. They are supposed to be down there working on July 30. One of their goals is to clean up and identify the various plant species.

OLD BUSINESS:

Palouse Cove Sidewalk Bids:

Bids closed July 16^th. We only got two bids, but one bid was in the ballpark. Looks like we will have an extra $30k over what we had originally planned. Cost of construction materials increased significantly. We were still confident that we could see bids in our price range but it didn’t happen. TIB (Transportation Improvement Board) normally would cover these overages, but the majority of their funding has been cut for this year. CA Dixon needs direction from council on how to proceed. This project was originally supposed to be funded by 100% grant, but now it’s upwards of $30k needed from city to proceed. We have until March of 2022 to expend grant funds.  Easy solution is to reject all bids and regroup while CA Dixon seeks additional funding.  CA Dixon will also continue outreach to property owner adjacent from proposed sidewalk to assist the city in cutting a major cost of the project.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to reject all bids.  Councilmember Alred seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, Major Acquisitions – Chair Welcome:  Had a great meeting last week with CA Dixon. Sidewalk project would take unexpected chunk out of Arterial Streets fund if we proceed. Garfield police contract line item will show major shortfall, but city is saving money from the elimination in March of the 3^rd police officer position.

Streets, Properties, & Facilities – Chair Sievers: Committee revisited the pool closure issue. Took into consideration the governor’s July 16 order decreasing public gatherings from 50 to 10, increase in county COVID cases, and other pools around the state choosing to remain closed. We looked at online scheduling to use the pool and other options but none of them were feasible. It is the committee’s recommendation that the pool remain closed.

Received a request from Paula Echanove to rename H Street in honor of Sgt Jacob Demand, a Palouse native who was killed in Iraq in 2004. They chose H Street because it doesn’t change anyone’s address. Committee likes the proposal but isn’t ready to take action yet. The intent is a great thing however there is potential for unintended consequences. There are a host of deserving people in our community and does this create a scenario where the city sees an increase in these requests. Does this set a precedent? The city might need to set up procedures and criteria for these kinds of requests going forward. Streets Committee and Policy Committee will meet to discuss.

The city received another letter from the Bofenkamps regarding issues by their house on the highway: speeding and noise from compression brakes. The city is awaiting WSDOT approval to install the recently purchased flashing speed sign. Councilmember Sievers wants to continue to seek out grants to purchase more of the flashing speed signs for all entrances to town. Chief will look into cost of repairing the radar trailer.

Councilmember Sievers would like to see the city take on the responsibility for care of the Native Plant Walk because it’s not working with volunteers. Public Works is already stretched thin. It is going to require additional funding for staffing if Public Works is forced to take on the upkeep of city-owned areas previously maintained by volunteers. Mayor Cook thinks perhaps a blended model with volunteers and some level of city involvement is a possibility.

Had a citizen complaint about the upkeep at the cemetery: gravestone that had been moved off its base and weeds around the gravestones. It is not what we’ve come to expect from our cemetery. Committee would like to see this rectified moving forward. If Public Works can’t give it the attention needed, we will need to address it from outside hire.

Spoke with CA Dixon about the Palouse Arms building. We will reach out to state fire marshall again to discuss a meeting to note safety issues and notify owner.

Water & Sewer – Chair Slinkard.

Chair Slinkard provided some background on facility planning timeline. Went to Spokane and met with ECY regarding our Facility Plan earlier this year. During that discussion it seemed that two things are set in stone: timeframe to address effluent temperature TMDL by summer of 2024 and elimination of river discharge during low river flow periods by 2030. Alternatives to address temperature TMDL were industrial chillers or effluent blending with aquifer water.  Both options are very wasteful and temporary.  Water/Sewer Committee believes at this point the most appropriate course of action is to try to fast track installation of lagoons (eliminating river discharge during low flow periods) because that will be required eventually. There is funding available through ECY and USDA Rural Development and CA Dixon has met with state legislatures for the past 3 years in the hope to get additional funding in the state budget as well. We need to move fast because the first benchmark is 2024.  John Patrouch from Varela was present via zoom.  If we miss deadlines, we open ourselves up to litigation from 3^rd parties. Lagoon alternative was first proposed three years ago and ECY rejected it. And now three years later, investigation of several other alternatives and associated costs, we are back to the same alternative. CA Dixon would like to see ECY take some ownership over this because they are culpable for the time and funding issues before us.  With current available funding for upgrades we would have to charge between $80-$120 for sewer alone for each residential unit which has the potential to be devastating to our community.  Varela will be replying to comments issued by ECY on our facility plan with an emphasis on lagoon construction by 2024.  City will be very aggressive in our pursuit of any additional funding possibilities.  Meeting with ECY will be scheduled for sometime this fall to further discuss our direction.

Policy & Administration – Chair Cooper: Appealed to fellow councilmembers to respond to emails.

Joint Fire Board – Chair Fielder:

-On the financial side, JFB is over budget due to COVID expenditures but is being reimbursed from CARES Act.

-There were two fire calls in June. One station night.

-There were 11 EMS calls in June (7 city, 1 rural, 3 non-residents).  60 EMS calls total through June.  Had two EMS hands-on training nights.  The ambulance contract with Pullman is up for renewal.

-There will be an increase to budget next year due to official DOT truck inspections. Total initial cost is $10,000 ($5k from city, $5k from rural) because we haven’t been doing the inspections. But after initial large expense, ongoing costs would only be about $300 per truck and not necessarily annually. CA Dixon said this won’t be a budget problem.

MAYOR’S REPORT: Covered in other areas of meeting

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Snyder MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      7/28/2020          Ck. #11006-11017 & EFT           $6,992.42

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Welcome seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:32 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting held at Palouse Community Center due to COVID restrictions

July 14, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; City Attorney Eric Hanson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of June 23, 2020.  Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 993 – adoption of rules & regulations for the display of flags, banners, and signs on city light poles:

Mayor Cook read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. The ordinance states the following banners and flags may be flown on street lamp posts within the city or the flag standards affixed to them and no others:

• the national flag of the USA;
• the WA State flag;
• the POW-MIA flag;
• the Palouse city flag;
• and any other flag or banner which the City Council may choose, via resolution, to be flown from time-to-time.

The above-mentioned flags may be flown, by the city, on the dates adopted by City Council from time-to time. Currently, the holidays designated for flying them are as follows:

• March 30 (Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day);
• April 9 (Former Prisoner of War Day);
• 3^rd Saturday in May (Armed Forces Day);
• Last Monday in May (Memorial Day);
• June 14 (Flag Day);
• July 4 (Independence Day);
• July 27 (Korean War Veterans Armistice Day);
• 2^nd Saturday after Labor Day (Palouse Days);
• 3^rd Friday in September (POW/MIA Recognition Day);
• November 11 (Veterans’ Day);
• December 7 (Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day).

The ordinance is not intended to prohibit or curtail individuals from carrying flags or banners in public and/or displaying them on private property. No person or entity shall paint, mark or write on, or post or otherwise affix, any hand-bill or sign to or upon any public crosswalk, curb, curbstone, street lamp post, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake, or guard, electric light or power or telephone pole, or wire appurtenance thereof or upon any lighting system, public building, drinking fountain, street sign, or traffic sign. The penalty for violation of this ordinance includes removal by either the Palouse PD or Palouse Public Works. The person(s) responsible for any such illegal posting shall be liable for the cost incurred in the removal thereof.

Councilmember Alred MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 993.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.

OPEN FORUM:

Jessie Twigg Harris. Thanked council and mayor for all their work on the flag policy. Urged council to develop an anti-racism statement and to publish it on the chamber’s website.

Dominick Mylett. Read aloud his letter to council asking for the pool to be reopened.

Diane Mylett. Advocating for the pool being reopened. Suggested a pass system for residents, thereby restricting pool usage so only city residents have access. Thinks there may be some kind of compromise. She offered some ideas.

John Sykes. 1) Wants pool to reopen with more restrictions, no swim lessons, etc.  2)Wants better development of basketball courts at the park, perhaps something similar to what Farmington just put in.

Becky Manning. Thanked council for coming up with a flag policy. Agrees with issuing an official response to racism. Her daughters were both pool managers and knows it’s a lot of responsibility during the best of times to keep standard protocols in place at the pool; don’t rely on young lifeguards to try and enforce Covid restrictions. She’s sad to hear it closed but has confidence and trust that city leaders are leading us through this with a purpose. There’s such division on the COVID subject, maybe community members could be part of the discussion so they had more of a voice.

Andres Sena. Swim team coach. Would like pool to reopen. He thinks there are safe ways to do it. Must be mindful and respectful of each other through this process. Thinks RV Park should be closed for safety. Black Lives Matter. Thinks we all need to be accepting of each other.

Nancy Whitesell. Feels like people are creating a racism issue in town that doesn’t exist. Palouse isn’t about racism or hate and it never has been. Things need to take a step back and remember who we are. We live in a small community because we don’t have to deal with big city issues. Why bring it here when it’s not the face of our community?

Mike Burkhart. This community has never been white supremacist or racist. The Lions Club has never ever put that forth on their agenda. Our goal is to serve our community. Yes, we (Lions Club) flew the Blue Lives Matter flag. We’ve flown it for six years. Why is it an issue now?

Jim Morrison. Thanked council for adopting flag policy. Asked if flags would be hung on just the one specific date or if the flags would be hung for a few days before and/or after each holiday. Councilmember Cooper responded that the new policy doesn’t preclude only hanging flags on the specific date so yes, they can be hung on surrounding days (i.e. weekend surrounding the holiday).

Connie Newman. 1)Agreed the Lions aren’t racist or a white supremacist organization and she didn’t hear that sentiment from other people but can appreciate that the Lions felt that way.  Palouse is special; we’re watched by other communities because we’re thriving. She feels this has been an important dialogue in Palouse and the conversation is important. She detailed how this topic has caused deep dialogue with all three of her children and initiated understanding and healing. We’re all on the same page. 2) She’s sad that the pool closed but discussed her time as a lifeguard and pool manager and conveyed that we can’t expect lifeguards to be responsible for social distancing and masks etc. on the deck. She would volunteer though to help it reopen.

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

Mayor Cook outlined his reasons for closing the pool on July 6.  Based on COVID safety and the welfare of our community; National and regional COVID trends; How quickly COVID flares, etc. all gave Mayor Cook concern. Staff have a specific job to ensure safety of people in the pool; asking staff to ensure COVID safety compliance is problematic. At end of the day, kids are going to be kids. They don’t social distance. They play. He still thinks keeping the pool closed is the right and prudent thing to do. The state is talking about tightening things up if things don’t get better. There are basically three options:  1) keep closed; 2) open as normal; 3) a hybrid solution. Councilmember Sievers stressed that council’s interest is the safety of the community; there was no bad intent in closing the pool. Councilmembers Sievers, Alred, Slinkard, & Cooper all think the city should err on the side of caution. Public safety is a very serious issue for all ages. Facilities committee will research the issue and report back at next meeting.  There are unintended consequences of asking people not to come to our pool.

Public Works Supt. Update: The city only received five applicants for outgoing Supt. Griffin’s position. None of the applicants had Supt. Griffin’s levels of comprehension or skill set. We have had ongoing conversations with Garfield to assist should problems arise. We are currently working to train up our existing staff.  We lose Supt. Griffin on August 1 and will have challenges ahead with his departure.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police log. Chief Neumann reminds people when doing sidewalk art, only use chalk, not permanent paint. It’s a criminal act.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

The city is accepting bids for the Palouse Cove Sidewalk project until this Thursday, July 16^th at 2PM. Our engineer has fielded questions from interested contractors, so we are hopeful that competition is going to drive bids lower. As you may recall, inflated costs have our engineer worried that the bids will come in over our budget which has the potential to suspend construction until next year. CA Dixon is currently working to acquire additional funds with the goal to see the full project scope, including a pedestrian bridge across the river to the city park, completed next year. We will have an update regarding final bid amounts for council consideration at our next meeting.

CA Dixon and Finance Chair Welcome will have an update on first half of 2020 financials at our next meeting. RV revenue is expected to take another major hit with fan participation becoming less and less likely for WSU athletics this fall. The city has seen reduced revenue in other areas as well but overall is getting through these difficult times okay.

Spoke with ECY regarding the status of our Wastewater Facility Plan that was submitted to them back in March. They will have comments to us and our engineers prior to our next council meeting.

If pool remains closed for the rest of the year, we have a mechanism to account for unspent pool levy dollars for next year’s levy.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome- meeting and will bring report to next council

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- will meet to discuss pool

Personnel, Chair Snyder- Hoping to bring human resources packet to next meeting.

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard-

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Welcome seconded.  The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      6/30/2020          Ck. #10932-10958 & EFT           $51,616.53

Claims Paid      7/10/2020          Ck. #10959-11005 & EFT           $42,713.95

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Fielder MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Welcome seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting held at Hayton Greene Park due COVID-19 restrictions

June 23, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present:  Mary Welcome; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Terry Snead; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to excuse Councilmember Slinkard’s absence. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Alred MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of June 9, 2020. Councilmember Fielder seconded.  Motion carried.  Councilmember Snyder MOVED to approve the minutes of the Special Council Meeting of June 18, 2020. Councilmember Alred seconded. Motion carried.

OPEN FORUM ON FLAG POLICY:

The Lions Club have hung flags on Main Street for years and it’s a great benefit to the city and very much appreciated. However, in recent weeks the city has received numerous letters raising concern over the Thin Blue Line flag being allowed to hang. Palouse doesn’t have a clear policy over displaying flags so may be construed as a public forum. Policy & Administration Committee is researching best practices to move this matter forward. Mayor Cook issued a cease & desist order to Chief Neumann from removing anything from light poles until we have a policy in place. We are here to solicit public comment regarding a flag policy. The goal is to take this feedback into consideration while a formal policy is crafted.

The following people spoke aloud during the open forum, in no particular order: Libby Akin, Emily Akin, Jessie Twigg-Harris, Sarah Bofenkamp, Kurt Brantner, Damon Estes, Carly Schoepflin, Michael Echanove, Jens Hegg, Ann Barrington, Brad Pearce, Ken Alsterlund, Dave Caudle, Leslie Sena, Lynn Gearhart, Caleb San Miguel, Darrel Goertzen, Sinclair Watkins, Jerry Hibbard, Adam Cochran.  Additionally, CA Dixon read aloud letters from Katryna Newman, Claire Echanove, Shandra Bohn, and Ron & Lana Redman, which were submitted for the forum.

Upon completion of the open forum at 8:11 pm, Councilmember Alred MOVED to take a 10-minute recess. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.  Meeting readjourned at 8:23 pm

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the police call log.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

The city has been looking into alternatives to address the condition of the Native Plant Park in a timelier fashion. We continue to receive complaints on a regular basis. CA Dixon invited resident Jamie Gaber and Palouse Conservation District representative Garrett LaCivita to discuss how we can team up to expedite improvements.

Jamie explained about some of the plantings and progress thus far. Had a good survival rate from last year’s plantings. Currently have people working on signage to continue educational efforts with species identification, etc.  They’re also hoping to wire cage all the plantings and complete the path. Once that’s done, mowing can be done around the wire cages and signs. Mowing native grasses will be better if done after July 1 which eliminates risk to nesting songbirds and damage to grasses. The public would like to see functional pathways, river access, weeds cut down, and manicured to some degree.  Jamie could use more volunteer help.

The city received two bids for our annual road oiling: BST Surfacing $10,564.40, & Mort’s Dust & Erosion Control $17,248.00.  BST has bid the lowest cost for the past several years and they do good work. Supt. Griffin recommends council accept their bid. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to accept the low bid from BST Surfacing. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

RV Park reservations have increased significantly since Phase 3 approval.

Palouse Chamber has ordered a first round of masks/PPE from the state appropriation from COVID-19 related expenses. CA Dixon will also be reaching out to other entities (i.e. local food bank, FIRE/EMS) to determine needs and eligibility for these funds.

OLD BUSINESS:

Wastewater Operator Contract with Garfield:  Palouse doesn’t have a Level II certified operator in Palouse. Garfield has one. This agreement allows us to trade with Garfield eight hours of our public works services for eight hours of their Level II certified operator services.  Language is also in the contract which allows for us to call on Garfield in the event of sewer facility emergencies. Traded hours are 1:1 with no exchange of funds. This will satisfy ECY’s requirements.  Councilmember Alred MOVED to adopt the contract. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

Palouse Cove Sidewalk Bid Documents:

Engineer Munir Daud has continued to price alternatives to remain within budget for our project. His recommendation is to proceed with bids without the block wall and the pedestrian lights (which would be added later). We are still in discussions with property owner in Harvest Loop development to better utilize the terrain to avoid the block wall. We can also give contractors three months to finish the project, to better work with competing schedules, which should also result in a lower bid. If the bids still come in too high, we reserve the right to reject all bids. CA Dixon is still working on additional funding opportunities. The original grant of $200,000 received for this project does not need to be spent until March of 2022. Even then, in light of current events, an extension of this deadline would likely be approved.  It is the engineer’s and CA Dixon’s recommendation to put a call for bids for this project ASAP. A determination to proceed to construction can be made after a review of submittals.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the call for bids. Councilmember Welcome seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel, Chair Snyder- has some action items forthcoming.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Flag Policy Discussion: Committee has met twice with attorney. They have done a lot of research on this issue.  There are three options: 1) The city could take no action, effectively ‘opening’ the street lights as public forums without regulation, whereby anything could be posted or hung at any time by anyone. 2) Adopt a policy that applies time, place and manner restrictions. This would create a permitting process that would require pre-approval to hang flags/banners at predetermined places and times. The city would not be allowed to regulate content. 3) Adopt a policy that ‘closes’ the public forum. Only city owned flags and banners would be allowed on city owned property to be hung only by authorized city personnel. They will have another committee meeting this week to consider all the input heard today and will present their recommendation to council at the next regularly scheduled council meeting.  There are no other special meetings scheduled at this time.

Joint Fire Board, Chair Fielder-

There were four fire calls and two trainings in May. There were five EMS calls in May: 3 city, 2 non-residents. Also had two EMS trainings in May.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      6/23/2020          Ck. #10917-10931 & EFT           $33,251.80

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Alred seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

June 9, 2020

Via Zoom Videoconferencing

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Alred MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of May 26, 2020. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

Supt. Griffin thanks the Palouse FD and residents Jeremy Hodson and Monty Nearing for their assistance with storm cleanup.

POLICE REPORT: Chief Neumann submitted a written report.

-Chief Neumann also thanks those who helped out with storm cleanup.

-Chief has ordered the speed reader radar sign to be placed on HWY 27 coming in to town from Pullman. It will have the capability to record and monitor all speeds detected over a period of time. It will have customizable and changeable messages.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

While we originally believed that the Wastewater Facility Plan that was submitted back in March would have a fairly quick turnaround time, we received word yesterday that it is still a few weeks out. Based on that conversation, we are not expecting comments back from them until sometime in July. They have a long window to review and provide comments. No specifics on their review thus far has been reported.

Our project engineer MD&A is concerned with the cost of materials for the Palouse Cove Sidewalk Project. We are working through these overages and vetting alternatives. We will present the bid documents to council once we have a more palatable budget.

We have received several complaints regarding the appearance of the Native Plant Park. In spring of 2019 [April 23 & May 14, 2019 minutes], resident Jamie Gaber asked City Council for authorization to introduce additional native plants to the area, add bark and other improvements, and to perform maintenance. Council granted her approval provided additional support was not required of our PW Staff. While we have seen some sporadic activity at the park, regular maintenance and upkeep have not happened. CA Dixon spoke with Jamie today and she reported that she has partnered with the Palouse Conservation District to finalize improvements to the Native Plant Park. On Thursday, June 11^th PCD will be out laying material and spreading bark on the pathway. They will also finish clean-up of the overgrown portions of the park. She reports they have planted roughly 100-150 plants. PCD is currently working on plant signage. A portion of the park has been dedicated to a blooming garden.  CA Dixon will follow up with Gaber and PCD regarding progress and will report to council. If improvements do not proceed as planned, council may authorize an alternate solution.  A huge thank you to Dennis and Vickie Griner who resigned in March from their years of volunteering time, labor, and equipment keeping the Native Plant Park looking nice. Our PW Staff cannot take this project on. If there is anyone in town that would like to lend their time to maintaining this area once it has been cleaned up, please contact City Hall.

We had originally planned to have the updated Wastewater Operator Interlocal Agreement with Garfield ready to review and sign tonight. Our Attorney has been on National Guard duty, so we do not have a timeframe yet on when that will be presented. The deadline to have an agreement in place is in August so the timeline will not be an issue.

Water/Sewer committee met last week to continue the discussion regarding updating/increasing water and sewer hookup fees. These updates will be presented to council for further discussion when finalized by the attorney

The Personnel Committee are in the process of reviewing applications for the PW Superintendent position.

Whitman County has transitioned into phase 3 of reopening. Part of phase 3 allows gatherings of up to 50 people. Mayor and Council will need to determine if/when it is safe and appropriate to resume in-person council meetings.  CA Dixon will continue to assess how and where council meetings will be held moving forward. Masks will likely be required if/when we go back to in-person meetings. City Hall will open to the public on Tuesday, June 16^th and will resume normal business hours. Public restrooms at the parks will open tomorrow.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 992: Budget amendment for Coronavirus Relief Funds and Palouse Cove sidewalk project:  Affects Current Expense Fund and Arterial Streets Fund. The coronavirus relief funds administered by the Dept Commerce will reimburse any costs related to COVID-19 prevention and costs associated with economic shutdown. The Palouse Cove sidewalk project is funded by a $200,000 dollar grant from TIB, which was moved from and ending balance to an expenditure line item for construction. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 992 as written. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities – Chair Sievers:

-We’ve been working with FastSigns for signs at the pool. Councilmember Sievers is working on getting their bid more in line with our needs and budget.

-Chair Sievers met with city staff to discuss how we will move forward at the pool this summer with regards to allowing out of town patrons. Maximum capacity at the pool is normally 112, so at 50% it will be 56. From data gathered last year, having more than 50 patrons was rare (3 instances), and was not seen at all in June. If current trend holds, Whitman County will transition to Phase 4 of reopening allowing for full capacity at the pool before the end of June. We will monitor usage closely as the pool opens and evaluate daily. At this time, the pool will open as normal, but if we see unexpected usage and wait times due to max capacity, pool committee will reevaluate and propose appropriate restrictions.

Personnel – Chair Snyder: Committee has two big things coming up: 1) vetting process for employee review/salaries/raises/etc. & 2) hiring Supt. Griffin’s replacement.

Water & Sewer – Chair Slinkard. Committee met to finalize the ordinances for the cost increase to hook-up fees for water and sewer as well as the code change to year-round charges for service, regardless if active or not. This was introduced in November but due to Covid, we’ve pushed the effective date from July to September. There will be a public hearing prior to voting on proposed changes. The ordinances are with the attorney for review.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

For years the Palouse Lions Club has hung the US flags on Main Street for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day etc.,  About five years ago they wanted to add flags to honor those who protect & serve so they added flags of our five military branches and the flags of our first responders: fire, EMS, and police which is the national “Thin Blue Line” flag.  This particular flag has unfortunately been adopted by “Blue Lives Matter” a national countermovement to “Black Lives Matter” .and now represents a lot of hurt and harm to people of color. The city recently received letters from four residents asking that the “Thin Blue Line” flag be removed.  The city would like to find some kind of mutually agreeable solution that upholds the 1^st Amendment but also looks out for and is sensitive to people of color.  Palouse wants to honor the police but also want to make it known that prejudice and hatred are not tolerated here. CA Dixon offered to have the city purchase an alternative police flag to replace Thin Blue Line flag. Agreement for potential alternatives could not be reached. Lions Club “see no reason to remove a flag that honors our local and national law enforcement officials”.  Council discussed in-depth the situation.

Flag Day is this Sunday. The city wants to come up with a resolution to address this in the interim and one in the long-term.  Ultimately, the city has no flag policy in place.  Without a policy we’re walking dangerous ground. There’s no legal obligation to fly any flags so until there is a policy, we can opt to not hang any but no one wants to see that. This is a very complicated and sensitive issue. The city is responsible for created equitable policy. City does not just represent the majority.

Councilmember Alred MOVED to suspend any flags being flown until there is a flag policy adopted by the city. Councilmember Sievers seconded.  Motion failed.

Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that city council respectfully ask the Lions Club to only fly the US Flag, the Washington State Flag, and the POW/MIA flag for Flag Day as per RCW 1.20.017, until a policy is adopted by the city.  Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried.  CA Dixon will contact the Lions Club. This will now go to Policy Committee.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      5/31/2020          Ck. #10881-10896 & EFT           $41,137.23

Claims Paid      6/09/2020          Ck. #10897-10916 & EFT           $20,207.94

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:46 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

DRAFT ONLY.  Without council review or approval.

Palouse City Council

Special Council Meeting

June 18, 2020

Via Zoom Videoconferencing

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Special Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: City Administrator Kyle Dixon

NEW BUSINESS:

Resolution 2020-04 Rescheduling June 23^rd City Council Meeting

Whitman County transitioned into Phase 3 of Gov. Inslee’s Safe Start Washington plan earlier this month which allows for gatherings of up to 50 people. Under normal circumstances, city council meetings usually fall within this threshold. However, accounting for the continued social distancing guidelines still in place, city council chambers (city hall) are not large enough to accommodate council meetings. CA Dixon reached out to the Palouse Community Center to inquire about moving the meeting to that venue. Red Cross is sponsoring a blood drive the day of our regularly scheduled council meeting so it would need to be rescheduled if in person meetings were to resume. An additional condition for in person meetings would be the requirement for everyone in attendance to wear facial coverings. This is for everyone’s protection, but especially those at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. As of this evening, Gov Inslee extended 23 proclamations, of which one was the waiver of the OPMA (Open Public Meetings Act) laws and requirements until July 1^st. This gives council the ability to continue virtual meetings and/or require additional safety restrictions as a requirement to attend council meetings in the interest of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Council discussed pros and cons of transitioning meeting to the community center on Thursday June 25^th versus holding another virtual meeting at the regularly scheduled time. A concern was raised that prior commitments would preclude those wanting to participate in this discussion if the date was changed. Councilmember Welcome proposed the idea of keeping the meeting on the same date and time but moving the location to in-person at the city park. It seems to allow the desired platform for discussions while keeping everyone properly socially distanced. Current weather forecast for next Tuesday in Palouse is 80 degrees and sunny. An additional special meeting for the week after, if needed, was also discussed. CA Dixon read the amended Resolution aloud.

Councilmember Cooper MOVED to approve Resolution 2020-04 relocating the June 23^rd regularly scheduled city council meeting to Hayton Greene Memorial City Park. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Councilmember Slinkard will not be voting on this resolution or attending the next council meeting due to potential recent exposure to COVID-19. Motion carried.

CITY ATTORNEY REPORT:

The Policy and Administration Committee met with Atty Hanson earlier this week to begin discussions and continue research into the formal adoption of a flag policy. Atty Hanson reviewed the history of the flags flown on city owned street lights and provided guidance on how the city may craft a flag policy. City property such as parks and sidewalks are considered traditional forms of “Public Forums”, where people are free to express themselves in a manner of their choosing. Alternately, city property such as city-owned buildings or street lights are not considered public forums unless they have been designated as such. By allowing the Lions Club to hang flags on city owned street lights, the city ‘designated’ those street lights as public forums, whether intentional or not. Atty Hanson outlined some options for a flag policy going forward. One option would be to ‘close’ the public forum by addressing it specifically in a policy. The city would then be solely responsible for determining what flags would be hung, and by authorized city personnel. Another option would be to leave the designated public forum ‘open’, whereby a permitting process would be initiated by policy to designate a time, place and manner restriction on what flags would be flown at what times. The city would not be able to regulate content of flags in any form. A third option would be to leave the public forum open without restrictions whereby anything could be posted or hung by anybody at any time. Issues of aesthetics and safety were discussed. City council expressed interest in receiving public comment on this matter prior to adoption of a formal flag policy. Those wishing to speak publicly on the matter would be invited to do so at the next council meeting held at the city park next Tuesday at 7PM. Those wishing to submit written public comment for consideration during the next council meeting may send an email to CA Dixon at cityclerk@palouse.com, or drop it off in person at city hall. Those comments will be read into the city minutes of the next council meeting.

ADJOURN: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Welcome seconded the motion and the motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

May 26, 2020

Via Zoom Videoconferencing

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present:  Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Alred MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of May 12, 2020. Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

Councilmember Cooper commended staff on how nice downtown looked for Memorial Day.

POLICE REPORT: Chief Neumann submitted a written report. PD had six call-outs between May 13-25.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:  CA Dixon submitted a written report.

-We have posted the job announcement for the Public Works Superintendent job. Depending on initial interest, we will coordinate interviews with the Personnel Committee once per week hopefully beginning the first week of June.

-CA Dixon is finishing up 2019 Annual Report. No issues to report. Waiting on updated code clarification on some line items from the State Auditor’s Office. Will submit at the end of this week.

-CA Dixon spoke with ECY permit manager Diana Washington last week. They will have comments on Wastewater Facility Plan prior to our first council meeting in June. At that meeting we will have our engineers Varela & Associates provide context on ECY comments and our plan to proceed.

-We are collaborating with the Palouse Chamber of Commerce to provide masks for businesses in town as they plan to reopen. Some of the funding from Palouse Cares Act can go towards that purchase. Funds can’t be used to replace lost revenue but can be used for emergency expenses.

-Deputy Clerk Thompson is finalizing the updates and rewrite of our water and sewer connection fee ordinances as discussed at the November 12^th, 2019 council meeting. Water/Sewer Committee is meeting to discuss later this week and will have an update at the next council meeting.

-Hoping to have the pool open June 20^th if the governor’s Phase 3 schedule allows it.

OLD BUSINESS:

Palouse Cove sidewalk bid documents: MD&A has presented initial bid documents for review by council. The two main costly items will be the block walls with chain link fence and the pedestrian push button flashing beacon sign.  Costs should be available by next meeting.

NEW BUSINESS:

Contract with Garfield for temporary Level II Certified Wastewater Operator: This came from ECY’s requirement that we have a Level II Operator in order for us to be in compliance. The town of Garfield is willing to contract with us for use of their Level II operator’s services for eight hours per month. As compensation for his services, Palouse shall provide Garfield with a sewer operator to perform any needed sewer operation services for eight hours per month. No exchange of money. Contract term is June 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. Council expressed concern that there was no language in the contract addressing the need for a response in the event of an emergency. Mayor Cook and CA Dixon will follow up with Garfield to see what language we can include to address this. No action taken on contract.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions – Chair Welcome:

CA Dixon reports that Covid-19 shouldn’t affect our sales tax revenues too bad. Sales tax revenue will take a hit for a couple months but the vast majority of our sales & use tax revenue is through online sales so if anything, that has increased. However, the RV Park revenue has taken a big hit. We are hoping that reservations bounce back and we don’t get any more cancellations.

Streets, Properties, & Facilities – Chair Sievers: Met with FastSigns regarding signage and design work for interior of pool facility.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT: Councilmember Fielder reported.

-Financials are a little tight due to upgrading supplies for Covid-19. Some of the purchases will be reimbursed by the Palouse Cares Act.

-There were two fire calls in April to assist with traffic control for two accidents; Zero trainings due to Covid-19;

-There were five EMS calls in April: two city residents, one rural resident, and two non-residents; Zero trainings.

-Additional volunteers are needed.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

-Regarding the ongoing sewer complaint, Mayor Cook has met with complainants. The city’s insurance will continue to handle this claim.

-We have put together a Citizen Water Advisory Committee consisting thus far of Doug Wilcox, Moses Boone, and Robert Lopez. CA Dixon will look into enlisting a couple more people for the committee. The committee’s goal is to explore fundamental principles as well as technical issues of our ongoing water system improvements.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      5/26/2020          Ck. #10870-10880 & EFT           $4,448.20

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:53 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

May 12, 2020

Via Zoom Videoconferencing

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present:  Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Cooper MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of April 14, 2020 as written. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

-Thank you to the Rose Ladies for their work on Central Park at City Hall.

-New mower for Mike Wolf will be here soon; the mower we received was ordered wrong from factory.

-Fuel pump went out in Walter’s 2000 pickup. It has been replaced.  A replacement vehicle will be needed in near future.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted a written report.

-Had to replace the battery in 2013 Dodge Journey vehicle #3; 2013 Dodge Journey vehicle #2 is having the same battery issue;

-Chief will be working with CA Dixon to finalize the purchase of a speed reader display sign for south Hwy 27 entrance into town.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT: Councilmember Fielder reported.

FD had three meetings in March: two were trainings and one was a station night.

FD had three mutual aid calls in March, and two in-district calls.

EMS had 14 calls in March: 11 were city residents, 1 rural resident, and 2 non-residents.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:  CA Dixon submitted a written report.

-Supt. Griffin has announced his retirement July 30^th. He leaves enormous shoes to fill. We are incredibly fortunate to have had his work ethic and skill set for as long as we did. Palouse will immediately begin prep to find his replacement.

-No comments back from ECY on wastewater facility plan.

-Atty. Hanson is drafting an interlocal agreement for exchange of services between Palouse and Garfield’s respective Public Works departments on an hour-for-hour basis. This will allow for Palouse to utilize Garfield’s Level 2 Wastewater Operator to satisfy ECY requirements. CA Dixon will send the contract to council for review once completed.

-Washington State (and Whitman County) is currently in Phase 1 of reopening. Excerpts from Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack: “Whitman County is planning to apply for a phase variance to go from the Governor’s phase 1 opening to phase 2 opening rules (currently scheduled for June 1^st). The Whitman Co. Board of Health and Whitman Co. Commissioners have each scheduled a special meeting to consider the application package for the variance and vote on it. If/once approved by both entities, our Public Health Director will submit the plan that same day to the Washington State Dept of Health. If Whitman County has a Covid-19 case diagnosed before the afternoon of May 13^th, we will not be able to submit the request.”  If approved, Whitman County will move to Phase 2 of the reopening.

-The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) has allocated up to $32,400 for the City of Palouse, provided that payments from the fund may only be used to cover costs that: 1) are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the COVID-19; 2) were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020; and 3) were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020.  CA Dixon will consult with AWC and will solicit input from the Palouse Chamber of Commerce to identify all expenditures eligible for reimbursement.

-Palouse Pool is tentatively scheduled to open on June 20^th. Governor Inslee’s phase 3 of reopening allows for public pools to open at 50% capacity. We will continue to monitor this timeline and adjust accordingly. Park restrooms will probably open at the same time.

-Streets Committee, Mayor Cook, and CA Dixon met with Palouse Cove Pathway engineers yesterday. They will provide updated plans to council prior to our next meeting and will be seeking final approval at our first meeting in June to proceed to construction;

-Benches and trash cans for Shady Lane improvements that were on back order have just shipped. In addition, we have minor excavating and a bollard to install to finish up this project. CA Dixon will consult with Palouse Boy Scouts to provide local historical and/or environmental information to display at each landing.

OLD BUSINESS:

Luke Antonich from TD&H gave an update on Water System Improvements project:  Luke discussed the pros and cons and estimated costs of the four alternatives to address the city’s pressure, fire flow, and water storage.  Estimated costs ranged from $2.1 million to $4.1 million.  Council will review options and provide direction to TDH when appropriate to do so.

NEW BUSINESS:

Viking Crew Booster Club requests for 2020 GPHS seniors: Due to the circumstances of the pandemic and the seniors having to forego their traditional celebrations, the Viking Crew has a couple requests. These are one-time only events due to the pandemic, not a yearly or recurring thing.

Request 1: they would like to honor the 2020 GP graduates with a kind of reverse parade on June 6. The idea is to space each senior along Main Street and allow community and family members to drive down the street honking, waving, etc. Social distancing will be practiced. The street will be closed off.

Request 2: the Viking Crew would like to put up banners for the month of June along Main Street to honor each graduate. They will be responsible for the purchase of the banners and will be happy to assist in the hanging up and taking down of the banners.

Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve both requests as presented. Councilmember Alred seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- Hoping by the next meeting to have updates on the Palouse Cove Pathway project and on the new signage at the pool.

Personnel, Chair Snyder- Committee is taking significant steps in developing the annual staff evaluation and pay grade processes.

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard– Reiterated the need for council to thoroughly review options for water system improvements and solidify a direction for TDH.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

-Reiterated thanks to the Rose Ladies for their work at Central Park and elsewhere downtown: Donna Thompson, Mary Estes, Jeanne Jeffers, & Janet Brantner

-Reiterated gratitude to Supt. Griffin and the challenges that will arise with his departure. Recruitment begins immediately.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      4/28/2020          Ck. #10812-10826 & EFT           $27,733.20

Payroll Paid      4/30/2020          Ck. #10827-10842 & EFT           $41,194.32

Claims Paid      5/12/2020          Ck. #10843-10996 & EFT           $57,036.05

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:18 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting via Zoom Teleconferencing

April 14, 2020

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Cook called the Council Meeting to order at 7:01 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present via Zoom Video Teleconferencing: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:   Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of March 10, 2020.  Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried. There was no March 24, 2020 council meeting due to Coronavirus.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt Griffin submitted a written report. Making really good progress on sprinkler system in the park that will save the city a substantial amount versus having a professional service do the install.

POLICE REPORT:  Police Dept has closed the front office to all walk-ins. Information is provided on the front door with phone numbers for contact. They are available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week at 509-332-2521.

Police Dept has closed all city parks and the skate park on Whitman St. They have worked with area businesses that have been deemed essential in educating them on directives concerning the Governor’s and the state liquor control board orders.

PD continues to reach out and educate the public and area youth on safe distancing. They are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with no new reported cases of COVID-19 in Whitman County in the past 7 days, holding at 12. 4 of the 12 are fully recovered. (*NOTE – additional case was reported in Whitman County after Chief Neumann submitted his report).

The Police Dept is currently stocked with N-95 face masks (provided by Whitman County Emergency Operation Center), protective gloves, and an adequate supply of hand sanitizer.

Also included in report: Calls for service log and Whitman County Situation Report concerning COVID-19

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT: Incorporating IT assistance for 2020 and beyond has proven to be very beneficial to city hall. Staff has full remote access to our desktops. Those calling City Hall will be prompted to contact either staff member on their cell phones as well. Some time in City Hall every week is unavoidable, but we have adapted well to the new normal.

First quarter financials are as expected. No red flags. Historically, general fund balance lags in the first quarter and balances out in the second quarter when we see the first wave of property tax payments come in. I will meet with Finance Chair Welcome in July to discuss first half expenditures and any areas of concern as they arise.

CA Dixon will be sitting in on several virtual meetings and webinars in the coming weeks to get an idea of what financial impacts Palouse can expect on a state level resulting from the pandemic.

TDH Engineering is continuing distribution design work for our water system. We will have them present to council once in-person meetings can resume.

Met with engineers to get pricing info on our Complete Streets sidewalk project that will connect the south hill residential area to downtown and eventually the city park. We will proceed with bids and construction when appropriate.

We sold the 2016 Bad Boy lawnmower for $2,800.

CA Dixon has been in contact with the State Fire Marshall regarding the Palouse Arms Building. He hopes to schedule a meeting with their department, Fire Chief Beeson and Building Inspector Gladwill once in-person meetings can resume.

Council received a letter from Colleen Boone requesting installation of electrical outlets at the Palouse Native Plant Park for the tree lighting event during the winter holiday season. CA Dixon spoke with Paul Kimmell from Avista and he has agreed to facilitate this on Avista’s behalf.

The final Wastewater Facility Plan was sent to ECY for their review back on March 30^th. As you are all aware, EPA guidelines that ECY are then forced to implement have left us with no reasonable options to address the temperature and dissolved inorganic nitrate limits. At this time, the current preferred alternative to address the temperature TMDL, endorsed by ECY, is mixing with municipal water. This is the least-cost option for the city by a substantial margin, and it is also very temporary. Once lagoons are constructed, which is currently scheduled for completion 5 years after the mixing begins, we will no longer need to address the temperature TMDL. Varela and the city will proceed to the design phase of these upgrades once ECY has approved the facility plan. CA Dixon, Mayor Cook, and council revisited the other options and recent meetings with ECY. The city will continue to entertain all viable options that will address ECY requirement to their satisfaction.

JOINT FIRE REPORT: Councilmember Fielder presented:

Scott Beeson, Fire Chief, reported

-There were three meetings held in February: 1) training entanglement, 2) station night, and 3) RIT (rapid intervention team) which means there is a team outside to help the team inside;

-There were three fire calls in February: 1) mutual aid with Potlatch for a barn fire, 2) river rescue, and 3) Ellis Street cable down, blockade

-The six new radios are in. Marv Pillers is working on programming them. One new radio will be with Fire Chief Beeson, and one will be with EMS Coordinator Annie Pillers. The remaining radios to be distributed to personnel with higher response levels.

Annie Pillers, EMS Coordinator, reported

-EMS interviewed two wonderful candidates; unfortunately, at this time they are not able to join.

-There will be a class in October for new EMS members

-11 calls in February; 6 city residents, 2 rural residents and 3 non-residents.

-Postponing monthly training due to Covid-19 virus, going to online training instead

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome- Meeting with CA Dixon will be scheduled after 2^nd QTR Treasurer’s Report is made available.

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers- Chair Sievers is looking into proceeding with pool house upgrades. Staff and committee will make a determination on how to proceed with the pool season in the coming weeks. Lifeguard certification classes have been cancelled for now so staffing may be an issue if we are able to open the pool as currently planned.

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard- Reiterated that the city does not have any reasonable options, but preferred alternative for Wastewater Facility Plan was endorsed by both ECY and our engineers. ECY has ultimate authority on our path forward.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper- Ongoing historic buildings preservation research.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Mayor Cook sent out two communications to the community regarding Covid 19. Emergency Proclamation 2020-01 was signed on March 24^th. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to ratify Emergency Proclamation 2020-01, Councilmember Fielder seconded, motion carried.

Palouse will begin to discuss possibility of using Garfield’s Wastewater 2 Operator to satisfy our requirements with ECY. Meeting scheduled for next Tuesday.

Liquor license renewal for Palouse Market was presented. No objections.

Staff evaluations with department heads will be conducted in the next few weeks.

Mayor Cook received a letter from GPHS student Brook McCulla who is interested in improving the Welcome to Palouse signs entering town. Coincidentally, one of the signs is already currently being repaired and repainted (by Butch & Kurt Brantner).  Mayor discussed possibility of upgrading the signs in the future. Coucilmembers Welcome and Alred discussed ways we could improve and/or add community information to the existing signs.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Alred MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      3/24/2020          Ck. #10740-10758 & EFT           $42,184.85

Payroll Paid      3/31/2020          Ck. #10759-10779 & EFT           $47,023.35

Claims Paid      4/14/2020          Ck. #10780-10811 & EFT           $18,089.96

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:51 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Council Meeting was Canceled.

Outside Link >

DRAFT ONLY.  Without council review or approval.

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

March 10, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Jim Fielder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; Public Works Supt Dwayne Griffin; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of February 25, 2020 as written. Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

Facility upgrade for public works. The old wooden shed at base of H Street is city’s equipment shed, (used for equipment storage, sand pile, signs, barricades, etc.) is in disrepair. The brick building next to the shed is the current public works shop, subject to yearly flooding. The city can look at replacing the shed in existing location or relocating altogether. Supt. Griffin would like to see a new shed & shop go up by well #3 on the city-owned 5 acres NE of the solar panels. Pros would be out of the flood plain and would allow all three public works to be in same shop (currently Mike Wolf works out of a different shop on Whitman Street). Supt. Griffin would like to have two buildings at the same site: one with an office and 5 bays for storage and the other one a pole building to use as a shop. Lots to consider: pole building vs metal building, etc., security, etc.  Mayor Cook wants Supt Griffin to meet with committee and get some bids for both locations.  It’s important to maintain good equipment and provide good work space for our public works. There is money in that fund and REET money contributes to it. If council decides to relocate, city could surplus the property if so wanted.

POLICE REPORT: 

-In last 14 days there were 10 calls in Palouse, 5 in Garfield.

-Equipment is fine.

-Officer Snead’s last day is Thursday.

-Still waiting for info back from WASPC on grant for flashing speed signs.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-Started our Level 2 operator search for our WWTP. There is one outfit that will come to Palouse and provide service and they are $100/hour. We’re looking for something closer to $50/hr. We have until August so will keep looking. We need to find somebody that also offers a training component for Walter.

-TD&H engineers will be here on the 24^th for an update on water system improvements.

-Sale of Brownfields site was already voted on and approved by council however our lawyer is requesting a resolution by council to sign the deed. To have a completed conveyance we need an exact condition of the planned build, therefore, based on available plans, new language will contain “2,160 square foot vet building”. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to have Resolution 2020-03 read-in. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution 2020-03. Snyder seconded. Motion carried. Official closing paperwork will be completed tomorrow at Bishop Law.

-Spoke with Pullman Fire Marshal about the Palouse Arms Building. Area fire inspector doesn’t have regulatory authority but the state fire marshal does. CA Dixon will put him in touch with our fire chief and our BI. Our fire code states that these buildings can be subject to inspection yearly so this gives us some authority to move this forward.

-CA Dixon read aloud a letter from Vandal Cycling Club. The club is having their annual race in Walla Walla instead of Palouse this year. There has been concern from city staff in the past about the challenges of hosting the race and the labor and costs the city incurs without a clear economic benefit to the city. Mayor Cook hopes that the cycling club in the future reaches out to Palouse sooner to collaborate. There are a lot of options for them including finding an alternate route, paying Palouse for our services, and/or providing their own flaggers, set-up, and tear-down. Student organizations don’t typically have a lot of resources at their disposal. This will be up for council consideration if they intend to return.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Budget, Finance, & Major Acquisitions, Chair Welcome-

Councilmember Cooper asked committee to consider installing diaper changing stations in park restrooms.

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard-

Wastewater Facility Plan update: Mayor Cook, CA Dixon and Bill Slinkard had a follow up meeting with ECY and Varela Engineering to verify the city’s direction to maintain permit compliance. Varela has been negotiating with ECY to determine specifics and a strategy to accommodate their desires. We’re looking at mixing groundwater with the effluent to bring the temperature down to an acceptable level and the means to do that. That is a short-term, as well as lowest-cost, strategy to get us into compliance with ECY. The long-term plan is moving to lagoons which will address both the temperatures and the nitrates. The plan has to be in by end of this month. We’re right on target with their schedules. Supt. Griffin reminded council that regardless of the path taken with ECY, the city still has to comply with DOH on their Water Use Efficiency requirements and this short-term strategy could negatively impact that. Completed facility plan will be to city for final review in the coming days.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Councilmember Cooper is still looking through the ordinances to establish historic preservation committee. She and CA Dixon will be meeting soon with the Planning Commission.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

City received a letter of interest from Michael Echanove for the Planning Commission vacancy. We have received no other interest in the position. Mayor Cook appointed Michael Echanove to Planning Commission.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      2/27/2020         Ck. #10697-10712 & EFT          $42,344.32

Claims Paid      3/10/2020         Ck. #10713-10739 & EFT          $39,374.08

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:01 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

February 25, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

CITY COUNCIL POSITION #5 APPLICANT INTERVIEWS:

The city received two applicants for the vacancy: Jim Fielder and Andres Sena. Both applicants were asked a set of questions, separately. Council went into executive session at 7:31 pm. Council reconvened at 7:41 pm.  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to appoint Jim Fielder to council position #5. Councilmember Alred seconded and the motion carried.

SWEARING IN OF NEW COUNCILPERSON: Mayor Cook swore in Jim Fielder to city council position #5.  This term ends Dec. 31, 2020.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of February 11, 2020 as written. Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:

-Chief Neumann reported there were 20 calls for service in last two weeks: 13 in Palouse and 7 in Garfield.

-Reserve Officer Snead is done at the end of March.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:

Councilmember Cooper reported. Finances are all good. The new JFB secretary is Susan Lopez. There were four fire calls in January and 3 trainings. There were 14 EMS calls in January (which is high); hoping that number goes back down.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-TD&H was initially scheduled to provide council an update on water system improvements at this meeting. They are still waiting to finalize their deliverable so they will instead be invited to our March 24^th meeting.

-CA Dixon, Mayor Cook, & Councilmember Slinkard as well as our wastewater engineers will be attending a mtg with ECY in Spokane on Thursday to tidy up our wastewater facility plan. We are looking for concurrence that we have an approvable facility plan.

-CA Dixon is corresponding with ECY regarding compliance of our permit with having a Level 2 operator. We are doing everything in our power to get Walter Fealy trained up but it realistically takes about three years. We had zero interest from certified Level 2 operators when our longtime operator Don Myott retired last year. ECY said we need to contract with someone to satisfy that permit obligation. They’re comfortable with our education plan but are taking a firmer position on oversight of that position. Deadline to get Level 2 operator is August 20^th. The Level 2 operator will have to be on-site “regularly scheduled” as per our permit states and that person will work directly with Walter to further his training and education.

-CA Dixon is working on a USDA application for pedestrian foot bridge as a secondary piece to the Complete Streets grant providing pedestrian access from south end to downtown and city park.

-Looking at fencing for Shady Lane improvements and further leveling pad nearest foot bridge. Will get some concrete footings for fencing. Should be done by end of March if weather holds. We have funds from Whitman Co to cover this.

-Public Works is proceeding with mower upgrade for the park and cemetery as discussed during budget season last year. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to surplus the 2016, 54” Badboy mower via sealed bid with a $3200 minimum bid. Councilmember Sievers seconded. Motion carried. Money from the sale of the mower will be applied to the purchase of new mower.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 990 eliminating grave liner fees: The city does not sell grave liners thus that sentence was removed from PMC 2.48.050. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 990. Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

Ordinance No. 991 clarifying that 2.48.050 is for burial costs and 2.48.060 is for cemetery plot costs: This is just a housekeeping issue to fix an error from 2001 in which the fees for burials were erroneously put in PMC 2.48.060 instead of 2.48.050. This ordinance sets everything back to rights and keeps the burial costs in 2.48.050 and puts the cost for cemetery plots back in 2.48.060. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 991. Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Streets, Properties, & Facilities, Chair Sievers-  Committee met to discuss various items:

-Committee would like to purchase City of Palouse flags to fly downtown (there is currently one flying outside of City Hall along with American flag). Councilmember Sievers thinks it will be about $500 for those flags. There was discussion about flag-flying etiquette/laws. Councilmember Snyder MOVED to purchase up to seven City of Palouse flags. Councilmember Fielder seconded. Motion carried.

-Met with FastSigns to finish signage for the pool.

-Committee is going to have our Fire Chief & Building Inspector do another assessment on the condition of the Palouse Arms Building. Another letter needs to then be sent to the owner because it seems to have stalled. If we’re consistent with our timeline given to owner, then we need to be prepared to take the next step. Our last letter didn’t accomplish its intended goal for the building.

Policy & Administration, Chair Cooper-

Councilmember Cooper has investigated what it takes to become a Certified Local Government (CLG). It is a lengthy process, beginning with an ordinance from the city establishing a historical preservation committee and their bylaws. If Palouse gets delegation as a CLG, then qualified owners are able to apply for funds for historic preservation, surveying, etc. The hope is to have this be an empowerment tool for private owners and give them more resources to preserve their historic buildings.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

-Mayor Cook is optimistic that we will get good direction at the ECY meeting on proceeding with our WW Facility Plan.

-Had a staff meeting with city supervisors about the staff evaluation process. Evaluation form is now with the personnel committee for finalization.

-Garfield Police Contract. Garfield elected to not renew the contract for policing services with Palouse. The current contract ends February 29, 2020.  However, Garfield has requested a one-month contract extension through March while they get their own policing services set up. They would pay for the additional month.  Mayor Cook would like Chief Neumann and his department to put personal differences aside and aid Garfield and its citizens for this additional month.  Chief Neumann outlined his concerns and some reasons he doesn’t want to honor their request including cost and lack of personnel. He reminded council that in 2019 Garfield said they wouldn’t be renewing so they have had 6 months to find personnel. As Chief of Police, he requests council honor the contract end date. Much discussion ensued.

Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to extend the contract through March 15^th for half of Garfield’s proposed dollar amount for the month, as a measure of good faith to Garfield. Councilmember Snyder seconded. 6 ayes, 1 nay vote from Councilmember Alred.  Motion carried.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Snyder MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Alred seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      2/25/20             Ck. #10676-10696         $52,139.71

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Fielder seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 9:08 PM

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting 

February 11, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present:  Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of January 28, 2020 as written. Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried. 

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann reported in last two weeks there have been: 

-26 calls for Palouse (including 8 gun permits, 6 extra school patrols, 1 juvenile arrest, 1 adult arrest)

-18 calls for Garfield (including 2 adult arrests in Garfield).  

These calls resulted in 16 hours of overtime to Garfield, and 19 hours of overtime to Palouse. Total on-call was 134 hours.  

-Chief wants to pursue replacing the 2007 Dodge Durango (chief’s vehicle). We’d like to keep it as a reserve vehicle though. 

OPEN FORUM: 

Palouse residents Liz Rousseau, Arman Bohn, Jessie Twigg-Harris, Alexa Beckett-Bonner, Diane Cooper, & Aaron Flansburg all voiced their concerns about losing historic downtown buildings, in particular the privately-owned St. Elmo Building. They don’t want to see historic buildings come down if it can be prevented. To preserve and protect what is existing. They have organized a get-together to discuss the future of historic buildings, to find sources to preserve buildings that may not be worth preserving from a financial standpoint but worth preserving from a historical standpoint, perhaps working with private and public dollars. The importance of taking care of each other in the process of pursuing options was stressed. and discussions need to be positive and respectful of individual property rights. Mayor Cook appreciates the conversation and the research done to date by this group as well as CA Dixon, former mayor Echanove, the Browns (owners), previous and current councilmembers who have put in much effort on this issue. Ongoing dialogue matters as we continue to investigate.  

Aaron Flansburg thanked the Palouse Fire and EMS for a rescue last fall at the Palouse Skatepark.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:  

CA Dixon, Mayor Cook and our wastewater engineers met with ECY eastern region on Jan 31st in Spokane to discuss the timeline and contents of our wastewater facility plan. They have set a hard deadline of March 31 for us to submit an “approvable” facility plan. This will not be a problem. We have already submitted two versions of a facility plan since last October. For the entirety of our 5-year planning process, it was understood that ECY would require us to eliminate all Dissolved Inorganic Nitrates (DIN) in our effluent to a level that is not possible with current available technology. The second piece was to reduce our effluent temperature by 2.5 degrees Celsius, and construction to address both was to be completed by the summer of 2024. It was revealed at this latest meeting that the DIN limit will be referenced in upcoming permits, but will not be required of us until 2030 or 2031. This is a major development, as the DIN limit was the much more expensive component to our wastewater facility upgrades. We will still need to provide a path to eventual compliance with our plan due on March 31, but our only required upgrades during this permit cycle will be to address the temperature of our effluent. Palouse and ECY discussed several options to reduce the temperature. A follow-up meeting with ECY is scheduled for Feb 27 in Spokane to receive concurrence that our plan is “approvable.” CA Dixon will meet with ECY funding staff this spring to determine best options for Palouse as we transition from planning to design phase for upgrades.

CA Dixon attended a conference in Olympia hosted by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) that updates municipalities on the current legislative session and proposed bills that may have an impact: 

-HB 2570 proposes that Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) be allowed outright in low density residential zones. CA Dixon relayed this proposal to the Planning Commission at their last meeting and shortly afterward received an update that cities in Whitman County would be exempt from this bill as we do not participate in the state’s Growth Management Act. Planning Commission will continue their research accordingly.

-HB 2145. Potentially increases property tax, without the vote of the people, from 1% to percentage determined by the consumer price index. Would largely mirror cost-of-living increases. Currently, municipalities can only raise general property tax by 1% each year without a levy lid lift. Tax collection can quickly fall behind as the gap between 1% and cost-of-living increase becomes greater.

-Initiative 976 capping car tab fees at $30 was passed by voters last year. This will create statewide funding shortages for street and road maintenance projects. Exact impact on municipalities has yet to be determined.

Our water system improvement engineers TD&H will be at next meeting to discuss the future of our system upgrades. TD&H is still working on the west Church Street water main. CA Dixon would like w/s committee to meet with TD&H prior to next council meeting.

The Purchase & Sale Agmt for the Brownsfield site has been signed and is with our attorney to process closing paperwork.

CA Dixon is in preliminary discussions with USDA regarding funding packages for our wastewater facility upgrades and footbridge from the far west end of Lions Club Park to Hayton Greene Park. Complete Streets Award for pedestrian access from the south hill/new developments to downtown will proceed to construction this year. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Personnel, Chair Snyder– Committee met with CA Dixon, Mayor Cook, Chief Neumann, Garfield Mayor Pfaff, & Garfield Councilwoman Hasenoehrl to discuss the police contract and police hire.  Based on the meeting we have decided not to move forward with the police applicant. The meeting has resulted in an opportunity to gain some traction on some troubling issues.   

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard– Ongoing meetings regarding wastewater facility upgrades and water system. More meetings coming. City is mandated to address sewer upgrades

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

The application window closes Friday for the vacant council position. Two applicants thus far. 

Palouse Caboose liquor license is up for renewal. No council objections. 

Mayor Cook attended a mtg with Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) CEO Scott Adams to discuss Palouse’s healthcare needs. Mental Health issues and advocacy, health & wellness, etc. One strategy we agreed upon is putting out a community-wide survey as to what kind of healthcare citizens want to see. PRH will assist in the process. PRH bought the former Palouse Health Clinic and will be offering health care in Palouse.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion and the motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid 1/31/2020 Ck. #10631-10647 & EFT $46,625.11

Claims Paid 2/11/2020 Ck. #10648-10675 & EFT $18,774.48

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Alred seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:01 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting 

January 28, 2020

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present:  Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; Building Inspector Dan Gladwill; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Alred MOVED to approve the minutes of the January 14, 2020, Public Hearing and Regular Council Meeting, as written. Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried. 

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT: 

–BI Gladwill was present to give the year-end report. 

-Effective July 1, 2020, the state will be switching from operating under the 2015 International Building Code to the 2018 IBC.  

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  

-Had 35 various calls to service in last two weeks, 12 of which were in Garfield.

-Grand Jury met last week and a warrant was issued for Kent Kimberling’s arrest for weapons violations, etc. He is now being held federally in Spokane.

-Officer Anderson had his taser fail during an arrest with man exhibiting excited delirium. WC Sheriff Office and WSU police assisted with the arrest.  Two new tasers were purchased as a result of the taser fail.  

-WC Sheriff assisted Officer Snead with a high-risk call. The man eventually surrendered peacefully.

-Chief Neumann wants to move forward the third officer hire. The applicant is tentatively scheduled to come Feb. 10th for an interview with the Personnel Committee as well as the Civil Service. The applicant will be flying in and Chief Neumann has authorized up to $250 towards a rental car for the applicant to travel back and forth between Spokane and Palouse for interviews and testing. Chief Neumann will share the application with the Personnel Committee. Officer Snead has requested lesser hours so time is of the essence to get a third officer hired. 

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:  Councilmember Cooper reported on JFB year end.  

-Financials ended well, not over budget.

-87 total EMS calls in 2019.  33 total FD calls in 2019. 

-There is a need to replace all 22 radios in an ongoing process. The current radios are running the risk of dying and could be a potential emergency situation.  City and rural will split the purchase of 6 radios this year. Cost per radio is between $500-$800.

-The attack engine has been fixed in-house.

-Discussed 5-year plan to replace some of the trucks which are aging out. 

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:  

-CA Dixon is in Olympia for AWC’s annual City Action Days to advocate on behalf of Palouse and municipalities across the state.

-We are finalizing the purchase and sale agreement between the city and Palouse Brewing Co. this week. A portion of this agreement requires measures of progress by the Palouse Brewing Co. at predetermined intervals as outlined in the city council minutes dated 11/26/19. The minutes need to be amended as noted below because the Brownsfield Committee has no actual authority.

…….3) significant tangible improvements within 12 months including grading, foundation work, and significant progress to the completion of phase 1 within 24 months as determined by the Brownsfield Committee Palouse City Council. 

Councilmember Sievers MOVED to amend the minutes as noted above by replacing Brownsfield Committee with Palouse City Council.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried unanimously.  

Mayor Cook and CA Dixon will be in Spokane on Friday to meet with ECY and our wastewater engineers Varela & Associates. The goal of this meeting is to ensure that all involved within ECY are in agreement on the direction of our proposed wastewater facility plan and to finalize a path forward. City will have an update at our next meeting.  

City Hall is accepting letters of interest for the open council position #5 until Friday, Feb. 14th. This is a council-appointed position that will serve until December 31, 2020.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Mayor Cook finalized the committee assignments as follows:

• Budget Finance, Major Acquisitions: Chair Welcome, Slinkard, Cooper
• Streets, Property, & Facilities: Chair Sievers, Alred, Welcome
• Personnel: Chair Snyder, Sievers, Slinkard
• Water & Sewer: Chair Slinkard, Alred, Sievers
• Policy & Administration: Chair Cooper, Snyder, Pos. #5

Additionally, Mayor Cook appointed Alred, Cooper, and Pos. #5 as council representatives to the Joint Fire Board.

MAYOR’S REPORT:    

-Councilmember Alred MOVED to appoint Councilmember Cooper as Mayor Pro-Tem. Councilmember Welcome seconded.  Motion Carried. 

  -Mayor Cook and Mayor Pro-Tem Cooper will be added as authorized signers on city’s Banner Bank account and Echanove and Wekenman will be removed. 

-There will be a meeting next week to continue discussions about the Palouse’s police contract with Garfield. Present will be the Palouse Personnel Committee, CA Dixon, Mayor Cook, Chief Neumann, Garfield Mayor Pfaff, and a couple Garfield councilmembers.  

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion. Motion carried. 

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 01/28/2020 Ck. #10617-10630 $13,615.33

VOID Ck. #10527

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:49 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

DRAFT ONLY.  Without council review or approval.

Palouse City Council

Public Hearing on sewer rate increase

followed by

Regular Council Meeting

January 14, 2020

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

SWEARING IN:  Mayor Cook swore in new councilmembers Mary Welcome and Steve Alred as well as reelected councilmembers Bill Slinkard and Katie Cooper.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present:  Mary Welcome; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers (7:10 pm); John Snyder; Steve Alred; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Officer Joel Anderson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

PUBLIC HEARING: $5 Monthly sewer rate increase allocated to the Sewer Reserve Fund.

Opened the hearing at 7:07 pm.  Cheryl Johnson expressed her concerns that the rate increase may be difficult for the elderly on social security. CA Dixon explained that proposed rate increase is a continuation of the city’s effort to prepare for substantial wastewater facility upgrades required by the Dept of Ecology (ECY). Proposed increase also indicates to funding agencies that the city is acting in good faith to prepare and pay our fair share of upgrades which in turn will result in more favorable funding packages. Our current sewer rate of $39 is well below what state agencies consider a hardship rate, which is generally in the $70 and up range. If council approves this sewer rate increase of $5, we will be up to $44 for sewer. Mayor Cook closed the public hearing at 7:14 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:   Councilmember Cooper MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of December 10, 2019.  Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.  There are some large expenditures coming in to repair the street sweeper. Well telemetry continues to be an issue and pump in Well #1 is being replaced.

POLICE REPORT: 

Chief Neumann was assaulted by a female during her warrant arrest in Garfield in December.

ATF has assigned the Kimberling case to a federal prosecutor.

Received an application for the open police position.

Chief Neumann has requested a secured garbage can at the PD due to a person removing the police trash from the city dumpster.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:  Councilmember Cooper reported 2019 year-end financials look good. There were four fire calls in November, 31 YTD thru November.  Working on appropriate fire fighter training for all their staff. Repairs are needed on the attack engine.

EMS had 9 calls in November, no YTD numbers yet.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-Year-end financials look good. 4^th Q Treasurers Report is with Councilmember Cooper for review. We’ll have to do a budget amendment on the Pump Maintenance Fund because we were unsure of when that invoice for well pump #1 would come in prior to 2020 budget adoption.

-CA Dixon has been in contact with the ECY Director of Eastern Region to begin a dialog with Mayor Cook regarding wastewater facility improvements. There is also a new director of ECY in Olympia. Michael Echanove and CA Dixon had met with previous director to bring our concerns to her attention, so it is a priority to do the same with the new director.

-Varela had submitted revised wastewater facility plan to ECY back in December, but we did not get responses back from ECY in time to make corrections and resubmit for final approval prior to funding application deadline. City and Varela will meet with ECY over the next couple of months to ensure our plan is finalized prior to the next round of funding for design.

-CA Dixon was appointed to the AWC’s Small City Advisory Committee in December.  It will be a fantastic opportunity for him to advocate for small cities on a statewide scale as well as specific needs for Palouse. First meeting is Jan 28 in Olympia, so he will not be at the next council meeting. He also has meetings with legislators and CERB.

-The guard rail at corner of H & Alder has been repaired and reinforced with deeper posts. Cost has been forwarded to the person responsible for the damage.

-2019 payroll taxes and W-2s should be done and sent out by end of next week.

-As most know Will Perry was elected to council seat #5, but he has since moved out of state. He has submitted his letter of resignation. Councilmember Sievers MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Welcome to accept Will Perry’s resignation.  Motion carried.  The city will now open up the vacancy. Those interested in service must submit a letter of interest either in person or via email to deputyclerk@palouse.com by Friday, February 14^th. All those who submit letters will be invited to the council meeting on February 25^th for a Q&A session with mayor and council.

NEW BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2020-01, 2020 fee schedule: Changes to the fee schedule are:

-raising the nightly RV rate from $27.83 + tax to $32.46 + tax;

-raising private pool party rental fee from $75 + tax to $100 + tax to absorb the increase of minimum wage.

Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution 2020-01. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

Resolution No. 2020-02, 2020 salary schedule: Changes to the salary schedule are:

-a 3% raise for all city staff as discussed last year;

-state minimum wage increase from $12/ hour to $13.50/hr.

No other changes.  Councilmember Snyder MOVED to adopt Resolution 2020-02.  Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried.

Ordinance No. 988 increase to monthly sewer rates for Sewer Reserve Fund PMC 13.40.015:  This ordinance increases the Sewer Reserve Fund by $5 as discussed in Public Hearing.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt ordinance No. 988 as written.  Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

Ordinance No. 989 amending council committees PMC 2.08.030: This ordinance refines, redefines, streamlines, and provides clarity to the various committees and which issues go before what committee.  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt Ord. No. 989 as written. Seconded by Councilmember Welcome.  Motion carried.  Mayor Cook will be appointing councilmembers to the various committees by next meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Mayor Cook, (former Personnel & Pool chair) has been in contact with Fast Signs regarding phase 2 of the wayfinding signage and graphics at the pool to spruce it up.

MISC:

Councilmember Alred suggested the city work with county L&I on the Arms Building.

The plan and intent from the owner of the St. Elmo is to demo in mid-March.  An engineer will look at the shared wall between City Hall & St. Elmo before demo. The property owner is very accommodating.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

There was a minor change made to the Building Inspector contract. Instead of having BI attend quarterly council meetings, he will come at the request of Mayor, council, or city staff.  DC Thompson does all the reports and can provide those to council at any time.

Mayor Cook will be having drop-in office hours for public, staff, & council, at City Hall from 5:30-7 pm on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month.

City of Palouse has a citizen’s Wastewater Advisory Committee consisting of various community members.  It’s instrumental in getting citizen feedback on this project.  Since former mayor Michael Echanove is a wealth of institutional & historical knowledge, CA Dixon would like to have Mayor Cook appoint him as the chair of the committee.  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to ratify Mayor Cook’s appointment of Michael Echanove to chair of Wastewater Advisory Committee.  Councilmember Alred seconded.  Motion carried.

Mayor Cook will appoint a councilmember to Mayor-Pro-Tem at next council meeting.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      12/30/2019        Ck. #10550 & 1055-10575 & EFT                       $49,874.15

Claims Paid      12/11-31/2019    Ck. #10551-10554, & 10576-10604 & EFT          $50,514.16

Claims Paid      01/14/2020        Ck. #10605-10616                                              $53,284.09

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Welcome MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:11 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

December 10, 2019

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Chris Cook; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Rick Wekenman; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Officer Joel Anderson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:   Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to approve the minutes of the Special Council Meeting of November 26, 2019 as presented. Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report. The pump on well #1 needs to be replaced. That will be a significant cost. The 2019 budget still has room to accommodate some of that expenditure so we will try to split that purchase between 2019 and 2020 if possible. Supt. Griffin should have a better idea of the cost soon.

POLICE REPORT:

-Officer Anderson reported on the recent police activities. A total of six arrests in the last couple weeks.

Regarding the burglary in Palouse a couple weeks ago, all the paperwork and evidence has been submitted to the juvenile prosecutor’s office.

-Officer Anderson and his wife are working with the assisted living facility Ladow Court in Garfield to “adopt” elderly folks who may not have family visiting for the holidays and encouraged others to do the same if possible. Donations will also be accepted. Those interested can reach out to Ladow Court directly for more information.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-Information for the title transfer of the Brownfields site is with the attorney.

-CA Dixon has been working on year-end numbers. Everything looks good.

OLD BUSINESS:

Varela Engineering update on Wastewater Facility Plan:  Engineer John Patrouch provided an update.

-Plan revisions from November 26^th are system improvements to reduce inflow and infiltration, and to upgrade plant to reduce nitrogen and provide shade.  Revisions are based on the Oct. 23 meeting with ECY.  ECY informed Varela today (Dec. 10) that they may not be able to review the plan before December 16. If the plan is not approved before December 16, the ECY funding application will be withdrawn. The city was trying to maintain this momentum that we’ve gathered but it’s out of our hands now. The city spent some money to get this application in so we are holding out hope.

-At the Oct. 23, 2019 meeting, ECY indicated they would not support the reclaimed water option due to its complexity and cost. But they did indicate they would support plant upgrades to reduce nitrogen and temperature and work with the city to revise discharge limits.

-Estimated capital cost is $5.5 million, with added O&M of $35k per year. The project budget is $6.1 million.   Depending on which funding scenario is chosen, the sewer rate will have to go to $74/month or more (current 2019 sewer rate is $39).

-The plan can be approved now even if the funding comes later.

-Permitting tools for water quality modifications primarily include: a waiver; use attainability analysis; water quality offset.  The waiver basically allows the plant to discharge at the maximum attainable level, and every 5 years ECY has to report back to EPA that the plant is still at the maximum attainable level.  With variance piece there’s a possibility of 3^rd party litigation (river keepers) with ECY which may delay the process and cause headaches with ECY. However, Palouse will continue to explore this option.

Planning Commission city survey results: Jim Fielder, chair of the PC, gave a powerpoint presentation on the results of the city survey. The results will be emailed to the listserve and will be available on the chamber website.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 986 adopting the 2020 budget:  Mayor Echanove read aloud the ordinance in its entirety.  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 986.  Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

Ordinance No. 987 – 2019 budget amendment:  Mayor Echanove read aloud the ordinance in its entirety.  This is a housekeeping measure to account for things that happened in 2019 that we hadn’t prepared for when budget was adopted in December 2018.  Amendment addresses the following funds: Current Expense Fund increase of $5,500 for the purchase of a much-needed computer and IT services; Arterial Streets Fund increase of $19,000 for Park Street improvements; Water Fund increase of $10,000 to cover PW Supt. Griffin pay increase of 5% beginning in May and the short-term $5/hr on-call policy (June-August), and a slight increase of cost for 3-year state audit; Sewer Fund increase of $13,000 to cover increase in salary and benefits due to employee turnover and short-term $5/hr on call policy (June-August), and slight cost increase to 3-year state audit.  Councilmember Cook MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 987.  Councilmember Sievers seconded.  Motion carried.

Draft Ordinance No. 988 – 2020 sewer reserve increase:  W/S committee met this fall to discuss potential rate increases and fee structure changes and this was a part of those discussions.  The burden of paying for the mandated sewer improvements falls in part on the ratepayers.  The city will not be able to get adequate or preferential funding packages if the rate payers are not paying a fair share, as determined by funding agencies. Committee discussed a $5-$10 monthly sewer reserve increase for 2020 beginning in January. City will hold a public hearing in January to hear comments from residents prior to adoption.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook-  Will be working on phase 2 of the pool improvements.

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard-  Keeping updated through TD&H and Varela on the water system upgrade and the sewer upgrade.

Police, Fire, & Safety, Chair Wekenman– This is Councilmember Wekenman’s final council meeting after 19 years. He expressed his hope that the next council continues his support of the Palouse PD. He is also confident with this council’s abilities. He thanked those who attended the appreciation party and the gift.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

This is Mayor Echanove’s final council meeting. He expressed his gratitude for being able to serve the people of Palouse for the last 26 years. He expressed his thanks and appreciation of Palouse’s Public Works, Police Department, and CA Dixon and DC Thompson.

Mayor Echanove swore in Christopher Cook as new incoming Mayor effective Jan. 1, 2020.  Mayor Echanove is confident in Chris Cook and thinks he will be an excellent Mayor.

Councilmember Sievers MOVED to cancel the second council meeting of December 2019. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Snyder seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      11/30/19           Cks: 10422, 10493-10506, 10510-10524, & EFT             $55,068.78

Voids:                                       Cks: 10487-10492

Claims Paid        6/25/19           Cks: 10507-10509, 10525-10549, & EFT                        $11,307.43

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Cook MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 9:02 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

PUBLIC HEARING 2020 final budget

Followed by Regular Council Meeting

November 26, 2019

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Echanove called the Council Meeting to order at 7:04 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Rick Wekenman.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to excuse the absences of councilmembers Cook and Cooper. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

PUBLIC HEARING 2020 final budget hearing:  Mayor Echanove opened the public hearing at 7:06 pm.  No comments. Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:07 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Regarding the Nov. 12, 2019 minutes, under Water & Sewer Committee Report, Councilmember Slinkard amended them to say that the new reconnection fee will go into effect “July 1, 2020” not January 1, 2020.  Under Personnel & Pool Committee Report, it should have read “Mayor Echanove proposed a additional salary increase of……”.  Remove the word “additional”.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt the minutes as amended.  Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:

-Kimberling from Garfield is no longer residing in Garfield. PD is still working with ATF and Feds on the weapons charges. Report is going before the federal prosecutor soon.

-Two domestic dispute calls in Palouse the last two weeks.

-Had a downtown Palouse business burglarized. Made an arrest of a juvenile male.

-Officer Merry will be returning as a reserve officer to cover for Officer Snead when needed.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:

Councilmember Wekenman reported the budget looks good. Will be a budget amendment in new year for pump repairs on truck 414.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-2020 budget changes: Updated the legislative training for the incoming mayor and council; there was an increase in our insurance of 4% over last year; accounted for a 3% raise across the board for all city staff; will combine Wastewater Facility Upgrade fund 403 with Sewer Facility Reserve Fund as they are redundant.

-Chief Neumann has requested that those city employees who choose to opt out of city’s insurance be reimbursed at 75/25% vs. the current 50/50%.  It is still a savings to the city if city pays the employee 75% of the insurance rate vs. paying 100% for the insurance for the employee. AWC has allowed city to opt-out of minimum 75% enrollment participation.  Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to change the percentage from 50/50 to 75/25 in favor of those who opt-out of city’s health insurance.  Motion failed for lack of a second. Based on rough data that would be $6,300 paid to employee vs. $8,400 paid to insurance company, or a savings to city of $2,100 per employee who chooses to opt out (3 employees effective January 2020).  Councilmember Sievers would like to see actual data in front of him before making the decision.

-CA Dixon has been working with ECY and Varela to move the wastewater facility planning process along. CA Dixon has been exploring a variance process as a potential solution due to extreme capital, and in some cases O&M, costs of all other alternatives. Update from Varela was read aloud by CA Dixon:

A summary of the major events regarding the Palouse wastewater facility plan is provided below. There has been discussion and planning with ECY during the review of the draft Facility Plan to develop a plan that ECY can support. Based on these discussions, if all the pieces (facility plan approval, ECY funding, and City Council approval) fall into place, design of plant improvements could begin as early as next fall. 

The draft Wastewater Facility Plan was submitted to ECY on September 5, 2019.  The plan contained a discussion and predesign for the “Reclaimed Water- Crop Irrigation- Seasonal Lagoon” alternative selected at the March 26, 2019 council meeting.

A funding application for design of the “Reclaimed Water-Crop Irrigation- Seasonal Storage” alternative was submitted to ECY on mid-October. Approval of the funding application requires approval of the Facility Plan.

Ecology reviewed the plan, prepared comments, dated October 15, 2019, and met with the City and Varela on October 23, 2019 to discuss the comments. At that meeting ECY said that they could not support the plan primarily because of the complexity of operating a reclaimed water system and the cost, both capital and annual O&M to implement the project. They stated that they would prefer to see the following:

• collection system improvements to reduce excess I/I (Inflow and infiltration) flows entering the treatment plant,
• treatment plant upgrades to reduce nitrogen, 
• treatment plant upgrades to reduce temperature, and
• for the City to work with ECY and apply for a water quality modification that allows time for technology to be developed to remove effluent nitrogen.

Since that meeting, Varela has been revising the facility plan to address the ECY comments, including the major revision to the selected alternative that now includes:

• $2.4 million for collection system upgrades that includes replacing the Whitman Street and the railroad crossing sewers, repair/upgrades to the two lift stations, and an evaluation of the Main Street sewer main.
• $3 million for treatment plant upgrades that includes the maintenance items previously discussed, upgrades to the aeration system and controls to allow denitrification to occur and construction of a roof over the aeration basin to reduce summer effluent temperatures.
• Estimated capital cost is about $5.5 million, with an added O&M estimated at $35,000 per year. This is substantially less than the previous plan with a capital cost estimate of $11.2 million.

In order to implement the proposed plan, the City will need to work with ECY on modifying effluent/water quality limits using one to the water quality tools contained in the States water quality regulations. The City has explored many of these tools early in the planning process without ECY support, but due to the difficulty and cost of implementing any of the alternatives for storage lagoons, the new permit manager at ECY is willing to work with the City to attempt to use what is called a “variance”.

The water quality variance is a public rulemaking process that requires approval from ECY and EPA. It may be a lengthy process and may not be accepted by the regulatory agencies. If it is accepted the City will need to be prepared to complete additional work including:

• Showing that the highest attainable condition (HAC) is met, 
• Prepare a Pollutant Minimization Plan, 
• Expect review of the treatment processes and permit updates at five-year intervals, 
• Be prepared for an Adaptive Management Approach – one that potentially means frequent treatment upgrades.

The plan needs to be submitted before the end of this November for ECY to have time to review and approve the Facility Plan before the December 15, 2019 approval deadline for ECY funding.

The variance process may take a long time to play out. The updated facility plan has been submitted to our permit manager and we are awaiting comments. The city will need additional funding to continue this process regardless if a variance is ultimately granted. We should know the results of the funding application submitted to ECY by early next year. CA Dixon was in Olympia last week to discuss our wastewater planning efforts and concerns with state legislators.

OLD BUSINESS:

TD&H update on water system improvements:

Michelle Bly and Luke Antioch of TD&H were present. Michelle Bly presented the city with a revised task invoice because some of the earlier tasks no longer apply due to uncertainty of preferred course of action from the city.  The final dollar amount of the agreement is the same, just revised some of the tasks and their corresponding dollar amounts. Michelle will come back in new year to present numbers to new mayor and council.

TD&H is working on distribution lines on Culton St., Church St., and North Hill Looping. They contacted DOH about their approval of the looping without amending the Water System Plan and DOH is good with that design. TD&H will be getting a set for design review in January.

Brownfields Committee update:

-The city received a new proposal for the site from three legally standing partnerships consisting of William and Andra Edwards, Jessica and Delaun Smith, and Joseph & Rachel Handley, as well as two legally standing companies: TLC Animal Care Inc., & Palouse Brewing Company Inc.  Their offer consists of three phases: Phase 1 is a vet clinic; Phase 2 is a brewery; and Phase 3 is the placement of five “cottages” on the site for various opportunities including an office rental. A lot of creativity for the site. Multi-use, modular start.

-Brownfields Committee has had a couple informative meetings with the proposers as well as Mayor Echanove & CA Dixon.

-Mayor outlined the history of the Brownfields site and the DOE development requirements for integrating the site back into the community (to produce jobs, activity, property value, etc.).

-The city has to continue to monitor the Brownfields site for contaminants until cleared by ECY.  Consent decree says the city will take care of the testing, not the purchasers/developers. Only 1 of the 3 wells still needs testing as it still has low levels of contaminants.  ECY will train CA Dixon to do the testing to save costs and may also provide funding for lab analysis.

-The Brownfields Committee was charged with providing their recommendation to the council. They voted to endorse the project with three conditions: 1) city would accept the $3,000 minimum bid; 2) transfer of the property will be to a single entity (Palouse Brewing Co. Inc.,); 3) significant tangible improvements within 12 months including grading, foundation work, and significant progress to the completion of phase 1 within 24 months as determined by the Brownfields Committee.

Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to accept the proposal as per the outlined stipulations and for their offer of $3,000. Councilmember Sievers seconded.  Motion carried.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Mayor Echanove, CA Dixon, and Councilmember Cook attended the mayor’s roundtable in Palouse a couple weeks ago. CEO of Avista was in attendance talking about renewable energy. Port of Whitman was there to talk about fiber to the home so there will be more ISP competition coming to Palouse.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid    11/26/19    Ck. #10477-10486    $85,767.41

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Special Palouse City Council Meeting

PUBLIC HEARING  – 2020 preliminary budget proposal

followed by Regular Council Meeting

November 12, 2019

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

ROLL CALL:  Councilmembers present: Chris Cook; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Rick Wekenman; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING, 2020 preliminary budget proposal at 7:01 pm:  

No comments.  Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:02 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of October 22, 2019 as written.  Councilmember Cook seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

WWTP operator Tyler Furchtenicht has resigned his position effective Nov. 27, 2019, due to time commitment issues. He is leaving on good terms with the city. His replacement, Walter Fealy, will begin November 18, 2019, which will allow a week of training together.

POLICE REPORT: Chief Neumann reported:

-HP went well. Colfax Officer Alacanter assisted the Palouse PD during the event. One reason HP continues to be a safe venue is due to the PD, FD, EMS, etc. always on location throughout the event.

-Chief’s vehicle is experiencing some brake issues and is being repaired at Chappell Auto. Snow tires are also getting put on.

-Kimberling case in Garfield is still ongoing. He is still in jail for violating a restraining order. Federal trial is pending on the weapons charges.

-Had another complaint regarding skateboarders using the memorial benches as jumps, etc. and causing damage. Officer Snead made friendly contact and explained why the benches around town aren’t to be used for skateboarding and that they should be using the skatepark for skateboarding.  Chief is still planning on having skateboard rules & safety education in the spring with the students.

-Ongoing dog complaints.  What’s the threshold of a “nuisance” dog? Chief would like complainants to video the barking dog(s) for at least 15 minutes to prove an actual “nuisance” and not just dogs being dogs. It also helps should it go to court.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT: CA Dixon reported:

-Budget discussion. City is in a good spot financially right now. CA Dixon reviewed various line items in the budget.

-CA Dixon & Mayor Echanove attended IACC meeting in Wenatchee last month.  IACC conference puts local government together with state agencies and funding partners to get problems solved and projects financed. It’s important to maintain our presence there.  We had the opportunity to meet with ECY (Dept of Ecology), our permit manager Diana Washington, and other ECY officials to discuss our wastewater facility plan.  ECY indicated that M&O of water reclamation (final piece of preferred course of action approved by council earlier this year) could pose a significant financial burden.  Mayor Echanove, CA Dixon and Varela lamented the lack of viable options available to meet ECY’s stringent regulations. ECY posed the possibility of applying for and receiving a variance to the TMDL requirements (effluent discharge limits).  If granted, a variance would allow Palouse to continue to upgrade our wastewater facilities with the best available science at the time, in 5-year intervals.  This would allow a more phased and financially responsible approach to improvements, rather than forcing the city to fund a roughly $15 million project all at once.  City of Spokane is currently working on submitting a variance to ECY for discharge limits in the Spokane River.  Diana Washington indicated that our situation is a great example of why the variance option was created and that she would help us complete the application.  No municipality in the state of Washington has ever been granted a variance, but Palouse has been the first to do many things, so there is hope.

-Mayor & CA Dixon will be in Olympia next week to meet with state agencies and district representatives.

-TD&H will be at our next meeting to discuss water line improvements on Church Street and next steps, if any, for the larger water system improvement project.

-City had our three-year audit exit conference with the state auditors. Councilmembers Cooper and Wekenman were also in attendance.  Everything looks good, had a great meeting.  The cost of the audit went about $2,000 over original estimate.

-Haunted Palouse donated $1,000 to the city to help repair the flathouse door as that is where all the HP supplies are stored year-after-year and the door has taken a beating. Thanks HP!

OPEN FORUM:

Andres Sena was present to request having a home swim meet at Palouse. Council is very agreeable to having that but there needs to be a few things done to make it work: 1) swim team needs to provide their own volunteers for the meet; lifeguards are to be lifeguarding only; 2) needs to be a Tuesday (vs. Thursday) for the meet; 3)volunteers also need to ensure that RV guests have access to the RV Park and that all 10 RV sites remain open and unblocked.  Andres Sena said they have a lot of volunteers and can guide traffic to park elsewhere.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ord. No. 983 adopting the property tax increase for collection in 2020:  Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. The dollar amount of the increase over the actual levy amount for the previous year shall be $1,811.57 which is an increase of 1%. 1% is our lawful amount we can increase our levy amount without a vote. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adopt Ord. 983. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

Ord. No. 984 adopting the property tax increase for Emergency Medical Services for collection in 2020:  Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. The dollar amount of the increase over the actual levy amount for the previous year shall be $299.27 which is an increase of 1%.  Voters approved 6-year EMS levy in November of 2017.  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adopt Ord. 984. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.

Ord. No. 985 setting the levy amounts for 2020:  Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety.  Special street levy: $44,000; Special pool levy: $34,000; Voted regular EMS levy: $32,060.37; General levy: $194,069.99.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Ord. No. 985. Councilmember Cook seconded.  Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard: Committee met Nov. 5 to discuss in-depth a long-overdue need to increase various service fees.  Rate and fee structures from our immediate geographic areas (Garfield, Colfax, Pullman, & Moscow) were considered when making these recommendations. Those four communities’ fees were totaled and averaged to get our figures. The city is still charging water & sewer hookup fees that were set in 1980!  We’ve determined to make changes accordingly to make us more in alignment with 2020 prices.

New water service hook-up will go from $200 to $1,825 to take effect July 1, 2020

New sewer service hook-up will go from $250 to $1,825 to take effect July 1, 2020

Reconnection fee will go from $35 to $50 to take effect July 1, 2020

Also discussed in length was the issue that inactive accounts on the water and/or sewer system should be sharing the cost burden of infrastructure upgrades and maintenance that are currently being paid by everyone active on the system. Inactive accounts are still benefitting from the all upgrades and maintenance but aren’t sharing in the expenses.  Effective July 1, 2020, property owners with inactive meters will have two options: 1) pay monthly, half of the base water/sewer charges, or, 2) they can choose to abandon their water and sewer lines to avoid this ongoing monthly obligation.  If and when service is requested to be restored, abandoned lines will then be subject to the water and sewer service hookup fees. Inactive meters include: snowbirds (partial year users); meters on vacant lots; vacant homes; new developments; inactive business/commercial meters.  Details are still being ironed out.  Those choosing to abandon their lines will do so via signature on legal document to be written by city’s attorney.

Streets & Sidewalks, Chair Sievers:

-Councilmember Sievers met with the owner of The Congress regarding the outdoor seating encroaching on sidewalk too far and blocking pedestrian traffic and staying in ADA compliance. Owner stated they are looking at different seating arrangement next year.

-Councilmember Sievers also discussed with Supt. Griffin the poor visibility at the corner of H & Alder intersection. It’s a bad corner. Supt. Griffin will trim the trees.

-There was a no-injury wreck into the guardrail at H & Alder Street due to speeding in icy conditions. The guardrail will be replaced at the expense of the driver’s insurance.

Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook,

-Budget discussion continued. In addition to the across-the-board 3% raise for all staff (set three years ago), Mayor Echanove proposed a salary increase of 5% to Supt. Griffin, 10% to Public Works Asst. Mike Wolf, and 3% to CA Dixon and Deputy Clerk Thompson. The Personnel committee considered the Mayor’s salary increase recommendations. There was a level of consensus among the committee to stick with the 3% raise originally recommended by council in 2017.  Staff evaluations and merit-based salary increases will be implemented next year. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to direct CA Dixon to put a 3% salary increase across the board into the proposed 2020 budget. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

Finance, Property, & Equipment, Chair Cooper:

-Chair Cooper attended the exit audit conference. She shared the auditors’ praise of CA Dixon and Deputy Clerk Thompson.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

-Liquor license renewal for The Congress.  No objections.

-Mayor read aloud a letter from Carly Schoepflin resigning from the Palouse Planning Commission.  Mayor Echanove accepted her resignation.

-Mayor read aloud a letter of interest from Holly White to serve on the Palouse Planning Commission. Pending verification that she resides within the city limits, Mayor Echanove is appointing her to the PC.

-Mayor’s Roundtable is this Thursday.

-October 16^th Mayor Echanove, Councilmembers Cooper & Cook, Garfield Mayor Jared Pfaff, and a Garfield councilperson met to discuss the police contract with Garfield. Garfield wants to continue the contract and a long-term relationship with a few caveats: 1)they want a two-year contract; 2)the current time of response to Garfield is currently set at 20 minutes but they will accept a 30 minute response time; 3)they would like to see a joint committee, comprised of mayors & a couple councilmembers, to meet quarterly to review the performance for evaluation purposes; 4)they want to see if our PD could do a better job of integrating into the Garfield community (in particular Officer Anderson is unknown to them); 5)they want a copy of weekly work schedule.

The short-term objective is to get the contract renewed for two years. It’s in the hands of the city attorney.  Not yet discussed is Garfield’s contract amount for services.  Palouse will seek monetary increase from Garfield. This needs to be an integral part of this decision.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cook seconded.  Motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      10/31/19            Ck. 10416-10435, & EFT                        $43,243.52

VOID                10/31/19            Ck. 10422                                             $ (3,696.29)

Claims Paid      11/12/19            Ck. 10415, 10436-10476, & EFT             $46,951.96

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded. The motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

October 22, 2019

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Pro-Tem Wekenman called the Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Chris Cook; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; Katie Cooper. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to excuse the absence of councilmember Snyder. Councilmember Cook seconded.  Motion carried.  Mayor Echanove and CA Dixon are attending the IACC conference. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Officer Terry Snead; Building Inspector Dan Gladwill; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Cook MOVED to approved the minutes of the Special Council Meeting of October 8, 2019 as written. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.\

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT: BI Gladwill reported on 3^rd quarter building permit numbers.  Palouse is keeping him busy.  Five new homes so far this year.  International Building Codes are changing in 2020.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT: 

-First weekend of Haunted Palouse went well.  Colfax PD and Reserve Officer Merry provided additional policing for the event.  Chief will discuss some safety concerns with outside HP workers.

-House fire early Monday morning in Palouse. No injuries. Chief Neumann was on-scene around 5:05 am to direct traffic.  Hwy 27 was closed for a few hours.

-Still ongoing issues with Kent Kimberling. He violated an order of protection in Garfield and was booked into jail again. Officer Snead has been looking into finding assistance for him through social service agencies but he isn’t receptive. The federal charges for firearms violations and threats are still pending.

-Chief is planning on following up in the spring with the skatepark board and the school to educate the students and the public about skatepark safety and laws. Councilmember Cooper would like to see it done before the spring.

-Chief found a traffic safety grant to fund one mobile digital/solar speed sign.  The city is budgeting for the purchase of two permanently installed ones in 2020.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT: 

-Councilmembers Wekenman and Cook were both in attendance at the 10/21/19 meeting.

-FD is good on the finance side.  Three mutual aid/minor FD calls in September.

-Truck 414 is exhibiting erratic pumping behavior; looking at having pump refurbished (costs unknown).

-Yesterday’s house fire indicated to the department that they don’t have enough air bottles to perform safely. We currently have six air packs and six spare bottles. Those were depleted rapidly during this fire. If there had not been mutual aid from other agencies the house would have been lost. They’re expensive and rarely needed but should the need arise, we don’t want to ever be without. They will be purchasing three more air bottles at about $1,000 each + tax & shipping.  Cost will be shared by Rural.

-Chief Beeson is looking into a grant to acquire a fresh-air compressor for the department (cost is approximately $30k-$40k).

-EMS needs more volunteers. Only two EMS responded to yesterday’s fire.

OLD BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 982 – Critical Areas periodic update:  This ordinance was discussed by a public hearing at last meeting.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to suspend the reading of the ordinance.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried. Councilmember Wekenman read aloud the ordinance by title only.  Councilmember Cook MOVED to adopt the ordinance. Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Beer & Wine license renewal for the Bank Left Gallery & Bistro. No objections.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cook seconded. The motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      10/22/19           Ck. #10399-10414         $14,533.97

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Cook MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:58 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Special Palouse City Council Meeting 

PUBLIC HEARING  – Critical Areas Ordinance update

followed by Regular Council Meeting

October 8, 2019

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

ROLL CALL:  Councilmembers present: Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Katie Cooper. Councilmembers absent:  Chris Cook; Rick Wekenman. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to excuse Councilmembers Cook & Wekenman’s absences.  Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING, Critical Areas Ordinance update, at 7:03 pm:  This is part of a state-wide mandated update to the ordinance from 2014.  It deals with environmentally protected areas, as determined by Ecology and Dept of Commerce’s Growth Management Act, such as the river, aquifer recharge, and wetland areas in Palouse. This ordinance maintains our compliance with the Growth Management Act.  It is a periodic update to incorporate changes in best available science and best management practices. Minor updates; no barriers to responsible construction and ongoing development in Palouse. Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:07 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of September 24, 2019 as written. Councilmember Slinkard seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.  Land application of biosolids was completed October 5.  The process was delayed due to the lab’s delayed results and DOE approval.  The city is looking into alternate ways to dispose of biosolids in the future.

POLICE REPORT:  

-Garfield man Kent Kimberling pled guilty to felony threats and harassment. It went through court Friday, he was released Saturday, and Palouse PD got called out on Sunday by a neighbor.  His family is concerned with his release. Federal charges still pending.

-Callouts include a couple cases involving juveniles; three dog complaints; a property dispute; an unattended death.

-Ongoing patrols into and out of Palouse.

-equipment is all good

-Haunted Palouse extra officers are hired

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT: CA Dixon reported:

-he met with Finance Chair Cooper.  Will have a preliminary 2020 budget by end of month.  Will have public hearings in November

-he is meeting this week with fence company to price out fencing for Shady Lane Trails. Our insurance company recommend signage, fencing, and bollards on each entrance.

-Had a productive meeting in Dayton last week with state funding partners. Follow up meeting scheduled with RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office) to discuss funding for bridge over river from Lions Club park to city park.

-having ongoing issues with computer. It’s too old and slow and not functioning properly. He is getting recommendations for replacement as it can no longer be put off.  Long-range replacement policy was discussed with Chair Cooper. Too much at stake to not do it.

-Hope to have an exit meeting with State Auditors scheduled soon

-Mayor and CA Dixon will attend IACC conference in Wenatchee this month.

-Received one bid on the fencing, no bid on the lights.  Public Works will strip the lights for metal and scrap the lights.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:  

Finance, Property, & Equipment, Chair Cooper- met with CA Dixon to go over 2019 YTD figures and 2020 budget.

OPEN FORUM:

Andres Sena.  He is very upset that the Palouse police have stopped some kids skateboarding in the streets and around neighborhoods.  He stated the kids are being told they’re subject to $35 fine and/or getting their skateboard taken away and he questioned the legality of that. Andres Sena doesn’t think kids should be stopped.  Chief Neumann stated it is illegal to hinder or obstruct traffic. They can’t go zipping down a hill 35 MPH or in and around cars. As we get more skateboards, we’re going to have more interactions between skateboarders & traffic and therefore police. Councilmember Cooper asked Chief Neumann to work with the school and Aaron Flansburg to educate kids and the public about the traffic laws and safety as they pertain to skateboarders. Chief will try and find some printed material and work on education.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid    9/30/19        Ck. 10356-10375, & EFT        $49,694.70

Claims Paid    10/08/19    Ck. 10376-10398, & EFT        $18,349.98

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded. The motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:44 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

September 24, 2019

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Echanove called the Council Meeting to order at 7:02 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Chris Cook; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Katie Cooper. Absent: Rick Wekenman. Councilmember Cook MOVED to excuse Councilmember Wekenman’s absence. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joel Anderson; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to approve the minutes of the Special Council Meeting of September 10, 2019 as written. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:  Palouse Days went well. No problems.

-Looking into purchasing a couple solar-powered speed signs next year. One will go on HWY 27 coming into town from Pullman and one on 272 from Potlatch into town. Will look into some traffic safety grants to help with the purchase. Would eventually like one for each entrance into town.

– The Chamber is paying $25/hour for extra policing during Haunted Palouse. We want 3 or 4 extra officers both weekends, depending on crowds.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:

Budget is looking good.

6 EMS calls in August: 2 city, 2 rural, 2 non-resident.

3 Fire calls in August.

Got fire insurance rating back and Palouse kept Class 6 rating which is good.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Sept 18, CA Dixon, Mayor Echanove, and Councilmember Cook spoke with Varela to discuss next steps for WW Facility Plan. Plan has been delivered to DOE and it will take until at least November for them to review and provide comments. Anticipating comments and additional review, which creates a tight window to take advantage of funding opportunities with DOE that are due in mid-December. Echanove, Cook and Dixon directed Varela to put application together to hopefully take advantage of this funding opportunity with the hope that the plan can be finalized by the December deadline. Next year we will move into design phase and it will be very beneficial to have funding options in place for us to proceed.

In June we received a $2,500 grant to have a professional review and update items in our Critical Areas Ordinance. CA Dixon will send it to council and have it available for public review. This is mandated to be periodically updated. Public Hearing will be at next council meeting for anyone who wants to review it.

Improvements to Shady Lane are almost complete. CA Dixon met with City Insurance Rep to walk it. Will put in some fencing along steep side of access points and a caution sign. Benches will be ordered this week as well. Work by Palouse Hills Excavating looks great.

Budget season is on us. CA Dixon will meet with Finance Committee in October to discuss needs for next year.  Would like to see budget passed by second meeting in November.

Port of Whitman is in design phase of Fiber to the Home project in Palouse.

First Step needs council approval to relocate some equipment from roof of St. Elmo bldg. to roof of City Hall. Supt. Griffin has no concerns with it. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to allow First Step to move their equipment from St. Elmo roof to City Hall roof. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.

Sealed bids are due tomorrow at 2 pm for surplus fencing and surplus street light equipment. Minimum bid of $50 for each.

CA Dixon, Supt. Griffin and w/s committee met last week to discuss some potential fee structure changes. More meetings to come. It is ongoing.

OLD BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2019-10 adopting the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan for 2020-2025: This gets updated every year. The goal is to complete one from the list every year. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2019-10. Councilmember Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook- Councilmember Cook completed his pool summary report and reviewed it with council.

Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard-

Committee met with CA Dixon and Supt. Griffin to discuss utility fee structures. Still gathering information and hoping to have a full report within a month.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Cook MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid      9/24/19             Ck. #10342-10355         $34,072.92

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Cook MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:09 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Special Palouse City Council Meeting

PUBLIC HEARING #1 – 2020 Revenue Sources

PUBLIC HEARING #2 – Six-Year Street Plan

followed by Regular Council Meeting

September 10, 2019

CALL TO ORDER:  Mayor Echanove called the Council Meeting to order at 7:03 PM.

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Chris Cook (7:40 pm); Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.             Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to excuse Councilmember Wekenman’s absence.  Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING #1, 2020 Revenue Sources at 7:04 pm:

CA Dixon discussed current and proposed levies.  Standard General Levy increase is 1% unless we do a levy lid lift.  Palouse does not need to pursue a levy lid lift at this time. 1% increase will be brought to council for approval in November.  EMS levy remains at $.50/$1,000 of assessed valuation, as approved by voters last year.  County updates on assessed values were briefly discussed, City will receive those numbers next year.  Neither of the dollar amounts for the special street levy or the special pool maintenance & operation levy will change.  Total proposed taxation for all levies is $4.81/$1,000 of assessed value.  Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:14.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING #2, Six-Year Street Plan at 7:14 pm:  We update this every year and submit to DOT so it’s documented when we apply for funding.  Supt. Griffin does a good job of tracking the needs for the city streets.  Closed hearing at 7:19 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of August 27, 2019 as written. Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

There is a house going in on Sumner Street and public works doesn’t have the time or manpower to extend trenching to that house.  Supt. Griffin is requesting council permission for Boyd & Boyd Construction to do that work on city right-of-way. Property owner pays for it all.  Supt Griffin inspects the work. As a general rule of thumb, public works doesn’t do that work for property owners.  This is just a right-of-way issue.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to allow Boyd & Boyd Construction to do work in the city right-of-way.  Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

POLICE REPORT: 

-Chief met with Spokane ATF last week to pick up more evidence from that weapons case out of Garfield.  The suspect is still in custody and looking at about 40 charges.

-The police continue to patrol Cove Road and south Hwy 27 for speeders.

-Tomorrow is the 9/11 anniversary.  We’re thinking about all the lives lost in that tragedy.

-Ongoing dog complaints;

-Radar trailer isn’t working.  Might be cheaper to replace instead of repair.  Or perhaps this would be a good time to instead purchase the flashing, solar-powered, speed signs.

-Palouse Days is this weekend.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Varela Engineering dropped off the completed draft wastewater facility plan for review.  They will deliver it to DOE once council says ok and then DOE willl start their review of it.  DOE’s review could take months, so the sooner we can get this process started the better.  This is not a binding document; it can be revised during design phase if necessary.   We’re essentially looking at storage lagoons on city-owned property for 6 months out of the year.  The long-game environmentally is going the reclaimed water route.  This will be a phased approach. Council took some action last year and we need to continue with our incremental rate increases rather than a large increase every few years.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to authorize Varela to submit this report to DOE.  Councilmember Cooper seconded.  CA Dixon will inquire with Varela about waterway cybersecurity being added down the road to the report.  It’s a thorough report.

Construction has started on Shady Lane improvements.  Should be done by end of month.  We will get some benches and fences ordered for that and we’ll invite our insurance carrier to take a look at it from a liability standpoint. Project is paid for by a $26,000 grant from .09 money that CA Dixon applied for.

State auditors are wrapping up their work for our audit.  We should have results by end of September.  No red flags at this point.

Budget season is upon us. CA Dixon will meet with finance committee in October.

City will post notice later this week to accept bids for surplussed fencing and street light equipment that has been stored in the flathouse for years.

OLD BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2019-09 salary schedule amendment:  This resolution makes the changes approved at the last council meeting: increasing the third officer pay (to be hired) to $4,300, and increasing the reserve officer pay to $24/hour. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2019-09.  Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS:

Information Technology needs and assessment plan for City Hall:  City had Mark Bailey of PSTech come last month to diagnose ongoing computer and technical issues. We quickly realized we are seriously lacking in our security and equipment policy.  We’ve been erroneously operating city-wide on an “absolutely as-needed only” updates for technology and equipment.  In his assessment, Mark Bailey prioritized the city’s needs. Finance Committee will review and bring forward for 2020 budget.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook-  Finishing up the annual pool report.  Now that we have a baseline, this report will provide a year-by-year comparison so we can see trends.  Will finalize and send out to council.

Policy & Administration, Councilmembers Sievers & Cooper–  Moses Boone will be unveiling the new city flag Saturday after the Palouse Days parade.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Liquor license renewal for Palouse Lions Club.  No objections.

The city has received an inquiry about the council vacancy left from the resignation of Councilmember Wilcomb.  The city hesitates to temporarily appoint someone because the general election is three council meetings away. Council wants to continue with six councilmembers until the election so as not to show favoritism to anyone running in the election.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Snyder MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Cook seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      8/30/19             Ck. 10285-10309, 10311-10314, & EFT              $56,740.13

Claims Paid      9/10/19             Ck. 10284, 10310, 10315-10341, & EFT             $35,414.63

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Cook MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Sievers seconded. The motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

August 27, 2019

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

ROLL CALL:  Council members present: Chris Cook; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Katie Cooper.  Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; PW Asst Mike Wolf; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Officer Joel Anderson; BI Dan Gladwill; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to excuse Councilmember Wekenman’s absence. Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.  Mayor Echanove read aloud Councilmember Wilcomb’s resignation letter dated Aug. 5, 2019.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Cook MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of July 23, 2019.  Councilmember Sievers seconded.  Motion carried. The August 13^th meeting was cancelled due to no quorum.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POOL MANAGER REPORT:  Noah Hopkins gave a brief report on the season.  Had one minor incident that resulted in an EMS call (all was fine).  Maintenance went well.  Staff was good.  Patron count was normal for a colder year.  He thanked city for the job opportunity. Councilmember Cook praised Noah on his job performance and we are hopeful he returns next year.

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT:  Palouse is a busy little town, doing great.  Palouse keeps BI Gladwill busy with inspections.

OPEN FORUM:

Zane Rivers, Troop 455 Boy Scout.  For his Eagle Scout project, Zane wants to renovate the kiosk at the Eden Valley Cemetery.  Previously it was done with paper and plexiglass and laid horizontally, resulting in snow and water damage and leaving it illegible. This cemetery is unique because the majority of the graves are from the 1800’s with a lot of history.  Zane plans on installing an approximate 4’x3’ vertical sign with a donated metal roof.  Materials include lumber and printing on a vinyl-wrapped aluminum sheet. Sign will contain a cross-reference of all the buried with a site map of where they are located in the cemetery.  It will also include a summary of what life would have been like for these people.  Budget for the project is $500 and he is requesting $300 from city.  He has a couple adult mentors helping with the design process. Councilmember Cook MOVED to donate $300 towards this project.  Councilmember Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

Mary Estes and Janet Brantner representing the rose ladies. The rose gardens need 5+ hours of direct sunlight a day to thrive and the rose garden on Whitman Street doesn’t get enough light due to two plum trees.  The ladies are requesting having those two trees removed.  Supt. Griffin looked into moving them but they’re way too big.  There is also a plum tree next to the Police Station that is growing into the building that needs removed.  And there is a locust tree on corner of Whitman and Hall Streets that is growing into the street light.  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to authorize Supt. Griffin to remove the three plum trees and one locust tree. Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Motion carried.

Jim Fielder of the Planning Commission gave an update.  156 community surveys were completed. Overall people like the town. They are hoping to crunch the survey numbers and have a formal presentation to council in a couple months.  They currently have a full commission which is nice.

POLICE REPORT:

-The police had a situation a few weeks ago in Garfield with an unstable man.  What started as an assault call-out resulted in verbal threats against Chief Neumann and Officer Anderson.  Chief has had dealings with this man over the years.  The man was taken into protective custody. A cache of weapons was found including 1500+ rounds of ammunition, numerous weapons, a homemade loaded cannon, homemade silencer and a homemade grenade.  ATF and bomb squad from Spokane cleared the scene without incident and confiscated everything.  The man is being held in Colfax.  ATF stressed the urgency to keep him behind bars. Chief is meeting with prosecutor this week.

-PD also had an arrest of a Garfield resident for gas thefts, ongoing dog complaints, noise complaints.

-School starts tomorrow.  Please slow down and watch for children.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:

Councilmember Cooper reported.  Budget looks like it should. They adopted the 2020 draft budget. Expected increases include the ambulance contract, insurance policies, and slight increase for maintenance & repair.  Two fire calls in July and 10 EMS calls in July.

National Night Out was a success.

Ongoing trainings.

With Mark Wilcomb’s resignation, another councilperson is needed on the JFB.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

Met with contractors on Shady Lane donated land.  Construction should be done by end of September.  Being funded by .09 money from the county. There will hopefully be continued access during construction.

Varela has almost completed with our Wastewater Facility Plan. Kyle will forward plan to water/sewer committee for their review.  Should be wrapped-up by end of next week and delivered to DOE.

EV Charging Station is up and running over at Heritage Park.

CA Dixon will be working with Chief Neumann on identifying and notifying properties around town that don’t conform to existing nuisance ordinances.  City gets fairly frequent complaints about property appearances.

Following the $5 on-call pay for police department which council authorized at July 23, 2019 meeting, council received an email from Supt. Griffin requesting the same for Public Works, also retroactive to June 15, until a formal on-call policy is adopted. Public Works is on-call as well.  This will cost city $6,632.50 for June 15 to August 31 for Public Works, to be split between Water and Sewer funds.  In an effort to treat all employees equally, the Policy Committee is recommending to approve the on-call pay for Public Works.  The PD staffing shortage that began in June has brought to light what they feel is a rather restrictive and unfair on-call policy in our interlocal policing contract with Garfield.  CA Dixon said the city can absolutely accommodate continued OT but cannot recommend continued on-call pay.  It’s KD’s opinion that if we approve a continued on-call policy for the PD, we have to extend the same offer to Public Works.  They have always responded to after-hours emergencies.  CA Dixon’s recommendation to Policy Committee is, effective September 1, cease all on-call pay and implement a minimum two-hour call out at overtime rate.  This is a standard policy seen throughout the state.  Two-hour minimum call-out applies to both departments.

#1 – Councilmember Sievers MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Cooper, to pay $5 on-call from June 15 to Aug. 31 to Public Works. Motion carried;

#2 – Sievers MOVED to increase third officer salary to $4,300 monthly effective Sept. 1.  Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

#3 – Sievers MOVED to increase Reserve Officer Snead’s pay from $22/hr to $24/hr effective Sept. 1.  Cooper seconded.  Motion carried.

#4 – Sievers MOVED to notify City of Garfield of our intent to terminate our contract in 180 days, with intent to renegotiate the contract with staffing and on-call issues addressed.  Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

#5 – Sievers MOVED, effective Sept 1, the city eliminates the $5 on-call pay for both PW and Police Dept. and go to the minimum two-hour call out at overtime rate for both departments. Cooper seconded. Motion carried.  The Police Dept.’s Admin Leave will be reinstated effective Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, pro-rated, as it has already been paid out through June 15^th.

OLD BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2019-08, adopting official City of Palouse flag:  Policy Committee researched various ordinances and resolutions and met to discuss.  Councilmember Cooper MOVED to adopt the resolution.  Councilmember Snyder seconded.  Amberly Boone stated that she and Moses will donate funds towards having some flags made.  Motion carried.

Continued discussion on PMC 8.12. Public Nuisances and Palouse Welding:  Mayor read aloud from the January 28, 1997 minutes.   “It was decided that Bagott Motors and Ed Anderson (Palouse Welding) won’t need to install a fence around their businesses.”  Ordinance must still be enforced; he must continually keep it clean and tidy and not pile up scrap metal/junk, but fencing isn’t required.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 

Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook–  Chris is working on finalizing the pool summary report.  53% of swim lesson revenue was from non-residents, keeping in mind that non-residents pay more for lessons. City received $1,000 in pool donations.  Full report at next meeting.

MAYOR’S REPORT:

Mayor passed on condolences for former Dayton, WA, Mayor George (was mayor for 16years) who passed away last week.

CA Dixon and DC Thompson just completed the three-year state audit.  Auditors were here for about a week. There will be an exit interview with the results and final report.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Cook MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid      7/31/19             Ck. #10192, 10210-10236, & EFT           $58,105.23

Claims Paid      8/13/19             Ck. #10237-10269, & EFT                      $25,771.93

Claims Paid      8/27/19             Ck. #10270-10283, & EFT                      $  3,013.84

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried.  The council meeting adjourned at 8:49 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________

The City Council Meeting scheduled for August 13, 2019 was cancelled due to lack of a quorum.

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

July 23, 2019

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Chris Cook; Bill Slinkard; Tim Sievers; John Snyder; Rick Wekenman; Mark Wilcomb; Katie Cooper. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Officer Joel Anderson; Attorney Eric Hanson & City Administrator Kyle Dixon.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to approve the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of July 9, 2019 as written. Councilmember Slinkard seconded and the motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT: All is well. Chief Neumann and Officer Anderson continue to split shifts. Speed patrols continue on south entrance to Palouse. Working on removing a goat from south hill that is forbidden in R1 by code. Four call outs last week.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT: Budget is where it should be this time of year. No concerns. National night out in Palouse is Tuesday, Aug 6^th at the city park. Newly repaired pumper tanker is working well. Most July training time was spent on water drills and testing pumps.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

-CA Dixon and PW Supt Griffin are finalizing a minimum price bid for the spare fence and street light equipment in the flat house. CA Dixon would like council to surplus these items. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to declare the fence and streetlight equipment in the flat house as a surplus to city needs. Councilmember Sievers seconded and the motion carried. CA Dixon will advertise as soon as details are finalized.

-On July 10^th the Planning Commission approved a short plat (minor subdivision) application from Palouse Builders LLC in the Amber Ridge development. This short plat will provide more options for affordable housing in Palouse now that the owners will be able to pass title on each unit of the duplexes that were approved for construction last year.

-The Palouse Music Festival is this Saturday, July 27^th from 11AM to 8PM at the city park.

-The last day of the season for the pool is Saturday, August 17^th.

-On June 6^th, 2019, CA Dixon sent a notice to Alex Anderson, the owner of Palouse Welding, informing him of some complaints that the city has received regarding their outdoor storage of equipment and related Palouse Municipal Code violations. CA Dixon is concerned with how the code is written and applicability, citing PMC 8.12.024. Alex and Marty Anderson explained their circumstances to council and how fencing around their property would result in a significant burden on their day-to-day operations. Mayor Echanove stated the benefits of having Palouse Welding as an anchor business that has been in town for more than fifty years. Mayor explained that he was on council when this ordinance was passed and he would like to go through his old minutes to provide more information about this matter at a subsequent council meeting. Council thanked Marty and Alex Anderson for their work done to date in cleaning up the site. Councilmember Wekenman suggests that the city push back the stated compliance date of August 7^th 2019 until after the harvest season when business would be slower. Councilmember Sievers MOVED to postpone the compliance date from August 7^th 2019 until October 9^th 2019. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Councilmember Wekenman stressed that work to clean up the site needs to continue. Councilmember Snyder MOVED to have the Policy Committee take a further look at the ordinance for permitted outdoor storage and make a recommendation to council no later than October 8^th to more clearly define items therein. Councilmember Cook seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 982 “17.06 Nonconforming Uses and Buildings”: Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. This ordinance tightens up Chapter 17 zoning code to phase out nonconforming uses with respect to buildings and structures, both residential and otherwise, essentially preventing nonconforming uses from being replaced with other nonconforming uses. Discussion ensued about the clarity of the ordinance and definitions. Council would like to see Atty. Hanson simplify the ordinance. No action taken.

Resolution No. 2019-06: Mayor read aloud the resolution in its entirety. This resolution puts on the November ballot a proposition for a one-year excess property tax levy in the amount of $44,000 for street improvements and street oiling. No change from last year’s street levy. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2019-06 as presented. Councilmember Cooper seconded and the motion carried.

Resolution No. 2019-07: Mayor read aloud the resolution in its entirety. This resolution puts on the November ballot a proposition for a one-year excess property tax levy of $34,000 for operation and maintenance of the swimming pool. No change from last year’s pool levy. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2019-07. Councilmember Cook seconded. Councilmember Wekenman discussed the possibility of removing this levy at some point in the future if the city ever has the monetary capacity to cover these costs without a levy. Councilmember Cook reminded council that this levy does not cover all the pool expenses and all costs in excess of the levy come out of the city’s current expense budget. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:

Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook- Pool season is coming to an end. Had one minor accident and one report of a patron’s stolen phone in July. Pool Manager will provide an end of year report.

Policy & Administration, Chair Wilcomb-

-Policy Committee discussed adoption of city flag proposed by Moses Boone. Ordinance is being prepared. Committee would like to unveil the flag during Palouse Days.

-Councilmember Wilcomb read aloud the following statement pertaining to the ongoing compensation matter with the Palouse PD stemming from a staff shortage beginning in June.

“The Policy and Administration Committee has spent the past two weeks researching the questions assigned to us at the last City Council meeting. We spoke with the City Attorney, City Administrator, Mayor, and City employees. We also researched the codes, policies and ordinances of comparable cities.

Our report tonight is not a comment on any person’s competence or job performance.

Most of the misunderstandings and disagreements we are facing result from a lack of clear, written policies duly adopted by the City Council and applied to all employees and residents.

All decisions we make regarding city policies must be handled in an informed, thoughtful and strategic manner. For the benefit of our employees and our city residents, we must not make emotion-based, short-term policy decisions that could result in long-term, unintended outcomes.

We recommend to the Council that all Committees of the City Council work together to create a modern, comprehensive policy and operations manual for the city. Each committee will handle their area of responsibility, under the general coordination of the Policy Committee. The manual should cover all departments and all services of the city.

There are many excellent resources already available that we can draw from to speed the creation of this manual. The process will give us an opportunity to fully address the issues discussed in previous meetings, and will help us anticipate and avoid future issues by looking at the best practices of other successful cities comparable to Palouse, and to consider the input of our citizens.

Our goal is to complete this process by the end of this calendar year. Until the city can implement a measured, strategic approach to clarifying and documenting its policies, we strongly recommend to the Council that all current city policies and employee compensation remain as-is.”

Council indicated that they need to make a final determination on which laws are applicable and adopt a city-wide policy accordingly. Policy Committee received input from attorney. Atty Hanson explained further which laws are applicable in various circumstances and case law that has driven these determinations. Discussion ensued on what constitutes compensable on-call time and the hardship that the recent, unexpected staffing shortage has had on the PD. Chief Neumann would like council to consider that any policy relating to compensation be retroactive to June 15, 2019. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to approve a $5 on-call, per hour payment for officers retroactive to June 15^th until a new on-call policy is formally adopted. CA Dixon indicated that in terms of our annual budget this arrangement is sustainable in the short term. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded and the motion carried.

OPEN FORUM:

-Cheryl Johnson is requesting a moratorium on new construction on the south side of Palouse until the water pressure problems have been addressed. Council informed her that the city currently has a contract with TDH engineering for water system improvements and that this is one of the main objectives of their work. Planning Commission will be notified of her request.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Councilmember Slinkard MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Snyder seconded and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Claims Paid 7/23/19 Ck. #10193-10209 & EFT $28,221.99

ADJOURN: Councilmember Sievers MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion and the motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________

Palouse City Council

Regular Council Meeting

July 9, 2019

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Bill Slinkard; John Snyder; Rick Wekenman; Mark Wilcomb; Katie Cooper. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to excuse councilmember Cook’s absence. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to excuse Councilmember Sievers absence. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded. Councilmember Wekenman voted nay. Motion carried. Staff present: Police Chief Jerry Neumann; City Administrator Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of June 25, 2019. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded. Motion carried.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.

POLICE REPORT:

-Flat tire on Chief’s vehicle last week;

-Ongoing dog issues in both towns;

-PD has stepped up patrols on Hwy 27 south entrance into town;

-Ice Cream Social this weekend;

-Officer Anderson broke his right wrist while off-duty on Monday. He will have surgery and be off for next 10 days or so. That will result in an amended shift coverage for Chief Neumann until he returns.

-Chief received certificate of completion for the state-mandated technical security audit. It was an onsite audit where they look at things like background checks, record keeping, state reporting, how we’re accessing and storing sensitive information, how secure building and computers are, etc.

-Police, Fire, & Safety Committee met with Mayor Echanove and both officers on Monday night. Councilmember Wekenman (chair of Police, Fire, & Safety) explained that since Officer Cox’s termination, it is just two officers covering both towns (Chief Neumann and Officer Anderson). There are a lot of on-call hours being logged to provide 24/7 coverage. Chief Neumann wants he and Officer Anderson compensated hourly for the remaining 88 hours in a work week that they’re on call (168 hours in a week, minus 40 x 2 = 88 hours left). There are federal laws that cover fair compensation for these kinds of things. These are compensable hours and by law need to be compensated for. However, Mayor Echanove read aloud FLSA Section 213, and RCW 49.46.130, which exempt the city from that compensation due to our size. Much contentious debate ensued about what should be compensated and what the city actually needs. Chief Neumann has already spoken with FLSA and will proceed with a complaint if payment for overtime/on call hours is not addressed. Councilmember Wekenman wants to pay them and avoid litigation. Prior to making any decisions on this, Mayor wants this issue sent to Policy & Admin Committee and the city attorney. There are a number of stakeholders that need to have a voice in this: policy and admin committee, Chief Neumann, Officer Anderson, Mayor Echanove, and Mayor Pfaff. CA Dixon will contact a mediator and city attorney and get this meeting scheduled.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:

2^nd Qtr Treasurer’s Report: No red flags. All is well.

-CA Dixon and Councilmember Cook attended the AWC conference in Spokane last week. It was a productive conference.

-Next meeting there will be some street and pool levy information. CA Dixon will discuss the budgetary needs with PW Supt Griffin and bring back to committee.

-There is a Planning Commission meeting tomorrow to discuss a minor subdivision in the Amber Ridge development. Proposal states that footprint for duplexes remains the same but creating lot lines will allow them to pass title on each side of those duplexes.

-Shady Lane project is still proceeding. CA Dixon is consulting with engineer on final specs before bids will be assessed.

-Will invite Alex Anderson of Palouse Welding to attend next council meeting in regards to how he wishes to tackle some code violations on his property.

OLD BUSINESS:

Water system improvements update from TD&H Engineering: Luke Antonich was present to update council. After council’s direction at last meeting, they proceeded with Phase I (the design of main replacements under Culton and Church Streets and the investigation of options to increase the pressure in a specific area of the north hill bounded by Cannon and Mohr Streets on the north and south and J and H Streets on the west and east). Thus far they have completed the topographic survey for Church Street and Culton Street. A base map will be prepared and design for the replacement of those mains will begin. They investigated options for increasing the pressure for the North Hill low pressure pocket: a) tried adding a dedicated line from the tank to the booster pump. Pressures remained below the 30 PSI threshold; b) added a looping main that would connect the high-pressure zone from K Street to G Street which resulted in pressures raised above the 30 PSI threshold to approximately 50+ PSI. Luke thinks overall the water system in in great shape in large part to the care Public Works takes of it and the dollars provided to utility infrastructure. They continue to develop the SWSMP (Small Water System Management Program) for Palouse. Under the SWSMP the city’s Public Works Dept could continue maintaining and replacing existing infrastructure and upsizing mains by ONE pipe size without having to seek DOH approval.

Technical discussion ensued. Do the benefits outweigh the cost? Council wants TD&H to begin Phase II but keep the two phases separate enough to be delineated from each other. Continue investigations into options as to how to solve redundancy, fire flow, and pressure issues on south hill. Regarding funding, once we have a defined scope of work for the project, particularly regarding Phase II, we will bring funding opportunities back to council for direction on applying for funding.

NEW BUSINESS:

Resolution No. 2019-05 salary schedule: Mayor read aloud the resolution. This is just a housekeeping issue to remove retired Don Myott’s pay from schedule and add new WWTP Operator’s (Tyler Furchtenicht) pay. Councilmember Wilcomb MOVED to adopt Resolution as written. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:

Police, Fire, & Safety, Chair Wekenman- See under Police Report.

Policy & Administration, Chair Wilcomb- Committee hoping to meet this week with city attorney, both mayors, CA Dixon, both police officers, and a mediator to find a resolution to the police on-call pay, scheduling, etc.

Finance, Property, & Equipment, Chair Cooper- Met with Kyle earlier to go over budget.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Councilmember Snyder MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion and the motion carried.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid 6/30/19 Ck. #10094, 10018, 10133-10160, & EFT $51,951.80

Claims Paid 7/09/19 Ck. #10161-10191 & EFT $51,240.93

ADJOURN: Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Cooper seconded the motion and the motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 8:36 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________