Palouse City Council
Regular Council Meeting
January 26, 2016

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

ROLL CALL: Council members present: Doreen Hanson; Bo Ossinger; Mike Hicks; Senja Estes; Rick Wekenman; Mark Wilcomb. Councilmember Hicks MOVED to excuse Councilmember Langsett’s absence. Councilmember Hanson seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Building Inspector Dan Gladwill; City Attorney Eric Hanson; Clerk-Treasurer Mike Bagott; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Hanson MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of January 12, 2016. Councilmember Wekenman seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report. Additionally, Well #3 pump and motor has been installed and is back online. The transmission went out on our 2004 Ford pick-up this week. It had been working fine plowing snow, etc. It’s about a $5,000 fix. New transmission should have a 5 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

POLICE REPORT:
Still looking into getting training and access for Whitcom services for background checks, CPL’s, and more. These trainings would eliminate the $180 monthly service access fee we’d have to otherwise pay to use the service. Chief Neumann will continue looking into.
Had one assault arrest and one drug arrest this weekend, one in Palouse, and one in Garfield.
Officer Handley will be attending a firearms range officer training to become state certified through the Criminal Justice Training Commission.
Vehicles are working well. Will probably need a couple sets of new summer tires later this spring.
The department has received a WASPC 100% funded grant for approximately $3,000 worth of equipment: portable breath testing machines and two hand-held radars. Officer Handley took the lead on this project.

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT: BI Gladwill reported Palouse had a better year in 2015 than in 2014: six new houses, two manufactured homes, and a mini-storage are all part of our 2015 permits.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:
Everything good financially both Fire and EMS.
1 fire call in December. 31 total calls in 2015: 10 city, 16 rural, 5 mutual aid. The balance swings year to year between city, rural, and mutual aid. 6 EMS calls in November, 7 in December, 76 total in 2015.
Palouse EMS will be putting on a training class for new Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) in May or June. This is a huge, commendable commitment.
The ambulance contract has been signed. It’s good for two years.

CLERK-TREASURER REPORT:
4th Quarter Treasurers Report: The 4th Quarter went generally as expected or better. General fund came in almost $9,000 better than CT Bagott forecast. No funds went over budget. Of importance note, at the last meeting CT Bagott reported the election expenses were less than anticipated, however another bill has since arrived: Because a third person ran for mayor, a primary election was required which cost the city an additional $1,400.

OLD BUSINESS:
Apollo Solutions presentation: Mike Fuentes from Apollo was present for Q & A. Supt. Griffin had some questions and concerns about Apollo’s numbers and specs. Mayor Echanove and CT Bagott are concerned about the timing. Councilmember Wekenman thinks this is a very pro-active move for energy and cost savings. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED that the City of Palouse contract with Apollo for the investment grade audit for the solar portion only. Councilmember Hanson seconded. Much discussion ensued. Motion carried unanimously.

Selection of engineer for West Whitman Street project: Supt. Griffin, CT Bagott, Mayor Echanove, and Councilmembers Wekenman, Estes, & Hicks all met on 1/14/16 for the interviews of the three previously selected engineering firms: JUB, TD&H, & MDA. They interviewed, reviewed, & discussed the engineering candidates, and then they voted. MD&A received the most votes. All of the firms were excellent. Councilmember Hicks MOVED to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract with MD&A for the construction of the West Whitman Street project. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Water & Sewer Committee needs to begin looking at engineers for the reservoir on the north hill. Supt. Griffin reminded council that we need to piggyback the repair of our deficient water lines on West Church Street with the reservoir project. We need to find an engineer who has good qualifications for in-house grant writing and fundraising.

NEW BUSINESS:
Ordinance No. 942 – Budget amendment for Fund 411 (Pump Maintenance Reserve): In December 2015 we did a budget amendment in this same fund to be sure we had the funds to pay the bill for the Well #3 repairs, however repairs didn’t get completed until 2016 so we have to do the amendment for the 2016 budget. This amendment is strictly housekeeping. This is strictly money from Fund 411; it’s not coming from any other funds. Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. Councilmember Hicks MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 942 as written. Councilmember Hanson seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:
Personnel & Pool, Chair Hanson- They had a committee meeting 1/20/16 with Councilmembers Hanson, Wekenman, Wilcomb, & DC Thompson to discuss the lifeguard turnover and the hiring of lifeguards and a pool manager for the 2016 pool season.

Finance, Property, & Equipment, Chair Langsett- They had a committee meeting 1/19/16 with Councilmembers Ossinger, Wekenman, & Langsett, CT Bagott, and Mike from Apollo Systems present.

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

The following checks are approved for payment:
Claims Paid 12/31/15, 13th month Ck. #7186-7204 & EFT $ 7,863.80
Claims Paid 1/26/16 Ck. #7205-7222 $14,272.47
Voided 1/12/16 Ck. #7177 & #7180 $ (260.00)

ADJOURN: Councilmember Hicks MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Wekenman seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.

APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________