REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING-DRAFT ONLY
July 11, 2006
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Michael Echanove called the Council Meeting to order at 7:02PM
ROLL CALL: Council members present: Darcie Bagott; Mark Bailey; Mike Milano; Andy O’Neill; Norm Schorzman; Jeff Snook and Rick Wekenman. Also present: Joyce Beeson, Clerk-Treasurer; Byron Hodges, PW Superintendent; Bev Pearce, Deputy Clerk; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Tom Boone; Caitlyn McGehee; Dale Tronson.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Council Member Wekenman asked for a correction under Public Hearing; last sentence: “Byron stated that”-add: the cost of street oil” Mike Milano MOVED to approve the corrected minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of June 27, 2006. Mark Bailey seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT : Byron Hodges submitted a written report. He added to his report that the work on Alder Street has shown that there is more work to be done on the water lines than anticipated. They will be replacing some water and storm drain as well as sewer. In the next few weeks the city crew will be taking their vacations, slowing the work on Alder. The new booster pump is in Spokane and will be picked up soon. The Mayor asked Byron if he had seen the article in a local paper about Oakesdale using rock salt for their pool treatment. Byron said he had not, but is aware of this method. He said our pool is currently using chlorine gas cylinders and will probably keep using this method until the equipment needs to be replaced. Byron commented that the pools filtering system is working very well, everything at the pool is running good. The furnace will need to be replaced in a few years. The Mayor asked Byron if Marc is watering while keeping conservation in mind. Byron said yes, but to keep things green, the lawn must be watered. Council Member Wekenman said that the fire department practices once a month and uses about 10,000 gallons of water. Sometimes they shoot it onto the lawn at the park. This might help account for some of the unmetered water. Council Member Schorzman asked Byron if he felt that the new road by the water tank on I Street would be a dust problem. Byron said that the road is not ready to be paved because it needs to settle a few years.
POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT: Chief Neumann reported his research of the setback questions regarding the intersection of Main Street and Bridge Street . Following state codes would virtually eliminate any parking along the curbs between Whitman and Main . He suggests shortening the parking spaces that are closest to the crosswalks, thus improving visibility. Council Member Wekenman stated concern over the increase of pedestrian traffic. The Mayor said that if the crosswalks are painted and the speed limit reduced on Main Street , perhaps the issue could be resolved. The Mayor asked the city crew to work with Chief Neumann to get new parking spaces painted.
OLD BUSINESS:
- Resolution #2006-03-Council to approve the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan for 2007-2012.The Mayor read the resolution and stated that there are no changes to the plan. Council Member Bagott said that in addition to the submitted plan, a list of additional streets will be kept for consideration in the future. Council Member Bagott MOVED to approve the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan. Council Member Snook seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
- Insurance services decision-Council Member Schorzman reported that the finance committee met and recommends that the city continue with its current insurance carrier CIAW. The committee compared both companies and found that CIAW has been dependable for the city in the past and the value of insurance coverage is better. Council Member Schorzman MOVED that the Mayor sign the letter rescinding its request for cancellation to CIAW. Council Member Bailey seconded the motion. Bailey also commented that one of the factors in not choosing AWC was their use of unrated carriers, which could be a risk factor for the city. The motion carried unanimously.
COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:
PARKS, CEMETERY & BUILDINGS : Mike Milano reported that he has researched the restroom signage with WSDOT and the city will need to make a formal request. The state would then come out to assess the situation. The council gave general agreement for Mike to move forward with this process.
PERSONNEL & POOL : Jeff Snook reported that the committee will be looking at additional office help and a replacement for Byron.
FINANCE, PROPERTY & EQUIPMENT : Norm Schorzman reported under Old Business.
POLICE, FIRE & SAFETY : Rick Wekenman reported that the work on the Police Station is moving along. The bathroom has new pipes, floors and walls, the masons are about two days from being done, plumbing and electrical work is in progress. Rick told council that volunteers will be needed to do sheet rock, tiling and floor and woodwork refinishing. At the last council meeting Rick reported that there would be an additional charge for brick work on the back of the building. Since then the company has changed their minds and will not be charging for this work. The masons needed some bricks that were similar to the current material, the community center had a pile bricks and the masons exchanged brick for brick with community center approval. Rick said that Western Masonry is an excellent company to work with and he would recommend them to anyone. The council gave Council Member Wekenman a pat on the back for all his hard work on this project.
POLICY & ADMINISTRATION : Mark Bailey reported that the Whitman County Library contract has been forwarded to the city attorney and the city’s insurance carrier. The library asked that they be named on the city’s insurance policy and that they are not interested in negotiating the contract as written by them. The grant application has been received by Mark for the Solid Waste Grant from Whitman County . He will be proceeding with the application in regards to a compost receiving site and possibly a recycle center. Chief Neumann asked if the property between the Lions Club storage building and the flat house on Main Street could be a possible location. Council Member Bailey said he would find out who owns that property. In regards to the sign ordinance, Mark is waiting to hear back from the city attorney.
STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: Darcie Bagott reported that the committee will be meeting with the engineers in Pullman regarding Whitman Street . Darcie has talked to different citizens about changing the speed limit on Main Street from 25 to 20 miles per hours. The general consensus is that it would be harder to enforce, another concern on Main Street is the illegal U-Turns and perhaps the need for more pedestrian signs.
WATER & SEWER : Andy O’Neill reported that at the last council meeting they discussed the JUB scope of work proposal for Breeding’s Addition. There is a Palouse Economic Development meeting in Colfax on Thursday July 20, he and Joyce will be attending to explore rate setting for water and sewer. The Mayor explained that the city expects up to $100,000 for the construction work. The city would look into loans, Interfund loans, and the self help program. The object is to keep costs down using the city crew as much as possible and when calculating property owner costs include future homeowners. Dale Tronsen commented that if the costs are in the $10,000 range, the property owners will not agree. However, if the costs are in the $3,000 to $5,000 range there will be support. The Mayor said that the city can get a loan for the engineer fees within 60 days when ready to proceed.
CLERK-TREASURER REPORT: Treasurer Beeson continues to develop the loan materials for the sludge press; she is working with Aero Mod and the funding source to resolve the issue. She also reminded council that now is the time to start working on next year’s budget. In August there will be a Public Hearing For revenue in which council will need to talk about levy increases, special levies and fee increases. September is when the levies will be set by Ordinance and Resolution. Joyce also reported that Bev’s computer needed repair and Cascade Computer Maintenance was called in. The employees are associated with the company that the city had originally purchased the computers from. The company has offered to the city a yearly maintenance contract. The council discussed the cost of the maintenance contract and the possibility of replacing the computers every two years. The council would like to see a local company work on the computers as opposed to Cascade, which is based in Spokane . Deputy Clerk Pearce told council that the office staff needs to have a dependable and reliable resource to go to for computer hardware help. Council Member Wekenman MOVED to allow the city to enter into a contract with Cascade Computer Maintenance for one year in the amount of $1472.55. Council Member Milano seconded the motion. Joyce said that payment for the parts needed to repair Bev’s computer will be billed separately but there will be no charge for labor & mileage due to the one year agreement. The council wants to find explore computer maintenance options before the end of the contract year. The motion carried unanimously.
MAYOR’S REPORT : The Mayor said that he will have at the next council meeting copies of the comprehensive plan that was adopted a few years ago. He will be meeting with the EPA, EPA contractor and the property owner of the Brownfield on Main Street on August 1. He invited any council member to attend as well.
Tom Boone asked the council about Tim Boone’s annexation request from the last meeting. His property is surrounded by Tim’s property. He also asked about the future sewer plans for that area. Council Member O’Neill said that the council agreed to look at Tim’s request, but none has been presented yet.
ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Andy O’Neill MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.
Jeff Snook seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
ADJOURN Norm Schorzman MOVED to adjourn. Rick Wekenman seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 8:35PM
The following vouchers/warrants are approved for payment:
Claims Paid Warrants: # 11816 through # 11847 Payments: $25,026.73, #11826 VIOD
Payroll Paid Warrants: # 6189 through # 6218 Payments: $ 32,854.14
APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________