Palouse City Council
Regular Council Meeting
July 26, 2016
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Pro-Tem Wekenman called the Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
ROLL CALL: Council members present: Doreen Hanson; Bill Slinkard; Mike Hicks; Senja Estes; Christopher Langsett. Councilmember Estes MOVED to excuse Councilmember Wilcomb’s absence. Councilmember Langsett seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Building Inspector Dan Gladwill; Clerk-Treasurer Mike Bagott; Incoming Clerk-Treasurer Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Langsett MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of July 12, 2016. Councilmember Slinkard seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.
The city received one bid for the surplus flatbed from Floyd Boller for $261.00 + tax. Councilmember Hanson MOVED to accept the bid of $261.00 + tax. Councilmember Estes seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
The pool boiler wasn’t working for a few days due to an overheating issue. Riedinger Heating repaired it.
POLICE REPORT:
The PD is still waiting on First Step to complete their plan on the camera at the sewer plant. We need them to hook up the link to a data port. The installed cameras came into use last week for an issue in front of the police department.
We’re working on a junk vehicle issue.
The repeat nuisance yard on the south hill is having issues again so the PD is working on that.
BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT:
We had 10 permits this quarter, 5 were reroofs.
The mini-storage build has been signed off as final. They’re still installing the curbs/driveway/sidewalk.
There are a couple ongoing compliance issues being addressed.
The Busch Gas Pump project has begun.
JFB REPORT:
Financially all is well. EMS budget will be tight but should be fine. There are multiple FD capital expenses coming within the next three years, specifically replacement of the current air packs and bottles and two of the fire trucks which will be reaching 30 years of age.
6 fire calls in June, 15 YTD. Through June we thought maybe some fires were suspicious but fortunately those appear to have been just a coincidence.
Fire and EMS each used funds from their non-profit organization to purchase a cargo container to be placed at the station to use for additional storage of equipment and training props. During the Kamiak fire last month we provided food and drink to approximately 70 people at a cost of about $400 so Darcie Bagott held a lemonade fundraiser to replenish the fund and it brought in approximately $1,600. As is so often the case, the community really came through and their generosity is much appreciated.
EMS had 8 calls in June and is on pace to hit 108 calls for the year. EMS has been seeing a trend toward increased call numbers for several years now. EMS call numbers have been quite variable throughout history so it is hard to say if this is a long-term trend or a just a busy few years.
CLERK-TREASURER REPORT:
The new clerk-treasurer Kyle Dixon was introduced. He starts full-time Monday. CT Bagott’s last full day is Friday. He will be consulting with CT Dixon going forward on an hourly basis as needed and as his work schedule will allow. CT Bagott thanked council for the job and stressed that he will miss his co-workers. He has taken a job with Palouse Grain Growers so he will still be in Palouse and able to stay on as Palouse Fire Chief. He believes that Palouse has a very bright future and looks forward to being able to continue to live and work here.
OLD BUSINESS:
Councilmember Slinkard thinks an electric car charging station is worth looking into, perhaps through Avista. Apparently Avista is going to install approximately 272 charging stations in their territory and there is an application form. Much discussion ensued. Councilmember Slinkard will research this further and will report back.
NEW BUSINESS:
Resolution No. 2016-02 setting the excess property tax street improvements and oiling levy proposition to be on the general election ballot: Mayor Pro Tem Wekenman read aloud the resolution in its entirety. This resolution is the wording for placing the Palouse Proposition No. 1 excess property tax levy on the general election ballot. It funds street improvements and street oiling. It is for an amount of $44,000, an estimated $0.805 per $1,000 of assessed value in the year 2016 for collection in 2017. Palouse has good streets and Public Works take good care of them. Next year we need to look at a 10% increase to the levy amount; $44,000 doesn’t go as far as it used to and Public Works always does a lot of the work themselves to save money. Councilmember Hicks MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2016-02 as written. Councilmember Estes seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Resolution No. 2016-03 setting the excess property tax pool operation and maintenance levy proposition to be on the general election ballot: Mayor Pro Tem Wekenman read aloud the resolution in its entirety. This resolution is the wording for placing the Palouse Proposition No. 2 excess property tax levy for the operation and maintenance of the swimming pool. It is for $31,000, an estimated $0.567 per $1,000 of assessed value in the year 2016 for collection in 2017. The pool levy has been at $28,000 since 2012. The levy is being increased by $3,000 for one year to help cover the cost of painting the pool, which is very much needed. It is estimated that the one-year increase will cost the owner of a $175,000 home approximately an additional $9.63 next year over this year’s levy. The pool is important to Palouse, just as our park is important. It’s important to maintain it. Discussion ensued. To do nothing means it will cost that much more to repair because it will deteriorate even more. Councilmember Hanson MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2016-03 as written. Councilmember Langsett seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:
Water & Sewer, Chair Slinkard- Councilmember Slinkard toured the swimming pool, sewer plant, and wells with Supt. Griffin and Don Myott and was briefed on the facilities.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
The city received another complaint from Jim Farr yesterday.
ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Councilmember Estes MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Langsett seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
The following checks are approved for payment:
Claims Paid 7/26/16 Ck. #7592-7606 & EFT $19,850.44
ADJOURN: Councilmember Hicks MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Estes seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM.
APPROVED: ________________________________
ATTEST: ________________________________