Palouse City Council
Regular Council Meeting
June 13, 2017
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Echanove called the Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
ROLL CALL: Council members present: Bill Slinkard; Mike Hicks; Senja Estes; Rick Wekenman; Mark Wilcomb. Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Clerk-Treasurer Kyle Dixon; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson. Councilmembers absent: Doreen Hanson & Bob Stout. Councilmember Slinkard MOVED to excuse their absences. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Wilcomb MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of May 23, 2017. Councilmember Wekenman seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.
Saturday, June 10, there was a plug at the Union Street lift station. One handkerchief and one dishrag were flushed which stopped the pumps. This lift station services the new development and the senior center.
The painting of the pool has to be postponed until after the season because there is/was too much groundwater with the potential for pool damage if pool was emptied too soon.
POLICE REPORT:
Garfield has an ongoing drug-related, unattended death investigation.
Equipment is all working well.
The PD is actively contacting Palouse residents with vehicles with out-of-state plates. As per Chief Neumann, “If you are driving an out of state plate and living in Palouse, you will be contacted and expected to comply. The penalties are expensive.”
Officer Handley is now a certified range master for rifles and pistols.
On June 3, there was a minor crash of a smaller, home-built airplane on HWY 27 between Palouse and Garfield. Pilot hit an overhead wire and lost a propeller. No injuries.
CLERK-TREASURER REPORT:
There will be two public hearings at next council meeting: one on 2018 revenue sources and one on the six-year street plan.
No start or completion date yet from Apollo for the expansion of our solar project.
Work on Whitman Street is progressing, with no issues yet.
The library is postponing their new carpet project until next year so the city’s financial portion can now be part of 2018 budget.
The city received no bids on the leftover sand pile located at 200 E. Whitman Street in front of the skate park. The city took due diligence in trying to surplus it and now anyone can help themselves.
City staff met today with AWC regarding health insurance plan options for 2018. CT Dixon will bring staff’s recommendation at a later council meeting. Across the board the coverage won’t be as good but premiums will be down a little to reflect that lesser coverage.
OLD BUSINESS:
TD&H Engineering update on water tower/reservoir on South Hill in Palouse-
Michelle Bly and Gwen Ellis gave an update on the project. They met at City Hall last week with Supt. Griffin and CT Dixon. They’re working through the preliminary engineering report to determine different alternatives. One option is using city-owned property at the cemetery and construct an elevated storage reservoir. In order to get into the existing pressure zone, we need approximately 45’ height, possibly closer to 60’ depending on reservoir size. The land is already city-owned. Ballpark estimate is $2-$2.5 million depending on whether it’s a 300,000 gallon reservoir or a 500,000 gallon reservoir. Second option would be to the SE of town, which would put us in the existing pressure zone. Ballpark estimate is 1.8 million but does not include cost of acquiring some needed farm land and easements. Based on discussion, TD&H will continue working on funding and grant applications with the first option as the priority. All applications will include as a priority the Church Street improvements.
NEW BUSINESS:
Resolution No. 2017-05: authorizing Fire Chief to purchase fire truck under special market conditions– A used 1995 fire truck that meets the fire department’s specs is available in Tennessee. Fire captain Bruce Beeson went back and inspected and test drove the fire truck and gave his recommendation to purchase. Recognizing that when a used piece of equipment is available which meets specs and is at a favorable price, it would likely be sold before the usual bidding process could be completed, this resolution authorizes Fire Chief Bagott to negotiate and purchase the fire truck outside normal bidding procedures. The City of Palouse has appropriated a maximum of $52,000 to cover half of the purchase, with the other half provided by Whitman County Rural Fire District 4. The truck, if purchased, should be in Palouse in six weeks, depending on when rural pays their portion. Truck will be 3rd party certified to guarantee water pressure before we purchase. This truck would replace the current 1985 which doesn’t have a lot of value in it but will be sold. City of Farmington has expressed interest in purchasing the 1985. Mayor read aloud the resolution in its entirety. Councilmember Wilcomb MOVED to adopt Resolution No. 2017-05, seconded by Councilmember Wekenman. Motion carried unanimously.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
City received the Office of Financial Management’s preliminary population estimate for Palouse. The population in 2017 is 1,050. In 2010 the population was 998.
Liquor license renewal for McLeod’s Palouse Market. No objections.
CT Dixon is attending a TIB meeting in Davenport Thursday and he is attending the AWC workshop the 21-22 in Vancouver.
Mayor’s Roundtable is June 28 in Palouse.
ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS: Councilmember Hicks MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed. Councilmember Estes seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
The following checks are approved for payment:
Payroll Paid 5/31/17 Ck. #8325-8340 & EFT $40,285.11
Claims Paid 6/13/17 Ck. #8341-8381 & EFT $47,264.95
ADJOURN: Councilmember Hicks MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Wilcomb seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.
APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________