Palouse City Council
Regular Council Meeting
June 25, 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; John Snyder; Rick Wekenman; Mark Wilcomb; Katie Cooper. Councilmember Cooper MOVED to excuse Councilmember Sievers absence. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; Police Chief Jerry Neumann; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Cook MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of June 11, 2019 as written. Councilmember Snyder seconded. Motion carried.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.
The city received two bids for the 2019 road oiling: BST Surfacing bid $9,243.85; Lyman Dust Control bid $16,978.50. BST has done the oiling the last few years. Supt. Griffin is satisfied with their work. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to accept the BST Surfacing bid. Seconded by Councilmember Wilcomb. Motion carried.
POLICE REPORT:
-Chief Neumann reminds public about fireworks safety and using only legal fireworks. Pullman fireworks stands sell only legal fireworks, including aerials. Must be labeled “safe & sane”. As of right now, Whitman County and Palouse don’t have any other bans on fireworks. Signs will be posted around town.
-A garage prowler was discovered on the north hill by a homeowner but not caught. Due diligence is needed; lock up your homes and garages. PD will try and do more evening patrols.
-Officer Leighton Cox’s position with the Palouse PD has been terminated as of last week. The city went through the normal vetting process of polygraph and psychological background check. However, the city can only go with what information is/was provided to us. Some of the issues didn’t come to light until after we hired him. All of Cox’s equipment has been returned. In the short-term Chief is looking at he and Officer Anderson filling in 24/7 for both Palouse and Garfield until Reserve Officer Snead returns August 24th. The Police, Fire, & Safety Committee will meet to discuss how to move forward.
JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:
-Mark Wilcomb reported financials are where expected. No surprises.
-The FD wants to sell the old ambulance. Mark Wilcomb MOVED to surplus the 1987 ambulance. It will be towed away at buyer’s expense. Councilmember Wekenman seconded. Motion carried.
-Crews continue to train twice a month.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT:
-CA Dixon is at the AWC Annual Conference in Spokane through Thursday and will be joined by Councilmember Cook Wednesday.
-Avista has restructured our street light fee schedule. City can expect savings of roughly $2,500/year based on these changes. CA Dixon will continue to explore other possibilities that could further reduce this cost.
-The BOA will hear a variance request this Thursday relating to construction of duplexes on Harvest Loop.
-Installation of EV charging station at Heritage park began yesterday. Should be finished up by the end of next week.
-City is still on track to call for bids on Shady Lane project early next month. Preconstruction meeting will be held once contractor is selected.
-Palouse PD is down to Chief Neumann and Officer Anderson for now. Reserve Officer Snead is available toward the end of August. Chief Neumann has proposed a $200/week stipend for he and Officer Anderson to cover additional shifts and on-call time until Snead is available. CA Dixon believes that this temporary arrangement would be beneficial to the PD and the city financially and would terminate once we bring Snead back on.
COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:
Personnel & Pool, Chair Cook– Cliff Knauff has completed the pool-house painting project and it looks great. We requested $6,500 for the project and we spent $6,241. Supt. Griffin is going to install some vents and frame them in with donated, treated 2x6s.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Mayor wants the council to consider for 2020 budget the purchase of some radar speed signs (permanent signs that flash when speeding and tell you to slow down) for the entries into town. They are statistically proven to work.
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 6/25/19 Ck. #10119-10132 & EFT $7,623.96
ADJOURN: Councilmember Cook MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Slinkard seconded. Motion carried. The council meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.
APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________