DRAFT ONLY. Without council review or approval.
Palouse City Council
Public Hearing: 2015 preliminary budget
Followed by Regular Council Meeting
November 11, 2014

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; Bev Pearce; Christopher Langsett. Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin; Police Officer Joe Merry; Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson; Clerk-Treasurer in training Mike Bagott. Public present: Donna Langsett; Laurie Cortright; Darcie Bagott; Emily Bagott; Richard Styer; Leia Placke; Charlotte Omoto; Brad Pearce; Patti Green-Kent; Jens Hegg; Katie Cooper; Berlyn Hegg; Aaron Flansburg; Heidi Fluegel.

PUBLIC HEARING: 2015 preliminary budget & message –
No comments.
The city will know in a few weeks whether or not we’ll receive TIB funding for the west portion of Whitman Street.

Close public hearing & open regular council meeting: 7:08 pm

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of October 28, 2014. Councilmember Hanson seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.
The October 2013 Avista bill for Main Street lights with only HALF the lights on was $291.15; October 2014 with ALL the lights on was $190.08. October 2013 Whitman Street lights was $95.30; October 2014 $53.53. The savings from the LED light program are paying off.

POLICE REPORT: Officer Merry reported:
Quiet in both towns; working later patrols in both towns.
Charlotte Omoto inquired about the city police department using horse or bicycle patrol vs. using patrol cars; she thinks it might be more cost-effective and horses can go places that vehicles can’t. Councilmember Pearce responded that the response time alone wouldn’t work.

OLD BUSINESS:
Continued Discussion of PMC Title 6 Animals: The policy committee met after last council meeting and took into consideration everyone’s comments and thoughts. Councilmember Hanson reviewed Title 6 aloud. Conditional use permits are no longer required for animals as long as all the parameters of Title 6 and setbacks from Title 17 are met. Roosters are prohibited outright. Minimum pasture size isn’t changing from the existing code: 10,000 square feet of pasture for each cow, mule, donkey, and horse, and 5,000 square feet for each sheep, goat, llama, and alpaca, not including young less than six months of age at their mother’s side. Patti Green-Kent urged council to go by the American Vet Assn. recommendations for pasture sizes. Councilmember Wekenman pointed out to Patti that the AVA recommendation is approximately 13,000 square feet so that’s more prohibitive than our code. The city is in the process of working on an agreement with the school for their sheep pasture. A maximum of one pot-bellied pig per household and under no circumstances are market swine, breeding pigs, or pig litters allowed. Pigs must be licensed, just as dogs are licensed. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to set the maximum number of chickens at 10 per household. Councilmember Pearce seconded. This was a compromise that the committee felt was fair. Two nay votes. Motion carried. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to allow current chicken owners to be grandfathered in and maintain the number they have as long as there are no nuisances. Council discussion followed and the motion was subsequently removed from the table. Deputy Clerk Thompson will take to attorney for his recommendations.

NEW BUSINESS:
Ordinance No. 919 budget amendment:
Mayor read the ordinance aloud in its entirety. This reflects updated cost estimates in the Street Fund and Sewer Facility Reserve Fund. The Street Fund is being increased to reflect higher payments to Avista for street lighting as the streetlight project took longer than estimated to complete. The Sewer Facility Reserve Fund is being increased to reflect pre-planning costs for upgrades to the sewer plant. Councilmember Pearce MOVED to adopt Ordinance 919 as written. Councilmember Hanson seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Ordinance No. 920 adopting property tax increase for Emergency Medical Services for collection in 2015:
Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. The dollar amount of the increase over the actual levy amount for the previous year shall be $272 which is an increase of one percent. Mayor read it aloud a second time by title only. Councilmember Ossinger MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 920. Councilmember Wekenman seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Ordinance No. 921 setting the regular and special levy amounts for 2015 budget year:
Mayor read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. Special street levy (estimated $.761/$1,000); Special pool levy (estimated $.484/$1,000); voted regular EMS levy (estimated $.471/$1,000); general levy (estimated $3.10/$1,000). Total amount to be raised by taxation is approximately $280,751. Councilmember Hanson MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 921. Councilmember Wekenman seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Ordinance No. 922 adopting PMC Title 17
Councilmember Wekenman MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Estes, to suspend the reading of the ordinance (it’s 45 pages). Mayor read aloud Ordinance No. 922 by title only. Attorney Bishop finished approving Title 17 and wrote Ordinance No. 922 adopting Title 17. Councilmember Hicks MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Ossinger, to adopt Ordinance No. 922. Motion carried unanimously.

At the September 23, 2014 public hearing, city council approved both the zoning map and the comp plan to be adopted at the same time as Title 17 is adopted. Councilmember Ossinger MOVED to adopt the zoning map, seconded by Councilmember Hansen. Motion carried unanimously. Councilmember Pearce MOVEDto adopt the Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan. Councilmember Langsett seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Ordinance No. 923 amending PMC no. 676. Councilmember Wekenman read aloud the ordinance in its entirety. Amends PMC 18.04.050(B) and 18.04.060(B) establishing new minimum lot sizes of 7,000 square feet to reflect the changes initiated by the adoption of Title 17. Councilmember Pearce MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Hanson, to adopt Ordinance No. 923. Motion carried unanimously.

Resolution No. 2014-13 amending the fee schedule: removing the fee for police reports as per the advice of CIAW. Councilmember Hicks MOVED, seconded by Councilmember Estes, to adopt Resolution No. 2014-13. Motion carried unanimously.

Resolution No. 2014-14 adopting the 2015 salary schedule:
Councilmember Wekenman read aloud the resolution in its entirety. These salaries reflect a 5% increase for Don Myott, Dwayne Griffin, Jerry Neumann; 8% increase for Marc Arrasmith; 9.7% increase for Ann Thompson; and 10% increase for Officers Snead and Merry. Councilmember Langsett pointed out that in 2010 there was a 0% increase to salaries; in 2011 there was a 3% pay-cut to all salaries to help with the decreased city budget; 0% increase in 2012; 0% increase in 2013. In 2014 the 3.1% pay-cuts were restored. Council agreed that the city needs to work diligently to get our staff up to at least the starting wage for state averages. Councilmember Hanson MOVED to adopt Resolution 2014-14. Councilmember Pearce seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:
No committee reports.

OPEN FORUM:
Aaron Flansburg had a couple Haunted Palouse concerns: power usage at the apartment building on corner of Whitman & Beach; and where the liability falls when damage is done to city property. Councilmember Pearce told Aaron that these are concerns he needs to bring to the Palouse Chamber of Commerce.

MAYOR’S REPORT:
Rick and the Mayor met with the Shoreline Master Plan county-wide committee in regards to the shoreline management plan update occurring throughout Whitman County. Of that plan, Palouse will have a separate annex. Each possible use of the shoreline gets marked as either: use is permitted outright; conditional use required; or prohibited. This plan is mandated by the legislature and is due by December 2015. It is an overlay map on all properties within 200’ of the high-water mark of the North Fork of the Palouse River.

Public Works got a quote from CTI of the Palouse for repairing the sidewalk elevation difference on the north side of Main Street by the library and St. Elmo’s Building. It poses a trip hazard. As per PMC, sidewalks are the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. The city will look into this further.

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

ADJOURN: Councilmember Pearce MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Langsett seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 9:36 PM.

The following checks are approved for payment:
Payroll Paid 10/31/14 Ck. #6091-6109 & EFT $36,651.33
Claims Paid 11/12/14 Ck. #6110-6136 & EFT $20,881.93

APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________