Palouse City Council
Regular Council Meeting
October 27, 2015

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 Chief Jerry Neumann; Police Officer Joe Handley; Building Inspector Dan Gladwill; City Attorney Eric Hanson; & Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Under Clerk-Treasurer report, there was a typo: the total amount remaining due on the backhoe is $7,647.75, not $71,647.75. Councilmember Wekenman MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Public Hearing on the Shoreline Management Plan and the amended minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of October 13, 2015. Councilmember Langsett seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Supt. Griffin submitted a written report.
Well #3 pump was pulled for annual preventative maintenance. Some bearings and other minor things are needed.

Councilmember Wekenman inquired about the care of the Nature Walk; do we or do we not want the public to maintain the landscaping there? The Parks Committee will meet to discuss the future care of the Nature Walk.

POLICE REPORT: Officer Handley will be attending a field-training in Spokane next week.
The PD is continuing to investigate a resident verbally accosting people around Palouse.
The battery on Chief Neumann’s police vehicle went bad but replaced for free because it was still under warranty.

The city received a complaint letter today from a north hill resident regarding their neighbors. The complainant is concerned with accumulating garbage and junk in the yard as well as a persistently barking dog, all of which may be violations of Palouse’s nuisance ordinance. Councilmember Wekenman observed the property today from the vantage point of the complainant and it’s very obvious what’s going on. Councilmember Wekenman encouraged the police to treat it as any other complaint/issue. Police will proceed accordingly. Councilmember Wekenman will follow-up with complainant.

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT:
End of third quarter. Palouse has done pretty well this year. 4/6 new houses in the new development have had their final inspection and been signed off. The other two are mid-stage.
Regarding the safety concerns of the vacant Palouse Arms Apartment Building, BI Dan Gladwill inspected it from the outside and it doesn’t look safe. Dan has written a letter to the property owner which will be mailed tomorrow via certified mail.

JOINT FIRE BOARD REPORT:
The meeting was 10/19/15. Councilmembers Wekenman, Langsett, and Ossinger were in attendance.
On the finance side, Annie Pillers reported that everything is still way under budget even though they dispensed firefighter reimbursement checks early and the EMS spent $3,800 on training and supplies.
There were 8 EMS calls in September. There were 3 fire calls in September, 26 YTD.
The FD had a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) training. Firefighters Marv Pillers and Moses Boone attended the Emergency Vehicle Incident Program. EMS is sending two individuals to EMT training.

OLD BUSINESS:
Nicole Wood’s ongoing issues with her property and city maps:
The SMP consultants responded in detail 10/21/15 to Ms. Wood regarding the shoreline management plan issues she submitted in writing 10/13/15.
Nicole Wood’s ongoing issues with her property and the city were discussed and no further action was taken.

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS:
Streets & Sidewalks, Chair Hicks-
Follow-up on the dangerous sidewalks, Councilmember Hicks has begun identifying properties in town. He is drafting a letter to go to those specific property owners whose sidewalks are in definite violation of code. He will also have rest of the committee review properties.

Parks, Cemetery, & Buildings, Chair Estes-
Councilmember Estes will follow up on the Palouse Arms Bldg.
Additionally, she will meet with committee in regards to the care of the Nature Walk.

Personnel & Pool, Chair Pearce-
Received a formal complaint today from Nicole Wood against city staff. Councilmember Pearce has already started her research. She will take to committee and follow-up with Ms. Wood.

Finance, Property, & Equipment, Chair Langsett-
Finance Committee members Wekenman and Langsett met with CT Bagott and Mayor Echanove on 10/22/15 to review the 2016 budget. They examined the budget for nearly two hours going line-item by line-item. Overall the budget is extremely conservative. CT Bagott reduced the expenditures and lowered estimated revenues for a “worst case” scenario outlook. With telephone land-line revenue dropping and unknown factors such as sales tax revenue, it’s best to be cautious and factor revenues in lower than they currently are. Overall our finances look sound and attainable.

The legal announcements for both the preliminary budget public hearing and the final budget public hearing have been sent to the paper for publication.

OPEN FORUM:
Hua Ming Newman was in attendance to observe the meeting in order earn a Boy Scout badge.

MAYOR’S REPORT:
CT Bagott and Mayor attended the IACC conference last week in Wenatchee. Heard from multiple funding partners in attendance and what they see in store for 2016 and 2017.

In November, CT Bagott and Mayor Echanove will be attending the CERB meeting in Olympia in regards to the $50,000 applied for grant for the WWTP facility plan. The Palouse WWTP citizen advisory board will be meeting November 3 with the city’s consultants Varela & Associates.

The city received a liquor license renewal for the Bank Left Gallery & Bistro for beer, wine & restaurant privileges. There were no council concerns.

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

ADJOURN: Councilmember Pearce MOVED to adjourn. Councilmember Estes seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. The council meeting adjourned at 7:48 PM.

After adjournment, PW Supt. Griffin remembered Roto-Rooter needs council permission to work in the city right-of-way on I Street to replace a sewer line for a resident. All council was still present and there were no council objections.

The following checks are approved for payment:
Void: Ck. #6979 $ (3.74)
Claims Paid Ck. #6997-7010 & EFT $1,918.98

APPROVED: ________________________________ ATTEST: ________________________________