MONDAY
NOVEMBER 05, 2018
The
Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular Session in the Commission
Room located at City Hall.
PRESENT:
Doug Meyer Mayor
Lucus Kumberg Commissioner
Gary Schmidt Commissioner
Jason Leslie Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT:
Roy Eckert City Manager
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Regina Probst City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Nate Humble Police Chief
Russell Rambat Public Works Director
Jamie Huber Dir. of Electric :Utilities
Bruce Pinkall Recreation Director
CALL TO ORDER:
The
regular meeting was called to order by Mayor Meyer. The Mayor instructed the City Clerk to note
that all Commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Peters.
The
Mayor reminded the audience that this meeting may be taped and/or recorded.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE:
Commissioner
Schmidt led the staff and audience in the invocation and Mayor Meyer led the
Pledge of Allegiance.
CONSENT AGENDA:
·
October
15, 2018 Regular Commission Meeting
Commissioner
Schmidt made a motion to approve the consent agenda. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Kumberg and carried unanimously.
BUSINESS:
PRESENTATION OF THE
2018 TOM MCGAUGHEY FIRE SERVICE AWARD TO THE PRATT CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT AND
MEMBERS:
Kansas
State Fire Marshall Doug Jorgensen thanked the Commission for allowing him to
present this award to the department.
Fire Marshall Jorgensen commented that he felt that local fire
departments go unnoticed until they are needed and that people did not realize
the time and effort it takes whether they were a volunteer or a full time
firefighter. Fire Marshall Jorgensen
stated that it was always important to put the public service entities in the
public anytime that we could.
Fire
Marshall Jorgensen explained that this award was based on an event that
happened on November 21, 1968 at the Yingling Chevrolet Company in
Wichita. Fire Marshall Jorgensen stated
that Fire Chief Tom McCaughey, Chief Fire Inspector M.O. Wells and firefighters
Dale Mishler and Jimmy Austin died when the roof collapsed and they became
trapped under tons of burning debris.
Fire Marshall Jorgensen commented that Chief McCaughey’s department
along with the Office of the State Fire Marshall and the Kansas State
Association of Firefighters established this award in 1971. Fire Marshall Jorgensen stated that this was
the 47th year anniversary of this award; however, it was the 50th
anniversary of the tragic fire.
Fire
Marshall Jorgensen stated that the Tom McCaughey Fire Service Award was presented
to the Pratt City Fire Chief David Kramer at the Chief’s Conference a few weeks
ago and was for bravery above the call of duty.
Fire Marshall Jorgensen then asked that Chief Kramer address the
Commission concerning his nominations for this award. Chief Kramer stated that he had not told the
guys that they were being nominated for this award and he then read the letter
that he had written to the Fire Marshall’s office nominating Lt. Chad Van
Slyke, Firefighters Justin Sanko, Richard Rawson, Jerod Gilmore, Lee Van Slyke
and Kenny Lee for this award due to their selfless act of heroism during the
devastating fire on January 25, 2018 that claimed the lives of four children
and their mother. Chief Kramer commented
that the word hero or heroic was resisted in public service when talking about
fire, law enforcement or public safety.
Chief
Kramer then read the names of the six members of the Pratt City Fire Department
that were receiving the Tom McCaughey Fire Service Award as Fire Marshall
Jorgensen presented them their award.
The firefighters and the department were received with applause by those
attending the meeting. Mayor Meyer
thanked Fire Marshall Jorgensen and Chief Kramer and stated that these were
ordinary guys doing extraordinary things.
Mayor Meyer commented that he appreciated the support they gave each
other because this was truly a team effort.
Mayor Meyer added that they received this award today, but they get to
live with the memory every day. Commissioner
Leslie stated that he had listened to the entire event that day and he was
amazed at the amount of heroism and courage the firefighters demonstrated. Commissioner Leslie thanked the department
for that and for what they do.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL TO INVEST FRA FUNDS:
Fire
Lt. Chad Van Slyke stated that he was asking for approval to invest $20,000 of
FRA money per a request from the City Attorney and these were funds that paid
for their insurance and that any extra funds could be invested in
annuities. City Attorney Probst stated
that there were certain requirements according to KSA 40-1706 that had not been
done before. Ms. Probst explained that
the purpose of this relief organization was to provide for the firefighters
that were injured in the line of duty or for families of those that died in the
line of duty. Ms. Probst commented that
the funds could be invested with certain limitations and they needed the
Commission to approve that investment.
Commissioner Kumberg questioned if this was something that they do
themselves or appoint by an ordinance.
Lt. Van Slyke stated that Waddell and Reed invested these funds for
about two hundred fire departments and it had always worked out well with them
taking care of everything. With no more
discussion, Commissioner Leslie made a motion to approve the FRA funds of
$20,000 to be invested as presented. The
motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF REQUESTS FOR THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK EVENT ON SATURDAY,
NOVEMBER 17, 2018:
Chamber
Director Kim DeClue took a moment to thank the fire department for helping with
this event by roasting 800 pounds of peanuts.
Ms. DeClue stated that they were always willing to help out when she
needed them. Ms. DeClue commented that
these requests for the Christmas in the Park event were the same as the last
few years. Ms. DeClue pointed out that
the park would be shut down to through traffic at a request from the insurance
company and they were hoping for about 3,000 in attendance with twenty vendors
currently signed up. Ms. DeClue stated
that she would work with Recreation Director Pinkall and Public Works Director
Rambat for the street closures. Ms.
DeClue explained that Santa Fe Street would be made a one-way street coming
from Main Street and heading east and Pine Street would allow people to leave
heading north. Ms. DeClue stated that
they would again allow parking just west of the shelters and there would be
free horse and buggy rides in the park.
Ms. DeClue commented that she had worked with Director of Electrical
Utilities Huber on the electrical hub and she would need to have porta potties,
trash receptacles and picnic tables placed around the park. Ms. DeClue added that she had also visited
with Mr. Rambat about getting Santa’s House to the park. Ms. DeClue stated that there was also a race
after the lights had been turned on and she asked that the park remained closed
until around 6:30 p.m. Commissioner
Kumberg made a motion to approve the requests for the Christmas in the Park
event on November 17, 2018. The motion
was seconded by Commissioner Leslie and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF APPOINTMENTS TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that the procedure for putting new members on a
committee had changed. City Attorney
Probst stated that the Planning and Zoning Commission would still make
recommendations; however, there would be a consensus of the Commission to
accept the recommendations and then the Mayor would appoint those
positions. Mr. Blankenship commented
that there were two vacancies due to Mr. Fred Sullivan moving and Mr. Mike
Farney resigning after one meeting. Mr.
Blankenship explained that Mr. Kyle Farmer would be the recommendation for the
City seat and Mr. Bryan Barnard would be the recommendation for the County
seat. With no more discussion, City
Clerk Kramer took the following roll call vote:
Commissioner Kumberg-yes; Commissioner Leslie-yes; Mayor Meyer-yes;
Commissioner Schmidt-yes. With the
consensus being unanimous, Mayor Meyer stated that Mr. Kyle Farmer and Mr. Bryan
Barnard would fill the two vacancies on the Planning and Zoning Commission.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF EMPLOYEE WAGE INCREASES FOR LINE DISTRIBUTION:
Director
of Electric Utilities Huber stated that the problem with being short capable
qualified employees was that it was not just a department problem, but a
community problem. Mr. Huber addressed
the letter that was in the packet that he had written and pointed out several
aspects that the Commission were probably not aware of. Mr. Huber stated that linemen had
specialized, specific training and they were all individually invested. Mr. Huber commented that a lineman was
required to have a Class A CDL, required to take random drug screenings, be versed
in pole top and bucket rescue along with being on-call. Mr. Huber stated that all of the linemen had
gone through the Power Technology Program either through Pratt Community
College or through the line program in Manhattan and they were required to have
their own climbing gear and tools. Mr.
Huber explained that each employee was spending around $2,000 for their own
gear and tools, which was on top of their tuition of around $6,000; however, if
they lived in the dorm it could add about $4,500 to $6,500 per semester to
their investment. Mr. Huber read from
his letter and it stated that the City also had on-going training programs, so we
had an investment in each employee.
Mr.
Huber stated that a succession plan was discussed at the last staff meeting,
but it was very hard to do when you cannot keep employees. Mr. Huber added that he would be down two
employees next week. Mayor Meyer asked
how long they had been with the City.
Mr. Huber stated that one of them had been here five years. Mr. Huber commented that the City had a
problem by not having linemen with experience.
Mr. Huber added that the City had aging infrastructure that continually
needs upkeep and maintenance. Mr. Huber
stated that he did not want to go into the winter shorthanded, because it would
take twice as long to do something.
Mr.
Huber stated that he was just asking for guidance. Commissioner Leslie asked if the employee
leaving would stay if he knew about a wage increase. Mr. Huber stated that he did not know, but it
did not touch what he was offered from another company. Mayor Meyer questioned if we would have to
call in other crews if we had a bad situation.
Mr. Huber commented that we were part of the mutual aid program, but you
still had to pay them out of your budget if FEMA was not in the picture. Mr. Huber explained that you could hire
contractors, but that was expensive. Mr.
Huber stated that this increase was around $50,000 for the whole department and
a contractor could cost up to $100,000.
Public Works Director Rambat stated that you lose a lot of local
knowledge and double the time of repair if you go to contracting things
out. Mr. Huber commented that he had
only had to hire contractors to do boring and he took pride in the fact that
the City did their own work and were well rounded.
Commissioner
Leslie questioned why Mr. Huber had chosen $18.05 instead of $19.00 per
hour. Mr. Huber stated that he felt that
would have been pushing it. Mr. Huber
commented that Russell paid their linemen $17.00 per hour with no
schooling. Commissioner Kumberg asked if
we ever did exit interviews. Mr. Rambat
stated that we typically do for retirees.
City Manager Eckert commented that very few had left since he had been
here, but they move to go to bigger Cities or better wages. Mr. Eckert stated that he had heard very
little negativity and the longevity of the City’s employees was
phenomenal. Commissioner Kumberg
questioned what the percentage of turnover was.
Mr. Huber stated that he was not sure of the percentage; however, six people
had left in the last year. Mayor Meyer
stated that he understood where Commissioner Kumberg was going with his
question about percentage of turnovers and he just wondered why. Mr. Huber commented that it was contagious
and they just see the others going where the money was. Commissioner Kumberg commented that he was
curious if there was a company or companies that were targeting our employees
or if the employees were just actively looking.
Mr. Huber stated that they were all going to different places and one of
the guys was local but he chose to go to Liberal.
Commissioner
Leslie commented that this was way overdue, but it needed to be done
right. Mr. Huber stated that he had not
realized we were that low until he started checking and it was actually
embarrassing. Mr. Huber commented that
this was the beginning and then we could not let it slack again. Mayor Meyer stated that he wanted to consider
this tonight and discuss it further in executive session. Mayor Meyer did agree that something had to
be done. Mr. Huber stated that this had
happened about fifteen years ago and they decided to do a $2.00 per hour
increase. Finance Director Garten stated
that it was hard to compare City to City since there were different systems. Ms. Garten commented that KPERS was not that
attractive anymore even though we have other benefits. Mr. Eckert stated that the economy had gone
up in the last two years and businesses were coming back, which causes a lot of
people to go where the jobs were.
Commissioner Kumberg stated that millennials did not look at insurance
and retirement the same way.
Mayor
Meyer stated that contract labor could make twice as much as a City employee
and they would not have a clue as to what was going on within our system. Mr. Huber stated that his biggest fear was
service to the City and everything runs on electricity. Mr. Huber added that we assume that there
will be electricity. Mayor Meyer
commented that we did not want to put an unexperienced man in a guarded
situation. Mr. Huber stated that he had
three men in the journeyman program at different stages and the others were
already journeymen. Mayor Meyer stated
that they would table the approval and discuss it further in an executive
session after reports. Mayor Meyer added
that the approval would be on the next meeting agenda.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF THE CITY MANAGER’S EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT:
Mayor
Meyer stated that the City Manager’s contract was in the packet and commented
that the Commission had just recently finished his yearly evaluation. Mayor Meyer asked the City Attorney if she
had any comments. Ms. Probst stated that
she had not realized that this was going to be on the agenda until she got the
packet; however, she did see a few things that she would have done
differently. Ms. Probst stated that she
would have changed the date of 2016 to the current date and remove the
paragraph about moving expenses. Ms.
Probst commented that Section 3 discussed the term of one year and that should
begin with November 05, 2018. Mayor
Meyer asked Mr. Eckert if he was agreeable to those changes. Mr. Eckert stated that he was, but he would
like to have the clause stating by the end of August to stay there and the
annual review to be done no later than August 3rd.
Mayor
Meyer stated that Mr. Eckert had not been given a raise last year and he had
not had one this year. Mayor Meyer added
that Mr. Eckert had taken minimal vacation in the last two years also. Mayor Meyer suggested approving the contract
with minor modifications and to consider a raise for Mr. Eckert. Commissioner Schmidt commented that it was at
Mr. Eckert’s request that he not get a raise and he appreciated that. Mayor Meyer stated that it was his opinion
that they look at doing 6% to cover both years.
Commissioner Kumberg asked if that was within their budget authority.
Ms. Garten stated that 3% was in the 2019 budget and it could handle it.
With
no more discussion, Commissioner Leslie made a motion to approve Mr. Eckert’s
extended contract with minor adjustments and to approve a two year wage
increase to total 6% effective next pay period.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF THE CERTIFICATE RELATING TO THE SOLAR FARM:
City
Attorney Probst stated that the Kenyan solar people had sent out a renewed
Certificate that acknowledges that certain permits, lease agreements, etc. were
still in effect. Ms. Probst commented
that there were no breeches on either side and she explained that she had made
one date change on the building permit from July 19th to July 25th. Ms. Probst added that the conditional use
permit and the electrical permit were correct.
Mr. Probst stated that she had also visited with Director of Electric
Utilities Huber and he stated that Exhibit A was also correct. Ms. Probst stated that this provides
additional assurances and she recommended that the Commission approve the
Certificate. Commissioner Kumberg made a
motion to approve the Certificate relating to the solar farm as presented. Commissioner Leslie seconded the motion and
the motion and second passed unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA:
No
one in the audience wished to address the Commission.
Drug Dog:
Mayor
Meyer stated that Officer McCarley and the drug dog were back from training and
he had had the chance to visit with Interim Chief Ward and Officer McCarley
earlier. Mayor Meyer explained that
Officer McCarley and Finrir, a Dutch Shephard, had been at training for six
weeks. Officer McCarley stated that
their class was rather large and it was hard to get the repetitions in for that
many dogs. Officer McCarley commented
that they worked from about 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. and there was a test
every Friday. Officer McCarley stated
that he had to do a term paper and work a lot on obedience. Officer McCarley explained that he knows his
dope, which were meth, marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Interim Chief Ward stated that Fin was one of
the top producers and had done very well.
Commissioner Kumberg asked if he had a service vest. Officer McCarley stated that he could have
one, but they had not gotten one yet.
Mayor Meyer thanked Officer McCarley for taking the time away from his
family.
REPORTS:
City Manager:
·
Trip to Indiana:
City
Manager Eckert stated that he had traveled to Indiana with Mayor Meyer to visit
with Inovateus and be part of a nationwide video.
·
Water Board Conference:
Mr.
Eckert stated that he would be attending a Water Board Conference in Manhattan
with Public Works Director Rambat next week.
Mr. Eckert commented that water was serious and it was an issue as the
population grows. Mr. Eckert explained
that it was concerning what Kansas was not getting.
·
State Highway meeting:
Mr.
Eckert stated that Mr. Rambat and he had also attended the State Highway
meeting in Hays concerning road issues.
Mr. Eckert commented that the head of KDOT was there and, after visiting
with Mayor Meyer, they felt that they needed to set something straight with the
bypass issue. Mr. Eckert explained that
it had been stated at another meeting that Pratt wanted the bypass to go ahead
and this was done without our knowledge.
Mr. Eckert commented that there were a lot of good questions and we
would be watching to see what the outcome would be. Mr. Eckert stated that that input should come
from a City official and not from somewhere else.
Public Works:
·
Pioneer Park:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that he had hired a contractor for a small
drainage project in Pioneer Park.
·
Drainage issues:
Mr.
Rambat commented that there was another drainage issue and it involved the
ditch by Mr. Don Detwiler’s house. Mr.
Rambat stated that the wall on the east side was cinder block and was
disintegrating. Mr. Rambat explained
that he would have the contractor work with Mr. Detwiler and they would be
leaving the existing rock with the rebar and pour a new 4” wall on top of it
and add an inch in height.
·
Lemon Park entrance:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the new sign was up at the Lemon Park entrance. Mr. Rambat commented that they would get the
masonry lined out and do it in a limestone that would match the shelters.
·
Website:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the website was moving along.
Building Inspections:
·
Planning & Zoning meeting:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that there was a Planning and Zoning meeting last
Thursday for the preliminary of the Ashley Corner Subdivision. Mr. Blankenship explained that that was where
Home Lumber was going to go and another company had bought it. Mr. Blankenship commented that this property
was divided last time and it could not be revised again; therefore, they had to
do another subdivision. Mr. Blankenship
stated that there would be two frontage lots and would be more appetizing for
businesses coming in. Mr. Blankenship
commented that the Planning and Zoning Commission approved this and there would
have to be a twenty day waiting period. Mr.
Blankenship stated that the public hearing would be December 6th.
·
Comprehensive Plan:
Mayor
Meyer asked if they were still working on the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Blankenship stated that they were and
they were looking into redoing it because a lot of the current plan had been
fulfilled. Mr. Blankenship commented
that they needed a new vision and this had been budgeted for 2020. Mayor Meyer questioned if this would include
public input. Mr. Blankenship stated
that it would. City Attorney Probst
stated that the current plan was really outdated and public input was very
valuable. Ms. Probst commented that she
had proposed to the Planning and Zoning Committee that they gut this one and
start again.
·
Armory:
Mr.
Blankenship reminded the Commission that the Armory had received approval about
five years ago to put in a parking lot.
Mr. Blankenship stated that they had asked for the City to vacate the
alley at the time and we did not agree to do that. Mr. Blankenship added that the City had a big
sewer system that had to be assessable.
Electric Department:
·
Roof replaced:
Director
of Electric Utilities Huber stated that the power plant roof was going to
finally be replaced. Mr. Huber added
that Power Plant Supervisor Evans thinks that it should be done by Thursday.
·
Christmas Lights:
Mr.
Huber commented that the line guys were working on the Christmas lights and
they would be ready for the November 17th event.
·
Solar Farm:
Mr.
Huber informed the Commission that all the panels were on at the solar farm and
that they plan on heating it up around December 4th. Mr. Huber added that Integreen Services was
out there pulling wire and moving right along.
·
Street lights:
Mr.
Huber stated that the North Main Street lights were off and they were on a
system that was installed in the 1930’s and probably the last one in the
State. Mr. Huber explained that all the
moisture had burnt the wires somewhere and there was probably more than one
section burnt up. Mr. Huber stated that
this was a 2400 volt system and very dangerous; therefore it was shut off for
now. Mr. Huber commented that he was not
sure how they would be moving forward.
Mr. Huber stated that he had $10,000 budgeted this year and next, but
they were looking at having to bore into the street to each pole. Mr. Huber added that some of the poles in
that area were the original cast iron.
Mr. Huber stated that there were nineteen poles and five different styles
of lights. Mr. Huber commented that he
would not recommend doing overhead due to the amount of trees. Mayor Meyer questioned if we could replace
them with ones that looked like those used in the Main Street project. Mr. Huber stated that those were too
tall. Mayor Meyer commented that $20,000
would not go very far and Mr. Huber agreed.
Recreation
Department:
·
Municipal Building:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that they were hoping to get a time line about the
historic status of the Municipal Building and they also were looking at other
issues as to how to cool the gym, which could come before the historic
decision. Mr. Pinkall added that they
were also looking at the cost of fixing or replacing the roof. Mayor Meyer asked what the long term plan
would be for the Municipal Building. Mr.
Pinkall stated that it was not going to be a quick process and they were not
going to be able to fix everything.
·
Leak at Dickerson Field:
Mr.
Pinkall thanked Public Works Director Rambat for this help this past weekend
when they had a leak on Dickerson Field in Lemon Park. Mr. Pinkall commented that someone had run
over a valve box, but they had killed the juice and the leak was stopped.
·
Interlocal Agreement:
Mr.
Pinkall stated that the college wanted to push the track and soccer field
project forward, but he would push forward with an Interlocal Agreement if the
Commission wanted him to do so. Mr.
Pinkall commented that we had to keep the City’s best interests recognized in
the agreement. The Commission were in
agreement to let Mr. Pinkall get the agreement started.
Police Department:
·
Officer McCarley:
Interim
Police Chief Ward stated that Officer McCarley had started his shift work
today.
·
Dispatcher:
Interim
Chief Ward informed the Commission that he had hired a fourth dispatcher and
they had twenty years of experience.
·
Resignation:
Interim
Chief Ward stated that he had accepted the resignation of one of his officers
and it was not due to any ill will.
Interim Chief Ward commented that he was a commercial pilot and wanted
to get back to flying. Interim Chief
Ward added that he did have two certified guys that were wanting to come to
work in Pratt so there should not be any down time.
Finance Department:
·
Auditors:
Finance
Director Garten stated that the auditors would be here Wednesday to do a
preliminary review concerning our internal control processes.
Mayor and Commission:
·
Inovateus trip:
Mayor
Meyer stated that he had gone to visit the Inovateus offices with the City
Manager and the challenge was getting there and back home. Mayor Meyer commented that the day was from
8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and they worked on a promotional video and press
release. Mayor Meyer stated that he was
confident that Inovateus was the way to go.
Mayor Meyer added that the meeting was offsite and on the Notre Dame
campus. Mayor Meyer stated that they had
talked about the promotion and organizing a conference here in Pratt to draw in
other municipalities and show them what we had done. Mayor Meyer commented that they had suggested
that we hold a contest and let school kids name the plant. Mayor Meyer stated that they had restructured
their company and had financial backing; therefore, the next project would be a
turnkey operation with Inovateus.
·
Fire Department:
Mayor
Meyer stated that he was very proud of the firefighters. Mayor Meyer commented that the Fire Marshall
had told him that the caliber of this department was impressive.
·
Executive Session:
Mayor
Meyer made a motion to enter into executive session for non-elected personnel
to last thirty minutes. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Leslie and carried unanimously.
Mayor
Meyer made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to
report. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
RECESS:
Commissioner
Kumberg made a motion to recess until Monday, November 19th at 11:00
a.m. for the City/County joint meeting at City Hall. Commissioner Leslie seconded the motion and
it carried unanimously.
DOUG MEYER, Mayor
ATTEST:
______________________________________
LUANN
KRAMER, City Clerk