MONDAY
JANUARY 14, 2019
The
Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular Session in the Commission
Room located at City Hall.
PRESENT:
Doug Meyer Mayor
Gary Schmidt Commissioner
Don Peters Commissioner
Jason Leslie Commissioner
Zach Deeds Commissioner
Gary Schmidt Commissioner
Don Peters Commissioner
Jason Leslie Commissioner
Zach Deeds 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
Brad Blankenship Building Inspector
Jamie Huber Dir. of Electric :Utilities
Bruce Pinkall Recreation Director
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Regina Probst City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Nate Humble Police Chief
Russell Rambat Public Works Director
Brad Blankenship Building Inspector
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.
Mayor
Meyer reminded the audience that this meeting may be taped and/or recorded.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE:
Commissioner
Peters led the staff and audience in the invocation and Mayor Meyer led the
Pledge of Allegiance.
CONSENT AGENDA:
·
December
17, 2018 Regular Commission Meeting
·
January
14, 2019 Special Call 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
PLAQUES:
·
Mayor’s Plaque:
City
Manager Eckert awarded Mayor Meyer with the Mayor’s plaque and thanked him for
his hard work the past year.
·
Outgoing Commissioner’s
Recognition:
Mayor
Meyer stated that Commissioner Kumberg had been on the Commission since he had
been elected and had been the youngest Mayor in Pratt’s history. Mayor Meyer added that he had also served as
Mayor for two consecutive years. Mayor
Meyer thanked Commissioner Kumberg for his past service to the City of Pratt
and that he had enjoyed his time on the Commission with him as well as a
co-worker. Commissioner Kumberg was
given a glass plaque for his years with the City of Pratt.
CERTIFICATION OF
NOVEMBER 06, 2018 CITY GENERAL ELECTION:
City
Clerk Kramer read the election certification letter she had received from
County Clerk/Election Officer Kruse confirming that Mr. Zach Deeds had received
a majority of the votes in the November 06, 2018 general election.
OATH OF OFFICE GIVEN
TO NEWLY ELECTED CITY COMMISSIONER:
City
Clerk Kramer administered the Oath of Office to Commissioner Deeds and he took
his place at the dais.
REORGANIZATION OF
PRATT CITY COMMISSION:
·
Nomination for Mayor:
Commissioner
Schmidt made a motion for Mayor Meyer to continue as Mayor for 2019. Commissioner Schmidt stated that he was very
impressed with Mayor Meyer’s leadership and the attitude that he had had
holding the Mayor position for the past year.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
·
Nomination for Vice-Mayor:
Mayor
Meyer stated that he would make a motion to nominate Commissioner Schmidt as
Vice-Mayor. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
·
Designation of Official City
Depositories:
Commissioner
Peters made a motion to approve The Peoples Bank, Legacy Bank and the First
State Bank as the Official City Depositories.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
·
Designation of Official City
Newspaper:
Commissioner
Leslie made a motion to approve The Pratt Tribune as the official
newspaper. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Deeds and carried unanimously.
BUSINESS:
PRESENTATION TO THE
RECIPIENT OF THE 2018 JOE WYNN VOLUNTEER AWARD:
Mayor
Meyer awarded Ms. Mary Harms with the 2018 Joe Wynn Volunteer Award for all her
work with the Christmas lights in Lemon Park.
Mayor Meyer stated that this was something that the City awards annually
and it was not just given to someone but that they had earned it with countless
volunteer hours of work for the satisfaction of making the City better.
DISCUSSION ON
FIREWORKS:
Ms.
Cynthia Geesling, 223 Cambridge Drive, stated that she had concerns with fireworks. Ms. Geesling commented that she had been born
here and had moved back in September 2017 to enjoy her retirement, but she had
not been aware of the fireworks. Ms. Geesling
read her presentation to the Commission stating her concerns for veterans and
animals along with the medical helicopter that flies over her house. Ms. Geesling questioned why fireworks were
allowed anytime of the year and not totally banned. Ms. Geesling asked for more teeth to get this
stopped. Ms. Geesling stated that she
had finally called the police department at midnight on New Year’s Eve and she
commented that loud noises should not be allowed after 10:00 p.m.
Ms.
Geesling stated that there were several in her area that had new roofs and no
one wanted that on their roofs or in their yards. Ms. Geesling suggested that the City
Commission work with the County Commission to ban fireworks within a two mile
radius of town. Ms. Geesling added that
banning fireworks in town would make Pratt a quiet town and a safer place. Mayor Meyer questioned if we did not already
have a ban on fireworks in town. Police
Chief Humble stated that that was correct.
Mayor Meyer commented that the City would get with the County
Commission. Ms. Geesling stated that she
thought this was a danger. Mayor Meyer
stated that he appreciated her coming in.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF CEMETERY BOARD RE-APPOINTMENTS:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that there were two Cemetery Board members whose
terms were up at the end of this month.
Mr. Rambat commented that Ms. Lori Jones and Ms. Tonya Mantey were very
involved and had good attendance. Mr.
Rambat explained that they did not meet a whole lot unless there were new
projects, but they did get together to see what their plans were for veterans
or holidays. Mr. Rambat stated that it
was his recommendation to re-appoint Ms. Jones and Ms. Mantey to the Cemetery
Board for an additional three year term.
Commissioner Peters stated that it was great that they took an interest
and attend the meetings. With the
Commissioners all in agreement, Mayor Meyer re-appointed Ms. Jones and Ms.
Mantey to an additional three year term to the Cemetery Board.
PRESENTATION BY PRATT
CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT:
·
2018:
Fire
Chief David Kramer stated that they had been asked several times to give a
report about their year and he would be reviewing 2018 and sharing their
priorities for 2019. Chief Kramer stated
that 2018 was a very interesting year and it involved the worst fire in the department’s
history and would stay with them their entire lives and it was a sad moment for
the department and the community. Chief
Kramer commented that he could not be more proud of his guys than in this past
year. Chief Kramer explained that they
had nearly one hundred calls of a wide variety.
Chief
Kramer stated that training was very important to the department and they had
spent hundreds of hours doing a variety of training drills. Chief Kramer added that the guys had spent a
lot of time setting up their training house to train in a real live structure
fire environment. Chief Kramer stated
that since the January 2018 tragic fire, the department had started a smoke
detector program and it had exploded.
Chief Kramer explained that they had installed two hundred twenty-one
detectors in 2018 and he credited Captain Dan Decker, Engineer Justin Schwab
and others for going out every Wednesday night and some weekends to install the
smoke detectors for free. Chief Kramer
stated that the State Fire Marshall’s office had a smoke detector program;
however, their rules were that you had to own your home. Chief Kramer explained that his department
tries to get to everybody and the State law was that every home had to have a
working detector. Chief Kramer added
that they would install a smoke detector in a rental that the renter had to
maintain.
Chief
Kramer stated that the department was honored with the Tom McGaughey Award for
going above and beyond the call of duty and this was a very prestigious
award. Chief Kramer stated that they
closed out 2018 by being awarded a $5,500 Kansas Firefighter Recruitment and
Safety Grant and that was enough for two sets of bunker gear and another $5,000
for an extractor. Chief Kramer explained
that there was a huge push about cancer risks and that firefighters were three
times more likely to get cancer. Chief
Kramer commented that they wash down their gear really well and had a
respiratory protocol. Chief Kramer
stated that there was a lot of heartache in 2018; however there was a lot that
they were proud of and they appreciated all the support from the Commission.
·
2019:
Chief
Kramer stated that the department officers met regularly and training was at
the top of their list to continue in 2019.
Chief Kramer explained that they wanted to propose to the Commission
that they acquire a training facility.
Chief Kramer commented that he had visited with Police Chief Humble,
Sheriff and County departments and they thought a training facility could also
be utilized by them. Chief Kramer
explained that real live burns were beneficial and there was property north of
the college that would be a good space that probably would not be developed,
but could work for this. Chief Kramer
stated that the facility would be made out of shipping containers and they gave
a presentation of several different training facilities using the
containers. Captain Todd Hoffman stated
that they would like to train on a three story facility with different props;
however, they would start simple with the potential to get larger. Chief Kramer stated that the containers were
usually 20’ and 40’. Commissioner Leslie
questioned what the containers cost.
Chief Kramer stated that the 20’ containers were $1,950 and the 40’ were
$2,500. Chief Kramer explained that one
of their configurations was using four 40’ and two 20’ and then one additional
20’ container for storage, which totaled about $15,850. Chief Kramer stated that he had visited with
the other departments and they would configure this facility so that it could
be set up for tactical use as well as useful for the Police and Sheriff
departments.
Chief
Kramer explained that they would need a fire hydrant in that area and would
also like to be able to consider a mobile classroom for training. Chief Kramer added that they would also need
some area lighting that would require some minimal electrical work, but that
could be added as they go along. Chief
Kramer commented that he had visited with Water Superintendent Kelvin Clay about
the waterline. Public Works Director
Rambat stated that water should not be an issue. Commissioner Leslie suggested that they get
some numbers together. Chief Kramer
stated that they would do that and he just wanted a consensus that the Commission
was okay with them doing the facility over the next few years. Commissioner Peters asked if any of this was
in their 2019 budget. Chief Kramer
stated that he had talked about the container part, but they would not do it
without the Commission’s support.
Commissioner
Schmidt commented that they should bring it to the Commission when they were
ready. Mayor Meyer stated that the State
Fire Marshall had told him that this was the best volunteer fire department
that he had ever seen; therefore, he had no opposition at all. Chief Kramer assured the Commission that they
wanted this to look nice and would paint it and it would be well kept. Chief Kramer added that the guys were very skilled
and they did not mind getting their hands dirty.
·
Vehicle situation:
Chief
Kramer stated that they had been trying to figure out how to proceed with a
proposal for a vehicle to ‘fill in a gap’ for the fire flow requirement of
3,500 gallons per minute during an ISO survey.
Chief Kramer stated that the last ISO survey included Engine 6 and moved
us up to a Class 4, which was pretty good for a community of our size and a
volunteer department. Chief Kramer
explained that this could affect our insurance rating if we did not have a
third engine and they did another ISO survey.
Chief
Kramer stated that they had been looking around to see what could be available
and ran across a truck in St. Louis.
Chief Kramer commented that they had the truck listed for $75,000, but
said that they would take $50,000 after we explained to them who we were. Chief Kramer explained that their Chief
wanted this to go someplace that they would feel good about giving it to. Chief Kramer stated that one of his
firefighters would be in St. Louis this Wednesday and was going to go take a
look at it. Chief Kramer commented that
they would like to find a way to make this happen with reserve money; however,
they certainly were only asking the Commission to consider it. Commissioner Peters questioned if they would
hold it for us. Chief Kramer stated that
there was a chance that it could sell before we had an answer; however, they
were excited that we were going to be talking to our Commissioners
tonight. Commissioner Leslie asked how
much a new one like this would cost.
Chief Kramer stated that it would easily be $1,000,000.
Commissioner
Peters asked how much insurance could go up if our rating changed. Commissioner Leslie explained a formula and
said that it could be as much as $200 on a normal size home. Chief Kramer stated that the State used ISO as
a rating and that they go through your water supply, communications and fire
departments to come up with a formula. Chief
Kramer stated that we could possibly drop to a Class 3 if we had this vehicle
that alone pumps 2,000 gallons per minute.
Chief Kramer added that it takes a lot and, based on their point system,
we get a full credit for full time employees and half credit for
volunteers. Chief Kramer commented that
the ISO surveys used to be every twenty years and now they were doing them
every four.
Commissioner
Leslie questioned how much they might have in reserves. Finance Director Garten stated that she did
not know. Mayor Meyer asked how we could
make this happen. Ms. Garten commented
that she would need some time to look at it.
Mayor Meyer questioned if we could do a loan. Ms. Garten stated that she would see what was
in the fire equipment reserve and capital reserves. Ms. Garten reminded the Commission that the
fire department still had three or four years on their new truck. Chief Kramer stated that this truck would
fill the gap and then they would start rebuilding that truck once the newer one
was paid off. Chief Kramer stated that
this truck would not go out on every call.
Ms. Garten stated that the new truck’s lease payment was $37,188 per
year and that was serviced by the one mill assessed to the fire department. Ms. Garten added that there could be some
left over depending on the valuations.
Chief
Kramer informed the Commission that this truck was taken off line only because
they got a new one. Mayor Meyer stated
that this was a real opportunity; however, we had to be mindful of the
budget. Commissioner Peters asked who
would look it over. Chief Kramer stated
that Firefighter Clint Phye would look at it this week and then a couple more
would go look at it if he felt it would be worth the trip to St. Louis. Chief Kramer commented that the Chief and
Deputy Chief in St. Louis both told him that it was not about the money as much
as needing the space. Mayor Meyer asked
if they were storing it outside. Chief
Kramer stated that they were not.
Chief
Kramer stated that the department appreciated the Commission even considering
this truck. With little more discussion,
Mayor Meyer stated that there was a consensus of the Commission that they
continue to investigate. Chief Kramer thanked
the Commission and commented that this truck was not used to being driven eight
to nine hours at a time out on the highway; therefore, they would have to have
D & R Trucking transport it to Pratt.
Chief Kramer stated that D & R would do this at a minimal cost;
however, their concern was the height of the truck even using a drop
trailer. With no more discussion, Chief
Kramer stated that he would keep them informed.
OPEN AGENDA:
·
The Gopher Trapper:
Mr.
Jesse Stucky thanked the Commission for a little bit of their time and he
explained that he was the owner/operator of a specialty trapping business. Mr. Stucky stated that his service was
available to residential and commercial properties as well as municipalities
that owned cemetery and park property.
Mr. Stucky commented that he offered something that was unique and
preferred doing a contract so that there would be regularly scheduled
maintenance. Commissioner Peters asked
if he had any examples of what he did.
Mr. Stucky stated that he focuses on trapping to reduce the population
and did not use poisons. Mr. Stucky
explained that rodents could undermine utility systems, sprinkler systems and
weaken the ground enough that a headstone could fall over. Mr. Stucky stated that he would be happy to
collaborate with the Commission and would like to work for them.
REPORTS:
City Manager:
·
Paula Downs training:
City
Manager Eckert stated that today’s training with Ms. Paula Downs from WSU was
very well done. Mr. Eckert commented
that she would be doing this every time there was a new Commissioner coming on
board. Mr. Eckert explained that Ms.
Downs changed her training to be current with what was happening in Topeka.
·
Strategic Plan:
Mr.
Eckert commented that he had been working on the strategic plan and he should
have the first draft of the basics done tomorrow or Wednesday. Mr. Eckert stated that this takes all of us
and it would show where we want to go in the next ten or fifteen years.
·
Succession Plan:
Mr.
Eckert stated that the staff continues to work with him on a succession plan
and it was almost done.
City Attorney:
·
IRB & Solar Farm Documents:
City
Attorney Probst stated that she continued to work on IRB documents and some
issues on the solar farm. Ms. Probst also
commented that she was working with the Management Committee. Commissioner Peters questioned if the solar
farm was about all behind us. Ms. Probst
stated that he should ask her that at the next meeting, but we were close on
both the IRB and solar farm issues.
Public Works:
·
Annual Permits:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that he had been busy renewing annual permits for
the wastewater treatment plant and noxious weeds.
·
Lemon Park Bathroom:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the street department had started work on the dirt pad for
the bathroom facility at the east end of the Lemon Park. Mr. Rambat commented that the water and sewer
were available now and the facility should be done by the end of the
summer. Mr. Rambat explained that they
would set the transformer once the bathroom was in place.
·
Website:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the website was in its final phases and was nice to get the
first look at the prototype. Mr. Rambat
commented that City Manager Eckert and City Clerk Kramer had looked it over
with him and it was very promising. Mr.
Rambat added that we should have enough product to show the Commission in the
next couple months.
·
Storms:
Mr.
Rambat commented that he was thankful that we had dodged the storms last
weekend; however, we would have to wait to see what happens this next weekend.
·
Sixth Street Park:
Commissioner
Peters questioned if we were doing some things in Sixth Street Park. Mr. Rambat explained that the Pilot Club had
gotten a grant and had purchased real nice playground equipment. Mr. Rambat stated that we were laying it out
for them and doing some edging. Mr.
Rambat added that Park Superintendent Eckhoff had been working well with them.
Building Inspections:
·
Dollar Tree and Americare:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that the plat for Dollar Tree had been recorded at
the Register of Deeds and would now be ready to go out for bid. Mr. Blankenship commented that they should
get going soon since their deadline to finish was June 1st.
Mr.
Blankenship explained that he had not heard anything from Americare since
October, but he finally got a call from a contractor today so they must be
getting ready.
Electric Department:
·
Solar Farm:
Director
of Electric Utilities Huber stated that the solar farm was going and was up to
6 mg watts today, which meant that it was producing about 60% of our load. Mr. Huber explained that there would be
another couple of weeks of testing and then they would sign it over to us. Mr. Huber commented that there was a monitor
up front so that the public could see what the solar farm was doing. Mr. Huber stated that it was important for it
to register the right data since it was vital for the power plant, Sunflower
Electric and KMEA. Mayor Meyer asked if
they would be moving the buildings soon.
Mr. Huber stated that they would be.
Mayor Meyer questioned the observation area. Mr. Huber explained that the ground was so
flat that it would have had to be very tall.
Mayor Meyer asked if they would have to take care of any weed
control. Mr. Huber stated that they
would. Mr. Huber added that they would
plant grass on the inside once it gets nicer out and Public Works Director
Rambat and Street Superintendent Sinclair had been working on the road and
would be putting in a couple of culverts to help with drainage in the low
areas.
Recreation
Department:
·
Park Flood Damage Improvements:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that they would be working on improving areas damaged
by the flood since the Christmas decorations were down. Mr. Pinkall added that the shell and fencing
should be in in the next couple weeks.
Mayor Meyer asked if we were getting any FEMA money. Finance Director Garten stated that we should
and it would pay for most everything, but they were checking on the
fencing. Ms. Garten explained that the
City did not have flood insurance in the parks; therefore, they were not sure
whether the fencing was a fixture or a structure.
·
Management Committee Meeting:
Mr.
Pinkall stated that the Management Committee would be meeting on Thursday at
1:30 p.m. at the Law Office in Wichita to talk over some specifics.
Commissioner
Schmidt took this time to thank Mr. Pinkall for handling the meeting the other
day. Commissioner Schmidt stated that
Mr. Pinkall anticipated every question with authority and knew what he was
talking about. Mayor Meyer added that
the Interlocal Cooperative Agreement was outstanding and he felt that other Cities
would be using it as a template.
Police Department:
·
Bid Requests:
Police
Chief Humble informed the Commission that he had gone out for bids for two new
F-150 Interceptors. Chief Humble
commented that utility vehicles were going up and the F-150’s were about $2,000
to $3,000 less and would not be ready until 2020. Chief Humble stated that we might not get the
options we were used to; however, the F-150’s would be administrative vehicles
with no extra equipment. Chief Humble
commented that they would be trading in a 2013 Tahoe and a 2008 Impala.
·
Humane Society:
Chief
Humble stated that he had finally gotten ten months’ worth of numbers back from
the Humane Society. Chief Humble
explained that the City had turned in seventy-two animals and, with the $3,000
monthly donation from the City, we were paying $416 per animal we took out
there. Chief Humble commented that the
normal fee for animals taken in there was $40; therefore, there was a
significant difference between the two.
Chief Humble stated that seventy-two animals at $416 was $29,952 and
seventy-two animals at $40 was $2,880.
Chief Humble commented that he would get with City Manager Eckert and
City Attorney Probst to see if there was a solution for this. Mayor Meyer clarified that we were paying ten
times more. Chief Humble stated that was
correct; however, that did not include the $6,000 utility allowance per
year. Commissioner Peters asked if he
got this report monthly. Chief Humble
stated that he would now. Chief Humble
added that the Humane Society did not accept cats that were taken there by the
City.
Finance Department:
·
Busy January:
Ms.
Garten stated that January was a busy month for her department and that they had
gotten the employees W-2’s out today.
Ms. Garten commented that they were also working on 1099’s along with
finalizing year end. Ms. Garten
explained that she had to look at encumbrances so nothing was left out and get
work papers ready for the auditors.
·
Sales Tax:
Ms.
Garten stated that the end of year sales tax report showed that we were up 8.4%
over last year and that amounted to about $166,000. Mayor Meyer commented that that was great
considering we started out 2018 behind.
Mayor and Commission:
·
Thanks to Luke:
Commissioner
Leslie thanked outgoing Commissioner Kumberg for his leadership this past year
and for his patience and guidance with him as a new Commissioner.
·
Thanks:
Commissioner
Deeds thanked everybody for their patience as his makes the transition to the
Commissioner position.
ADJOURN:
Commissioner
Peters made a motion to adjourn. That
motion was seconded by Commissioner Leslie and carried unanimously.
Doug Meyer, Mayor
ATTEST:
LuAnn Kramer, City Clerk