MONDAY
MARCH 20, 2017
The
Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular session in the Commission
Room located in City Hall.
PRESENT:
Lucus Kumberg Mayor
Doug
Meyer Commissioner
Bill
Hlavachick Commissioner
Gary
Schmidt Commissioner
Don
Peters Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT:
Roy Eckert City Manager
LuAnn
Kramer City Clerk
Regina
Goff Acting City Attorney
Diana
Garten Finance Director
Gary
Myers Chief of Police
Russell
Rambat Public Works Director
Brad
Blankenship Building Inspector
Bruce PInkall Recreation Director
CALL TO ORDER:
The
regular meeting was called to order by Mayor Kumberg. The Mayor instructed the City Clerk to note
that all Commissioners were present.
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 Kumberg led the
Pledge of Allegiance.
MINUTES:
Commissioner
Meyer made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 06, 2017 recessed
City/County Joint meeting and the minutes of the March 06, 2017 regular
Commission meeting. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick.
Mayor Kumberg pointed out that the minutes of the regular Commission
meeting needed to be amended due to the vote that occurred after the executive
session at the end of the meeting. Mayor
Kumberg explained that there was a unanimous vote not to sell the property north
of Sandy Creek. Commissioner Meyer
amended his motion as explained and Commissioner Hlavachick seconded the
amendment. The motion and second carried
unanimously.
BUSINESS:
DISCUSSION ON LITTLE
FREE LIBRARIES:
Library
Director Rochelle Westerhaus informed the Commission that she wanted to let the
Commission know about a project for their summer ready program called ‘Build a
Better World’. Ms. Westerhaus stated
that they had several projects in line; however, this one needed the approval
of the Commission. Ms. Westerhaus then
introduced Ms. Derese McAbee who was the new YA librarian. Ms. McAbee explained that the Little Free
Libraries was a non-profit that inspires love of reading, builds community and
sparks creativity with book exchanges.
Ms. McAbee commented that there were 50,000 registered Little Free
Libraries in all fifty states and seventy countries. Ms. McAbee stated that there were book
exchanges for all ages.
Ms.
McAbee commented that they would like to place four of the libraries in the
community and they would be at Graves Park, Merchants Park, Sixth Street Park
by the train and Hampton-Pennock Park.
Ms. McAbee stated that they had the money and four local businesses to
help build them. Ms. McAbee added that J
A Knights, Thimesch Electric, Westhoff Plumbing and Home Lumber were the
businesses that would make sure they were built right. Ms. McAbee stated that this was a great
opportunity for the community. Commissioner
Hlavachick questioned if this was just a summer program. Ms. Westerhaus stated that they would be
built this summer, but would be there all year around. Ms. Westerhaus commented that you could take
a book and put one in or bring that one back.
Commissioner
Meyer asked about the location at Merchants Park. Public Works Director Rambat stated that he
would have Park Superintendent Eckhoff get in touch with them about where they
would be best located in the parks so that they would not get in the way of
mowing. Commissioner Peters asked if
children were able to check out the books.
Ms. Westerhaus stated that it was free flowing and they could return the
one they take or bring one from their home library. Acting City Attorney Goff asked who would own
the structure since it would be on City property. Ms. Westerhaus stated that she was not
sure. Ms. Goff stated that she could
work on a contract of some sort, if that was okay. Ms. Westerhaus stated that that would be
fine.
Commissioner
Hlavachick made a motion to approve the request from the library to place
Little Free Library structures in four of the City parks and to work with Mr.
Eckhoff on the locations and with the City Attorney on a contract. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Peters and carried unanimously.
DISCUSSION ON
SIDEWALK GRANT:
Pratt
Health Foundation Executive Director DeWayne Bryan reminded the Commission that
he had received a recreation trail grant several years ago and he was bringing
the final addition before the Commission this evening. Mr. Bryan commented that he had given the
Commission the Healthy Pratt Map that he was very proud of and, having made
several edits, these would be printed in the next couple of weeks.
Mr.
Bryan stated that the Federal government had some guidelines that we could not
meet in the second grant which would have extended the sidewalk on Maple Street
to the highway; therefore, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board shifted
their focus on several different areas.
Mr. Bryan stated that the Pratt Health Coalition and the grant were most
fond of the Sixth Street area. Mr. Bryan
added that they were continuing their negotiations to getting that change
made. Recreation Director Pinkall stated
that Park Superintendent Eckhoff had also been at the meeting with the board
and had a lot of good information. Mr.
Pinkall explained that the Sixth Street area would connect the walking trail to
Grave Park through Sixth Street to Lemon Park and connect to Main Street.
Mr.
Bryan commented that the grant was about $35,000 and matching funds would be
about $10,000 to $15,000. Mr. Pinkall
stated that a lot of that would be in-kind with City employees assisting in the
labor. Public Works Director Pinkall
added that he would also be in on the design and get involved with bid letting
and his department would haul off soil depending on how busy they were. Mr. Rambat clarified that we would not be in
on the construction. Commissioner Meyer
asked what fund this would come out of.
Finance Director Garten stated that it would be special parks or
streets.
With
little more discussion, Commissioner Hlavachick made a motion to have the staff
work with Mr. Bryan and Mr. Eckhoff on the sidewalk grant that was
presented. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Schmidt. Commissioner Meyer
questioned when this would all happen.
Mr. Bryan stated that he would get with KDWPT and then get back with Mr.
Rambat. Commissioner Schmidt asked how
wide the sidewalks would be. Mr. Rambat
stated that they would be five foot.
With no more questions, the motion and second passed unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE 1702 AMENDING ORDINANCE 2011:
Acting
City Attorney Goff stated that this ordinance was brought to her so that
citizens would be able to find fees through the Register of Deeds or City Hall
and this ordinance would not have to be amended as often when there were changes
in the cost of those fees. Commissioner
Meyer asked what the change to the ordinance was. Ms. Goff explained that the fees would no
longer be listed and it also lets the citizens know where they would be able to
find them.
With
no more discussion, the following Ordinance 1702 was then presented to the
Commission for their approval: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 2011 OF
THE CODE OF THE CITY OF PRATT, PROVIDING FOR FEES FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING
THE COST OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE ZONING CODE OF THE CITY OF
PRATT AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 2011 AND ALL OTHER ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
WITH SUCH AMENDMENT. Commissioner
Peters made a motion to approve Ordinance 1702 that amends Ordinance 2011. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Meyer
and carried unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA:
·
Octoberfest:
Dr.
Bruce Kempton and Mr. Dakota Holtgrieve addressed the Commission concerning an
Octoberfest. Dr. Kempton stated that he
had talked to the Commission about using the Green Sports Complex for an
Octoberfest a few years ago and now they wanted to get it scheduled for
September 23rd of this year, which coincides with Pratt’s
homecoming. Dr. Kempton commented that
he had visited with the high school about doing an all school reunion and he
would be talking to others about tagging on.
Dr. Kempton added that this would be a fun, safe and cultured
event.
Mayor
Kumberg questioned if there were any conflicts with the Complex. Dr. Kempton stated that the Commission had
been on board and they were waiting for them to progress and they would be
serving alcohol. Recreation Director
Pinkall stated that we had waited on Rotary to proceed and that had not
happened; therefore, there were no alcohol permits written. Commissioner Meyer asked if they were going
to fence off an area and have a big tent.
Dr. Kempton stated that they would be in one of the outfields.
Mr.
Holtgrieve stated that Dr. Kempton and he were both in Rotary; however, this
was not going to be sponsored by them.
Mr. Holtgrieve commented that this was a pretty extensive capital outlay
and they would use the proceeds to support the Teen Center and the Food
Bank. Commissioner Peters questioned
what they envision. Mr. Holtgrieve
stated that they would offer food vendors, banks and people to talk to. Commissioner Peters asked about an admission
fee. Dr. Kempton stated that they would
be keeping it as authentic as possible with food, bands and games. Dr. Kempton added that he had a friend that
did vaulting and he thought they could do that at one of the other parks. Commissioner Peters asked Acting City
Attorney Goff if there was liability in that.
Ms. Goff stated that she would work with the gentlemen to make sure they
were following all the State regulations.
Mr.
Holtgrieve stated that they were working on forming their own organization, so
they were not affiliated with any other organizations. Dr. Kempton commented that they would like to
work with Rotary and get a donation. Dr.
Kempton explained that he had visited with Chamber Director DeClue and they
could get insurance through the Chamber.
Commissioner Meyer questioned if Mr. Pinkall had any conflicts. Mr. Pinkall stated that summer events would
be passed and the adult activities would not be on Saturday. Mr. Pinkall commented that he could move the
soccer and flag football to a different location. Commissioner Hlavachick commented that he
liked the idea of having it on homecoming.
Dr. Kempton commented that a lot of classes did not have reunions, so
this would be an all school reunion.
Mayor Kumberg made a motion to approve the organization working with the
City staff to build toward this idea of an Octoberfest on September 23rd
from 11:30 to 7:30 at the Sports Complex.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick and carried
unanimously.
·
Kansas Amusement Ride Act:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that he had received a reminder concerning the
Kansas Amusement Ride Act and that was in connection with the Pilot Club train
and we had not done anything with it last year with all the other things that
were going on. Mr. Blankenship commented
that, since we own the train, he had completed a report and sent that in today and
we had maintenance records through Mr. Mark Morgan, who comes twice a year to
make sure it was okay. Mr. Blankenship
added that we also had to test the train to its limit and we did not have
anybody qualified to do that; therefore, he would have to contact Chance
Manufacturing to come out here again.
Mr. Blankenship stated that we also had to post a valid certificate of
inspection and that would also involve Chance Manufacturing. Mr. Blankenship informed the Commission that
we had to provide training for the operators, but the Pilot Club had taken care
of that by themselves. Mr. Blankenship
explained that he had gone to Taylor Printing and had safety instruction signs
made to have posted at the depot and before you get on the ride. Mr. Blankenship added that they had to be
visible.
Commissioner
Hlavachick questioned if this was all regulations from the State. Mr. Blankenship stated that they were and it
was due to the accident involving the young man in Kansas City. Mr. Blankenship explained that this was a
class misdemeanor if we did not do these things. Commissioner Meyer asked whether it was
combined with all the City possessions for insurance. City Clerk Kramer stated that it was on its
own. Mr. Blankenship commented that we
took it over in 2012 and had spent around $60,000 to get it to stop
derailing.
Mr.
Blankenship questioned where he should go from here even though we had been
committed to doing maintenance on it.
Mayor Kumberg questioned if there was a limit before we had to shut it
down or until we did something. Mayor Kumberg
stated that this was not a budgeted expense and he felt the Pilot Club should
be in on this. Mr. Blankenship stated
that he was in contact with Ms. Kay Sewell.
Mayor Kumberg commented that nobody knows who gives it to you, but they
know who takes it away. Mayor Kumberg
expressed his concern if the cost gets to $80,000 or $100,000 and we still did
not have it up to standard. Mr.
Blankenship explained that the City also pays for the fuel which was around
$300. Mayor Kumberg stated that we had
to get the inspection since we got lucky last year; however, we may not be so
lucky this year. Mr. Blankenship stated
that he felt the cost would be below what the City Manager was able to
approve.
Commissioner
Schmidt asked if there would be anyone from the Kansas State Fair Board that
could answer some of our questions. Mr.
Blankenship stated that he did not know how to contact them, but he would find
out. Mr. Rambat questioned if Chance was
even qualified since we did not know the exact qualifications. Commissioner Meyer asked how we do the budget
if the engine blows. Ms. Garten stated
that the money last year had come from tourism dollars and that was why that
fund was decreasing. Ms. Garten added
that there was about $65,000 to $100,000 that had gone to the train. Mr. Blankenship apologized for having to
discuss this in open agenda, but he had to get the ball rolling. Commissioner Hlavachick stated that we had
put so much money in it now. Mr. Rambat
suggested that we keep it moving for now and bring it back to the Commission if
we get some bad news. Commissioner Meyer
questioned what the whole value was of the train. Mr. Blankenship stated that the City paid
$35,000 for the train and that had been done before he got here. Mayor Kumberg commented that there had to be
other industries that do this type of thing so you did not have to go to the
manufacturer.
Ms. Goff stated that the operation agreement
said that the responsibility was on the City and the Club. Ms. Goff pointed out that 1c states that the
Club would set fees and schedules and keep the money to be used for maintenance
of the train; therefore, the City was funding what they were not delegated to
fund. Commissioner Peters commented that
the Club had money raising projects and they did special events, but they
should be visited with if the contract states that they had maintenance
responsibilities.
Commissioner
Meyer asked if we had ever received money from them. Ms. Garten stated that we had asked once and
their response was that they receive only minimal amounts. Ms. Goff suggested that they revisit the fees
if this was going to be a strain on City funds; however, that did not mean that
the City could not continue to do what they had been doing. After little more discussion, it was the
consensus of the Commission to keep it going for now.
·
Illegal Dump Site:
Mr.
Blankenship stated that he also needed to discuss something that he had been
working on for a long time and that was the properties at 803 and 807 South
Iuka Street. Mr. Blankenship commented
that he had tried to work with them in-house but had gotten nowhere. Mr. Blankenship explained that he had
contacted KDHE and they had taken it over and had determined that it was an
illegal dump site. Mr. Blankenship added
that the owners were very open to having the City and the State help them. Mr. Blankenship stated that there was 25%
matching funds; however, that should not exceed the City Manager’s spending
authority. Mr. Blankenship commented
that part of that would be in-kind such as supplying dumpsters, etc. Mayor Kumberg questioned if there was anyone
living there. Mr. Blankenship stated
that there was. Commissioner Meyer asked
how long the clean-up would take. Mr.
Blankenship commented that they thought it would be a few days and any scrap
metal found would be taken in and that money would be the City’s. Mayor Kumberg suggested that this go into
executive session at the end of the meeting for attorney/client privilege since
this was a current City employee’s residence.
City Attorney Goff agreed.
REPORTS:
City Manager:
·
Cooper Street:
City
Manager Eckert informed the Commission that he had signed the engineering
contract for Cooper Street today. Mr.
Eckert stated that the paperwork was in and it all looked good to the State and
the owner of the property was happy with the way things had turned out.
·
KMEA:
Mr.
Eckert stated that we were still working on the KMEA contract issues and it was
looking positive.
·
2018 Budget:
Mr.
Eckert stated that he had met with the staff concerning the format of the 2018
budget and how he wanted all of the superintendents to present to the
Commission. Mr. Eckert commented that he
was aware the staff had not been in on the budget meetings for several years,
but he felt that they needed to have input.
Mr. Eckert explained that the superintendents would each receive a
worksheet that goes back five years so that they could see the trend and that
would help on planning for the next year.
Mr. Eckert stated that the Commission would be able to ask the
superintendents specific questions about their budgets and hear the ‘why’
directly from them.
City Attorney:
·
Fees:
Acting
City Attorney Goff stated that she had been working with the building inspector
on abandoned property issues and had been working on the ordinance concerning
the fees. Ms. Goff also stated that she
was working with Recreation Director Pinkall on fees for the Municipal Building
rentals.
·
DUI Training:
Ms.
Goff informed the Commission that she had attended DUI training at the law
enforcement center and it was very interesting.
·
Animal Control:
Ms.
Goff commented that she had been working with Chief Myers, Detective Ward and
the Animal Control officer on issues concerning animal control.
·
KMEA:
Ms.
Goff stated that the KMEA contract was still on-going and she had had some
emails back and forth with Hinkle Law Firm.
Public Works:
·
Pool:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that the street guys would be going out and power
washing the pool which would allow him to do an inspection to see what it was
going to take to get it up and running.
Mr. Rambat commented that they paint with epoxy paint that was made for
underwater surfaces, but it had been four years since they had repainted it.
·
Club D’Est alley:
Mr.
Rambat stated that he was going to get the concrete guy back out the first of
April to do the alley behind the Club D’Est.
Mr. Rambat commented that he had been corresponding with the owners and
they might throw in a heat mat at their expense. Mr. Rambat added that there was a lot of
traffic there and this would help them a lot.
·
Sidewalk, Gutter and Curb project:
Mr.
Rambat stated that he was making his rounds to see what sidewalks, curbs and
gutters need to be replaced this year.
Mr. Rambat commented that it would be a small project costing about
$50,000 to $60,000.
·
Compost & Clean-up week:
Mr.
Rambat stated that compost would start on April 3rd and he had the
flyers ready to go in the utility bill on the spring clean-up week. Mr. Rambat commented that some of the flyers
went out to County residents last year and we had to let them know that it was
meant for City residents only and that had not made them very happy; however,
that problem had been solved for this year.
Mr. Rambat explained that he would get with Mr. Pinkall to get groups
together that were interested in helping those who could not get out to the
landfill on their own. Mr. Rambat added
that we would furnish four employees to work out at the landfill since that
helped them out last year.
Inspection
Department:
·
Abandoned Residence:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that he had been working with the Acting City
Attorney on an abandoned residence whose owners lived out of State and, when
contacted, we got no response. Mr.
Blankenship commented that there had been vagrants coming in and out of the
property and Ms. Goff had found an ordinance that would allow the City to go
board up the structure. Ms. Goff added
that this was an immediate public hazard since people could go in there and
start a fire to stay warm. Mayor Kumberg
asked if we could assess this to the tax roll.
Ms. Goff stated that she had contacted other City Attorneys and that was
exactly what they had done. Ms. Goff
explained that the City had been maintaining this property for years and that
had been assessed against their taxes.
·
KFC Building:
Commissioner
Schmidt asked if Mr. Blankenship knew anything about the old KFC building. Mr. Blankenship stated that he did not;
however, someone had dumped some blocks in the parking lot. Mr. Blankenship commented that they should
not believe everything that you see on Facebook.
Recreation
Department:
·
Rental Form:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that he had a new rental form for the Municipal
Building and the Community Center in the packet for the Commission to
review. Mr. Pinkall commented that this
process would create an avenue to prepay as long as you did not have any
outstanding fees that remain unpaid. Mr.
Pinkall explained that there was also the policies and procedures
attached. Mr. Pinkall stated that he had
talked to Ms. Goff and she had added disclaimers that would allow us to let
people know that certain issues were covered.
Mr. Pinkall informed the Commission that this would be an agenda item at
the next meeting.
Police Department:
·
Monthly Crime Stats:
Chief
Myers gave the following crime statistics for February 2017:
February 2017 - Crime Stats
|
1
|
Animal Bite
|
3
|
Assault / Battery
|
1
|
Burglary - Vehicle
|
3
|
Citizen Assist
|
7
|
Disturbance
|
18
|
DL Violations
|
3
|
Felony Drug Violation
|
3
|
Misdemeanor Drug Violation
|
1
|
Forgery / Counterfeit
|
3
|
No Type Listed
|
18
|
Larceny / Embezzlement / Fraud
|
5
|
Lost / Found Property
|
1
|
Missing Person - Juvenile
|
4
|
Other Offense
|
4
|
Property Damage
|
1
|
Sex Crime - Child
|
1
|
Stalking
|
1
|
Threat
|
10
|
Traffic Accident - Prop. Damage
|
4
|
Warrant Arrests
|
92
|
Total Cases
|
Chief
Myers also reported on the Municipal Court caseload:
February 2017 - Municipal
Court Caseload
|
82
|
|
Cases Pending February
1st
|
1
|
|
DUI
|
1
|
|
Fleeing a Police Officer
|
115
|
|
Other Traffic Violations
|
2
|
|
Crimes Against Persons
|
4
|
|
Crimes Against Property
|
4
|
|
Other Crimes
|
9
|
|
Parking Violations
|
136
|
|
Total Filings for February
|
218
|
|
Total Case Load (82 Pending + 136 Filings)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Cases Disposed
of
|
DUI
|
All Other Cases
|
|
1
|
53
|
Guilty Pleas
|
0
|
0
|
Bond Forfeitures
|
0
|
24
|
Dismissals
|
0
|
0
|
Trials (Not Guilty Pleas)
|
1
|
4
|
Diversion Agreement
|
2
|
81
|
Total Dispositions
|
|
|
|
135
|
Cases Pending at End of Feb. '17
|
|
|
(218 Case Load - 83 Cases Disposed)
|
|
|
|
|
|
MUNICIPAL COURT REVENUE
|
JAN. '16
|
JAN. '17
|
|
$10,347.00
|
$14,544.00
|
|
|
|
|
FEB. '16
|
FEB. '17
|
|
$14,467.00
|
$16,809.76
|
|
|
|
|
$24,814.00
|
$31,353.76
|
Total for January and February months
|
Chief
Myers stated that there had been a substantial increase in the amount of fines
collected and he attributed that to Ms. Goff being very aggressive and taking
time to visit with the officers. Chief
Myers commented that she was doing a good job.
Finance Department:
·
February reports:
Finance
Director Garten stated that the February reports went out to the departments
and she had also put a treasurer’s report in the packet for February. Ms. Garten explained that that report was required
by State statute every quarter.
·
Other projects:
Ms.
Garten stated that she had been writing a grant with Mr. Eckert and Mr. Pinkall
and that had been turned into Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
Ms.
Garten commented that she had also been working on budget worksheets and those
went out today. Ms. Garten stated that
she would put together a budget calendar with the approach that more dates
could be needed with having the department heads coming in individually.
Ms.
Garten informed the Commission that she had been sending electronic paper work
to the auditors so they could get ready for our audit next month.
Mayor and Commission:
·
Trip to Hays:
Commissioner
Hlavachick stated that he had taken a trip to Hays with Mr. Eckert to look at a
shooting range. Commissioner Hlavachick
commented that this had come about in the meeting with Ms. Paula Downs when we
were discussing what we envision for Pratt’s future. Commissioner Hlavachick stated that their
range was on an abandoned dump site and he did not think something like that
was going to work for us. Commissioner
Hlavachick explained that he thought that we should look at the thirty acres at
the Sports Complex. Commissioner
Hlavachick stated that they had given them a guided tour and it was a nice trip
and he got to know Mr. Eckert better so it was well worth it.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Mayor
Kumberg made a motion to enter into executive session for attorney/client
privilege not to exceed fifteen minutes.
Commissioner Hlavachick seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Mayor
Kumberg made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to
report. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Hlavachick and carried unanimously.
·
Resolution:
Mr.
Blankenship reminded the Commission that he would need a resolution stating
that we could move forward with the agreement with KDHE on the illegal dump
site. Commissioner Meyer made a motion
to direct the Acting City Attorney to prepare a resolution that approves the
agreement with KDHE. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick and carried unanimously.
ADJOURN:
Upon
proper motion, the meeting was adjourned.
______________________________________
LUCUS
KUMBERG, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________________
LUANN
KRAMER, City Clerk