10.02.2017-Approved City/County Jt. Commission meeting

MONDAY

OCTOBER 02, 2017 

The Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Recessed session in the Commission Room located in City Hall. 

PRESENT:                

Lucus Kumberg           Mayor
Bill Hlavachick            Commissioner
Doug Meyer                 Commissioner

Gary Schmidt               Commissioner

Don Peters                    Commissioner           

ALSO PRESENT:     

Roy Eckert                   City Manager
LuAnn Kramer             City Clerk
Diana Garten                Finance Director
Regina Goff                  City Attorney

Glenna Borho               County Commissioner
Joe Reynolds                County Commissioner

Dave Ward                   County Commissioner

Sherry Kruse                County Clerk

Bob Schmisseur           County Counselor

CALL TO ORDER: 

The recessed meeting was called to order by Mayor Kumberg.  The Mayor instructed the Clerk to note that all Commissioners were present. 

BUSINESS: 

CONTINUED DISCUSSION ON ED DIRECTOR:

Mr. Darrell Stroda, Mr. Steve Mills and Ms. Kim DeClue were present and representing the ED Board.  City Manager Eckert stated that he was open to any changes or discussion on his draft for an ED Director.  Commissioner Borho made several suggestions.  Commissioner Borho stated that it would have to be condensed for ads.  Commissioner Borho commented that all applications should be submitted by November 3^rd or somewhere near that.  Mr. Eckert stated that a salary range for an ED Director was from $43,375 to $113,000.  Commissioner Meyer asked if we were not doing a contract employee and benefits.  Mayor Kumberg stated that he would like to start with a contract with the benefits in that contract.  Counselor Schmisseur stated that it could be misleading when you talk about contract employees.  Mr. Schmisseur explained that a contract employee was one that you have no control over.  Mr. Schmisseur added that Wichita had completely gotten away from independent contractors because they could work for someone else also.  City Attorney Goff stated that health insurance was mandatory if an employee, but not in a contract.  Mayor Kumberg stated that they should be offered benefits and it did not matter who they got them from.  Commissioner Ward commented that, whether they were a City or County employee, they would have to have transportation.  Commissioner Borho stated that they could keep a log and get paid for mileage.  Commissioner Meyer asked if we could require them to live in Pratt or Pratt County.  Mr. Schmisseur stated that he thought that we could and that was not a bad example to set.  Mr. Schmisseur commented that he would question their sincerity if they were not willing to move here.  Commissioner Meyer stated that it should be put in the contract.  Mr. Mills added that they needed to know that there was a residency requirement.   

Commissioner Borho stated that both Commissions agree that we need this position so they needed to be thinking about how to split it up financially and where we wanted to advertise.  Commissioner Hlavachick questioned if we would use the League.  Commissioner Borho stated that social media was the best bet or there was monster.com or indeed.com.  Mr. Eckert stated that Zillow was free for a two month window.  Mr. Schmisseur commented that we needed to run an ad in the Pratt Tribune a couple of times, because people might see it and know someone who would want to move back to Pratt.  Mr. Schmisseur added that it also lets the community know what we were trying to accomplish.  Mr. Mills brought up the benefits again and stated it was imperative that they be offered some type of benefit package.  Commissioner Ward stated that there would be benefits whether they were City or County.  Mayor Kumberg stated that he would be happy to offer benefits from the City side.  Commissioner Borho stated that this position would be reporting to the City Manager. 

Commissioner Ward stated that costs would be split down the middle, such as the dollar value on insurance, salary, transportation and costs.  Mayor Kumberg commented that we should pay them mileage in the beginning and have them use their own vehicle.  Commissioner Ward agreed, but added that their biggest part of the job would be on the road once the evaluation of the community was done.  Commissioner Meyer stated that there could be some considerable expenses other than their salary; therefore, we would need to have a budget for travel.  Mr. Schmisseur stated that Wichita and Sedgwick County do Memorandums of Understanding and he had a couple of extra copies for review.  Commissioner Borho stated that the City could send the County an itemized statement for this individual and the County would reimburse them.   

Commissioner Meyer suggested getting some questions around for the interview process.  Commissioner Borho stated that you could go online and get those.  Mayor Kumberg stated that he liked them being a contract employee like the City Manager and then they could be evaluated annually.  Mayor Kumberg added that they should have a contract before the interview process starts.  Mr. Schmisseur suggested having applications due by November and have a contract by the time we were ready to offer someone the job.  Mr. Schmisseur stated that they would know what we wanted them to accomplish and they could figure out what we had to offer and what our priorities were.  Mayor Kumberg stated that we could adjust the budget next year if we went over this year.  Commissioner Ward commented that going over budget was not a bad thing if you were getting somewhere.  Commissioner Ward added that, the more successful this person was, the more it was going to cost.   

Mayor Kumberg stated that we were securing the future with what we were doing.  Commissioner Ward stated that we needed to get the community more diverse, so it was not such a shock when agriculture and oil were down.  Commissioner Borho stated that this would not happen at once.  Commissioner Schmidt asked the ED Board members how they felt about this.  Mr. Stroda stated that he was at the end of his six year term and would be going off the board, but he was in favor of moving forward with a full time person.  Mr. Stroda commented that we had been operating without a person for some time and had accomplished a few things under that scenario.  Mr. Stroda added that we needed to be clear on what our expectations really were and realize that it would take this person time to get involved.  Mr. Stroda stated that the board was a good thing to have and the expenses could be funneled through them.  Mr. Stroda commented that they would need time to get familiar with what we had and what the City and County were willing to do to go forward.  Mr. Mills stated that the economy was struggling, but that was part of life.  Mr. Mills suggested that they give this person as much information about Pratt and Pratt County as possible.  Mr. Mills commented that we should have them present what they see in Pratt County and that we needed to find an employee that had insight and drive.

Next meeting date:

With little discussion, the next joint meeting was set for October 16, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at City Hall.  Commissioner Borho stated that they had a lot to get done by the beginning of December. 

ADJOURN:

Mayor Kumberg made a motion to adjourn.  Commissioner Hlavachick seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

 

_______________________________________
LUCUS KUMBERG, Mayor
      

ATTEST:                 

________________________________
LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk

 

10/16/17-City Commission Meeting Agenda

MONDAY 

OCTOBER 16, 2017 

PRATT CITY COMMISSION – REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING

 

COMMISSION ROOM – 5:00 P.M.

1.      CALL TO ORDER (Remind audience that meeting is being recorded and/or taped.)

2.      ROLL CALL

3.      INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4.      MINUTES –          October 02, 2017 Recessed City/County Commission Meeting

                                      October 02, 2017 Regular Commission Meeting

5.      BUSINESS:

No Regular Business to Discuss

6.      OPEN AGENDA (City Matters Only)(3 Minute Time Limit)

7.      REPORTS:

7.1             City Manager  (Request for an executive session for ‘confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of second parties’)

7.2             City Attorney

7.3             Department Superintendents

7.4             Mayor

7.5             City Commission

8.   RECESS – until Monday, October 23, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. – Special Call for Public Hearing

10/16/17-City /County Joint Merting Agenda

MONDAY

OCTOBER 16, 2017 

PRATT CITY COMMISSION – JOINT CITY/COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING 

COMMISSION ROOM – 11:00 a.m. 

1.        CALL RECESSED MEETING TO ORDER  

2.     ROLL CALL 

3.     DISCUSSION TOPICS: 

3.1             Discussion on an Economic Director  

3.2             General Discussion on City/County Issues

4.   ADJOURN

09/18/2017 - Approved City Commission Meeting Minutes

MONDAY

 

SEPTEMBER 18, 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                      City Attorney
Diana Garten                     Finance Director
Gary Myers                       Chief of Police
Russell Rambat                 Public Works Director
Brad Blankenship              Building Inspector
Jamie Huber                      Director of Electric Utilities
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 Peters made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 05, 2017 regular City Commission meeting, the September 14, 2017 special call meeting.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Meyer and carried unanimously.  

BUSINESS: 

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL TO USE LEMON PARK FOR ‘CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK’: 

Chamber Director Kim DeClue stated that they had been using Lemon Park for the Christmas celebration and they would like to ask for the Commission’s approval to use it again on November 18^th.  Ms. DeClue commented that she works with several City staff to make it all come together.  Ms. DeClue explained that they would like to have the road through the park closed for hay rides from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Ms. DeClue added that it worked well last year to make traffic one way from Main Street to Pine Street via Santa Fe and then north on Pine Street to Ninth Street and she would also like to do that again.  Ms. DeClue stated that a few of the vendors would need electricity and they would also need additional polycarts and the same number of port-a-potties.  Commissioner Meyer asked if she thought she would have the same number of people show up.  Ms. DeClue stated that she was looking for about the same number as last year.  With no further discussion, Commissioner Meyer made a motion to approve the use of Lemon Park for ‘Christmas in the Park’ on November 18, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Commissioner Schmidt seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE QUIT CLAIM DEED FOR THE AMERICAN LEGION PROPERTY:

City Attorney Goff stated that she had prepared a deed to convey property over to the American Legion.  Ms. Goff explained that the description of the parties involved was in the first paragraph, the second paragraph was the property description and she read the third paragraph.  Ms. Goff stated that this deeds the property to the American Legion in exchange for $10 and the right of first refusal goes to the City.  Building Inspector Blankenship stated that he had talked to City Manager Eckert about splitting that lot and doing a zoning change at the Planning and Zoning meeting this coming Thursday.  Mr. Blankenship apologized for not getting with Ms. Goff before the meeting.  Ms. Goff stated that this would postpone the deed because the title company would not accept it if there was going to be changes.

Commissioner Meyer asked how it would be zoned.  Mr. Blankenship stated that it would be office and institution.  Commissioner Meyer questioned if anyone had ever questioned it being so close to the cabin.  Mr. Blankenship stated that they had not to his knowledge.  Mr. Blankenship added that we needed to get it off of City property and we had to do the lot split to get that done.  Ms. Goff explained that the purpose of this was so that the American Legion would own the property in order to maintain the building.  Mayor Kumberg questioned if the Commission could vote on conveying the property tonight.  Ms. Goff stated that they could pending the lot split; however, the vote would not be official until the Zoning meeting.

Commissioner Meyer asked what could go in there if the American Legion were to sell it.  Mr. Blankenship stated that there was not much if it was zoned office and institutions.  Mr. Blankenship added that you could not have anything that would interrupt the residential in any way.  Commissioner Hlavachick questioned if the Quit Claim Deed includes the property.  Ms. Goff stated that it was the same property as past documents.  With that being said, Commissioner Hlavachick made a motion to approve the Quit Claim Deed to the American Legion pending the zoning change and lot split.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Meyer and carried unanimously. 

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL FOR THE STREET CLOSURE ON ROCHESTER STREET FROM 3^RD STREET TO 4^TH STREET FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL 4A STATE TENNIS TOURNAMENT ON OCTOBER 13^TH & 14^TH  AND FOR USE OF THE SCOUT CABIN: 

Recreation Director Pinkall informed the Commission that the 4A State tennis tournament was October 13^th and 14^th and the school was requesting a street closure on Rochester Street from Third Street to Forth Street along with use of the Scout Cabin.  Mr. Pinkall added that they may use an area for concessions, but he would make sure that they had the proper permit.  With little discussion, Commissioner Peters made a motion to approve the street closure for the 4A State tennis tournament on October 13^th and 14^th.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously. 

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL FOR A REPLACEMENT BOARD MEMBER FOR SHAPHAN STAATS ON THE PRATT CITY PLANNING COMMISSION: 

Building Inspector Blankenship stated that Mr. Shaphan Staats had moved inside the City limits, so he could no longer be on the Planning Commission as the County representative.  Mr. Blankenship commented that they had had a hard time finding someone to volunteer their time to be on the Commission; however, they had eventually found four that were interested.  Mr. Blankenship stated that Mr. Pat Quinn had received the second most votes and the Commission was in approval of his appointment.  Commissioner Meyer made a motion to approve Mr. Pat Quinn to the Planning Commission.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick and carried unanimously. 

OPEN AGENDA: 

No one in the audience wished to address the Commission. 

REPORTS: 

City Manager:

·        Line crew:

City Manager Eckert informed the Commission that the line crew would be home from Florida tomorrow afternoon.  Mr. Eckert stated that they need a nice welcome home.  Mr. Eckert added that they learned southern hospitality and it was quite moving the way they were treated. 

City Attorney: 

·        Busy Municipal Court: 

City Attorney Goff stated that she had been working on a lot of different things.  Ms. Goff informed the Commission that there were three pages on the docket for Municipal Court Thursday. 

Public Works: 

·        Airport and City water systems:

Public Works Director Rambat stated that the City had been looking into combining the airport and City water systems.  Mr. Rambat commented that it would be in our best interest to start a process with KDHE and there was an application due by the end of October.  Mr. Rambat stated that we were a good candidate for the revolving loan and we needed to get on their radar.  Mr. Rambat explained that part of that process was to have a public hearing and it had to have a thirty day notice published.  Mr. Rambat added that the application would not commit us to anything.  Commissioner Schmidt asked how long the application was valid for.  Mr. Rambat stated that it was about a year and we hoped to get ranked pretty high.  Mr. Rambat commented that they would keep the Commission informed as the process went along. 

·        Mill and Overlay: 

Mr. Rambat stated that the mill and overlay project on Third Street was complete. 

·        Chip Seal: 

Mr. Rambat stated that the chip seal project had semi-started.  Mr. Rambat commented that Heft and Sons did the Business Park since there had not been enough time to do a public notification.

·        Water Leak: 

Mr. Rambat stated that there was a water leak on Country Club Road by Doug Reh Chevrolet and they would probably shut the intersection down Wednesday for repairs. 

·        Pool:

Mr. Rambat stated that the pool was drained and they were done for the year. 

Building Inspection: 

·        Pratt Family Dental: 

Building Inspector Blankenship stated that the Pratt Family Dental Office building was ready to get going in October.  Mr. Blankenship added that it was a local contractor that would be doing it.

·        Duplex:

Mr. Blankenship stated that they would be starting on the duplexes next Tuesday that were going in behind Cooper Tire. 

·        Casey’s: 

Mr. Blankenship stated that Casey’s was going to put in showers at their location. 

·        Wal-Mart:

Mr. Blankenship stated that Wal-Mart was also going to be doing a remodel. 

Mayor and Commission:

·        Road behind Servateria:

Mayor Kumberg commented that he had someone stop him and ask why we had not paved the road behind the Servateria.  Mayor Kumberg stated that there was a stop sign there.  Public Works Director Rambat stated that we could remove the stop sign, but it had been put there since Third Street was so busy.  After a little discussion, Mr. Rambat decided that he would remove the stop sign but leave the post in case it gets put back up.

·        Lemon Park restrooms:

Commissioner Hlavachick asked where we were on the bathrooms at Lemon Park.  Mr. Blankenship stated that he would get that around tomorrow.

Recreation Department: 

·        Economic Impact: 

Recreation Director Pinkall stated that he had done an economic impact study for the Sports Complex for one weekend and the numbers were impressive. 

Finance Department: 

·        Auditors notified: 

Finance Director Garten stated that she had notified the auditors on the outcome of the requests for proposals.  Ms. Garten commented that BKD had called and were happy that they got the proposal and would be getting back in touch with her in late October. 

Mayor and Commission:

·        Tribune article: 

Mayor Kumberg thanked the Pratt Tribune for the article about the linemen that went down to Florida.  Mayor Kumberg stated that it was greatly appreciated and the guys were doing a fantastic job. 

·        Executive Sessions: 

Mayor Kumberg stated that there would be two executive sessions after reports, both to last no more than fifteen minutes each.

·        Thanks to linemen: 

Commissioner Meyer stated that the Schwartz’s sent a very nice email to the Commission to express their thanks for the great job the linemen did cutting a tree down. 

EXECUTIVE SESSION #1:

Mayor Kumberg made a motion to enter into executive session to discuss attorney/client privilege to last fifteen minutes.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick and carried unanimously. 

Mayor Kumberg made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to report.  Commissioner Meyer seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 

EXECUTIVE SESSION #2: 

Mayor Kumberg made a motion to enter into executive session for non-elected personnel to last fifteen minutes.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Meyer and carried unanimously.

 

Mayor Kumberg made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to report.  Commissioner Schmidt seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

RECESS:

Commissioner Peters made a motion to recess until Monday, October 02, 2017 to meet with the County Commission in the County Commission Room at 3:00 p.m.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.

_________________________________

LUCUS KUMBERG, Mayor

ATTEST               

 ________________________________

LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk

09/18/2017-Approved Joint City/County Commission Meeting Minutes

MONDAY

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

The Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Recessed 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
Dave Ward                  County Commissioner
Glenna Borho              County Commissioner
Joe Reynolds               County Commissioner
Sherry Kruse               County Clerk
Bob Schmisseur          County Counselor

ALSO PRESENT: 

 

Roy Eckert                  City Manager
LuAnn Kramer           City Clerk
Regina Goff                City Attorney
Diana Garten               Finance Director
 

CALL TO ORDER:

The recessed meeting was called to order by Mayor Kumberg.  The Mayor instructed the Clerk to note that all Commissioners were present.

BUSINESS:

DISCUSSION ON SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING:

Landfill Supervisor Jason Winkel stated that there was a whole lot that went into single stream recycling such as carts, trucks and a covered facility.  Mr. Winkel commented that he thought we had the volume to do it; however, he did not think that we had enough volume without help from Nisly.  Mr. Winkel explained that Nisly ships their stuff to Rolling Meadows in Topeka after dumping it into a transfer station in Hutchinson.  Mr. Winkel commented that he had visited with Mr. Nisly and, with our volume at fifty to sixty tons, he would be more than likely ready to sign a five to seven year contract.  Mr. Winkel stated that the number of households paying electricity was about 4,280 and 40% of our total waste stream or diversion into single stream recycling would be 3,111,558 pounds,  Mr. Winkel explained that that breaks down to 130 tons a month.  

Mr. Winkel commented that Summit Equipment specializes in mini-mrf’s (material removal facility) and we would have the only one in the State.  Mr. Winkel stated that he was talking about ten tons per hour that their facilities process.  Mr. Winkel commented that they thought that the current building could be used, but he did not think so.  Mr. Winkel explained that we could also transfer to another facility.  Mayor Kumberg questioned what the price point per customer would be.  Mr. Winkel stated that he was not sure because you would have to account for a lot of things.  Mr. Winkel added that he would have to contact other companies to see what they charge and see what the cost of carts and a truck would be.  Mr. Winkel stated that he had visited with someone from McPherson and they had spent $256,000 on 8,000 carts.  Mr. Winkel stated that you could add $2.75 to the current City rate of $12.70 per can; however, Nisly would be $5.50.

Mayor Kumberg asked if there were any grants out there if we went total recyclables.  Mr. Winkel stated that there were grants for 2018, but he was not sure what they would be for and it was too late for this year.  Mayor Kumberg stated that it would be great if we did not have to purchase the cans.  Mr. Winkel explained that you had to think about contamination and also about the problems with the economy.  Mr. Winkel added that China has said that they would not take any of the United States papers and plastics, etc., because they were contaminating their environment.  Mr. Winkel commented that that was a huge downfall.  Mayor Kumberg asked if we would still have to do the hazardous household waste.  Mr. Winkel stated that we would.

Mr. Winkel commented that we would probably not have the drive-thru if we did single stream.  Mr. Winkel stated that he would depend on County residents wanting to use the facility.  Mr. Winkel explained that there was no money in recycling, but some residents could go from three trash containers to one trash and two recyclable containers.  Mayor Kumberg asked if they would have to take everything people bring in.  Mr. Winkel stated that there was going to be contamination; however, there were tolerances for that.  Mr. Winkel commented that we would have to take in fifty to sixty tons a month to make the mrf work.

Commissioner Hlavachick questioned what the participation rate was for Pratt.  Mr. Winkel stated that he was not sure, but it was quite a bit.  Mr. Winkel added that they were taking in a lot more now than they had been.  Commissioner Schmidt asked how may it took to make mrf work.  Mr. Winkel stated that it took probably eight or so.  Mr. Winkel explained that they watch the trash go by and pick out what we need to have picked out.  Commissioner Reynolds asked if the market died due to too much recycling.  Mr. Winkel stated that it was because every plastic bottle was made out of oil and, once the oil prices dropped, a new one was as much as a recycled bottle.  Mr. Winkel stated that he would love to have the community house this facility.  Commissioner Peters stated that they could be in the black instead of the red.  Commissioner Reynolds commented that that was one of the reasons they could not make it work years ago and, even though you would be saving the landfill, there was considerable cost buying the trucks.  

Mayor Kumberg questioned what the next certification would cost for the landfill.  Mr. Winkel stated that it would be considerable.  Mayor Kumberg stated that the concept was here, but questioned how we would get it off the ground.  Mr. Winkel commented that it depended on whether you wanted to make a profit or provide a service.  Mayor Kumberg questioned if the County was ready to move forward with this.  Commissioner Reynolds stated that he did not think it was going to work, because it was going to cost too much money.  Mr. Winkel commented that we could always transfer if the population goes up.  Commissioner Borho stated that it would make us a unique community by stepping out of the box; however, it could be cost prohibitive.  Commissioner Borho added that it would add another $5 to a bill and it would have to be mandatory to make it work and that could put a hardship on some households.  Mr. Winkel explained that McPherson does not make it mandatory; however, they were mandatory pay.  

Mr. Winkel stated that this would be a really neat thing to do, but he was not sure of the return.  Mr. Winkel added that he would rather keep it here than give it to another company.  Mr. Winkel commented that Mr. Keith Backman from Iuka was also interested in what we were trying to do.  Mayor Kumberg questioned what a reasonable start-up figure would be.  Mr. Winkel stated that it would be over a million with a new building, dock and a truck.  Commissioner Ward stated that Mr. Winkel could do further research on it, but his initial reaction was no.  Commissioner Ward added that it would be a lot of cost to the local community that not everyone would welcome.  

DISCUSSION ON AN ECONOMIC DIRECTOR:

Mr. Rich Sanders stated that he was in support of doing something and it was time to look at an Economic Development person.  Mayor Kumberg commented that we had not been looking for anybody due to budget issues this year.  City Attorney Goff questioned which industry was hurting the most. Ms. Goff added that Mr. Sanders was real estate and there were a lot of houses on the market.  Commissioner Meyer commented that we were not going to get anywhere until we hire someone.  Commissioner Meyer added that we need someone who was professionally trained and educated.  Commissioner Reynolds stated that we were not going to get big businesses due to the lack of work force.  Mayor Kumberg stated that we need coordinated references regarding putting us out there and somebody who could look at the community and see what we were going to need.  Mayor Kumberg added that we need to take a hard look at assets that we have as a community.  Commissioner Borho commented that Casey’s had difficulty finding staff even though we had the people, some were not willing to work.  Commissioner Meyer stated that we could not change that, but we had the available housing for people that wanted to work.  Commissioner Meyer commented that an ED Director could gather that information and evaluate the housing situation.  Commissioner Meyer stated that they may only be here a year or two, but they had to be compensated on their performance. Commissioner Borho questioned if all the land at the Business Park was sold or occupied.  Commissioner Hlavachick stated that it was.  

 

Commissioner Borho suggested that they get a job description together and discuss where this person would be housed.  Commissioner Borho commented that the 2018 budget could be amended.  Mayor Kumberg commented that some of the earmarked money was for Travel and Tourism and questioned if part of the funds could come from that.  Mayor Kumberg added that that was the perfect use of that money and maybe more so than what it was earmarked for initially.  City Manager Eckert stated that the City Manager in Lyons was going to be retiring and he knew how to find money.  Commissioner Peters stated that we needed to get a job description before looking for someone.  Mayor Kumberg stated that the job description was easy, however, the harder thing was how we define the relationship between ED and this person.  Commissioner Borho stated that the board had talked about an ED Director and they felt that they should report to both Commissions.  Commissioner Meyer commented that they could continue and they could employee the Director.  Mayor Kumberg stated that they need to think about a salary and also travel, motels, etc. 

Mayor Kumberg stated that he was ready to pull the trigger.  Commissioner Borho commented that it would take at least a good ninety days to get someone.  Mayor Kumberg stated that they needed to have a meeting with the ED Board and let them know what we were doing.  Commissioner Borho stated that they were doing that already and they were there because we voted them in to position.  Commissioner Borho added that they would need to decide whose insurance plan they would be under.  Mayor Kumberg asked if they were okay with getting rid of the board altogether.  Mayor Kumberg added that they would not have a function if we pulled their funds.  Mayor Kumberg questioned who would determine if a business needs assistance with a loan.  Commissioner Meyer questioned how this person would be responsible to the County if the City hired them, paid them and they were housed in this building.

Commissioner Ward stated that we should get the ball rolling and figure out payroll, insurance and office space in the meantime.  Mayor Kumberg commented that the City Manager could look for a job description and see if they should be an employee or contract.  Commissioner Meyer stated that we could start interviews this year.  Commissioner Peters asked where we would do the advertising.  Commissioner Borho stated that there was monster.com.  Commissioner Kumberg suggested the League.  Commissioner Borho suggested that they finalize some things before going forward with a description.  Mayor Kumberg stated that a contractual employee would be easier to get in and working.  Commissioner Meyer commented that a lot of people were looking for benefits and we wanted someone who would be here every day and would live here.  Commissioner Borho reminded the Commissions that they could pull money from ED for the first year.  Mayor Kumberg added that benefits could be added to the contract.  Counselor Schmisseur stated that he liked doing a contract for a year and then see about making them an employee.  Commissioner Meyer added that they would need to think about costs for renovation of an office space, furniture, operating expenses and travel.  Mayor Kumberg stated that they needed to be pretty involved the first six months.  Mr. Schmisseur stated that they would need staff to answer the phone so that you talk to a real person and not a machine.  

The Commissions recapped what they had asked Mr. Eckert to do before the next meeting and that was to get a job description, salary range, office location, sample contract and research how and where to advertise.  Commissioner Schmidt suggested meeting more often and to include the ED Board at the next meeting.  

Next Meeting:

The Commissions agreed to meet again on Monday, October 02, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at the County Court House in the Commission Room.

ADJOURN:

A motion by Mayor Kumberg to adjourn was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick.  The motion and second passed unanimously.

_______________________________

LUCUS KUMBERG, Mayor

ATTEST:                      

________________________________
LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk