MONDAY
MARCH 18, 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
ALSO PRESENT:
Roy Eckert City
Manager
LuAnn
Kramer City Clerk
Regina
Probst City Attorney
Diana
Garten Finance Director
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 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:
Mayor
Meyer led the staff and audience in the invocation and the Pledge of
Allegiance.
CONSENT AGENDA:
·
March
04, 2019 Regular Commission Meeting
·
March
07, 2019 Recessed Commission Meeting
Commissioner
Peters made a motion to approve the consent agenda. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt
and carried unanimously.
BUSINESS:
DISCUSSION ON
DANGEROUS ANIMAL ORDINANCE:
Mayor
Meyer informed the Commission, staff and audience that the City Attorney had
some ground rules for this discussion.
City Attorney Probst stated that she knew that emotions run high on this
subject and she could argue both sides.
Ms. Probst explained that there were proponents that felt very strongly
that certain breeds were dangerous and they wanted to protect children and the
elderly and a ban would benefit those populations. Ms. Probst continued explaining that the
other side were the owners of those breeds and they were like a member of their
family. Ms. Probst commented that taking
away their animal was like taking a child.
Ms.
Probst asked that everyone respect each other during this open debate and the
best thing for the municipality would be done.
Ms. Probst stated that there was to be respect in this room, in the
hallway and in the parking lot. Ms.
Probst informed those in attendance that they would get three minutes to speak,
which would be monitored closely. Ms.
Probst asked that there be no side bar commenting and that they keep the
discussion fact based and not emotion based.
Ms. Probst stated that this discussion was for the citizens of Pratt and
anyone who had been affected by this ordinance.
Ms. Probst added that this ordinance did not affect the County and she
respectfully asked that the discussion be kept to those that it applies
to. Ms. Probst stated that she would not
hesitate to say something if anyone was disrespectful.
Mr.
Mark Walker, Preston resident, stated that he was the owner of the dog in the
park incident. Mr. Walker commented that
everything that was in the paper was not exactly what happened. Mr. Walker stated that he was parked on the
north diamond parking lot and had been making a phone call and his dog was in
the truck with him. Mr. Walker added
that he had the window down about half way.
Mr. Walker stated that Mr. Troy McEachern pulled up beside him and he
noticed that they had their doors open, but he did not know that they had a
dog. Mr. Walker commented that they
walked the dog by the truck and his dog slid out the window, which he had never
done before. Mr. Walker informed
everyone that his dog had never bitten anyone or anything before. Mr. Walker stated that his dog smelled the first
dog and Mr. McEachern’s dog nipped his dog on the nose. Mr. Walker explained that Mr. McEachern’s dog
had also bit him when he was trying to get them apart and that Mr. McEachern’s
dog was scared and ran into his truck.
Mr. Walker commented that Mr. McEachern had stated that he was going to
shoot his dog if he did not get him off and he had his head right there
also. Mr. Walker stated that his dog was
a good dog and he had been walking him in the park for eight years.
Humane
Society Manager April Hemphill stated that she thought this was a good idea a
year ago to do a dangerous animal ordinance.
Ms. Hemphill commented that if an animal was dangerous, it just was. Ms. Hemphill stated that they had adopted out
a lot of pit bulls and people came out and got theirs now.
Mr.
McEachern stated that he had come before the Commission about thirty days ago
about his dog being attacked by a pit bull.
Mr. McEachern stated that his dog did not bite Mr. Walker’s dog;
however, Mr. Walker’s dog would not release his dog so he did put the pistol to
the pit bulls head. Mr. McEachern
commented that he did not care if pit bulls were in back yards, but owners
needed to keep them there and out of the parks. Mr. McEachern stated that he had seen Mr.
Walker walk his dog before and pit bulls were strong. Mr. McEachern added that he was glad that he
did not have to kill the dog, because then he would be in trouble for that.
Commissioner
Leslie’s father-in-law, Mr. Foy O’Neal, stated that he had been a Shelter
Insurance agent for years and had a little bit of experience with this. Mr. O’Neal commented that his largest claim
for a dog bite was $300,000 and it was for an eighteen month old little girl
who had been eating and was attacked by the family’s pit bull. Mr. O’Neal added that the little girl had to
have lots of surgeries so the claims were probably way more than $300,000 and
she was damaged forever. Mr. O’Neal also
related stories about pit bulls and one coming through a screen window after
him. Mr. O’Neal stated that he and his
wife walk and they did not want to feel like they had to carry a pistol or mace.
Mrs.
Donna McEachern stated that their dogs were on leashes that day and the pit
bull dog had come after her little dog and she had grabbed it up. Mrs. McEachern commented that the pit bull
then went after the bigger dog and Mr. McEachern yelled at Mr. Walker to get
his dog. Mrs. McEachern stated that she
wondered what would have happened if they had had their grandkids. Mrs. McEachern explained that the dog jumped
out of the truck window and this was an unfortunate accident, but the City
needed to revisit the ordinance. Mrs.
McEachern added that their dog did jump into Mr. Walker’s truck because he was
scared and she thought he was going to die.
Pratt
resident Mr. Gene Messick stated that pit bulls were a breed that came from
wolves and they could react in many ways.
Mr. Messick commented that Huskies and German Shepherds were marked as
dangerous also and dogs were naturally active to the situation around
them. Mr. Messick added that if you were
swung at the first time you met someone, you would become defensive also. Mr. Messick stated that it was not always the
dog’s fault or the owners. Mr. Messick
commented that we needed to take it for what it was and he hoped that the
Commission let people keep their pets.
Mr. Messick added that maybe this could be revisited in a few years.
Mr.
Gary Skaggs, former City Commissioner, questioned what the Commission had
discovered in other communities so they would know what worked and what did
not. Mr. Skaggs commented that it was
hard to enforce a breed specific ordinance.
City Attorney Probst stated that jurisdictions were moving away from
breed specific. Ms. Probst added that
the American Veterinary Association, the American Bar Association and the
Center for Disease Control were also proponents of the non-breed specific language. Mr. Skaggs asked if the ordinance was being
enforced. Ms. Probst stated that
research showed that it sounds like a ban, but she would write whatever
ordinance she was directed to write. Ms.
Probst explained that a breed specific ordinance would make officers decide on
what breed a dog was and that puts them in a bad situation. Ms. Probst commented that vet clinicians have
said that a dog was a pit bull and they find out later they were wrong. Ms. Probst repeated that that puts the
officers in a bad situation and they could not do that. Mr. Skaggs asked what the answer was if the
Commission continued with a non-breed specific ordinance. Police Chief Humble stated that the current
ordinance covered all breeds, which was much easier to enforce. Mr. Skaggs questioned if a dog was vicious
that charges the fence every time he takes out the trash and continues to bark
until he goes back in the house. Chief
Humble commented that that would be a noise violation, but not a vicious. Mr. Skaggs disagreed. Chief Humble stated that it did not make an
animal a vicious animal if they were within your area. Mr. Skaggs stated that he did not want the
City to wait until an attack on someone.
Ms. Probst read this from the ordinance:
‘Any animal which behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would
believe poses an unjustified imminent threat of serious injury or death to one
or more persons or domestic animals.’
Ms. Probst explained that we did not have to have an attack, but a
reasonable situation where they were posing an imminent threat.
Mr.
Troy McEachern stated that he did not have any facts with him; however, he had
read some that stated that pit bulls were listed as the top dangerous
breed. Mr. McEachern commented that pit
bulls make up 6.5% of the dog population and account for 64% of deaths Commissioner Leslie commented that those were
probably from Humane Society facts and he would defer from using their factual
basis. Commissioner Leslie stated that he
had done a lot of research on both sides and not just on Breed Specific
Legislation (BSL). Commissioner Leslie
stated that the numerous facts came from pediatrics, surgeon center,
municipalities and States. Commissioner
Leslie added that 50% listed the pit bull as number one followed by Rottweiler
and German Sheppard. Commissioner Leslie
stated that State Farm Insurance was a big proponent of the pit bulls and
against BSL. Ms. Probst stated that
State Farm had issued a statement that they did not care what breed of dog was
owned by a person. Commissioner Leslie
pointed out that they saw a 15% increase in dog bites and paid out $18 million
more than the previous year.
Commissioner Leslie commented that they had removed the breed specific
language in 2016 and had paid out billions in dog bite related claims. Mr. McEachern stated that he knows that
people love their pets, but he just wanted them out of the parks.
Ms.
Hemphill again addressed the Commission and stated that there were the dog
bites that got reported and those that did not.
Ms. Hemphill commented that she had heard stories on the news about a
little girl that was attacked by two dogs and they turned out to be Huskies and
there were many more stories out there; however, there were other bites that
were never reported and she had kept that in mind when doing her research. Commissioner Leslie stated that Level 1 bites
were the most severe bites and those were the ones that caused the most
permanent damage and what they were interested in. Commissioner Leslie added that they were not
looking at banning pit bulls, but they wanted responsible owners in town. Ms. Hemphill stated that, in talking about
responsible owners, the Humane Society would help with licensing pets and that
would help this situation and theirs also.
Mayor
Meyer thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and addressing the
Commission. Mayor Meyer commented that
the Commission had done their research and did not take this lightly. Mayor Meyer commented that it had taken six
months to develop it. Mayor Meyer
pointed out that the literature stated that there were twenty-six states that
still allow Breed Specific Legislation.
Mayor Meyer commented that they did not demand it; however, they allowed
it. Mayor Meyer stated that he began
thinking that maybe he had voted wrong before so he looked for a municipality
that had BSL and non-breed specific and he could not find one. Mayor Meyer agreed with Ms. Hemphill in that
you could make numbers and statistics show what you wanted. Mayor Meyer stated that the City
Commissioners were not trend setters, but they moved to a non-breed specific
vicious animal dog Ordinance 1804 with a lot of thought and input on
enforceability from the previous Police Chief.
Commissioner Peters stated that he felt that we had a good ordinance,
but it had to be enforced and make the owners be accountable. Commissioner Peters suggested putting a flyer
in the next electric bill that gives a summary of the Ordinance and fines and
then enforce it. Commissioner Peters
added that they were policy makers and not enforcers.
Commissioner
Leslie questioned if the officers were enforcing the regulation now for the vicious
animal leash law. Chief Humble stated
that they did when they could, but they did not get every single one. Commissioner Peters stated that his research
talked about getting a dog spayed or neutered and he recommended that the City
put some money aside for people who could not afford it. Ms. Hemphill informed the Commission that the
Humane Society had that program already for low income Pratt County residents. Ms. Hemphill added that she had not refused
one application since being there.
Commissioner Peters stated that he was glad to hear that and that would
be good information that could be included in the flyer. Ms. Probst asked that the paper put something
in there about low cost spay or neutering.
Commissioner Leslie stated that he felt the officers were enforcing it
when they could, but there were two that break away from their leash and try to
get in his back yard. Commissioner
Leslie commented that fining would not change anything, so we needed to be more
proactive by having the owners go to the police department to register the
animal, they had to have the animal spayed or neutered and they had to be on a
leash. Commissioner Leslie stated that
he sees many without a leash in Lemon Park, so simple proaction would be
putting regulations in place to protect the citizens.
Commissioner
Leslie added that banning would be impossible.
Commissioner Schmidt stated that there were three elements that were important
and this ordinance covers them.
Commissioner Schmidt stated that those elements were enforcement,
penalties and owner responsibility.
Commissioner Schmidt commented that they were not responsible to
micro-manage the police department and it was not the Commission’s position to
take on what the court fines were. Commissioner
Schmidt commented that the owner’s responsibility was also addressed in the
Ordinance where it talks about liability insurance and a photo ID of the
dog. Ms. Probst stated that she had been
encouraged that she had had only two pit bull bite cases; however, she was
fearful after looking at how often dogs that were not pit bulls were
categorized as pit bulls. Ms. Probst
explained that the police report stated that they were pit bulls and that they
had caused injury. Ms. Probst commented
that the owner had taken the initiative to put the dog down by the time they
came to court. Ms. Probst stated that
she had one case pending that she had not disposed of and that dog had also been
put down, but she was waiting on the victim to tell her what she was requesting
as restitution. Commissioner Leslie
asked Ms. Probst if she was addressing it as a pit bull breed and added that
pit bull was not a breed, which was a common misconception. Ms. Probst stated that she was addressing it
as a vicious animal, but the police report reported it as a pit bull. Ms. Probst commented that one of her concerns
was establishing any laws that called a pit bull a pit bull. Ms. Probst questioned if she was supposed to
make the officers responsible to make the right call, because she had been told
that they did not feel that that was enforceable. Commissioner Leslie stated that a lot of the
State courts had upheld that someone with common intelligence could identify a
pit bull. Mayor Meyer commented that
even veterinarians could not tell sometimes.
Ms. Probst stated that that was right and she asked what kind of
responsibility she was going to put on an entire police department when they
tell her that they cannot do it. Ms.
Probst added that she did not think that it was fair to tell them they had to
because of an ordinance. Commissioner
Peters stated that he did not think that that was the question, but whether it
was a vicious dog and it did not matter what breed it was. Commissioner Peters added that the owner had
to be held responsible, it had to be enforced and the ordinance takes care of
that. Commissioner Peters commented that
Police Chief Humble might need to have a meeting with the officers and let them
know that this was a big concern of the Commission and public. Commissioner Peters stated that an owner
should be fined and then maybe they would do something different.
Ms.
Hemphill stated that the Humane Society had fees for animals that the police
department brought to them that were running at large. Ms. Hemphill explained that the first day
would cost $25 and every day after was $15; however, they had no way to enforce
it when the owner did not have the money to pay the fine. Ms. Probst stated that there was a difference
between a boarding fee and running at large.
Chief Humble stated that it was impossible to serve someone with a dog
at large if they did not know the owner and a dog at large fine was done
through the court system. Ms. Hemphill
commented that Animal Control might not know the owner, but the Humane Society
does. Chief Humble stated that they
would cite the owner if they knew who it was. Ms. Laurie Stroda commented that
the City paid the salary of the Animal Control officer, so there should be some
way to make the owner accountable for that money. Ms. Probst stated that the Animal Control Officer
could not issue citations; however, they could determine that a citation was
necessary and contact an officer. Ms.
Hemphill stated that their State information says that boarding fees were part
of the City fine. Commissioner Peters
questioned if the only fine for a dog running loose was from the shelter. Chief Humble stated that the owner could get
a warning, but they would get a citation if it happened multiple times.
Mayor
Meyer stated that this ordinance was well modeled and he recommended, as did
Mr. Messick earlier, that we sit on this for a year and then re-evaluate to see
if any changes needed to be made.
Commissioner Leslie recommended that they improve the language of this
to identify certain requirements you had to do for a pit bull type dog. Commissioner Leslie added that it was not
banning a dog, but an extra precaution such as the picture ID and registrations. Mayor Meyer stated that we did not do
registrations. Commissioner Leslie
stated that that was something we could do and he added that there were ninety
other cities in Kansas that had BSL in place and they made it work. Commissioner Peters stated that Kansas had
one of the highest BSL’s in the United States.
Commissioner Leslie informed the Commission that eight of the ten Cities
with the highest number of dog bites had either no BSL or BSL
restrictions.
Mayor
Meyer asked if Commissioner Leslie was making a motion or recommendation. Commissioner Leslie stated that he would make
the motion to put additional language that puts some kind of regulations on pit
bulls and that they were not banned, but there were certain things that we
needed to take extra measures on.
Commissioner Schmidt asked if that was not already in the existing
document. Commissioner Leslie stated
that it was not and it was something that was after the fact. Commissioner Leslie stated that a dangerous
animal was established as a dangerous animal after it bites someone. Commissioner Leslie added that after it bites
someone the owner was required to be covered with insurance and that did not
solve the problem. Commissioner Leslie
stated that it was fine if we kept this one in place, but we were just waiting
for the next one to happen. Commissioner
Deeds stated that he was encouraged with the discussion and the logistics of
citation. Commissioner Deeds commented
that everyone probably agreed that there was something lacking in the dog owner
being in compliance with this ordinance; however, he was also encouraged in
what they had talked about with Chief Humble.
Commissioner
Schmidt asked Chief Humble if there were any programs by the State that trained
officers in identifying vicious animals or specific breeds. Commissioner Schmidt added that it sounded
like it was pretty hard to do.
Commissioner Leslie stated that it was not. Chief Humble stated that he did not know of
any, but they could identify one if they were enforcing the ordinance currently
in place. Ms. Hemphill stated that the
Kansas Department of Agriculture trains managers and animal control officers to
tell the difference, how to handle fearful animals and how to distinguish what
a fearful or aggressive animal is. Ms.
Hemphill added that the training was once a year for specifics. Ms. Probst asked that Ms. Hemphill share that
information with the Police Department.
Commissioner Peters questioned how you get an owner to bring in a photo
ID and register the animal. Commissioner
Leslie stated that other municipalities had the owner bring the dog to Animal
Control or the police department to get registered and they get a photo
then. Ms. Hemphill suggested that they
could be microchipped, which was better than a photo. Commissioner Leslie stated that that was
another way to go and that puts a little bit of burden on the owner to do
something responsible. Ms. Hemphill
commented that rabies vaccinations were required now and spaying or neutering
was a must. Ms. Hemphill added that some
owners want to breed their animal; therefore, they would have to pay a higher
registration fee.
Ms.
Probst stated that she had other concerns; however, she could draft an
ordinance similar to Andover, but there was no room in the budget for a person
to do registrations, etc. and it would need to be implemented with care. Public Works Director Rambat stated that he
was an animal lover and he felt this was more a people problem than an animal
problem. Mr. Rambat commented that it
was like guns in that there were some that were going to do more damage than
another and it would depend on the extent of the damage. Mr. Rambat added that this had to fit
everybody. Commissioner Leslie commented
that they all looked at it from different angles and they wanted it to work for
everyone. Building Inspector Blankenship
stated that people did not register their guns at the police department, so
they probably would not take their dogs there to get registered either. Chief Humble commented that the ones that
would bring them in were not the ones they had issues with. Mayor Meyer stated that his vet told him that
people were bringing their pit bulls in on a regular basis now for care and he
did not want the ordinance repealed.
Mayor
Meyer questioned if we needed to make adjustments to involve registration and
fine adjustments. Ms. Probst stated
that, if an owner was convicted, it was a Class C misdemeanor and up to a $500
fine and up to thirty days in jail. Ms.
Probst clarified that the Judge could increase the fine up to $500. Commissioner Peters commented that we should
also add that, if they could not pay the fine they would do jail time, to the
flyer. Commissioner Schmidt stated that
that influence was above the Commission and micromanaging. Ms. Probst stated that she could adjust the
fines across the board because the Statute allowed for more than what we were
doing. Ms. Probst added that fines were
a structure just like the utility rates.
Mayor
Meyer asked if there was a second for Commissioner Leslie’s motion. Commissioner Deeds questioned if the leash
law was being enforced. Chief Humble
stated that it was now and Animal Control did not take a dog back to the owner
that they pick up. Chief Humble added
that the ones that run without a leash in the parks would get one warning and then
a citation. Mayor Meyer asked if the
motion was to require registrations and reevaluate violation fines. Commissioner Leslie stated that his motion
was to look at more specific language to address some of the specific problems
this did not address, like registration and increasing fines. Commissioner Deeds seconded the motion. Commissioner Leslie clarified that he wanted
them to look at current wording and expand registration and the fine structure
for vicious animals. Commissioner Deeds
seconded that wording in the motion.
Mayor Meyer called for a roll call vote. Commissioner Deeds-yes, Commissioner
Leslie-yes, Mayor Meyer-no, Commissioner Peters-yes and Commissioner
Schmidt-no.
Ms. Probst stated that they needed to know who
was to evaluate this. Commissioner
Leslie stated that it should be the police department and City Attorney and he
would like to be a part of that also.
Ms. Stroda commented that they tried to do registration about thirty
years ago and it was too hard to enforce.
Ms. Stroda stated that she totally got it, but the numbers did not
work. Ms. Hemphill stated that a lot
could be done through the Humane Society and then they could keep the
registration money and would not need as much from the City.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE 1905 REGULATING THE SALE OF CEREAL MALT BEVERAGES AND BEER
CONTAINING NOT MORE THAN 6% ALCOHOL:
City
Attorney Probst explained that Kansas Legislatures passed a law that would go
into effect April 01, 2019 that allows Cereal Malt Beverage retailers to sell
enhanced beverages up to 6%. Ms. Probst
commented that their thoughts were that so many other states had CMB laws in
place that were changing from 3.2% to 6%.
Ms. Probst stated that 3.2% would go away; therefore, the City’s
ordinance had to be changed to reflect the 6%.
Ms. Probst informed the Commission that she had received a model
ordinance from the League and crafted it to comply with our ordinance. Ms. Probst stated that the changes included
the percentage change and the definition of Cereal Malt Beverage. Mayor Meyer asked if the retailers would have
to come and get a new license. Ms.
Probst stated that they did not and explained that they could sell 6% until the
end of December on their current license.
With
no more discussion, the following Ordinance 1905 was presented to the
Commission for their approval: AN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE SALE OF CEREAL
MALT BEVERAGE AND BEER CONTAINING NOT MORE THAN 6% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME WITHIN THE
CITY OF PRATT, KANSAS AND REPEALING ORDINANCE 0102. Commissioner Deeds made a motion to approve
Ordinance 1905. The motion was seconded
by Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA:
No
one in the audience wished to address the Commission.
REPORTS:
·
Solar Conference:
City Manager Eckert stated that the
solar conference at BTI was well attended by over forty people. Mr. Eckert commented that he had received a
call from a Mayor today that wanted to see how they could get the process
started, because they had liked what they saw.
·
Hays company interested:
Mr. Eckert stated that he had a
meeting with a company out of Hays that was interested in the solar farm and he
had met with about twenty-five people this morning at the Hampton Inn. Mr. Eckert commented that they were not a city,
but worked for cities.
·
Mold issue:
Mr. Eckert commented that we needed
to do something about the mold issues in the City/County building and the issue
had been there for a long time. Mr.
Eckert stated that the City and County had expressed concerns and would look at
all the processes possible. Mr. Eckert
added that this could not be good for anybody.
Public
Works:
·
Upcoming projects:
Public Works Director Rambat stated
that he had submitted two funding applications for KDOT’s City Connecting Link
Improvement Program. Mr. Rambat
explained that one project was the two blocks on West Highway 54 between Mound
Street and New Street and the other project was to replace the center 24’ of
brick to concrete between Eighth Street and Tenth Street on South Main Street.
·
Website:
Mr. Rambat stated that the training
for the website would be starting tomorrow and go into Wednesday. Mr. Rambat commented that it should be live
in about thirty days.
Recreation
Department:
·
Lemon Park:
Recreation Director Pinkall stated
that they were almost done with the work on the fields in Lemon Park. Mr. Pinkall commented that the fences were up
and they hoped to have games at Angood Field on Friday and Dickerson Field next
week. Mr. Pinkall added that Director of
Electric Utilities Huber was working on the electrical upgrades.
Mayor Meyer questioned what the
pile of dirt was from. Mr. Rambat stated
that it was from building the pad for the new restrooms. Mr. Rambat commented that they had to do
things the way the building contractor wanted so that we could get a
warranty. Building Inspector Blankenship
added that it was too wet last week and they wanted us to wait seven to ten
days to start work again.
·
Track/Soccer Field:
Mr. Pinkall stated that he had gone
to a Track/Soccer Field meeting last week and they had looked at the bid
processes and how the plans had been made.
Mr. Pinkall commented that the bids were due tomorrow for a majority of
the project and the next meeting was March 26th, so they were moving
right along.
·
Municipal Building:
Mr. Pinkall stated that he was
closer to getting the heating and air bids at the Municipal Building. Mr. Pinkall commented that he had help from
Mr. Blankenship, Mr. Rambat and Mr. Huber.
Police
Department:
·
Nicer weather/Thefts:
Police Chief Humble stated that
small thefts out of vehicles happen when the weather becomes nicer. Chief Humble commented that that activity
would go up in nicer weather and people should keep their vehicles locked and
not leave their keys in them. Chief
Humble explained that most vehicle thefts were in ones that were unlocked. Chief Humble asked that the Pratt Tribune put
something in the paper about this subject.
·
New Server:
Chief Humble informed the
Commission that the new server had come in and they would get it installed
tomorrow.
·
Nex-Tech:
Commissioner Leslie asked if Chief
Humble had heard anything from Nex-Tech about patrolling more around their
business. Chief Humble stated that he
had not, but they could have talked to an officer. Chief Humble questioned if something had
happened. Commissioner Leslie stated
that it was not here, but they were notifying all the offices in Kansas
concerning the significant amount of loss due to theft and they were assuming
that they were going to be making their rounds.
·
Daily log:
Mayor Meyer stated that he
appreciated the daily log from the police department.
·
Humane Society:
Commissioner Peters asked if Chief
Humble had gotten his reports from the Humane Society yet. Chief Humble stated that he had January and
February’s. Chief Humble commented that
he would like to see more cooperation especially after the discussion
tonight. Commissioner Leslie stated that
he would like to be a part of that and that Ms. Hemphill had some great ideas.
Mayor
and Commission:
·
Press Release:
Mayor Meyer stated that the press
release for the March 7th Solar Conference was almost complete and
would be in the paper.
·
Executive Session:
Mayor Meyer requested an executive
session at the end of the meeting for non-elected personnel to last fifteen
minutes.
·
Financial updates:
Commissioner Deeds thanked Finance Director
Garten for the financial updates.
·
Comments:
Commissioner Leslie thanked
everyone for the insightful comments and respect for everyone’s thoughts
tonight.
·
Executive Session #1:
Mayor Meyer made a motion for an
executive session for non-elected personnel to last from 6:55 p.m. to 7:10
p.m. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Deeds and carried unanimously.
Mayor Meyer made a motion to return
from executive session at 7:09 p.m. with nothing to report. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Peters
and carried unanimously.
·
Executive Session #2:
Mayor Meyer made a motion for an
executive session for attorney/client privilege to last from 7:15 p.m. to 7:30
p.m. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
Mayor Meyer made a motion to return
from executive session at 7:30 p.m. with nothing to report. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Leslie and carried unanimously.
ADJOURN:
Commissioner Leslie made a
motion to adjourn. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
Doug
Meyer, Mayor
ATTEST: