MONDAY
October 07, 2013
The Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Recessed session with the County Commission in the Commission Room located in City Hall.
PRESENT: Jeff Taylor Mayor
Bill
Hlavachick CommissionerGary Skaggs Commissioner
Karen Detwiler Commissioner
Lucus Kumberg Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT: Dave Howard City Manager
LuAnn
Kramer City ClerkGary Myers Police Chief
Joe Reynolds County Commissioner
Charles Rinke County Commissioner
Glenna Borho County Commissioner
Sherry Kruse County Clerk
Bob Schmisseur County Counselor
CALL TO ORDER:
The
recessed meeting was called to order by Mayor Taylor. The Mayor instructed the Clerk to note that
all Commissioners were present.
The
Mayor reminded the audience that this meeting may be taped and/or recorded.
BUSINESS:
DISCUSSION ON
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
Mayor
Taylor commented that this discussion came about because Chamber Director Jan
Scarbrough was going to be moving and he stated that he enjoyed and appreciated
what she had done. Mayor Taylor
questioned when she would be leaving.
Ms. Scarbrough stated that she did not have a date yet.
Mayor
Taylor stated that there had been some discussion about having the City be more
involved in economic development. City
Manager Howard stated that the City already does about 80% of it anyway and it
should go under us. Mr. Howard commented
that the City would manage the meetings and make sure that money was spent in
the best interest of everyone. Mayor
Taylor commented that there were two ED board members that were appointed by
the City, two by the County and one by the Chamber. Commissioner Reynolds stated that that would
be fine with him. Mr. Howard explained
that economic development was using land logically, understanding utilities and
having a place to put a business that wants to come to town. Mr. Howard added that the City was doing that
on Highway 61 with utilities and proper zoning in that area.
Commissioner
Kumberg questioned if the board would stay intact if it was no longer under the
Chamber. Mr. Howard stated that it
would, but it would not be attached to tourism or the chamber. Commissioner Borho commented that it would
benefit the City and County no matter what since they each had two
representatives on the board. Mayor
Taylor questioned if they should use a member of the Commission. Commissioner Reynolds asked if Counselor
Schmisseur would do it. Mr. Schmisseur
stated that he was considered a part-time employee of the County. After little more discussion, Commissioner
Reynolds made a motion to appoint Commissioner Borho to the ED board. Commissioner Rinke seconded the motion and it
carried unanimously. Commissioner
Kumberg questioned how they would choose a president for the board. ED Board Member Kenton Landenburger stated
that they would have to go back in the by-laws and the Chamber would run until
the end of the year, which would be the time to make the transition. Mr. Landenburger commented that changing
memberships should not be a problem and they were excited to go in this
direction. Commissioner Borho questioned
if the Commission would be comfortable with Mr. Howard being the City
representative. Commissioner Skaggs
stated that he had the knowledge of the utilities. Commissioner Kumberg questioned if there
would be a conflict of interest if a Commissioner was on the board. Mr. Howard stated that he was at the meetings
for informational purposes only and not to vote. Mr. Howard added that the City and County
want to be comfortable and getting one of our own would give the board more
people putting in real input.
Commissioner Borho stated that the by-laws would not have to be changed
if there was no voting by a Commissioner or representative. Mr. Landenburger stated that that was
correct. Commissioner Detwiler stated
that she had no problem with Mr. Howard being the City representative. Mr. Howard stated that City staff would
become involved after meetings to do presentations and we would want to include
planning and zoning also. Commissioner
Borho commented that the County’s planning and zoning would get involved with any
development outside the City of Pratt.
Mr. Howard stated that that could be and the City would give back the
same effort as if it were inside the City.
Mr. Howard added that this was all in our best interest. Commissioner Kumberg made a motion to appoint
City Manager Howard as the City’s representative on the ED Board. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Detwiler. Mayor Taylor added that Mr.
Howard would be an ex officio member.
The motion and second passed unanimously.
Mr.
Howard stated that he would get with Mr. Landenburger and work out issues and
keep the Commission updated. An audience
member questioned how this split with the Chamber would affect the Travel and
Tourism Committee and if they would be able to share the office space and
administrative staff. Mr. Howard stated
that people had mentioned that tourism should come under the City as well. Mr. Howard added that he had no intention of
doing that, but he did not know if that would go anywhere. Commissioner Skaggs commented that that does
not leave much for the Chamber Director to do.
Mr. Howard stated that that was part of the issue. Mayor Taylor commented that there would be
some things that needed to be worked out.
Mayor Taylor added that part of the Chamber’s salary was paid by tourism
and we were not leaving the Chamber out in the cold. Mr. Howard commented that it was no one’s
intention to do harm to the Chamber. The
audience member stated that he understood that this was the best move for
economic development, but his concern was whether tourism would be able to
share or utilize office space and administrative staff.
Commissioner
Kumberg stated that, no matter what they decide to do, they needed a job
description before they go out looking.
Mayor Taylor commented that it was less than ninety days before this
would happen. Mr. Howard stated that
there had been no detailed discussions yet.
Mayor Taylor added that it would help to have a breakdown of the budget
to see how much was tourism and how much Chamber, plus any shared expenses, and
that would help us know their needs.
LEC DISCUSSION:
Mr.
Howard commented that there were some maintenance issues that had come up in
budget concerning the upkeep of the LEC and he was going to have Chief Myers
explain those. Chief Myers commented
that he had made some provisions in his budget for next year to do some
upgrades in dispatch. Chief Myers stated
that the carpet had been replaced one time in twenty years and the interior
painted one time, as well. Chief Myers
added that the office furniture was getting old and the dispatch center was a
mess.
Chief
Myers explained that the dispatch needed to be modernized and set-up where
there were two seats and each one was able to handle all 911 and dispatch
calls. Chief Myers commented that the
dispatchers handle all the emergency calls for the City and County law
enforcement, local fire and township fire departments, which was a lot for one
person. Chief Myers added that he
realizes that he does not have the funds for additional staff, but it would
make it easier to dispatch with an upgrade to the phone system. Chief Myers explained that he had toured a few
dispatch 911 centers with Dispatch Supervisor Lyda Kasselman and they realized
that our dispatch center was way outdated.
Chief Myers stated that they had contacted two companies and they came
and looked at our center and had come up with a cost to upgrade, without new
carpet, to be about $28,253.53. Chief
Myers added that new carpet in the dispatch center and four administrative
offices would add about $4,000 to that.
Chief
Myers stated that the biggest issue was the phone system and the Sheriff had
updated their phone service within the last year or so, but he did not have the
budgetary approval to upgrade to link the two systems together. Chief Myers explained that, if they get a
call for the Sheriff’s department, they had to ask them to call back on the
Sheriff’s number. Chief Myers commented
that they answer that line if there is no one available on the Sheriff’s side. Chief Myers stated that he was going to use
forfeiture funds for the upgrade, but, once that money was depleted, it was not
replaced with budgetary funds. Chief
Myers stated that there were other issues that needed to be addressed and he
felt that it would be beneficial if the LEC Committee was back in order. Chief Myers commented that their last meeting
was over a year ago and there were issues that came up from time to time that
should be addressed.
Chief
Myers stated that the original agreement between the Sheriff and Police
Departments states that they share space in that building with some areas
belonging to the Sheriff, some to the Police Department and some common
areas. Chief Myers commented that the City
was not charged any rent for that space because we provide dispatch for the
County. Chief Myers explained that, in
providing the dispatch service, they talk on the radio, but they do more than
that now by providing and answering 911 phone lines, administrative lines, the
Sheriff lines from when the secretary was not there, City and County fire lines
and all other radio traffic. Chief Myers
added that dispatchers also do criminal checks on persons being booked into
jail, sex offender registrations, etc.; therefore, their primary duties had well
exceeded much earlier expectations and he felt that his department was coming
up on the short end of the stick. Chief
Myers commented that they were responsible for painting and upgrades and
questioned if he should charge for the services provided.
After
some discussion, the City appointed Commissioner Kumberg to the LEC Committee
by a motion from Commissioner Skaggs and a second from Commissioner
Detwiler. That motion and second passed
unanimously. Commissioners agreed that
the committee would meet on October 28th at noon in the court room
at the LEC.
GENERAL DISCUSSION
ON CITY/COUNTY ISSUES:
·
Group purchasing:
Commissioner Kumberg questioned if the County had ever considered the idea of group purchasing that would not require bids. Commissioner Kumberg explained that you would have a contract with certain vendors and purchase large quantities of something to save money. Commissioner Skaggs stated that you would need a central purchasing officer, but you could save up to half the price. (Commissioner Hlavachick arrived at 4:00 p.m.) Commissioner Kumberg commented that you would look at local businesses first to see if they had any interest in it. Commissioner Borho questioned if he had checked with anyone that had worked this way before or if the local vendor was the central point. Commissioner Kumberg stated that he was not sure how it worked on the vendor side of it. Commissioner Reynolds questioned where it would be stored. Mayor Taylor stated that it would depend on where you got it from and you would have to buy in one large quantity. Mayor Taylor explained that you could get very cheap paper from overseas, but you had to buy from twenty to forty skids and that would be difficult to find somewhere capable of storing that much. Commissioner Detwiler commented that that was copy paper, but everyone uses paper towels and cleaning supplies. Commissioner Kumberg commented that other Cities were doing this. Commissioner Detwiler stated that the City’s fuel contract could be improved if they joined with the County. Mr. Howard clarified that that was for vehicles, but not for the generators. Commissioner Borho suggested that Commissioner Kumberg check into the process and what commodities it was being done with and report back to the Commissioners.
·
Road Graders:
Mr. Howard questioned the County Commissioners on whether they would be willing to sell the City a road grader that would normally be traded in on a new one. Mr. Howard explained that the City needed to upgrade theirs for snow. Commissioner Reynolds commented that they take good care of them. Mr. Howard commented that he was not asking them to give it to us. Commissioner Borho stated that they have around 20,000 hours on them. Commissioner Reynolds commented that some had more than that, but they may have one ready next year. Commissioner Skaggs questioned how many they had. Commissioner Rinke stated that it was around sixteen to eighteen.
Mr.
Howard stated that you could not beat a road grader for snow removal and ours
was a 1970’s model. Mr. Howard added
that we would not do away with that one, but it would be nice to have a newer
model. Commissioner Rinke questioned how
many dirt roads there were in Pratt. Mr.
Howard stated that he was not sure how many miles we had. Commissioner Skaggs stated that this would
save us money not having to buy it from a vendor. Commissioner Hlavachick commented that they
probably have a good trade-in value.
Commissioner Reynolds stated that the Cats do and they take excellent
care of their equipment.
·
Community Service Work:
Commissioner
Reynolds informed the City Commission that Ms. Peggy Lee had resigned her
position as Community Service Director and they were in the process of doing
specs on the job qualifications.
Commissioner Reynolds questioned if the City would be willing to come
together with a little bit of money to pay a salary since a number of people
that get in trouble were City people.
Mr. Howard questioned if they were looking at a higher salary. Mr. Schmisseur commented that County Attorney
Van Blaricum had reported that there were offices using community services
quite often and some had come through Municipal Court, but majorities were
going through County Court. Mr.
Schmisseur added that Mr. Van Blaricum was using it as a resolution and a
portion of the work load was City origin work.
Commissioner
Borho stated that Ms. Lee had said that she would do the work herself if a
person did not show up and that was not how it was supposed to work. Commissioner Borho commented that there
needed to be more cooperation and get more places for them to work their
hours. Mr. Howard questioned who was
responsible for that person that was working.
Mr. Schmisseur stated that the Community Service person does it to a
certain level, because there were a substantial amount of hours of work that
should be getting done. Mr. Schmisseur
added that it would depend on what they were doing and who the person was. Mr. Schmisseur commented that that would have
to be decided by the person in that position.
Mr. Schmisseur explained that there was no liability for workers
compensation, but they could pick up trash along a County road, help with Lemon
Park lights and there were a lot of things the City and County could do to work
together.
Commissioner
Detwiler commented that she understood Ms. Lee’s frustration. Commissioner Detwiler stated that she had to
take one worker home from the Humane Society after they had not been picked
up. Commissioner Hlavachick stated that
it takes a lot of time to keep them busy.
Commissioner Reynolds commented that you could keep one busy at the
landfill all week. Commissioner Kumberg
questioned if they get a choice of what they do. Commissioner Borho stated that they should
not have a choice, but a forty hours sentence was not always 8:00 to 5:00. Commissioner Borho added that you were going
to have to have someone that was flexible on when they could work. Mr. Schmisseur stated that churches fall
under the 501C matter, so a church group could take some to a person’s home to
rake leaves. Mr. Schmisseur commented
that Ms. Lee stated that she used to have them pick up trash after games, but
she would end up doing it herself because nobody would show up. Mr. Howard questioned if there were
ramifications for not showing up. Mr.
Schmisseur stated that they could have their probation revoked and they look at
how long a person is held for certain crimes.
Mr. Schmisseur added that some would rather sit in jail than go to an AA
meeting or go to prison rather than pick up trash at the landfill.
Mr.
Howard questioned what the point of all of it was. Mr. Schmisseur stated that you could reach
some people, but you could not save them all.
Commissioner Rinke commented that kids were proud of going to jail. Commissioner Borho added that it was a status
symbol to their peers. Mayor Taylor
commented that we would visit with Mr. Van Blaricum about what was City and
what was County usage. Commissioner
Borho stated that there were 6,000 hours to be served according to Ms. Kathy
Harvey and Mr. Van Blaricum. Mr. Howard
stated that we could find a list of things to do, but he would talk to the
department heads and see what they had.
ADJOURN:
Commissioner
Skaggs made a motion to adjourn. The
motion was seconded by Commissioner Kumberg and passed unanimously.
______________________________________
JEFF
A. TAYLOR, Mayor
(SEAL)
ATTEST:
______________________________________LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk
MONDAY
October 07, 2013
The
Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular session in the Commission
Room located in City Hall.
PRESENT: Jeff Taylor Mayor
Bill
Hlavachick CommissionerGary Skaggs Commissioner
Karen Detwiler Commissioner
Lucus Kumberg Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT: Dave Howard City Manager
LuAnn
Kramer City ClerkKen Van Blaricum City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Gary Myers Police Chief
Russell Rambat Public Works Director
Brad Blankenship Building Inspector
Kelly Hemphill Dir. of Electric Utilities
Bruce Pinkall Recreation Director
CALL TO ORDER:
The
regular meeting was called to order by Mayor Taylor. The Mayor instructed the 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:
Mayor
Taylor led the staff and audience in the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance.
MINUTES:
A
motion was made by Commissioner Skaggs to approve the minutes of the September
16, 2013 regular meeting minutes. The
motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick and carried unanimously.
BUSINESS:
INTRODUCTION TO
HOPE CENTER OF PRATT AND CONSIDERATION FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION CONCERNING
UTILITIES:
Rev.
Scott Powell stated that he was at this meeting to give the Commission a brief
overview of the Hope Center. Rev. Powell
commented that the Hope Center came about due to the numerous calls from the community
to the Ministerial Alliance for various needs and they felt that we needed to
discuss how best to serve them. Rev.
Powell explained that they had over seventy resources, but it was somewhat
dysfunctional. Rev. Powell added that
there was a need for a central hub to pull all these resources and help people
in a bigger picture.
Rev.
Powell stated that the Director of the Hope Center and the facility would be
responsible for knowing the community and the need people were expressing, but
understand what other help they may need.
Rev. Powell commented that the Hope Center was not the primary and they
have others that have expertise in other areas and we want to get them in
contact with them. Rev. Powell stated
that the Hope Center wants to step in when needed or be there to nurture. Rev. Powell explained that there were three
tiers that they would be working with and the first tier would be a relief
tier, the second would be short term needs and the third tier was for long term
needs. Rev. Powell added that their deep
desire was to get the community back to being a self-sufficient society. Rev. Powell stated that their goal was to
give them a hand up and to get where they need to be and not to play on the system
over and over.
Rev.
Powell informed the Commission that they would be occupying the old Cox
building and there were multiple resource groups moving in, such as the Agape
Clinic, Pass It Forward, a clothing group and others. Rev. Powell commented that the office was a
central hub and was easily assessable and will present a place where all the
resource groups could shoulder the responsibility of the building and create a
safe environment. Rev. Powell added that
they had had a great number of volunteers stepping forward. Rev. Powell stated that they wanted to create
a real source of help and get people in a position to move forward. Rev. Powell commented that they were seeing
such needs as help with rent or needing coats, shoes and food.
Rev.
Powell stated that their help request proposal was to partner with the City,
which means that they would like the City’s input about what was really going
on at times. Rev. Powell explained that
the Ministerial Alliance had had a policy that they would help out with $75 on
utility bills, but they would never ask the question on how many months they
were at that status. Rev. Powell stated
that it was like throwing money down a black hole and quick fixes do not
achieve a whole lot.
Rev.
Powell commented that he would like to request help from the City with
utilities at 314 South Main so that the Hope Center could reserve more funds
for what they were doing. Rev. Powell
stated that there were ten churches that had committed with funds, but others
were feeling the stretch and any help would be appreciated. Mr. Howard questioned if they knew how many
needy families there were in Pratt. Rev.
Powell stated that the Methodist Church gets most of the calls. Rev. Sheryl White, Methodist Church Director
of Lay Ministries, stated that they had weeks where only a few people come in,
but they have had as many as nine in one day.
Ms. Diane Harris, Pratt Food Bank, commented that they had given out
ninety-six boxes in September, which was an increase from last year at this
time. Ms. Harris explained that you could
receive five boxes a year and they were seeing some come in for the first time. Mr. Jack Ewing added that he appreciates the
Hope Center being more than the band aid approach and working towards a
permanent fix for quality of life. Rev.
Powell stated that Ms. Jeanette Siemens was working on a mentoring program
called Circles and there was a lot of interest in going beyond a handout.
Mayor
Taylor questioned if there would be financial planning for some of these
people. Rev. Powell commented that that
was the three tiers and was not only life skills, but some financial and
health. Rev. Powell added that, whether
it was Circles or whatever, they were looking at all avenues to get people in a
healthier place in life. Rev. White
added that Circles was an eighteen month program with a financial counselor, so
it was not just a little program. Rev.
Powell stated that there were some who do not want to go through a process like
that and we were not there to help people who do not want help. Rev. Powell commented that they were going to
be clear on their vision and let people know what the Hope Center was going to
do.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned what their hours of operation would be. Rev. Powell stated that he would like to see
it open eight hours a day, including Saturday, but that would depend on
funds. Rev. Powell commented that they
were eighty percent ready to open.
Commissioner Skaggs asked how many of the resources would be in this
building. Rev. Powell commented that there
would be around seven to ten by the end of the year. Rev. Powell added that they do not have to
move into the building to be a partner.
Commissioner Detwiler questioned if there would be information available
on any of those groups. Rev. Powell
stated that the director would make the phone calls to get them connected. Mayor Taylor commented that he liked the
statement that they want to help those who want to help themselves. Rev. Powell commented that they were on the
agenda tonight to make their presence known and to let people know that the
resources would be in one place and that was the Hope Center.
Mr.
Howard asked Rev. Powell to define ‘special consideration for utilities’. Rev. Powell stated that they were asking for
everything and would take all the help they could get. Mayor Taylor stated that he would like to see
the City help with the utilities for the first year and $500 maximum a month
would help. After little more
discussion, Commissioner Detwiler made a motion to support the Hope Center with
$550 a month for utility allowances.
Commissioner Hlavachick seconded the motion. Mr. Howard suggested that they consider a
$550 a month donation and not tie it to the utilities. Mr. Howard added that it would be taken out
of the general fund and they could use it for utilities. The motion and second were amended to be a
$550 donation per month and passed unanimously.
Mayor Taylor commented that this would start on December 1st
and go for thirteen months.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL FOR PLACEMENT OF FENCING TO BLOCK ALLEY FOR WEDNESDAY YOUTH ACTIVITIES
AT THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH:
First
United Methodist Church Rev. Sheryl White requested permission to block off the
alley between the church and the parking lot on Wednesdays due to youth going
back and forth for recreation purposes.
Rev. White commented that they did not want permanent fencing, but
something that they could put up and take down during the school season. Rev. White added that they do have parents
watching, but they have around one hundred children in both play areas on Wednesdays. Mr. Howard commented that they do own most of
the property and it could become a problem with the first block of North Main
closed. Commissioner Hlavachick
questioned if they had visited with the residents on the northeast corner. Rev. White explained that it would only be
from the highway to the end of the play area.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned if the City had something to loan them. Public Works Director Rambat stated that we
should have some tall orange cones with lights on top which were very visible
and easy to move. Mr. Howard commented
that traffic was going to be heavier than it was and they needed to be sure to
allow the other resident access to his garage.
Commissioner Hlavachick made a motion to approve the placement of
fencing or some other sort of visual block on the alley behind the First United
Methodist Church on Wednesdays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm during the school
year. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Detwiler and carried unanimously.
PROCLAMATION
FOR DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRATT COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION:
Mayor
Taylor read the proclamation recognizing the diamond anniversary of the Pratt
Community Concert Association. Mayor
Taylor and members of the association had their picture taken and he stated
that they provided quality entertainment to our community.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF BID FOR A TRAILER MOUNTED AIR COMPRESSOR FOR THE WATER DEPARTMENT:
Water Superintendent Kelvin Clay informed the Commission that he had requested bids for a replacement of their 1996 air compressor. Mr. Clay explained that their current air compressor still runs, but the replacement parts were hard to find and they do not make that model anymore. Mr. Clay commented that they had sent out three bids and received three bids back. Mr. Clay stated that D & D Equipment Sales had sent in a bid of $16,534.36 for a Sullivan unit; Foley Equipment Company bid a Sullair unit for $16,999 and Victor L. Phillips bid an Atlas Copco unit for $19,013.75.
Mr.
Clay stated that he had budgeted for this item for three years and saved
$17,000 that was available this year.
Mr. Clay added that they would be keeping the old unit because there
were times when they needed more than one compressor. Mr. Clay recommended the Commission’s
approval for the purchase of the air compressor from D & D Equipment Sales
in the amount of $16,534.16.
Commissioner Kumberg made a motion to purchase the Sullivan unit from D
& D Equipment Sales for $16,534.16 with the available budgeted funds. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Skaggs and carried unanimously.
DISCUSSION ON
ROTARY PROJECT:
Mr. Tom Jones informed the Commission that the Rotary Club had been looking for a project in Pratt and were going to fund part of it. Mr. Jones commented that some of the walkway was deteriorating in Lemon’s Park and they could donate some money to help fund the repairs. Mr. Jones stated that he had talked to Mr. Howard, Mr. Rambat, Park Superintendent Eckhoff and Recreation Director Pinkall about this project and people who were trying to make their health better by walking.
Commissioner Detwiler stated that she hoped they would replace those sections and do it 6” deep. Mr. Howard commented that they had discussed drive areas to prevent some of the deterioration. Commissioner Skaggs questioned if there was wire mesh used in the original concrete. Mr. Rambat stated that there was not. Mayor Taylor questioned if this was a project that could be done by City staff. Mr. Rambat replied that we could, but we would be better off going out for bids. Mr. Rambat commented that the cost to replace the broken areas would be around $3,300 to $3,500. Mr. Howard added that we could get a better price if someone was working on another big sidewalk job. Mr. Jones stated that he would like to challenge other groups to donate also and their donation amount was $1,800. The Commission thanked Mr. Jones for bringing this before them and thanked the Rotary for their involvement in the community.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF BID ON LABOR FOR THE RR TIE REPLACEMENT PROJECT FOR THE PILOT CLUB
EXPRESS:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that he had gone out for bids on the labor to
replace the railroad ties at the Pilot Express Train. Mr. Blankenship stated that the old bid from
Illinois had not included rock and we would be doing that, as well as leveling
the area around the depot. Mr.
Blankenship commented that they would be pre-drilling, which was what the
railroad does. Mr. Blankenship explained
that he would be bringing the decision on whether to use 4X4’s or 6X6’s.
Mr.
Blankenship stated that the bid was for labor only because we wanted control on
what would be done on materials. Mr.
Blankenship stated that they received two bids back and Arensdorf Construction
bid $25,500 and FATB Construction bid $38,190.
Mr. Blankenship recommended the low bid from Arensdorf Construction in
the amount of $25,500. Mr. Blankenship
added that Mr. Arensdorf had done a good job around the City. Commissioner Hlavachick made a motion to
approve the bid from Arensdorf Construction for $25,500 for labor only at the
Pilot Club Express. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Kumberg.
Commissioner Skaggs questioned if there was a time frame. Mr. Blankenship stated that they should be
done before April 1st and a lot of it should be done in a
month. The motion and second passed
unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF THE KDOT PROJECT SCHEDULE FOR THE MAIN STREET BEAUTIFICATION
PROJECT:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that he had more information on the time line for the
Main Street Streetscape project and presented KDOT’s timeline to the
Commission. Mr. Pinkall commented that
KDOT’s timeline had construction beginning in early 2015 and we had initially
had construction starting in early 2014.
Mr. Pinkall stated that this would allow us to have more time to work
with the merchants and give them another year without interference.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF THE ADDENDUM TO THE CONTRACT OF SALE WITH ELIEZER MANAGEMENT INC:
City
Attorney Van Blaricum stated that the City had signed a contract with Eliezer
Management for Lot 3 in the Sandy Creek Addition in July and the title work had
been done. Mr. Van Blaricum commented
that Eliezer Management had requested another month for the closing even though
the City had been ready.
Mr.
Van Blaricum stated that he had prepared an addendum that changed the date from
October 1st to November 1st and Eliezer Management had
already approved it. Commissioner
Detwiler questioned if they had given a reason for the extension. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that he had not heard
why they needed it, but Mr. Rich Sanders was aggressive on the closing and they
may have needed more time to get financing around. Commissioner Detwiler made a motion to
approve the addendum to the contract of sale with Eliezer Management. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Hlavachick and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF FIRE SIREN TESTING SCHEDULE FOR CITY OWNED SIRENS:
Director
of Electric Utilities Hemphill commented that he had put information in the
packet concerning tornado data from the State of Kansas and Pratt County. Mr. Hemphill stated that he understood the
need for limiting the amount of times the sirens were set off; therefore, he
had set up a schedule for every Monday from March to July and the first Monday
of the month from September to October.
Mr. Hemphill added that the technicians had recommended that the sirens
not be tested if the temperature was below 30°.
Mr. Howard commented that our sirens could be tested through
dispatch. Mr. Howard stated that we
would test sirens regardless of what time of year it was if the three to five
day weather forecast had storms coming towards Pratt.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned whether we limit the sirens to just tornadoes. Mr. Howard stated that we set them off for
other events and they had been set off during the strong winds a month or so
ago. Commissioner Kumberg questioned
if the new sirens could be used as a PA system.
Mr. Hemphill stated that these could produce several different tones,
but was not a PA system. Commissioner
Skaggs questioned how many had been replaced.
Mr. Hemphill stated that we had replaced seven. Commissioner Detwiler made a motion to adopt
the seven City tornado testing schedule per Mr. Hemphill and Mr. Howard’s
suggestion. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Kumberg and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION 100713 PROVIDING FOR A HEARING ON THE UNSAFE AND
DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AT 412 S. MAIN:
City Attorney Van Blaricum commented that he had been trying to get the owner of 412 South Main to do something about that structure and had also allowed a local business person time to negotiate with the owner, but neither option worked. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that it was time to move on and this resolution states that we declare this as an unsafe structure and schedules a public hearing on November 18th. Mr. Van Blaricum explained that the Commission could give the owner time to repair or remove the structure and he recommended sixty days was reasonable or it could be shorter. Mr. Van Blaricum added that the City could make the repairs or demolish it if the owner was not compliant.
After
little more discussion, the following Resolution 100713 was then presented to
the Commission for their approval: RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR HEARING ON UNSAFE
OR DANGEROUS STRUCTURE PURSUANT TO K.S.A. 12-1750, et seq. AND PRATT MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 8.08.010 et seq. Commissioner Skaggs made a motion to approve
Resolution 100713 providing for a hearing on the unsafe and dangerous structure
at 412 South Main on November 18th, 2013. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Kumberg and carried unanimously. Mayor
Taylor commented that there was not much to demolish, but questioned if there
was anything left inside. Mr.
Blankenship stated that there was scrap metal, I beams and a vehicle. Mr. Blankenship suggested looking into it to
see if it would be legal to sell the scrap metal and take that amount off of
what the owner owes us for the demolition.
Mr. Van Blaricum stated that he would look into that.
CONTINUED
DISCUSSION ON A LOITERING BY MINORS ORDINANCE:
City
Attorney Van Blaricum commented that this ordinance had been initiated by the
police department and was a good idea; however, it was not a curfew ordinance
but a loitering ordinance. Mr. Van
Blaricum stated that there had been young people out late running around and
the officers did not have the power to stop them to ask what they were
doing. Mr. Van Blaricum explained that
this ordinance would give them the power to stop anyone under the age of
sixteen and ask what they are doing. Mr.
Van Blaricum stated that this was a starting point and applies between midnight
to 6:00 am for anyone under sixteen and they could be fined or do jail time and
their parents could be fined or threatened jail time.
Mr.
Van Blaricum stated that the purpose of the ordinance was not to play ‘gotcha’
with football players getting back or someone getting back from a school
function, but to get hold of the ones out doing no good. Commissioner Kumberg questioned what the
definition of loitering was. Mr. Van
Blaricum clarified that loitering was being somewhere with no good purpose,
just hanging out, idle wandering, strolling somewhere that you have no clear
reason to be.
Commissioner
Detwiler questioned if Chief Myers was happy with the age and time. Chief Myers stated that Sgt. Kent Wyatt had
been working hard on this and asked that he be the one to answer any
questions. Sgt. Wyatt commented that he
agrees with an ordinance and this was somewhere between the original ordinance
he had given Mr. Van Blaricum and what the department was looking at. Sgt. Wyatt commented that they do see a
number of middle school aged kids and up to age eighteen and he would like to
see the ordinance go to age eighteen, but Mr. Van Blaricum talked about age
sixteen. Sgt. Wyatt clarified that
eighteen year olds make decisions on their own and middle aged kids hang out
with older people and are ready to cross over, so we will deal with them when
they are older.
Sgt.
Wyatt stated that this ordinance would give the officers power to stop kids
that have no reason to be out. Sgt.
Wyatt added that the original draft outlined how we go about doing that. Sgt. Wyatt commented that he had stopped and
chatted with some about why they were out and some stop for him and some do
not. Sgt. Wyatt informed the Commission
that he had seen kids roaming around town at night at all ages, some as young
as eight or nine, and a call to parents sometimes gets an okay for them to be
out. Sgt. Wyatt added that the parents
do not always know their kids are out, but they cover for them. Sgt. Wyatt stated that the crime rate drops
dramatically when this type of ordinance is adopted and it is an excellent way
to control things in a community.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned how hard it would be to change an ordinance. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that you could change
it at any time. Mr. Van Blaricum
commented that we could give it six months to a year to see what the experience
was and go from there. Sgt. Wyatt
questioned if this was being voted on tonight.
Mayor Taylor stated that this was just in the discussion stage for
now. Commissioner Kumberg commented that
he agreed with moving the age up to eighteen and the other Commissioners
agreed.
Mr. Van Blaricum stated that he would start out with midnight to 6:00 am and under eighteen, but this was only a starting point and could be modified later, if necessary. Mr. Van Blaricum added that he would bring an ordinance back to the next meeting with those changes. Mr. Howard commented that this ordinance would not stop the ones that this was for, because they would do it anyway. Commissioner Kumberg questioned if parents could still be written a ticket for kids under eighteen. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that jail time was intended to look scary to the parents and it was part of the shock factor.
OPEN AGENDA:
·
Mr. Matei’s request for
information:
Mr.
Luca Matei stated that he had written for information and any local government
reports should go to the people so that they know what they are doing. Mr. Matei commented that the police and
congress keep secrets and that tells everybody something is not right. Mr. Matei added that they were chosen by the
people and he had asked police for information and he wanted answers.
Mr.
Howard informed the Commission that Mr. Matei’s first request was on his own
paper and we gave him the proper one.
Mr. Howard commented that some information was not public record, but we
would release information that could be released. Mr. Howard added that personnel and police
matters were not public.
REPORTS:
City Manager:
·
Coder Engineering:
City Manager Howard commented that he had included emails from Coder Engineering in the packet that pertained to the turn lanes on Highway 54. Mr. Howard stated that they were communicating with the Methodist Church, but the total design was not complete yet. Mr. Howard added that everyone involved would meet with property owners when we knew more.
·
Traffic study at Wal-Mart:
Mr.
Howard reminded the Commission that he had hired EBH Engineering to do a
traffic study at Wal-Mart and they had the preliminary study done, but were
tweaking it a little bit. Mr. Howard
stated that we would not need a traffic light if KDOT accepts what the study
shows. Commissioner Skaggs questioned if
we had done a traffic study lately, because it seems it had increased. Mr. Howard stated that it had on Highway 54
by 20% according to the last study, but the turn into North Fincham was
low. Commissioner Skaggs commented that
a lot turn onto Highway 61 before they get to Fincham Street. Commissioner Detwiler questioned putting in a
left turn arrow off of Highway 54 to Highway 61. Mayor Taylor commented that that had always
been a problem. Mr. Howard commented
that they had talked about doing that, but he did not know where they were at
on it.
·
Land South of Wal-Mart:
Mr.
Howard commented that it had been budgeted to plat the land south of Wal-Mart
and they were in the process of platting and zoning it now. Mr. Howard stated that the Planning and
Zoning Board would be reviewing it at their meeting on October 24th
and the notifications had been sent out.
·
Downtown Park:
Mr.
Howard stated that ground and gravel were too compact for Smiley Concrete to
remove at the Downtown Park area, so Simpson Dirt Construction will take it out
and then we would come in and do the utilities.
Commissioner Detwiler questioned what the cost was for what the City was
doing. Mr. Howard stated that he did not
have those numbers with him, but they had done an estimate.
·
Highway 54 to Blaine
construction:
Mr.
Howard stated that, if the Commissioners heard any comments on the Highway 54
to Blaine Street construction, they had not done anything. Mr. Howard explained that they had met with
the contractor about not closing that block over the weekend unless they were
going to get here early today and they did not.
Mr. Howard added that they had started removing bricks this afternoon.
City Attorney:
·
South Main property:
City
Attorney Van Blaricum commented that the South Main property belonged to the
City now and that Mr. Rick Barker had cleaned it up and the contract was
complete.
Public Works:
·
State project approvals:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that the City had been approved for the 2016
Geometric project for the rest of North Main Street from Blaine Street to the
railroad tracks. Mr. Rambat commented that
he had been contacted Friday that we were also approved for the 2015 KLINK
project that was to do a mill and overlay from Jackson Street to Mound
Street. Mr. Rambat added that the State
had been very generous on our highway projects.
·
Country Club Road RR crossing:
Mr.
Rambat stated that he had a meeting tomorrow with the railroad and he would see
if he could get the crossing improved on Country Club Road.
Inspection Dept.:
·
Elder Care:
City
Inspector Blankenship stated that Elder Care had started at Sixth Street and
Eastland Avenue last Thursday. Mr.
Blankenship explained that it would be a facility with 24 hour care and the
tenants could come and go as they wanted.
·
West Wash:
Mr.
Blankenship commented that The West Wash had started the pad for their future
expansion that would include two automatic wash bays and a new mechanical
area. Mr. Blankenship stated that they
would demo the south part when the new part was complete and put in new
self-serve units.
Electric Dept.:
·
Operating Diesel Unit:
Director
of Electric Utilities Hemphill informed the Commission that they had been
operating the diesel unit for the past week due to Holcomb being shut down
until Friday and Jeffries Energy being out until October 8th. Mayor Taylor questioned if we were producing
more than we need for capacity. Mr.
Hemphill commented that it was half of what we were using, but they were paying
us. Power Plant Superintendent Smith
added that they had been running twelve to fifteen hours a day.
·
Executive Session:
Mr.
Howard requested an executive session to last ten minutes to discuss
attorney/client privilege.
Mayor and
Commission:
·
County’s request for funds:
Mayor Taylor stated that there had been a discussion with the County today about the City paying a portion of the court services and he questioned Mr. Van Blaricum about what percentage of the Municipal Court cases do community service and were from the City. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that Municipal Court does not assign community service. Mr. Van Blaricum commented that, if he had asked what percentage of the offenders were out of the City of Pratt, he would work on finding that out. Mayor Taylor stated that we pay County taxes for that type of thing and, if that was what it was, he was not too concerned. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that the probation department was Ms. Jami Walker, which was very much a part-time job, but they do not assign community service. Mr. Howard asked if Mr. David Wiley was part of that. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that he was. Mr. Howard commented that we do pay him. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that he had had a good discussion with the County and had suggested to them about helping with community service hours and they had declined.
·
Kettering case:
Commissioner Kumberg questioned where the Kettering case was on the violations that they had. Mr. Van Blaricum stated that there were charges filed on a nuisance violation and an animal ordinance violation. Mr. Van Blaricum explained that there were three counts of letting dogs run, which they had plead guilty and they were fined and had to pay court costs. Mr. Van Blaricum added that that case was basically over.
Mr.
Van Blaricum stated that they had appeared the same day on a nuisance and
zoning complaint, so we had come at them from different angles. Mr. Van Blaricum added that they had an
attorney and a court date had been set to come back. Mr. Van Blaricum commented that he would not
stop until he was done.
·
Sandy Creek:
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned where we were on the Sandy Creek project. Mr. Howard commented that the project was
done except for electric and gas. Mr.
Howard explained that they should have what a lot would cost at the next meeting
since we would know all of the expenses.
Commissioner Skaggs asked if we had a sign up yet. Mr. Howard stated that we were working on
that.
·
Ethanol Plant:
Commissioner Skaggs questioned if the Ethanol Plant was producing. Commissioner Kumberg stated that they were. Commissioner Hlavachick commented that they were not at capacity yet.
·
Farmer’s Market:
Commissioner Hlavachick stated that he had visited with Ms. Carol Stull and she was concerned because they could not get enough volunteers to help remove the weeds. Mr. Pinkall commented that that had already been taken care of and he had talked to her last week. Mr. Howard added that we would bring the bricks over when they needed them.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Mayor
Taylor made a motion to enter into executive session for attorney/client
privilege to last ten minutes. Commissioner
Hlavachick seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Mayor
Taylor and Commissioners returned in ten minutes and the Mayor made a motion to
return from executive session. The
motion was properly seconded and passed unanimously.
The
meeting was properly adjourned.
_______________________________________
JEFF
A. TAYLOR, Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________________LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk