TUESDAY
JULY 26, 2016
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
Jeff
Taylor Commissioner
Gary
Skaggs Commissioner
Doug
Meyer Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT:
Russell Rambat Interim City Manager/Public Works Dir.
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Ken
Van Blaricum City Attorney
Diana
Garten Finance Director
Brice
Pinkall Recreation
Director
CALL TO ORDER:
The recessed meeting
was called to order by Vice-Mayor Hlavachick. The Vice-Mayor instructed the Clerk to note that all Commissioners were present with the exception of Mayor Kumberg.
The Vice-Mayor reminded the audience
that this meeting
may be taped and/or recorded.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Commissioner Taylor
led the staff and audience
in the invocation and Vice-Mayor Hlavachick led the Pledge of Allegiance.
BUSINESS:
2017 BUDGET WORK SESSION:
Ms.
Garten stated that the proposed 2017 budget was $22,397,621. Ms. Garten commented that that was a decrease
in expenses of about $698,000 from last year, which were non-taxed levied funds
of $300,000 from Tourism that had been spent on the Main Street project and
$400,000 from a water bond that had been paid off. Ms. Garten explained that the tax levied was
$2,039,986 less the revitalization of $210,370 which left the net tax levied at
$1,829,616. Ms. Garten added that that
was $19,200 more than was levied last year.
Ms. Garten stated that, based on the valuation from the County, it would
increase the mill levy by .39%.
Ms.
Garten stated that the valuation from the County was up $400,000 and the
neighborhood revitalization program was also up $388,000, which was an increase
of $14,000 for the City. Ms. Garten
commented that the mill levy would only gain $14 per mill making a net mill
worth $38,473. Ms. Garten pointed out
that she had provided the last seven years of comparative mill levies and the
City had only raised theirs about four mills or $150,000 in that seven
years. Ms. Garten stated that the ad
valorem tax generated per fund was $1.8 million on what was being proposed
today.
·
Tax lid:
Ms.
Garten stated that the tax lid legislation had been passed in 2015 that was
going to require the people’s approval if you were going to raise taxes higher
than the inflation rate. Ms. Garten
commented that the intent of the legislation was to impact the 2018 budget;
however, by putting it effective on January 01, 2018, it was not going to
affect 2018. Ms. Garten stated that they amended that in
2016 to be effective January 01, 2017, so the 2018 budget would be
impacted. Ms. Garten added that this
would be figured on a five year rolling average of the consumer price
index. Ms. Garten commented that the
League of Kansas Municipalities did not get the municipal inflation rate
computation that they had wanted. The 5 year computed rate could be at zero;
however, it could not go below zero.
Commissioner Meyer questioned if tax increases in other cities in
2016-2017 was due to this for some entities.
Ms. Garten stated that the thought process by some was that a rate
increase could take place in 2017 as a cushion prior to the tax lid taking
effect in 2018 & 2019. Commissioner
Meyer questioned if the increase was due to this for some entities. Ms. Garten stated that the thought process
was that a rate increase could take place in 2017-2018 that would take effect
in 2019. Commissioner Taylor stated that
there was a lot of contention amongst taxing entities and their Commission to
try to take care of short falls by raising the budget mill levy in the next few
years. Commissioner Meyer commented that
he understood the cushion. Commissioner
Taylor commented that we were fortunate that we had the enterprise funds, bed
tax and had sales tax issued years ago for streets.
Ms.
Garten stated that it was also a good thing that they clarified exemptions to
the lid that cover some issues but they did not exempt labor and benefits. Ms. Garten added that the inflation rate was
at 1% and our health insurance went up 17%, but we had other revenue forces we
could work with. Ms. Garten stated that
there were no cushions left in the budget that we could take out. Ms. Garten explained that the revenues were
not what we had hoped in the enterprise funds the last couple of years;
therefore, cash was down. Ms. Garten
added that we would become more dependent on enterprise funds if we had to have
an election to raise taxes. City
Attorney Van Blaricum questioned what the cost of an election was. City Clerk Kramer stated that it was around
$3,000.
·
Cash Debt:
Ms.
Garten stated that the cash worksheet showed a $5 million balance, which was
down over the last seven years. Ms.
Garten explained that that was due to planned projects such as the overhaul of
the engine, the cooling tower project and the Main Street and Maple Street
projects, which we did without any additional debt. Ms. Garten commented that the City had
absorbed labor and benefits cost increases with the raise that had been given
each year along with insurance going up and costs of materials. Ms. Garten stated that we needed to maintain
or increase rates per the auditors suggestion or we would absorb costs that
would not help build cash that much. Ms.
Garten stated that we could use that plan and then start building cash again
after bonds were paid off. Commissioner
Meyer asked if we would have an additional $450,000 to cash after this
year. Ms. Garten stated that was not exactly
correct and that the bond of $200,000 came off, but there was also the revenue coming
in from the Ethanol Plant. Ms. Garten
explained that the other water bond would be paid off this year and the
electric bond would be paid off in 2018.
Commissioner
Hlavachick asked if the auditors had ever said what a cash balance should be
for a City our size. Ms. Garten stared
that they had not, but $5,000,000 was 25% of our budget. Ms. Garten commented that she would like to
see it at $10,000,000 or about 40%. Ms.
Garten explained that it was hard to put a total on it because you had to look at
it by fund. Ms. Garten stated that our
biggest concern was the general fund and the four enterprise funds. Ms. Garten pointed out that the water fund
was extremely low, because the water revenue was not coming through so the cash
was not there. Commissioner Meyer asked
which fund was the weakest. Ms. Garten
stated that it was the water at this point; however, the electric was also low
on cash. Ms. Garten explained that it looks
like there is a lot of cash, but not compared to their expenses. Ms. Garten added that the reserve funds were
not what they should be. Ms. Garten
stated that the department heads want more for improvements, but we cannot do
that without cash. Ms. Garten stated
that we were standing pretty good on debt, so we could finance a project if we
needed to; however, it was hard to get A+ bonds if you are low on cash.
(Mayor
Kumberg arrived at 8:33 a.m.)
·
Labor/Benefits:
Ms.
Garten stated that she wanted to do an overview of what was in this
budget. Ms. Garten explained that she
had included a 3% wage increase for 2017, which cost an additional $195,000 and
the cost of insurance that went up 17%.
City Clerk Kramer explained that there were a couple of options from
Blue Cross Blue Shield and the difference would be the deductibles. Ms. Kramer commented that the increase in the
deductible would take the increase from 17% to 13%. Ms. Garten explained that the City was picking
up all of the employees portion and approximately 85% of the other tiers. After some discussion, Mayor Kumberg
commented that he was good with it for 2017; however, we should shop around
next year. Commissioner Meyer commented
that we had put the 3% in last year, but we were going to look at it at the end
of the year to see where we were at. Ms.
Garten stated that we could do that again.
Commissioner Skaggs asked if that was for all employees. Ms. Garten commented that she had not
included the Commissioners. Interim City
Manager Rambat questioned if there was a way to pick the mid-tier to get 1 ½%,
which would make a difference. Ms.
Garten stated that it was possible, but she was not a proponent of that,
because a raise was based on your job.
Mayor
Kumberg questioned if we do merit increases.
Ms. Garten stated that we do occasionally, so there was a little cushion
for that. Ms. Garten added that a merit
increase was on the recommendation of the supervisor. Mayor Kumberg asked if the pay adjustments
affected what we pay KPERS. Ms. Garten
stated that it does and we did not have to do the cost of living increase, but
do it as a merit increase. Commissioner
Meyer stated that he would like to see everybody get the 3%, but have the
discretion to deduct 1%. Mr. Rambat
commented that the supervisors were up on those employees and we rarely kept
people who were substandard. Mr. Rambat
stated that new employees were on a six month probation and you could usually
tell if someone was going to work out. Ms.
Garten stated that there were other ways to give to the employees, such as an
extra day off of vacation. Commissioner
Meyer asked if we could come up with the $334,000. Ms. Garten stated that she could if revenues
come in as projected; however, we would not be able to build up cash. Commissioner Meyer questioned if she would be
happy maintaining where we were at. Ms.
Garten stated that she would be, but we might have to take out an
infrastructure bond if we just maintain.
Ms. Garten added that you had to do electric and water maintenance. Ms. Garten commented that she would like to
pay for things up front, be we would not be able to do that, so there was a
chance that we might have to take out a bond debt for maintenance issues.
Mayor
Kumberg questioned if the departments do their own fleet management and if we
had a five year extended plan. Mr.
Rambat stated that we build up funds in capital equipment, such as having the
towers cleaned out. Mr. Rambat explained
that that was mandated by KDHE, so Water Superintendent Clay puts money aside
for that. Mr. Rambat commented that we
were good stewards by putting money back, but we also did not want to get a
violation. Ms. Garten stated that they
reevaluate the enterprise funds every year.
Mr. Rambat stated that there were three water wells that were in the low
nines on nitrates and the State would shut them down if they get to ten. Mr. Rambat added that we had to look at the
alternatives and see what we should be setting back if that happens. Mr. Rambat explained that we had lost well #8
about twelve or fourteen years ago to nitrates and there was the well at the
airport that would be shut down if it hits twenty. Mr. Rambat stated that the residents serviced
by that well would not be allowed to consume the water; however, we could loop
onto the Ethanol Plant line that was out there.
Mr. Rambat commented that we had been holding off on that project hoping
the Government would step in.
·
Workman’s Comp:
Ms.
Garten stated that workman’s compensation tends to go up; however, the
Insurance Commissioner had recommended an 11.6% decrease. Ms. Garten added that ours would probably
still go up due to the increase in claims that we had in the last couple of
years. Commissioner Meyer questioned if
it changes per department. Ms. Garten
stated that it was calculated on revenue and wages from the prior year. Commissioner Meyer asked where we were at on
claims. Ms. Garten commented that we had
had a couple of large claims the past couple of years. Commissioner Meyer asked if we had a safety
program. Ms. Garten stated that we do
and we do the training once a month. Ms.
Garten stated that workman’s compensation claims affect everyone. Commissioner Skaggs questioned if the claims
were being disputed. Ms. Garten stated
that insurance had granted them.
·
Contracts/Donations:
Ms.
Garten stated that we had continued with our contract with the Humane Society
for $2,500 a month and a $6,000 yearly utility allowance. Commissioner Hlavachick stated that there had
been an increase in people needing assistance from the Food Bank and he would
like to see them get an extra $100 a month directly resulting from the
downturn. Mayor Kumberg asked if he had not seen the financial updates from the
Humane Society and they were not to get their monthly check if we do not get
it. Ms. Garten stated that she would
hold their check if need be.
Mayor
Kumberg stated that he did not feel that we would be asking too much to have
our donation recipients come in once a quarter to tell us what they had been
doing. Commissioner Meyer asked if he
just wanted something in the packet.
Mayor Kumberg clarified that they needed to show up for a meeting. Mayor Kumberg added that we give out a lot of
money and it was hard to justify to nay sayers.
Mayor Kumberg commented that he was not opposed to giving money. Commissioner Taylor stated that the Humane
Society showed a profit of $12,000 and we gave them more. Commissioner Meyer stated that they were
building their cash reserves on our donation.
Commissioner Taylor agreed that they needed to come in or their funding
would be cut. Mayor Kumberg stated that
the Humane Society had said that they would get us their financials monthly and
they were not doing it.
Commissioner
Meyer stated that Youth for Christ would be coming in to ask for money and it
was good for the youth and the City.
Commissioner Meyer explained that we need to keep State and church
separate. Commissioner Taylor stated
that they were doing a service for the community and helping the
underprivileged. Commissioner Skaggs
commented that they might be taking on a sink hole for money. Mayor Kumberg commented that they had a plan. Commissioner Taylor informed the Commission
that they support a bigger building in Greensburg.
·
Capital Equipment:
Ms.
Garten stated that the capital equipment in the 2017 budget amounted to
$251,600. Ms. Garten commented that
these were things we would look at if revenues were low. Mayor Kumberg questioned the replacement or
upgrading costs for a server for the police department. Ms. Garten stated that she put what the
department said and there was a memo from Chief Myers. Commissioner Taylor questioned what was in
the forfeiture fund. Ms. Garten stated
that there was $100,000, but it was not replenishing. Commissioner Taylor asked if that could be
used for the server. Ms. Garten stated
that it could be. Commissioner Meyer
commented that this felt small. Ms.
Garten stated that some of the others were put in reserves and had been saved
for to buy in 2017. Commissioner Skaggs
questioned if we had to buy glock guns since they were negative in the public’s
opinion. Commissioner Meyer stated that
they should talk to Chief Myers about that.
Commissioner Taylor commented that the history of the gun was that it
was reliable. Mayor Kumberg asked if
Chief Myers could come over and visit with them about the $30,000 for the
server. Ms. Garten stated that she would
contact him.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned if we maintain our roofs on a regular basis since there were
six roof repairs listed. Mr. Rambat
stated that the sanitation’s metal roof had rusted out. Mr. Rambat explained that the sanitation
trucks get used hard every day and there was no extra money available. Mr. Rambat commented that they had looked at
options such as galvanized. Commissioner
Meyer asked if they were going to take the Scout Cabin down to nothing. Commissioner Skaggs commented that you could
not put layer on top of layer.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned if the new airport lift station was tied into the new truck
wash. Mr. Rambat stated that it was
not. Mr. Rambat explained that it was an
all gravity sewer system and it ends up east of the highway in our lagoon. Commissioner Skaggs asked what a vac-con
was. Mr. Rambat stated that it was a jet
on the front that cleans the sewers and the vacuum pulls up sand and grit along
with a hydra excavation to find utilities.
Mr. Rambat added that it was a huge asset to help other utilities out
also.
Commissioner
Skaggs asked about the basketball and volleyball courts at the Sports Complex
being entertainment for the kids.
Recreation Director Pinkall stated that they had donations to do that
addition to the Complex and they planned on forming a league. Mr. Pinkall commented that there would be one
basketball court and one volleyball court that would run north and south
between the west fields.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned the purchase of six fire hydrants with shut off valves. Mr. Rambat stated that there were some fire
hydrants that were over one hundred years old.
Commissioner Meyer asked about the trailer replacement. Mr. Rambat stated that their trailer had been
used a lot by all departments due to its length. Commissioner Meyer also asked about the touch
pad meters. Mr. Rambat stated that those were so they did not have to pull the
lid to get a reading and that was what most Cities were going to.
Commissioner
Taylor asked about the back-up generator and if we could hook up our generator
if we had problems with the lights. Mr.
Rambat explained that it depends on how the line works and some were not on the
same circuit; however, it would easily power a couple of blocks. Commissioner Meyer questioned what the City
did with the one they got from the hospital.
Mr. Rambat stated that Director of Electric Utilities Huber had ideas
for that and they had talked about trailer mounting it or putting it in a fixed
place.
·
Legal Budget page:
Ms.
Garten pointed out the legal budget page that summarizes the budget and the
State approves. Ms. Garten explained
that there were five tax levied funds that were 24% of the general fund, 62%
was the enterprise funds that operated at a profit and subsidize the general
fund. Ms. Garten stated that the general
fund tax revenue was a little higher, but the mill levy for bond and interest
had been shifted to the general fund. Ms.
Garten explained that she still included the sale of assets in the fourteen
lots at Sandy Creek.
Ms.
Garten stated that there was a summary of departments with details. Ms. Garten pointed out that the police
department was about 31% of the general fund, the City Clerk/Utility department
was about 7% and the finance department was about 5 ½%.
·
Economic Development:
Ms.
Garten stated that Economic Development wanted some of the money that we had
been holding for the movie theater project and Shoe Sensation. Ms. Garten stated that it would be money to
help them both. Commissioner Meyer asked
about funding for Shoe Sensation. Ms.
Garten stated that they asked for $50,000 to get the building ready. Ms. Garten added that Economic Development
had donated to the movie theater also, but Ms. Glenna Borho would be in this
afternoon to discuss this with them.
·
Pool:
Commissioner
Hlavachick stated that we needed to be looking at replacing the swimming pool
someday. Mr. Rambat stated that he had
put a memo together that outlines it and we had put a lot of money into the
pool in the last ten to fifteen years.
Mr. Rambat explained that we had done the liner, then sand blasted and
replaced joints. Mr. Rambat stated that
the concrete was crumbling and we were losing a little bit of water, but that
was to be expected since it was built in the 1930’s. Mr. Rambat commented that we were not ADA
accessible in the guard houses and cracks that had been fixed in the guard
houses were starting to show up again.
Mr. Rambat stated that our pool was unique and he would like to see the
same concept when we looked into replacing it.
Commissioner Hlavachick stated that we should be putting money back
because the pool was a signature draw in Pratt.
Mr. Rambat stated that he would suggest that we continue to move forward
with Mr. Kyle McCawley’s suggestions.
Commissioner Taylor asked if we would build right on top of what was
there. Mr. Rambat commented that there
was a sewer main that runs north and south and you could probably leave the
bottom; however, it was sometimes faster to start over.
Mr.
Rambat stated that we were not at a critical mass yet, but there was more
maintenance each year. Mr. Rambat
commented that he could get hold of Mr. McCawley again. Commissioner Meyer
asked if we would do it in the off season.
Mr. Rambat stated that we could if we had them lined out and ready to
turn out and we had a decent winter. Mayor Kumberg questioned if there was any
grant money or low interest rate loans available for this type of project. Ms. Garten stated that there was one they
looked at, but she was not sure that it would work on pools. Commissioner Hlavachick questioned if we
could do a 1% sales tax increase. Ms.
Garten commented that you could if you could sell it to the people. Mayor Kumberg stated that people were tired
of paying taxes. Commissioner Meyer
commented that the Sports Complex passed.
Commissioner Taylor stated that it only passed by about fifty
votes. Mr. Pinkall stated that that tax
had sunset and was not on the taxes anymore.
Mr. Rambat commented that they would bring in Mr. McCawley to try to get
the public in on it.
Commissioner
Taylor suggested starting a five year plan now.
Mr. Rambat stated that that would give them a chunk of what it would
take to see something happen. Ms. Garten
suggested putting $10,000 a year back and we already had $100,000.
·
Library, Noxious Weeds, Tort
Liability:
Ms.
Garten continued on with the library fund and stated that they had requested
their four mill again this year. Ms.
Garten pointed out that there were ten tax levied funds.
Ms.
Garten stated that the noxious weeds were to treat mosquitoes and weeds. Commissioner Skaggs asked if we go on private
property. Mr. Rambat stated that we did
not, but we did the general right-of-way.
Commissioner Taylor questioned if we had permission to do that. Mr. Rambat stated that he did not want to and
was not licensed to do so. Mr. Rambat
added that we had a pesticide permit that allowed us to apply those items, but
we were not a licensed applicator.
·
Streets:
Ms.
Garten stated that there were no major projects in the street fund, but there
was the normal mill and overlay. Mr.
Rambat commented that they would be doing east Sixth Street from Oak Street to
Rochester Street. Mr. Rambat stated that
he would like to jump over to Rochester Street to Howard Street on Third Street
also. Mr. Rambat added that he was
keeping an eye on Tenth Street and he needed to have the bridge work on Maple
Street looked at. Mr. Rambat informed
the Commission that we had been buying asphalt mix from the County and we were
trying to knock out a few roads that were dirt and people were liking
that.
Commissioner
Meyer commented that there was a big dip on the brick street between Blythe and
the high school. Mr. Rambat stated that
there was a storm drain there and they might have to look at that in the
fall. Mr. Rambat added that they could
shore it up if the sand had worked out of it.
Mr. Rambat stated that he would like to look at doing something out west
on Highway 54 from Mound Street to New Street; however, we had gotten denied for
2018, but he would reapply. Commissioner
Skaggs asked about the bricks on South Main Street. Mr. Rambat stated that we could do a KLINK
project on that and do a couple of blocks at a time. Mr. Rambat explained that there was a
$200,000 limit and we would pay our 20% share plus engineering costs, but if we
did a Geometric project they go up to $880,000.
Mr. Rambat commented that Highway 54 needs attention before the bricks,
but that was the three to five year plan.
Ms.
Garten commented that there was also some curb projects that might get
done. Mr. Rambat stated that he had held
off on those for the last year and a half, but had kept the list going. Mr. Rambat commented that he might skip the
chip seal and hit the curbs and sidewalks.
Mr. Rambat added that he would like to do a certain area of town so the
contractor would not have to jump around.
Mayor Kumberg asked if we had done anything with the curb by Lanterman
Motors. Mr. Rambat stated that he had
applied for a KLINK project to replace curbs from Jackson Street to Highway 61,
but had gotten denied for that $1.4 million project. Mr. Rambat commented that we might be able to
do something local.
·
Cemetery:
Ms.
Garten reminded the Commission that the cemetery salaries come out of the general
fund so it was dependent upon services.
·
Tourism:
Ms.
Garten commented that guest tax was down and there was a lot of demand on that
money. Mayor Kumberg questioned if we
had any major projects coming out of tourism.
Ms. Garten stated that we did not have any projects, but we had a lot of
demands.
·
Special Police:
Ms.
Garten stated that this was forfeiture funds and could be used for the server
mentioned in Chief Myers memo that had been discussed earlier.
·
Employee Health Insurance:
Ms.
Garten stated that this fund was used for retirees’ insurance payments.
·
Special Parks & Recreation:
Ms. Garten stated that the alcohol tax
was split in thirds between park
improvements, the general fund and a
chemical dependency program. Ms. Garten
commented that we give to South Central Kansas Chemical Dependency that had
merged with DCAAA in Pratt.
·
Water
& Electric Debt Service:
Ms. Garten stated that there was
nothing coming out of the water debt service and the electric bond issue would
be paid in 2018. Ms. Garten commented
that the electric fund was 48% of the budget or $10.6 million. Commissioner Meyer commented on the amount in
reserves being less. Ms. Garten stated
that the cash was not there.
Commissioner Meyer questioned how we would fund the line around
town. Ms. Garten stated that there was
money in reserves that could pay for the preliminary costs and the balance would
be a bond issue.
·
Sanitation:
Mr. Rambat stated that the trash
trucks were used hard every day and he would like to replace a packer. Commissioner Taylor pointed out that we were
transferring $30,000. Mr. Rambat
explained that the trucks require a lot of maintenance.
·
2%
increase in rates:
Commissioner Meyer asked about the
2% yearly increase and its effect on their budget. Ms. Garten stated that we were doing the 2%
rate increase and we used to get $600,000 from the electric; however, we were only
able to do $100,000 to the general fund.
Mayor Kumberg questioned if we need to increase it an additional
2%. Ms. Garten stated that the 2% for
five years would become more efficient with the bond coming off and we should
gain a little ground.
·
WWTP:
Ms. Garten stated that we were still
in holding to see how the project was going to pan out for expenditures. Ms. Garten added that they were still working
on improvements. Ms. Garten stated that
we were okay with the increase in the loan amount for another year but a rate
increase would probably be needed in the future.
·
Water:
Ms. Garten stated that funds were
low in the water fund. Ms. Garten
commented that we could not save or transfer funds to reserves or do transfers
to the general fund. Mayor Kumberg commented
that we needed to do a rate increase.
·
Cemetery Reserves:
Mayor
Kumberg asked about the cemetery reserves.
Ms. Garten explained that that came from endowments.
Executive Session:
Mayor
Kumberg made a motion to discuss attorney/client privilege for one hour. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Hlavachick and carried unanimously.
Mayor
Kumberg made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to
report. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Taylor and it carried unanimously.
Work Session cont.:
Fund Requests:
·
Blythe Fitness:
Blythe
Family Fitness Director Kristina Kaufman discussed the events that were held or
being held at the Blythe. Ms. Kaufman
commented that the home schooled tournaments were a one day event, but they had
brought archery in from Winfield and had racket ball, gymnastics and
soccer. Ms. Kaufman stated that the
gymnastics would bring around 600 people to town and she was in the process of
getting bags from the area merchants and she was also trying to lock in Legends
for the food. Ms. Kaufman informed the
Commission that there could be as many as a thousand competitors if they got
the State event.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned how many employees she had.
Ms. Kaufman stated that she had four full time and three part time. Ms. Kaufman added that they would need
volunteers for the gymnastics event. Ms.
Kaufman stated that the biggest expense was the equipment rental, but they also
had the expenses to pay the judges, the bags, feed them and lodging. Commissioner Hlavachick asked if this event
could cost about $10,000 when it was over.
Ms. Kaufman stated that she had not added it up yet. Ms. Kaufman explained that she hoped to get
the judges from Wichita. Commissioner
Skaggs questioned what they get in return when they host one of these events
and have to pay judges and their mileage and lodging. Commissioner Skaggs added that they should
make a profit if the City gives them money.
Ms. Kaufman agreed, but added that they did go in the hole last
year.
Commissioner
Taylor commented that Ms. Linda Lanterman had a form that showed the economic
impact and the benefit to us. Mayor
Kumberg commented that that was what the fund was there for. Commissioner Taylor stated that it was to
promote things that bring people into our community. Commissioner Taylor added that we had
increased bed tax as much as we could.
Commissioner Skaggs questioned if Ms. Kaufman was here to ask for money on
top of the $18,000 she received now. Ms.
Kaufman stated that that had helped.
Commissioner Taylor stated that he wanted to discuss the $18,000 and the
rentals from the recreation department.
Commissioner Taylor questioned if the $18,000 was to include the
rentals. Recreation Director Pinkall
stated that it was. Commissioner Taylor
commented that he thought the $18,000 from tourism was without rentals so that
Ms. Kaufman would not have to go ask for money regularly. Commissioner Skaggs stated that we needed
parameters. Ms. Garten suggested that we
discuss this at the end of the session since others were waiting to address
them.
·
Police Dept. questions:
·
Server:
Mayor
Kumberg stated that they had questions for Chief Myers and Detective Ward
concerning the $30,000 for the server upgrade and how that sounded
expensive. Detective Ward stated that
that was for hardware, notes upgrade, two different companies to come on-site
and lotus notes that comes from Missouri.
Detective Ward commented that the servers were the biggest they could
get since they have a huge amount of photos and media. Detective Ward explained that they were
having issues with the requirements to have certain hardware, certain firewalls
and certain security features. Detective
Ward added that Q-Tech had not included the software licensing fee that was
required. Chief Myers stated that the
annual cost for software licensing had increased for the last three years and
was estimated to cost approximately $10,868 in 2017.
Chief
Myers explained the issues they would be facing by not being able to increase
the mill levy in 2018 were that they would have to cut back on the purchase of
new patrol cars; however, they would eventually have to be replaced. Chief Myers commented that they could not
operate without software and hardware upgrades.
Detective Ward stated that their biggest concern was that they had a
plan in place to replace the server every seven years, but they did not want to
replace both of them at the same time.
Detective Ward commented that the server was operating fine now;
however, they would need to replace the main server soon and then the back-up
server in a couple of years.
Mayor
Kumberg questioned if the company had to come down every time we had to replace
a server or if we could do it with a local person and save money. Detective Ward stated that he did not know
what they spent on service, but he did know that they gave Q-Tech a lot of
business. Ms. Garten stated that a full
time IT person would add an additional employee and their benefits, which would
add to the budget and the question would be if that would be viable. Ms. Garten commented that we had hired Q-Tech
and were not having any problems. Chief
Myers commented that one person would be run pretty thin. Detective Ward stated that Q-Tech handles
their hardware and network, but the software was lotus based and they did not
do IBM stuff. Chief Myers stated that
the KBI had certain requirements and Q-Tech had the clearance and a new person
would have to meet those requirements as well.
·
Body Cameras:
Commissioner
Myers questioned if they were still thinking about body cameras. Chief Myers explained that they had made a
request to purchase body cameras with special police funds; however, the
forfeiture funds had been depleted to where they would not be using it, so they
would have to be purchased using taxable funds.
Chief Meyers added that there were grants for that purpose and he was
researching those even though he was not a grant writer. Chief Myers commented that he felt that there
was need for that purchase since it was a useful tool for the officers. Chief Myers explained that they had had
attorneys ask why they did not have video evidence. Chief Myers informed the Commission that
buying the cameras was just part of the cost and storing the information was
another issue.
Mayor
Kumberg questioned if KORA changed that access to car cameras and whether they
had to provide the request with no restrictions. Chief Myers stated that that had not been an
issue yet. Chief Myers commented that
the new policy was that the system was set-up for officers making a stop and
being able to access that information onto a DVD. Chief Myers stated that this would be a
benefit to the general public and they could be overwhelmed with requests.
·
Glocks:
Commissioner
Skaggs asked if we had to purchase new glock guns. Chief Myers stated that that was the
manufacturer. Commissioner Skaggs
commented that their reputation was like a pit bull. Chief Myers explained that the revolvers
forty years ago were Colts, Smith and Wesson and Ruger, but all were referred
to as Smith and Wesson. Chief Myers
stated that police fire arms are Glocks, but not all of them are Glocks. Commissioner Myers questioned if the officers
prefer Glocks. Chief Myers stated that
they do and that they were a very efficient weapon. Ms. Garten stated that expenditures for law
enforcement was one of the exemptions on the tax lid.
·
Youth for Christ:
Youth
for Christ Director Sheryl White stated that she had looked at the cost of
utilities for the former Barron Theater and they would appreciate any help the
City could give them in helping with the utility costs. Ms. White commented that they had made
progress, but they were changing the start date to October so they had time to
complete the renovations. Ms. White
explained that they would be doing a classic family friendly theater once a
month. Ms. White stated that Integreen
had been working on the upper theater and doing away with a vent system, which
should help keep costs down. Ms. White
commented that they did not intend to use the upper theater all the time, but
it would be open after school for senior high kids and on weekends so they had
a safe place to be.
Commissioner
Skaggs questioned how many kids they serve.
Ms. White stated that there were seventy kids from Pratt that went to
camp. Ms. White commented that she felt
that being on Main Street would draw in more people. Mayor Kumberg asked if they were looking at
utility forgiveness or more. Ms. White
stated that it was hard to know where the utilities would fall, but they were
doing their own fund raising to be able to operate but not make a profit. Ms. White added that whatever help they could
get would be appreciated.
·
DeWayne Bryan:
Pratt
Health Foundation Executive Director DeWayne Bryan stated that they wanted to
improve the community and encourage individuals to be more active. Mr. Bryan commented that sidewalks encourage
people to walk and the Farmers Market encourages healthy eating. Mr. Bryan explained that he continued to
write grants, but matching funds were required.
Mr. Bryan requested that the City put $25,000 as a budget line item to
build sidewalks and to help provide an active environment. Commissioner Hlavachick asked if he had any
grants now. Mr. Bryan stated that he had
one for the Maple Street sidewalk that would be worked on next spring and it
would not take you quite up to the highway.
Mr. Bryan commented that they were also working on one to get a sidewalk
up the middle of Sixth Street and along Haskell Street. Mr. Bryan stated that he could build
sidewalks if he did not have to use that money for matching funds. Commissioner Skaggs questioned what the
percentage was on matching funds. Mr.
Bryan stated that it was 20%. Mr. Bryan
informed the Commission that the Sunflower grant for Maple Street could get us
closer to the college, but they would not give them the money if they could not
get across the highway. Commissioner
Meyer asked where we would put a line item like that. Ms. Garten stated that it would either be in
tourism or streets. Commissioner Taylor
stated that there was a lot of pressure on tourism, so sidewalk projects could
go in the streets. Mayor Kumberg
commented that we would have to track it carefully so that we did not take
money from our curb and sidewalk maintenance.
Ms. Garten commented that Mr. Pinkall had mentioned that we do part of
it with in-kind services. Mr. Bryan
stated that he was trying to work with the City on doing that.
·
Disc Golf:
Mr.
Jason Winkel addressed the Commission about doing a Kansas gold history display
either in Lemon Park or May Dennis Park.
Mr. Bill Paulson explained that they accumulate baskets that had been
taken out of service and display them so people could see how it was to play
back in the day. Mr. Paulson commented
that some of the baskets were donated and some they had to buy at around $200. Mr. Paulson explained that all of the baskets
would need some kind of repair, but the historical value would exceed the
looks. Mr. Paulson stated that the games
would take from an acre to three acres to play and it needed to be in a park
that had other activities going on. Mr.
Paulson stated that all ages could play.
Commissioner
Taylor questioned if they were asking for money or a place to build in our
park. Mr. Winkel stated that the plan
was that this sport was growing and they want to display the history of the
sport. Commissioner Skaggs asked if this
would be an interior or exterior display.
Mr. Winkel stated that it would be exterior at either park, but they had
looked at the llama area. Mr. Winkel
added that this was a very popular thing and could put us on the map. Mr. Winkel commented that this could be a
destination for people to check out and he would travel to see something like
this. Mr. Winkel stated that they would
like to look at doing a brick and mortar building later.
Mayor
Kumberg stated that the Commission was not given an explanation on this. Mr. Winkel stated that they would like to
have a place for this to go and funding to help with the concrete, plaques and
signage. Mr. Paulson commented that it
would be six months before anything would happen. Commissioner Skaggs questioned how big a
place they needed. Mr. Winkel stated
that they would like two to three acres.
Mr. Paulson added that it depends on the number of baskets they collect
and they had six now but it could be more.
Mr. Paulson commented that it depends on how much of a game you want to
provide, so an acre could be enough; however, two to three was even
better. Commissioner Skaggs asked Mr.
Pinkall if there were any plans for the llama area. Mr. Pinkall stated that there had been a lot
of discussions, but there was no formal improvement plan.
Mayor
Kumberg commented that the Lemon Park committee had talked about that first
half being earmarked for something. Mr.
Rambat stated that going farther south would not pinch off any other events. Commissioner Meyer questioned if they would
need parking. Mr. Winkel stated that
they would park by the shelter.
Commissioner Skaggs asked if he had a preference on which park. Mr. Winkel stated that they liked Lemon Park
and they did not know where they would put it at May Dennis Park. Commissioner Skaggs asked if they had a total
price for the project. Mr. Paulson
stated that they had estimated high at $4,900.
Commissioner Meyer clarified that this could go to Emporia if it was
approved here. Mr. Paulson stated that
they were collecting two baskets, so one would be here and one in Emporia.
·
Movie Theater:
Ms.
Glenna Borho informed the Commission that she was fund raising to get a 4-Plex
movie theater in Pratt. Ms. Borho stated
that she was requesting that the City consider providing the transformer and
$250,000. Ms. Borho commented that the
original cost estimate was $1.8 million minus the land and parking lot. Ms. Borho stated that she had gone to the
6-Plex in Great Bend with her husband to see what it was like. Ms. Borho commented that you could have the
investors as owners and run it, you could hire a management company that might
charge $10,000 per screen or you could build it with investors that would not
run it and turn it over to an operator that would keep the profits. Ms. Borho stated that the gentleman in Great
Bend with Golden Belt was interested in being Pratt’s operator. Ms. Borho commented that it was to our
advantage to have a 4-Plex so that films could be rotated.
Commissioner
Skaggs asked who would own the bricks and mortar. Ms. Borho stated that they were working that
out, but it would probably be the operator.
Commissioner Skaggs questioned who owned the land. Ms. Borho stated that it was owned by Mr.
Dale Withers, who was also helping with pledges. Ms. Borho explained that they had $1½ million
pledged, so they lack $500,000 of what they needed. Mayor Kumberg commented that a revenue bond would
help the cause, but the question was whether they wanted to be free and clear
of debt. Commissioner Skaggs commented
that we needed to support this. Ms.
Borho stated that ED had pledged $250,000.
With little more discussion, Ms. Borho stated that she appreciated their
time.
·
Home Lumber:
Building
Inspector Brad Blankenship stated that Home Lumber was going to stay on North
Main Street and not build out east. Mr.
Blankenship commented that their wood racks had been built in 1963 and they
were on our right-of-way. Mr.
Blankenship asked that the Commission consider vacating that 5’ of curb. Mr. Blankenship explained that they were
going to redo the main building and spend $200,000 on new metal racks and
coverage; however, they were not going to the expense if the City was not going
to vacate that land. Commissioner Taylor
asked if it had to go to Planning and Zoning first. Mr. Blankenship stated that it was just
changing ownership and not zoning, so we did not. Commissioner Taylor made a motion to approve
to proceed with a vacation ordinance of land previously talked about. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Hlavachick and carried unanimously.
·
Activity at church:
Mr.
Blankenship reported that he had been watching the old Lutheran Church and had
seen no activity there. Mr. Blankenship
stated that he had visited with Mr. Bob Blasi and he had not seen anyone
either.
Guest Tax:
Ms.
Garten stated that the guest tax was down from 2014 and the last rate increase
had been in 2012. Ms. Garten commented
that there was a lot of demand on those funds.
Ms. Garten explained that we allocate $60,000 to travel and tourism for
events. Ms. Garten pointed out that the
Blythe Fitness Center gets $18,000, the Art Museum gets $3,000 and Miss Kansas
gets $7,500. Ms. Garten added that we
pay $16,000 to the Chamber and $50,000 for promotions out of those funds. Ms. Garten stated that the funds were going out
faster than they were coming in. Ms.
Garten commented that we had dropped the promotions a couple of years ago from
$250,000 to $150,000. Ms. Garten
explained that the revenue only comes in with guest tax, which was at 8% on the
rate of the motels. Ms. Garten stated
that rates were going down with the economy and it takes a lot of motel rooms
to build that up.
·
Turf:
Mr.
Pinkall stated that he had been working with Arnesdorf Construction and Astroturf. Mr. Pinkall commented that the estimates per
field for removal and installation was higher than estimated. Mr. Pinkall explained that it was $290,000
for Smoky Ford Field and $118,000 for the softball fields. Mr. Pinkall stated that Mr. Arensdorf had
worked with one company to give us a solid cost; however, the money that was
brought in this summer by tournaments, gate revenue and entry revenue was
$113,000. Commissioner Taylor commented
that tournaments either make you money or lose money. Mr. Pinkall stated that they were cash
positive and they try to pay for everything but office time. Mr. Pinkall commented that they had played
six hundred sixty-one games this season.
Commissioner Taylor stated that there could be a savings if we did all
four at once, but asked which two fields would be premier. Mr. Pinkall stated that it would be the two
softball fields that would be done first.
Commissioner Skaggs asked if we could handle an increase in usage. Mr. Pinkall stated that they could and turf
would guarantee that the games were going to be played.
·
Other topics:
H2O
project:
Ms.
Garten stated that the City had paid the first payment to the H2O project in
2009 of $18,876 and committed to three years.
Ms. Garten reminded the Commission that we never paid the other two
years and had asked for our money back, which we never got. Commissioner Taylor stated that they want to
come and give a presentation on the new project. Commissioner Taylor commented that it was more
for just a reservoir. Commissioner
Taylor explained that he did not think anything was going to happen before we
got a City Manager. Ms. Garten stated
that the money was just sitting in an account.
Commissioner Taylor stated that they were not wanting any more money,
but just to come and do a presentation.
RECESS:
Commissioner
Hlavachick made a motion to recess until Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 8:00
a.m. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Skaggs and carried unanimously.
_______________________________________
LUCUS
KUMBERG, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________________
LUANN
KRAMER, City Clerk