MONDAY
APRIL 03, 2017
The
Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular session in the Commission
Room located in City Hall.
PRESENT:
Lucus Kumberg Mayor
Doug Meyer Commissioner
Bill Hlavachick Commissioner
Gary Schmidt Commissioner
Don Peters Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT:
Roy Eckert City Manager
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Regina Goff City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Gary Myers Chief of Police
Russell Rambat Public Works Director
Brad Blankenship Building Inspector
Jamie Huber Dir. of Electric Utilities
Bruce Pinkall Recreation Director
CALL TO ORDER:
The
regular meeting was called to order by Mayor Kumberg. The Mayor instructed the City Clerk to note
that all Commissioners were present.
The
Mayor reminded the audience that this meeting may be taped and/or recorded.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE:
Commissioner
Peters led the staff and audience in the invocation and Mayor Kumberg led the
Pledge of Allegiance.
MINUTES:
Commissioner
Hlavachick made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 20, 2017 regular
Commission meeting. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Meyer and carried unanimously.
BUSINESS:
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF 2017 CEREAL MALT BEVERAGE APPLICATION FOR NINJA SUSHI STEAK HOUSE:
Police
Chief Myers informed the Commission that the Ninja Sushi Steak House had filled
out their cereal malt beverage application and had met all the requirements to
obtain the license. Chief Myers
recommended that the license be approved.
Commissioner Meyer made a motion to approve the 2017 Cereal Malt
Beverage application from the Ninja Sushi Steak House. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Peters. City Clerk Kramer stated that
the owner was in the audience which was a requirement for new businesses
obtaining a license. With no more
discussion, the motion and second passed unanimously.
CONSIDERATON AND
APPROVAL OF EVENT IN JACK EWING PARK ON APRIL 20, 2017:
Mr.
Scott Goodheart stated that he was with the Pratt Community College athletic
department and they were wanting to do a duck race in Jack Ewing Park as a fund
raiser for the athletics department. Mr.
Goodheart commented that he had heard that Rotary had done it before and this
event would be on April 20th.
Commissioner Hlavachick made a motion to approve the event at Jack Ewing
Park for Pratt Community College’s duck race on April 20th. Public Works Director Rambat explained to Mr.
Goodheart that the bottom of the ditch would need to have sandbags every 50’ to
100’ and he would appreciate someone from the college getting those in
place. Mr. Goodheart stated that that
would not be a problem. Mr. Rambat added
that he would have a water department employee on standby and we would keep
account of the water used. Mr. Rambat
added that he could get the sandbags from Recreation Director Pinkall or
himself. With no further discussion,
Commissioner Meyer seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING AND COMMUNITY CENTER RENTAL FORM:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that it had been an ongoing effort to update the costs
and procedures pertaining to the Municipal Building and Community Center rooms. Mr. Pinkall explained that we wanted to
stream line the rental procedure and have people prepay, which would eliminate
some of the billing and also the debt that we could not collect. Mr. Pinkall pointed out that the reservation
form had costs on page one and the second and third pages were the policies and
procedures. Mr. Pinkall added that City
Attorney Goff had helped with the liability statements and the last page was a
list of the inventory that was available to use and the size of the venue. Mr. Pinkall stated that the first step was to
do this online and to prepay. Mr.
Pinkall added that we would like to have it on the City and Recreation
websites, but move slowly into the electronic process. Mayor Kumberg stated that he did a good
job. Mr. Pinkall stated that he had a
lot of help.
Mr.
Pinkall explained that there were some future events that were already
scheduled and he would work with them and get them signed off with their
event. Mr. Pinkall stated that there
were also those groups such as the Pilot Club, sororities and school functions
that come and ask the Commission to exempt them from the building fees. Commissioner Peters questioned if we should
exempt them from this. Mr. Pinkall
stated that he had not put a list of those organizations in the packet, but he
could get it together for the next meeting.
Commissioner Schmidt asked if this was something the Commission had to
approve or if that was micro-managing.
Mayor Kumberg questioned discrimination if one group was exempt and
another was not. Mr. Pinkall commented
that we had never set a criteria. City
Attorney Goff stated that it was very important that we set some sort of
objective criteria. Ms. Goff explained
that we may not mean to be discriminatory; however, it could be a slippery
slope. Commissioner Hlavachick stated
that he liked for them to come in so that they could see who they were and what
they were doing. Commissioner Peters stated
that he did not have a problem with that.
Mayor
Kumberg commented that the form was good and he asked that Ms. Goff come up
with some kind of criteria for entities.
Ms. Goff stated that a 501c3 was a pretty good objective. Mr. Pinkall commented that Rotary, Pilot
Club, the VA rep, elections and blood mobile did not pay. Ms. Goff stated that we could use a 501c3 as
a default for exemption. Ms. Goff added
that this could be done as a policy since it was easier to amend. With no further discussion, Commissioner
Hlavachick made a motion to approve the Municipal Building and Community Center
rental form as presented. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE 1703 CONCERNING THE OPEN RECORDS POLICY:
City
Attorney Goff informed the Commission that this ordinance was restricting of
the entire chapter 2.76 regarding open records.
Ms. Goff stated that KORA had seen a lot of changes in recent years and
there was another one pending regarding attorney fees that could be charged
along with other fees. Ms. Goff
explained that there were a few minor changes to this ordinance in that you
were not allowed to charge a minimum charge for a KORA request. Ms. Goff added that you had to charge actual
costs incurred and could include time spent for an employee to do
research. Ms. Goff informed the
Commission that they did not have to have this as part of a law and could
possibly have as a policy. Ms. Goff
stated that it was easier to amend a policy than an ordinance; however, an
ordinance carried more weight. Ms. Goff
added that this was a very good statement of what KORA was and would be very
beneficial whether an ordinance or a City policy.
Commissioner
Meyer questioned if she had a recommendation on whether to do an ordinance or a
policy. Ms. Goff stated that we would be
repealing and replacing the current ordinance.
Ms. Goff commented that she would also recommend that we remove the
minimum fee and not have a specific cost for the copying fee. Mayor Kumberg stated that in an electronic
format you could not photocopy; however, you could reproduce it and cost would
be a factor.
The
following Ordinance 1703 was then presented to the Commission for their
approval: AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING OPEN RECORDS POLICY, RECORDS CUSTODIANS, LOCAL
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION OFFICER, PUBLIC REQUESTS AND FEES. Commissioner Peters made a motion to
approve Ordinance 1703 concerning the open records policy and to amend the
ordinance to state reproducing instead of photocopying. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Schmidt and carried unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA:
No
one in the audience wished to address the Commission.
REPORTS:
City Manager:
·
Preliminary Budget:
City
Manager Eckert stated that he had been working with staff on preliminary budget
things so that we could be ahead of the timeline this year.
·
FEMA:
Mr.
Eckert stated that Ms. Lola Shumway and others had done a good job getting FEMA
to recognize a 10% discount on flood insurance for all citizens in Pratt. Mr. Eckert added that 10% was a sizable
savings. Mr. Eckert explained that Ms.
Shumway had taken this to heart and he had tremendous staff that go above and
beyond on a lot of things. Mr. Eckert
stated that he was very proud of his staff.
Public Works:
·
Clean-up week:
Public
Works Director Rambat informed the Commission that the first round of flyers
went out in bills and we were right on schedule for the clean-up week.
·
Water department:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the water department had been laying water main on Champa
Street and would be working on two blocks that needed to be replaced
badly. Mr. Rambat commented that they
had been working the past two weeks to install new services and running a new
main and they would be getting samples so that they could get it online.
·
Pool:
Mr.
Rambat stated that he would be working on the pool and had ordered the blue
paint. Mr. Rambat commented that the
frog would be going back out to Doug Reh’s to have them put some type of
bracing on the tongue to see if that would help keep the paint from popping
off.
·
Big Truck night:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the Big Truck and Machine night was successful last
Thursday. Mr. Rambat added that the
police department, fire department and street department were all part of that
event.
Inspection
Department:
·
Casey’s:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that Casey’s would be finishing up this week and
should have the lighting up by the end of the week. Mr. Blankenship informed the Commission that
they would be opening up for business on April 12th.
·
Train:
Mr.
Blankenship commented that he had the signs for the Sixth Street train that had
the conditions of what a person could and could not do. Mr. Blankenship stated that he had no luck
finding a track inspector and he had contacted the State Fair and they did not
have one either. Mr. Blankenship added
that the guy that did it from Chance was no longer there, so he was going to go
to the railroad. Finance Director Garten
stated that there was new legislation being discussed this week. Commissioner Peters questioned if it could be
run until these things were done. Mr.
Blankenship stated that he should have the inspection done by the April 19th
brain train event. Commissioner Meyer
stated that he felt Mr. Blankenship was on the right track, but questioned if
we were making a bigger deal than it had to be.
Mr. Blankenship stated that he wanted to make sure that we fall under
the regulations. Mr. Blankenship added
that he wanted to get the Union Pacific’s help to get it certified.
Electric department:
·
Steam unit:
Director
of Electric Utilities Huber informed the Commission that they had a company
from Wichita replace valves in the steam unit and everything had gone
well. Mr. Huber stated that they would
be running the unit in mid-June.
·
Lost poles:
Mr.
Huber stated that they had lost poles on Country Club Road during the high
winds; therefore, they had decided to inspect the rest. Mr. Huber reported that they found five more
that needed to be replaced during that inspection.
·
Rate restructure:
Mr.
Huber commented the he had been working with Energy Agent Kreutzer and City
Clerk Kramer on restructuring the electric rates. Mr. Huber explained that we currently have
eighteen rates and were looking at reducing that to six. Mr. Huber stated that that would simplify the
process and make it easier for people to understand. Mr. Huber added that this would take
time. Mr. Huber commented that there
would be people in the City that would benefit from this and a couple that were
getting power at a cheaper rate than we were paying currently; however, this
would get us back on track. Mr. Huber
stated that he would do a work session with the Commission before bringing it
to the public.
·
Mapping:
Commissioner
Meyer questioned Mr. Huber on where they were on the mapping project. Mr. Huber stated that he had a meeting with
them next week and their crews should start the first to middle of May. Mr. Huber commented that we would be putting
something in the bills to tell the citizens that there would be guys in uniform
doing a job for the City. Mr. Huber
added that this would take six to eight weeks.
Recreation
department:
·
Busy time:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that high school softball and baseball were going and
they were on the verge of tournament scheduling. Commissioner Meyer questioned if we always
had the soccer nets at Lemon Park. Mr.
Pinkall stated that they did not because they usually practiced at May Dennis;
however, the disc golf group was not always cooperative. Mr. Pinkall added that they had moved it to
Sixth Street Park last year and played at Green Sports Complex.
Police Department:
·
March stats:
Chief
Myers gave the following stats for March to the Commissioners:
Crime Stats
|
Feb ‘17
|
Mar ‘17
|
|
1
|
3
|
Animal Bite
|
3
|
6
|
Assault / Battery
|
1
|
1
|
Burglary - Vehicle
|
|
6
|
Burglary - Building
|
3
|
4
|
Citizen Assist
|
7
|
4
|
Disturbance
|
18
|
14
|
DL Violations
|
3
|
2
|
Felony Drug Violation
|
3
|
4
|
Misdemeanor Drug Violation
|
1
|
1
|
Forgery / Counterfeit
|
3
|
|
No Type Listed
|
18
|
13
|
Larceny / Embezzlement / Fraud
|
5
|
3
|
Lost / Found Property
|
1
|
|
Missing Person - Juvenile
|
4
|
4
|
Other Offense
|
4
|
3
|
Property Damage
|
1
|
|
Sex Crime - Child
|
1
|
|
Stalking
|
1
|
|
Threat
|
10
|
15
|
Traffic Accident - Prop. Damage
|
4
|
6
|
Warrant Arrests
|
|
1
|
Aggravated Assault/Battery
|
|
2
|
Animal/Livestock
|
|
2
|
Care/Treatment
|
|
1
|
Child in Need of Care
|
|
1
|
Death Investigation
|
|
1
|
Robbery
|
|
3
|
Specific Request
|
|
2
|
Stolen Property
|
|
1
|
Traffic Accident – Injury
|
|
5
|
Trespass
|
|
1
|
Violation of PFA/PFS
|
|
1
|
Weapons/Firearms
|
|
|
|
92
|
110
|
Total Cases
|
|
|
|
Municipal Court Caseload
|
Feb ‘17
|
Mar ‘17
|
|
82
|
82
|
Cases Pending
|
1
|
|
DUI
|
1
|
|
Fleeing a Police Officer
|
115
|
91
|
Other Traffic Violations
|
2
|
3
|
Crimes Against Persons
|
4
|
7
|
Crimes Against Property
|
4
|
4
|
Other Crimes
|
9
|
4
|
Parking Violations
|
|
1
|
Dog Violations
|
136
|
110
|
Total Filings for February
|
218
|
192
|
Total Case Load
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Cases Disposed
of
|
DUI
|
All Other Cases
|
|
0
|
77
|
Guilty Pleas
|
0
|
0
|
Bond Forfeitures
|
0
|
13
|
Dismissals
|
0
|
1
|
Trials (Not Guilty Pleas)
|
0
|
7
|
Diversion Agreement
|
0
|
98
|
Total Dispositions
|
|
|
|
94
|
Cases Pending at End of Mar. '17
|
|
|
192 Case Load - 98 Cases Disposed)
|
|
|
|
|
|
MUNICIPAL COURT REVENUE
|
JAN. '16
|
JAN. '17
|
|
$10,347.00
|
$14,544.00
|
|
|
|
|
FEB. '16
|
FEB. '17
|
|
$14,467.00
|
$16,809.76
|
|
|
|
|
MAR. '16
|
MAR. '17
|
|
$13,793.00
|
$20,131.74
|
|
|
|
|
$38,607.00
|
$51,485.50
|
Totals
|
·
Unwanted Drugs:
Chief Myers stated that Wal-Mart
would be doing the unwanted/expired medications box again this year on April 20th
from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Chief Myers
reminded the Commission that people could bring in their unwanted or expired
drugs with no questions asked. Chief
Myers commented that there were to be no liquids; however, there would be a
receptacle for needles. Chief Myers
stated that they have no access after something had been deposited into the
box. Chef Myers commented that this was
successful last year and the flyers would be posted in the next several days.
·
News coverage:
Commissioner Peters stated that the
news coverage of the burglary arrests and the arrest at the college were
positive for our community and shows that the police force was active. Commissioner Peters asked how we get these
types of things in the paper. Chief
Myers explained that active investigations had to be kept quiet until the leads
had been contacted. Chief Myers stated
that they were sending a daily log to the Pratt Tribune and they were going to
start publishing those this week.
Finance
Department:
·
Questionnaire:
Finance Director Garten stated that
the new Commissioners had a related party questionnaire from the auditors that
needed to be returned to her when they were done filling it out.
Mayor
and Commission:
·
KMEA update:
Commissioner Hlavachick asked where
we were on the KMEA issue. City Attorney
Goff stated that she had forwarded an email from Hinkle Law to Mr. Eckert and
Mr. Huber. Ms. Goff explained that the
email was the status on a records request.
RECESS:
Commissioner
Meyer made a motion to recess until Wednesday, April 5th at 11:00
a.m. for a financial training session.
Commissioner Hlavachick seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
______________________________________
LUCUS
KUMBERG, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________________
LUANN
KRAMER, City Clerk