MONDAY
AUGUST 20, 2018
The
Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular Session in the Commission
Room located at City Hall.
PRESENT:
Doug Meyer Mayor
Lucus Kumberg Commissioner
Gary Schmidt Commissioner
Don Peters Commissioner
Jason Leslie Commissioner
ALSO PRESENT:
Roy Eckert City Manager
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Regina Probst City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Gary Myers Police Chief
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 Meyer. The Mayor instructed the City Clerk to note
that all Commissioners were present.
The
Mayor reminded the audience that this meeting may be taped and/or recorded.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE:
Commissioner
Schmidt led the staff and audience in the invocation and Mayor Meyer led the
Pledge of Allegiance.
CONSENT AGENDA:
·
August
06, 2018 Regular Commission Meeting
Commissioner
Kumberg made a motion to approve the consent agenda. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Peters and carried unanimously.
BUSINESS:
DISCUSSION ON IRB’S:
Mayor
Meyer stated that the Commission had called a special call meeting earlier to
discuss possible IRB’s for the college and the track and soccer field at the
Sports Complex because they wanted to become educated with how they
worked. Mayor Meyer asked PCC President
Mike Calvert to give a short synopsis of what the college had in mind for the
track and soccer field.
Mr.
Calvert stated that he had brought an expert with him this evening to discuss the
possibility of IRB’s for the track and soccer field at Green Sports Complex. Mr. Calvert commented that there was the lack
of a track facility in Pratt and it was their desire to see a facility
built. Mr. Calvert stated that he felt
that it would enhance the college’s enrollment and it would also be a place for
an artificial field for their soccer program.
Mr. Calvert commented that it would have an economic impact just as the
ball fields had and he felt that the general citizen would use it also.
Mr.
Calvert stated that they had asked the City if they would be willing to issue
General Obligation Bonds and they had said no; therefore, they brought the IRB
issues forward. Mr. Calvert explained
that they had $2 million of the $5 million project and they would continue to
fund raise to pay the loan down.
Commissioner Leslie commented that WSU had a good recruitment tool for
State High School meets, so we might be able to venture into that. Mr. Calvert stated that it was pretty hard to
get a State track meet, but regionals and district were not out of reach if we
build quite a stadium. Mr. Calvert
stated that there would be permanent bleachers for five hundred and they could
always bring in temporary bleachers for bigger events. Mr. Calvert commented that there were no
college sports in the summer; therefore, the summer was wide open for
recreation. Mr. Calvert stated that this
was a great collaborative project and a great community project.
Commissioner
Peters questioned if the $2 million was secure.
Mr. Calvert stated that the commitment was there and the Federal Grant from
the Department of Interior was in place where you spend $600,000 and get back
$300,000. Mr. Calvert explained that
they had a second grant application in for an additional $300,000 and that
looked positive. Commissioner Peters
asked where the revenue was going to come from to help with maintenance. Mr. Calvert stated that the college would pay
off the bonds and there were financial commitments in kind. Mr. Calvert added that there would be gate
receipts, entry fees and concession stand money. Mr. Calvert stated that they envision an
agreement signed between all the entities concerning who would be in charge of
any maintenance; however, turf and rubberized surfaces required little
maintenance. Commissioner Peters
commented that there was a cost to keep it in good shape. Mr. Calvert stated that there would be grass
that needed maintained along with the parking lot areas. Commissioner Peters asked if the college
would do that or at least share in that.
Mr. Calvert stated that that would be worked out in some type of
agreement. Commissioner Peters
questioned if there would be two soccer fields.
Mr. Calvert stated that there would be.
Commissioner Peters asked that if they wanted seating for about five
hundred. Mr. Calvert stated that there
would be seating capacity for five hundred and portables could be brought in;
however, soccer usually brings in about one hundred fans.
Commissioner
Leslie questioned if the middle and high schools had thought about doing a
soccer program. Mr. Calvert stated that
that was a delicate subject and they had to make their own decisions. Commissioner Leslie asked if the track field
would be open to the public. Mr. Calvert
stated that it would be, especially in the summer months. Commissioner Peters stated that the
Commission was under the impression that the Foundation would have funds to
make the payments. Mr. Calvert stated
that that was correct. Commissioner
Schmidt questioned if the $5 million price tag included lights and the parking
lots. Mr. Calvert stated that there
would be lighting, gravel parking lots to start out and a place for buses to
park. Commissioner Schmidt asked who
would inherit the debt if they defaulted on the payment and it became a dead
project. Mr. Calvert stated that Mr.
Kent Adams, Vice-President of Finance and Operations, was better suited to
answer that question. Mr. Adams stated
that he had brought Mr. John Haas from Ranson Financial Group to explain those
types of scenarios, the total cost of the project and where the funds would
come from and the financing; however, he could say that the board was committed
to doing what was necessary so that the bonds were paid.
Mr.
Haas explained that the structure of the lease was that the City would issue
IRB’s on behalf of the PCC Foundation and a lease agreement would be between
the Foundation and the City with the intent that the Foundation enter into a
sub-lease with the college. Mr. Haas
stated that the college was ultimately responsible for the payments on the
IRB’s. Mr. Haas stated that when a
college enters into a lease agreement, it was different than when a City,
County or school district entered into a lease agreement. Mr. Haas explained that the college was not
subject to annual appropriation, but it was a binding lease that they were
required to make those payments from any available sources, including taxes. Mr. Haas explained that the bond person would
get paid before they would, so they had to be very serious. Mr. Haas stated that the Certificates of
Participation or IBR’s for community colleges were traded almost as strong as
GO bonds and default was very small with the requirements of a
non-appropriation lease. Mr. Haas
commented that the owner would be negotiated between the City attorney, the
bond attorney and PCC’s attorney.
Commissioner Schmidt asked if this was a fifteen year bond. Mr. Haas stated that there was a twenty year
amortization schedule. Commissioner
Schmidt questioned what happened after this was paid off and who it would
belong to along with who would be in charge of maintenance and repair. Mr. Haas stated that the City could still
lease it to the college and they would be responsible under the terms of the
lease agreement; however, he felt that anything the City wanted the college to
do, they would be agreeable to since the City was issuing the securities. Commissioner Kumberg asked what Mr. Haas’
role was in all of this. Mr. Haas stated
that, as Municipal Advisor, it was his job to see that any transaction public
Government made was in their best interest.
Mr.
Haas went over the anticipated amortization schedule of the Industrial Revenue Bonds
at 3 ¾% average interest rate, which we would not know for sure until selling
the bonds had been completed. Mr. Haas
explained that an underwriter was hired to sell the bonds, then he reviews it and
they were then given to the Foundation, the City and the college at a fair
rate. Mr. Haas added that the interest
rate could change. Mr. Hass pointed out
that this was a $3.5 million project and they were looking at issuing
$2,820,000 in revenue bonds along with Federal grants totaling $600,000,
upfront contributions of $200,000, and the cost of issuance was about
$77,700. Commissioner Peters commented
that there was $2 million secured, so he questioned why the bond issue was not for
$1.5 million. Mr. Haas explained that
the $2 million that was secured was going to come in over time, so it was not
available right now. Mr. Hass stated
that, a lot of times, Municipal Governments borrow an amount in anticipation of
other revenues coming in; therefore, they could make either debt service
payments as they came in or when the bond was callable. Mr. Haas commented that they issue this
amount even if they did not need the full amount so they could get the project
going. Mr. Haas continued explaining
that the underwriter’s discount was the maximum fee; however, they did not
authorize an underwriter to receive on the selling of the securities. Mr. Haas stated that all those figures added
up to $2,820,000.
Mr.
Haas stated that the City had also received two draft resolutions from Gilmore
and Bell, but he was not sure if the City Attorney had had time to review
them. City Attorney Probst stated that
she had not gotten the resolutions until 4:10 today. Mr. Haas explained that the first resolution
states that the City of Pratt agreed to proceed with the process and that was
it. Mr. Haas added that, if they got new
information at the next Commission meeting and they decided not to proceed,
they did not have to. Mr. Haas stated
that the Board of Trustees at the college would approve a resolution requesting
the issuance of IRB’s from the City of Pratt via the Foundation. Mr. Haas commented that they anticipated that
the Foundation Board would meet on the 11th of September and approve
a resolution requesting the City issue IRB’s and the City would consider a
resolution on the 17th of September calling for a public hearing for
the issuance of the IRB’s on behalf of the Foundation. Mr. Haas explained that State Statute
requires that a public hearing be held prior to the issuance of any IRB’s and
that was when the public could come in and comment. Mr. Haas continued stating that the
Commission would determine whether to proceed after the public hearing.
Mr.
Haas stated that the ultimate authority was with the City; however, notice
would be given to other taxing entities within the area. Mr. Haas commented that they did not have
veto power, but they could come and make comments. Mr. Haas stated that they had anticipated
that the City would hold a public hearing on October 15th and the
bonds would be rated if approved. Mr.
Haas commented that the Board of Trustees and the Foundation Board would select
an underwriter on November 12th and review the bonds on the 26th. Mr. Haas stated that the 3rd of October would
be a busy day with the City approving the Bond Ordinance and Resolution, the
Foundation approving the Lease Agreement with the City and the Board of
Trustees approving the Lease Agreement with the Foundation. Mr. Haas stated that that was the end of the
bonds and the leases would end and renegotiate with the college. Commissioner Peters stated that he understood
from the conference call at the special call meeting that the City had no risk
at all in this deal and he asked Mr. Haas if he agreed with that. Mr. Haas stated that his non-legal opinion
was that there had never been a bond issued by a City for a GO Bond or IRB that
had been defaulted on. Commissioner
Peters asked if that was a yes or no.
Mr. Haas commented that there was no legal obligation or moral
obligation to make payment on the bonds.
Mayor
Meyer stated that the Commission was not in a position to vote on anything this
evening, but they had our interest. Mr.
Haas stated that he understood, but the next step would be to schedule the
public hearing. Mr. Calvert stated that
they had given the Commission an aggressive schedule and they did not come in
thinking it was going to happen this evening.
Mr. Calvert commented that they appreciated the City considering the
IRB’s for a strong project that had little risk. Mr. Calvert added that the sooner we took
this forward, the sooner they had a track and field. Mr. Haas questioned if the Commission would
be willing to put the resolution on the next meeting. Ms. Probst stated that she had no problem
with that.
DISCUSSION ON CHANGES
TO ORDINANCE 0503 DEALING WITH TRAVEL AND TOURISM:
Chamber
Director Kim DeClue reminded the Commission that the City had hired an Economic
Development person and she had come in to help with many things and she felt that
we were not following things in the Travel and Tourism ordinance. Ms. DeClue commented that they either needed
to follow the ordinance or change it.
Mayor Meyer informed Ms. DeClue that the copy they had gotten in the
packet was unreadable, so they had not be able to review it. Ms. DeClue stated that she would point out a
few things and added that she had been emailing back and forth with the City
Attorney.
Ms.
DeClue stated that Ms. Probst questioned why there was a desire to delete the
portion of the ordinance that provides for defraying costs of municipal
services. Ms. DeClue commented that they
had not ever run into that because the City always steps up and does it. Mayor Meyer commented that that was probably
in there in case there were several large expenses. Finance Director Garten stated that the City
had actually paid some expenses out of the tourism funds, such as putting in
posts for lighting. Ms. Garten explained
that striking that would limit their ability to pay expenses that had not been
budgeted for. Mayor Meyer stated that he
had looked at other ordinances and ours was similar to those. Ms. DeClue stated that it could stay in the
ordinance even though they did not usually come across that because Ms. Garten takes
care of it.
Ms.
DeClue stated that the next was why the ability to remove a member of the
Travel and Tourism Board was not subject to City Commission review. Ms. DeClue stated that she did not have the
ability to remove a member of the board because that was the job of the
Commission. Ms. DeClue explained that
she comes to the Commission in December to ask for approval to reappoint a
member or suggest someone new. City
Attorney Probst stated that this was in Section 8, sub-section C that states
that ‘if any board member misses more than three consecutive meetings without
an excuse accepted by a majority of the board, shall be deemed to have vacated
his or her position on the board and the Governing Body would be notified to
appoint a successor.’ Ms. Probst
explained that it was not subject to review by the Governing Body and they were
just notified. Commissioner Kumberg
stated that it was a board action and we would not know. Mayor Meyer clarified that they would not
have to come to the Commission to replace a member with this new version. Ms. Probst explained that it would be an
automatic revocation of their membership on the board if a majority of the
committee did not accept their reasoning and it would not be subject to the
Governing Body’s approval. Ms. Probst stated
that the Travel and Tourism Committee members were appointed by the Governing
Body and it was their discretion to accept the amendment; however, that did
take the authority away from the Commission if there was a disagreement with
the Committee. Ms. Probst commented that
Ms. Garten had stated that it had been hard to find members prior to this last
year. Ms. Garten stated that she felt
that was why the seven to eleven members were in the ordinance, which gave the
board leeway. Ms. Garten added that they
tried to get certain types to serve on that board.
Commissioner
Kumberg questioned if this was a board or a committee. Ms. Probst stated that she had not drafted
this, but they were a committee. Ms.
DeClue commented that it was fine if the Commission decided not to make these
changes. Commissioner Leslie confirmed
that they had not been following the current ordinance. Ms. DeClue stated that they had not. Mayor Meyer suggested that this item be
tabled until the next meeting since the Commission had not had a good copy to
review. Ms. DeClue stated that she was
fine with that.
Mayor
Meyer asked if Ms. DeClue was comfortable changing to eight members. Ms. DeClue stated that Ms. Probst had also
questioned why the board wished to narrow the City employees able to serve to
the City Manager, Finance Director and Parks and Recreation. Ms. DeClue stated that the Chamber had a seat
on the ED Board and her board wanted her to come to those meetings and she felt
that she should come to all of them even if she was not a member. Ms. DeClue commented that Economic
Development made her an ex officio along with the City Manager, which opened up
that seat to another person. Ms. DeClue
stated that she needed the City Manager, Finance Director and Recreation Director
on this committee because this was a City committee and she felt they should be
made ex officio members. Ms. DeClue
continued stating that that would allow her to bring in some new blood with
those members becoming ex officio. Ms.
DeClue stated that she felt she could get new members with the new hotels and
new owners in town. Ms. DeClue added
that they currently had nine members.
Commissioner Leslie asked what the major thing was that was broken. Ms. DeClue stated that it was term
limits. Ms. DeClue commented that that
part could be taken out since they had never had term limits.
Commissioner
Schmidt commented that he had a question concerning raising the guest tax rate
from seven to eight and asked how we compared with other Cities. Ms. Garten stated that Pratt was currently at
8% and that needed to be corrected in the ordinance. Commissioner Peters questioned what
percentage came back to Pratt. Ms.
Garten stated that it was all but 2% of the amount received. Commissioner Kumberg suggested stating it in a
way to build that into the Ordinance so that you would not have to list the
rate.
Mayor
Meyer stated that the application form was pretty intimidating. Ms. DeClue stated that that was not approved
yet, but it would have to be more of an event and they were not always
approved. Ms. DeClue explained that they
want to keep money in Pratt County. Ms.
DeClue stated that the Commission would start seeing the minutes from the
meetings and she would be willing to do quarterly updates. Mayor Meyer commented that they would look
this over and she could come back for more discussion. Commissioner Schmidt questioned who writes
the checks to whomever made the request.
Ms. DeClue stated that they first had to make a presentation to the
board, the board votes and writes a letter to the City Manager and then Ms.
Garten sees that they get their check.
Commissioner Schmidt asked if that was general fund money. Ms. Garten stated that it came from the
Travel and Tourism fund and they had an annual budget that was approved. Ms. Garten added that their only revenue was
the guest tax. Ms. DeClue commented that
the Chamber also helps run Travel and Tourism.
Commissioner Peters questioned if the guest tax should be raised to 9%. Ms. Garten stated that the motels complain
now even though it was a pass through.
DISCUSSION AND
APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF A NEW STREET SWEEPER:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that the street department had been trying out
different models of street sweepers for about a year and the current one was a
2001. Mr. Rambat commented that they had
gone out for bids and found one they liked, which was a 2017 Ravo N243 and
parts were accessible. Mr. Rambat
explained that this sweeper had a vacuum unit and did a better job picking up
sand. Mr. Rambat added that it also had
a hook tube at the top that would suck the sand out of curb inlets. Mr. Rambat commented that it compacts the
material tighter and could run a longer time without having to have a separate
dump truck nearby. Mr. Rambat stated
that he would like to recommend the purchase of the Ravo N243 at the cost of
$230,000 and that was contingent on the financing of the unit. Commissioner Peters asked what they were
doing with the old sweeper. Mr. Rambat
stated that he was going to put it on Purple Wave to sell. Commissioner Leslie commented that he
appreciates how clean Pratt was after his recent travels. Commissioner Peters made a motion to approve
the purchase of the 2017 Ravo N243 for $230,000 contingent on financing. Commissioner Leslie seconded the motion and
it passed unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF FINANCING FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE STREET SWEEPER:
Finance
Director Garten stated that she had sent out a letter to the three banks for a
lease purchase over ten years for the street sweeper. Ms. Garten explained that Peoples Bank sent
in a proposal at 4.26%, First National Bank sent in 5.55% and First State Bank
sent in 4.95%. Ms. Garten recommended
that the Commission approve the proposal from the Peoples Bank. With no more discussion, Commissioner Leslie
made a motion to approve the Peoples Bank at 4.26% to finance the Ravo N243
street sweeper over ten years. The
motion was seconded by Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF A NEW MOWER FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that Park Superintendent Eckhoff had been
budgeting for a replacement mower as he does about every three years. Mr. Rambat explained that the one being
replaced would go to the wastewater plant.
Mr. Rambat commented that he had gotten bids from BTI and
Kincheloe’s. Mr. Rambat stated that BTI
bid one that was out of spec and the other was a John Deere for $22,800 and
Kincheloe’s had sent in their bid with three choices that were all within the
specs listed on the bid notice. Mr.
Rambat commented that Mr. Eckhoff liked the Kubota ZD1511 LF-72, which was not
the lowest bid; however, it was well within his budget. Mr. Rambat added that the Kubota had a 72”
cut and was quoted at $17,297.14. Mr.
Rambat informed the Commission that Mr. Eckhoff’s crew helped mow the fair
grounds and other applications in the City on top of the parks.
Mayor
Meyer questioned if they had other Kubota’s.
Mr. Eckhoff stated that they did and the recreation department also had
one and he felt that they mowed faster.
Mr. Eckhoff commented that they could cut down on hours mowing if they
had a mower that had increased speed and got good results. Commissioner Leslie stated that there was not
much difference in the 25 and 31 HP. Mr.
Eckhoff explained that he had gone down to Lemon Park with the 26 HP Hustler
and he almost shut that mower down due to thick grass. Commissioner Schmidt asked if the unit was
available now. Mr. Eckhoff stated that
he had not checked on that yet.
Commissioner Peters asked if they had a trade-in. Mr. Eckhoff stated that they were going to
send the mower to the wastewater plant instead of trading it in. With no further discussion, Commissioner
Kumberg made a motion to approve the purchase of the Kubota ZD1511LF-72 mower
in the amount of $17,297.14 as presented.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Schmidt and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATON AND
APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE 1808 INCORPORATING THE 2018 UNIFORM PUBLIC OFFENSE CODE
FOR KANSAS CITIES:
City
Attorney Probst stated that this ordinance was on the last meeting’s agenda and
she was thankful that the City Clerk had asked the Commission to wait and vote
on it after changes had been made. Ms.
Probst commented that she had visited with County Attorney Beverlin concerning
Municipal Court handling low level marijuana charges. Ms. Probst explained that the officers
currently confiscate illegal substances and turn them over to the County
Attorney’s office to consider for prosecution.
After visiting with County Attorney Beverlin, Ms. Probst reported that
she had no problem with the City taking on low level cases. Ms. Probst commented that the officers would
issue a citation to the defendant and they would have to appear in court. Ms. Probst stated that she had visited with
Detective Jeff Ward and he stated that they would be happy that they could fine
for low level drug charges.
Mr.
Probst stated that Ordinance 1808 was before the Commission for their approval
and it had several historical omissions.
Mayor Meyer questioned what constituted low level. Ms. Probst stated that it would be
paraphernalia or a baggy that did not have anything in it but tested positive
or a pipe that was used for inhaling.
Mayor Meyer asked if this would increase the Municipal Court load. Ms. Probst stated that she was not sure, but
it did not concern her. Ms. Probst
explained that she worked well with Municipal Court Clerk Walker and she had
never felt overwhelmed. Commissioner
Kumberg stated that this would free up the County Attorney to take care of the
larger level cases. Commissioner Leslie
asked if the fees would go to the City.
Police Chief Myers stated that they would. Commissioner Schmidt questioned the
difference between a misdemeanor and a felony.
Chief Myers explained that, if an officer detects an odor, they could do
a search and if they find scales, baggies and a small amount of marijuana that
could be intent to distribute. Chief
Myers added that an officer could write a citation for them to appear in court
if anything would test positive.
Commissioner Leslie stated that it would save the officers a lot of
time. Chief Myers commented that it was
a lot of paperwork.
With
no more discussion, the following Ordinance 1808 was then presented to the
Commission for their approval: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 9.04 OF THE
MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF PRATT, KANSAS; PROVIDING FOR THE REGULATION OF
PUBLIC OFFENSES WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF PRATT, KANSAS;
INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE "UNIFORM PUBLIC OFFENSE CODE FOR KANSAS
CITIES," EDITION OF 2018, WITH CERTAIN OMISSIONS. Commissioner Kumberg made a motion to approve
Ordinance 1808 incorporating the 2018 Edition of the Uniform Public Offense
Code for Kansas Cities as presented. The
motion was seconded by Commissioner Leslie and carried unanimously.
CONSIDERATION AND
APPROVAL OF PRATT CITY ATTORNEY AGREEMENT:
City
Attorney Probst stated that this agreement was discussed in budget session and
there were two changes. Ms. Probst
explained that the level of insurance was changed from employee/child to
employee only and the hourly fee would increase from $110/hour to $120/hour. Ms. Probst commented that this should not be
an increase since the City would not be paying for the employee/child health
insurance. Mayor Meyer commented that
the City was extremely privileged to have someone of her caliber. Commissioner Schmidt made a motion to approve
the City Attorney Agreement as presented.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Leslie and carried unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA:
No
one in the audience wished to address the Commission.
REPORTS:
City Manager:
·
KMEA meeting:
City
Manager Eckert stated that he would be joining Director of Electric Utilities
Huber and Mr. Evan Hance from the power plant on a trip to Kansas City to meet
with KMEA for the City’s exit plan. Mr.
Eckert commented that Rainbow Energy would be joining them at the meeting
Wednesday.
·
Solar Farm:
Mr.
Eckert stated that the solar farm was getting along; however, there was some
leveling of dirt that was causing some issues but they would get that worked
out. Mr. Eckert added that the engineers
did not realize the slope that they would be dealing with. Commissioner Leslie asked if they were still
planning on putting in the observation deck.
Director of Electric Utilities Huber stated that they were and it would
be in the southeast corner. Mr. Huber
added that there was a lot of room to play with.
·
Water issues:
Mr.
Eckert stated that there were two major water issues the City was dealing with
and one was the waterline to the airport and the other was the State guidelines
for water rights. Mr. Eckert commented
that we were working on an extension for the water rights.
·
IT bids:
Mr.
Eckert stated that he had sent out bids for IT services and should be starting
to see those returned. Mr. Eckert added
that one of the vendors was going to deliver his in person tomorrow morning.
·
Website:
Commissioner
Kumberg asked how the website was coming along.
Mr. Eckert stated that the lady we had been working with took another
job, so we were moving along with someone new.
Public Works:
·
Water extension:
Public
Works Director Rambat stated that he had sent a letter off to the Division of
Water Resources requesting a five year extension on five wells.
·
Mill and Overlay project:
Mr.
Rambat informed the Commission that the mill and overlay project was done and
that the manholes had been reset to grade.
·
Mosquitoes:
Mr.
Rambat stated that they continue to fog for mosquitoes, but the rain brings
them back.
·
Pool:
Mr.
Rambat stated that the last day for the pool to be open would be Labor Day.
·
Tree removal:
Mayor
Meyer stated that it was a great improvement removing the tree on the corner of
Fifth Street and Iowa Street. Mr. Rambat
commented that he had five or six others that would be coming down in the next
week or so. Commissioner Peters
mentioned that there was a big limb that covers up the stop sign at Second
Street and Parke Street. Mr. Rambat
stated that that was on his list.
Inspection
Department:
·
Construction projects:
Building
Inspector Blankenship stated that he would be finishing up with Americare tomorrow
and McDonald’s was putting roof trusses up.
Mr. Blankenship commented that he had a two hour pressure test on the
fire lines and forty-five minute stress test there today.
·
Weeds:
Mr.
Blankenship informed the Commission that he continues to send out weed letters
and he was trying hard to get to all of them.
Mr. Blankenship commented that there were a couple that he could not see
because they had no alleys but, one way or another, they would get taken care
of. Mr. Blankenship stated that they had
sent out more certified letters this year than in the ten years he had been
with the City and it was because of the heat and rain. Mr. Blankenship explained that he looks at
the properties on Thursday or Friday and then again on Tuesday to see if it had
been mowed and, if not, the letters go out.
Commissioner Peters asked if the City mows them if the owners did
not. Mr. Blankenship stated that the
process was that they send out the first letter certified at a cost of $6.00,
then they get a reminder letter and then we send someone out to mow it if
nothing had been done in ten days. Mr.
Blankenship stated that he would like to increase the price charged for the
mowing, because our bite was not big enough.
Mr. Blankenship added that we had a lot of liens on properties due to
the unpaid mowing bills.
·
Alco building:
Mr.
Blankenship stated that the Alco building would go up for auction on September
14th. Mr. Blankenship
commented that this was one of the properties that we were mowing and those
fees were being assessed to the property.
City Attorney Probst asked if we were receiving any of the funds back
once the property sold. Finance Director
Garten stated that we get some when the County did distributions.
Electric Department:
·
Roof repair:
Director
of Electric Utilities Huber stated that they had had the roof repaired on the
power plant this spring, but there was an area where the water had gotten under
the patch. Mr. Huber commented that they
were going to have to get it replaced and he would be going out for quotes and
would bring them before the Commission at the next meeting.
·
Solar Farm:
Mr.
Huber stated that there were eight racks in at the solar farm and they had half
of the fence installed. Mr. Huber
explained that the hill was the hold up and he had suggested that they make
adjustments to their racks. Mr. Huber
commented that the rain was slowing everybody down. Mr. Huber stated that Integreen Services had
moved in their trailer so they would be getting started with their part soon. Commissioner Peters asked if Simpson or
somebody else could do the dirt work.
Mr. Huber stated that there were four or five, but Simpson’s was tied up
with McDonald’s. Commissioner Peters
questioned how long it would take to do the work. Mr. Huber commented that it would be about a
two week project. Mr. Huber added that
there were a lot of Cities that were impressed that we were doing a solar farm.
Recreation
Department:
·
Municipal Building:
Recreation
Director Pinkall stated that the Municipal Building was pretty comfortable
today with the cooler weather. Mr.
Pinkall commented that he had met with the engineer Tuesday and they were
looking into whether the Municipal Building would be considered historic. Mr. Pinkall stated that that would give them
the opportunity to use historic elements.
Mr. Pinkall added that he should have a report for the Commission at the
next meeting.
·
State activities:
Mr.
Pinkall stated that 2 1A State softball would be in Pratt along with the 3, 2,
1A tennis this fall and 4A in the spring.
Mr. Pinkall explained that Kingman would be the host school and Pratt
would be the host community.
Police Department:
·
K-9 Dog:
Chief
Myers stated that his K-9 officer had left this morning with two Kansas Highway
Patrol troopers and they were heading to San Antonio, Texas to check in and
pick up the new dog at their training center.
Chief Myers commented that the training would start in September and
would be a five week course. Chief Myers
explained that the dog would be a single purpose dog, but could be trained
later as a tracking dog. Chief Myers
stated that he had put feelers out for a replacement officer, but had not
interviewed anyone yet.
Finance Department:
·
Taxation Committee:
Finance
Director Garten stated that she would be serving on the League’s policy
committee for taxation and their first meeting would be in a couple of weeks.
Mayor and Commission:
·
Executive Session:
Mayor
Meyer stated that he would be requesting an executive session for non-elected personnel
at the end of the reports.
·
Water meeting:
Commissioner
Schmidt stated that Public Works Director Rambat had done a good job at the
water meeting that we had earlier.
Commissioner Schmidt commented that it was well received and right on
point. Commissioner Schmidt stated that
we know what we were doing.
·
Sharefest:
Commissioner
Schmidt stated that he had been involved with the Sharefest this year and it
was a neat experience. Commissioner
Schmidt commented that there were people there from other Counties to pick up
shoes and back packs. Commissioner
Schmidt stated that they had 1,300 hamburgers and 1,000 hot dogs to serve the
public.
Executive Session:
Mayor
Meyer made a motion to enter into executive session for non-elected personnel
to last thirty minutes. The motion was
seconded by Commissioner Kumberg and carried unanimously.
Mayor
Meyer made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to
report. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
ADJOURN:
Commissioner
Schmidt made a motion to adjourn. That
motion was seconded by Commissioner Peters and carried unanimously.
______________________________________
DOUG
MEYER, Mayor
ATTEST:
______________________________________
LUANN
KRAMER, City Clerk