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CITY OF TEKOA
COUNCIL MINUTES
APRIL 21, 2008
Council Present: David Tysz, Melinda Wilkins, Mike Bogenreif, Debbie Groom, Linda Zehm
Council Absent: Carol Sturman, John Giudice
Employees Present: Peggy
City Attorney: N/A
Guests Present: Jerome Squibb, Keith Anderson, Larry Hagan, Eileen Soldwedel, Alan Arnold, Jana Mathia, Layne Merritt, Bob Lindgren, Mr. & Mrs. Tim McClurg, Stephen Cunningham
A public hearing was held at 6:45 p.m. for a Variance Request for a fence by Mr. & Mrs. Tim McClurg.
Tekoa City Council opened in regular form with Mayor John Jaeger presiding. Pledge of Allegiance was lead by Mayor John Jaeger.
Minutes of the last meeting were presented for approval. Minutes approved as presented. Linda moved to accept the minutes, and Debbie seconded the motion. Motion carried.. Mike moved to approve the minutes from March 17, 2008, and Melinda seconded the motion. Motion carried.
The bills were audited and ordered paid. Motion to pay the bills was made by Linda and seconded by Debbie. Motion carried, and bills were approved for payment.
VARIANCE REQUEST GRANTED
As there were no objections to the variance request made by the McClurgs for the fence, Mike made a motion to accept this variance, and Debbie seconded the motion. Motion carried.
VARIANCE REQUEST
Troy Wilson came before council to request a variance to put up a small pole building 20 x 20 on his property. He provided a map of where this building would be built. Mr. Wilson will pay the $25.00 permit fee, and letters will be sent out to all of his neighbors within 300 feet. A public hearing will be held at 6:45 p.m. on May 5, 2008, and if there are no objections, the variance will be granted at that time. Melinda moved to request this variance, and Mike seconded the motion. Motion carried.
CENTURYWEST UPDATE
Layne Merritt from Centurywest Engineering gave an update on our projects.
The Sidewalk Project was discussed. It will be on Crosby Street and Highway 27. The amount of $2,000 was suggested for the matching funds on the Sidewalk Project. If we decide to do in-kind work, it could be for landscaping, seeding, etc. This money could be budgeted this fall for next year.
The CDBG Grant for the Sewer Plant has sent the letter letting us know that we did get the grant, and they have some things that the grant money can be spent on right now such as staffing, administration, environmental studies, and feasibility studies. We need the environmental study done right away. The SEPA and NEPA forms need to get the go-ahead. He had the engineering contract with him tonight to be signed.
Layne brought the contract for professional services for $7,425.00 for engineering design plus the $1,000 for environmental permits--or $8,425.00--to get this environmental task moving along, so we can get the final documents together and get ready for bidding and meet our deadline for August 10, when the creek flows are down.
Debbie made a motion to accept the Centurywest Contract for $8,425.00, the remaining of the engineering design and environmental permitting for the 2008 Sewer Line Project, contingent upon approval by the council, the attorney, and CDBG. Linda seconded the motion. Motion carried. This motion is tabled until next meeting.
Discussion was made about cell phone service for Teresa at the cemetery. Mike was in Oakesdale recently, talked to their officer, and learned that they have portable radios which they can program so that they can get County Hi. Our city has radios, and we should have them checked out to see what is wrong with them. Pacific Electronics will be called to see if they can come down and update them.
John spoke on behalf of PDA. They want to manage the old City Hall building. Regarding PDA managing this building, the council's concern is how long they can occupy the building. Council would like to be able to have the “final say” on major decisions. For example, the dance studio is a business that was going to go to Oakesdale, because they could not find a building to rent. This lady is so busy, and we would hate to see her lose that business, because there is no other building that will fit her program. Linda would hate to have them come in like the Dance Studio or The Photography Studio, and get all set up, and two months later they are asked to leave. There has been a lot of effort and labor put into this building. Before we give it over to the PDA, the city council wants to make sure there is some security for these businesses. The mayor wants to table this until Monte Morgan comes and talks to us about this.
RESOLUTION #291
This is a resolution to support the Safe Routes to School Grant that Tekoa School District has applied for. Mike moved to accept this resolution, and Debbie seconded the motion. Motion carried. The next part of this resolution is asking if the city commits matching funds for this project. Mike made a motion that the city provide a match of $2,000, and David seconded the motion. Motion carried.
SPRING CLEANUP SET FOR MAY
This has been set for May 10. Goodwill is also coming down from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and people can donate items at that time. Goodwill plans to look through the items and pick what they use, and what they do not want can be taken to the dump. The council would like to see kids volunteer to help and talked about people getting rid of their old junk appliances from $15-$25.This fee will be used for the spring clean-up next year. City employees and council members are even willing to go to the residence and pick up items, if people have no way to get them down to the dumpster at city hall. The mayor suggested that people put their name on a list, and city employees can go pick items up.
A quit claim deed for the Park & Rec was adopted back in 1985 but was never listed with the Title Company. We will sign what our attorney has sent and make sure it is recorded this time.
Summer help was discussed. The mayor mentioned that a young man from Colfax, who is going to college at Eastern, is interested. The council would like to propose to him that he take the pesticide test and be able to spray for mosquitoes this summer. The mayor will meet with this young man on April 22, to see if he is interested.
Discussion on outdoor burning: There is a state law that you cannot burn outdoor yard waste any larger than 3ft. by 3ft. by 4ft., or you must get a special permit from DOE.
Dave suggested that the city fill in the area at the airport with dirt, and plant some low-growing scrubs where the tires were put. Mayor thought it was a good idea. Stephen Cunningham would like to know when the city has airport meetings so he can give input. He didn’t think a fence was necessary, and council explained to him that the fencing was part of a safety grant.
At the next council meeting, the mayor would like council members to come in at 6:30 p.m. to work on personnel policy before the council meeting.
David reported that Dave Moore was paying $95.00 per month at the airport on his utility bill. The power was hooked in to his building. Something went wrong with the pump, and he has been charged a big amount for his electricity. Dave moved to reimburse Dave Moore for his excess utility bill, and Mike seconded the motion. (Not to exceed $200.00.) Avista needs to be contacted and have a separate meter and pole for this well. This leak will have to be traced.
Melinda reported on the chip sealing for the streets. She reported that the clerk has sent a letter to Whitman County Road Dept., and they will be in Tekoa to do the project in May or June. This should give Duane and Matt time to do all of the prep work, and the two streets selected are Leslie Street, Henkle to Main; and Howard Street, Poplar to Alder. There are a lot of streets to be done, and these two streets were the ones we on which could spend the $12,000 to $14,000 and the ones well-traveled.
The Mayor read a letter from Carol Sturman saying that she is resigning from City Council as of today. Her husband's health is failing, and she feels she must give up a few things. She would like to remain on the Cemetery Committee. The mayor will review some of the applications we had from last time and see if someone would be interested in resubmitting. A new council person will be decided at the next city council meeting at 6 p.m.
Being no further business, Mike moved to adjourn, and David seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m.
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CITY OF TEKOA
COUNCIL MINUTES
APRIL 7, 2008
Council Present: David Tysz; Melinda Wilkins; Debbie Groom; Mike Bogenreif; Linda Zehm
Employees Present: Sara Chase; Duane Groom; Matt Condon; Stan Kittock
Guests Present: Jerome Squibb; Eileen Soldwedel; Keith Anderson; Ula Moody; Bob Lindgren; Alice Anderson; Rick Squibb; Monte Morgan; Tim McClurg; Donavon Chase; Cheryl Morgan; Alan Arnold; Troy Wilson; Ron Flock; Amie Eaton; John Skyles; Chuck Patrick
Tekoa City Council opened in regular form with Mayor John Jaeger presiding. Pledge of Allegiance was lead by Mayor John Jaeger.
Minutes of the last meeting were presented for approval. The council would like discussion from the March 17 meeting about the Whitman County Sheriff’s contract added to the minutes. They would like the minutes to be presented again for approval at the next council meeting.
The bills were audited and ordered paid. Debbie asked to see the status of payments that have been made to the Whitman County Sherriff’s for the next council meeting. Motion to pay the bills was made by Linda and seconded by Debbie. Motion carried and bills were approved for payment.
AGENDA
A few items were taken off of the agenda. The mayor removed the agenda items regarding surplus property and regarding short and long term goals. The mayor added the first reading of personnel policy updates to the agenda.
THANK YOU TO COUNCIL
A thank you note from Jim and Claudia Heaton was read by the mayor. The note thanked the council for turning the street lights back on. The Heaton’s felt that having the lights on makes the town look prosperous.
TIM MCCLURG – VARIANCE REQUEST
Tim lives at 320 E. Main and is requesting a variance to put up a 3 foot white picket fence around his property. He believes that a portion of the property where he would like to put his fence is owned by the City. Duane and Stan did not think there were any foreseeable problems. The property in question has already been in use by Tim and by previous owners of the property. The council approved Tim’s variance request. Letters will be sent out to Tim’s neighbors within 300 feet. A public hearing date was set for April 21 at 6:45pm for his neighbors to respond.
LAYNE MERRITT, CENTURY WEST – SIDEWALK PROJECT
Layne presented cost information regarding the sidewalk project. This project is funded thru grants for the Safe Route to Schools from the Department of Transportation. Layne is submitting the application for the grant. The school is the lead agency for this project, but the city is involved because it is the City’s right away. Layne stated that there is an opportunity to gain points on the grant application by contributing part of the funding. Preference will be given to those applicants that contribute. Layne has talked to Wayne Massie regarding their contribution. Layne needed to know if the City wanted to contribute as well, since it will be a city sidewalk. Layne came up with an example of a 5% contribution but estimates the amount to be no more than $2,000. If the city decides to contribute, this will need to be done by resolution. The council will decide by the next council meeting.
Layne also brought with him, the final version of the Small Water Systems Management Plan. It is available for anyone to inspect, but it will need to be continuously updated.
MONTE MORGAN – PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Monte reported that the PDA is getting started up again. They are working on getting things going and trying to improve the City thru grant funding. They had a few members leave and have three new members they would like the city council to approve. The new members are John Heaton, Ula Moody, and Scott Eaton. Other committee members include Monte, Lynette Gaines, Don McHargue, Roy Schulz, and Mariam Flock. Mike moved to approve the three new members and Dave seconded. The motion was approved.
Monte also reported that the PDA had a verbal agreement to control and manage the incubator building. Dave asked Monte if the Tekoa Float could have a permanent spot in one of the bays. Monte stated that he does have three people that want in there now, but he does see the importance of having a home for the float. Dave felt that the float needs a permanent home. Chuck Patrick stated that he felt that businesses needed to be in those bays. Linda suggested that Monte talk to Rob Wilkins regarding the float, before they decide what to do.
Monte also stated that the PDA would like to manage the old city hall building. There is a dance studio there now and another business moving in upstairs. John stated that the city would not lose money by turning over the building to the PDA. After much discussion, the council decided to think about these items and will put the PDA on the agenda for the next council meeting.
The PDA meetings are open to the public and are held the second Monday of each month at 7:00pm. The meetings will be at City Hall.
JOHN SKYLES-WHITMAN COUNTY-JUNK VEHICLES
John Skyles attended the meeting in place of Mike Baker. John is from the Whitman County Department of Health. He was there to discuss and answer any questions about the County’s Junk Vehicle Drive. The Department of Health has contracted with a salvage company to remove and dispose of junk vehicles. The company will be setting up at various spots around the county and will pick up the vehicles from properties, crush them, and take them away, all for free. If there is a lost title, the owner of the property can sign a release. The vehicle can then be moved to city property where the county sheriff can declare the vehicle abandoned. Then the vehicle can be hauled away. This is going to happen October 1st. The vehicle must meet three of the four criteria to be deemed junk. It must either be three years old, substantially damage, not be worth more than its salvaged value, or not be licensed. The department of health is encouraging communities to take advantage of this opportunity. Mike Baker and Cyndi Leper are who to contact if there are any questions.
AMIE EATON – PARK BOARD
Amie was there to request the City to issue a quit claim deed to give Ruhl Park to the Tekoa Park and Recreation District. The park needs to be in their name for them to receive grant monies. The Board would like to improve the playground equipment and the restrooms at Ruhl Park. Debbie was concerned that if something happens at the park, the City may be held liable. There was discussion regarding resolution 78. The wording is not clear whether the park had already been deeded. The council believed that if according to the resolution, the park has already been deeded, they needed to finish what was started. The Mayor will talk to Stephen Bishop to make sure there are no problems, and address this again at the next council meeting.
SPRING CLEANUP
Mike reported that the spring cleanup will be happening over a period of two weekends, but has not decided which weekends as of yet. The first weekend people will clean up their yard waste. Mike is working with Dan Hutton to get a group of students together to help those who can’t pick up their yard themselves. The following weekend, would like to take care of non burnable trash. He is working on getting trucks and volunteers together to haul away the garbage. Mike is going to be asking people to donate pizzas to feed the high school students. He is going to be getting in touch with Goodwill to possibly bring a trailer down for people to donate items. They will not be able to have the cleanup during the discounted week at the County landfill. Donations and monies will be needed to help offset the costs. John said that he would call the landfill and see if maybe they could still give them some kind of discount. They need as many volunteers as possible. Anyone that wants to help in any way, please contact Mike. He will also be putting together meetings to discuss the details. They are hoping to have the spring cleanup in May.
ARREARS REPORT
Sara presented the monthly arrears report. There were fifteen people in arrears this month with a total of $1,977.16. This is fifteen less than last month and the amount decreased by $1,457.95.
SUMMER HELP FOR STREET DEPARTMENT
The city will be hiring summer help for the street department. The position will be for five months for ten to twelve dollars an hour but will not include any benefits. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age to apply. They would also like to see this person get their pesticide license and possibly spray for mosquitos. Dave moved to search for candidates with those criteria. Debbie seconded. Motion approved.
ROSALIA MOSQUITO SPRAYING
Ken Jacobs, the mayor of Rosalia is concerned that Tekoa may not have anyone to do the mosquito spraying. He feels that the mayors need to get together and decide what would be fair for everyone.
LEAK IN ROOF IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Duane reported that he looked and believes that the damage to the ceiling was caused from dry snow blowing in and then melting. The problem has not occurred again.
NEW CITY EMPLOYEE
Duane introduced Matt Condon to the council. He is the new city employee. They have both been studying for their pesticide license, commercial driver’s license, and water exams. Matt has already been doing a great job.
PERSONNEL POLICY CHANGES
The Mayor had made some additions and deletions to the leaves portion of the Personnel Policy. He noted that the biggest change was the sick leave buy back. The City was paying 100%, and now it will be 0%. He asked the council to take some time and read through the whole thing. He asked them to let him know if there is anything else they see that needs to be addressed. He would like those things to be brought up at the next council meeting.
CHERYL MORGAN EMPIRE THEATRE
Cheryl gave the city council an update on the Empire Theatre. The membership in Tekoa has really supported the theatre with all their updates, maintenance, and repairs. With most of the grants they get, the theatre is required to come up with 80% of the funds. They are hoping to be able to get more grants in the upcoming years. Cheryl is concerned about the attendance at their performances. The average number of people at a performance is 80. They need to improve these numbers and would like feedback about how people think that could happen. Cheryl also needed to know if the City insurance covers the new neon lights on the marquee. The Mayor said he would check into this for her. He also said that he would put something in his “John’s Journals” about getting more members for the theatre.
CITY COUNCIL REPORTS
Dave reported that he has asked Rural Development for money for the reservoir. He asked the council if they would mind if he continued to pursue this. The council decided that it would be ok for Dave to pursue this as long as it is new money and that it does not change the priority of the items for the water plan.
Melinda reported that she and Duane drove around town and looked at streets. Duane then typed up a list of areas of concern and prioritized them. He is now looking at getting the exact cost of repairs from the County Road Department. Duane did grade the road out at Seeds, but Linda said that it does need to be done again. Duane said that he has been working on other roads and he will get out there again soon.
Linda reported that she got together with Carol and Teresa to discuss what Teresa has been working on at the cemetery. She has not been able to do much because of the snow, but she has gotten most of the rose garden trimmed. Teresa asked them if she could have some way of getting a hold of City Hall while she is working in case of an emergency. Nothing was decided at this time. She also wanted to know if a “no dumping” sign could be put up out there. Duane said he would take care of that. Linda reported that Joe Smiley from the Whitman County Gazette will be writing up an article on the city cemetery. If anyone has information they would like in that article they can contact Teresa. Linda asked about how the council would like Teresa to get her gas for her mowers and trimmers. Dave moved to issue a gas card to each individual with their own pin number. Melinda seconded. Motion approved. Linda also reported that Teresa uses her own pickup to haul things around up there. Teresa needs to know how the council would like her to fill up her vehicle with gas. The council decided that Teresa and Duane will go together to get her gas and then they will both sign the receipt.
COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS
Donavon Chase reported on the Tekoa Fire Department. He stated that the Ambulance Board had donated a rescue rig to the fire department. The fire department recently obtained a newer rescue rig and would like to return the old rig to the Ambulance Board. Mike moved to give the rescue rig back to the Ambulance Board. Dave seconded. Motion approved.
Donavon also reported that with in the next couple of months he will be traveling to the Snohomish County Fire District to pick up some donated items. He also reported that he has applied for one city grant and two county grants.
Chuck Patrick asked if the City would be grading roads. Duane said that he is grading as weather permits. If the weather does hold up he should be able to get the whole town done with in a week or so.
Jerome reported that the airport beacon has been out for about a week, but parts should be in tomorrow.
CLERK’S REPORT
Sara reported that she attended the Washington Municipal Clerk’s Association Annual Conference from March 18 thru March 21, in Wenatchee. She attended several classes including, minutes taking, records retention, and public records. She learned many new things and made some really great contacts. She thanked the council for sending her.
MAYOR’S REPORT
The Mayor reported that the chamber has decided to discontinue the Trestle. They felt that it was somewhat redundant.
The Mayor complimented the audience. He stated that at the last council meeting there were a lot of side conversations and it was very distracting. He stated that he did not see any of that happening this time and was very pleased.
The Mayor reported that the auditor felt something different needed to be done about having the clerks’ clean city hall. He proposed to include the cleaning in their job descriptions and then include the $75 in their salary, rather than having it as a separate line item. Debbie moved to have the city clerks be in charge of cleaning city hall and that the $75 be included in their salary. Melinda seconded. Motion approved.
Being no further business, Debbie moved to adjourn, Mike seconded. Council adjourned at 9:19 p.m.
MAYOR DEPUTY CLERK
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CITY OF TEKOA
COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 17, 2008
Council Present: David Tysz, Melinda Wilkins, Mike Bogenreif, John Giudice, Debbie Groom, Carol Sturman, Linda Zehm
Employees Present: Peggy, Duane
City Attorney: Stephen Bishop
Guests Present: Jerome Squibb, Keith Anderson, Ula Moody, Wendy Sienknecht, Larry Hagan, Eileen Soldwedel, Alice Anderson,
Teresa Raines, Alan Arnold, Doug Sienknecht, Jana Mathia, Donavon Chase
A workshop was held prior to the regular meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Tekoa City Council opened in regular form with Mayor John Jaeger presiding. Pledge of Allegiance was lead by Mayor John Jaeger.
Minutes of the last meeting were presented for approval. Minutes approved as presented. Linda moved to accept the minutes, and Mike seconded the motion. Motion carried.
The bills were audited and ordered paid. Motion to pay the bills was made by Debbie and seconded by Linda. Motion carried and bills were approved for payment.
CENTURYWEST UPDATE
Layne Merritt from Centurywest Engineering gave an update on our projects. CDBG did approve the grant for the sewer project for $99,800. CDBG has sent the notice, and the next thing they will do is send a letter that will tell us under what conditions we can start to incur expenses under that grant as well as the conditions of the grant. It will also pay for those increased construction costs and engineering expenses that went along with the additional stretch of sewer that we had to design. Layne will bring an amendment to the contract to do the additional work for the entire project.
Layne gave an update on the costs of $264,000 for the project. The construction loan amount is $135,000; our match is $6,800. The preconstruction, which is the design and easement, was broken out on the spread sheet that Layne brought with him.
There will be another “Safe Route To School” program grant cycle which will be the next set of sidewalk that the school has applied for. Since this sidewalk is on city property, the school will need the city support and approval on that project. The last project we did along the highway was federally funded with no match required. Now it is state-administered, and the state is saying there is no match required, but those communities that do contribute will be given preference and gain additional points in the process. The school and the city could both match, as this is all about partnerships and volunteer time.
The grant cycle WSDOT for the airport is coming up next week. Jerome has been working with us at Centurywest on this. In order to get funding through WSDOT, the projects requesting funding need to be in our capitol improvement program. We have selected the priorities listed below:
· Airport Security Fencing
· North Side Fill Area
· Airport Property Weed Control
Total project costs are $99,040, and the city match would be $4,952 if we are awarded all of these projects. We need a statement of support and a resolution #290. Debbie moved to accept this and to provide matching funds for this project. David seconded the motion. Motion carried.
INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE CONTRACT
This agreement between Tekoa and the county for incarceration costs, etc. was adopted with Resolution #289. John moved to adopt this, and Mike seconded the motion. Motion carried.
RESOLUTION #288
This is a resolution to borrow money from Whitman County for our Special Street Levy recently passed in the Street Dept. The money for the street levy, however, will not be available until next year. The county is willing to float us a loan when we need it to repair streets. Carol moved to adopt this resolution, and Linda seconded the motion. Motion carried.
CONTRACT WITH WHITMAN COUNTY
A contract was signed with the Whitman County Sheriff’s Dept. for law enforcement services. We will check again in six months to determine the amount of service our budget will allow. We are having problems with the revenues coming in to pay for the current contract. We have been behind in paying this contract for several years. Possibly the mayor will talk to the sheriff and see what suggestions he might have.
Being no further business, council adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
MAYOR CITY CLERK TREAS.
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CITY OF TEKOA
COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 3, 2008
Council Present: David Tysz; Melinda Wilkins; Debbie Groom; Mike Bogenreif; Carol Sturman; Linda Zehm; John Giudice
Employees Present: Sara; Duane; Stan Kittock
Guests Present: Jerome Squibb; Eileen Soldwedel; Keith Anderson; Ula Moody;
Tekoa City Council opened in regular form with Mayor John Jaeger presiding. Pledge of Allegiance was lead by Mayor John Jaeger.
Minutes of the last meeting were presented for approval. Minutes approved as corrected.
The bills were audited and ordered paid. Motion to pay the bills was made by Linda and seconded by Carol. Motion carried and bills were approved for payment.
MICHAEL BAKER-WHITMAN COUNTY-JUNK VEHICLES
Mr. Baker called and canceled, he would like to be put on the March 17th agenda.
RETREAT REPORT
The retreat for the Council was held on March 2nd in Tekoa. Melinda reported that they talked about several things including; Council basics, city functions, personnel handbook, policies, and expectations as committee heads. The talked about how to address the citizens’ expectations concerning the street levy. They discussed possibly having a retreat every six months. The Mayor commended Melinda on organizing the retreat.
NEW CITY EMPLOYEE
Matt Condon has been hired as a City Employee. Mike explained the interview process that each applicant went thru. The interview committee was made up of John G., Dave, and Mike. Duane also conducted a skills test. The Mayor contacted references for each applicant. After comparing scores and much discussion, they committee chose who they felt would be best for the City. Matt will start in a few weeks.
CONTRACT WITH WHITMAN COUNTY SHERRIFF’S
The Mayor reported that the Council reviewed the general budget at their retreat. They decided that the City could not afford the forty hour a week contract with the Sherriff’s department. A letter was sent to the City from Brett Myers stating if the City went to ¾ time, the cost would be reduced from $85,316.86 to $63,987.64, a savings of $21,329.22. Debbie moved to approve the letter from Brett Myers, dated January 22, to change the contract to ¾ time. This would need to be put into a new contract to make it legally binding. Carol seconded the motion. Motion passed.
MOSQUITO FOGGER
Duane reported that he picked up the new mosquito fogger. It is lightweight, quiet, and small. Dave asked if there is a contract set up with the other towns about dividing the costs. Sara will ask Peggy if there is and if not, we will contact Stephen to get one written up. Duane will also be attending a workshop on mosquito control and working on getting licensed. Dave suggested that they send the new employee to the workshop as well.
SHORT AND LONG TERM GOALS FOR TEKOA
Tammy Lewis, with Whitman County Economic Development, sent an email asking the City to please update their long and short term goals. The council will review the list and come back with any updates or changes they would like to make. This list is beneficial to have when applying for any grants.
ARREARS REPORT
Sara reported that there are 31 people in arrears this month with a total of $3,435.11. This is five people more than last month, but the amount decreased by $57.15.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Sara read Peggy’s monthly Treasurer’s report. Council asked if they could possible have a more reader friendly report. There were no other questions or concerns.
COMMENTS FROM AUDIENCE
Eileen Soldwedel asked if there was a revenue line item for the $8,000 expenditure line item for the airport. She wanted to know if the airport was self-supporting as it has been stated before. The Mayor said he would be putting the revenue line items in next month’s newsletter. Eileen also wanted to know more information about the PDA. The Mayor explained that the PDA stands for Public Development Authority. They have the authority to create economic development plans for the community. They do not the commit the City to any of their expenses. They are funded by grants. Mariam Flock is the president and Monte Morgan is also a member. They plan on coming to the next council meeting to update the council on their plans.
COUNCIL REPORTS
Debbie reported that the airport committee will be meeting next week. They have also created a property committee to identify all the assets for the City. Members include Debbie, John G., and Mike.
Melinda reported that the street levy passed. She will be meeting with Duane to determine which gravel streets might be chip sealed this summer if our street budget has sufficient funds.
The Mayor reported that the street lights will be turned on tomorrow. If a citizen would like their light turned off, they will have to get their neighbors to agree. The city will wait to see if anyone wants their light turned off before a petition is developed by our legal council. This petition would have to relieve the city of any liability.
Carol reported that the cemetery committee had a meeting and went over their upcoming plans for this summer. They will be working on the Veteran’s Memorial again. Carol would like permission to write a job description for the groundskeeper. She also reported that there is a list of rules and regulations for the cemetery and it needs to be updated. They will be getting together with Robert Kramer and working on that project. They will also be working on the map for the cemetery. The committee will be meeting the last Friday of each month and then report to the council the following Monday.
Mike reported that the Sherriff’s substation has been moved to the fire station. The old city hall has a basement full of miscellaneous items and other surplus goods. The council will look at the city’s policy to sell surplus items. Mike will make a list of the items that can’t be surplus so we can develop a plan for their disposal.
Linda asked, on behalf of the Finance Committee, if the rest of the council could have a list of the bills being paid. The Mayor said he would have Peggy call Linda if she had any questions about creating this list.
Debbie stated that she would like another budget workshop. The council decided to hold another workshop on Thursday March 13th at 6:00pm.
The Mayor read a complaint filed by Ula Moody against Wendy Sienknecht. The complaint stated that Wendy’s dogs attacked Ula’s dog. Duane has written a letter the Wendy informing her that the dogs are now considered potentially dangerous.
The Mayor had also received a complaint about the garbage behind the Tekoa Tavern. Keith Anderson reported that he is in the process of buying the Tavern. He has talked to the owner and the garbage is supposed to be taken care of by March 10th. If the garbage does not get taken care of, Keith will give John the name and number of the owner.
Mike asked that a letter be sent to the house on Park and Broadway. It has a lot of garbage and debris around the house. Mike also reported that he is still working on putting together the Spring Cleanup. John G. has checked into dumpster prices and it is very expensive. He suggested checking into doing something during the half price days at the Whitman County dump. The Mayor asked that the Spring Cleanup be put on the agenda until everything is figured out.
Being no further business, Carol moved to adjourn, John G. seconded. Council adjourned at 8:18 p.m.
MAYOR DEPUTY CLERK
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CITY OF TEKOA
COUNCIL MINUTES
FEBRUARY 19, 2008
Council Present: David Tysz; Melinda Wilkins; Debbie Groom; Mike Bogenreif; Carol Sturman; Linda Zehm; John Giudice
Employees Present: Peggy; Duane
Guests Present: Brett Meyer; Jerome Squibb; Eileen Soldwedel; Jana Mathia; Larry Hagan; Gerald Winn; Keith Anderson; Alice Anderson; Ula Moody; Layne Merritt
Tekoa City Council opened in regular form with Mayor John Jaeger presiding. Pledge of Allegiance was lead by Mayor John Jaeger.
Minutes of the last meeting were presented for approval. Minutes approved as presented.
The bills were audited and ordered paid. Motion to pay the bills was made by Carol and seconded by Linda. Motion carried and bills were approved for payment.
UPDATE ON RAILROAD APARTMENTS
The Mayor stated that he followed up with Wes Clark regarding the Railroad Apartments. Wes is busy but he does see the necessity and will be taking care of this property. The Mayor will no longer pursue contacting the city attorney in regards to this matter.
WHITMAN COUNTY SHERRIFF’S REPORT
Brett Meyer provided a summary report of incidents that have occurred in Tekoa for 2008. He also reported about looking into changing the location of the substation. He said they would be interested in doing so, if it is a better location and if it will save the City money. The matter has been approved by the Fire Chief and by the County Commissioners. It is just a matter now of moving equipment. Brett stated that they would look into doing that in the next few weeks.
CITY COUNCIL RETREAT
Melinda proposed to have a city council retreat on March 8th. After much discussion, the council decided to have the retreat on March 2nd. The retreat will be at the Best Western in Colfax from 1pm to 5pm. Melinda will call and finalize the details.
TOWN FORUM
The mayor asked for comments on the Town Forum. Linda thought that it went well in that it opened up the communication between the community and the council. Linda thought that they should consider doing it again. Carol reported that there were 20 people there, not including the council. The mayor stated that Lynette Gaines did a great job as monitor.
TIRES AT NICK’S TIRE SHOP
Peggy reported on the letter she sent to Tammy St. John regarding removing the tires at her dad’s tire shop. Tammy called Peggy and said she would be more than happy to remove the tires, but she has found that it is very expensive to do. The mayor reported that he also talked to Lou St. John about this issue. He said that she might have found somebody to remove the tires as well. The mayor said he would get back with Lou and then report back to the Council.
TRAGEDY IN MISSOURI
Peggy reported on an email she received from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. The email was in regards to the shooting that happened at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri. Peggy was concerned with Tekoa’s preparations in case of an incidence like this.
WHITMAN COUNTY GAZETTE CORRESPONDENT
Jana Mathia, a reporter with the Whitman County Gazette, stated that the Gazette wanted to increase the coverage of the small communities in the county. They will be splitting the county in half and each of the reporters will start attending more of the city council meetings. They hope to cover more of the city events and happenings. The Gazette is also looking for one or more people to be a county correspondent to report on any thing that is happening in the community. The pay is $0.25 per column inch. They can submit pictures if they want. The report needs to be sent by email or fax by 3:00 pm on Mondays. If anyone calls up and renews a subscription and asks to credit their correspondent, the correspondent will receive $3, if it is a new subscription, they will receive $6. If anyone is interested they can call Jerry Jones or Jana.
MOSQUITO FOGGER
Peggy sent a letter to Adams County Mosquito Control District telling them that the city would like to purchase the fogger. Rosalia and Waverly will be going in on the purchase and Fairfield is still deciding. Peggy wrote a letter to Fairfield letting them know that the city would be going ahead with the purchase anyways.
CITY EMPLOYEE POSITION
Right now there are four applicants for the job and there may be up to three more. They will have three council members do an interview and Duane will interview as well. The mayor stated that the ending date for applying for the position will be February 25th. They will hold the interviews on February 26th.
EMPLOYEE REPORTS
Duane reported that the gravel roads in town are getting soft. People have approached Duane about wanting gravel or to have the road graded. Duane said that the city only has a small pile of gravel to work with. If a road is extremely bad, he will put some gravel on it. Seeds Inc. would like to have some gravel on their road. Duane said it would take at least five truck loads to do that road, but he feels that it is too early in the year to do this. Duane said if anyone tells him their road is soft, he will go look at it, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to put gravel on it.
COUNCIL REPORTS
John G. passed out a legislative update from the Association of Washington Cities regarding possibly bleak funding for small cities. It is something that may impact Tekoa.
Dave asked how much money was going into the reservoir reserve fund. Peggy stated that right now, there is no money going into that fund. All the money is going into the water and sewer line replacement funds.
The mayor reported that he hired Tom Hunter one day to help with snowplowing. He asked the council how they would like to pay him. He also reported that Larry Heaton had removed snow off of Main Street. The City really appreciates their help! Debbie moved to pay Tom Hunter for his snowplowing services. She would like Tom to submit and sign an invoice stating he worked five hours. She recommended that they pay him the hourly rate that the city used to pay him. Mike seconded the motion. Motion passed.
The mayor reported that the council would be going into executive session. He apologized to the audience for doing this again, but at the last executive session, they were missing three of their council members. He needed to have the whole council there to iron out some personnel issues.
CENTURY WEST ENGINEERING PRESENTATION
Lane Merritt from Century West Engineering presented some updates about the water and sewer projects. The railroad company has provided a cost for easement to work on the sewer lines. The easement is something the CDBG would like to see in place before they would give us any money. So it is moving right along. Layne also reported on the water plan. The Department of Health reviewed the water system plans and came back with comments. Jim had addressed these and Layne will touch up a few more things and it will go back in for approval. Layne also gave an update on the airport. As soon as the ground is clear, they will be working on the threshold lighting and fog seal projects. Layne stated that there is another round of funding for the Safe Routes to School projects. They are going to be working with the school to hopefully be able to finish the two blocks of sidewalk that they were not able to do last year.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The mayor asked for any further business, as there was none he asked that council go into executive session in regards to a personnel matter at 8:32 p.m. Came out of executive at 10:00 p.m.
Mike made a motion that they call for an audit, Debbie seconded. Motion passed.
Being no further business, John G. moved to adjourn, Mike seconded. Council adjourned at 10:00 p.m.
MAYOR CITY CLERK TREAS.
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CITY OF TEKOA
COUNCIL MINUTES
FEBRUARY 4, 2008
Council Present: David Tysz; Melinda Wilkins;
Carol Sturman; Linda Zehm;
Council Absent: Mike Bogenreif; John Giudice; Debbie Groom;
Employees Present: Peggy; Sara;
City Attorney:
Guests Present: Jerome Squibb; Keith Anderson; Ula Moody; Wendy Sienknecht; Steve Haxton; Janis Fisher;
Building Inspector: Stan Kittock;
Tekoa City Council opened in regular form with Mayor John Jaeger presiding. Pledge of Allegiance was lead by Mayor John Jaeger.
Minutes of the last meeting were presented for approval. Minutes approved as presented.
The bills were audited and ordered paid. Motion to pay the bills was made by Linda and seconded by Carol. Motion carried and bills were approved for payment.
MOSQUITO FOGGER
Jim sent in a written report about going to Othello on January 25th to look at the mosquito fogger. The fogger was in almost new condition and operated flawlessly when asked to see it operate. It is very quiet and only has 1374 hours on the unit, and they are asking $3,500. After discussion David moved to purchase the fogger and Linda seconded the motion. Motion carried. Rosalia is interested in going in with us, and the mayor will contact the other towns and see if they are interested.
TOWN FORUM
The chamber is going to do the introductions. We are going to be there to answer questions about the Street Levy. Want to talk a bit about the contract the city has with Avista on the lights, and the chip sealing of gravel roads in the future. If the levy passes, possibly we could have paved streets where we have gravel right now. Will set up at 6:30 and this will start at 7:00 p.m.
MONTHLY TREASURERS REPORT
The clerk presented the monthly treasurers report to council for review. She explained the different amounts and what was available in each fund. There were no questions or concerns on the report.
ARREARS REPORT
Sara presented the monthly arrears report to council. She gave the list of names of people who are in arrears. There are seven more people in arrears this month and the amount has increased by $493.37.
ANNUAL REPORT
The clerk presented the annual report to council and mayor. She reported that this report will be mailed to the State Auditors Office prior to the 2007 audit.
PUBLIC WORKS TRUST FUND
Public Works Trust Fund notified us that we did receive the loan, and now we are waiting to hear if we also receive the grant for the sewer replacement fund project. We might hear as early as March if we receive it or not.
APPEALS COMMITTEE
Janis Fisher came to discuss the Wes Clark property on Railroad Avenue.
A letter was sent to Mr. Clark. They have had no response, and the board of appeals wants to turn it over to the city, and have the city demolish the building. This property has had many owners, and it has been before the board of appeals several times by different owners. He told the board that he had intended to demolish the building, and he has given up the time line, and he has not responded. Enough time has been given to him, now at this point it is up to the city. The mayor will talk to the city attorney and see what we need to do next. The mayor knows of someone that will tear it down and he will contact him.
AIRPORT
David reported that he and Jerome went out to the airport, hopefully when the weather gets better, they are going to put a crew together and get it cleaned up. There is a fuel tank out there owned by the flying club that needs to be removed. It needs to be removed due to safety reasons. The airport is shut down due to the weather at the present time.
CITY COUNCIL RETREAT
Melinda reported that at the Newly Elected Workshop put on by AWC, it was suggested that the council have a retreat and get together for a day and do some brainstorming on what they want to see and where they want to go as a council and city. Melinda suggested that the retreat might be held at Colfax, as there is a meeting room at the Best Western that they could rent. Have an agenda and have employees come and explain different topics etc. possibly the end of February on a Saturday or Sunday.
FORUM
A reminder that the public forum will be held at the High School Multipurpose room to discuss the street special levy. It will be held at 7:00 p.m. The mayor would like to be there at 6:30 p.m. to start the coffee and help set up.
WATER
David asked if anyone had milky water this week. He said that it is due to air in the water. It means that the well is pumping air, and the small well needs to be looked at. The mayor is meeting with Jim tomorrow and will ask him.
RESIGNATION
The mayor read a resignation from Jim Thompson. He said that he has enjoyed working for the city and serving the citizens for the past 5 and ½ years. He will resign as of February 12, 2008. The clerk has advertised an opening for this position.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The mayor asked for any further business, as there was none he asked that council go into executive session in regards to a personnel matter at 7:43 p.m. Came out of executive at 8:50 p.m.
Being no further business, council adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
MAYOR CITY CLERK TREAS.
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