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CITY COUNCIL
FEBRUARY 4, 2008
7:30 P.M.
The Council of the City of Augusta, Kansas met in regular session on February 4, 2008, with Mayor Kristey Williams presiding. Council present were Holly Harper, Michael Huddleston, Michael Wallace, Tom Leffler, Mike Rawlings, Robert Griffith, and Roger Chrislip. Councilman Douglas Marr was absent. Also present: City Manager Bill Keefer, Assistant to the City Manager JJ Allen, City Attorney David All, Electric Utility Director Bill Webster, Electric Production Superintendent Jim Sutton, and City Clerk Erica Jones. Visitors present were: Michael McDermott, Gene Moser, Matt Craft, Christopher Craft, Fred Kloeckler, Rich Bilinski Ben Jiler, Andrew Jiler, and Joel Jiler.
Prayer: Councilman Rawlings gave the invocation.
Minutes Council: Minutes of the January 21, 2008 council meeting were reviewed. Wallace made a motion to approve the Minutes of the January 21, 2008 council meeting. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Appropriations:
January (1A): Council considered appropriations in the amount of $580,871.41. Huddleston inquired about the payment to First National Bank in the amount of $1,362.88. Keefer stated that it was for his credit card and that he had provided a copy of the bill to the Council. Keefer stated that part of it was for advertising the Airport Manager position. Huddleston inquired about the payment to Itron in the amount of $891.87. Jones stated that it is for maintenance and support of the handheld meter reading devices. Huddleston inquired about the payment to Nord Atlantic Trading in the amount of $2,067.94. Keefer stated that it was for ballistics vests. Keefer stated that the City pays for half of the cost of the vests and there is a grant that pays for the other half. Huddleston inquired about the payment to Underground Vaults in the amount of $133.93. Keefer stated that it is for storage of documents for the Safety Department. Griffith inquired about the payment to McCune Heating & Cooling in the amount of $2,248.45. Keefer stated that it was for the replacement of a furnace at Power Plant One. Griffith inquired about the payments to Bingham Sand & Gravel and Cornejo Materials. Keefer stated that it was for salt and sand mixture for snow removal. Griffith made a motion to approve Ordinance 1A in the amount of $580,871.41. Huddleston seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
New Business:
Corp of Engineers: Council considered approval of the Project Cooperation Agreement with the Corp of Engineers for a levee enhancement project. Griffith asked about the timeline for obtaining the right of way for the levee. Keefer stated that there is nothing solid. Keefer stated that once Corp identifies the necessary easements to be obtained, we will have to get the legal descriptions and documents and appraisals before we can acquire the property. Griffith asked if the Corp has decided what we will get for in-kind service. Keefer stated that we have a pretty good idea. Keefer stated that easement donations will go towards the in-kind match. Williams asked once the PCA Agreement is signed, what the time line for completion of the project will be. Rich Bilinski with the Corp of Engineers stated that the project will be two and one half to three years in duration. Wallace asked what it would take to put Dike Road on top of the levee. Bilinski stated that the Corp has not looked at that, they had only looked at moving the road to the west. Wallace stated that it would be worth looking at since the Council has talked about it before. Bilinski stated that the top of the levee will only be ten feet wide and to put Dike Road on the levee the levee footprint would increase significantly, increasing the cost of the project a great deal. Bilinski stated that Ark City’s bypass was a pretty substantial structure that was very costly. Griffith inquired about the elevation of the new Dike Road. Fred Kloeckler stated that the elevation would be the same as the current elevation, 1220 feet. Bilinski stated that the plans are still being worked on and are about 90 percent complete. Bilinski stated that he hopes to have the plans completed in the next two months. Griffith asked if the PCA Agreement has been agreed to by both parties. Keefer stated that there were a few changes made from the PCA Agreement that was presented to the Council last fall. Keefer stated that this is basically a general document. Bilinski stated that it is a model agreement. There was a slight adjustment to page 17 of the agreement, but that the total cost of the project remains at $5.4 million. Keefer stated that we are going to have to buy some easements and right of ways which will go towards our match. Keefer stated that if the City doesn’t agree to sign a PCA Agreement, there won’t be a project. Wallace asked if there is a gaping hole in the levee after the project is completed, who would be responsible for that. Wallace asked if the Corp would guarantee the project. Bilinski stated that the funding for the repairs would come from FEMA, but that the Corp would oversee repairs under an emergency. Bilinski stated that the Corp would coordinate with FEMA on the repair project. Griffith made a motion to approve the Project Cooperation Agreement with the Corp of Engineers for a levee enhancement project. Rawlings seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Bond Sale: Council considered approval of items related to a bond sale for internal improvements for the Lakepoint 6th Addition, Augusta Heights Addition, and USD 402 Bus Barn. Those items include the Statement of Final Costs, Assessment Roll Certification, Notice of Public Hearing, and Form of Notice of Public Hearing and Statement of Cost Proposed to be Assessed. Chrislip made a motion to approve the Statement of Final Costs, Assessment Roll Certification, Notice of Public Hearing and Form of Notice of Public Hearing and Statement of Cost Proposed to be Assessed relating to a bond sale for internal improvements for the Lakepoint 6th Addition, Augusta Heights Addition, and USD 402 Bus Barn. Rawlings seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Elmwood Cemetery: Council considered approval of a Final Plat for East Addition #2 of the Elmwood Cemetery. Rawlings made a motion to approve a Final Plat for East Addition #2 of the Elmwood Cemetery. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Council considered approval of a Final Replat of the Central Addition Section 2 of the Elmwood Cemetery. Rawlings made a motion to approve a Final Replat of the Central Addition Section 2 of the Elmwood Cemetery. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Change Order: Council considered a proposal from the City Engineer for a change order to the contract with APAC for the Santa Fe/Dearborn/Frisco Street Sales Tax Project. Chrislip inquired about how much money this would save the City. Goedecke stated that APAC provided a unit price bid in 2007 and that they are willing to consider using those prices for the improvements and repairs to the rest of Santa Fe Street. Goedecke stated that the 2007 cost will be quite a bit lower than what the cost would be if it was re-bid in 2008. Goedecke stated that it is subject to the plans, but that he wanted to run it by the Council before preparing the Change Order for APAC. Wallace made a motion to approve a proposal from the City Engineer for a change order to the contract with APAC for the Santa Fe/Dearborn/Frisco Street Sales Tax Project. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Bids: Council considered bids for two Police Patrol Vehicles. Griffith asked if the patrol vehicle that will be given to the Municipal Airport will remain the color it currently is. Keefer stated that it will be repainted. Wallace asked the how old the vehicle currently at the Municipal Airport is. Keefer stated that it is an early 1990’s Taurus. Leffler stated that it is disappointing that eight bid requests were sent out and that the four dealerships closest to Augusta or in Augusta didn’t even submit a bid. Chrislip made a motion to approve the bid for two Police Patrol Vehicles from Rusty Eck Ford in the amount of $39,826.00. Griffith seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Council considered bids for an Animal Control Pickup. Leffler made a motion to approve the bid for an Animal Control Pickup from Rusty Eck Ford in the amount of $12,097.00. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Council considered bids for a Pipe Threading Machine. Wallace made a motion to approve the bid for a Pipe Threading Machine from Hizey Supply in the amount of $13,168.81. Leffler seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Williams Petroleum: Council considered approval of a new Request for Services agreement with Williams Petroleum Services for mowing services in and around the old refinery property. Chrislip asked if this agreement reimburses the City for the cost of mowing the property. Keefer stated that it does. Rawlings made a motion to approve a Request for Services agreement with Williams Petroleum Services for mowing services in and around the old refinery property. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Informational Memorandum & Questions:
Williams – Williams thanked those that attended the Strategic Planning Session and stated that the discussion included westward development, economic development, infrastructure, and quality of life. Williams stated that there is a Visioning meeting scheduled for February 12th at the Augusta High School Library. Williams stated that there is a work session scheduled for February 11th at City Hall to review the proposed Employee Job Classification and Pay Plan. Williams stated that the next council meeting will be on Tuesday, February 19th. Williams stated that it had been suggested to her that it might be beneficial to add time on the agenda for the Council to have a brainstorming session towards the end of each meeting.
Griffith – Griffith asked if the cost of addressing the Zebra Mussels could be passed on to City of Mulvane or if the cost would just fall upon the City of Augusta. Keefer stated that he will be meeting with the City of El Dorado to discuss this and other water related issues. Keefer stated that there may be a bigger issue as it pertains to future wholesale customers. Keefer stated that he would be hesitant to negotiate the cost with Mulvane until we know where we are with Frontier Refinery. Griffith stated that there are electric lines in the ball diamonds at Garvin Park that were left from the Christmas lights. Webster stated that he would look into that. Griffith asked if the City has more than one trap. Griffith stated that a citizen had called the Safety Department and was told that they only had one. Keefer stated that he thought there was more than one, but that he would check with the Safety Department.
Huddleston – Huddleston asked what assuming trail manager responsibilities and oversight of the railroad right of way would mean. Keefer stated that the County is willing to give trail manager responsibilities to the City of Augusta, City of Andover on the row through our communities. The County intends to return the row to adjacent property owners on the balance of the row. Keefer stated that the risk to the City would be that if BNSF wanted to reactivate this line, they could. Keefer stated that it would be subject to the County’s approval, but that you would not want to build a structure on the rail row. Keefer stated that another risk is that if we do not assume the trail manager responsibilities the County may sell off the property or it may be reverted back to the adjacent property owners. Keefer stated that the whole process will be coordinated with the County and their attorney. Huddleston asked how the County can sell it or give it to the adjacent property owners and not just give it to the City. Keefer stated that the portion where the rails are will have to be maintained. Wallace stated that his concern is that we will be responsible for maintaining the property but the County can tell us what we can do with it. Keefer stated that there will be more discussion on this issue after the County’s attorney has prepared the necessary legal documents. Keefer stated that he will present more details to the Council as they become available. Huddleston inquired about the status of the codification. Jones stated that she has checked with the League and that there were issues that came up with other members of the League that the staff attorney had to focus on, but that our codification is now fourth on their to-do list. Jones stated that she was told that they still hoped to have the proof to us by the 15th of February, but that a more reasonable estimate would be the end of the month. Huddleston asked if information was found in the minutes about the Council setting the hangar rents at the Airport. Allen stated that Jones had looked through the minutes and could not find where the Council has approved standard t-hangar rents. Huddleston stated that he is positive they did when he was previously on the Council 18 years or so ago. Jones stated that she would look at the minutes again during that time frame.
Wallace – Wallace stated that the Butler County Recycling Plan states that the City of Augusta will need to expand their present facility and that the need for additional drop-off centers will have to be identified. Wallace asked if Augusta will have to pay for the additional drop-off centers. Keefer stated that they are looking at expanding our current facility into a collection site for Augusta, Andover, and Rose Hill, but that we would not be responsible for the collection costs of Andover and Rose Hill. Chrislip asked if this would lead to curb-side recycling. Keefer stated that eventually that is the goal but that it hasn’t been determined at this point. Wallace stated that in the long term the recycling program would start paying for itself and would reduce the amount of refuse being put in the landfill. Griffith stated that the problem is the market for recycled materials. Huddleston stated that the program could penalize those communities that set their fees high enough to cover the costs of the program, and not the communities that do not. Keefer stated that this is a work in progress. Keefer stated that El Dorado’s current recycling program is not mandatory but gives incentives for the citizens to participate. Keefer stated that citizens can set out unlimited amounts of recyclables but are limited to two of bags of non-recyclable trash per weekly pickup. The customers must pay for trash bags in excess of the two that are allowed. Keefer stated that El Dorado’s program keeps growing and growing. Wallace asked what portion of 5th Street D & J Engineering was requested the City to vacate. Keefer stated that it is between Walnut and Oak. Keefer stated that he has asked them to provide us with more detailed information and a formal request. Wallace asked if there has been a sudden influx of water line breaks recently. Keefer stated that it is typical for there to be a lot of water line breaks this time of year due to the drop in temperatures and freeze and thaw of the ground.
Adjourn: At 8:35 p.m. Wallace made a motion to adjourn. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
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