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CITY COUNCIL
JANUARY 21, 2008
7:30 P.M.
The Council of the City of Augusta, Kansas met in regular session on January 21, 2008, with Mayor Kristey Williams presiding. Council present were Holly Harper, Douglas Marr, Michael Huddleston, Michael Wallace, Tom Leffler, Mike Rawlings, and Robert Griffith. Councilman Roger Chrislip was absent. Also present: City Manager Bill Keefer, Assistant to the City Manager JJ Allen, City Attorney David All, and City Clerk Erica Jones. Visitors present were: Michael McDermott.
Prayer: Councilman Marr gave the invocation.
Minutes Council: Minutes of the January 7, 2008 council meeting were reviewed. Marr made a motion to approve the Minutes of the January 7, 2008 council meeting. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Appropriations:
December (12B): Council considered appropriations in the amount of $542,981.53. Marr asked if D & S Auto Supply is a local vendor. Keefer stated it is NAPA, located in Augusta. Harper asked what projects the payment to Goedecke was for. Keefer stated that it is for the Streetscape project and for replatting spaces at the Cemetery. Marr made a motion to approve Ordinance 12B in the amount of $542,981.53. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
January (1): Council considered appropriations in the amount of $427,175.34. Huddleston inquired about the payment listed as City Payroll in the amount of $493.37. Jones stated that it is a payroll deduction for AFLAC Insurance. Marr made a motion to approve Ordinance 1 in the amount of $427,175.34. Rawlings seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
New Business:
Natural Gas Sale & Distribution: Council considered approval of an Ordinance pertaining to the transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas or other energy through pipelines or distribution systems in the City. Griffith asked if we have had an ordinance like this before. Keefer stated that we have not. Huddleston asked if this only applies to the gas that is distributed through Kansas Gas’s lines. Keefer stated that was correct. Marr asked if USD #402 has been contacted. Keefer stated that he has spoken to Superintendent Lentz and they are not currently paying a franchise fee. Rawlings made a motion to approve Ordinance 1957 pertaining to the transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas or other energy through pipelines or distribution systems in the City. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
REAP: Council considered authorizing the City’s 2008 membership in the Regional Economic Area Partnership (REAP). Huddleston asked if the REAP Water Resources Committee will support our Douglass Reservoir concept. Williams stated that the City of Augusta is not a member of that committee. Huddleston asked if you have to be a member of REAP to be a member of the Water Resources Committee. Williams stated that you do not, but that it would be in the City’s best interest to stay a member of REAP. Wallace asked what the cost is to join the committee. Keefer stated that it was more than it is to be a member of REAP, somewhere around $3,000 or $4,000. Keefer stated that back when the committee was first started there was a tremendous emphasis on Wichita. Keefer stated that at that time he didn’t see the benefit for Augusta to be part of that committee. Williams stated that Augusta’s water issues are unique to our area. Marr made a motion to authorize the City’s 2008 membership in REAP. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Cereal Malt Beverage: Council considered approval of a Cereal Malt Beverage License for POK Corral Café. Wallace made a motion to approve the Cereal Malt Beverage License for POK Corral Café. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried with Marr opposing.
Work Session: Council considered scheduling a work session at 7 PM on Monday, February 11, 2008 to review and discuss the proposed Employee Job Classification and Pay Plan. Wallace asked if information would be provided prior to the meeting. Keefer stated that since no action will be taken during the work session and because it is important to review the information, it will be provided at the work session. Harper made a motion to schedule a work session at 7PM on Monday, February 11, 2008 to review and discuss the proposed Employee Job Classification and Pay Plan. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Informational Memorandum & Questions:
Griffith – Griffith asked if there is a high delinquency rate on taxes. Keefer stated that it is about five percent. Griffith asked if that is the norm. Keefer stated that it has been around that rate for the last few years and that it is dollar wise equivalent to around two mils of property taxes.
Williams – Williams reminded everyone of the work session scheduled for this weekend. She also stated that there is a Visioning meeting scheduled for January 29th at 6:30 p.m. and a work session on signage scheduled for January 28th. Williams stated that citizen Jerry Maier has suggested that the City look into obtaining uniform trash carts. Keefer stated that it would be a large expense and that carts can become too heavy and burdensome for crews to lift them. Keefer stated that a trash system with carts usually has a lifting mechanism on the trucks that eliminates the need for pickers. Griffith asked if trash can be put in plastic containers. Keefer said that it can, but that all trash must be bagged.
Wallace – Wallace asked if the work on the sanitary sewer system will be tied in to the Streetscape project. Keefer stated that the area that needs to be worked on is on School Street and Osage and is not part of the Streetscape project. Wallace stated that he just does not want to see all the work completed on the Streetscape project and then have to go in and tear it up to make sewer line repairs. Keefer stated that we will be coordinating resources to avoid those kinds of things. Marr stated that he was concerned about the sewer line where the roundabout will be constructed. Keefer stated that the work in that area will be addressed before the Streetscape project is started. Wallace stated that he attended the annual Augusta Volunteer Firefighters dinner. Wallace stated that the Safety Department and Volunteers do a very good job and thanked them for what they do.
Huddleston – Huddleston stated that he thought the Council has given final approval on hanger lease amounts in the past. Keefer stated that he was not aware of that, but would look into it. Huddleston stated that the Safety Department report referred to the recovery rate of drugs with the assistance of “Basco”. Huddleston asked if the City gets to keep any part of the proceeds from these recoveries. Keefer stated that we do receive some monetary benefit. Wallace stated that he would like to see how much we have received. Keefer stated that he will look into that. Leffler stated that he thought the new uniforms were purchased out of these funds. Keefer stated that was correct, along with other types of equipment.
Marr – Marr asked if DAI and other groups are involved in the discussion of a Community Center. Keefer stated that there are several groups that have been involved in the discussion. Marr stated that he appreciated the report on safety and that it looks like staff is being proactive. Marr asked staff to update the Council about the various safety meetings and inspections in future council packets. Marr stated that staff is being proactive in addressing safety issues and the Council should be proactive in reviewing those results. Marr asked if anyone is looking into the accounts that were sent to the State Set Off to see if there is a pattern. Jones stated that she is in the process of doing that. Wallace asked if the State charges an 18.4% collection fee. Jones stated that is correct. Leffler stated that it appears the State is collecting funds at a higher rate than the national average. Jones agreed. Wallace stated there was a reference in the Planning Commission minutes to a review of a comprehensive plan. Marr stated that for the strategic planning session scheduled this Saturday it would be good for them to share a list of ideas. Marr stated that he would like to see an updated list of the Neighborhood Revitalization applications. Marr stated that there were nine of them in 2007, which shows a lot of growth. Marr stated that on the budget summary on the revenue side it shows we had a pretty good year. Keefer stated that some of that is due to the interest we received and that it was a good year on the sales tax receipts. Marr asked how much can be contributed to the sales tax increase. Keefer stated that there was almost one million dollars in sales tax receipts. Keefer stated that it shows mostly in the Sales Tax fund, but also in the Capital Improvement fund.
Adjourn: At 8:03 p.m. Harper made a motion to adjourn. Rawlings seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
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