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CITY COUNCIL
APRIL 20, 2009
7:30 P.M.
The Council of the City of Augusta, Kansas met in regular session on April 20, 2009, with Mayor Kristey Williams presiding. Council present were Holly Harper, Matt Childers, Michael Huddleston, Michael Wallace, Tom Leffler, Mike Rawlings, Robert Griffith, and Roger Chrislip. Also present: City Manager Bill Keefer, City Attorney David All, and City Clerk Erica Jones. Visitors present were: Mike McDermott, Eric Christinat, Sharon Sudduth, Ron Reavis, and Teresa Reavis.
Prayer: Pastor Terry Deaver, First Baptist Church, gave the invocation.
Minutes: Chrislip made a motion to approve the Minutes of the April 6, 2009 council meeting. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Appropriations:
April (4A): Council considered appropriations in the amount of $708,111.87. Griffith inquired about the payment made to the City of Andover. Keefer stated it was for the second phase of the study on the Douglass Reservoir. Griffith inquired about the payment to Recreation Resource. Keefer stated it was for mulch at the Play Park. Griffith inquired about the payment to Water Products. Keefer stated it was for the purchase of 180 water meters. Keefer stated by purchasing 180 meters at once, we were able to obtain the equipment to help electronically read the meters including the programmer, software, and training for free. Keefer stated the equipment was provided for in the 2009 Water Department budget. Keefer stated the water department uses approximately 120 meters annually. Huddleston inquired about the payment to Chad McCluskey for educational reimbursement and whether it was over the reimbursement limits. Keefer stated it was not for college courses, but for recertification for the dog. Huddleston inquired about the payment to Concrete Materials. Keefer stated it was for purchasing concrete, with a large percentage of it being used to repair the spillway channel damage in the park from last fall’s flooding. Huddleston inquired about the payments to ESRI and ISG for maintenance and support of the E911 system. Keefer stated the payment to ESRI is for the annual software support, and the payment to ISG was for a two hour service call for maintenance or repair of the E911 equipment. Huddleston inquired about the payment to the Kansas Association of A. Keefer stated it is the Kansas Association of Airports. Chrislip made a motion to approve Ordinance 4A in the amount of $708,111.87. Rawlings seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Visitors:
Grasshopper Festival: Eric Christinat of Downtown Augusta, Inc. presented a request to close State Street on June 5 for the annual Grasshopper Festival and on June 6th for the Kansas Museum of Military History’s Sunrise parade. Christinat announced the various events scheduled during the festival and Kansas Museum of Military History’s open house. Huddleston made a motion to approve closing State Street on June 5th and 6th for the annual Grasshopper Festival and Kansas Museum of Military History parade. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
New Business:
Oath of Office: The newly elected and reelected members of the governing body were given the Oath of Office by City Clerk Jones.
Recognition: Outgoing Councilman Chrislip was recognized by Williams and Keefer for his 24 years of service on the governing body and for his dedication to the community. Chrislip said that he enjoyed serving the citizens of Augusta and the 4th Ward. Chrislip stated he has served with numerous council members, mayors, and city managers. Chrislip stated he wouldn’t pick the best mayor, but Williams has been the most energetic mayor and by the time she is done she may be the best mayor Augusta has had. Chrislip stated he believes Keefer is the best city manager Augusta has had. Chrislip stated when Keefer started there was a lot of issues with infrastructure, and although Keefer had a full plate he got things done that other city managers had put off. Chrislip wished everyone the best and asked that he not be forgotten.
Council President: Huddleston made a motion to elect Griffith as President of the Council. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
KLINK: Council considered approval of a KLINK Agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for repairs to the westbound lanes of Highway 54 (7th Street) between Bluff Street and the west side of the overpass. Wallace asked when we would have the engineer agreement. Keefer stated it would be in the next couple of weeks. Wallace made a motion to approve a KLINK Agreement with KDOT for repairs to the westbound lanes of Highway 54 (7th Street) between Bluff Street and the west side of the overpass. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Levee Project: Harper made a motion to approve Kim Braungardt, Inc. as the appraiser for the Levee Enhancement Project at a cost of $500 per parcel. Childers seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition. Huddleston stated there are 32 parcels. Keefer agreed, but stated that number could be subject to change. Wallace asked if we have worked with her before. Keefer stated we had not, but that the County has.
City Hall Repairs: Rawlings made a motion to approve an agreement for exterior building repairs to City Hall in the amount of $25,060. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Stone Lake Estates 3rd Phase: Leffler made a motion to approve Resolution 2009-08 authorizing the Street Improvements for Stone Lake Estates 3rd Phase. Rawlings seconded the motion. Wallace asked what was amended in the resolution. Keefer stated it was the estimated cost of the improvements. Wallace asked if it is Goedecke’s job to make sure the cost estimates are as accurate as they can be. Keefer stated MKEC did the cost estimate for this project. Keefer stated Goedecke made recommendations of changes to MKEC, but they felt comfortable with their estimate. Keefer stated if those streets are to be improved, we have to have a cost estimate that is in the range of the bids for the work. Motion carried without opposition.
Convention and Tourism Grants: Wallace made a motion to approve a grant in the amount of $250 to Downtown Augusta, Inc. for the Grasshopper Festival. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Huddleston made a motion to approve a grant in the amount of $500 to Kansas Museum of Military History for their annual parade. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition. Keefer stated the grants are reimbursements based on documentation of expenditures.
Chamber/CTB Agreement: Council considered approval of the Agreement with the Augusta Chamber of Commerce for the day to day administration of the Convention and Tourism Bureau. Williams stated the guest tax was recently increased. Wallace asked what the amounts of the previous contracts have been. Keefer stated it was $3,600 in 2008 and 2007 and was $3,200 in 2006 and 2005. Sharon Sudduth stated the amount of the contract is reviewed annually. Huddleston stated he would feel more comfortable making an increase if he had information on what is being done with those funds. Sudduth stated the council is given an annual report and minutes from the CTB meetings. Wallace stated he would like to get information more frequently than annually. Keefer stated he has not been providing the governing body with the CTB meeting minutes. Sudduth stated her work load has increased significantly over the years. Huddleston stated he would like to see an estimate of the time Sudduth spends on CTB items, the types of materials she uses, the number of calls made and received, and how many of those have been productive.
Sudduth stated she has compared the amount of CTB funding from the City to the amount she is paid from the Chamber and found that she should be spending 200 hours per year on the CTB. That converts to 16.5 hours monthly or 2-3 hours per week. Sudduth stated a recent example is the KC Travel Showcase she will be attending on behalf of the CTB. Sudduth stated she will have a booth for two days, and that there is preparation work that has to be done before a showcase like this. Sudduth stated the people that attend this type of showcase are the type of people that put on group tours like the recent one that was in town from Derby. Sudduth stated she met with representatives of the South Central Tourism Region today for 2-3 hours to discuss the CTB. Huddleston stated he is sure she is being productive, but that he would like that kind of information on a more quarterly basis. Wallace asked Keefer if Sudduth provided that information, if it could be included in the council packet. Keefer stated it could.
Sudduth stated the CTB is run on a very minimal budget and that other cities are jealous of Augusta because the Chamber runs the CTB with so little city funding. Harper made a motion to approve the Agreement with the Augusta Chamber of Commerce for the day to day administration of the Convention and Tourism Bureau and providing that quarterly reports are produced and given to the governing body. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Airport Advisory Committee: Rawlings made a motion to approve the Mayor’s appointments of Dr. Terry Duncan, Joe Freed, and Larry Hart to the Airport Advisory Committee. Reavis seconded the motion. Wallace stated when appointments like these come up he would like to know in advance. Williams stated she could give the council the list of what positions expire annually and when, but that it is her responsibility as Mayor to appoint people to those positions. Huddleston asked where Duncan, Freed, and Hart live. Keefer stated all live in Butler County, one in Augusta, one in Douglass, and one in Andover. Keefer stated Duncan and Hart have an aircraft at the airport and that Freed is a pilot. Motion carried with Rawlings opposing.
Informational Memorandum & Questions:
Huddleston – Huddleston asked if the deadline will be met for the Safety Department grant. Keefer stated Chief Brewer said the deadline would be met if the council reviewed the application tonight. Huddleston stated court will be moved to the Safety Building in the next few weeks.
Wallace – Wallace asked how the City of Augusta beat Lawrence for the best tasting water.
Williams – Williams stated that Augusta was recognized by the Kansas Rural Water Association as having the best tasting Water in the State of Kansas.
Huddleston – Huddleston asked how many Safety Department vehicles have cameras. Keefer stated there are currently three marked vehicles with cameras and the grant will bring that number up to seven.
Wallace – Wallace stated he has spoken to the Mayor of Greensburg about windmill generation. Wallace stated he would like him to come in and speak to us sometime.
Final Comments:
Reavis – Reavis thanked the 105 people who voted for him and wanted to let them and those that didn’t for him know he pledges to do his best, to work hard, and to be fair.
Childers – Childers stated he was contacted by a citizen about Ordinance 1977 regarding the storage of recreational vehicles not being enforced yet. Keefer stated that the City has been enforcing the enforcement, and that several citations to appear in court have been issued. Keefer stated that he is aware of the situation regarding the location of property pins as it relates to the public right of way. Dan Allen has been provided a copy of the survey and is looking into it. Williams stated this is an ongoing process. Keefer agreed and stated that overall there has been very good compliance to the ordinance.
Williams – Williams stated REAP will be determining the counties in the REAP region that are required to certify levees and will be contacting them to find out where they are in the PAL Agreement process. Williams stated that if many communities are having the same problems as the City of Augusta, they could possibly band together to see what they could do to get the deadline changed or find an exception. Williams stated the State of Kansas will have a $750 million shortfall for 2010.
Huddleston – Huddleston stated he had hoped the roundabout would be open by tonight. Rawlings stated it has been raining so much and every time it rains it causes a 3-4 day delay to allow for it to dry. Then the paving contractor has to reschedule the job. Huddleston inquired about the clock restoration status. Keefer stated he would have to check with Goedecke. Huddleston stated he has mentioned concern in the past about the clamps that will be used on the light poles, and that his questions have not been answered. Keefer stated he has spoken to the contractor and has been assured that the clamps will be a color that matches the poles. Huddleston asked if there is a catalog picture of the clamps available. Rawlings stated there would be a couple of pages on a website with pictures, but that he doesn’t know if it would be feasible to put banners on the poles because of the weight. Huddleston asked if there will be any directional traffic signs on the light poles. Keefer stated the only signs on the poles will be the street names at the intersections, and that all other traffic signs will be on their own posts.
Harper – Harper thanked Chrislip for his service on the governing body and welcomed Reavis to the governing body.
Griffith – Griffith stated the small plant pots on State Street look like they will be difficult to maintain and may be vulnerable to vandalism. Keefer stated they will be filled with dirt and will have irrigation. Christinat stated they will be mounted and sealed to the plate. Huddleston asked if there would be replacements available. Keefer stated replacements would be able to be ordered.
Executive Session: At 8:30 pm Rawlings made a motion to conduct an executive session for 20 minutes for consultation with an attorney on matters that would be deemed privileged in an Attorney-Client relationship. Childers seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition. At 8:50 pm Huddleston made a motion to exit executive session with no action being taken. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Executive Session: At 8:52 pm Childers made a motion to conduct an executive session for 10 minutes for personnel matters of non-elected personnel. Huddleston seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition. At 9:02 pm Rawlings made a motion to exit executive session with no action being taken. Childers seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Adjourn: At 9:03 p.m. Wallace made a motion to adjourn. Huddleston seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
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