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CITY COUNCIL
JUNE 1, 2009
7:30 P.M.
The Council of the City of Augusta, Kansas met in regular session on June 1, 2009, with Acting Council President Mike Rawlings presiding. Council present were Holly Harper, Matt Childers, Michael Huddleston, Michael Wallace, Tom Leffler, and Ronald Reavis. Mayor Kristey Williams and Councilman Bob Griffith were absent. Also present: City Manager Bill Keefer, City Attorney David All, Assistant to the City Manager Josh Shaw, Inspector Dan Allen, Director of Electric Utility Bill Webster, and City Clerk Erica Jones. Visitors present were: Mike McDermott, Martin Goedecke, Amber Newberry, Eric Christinat, and Kevin Cowan.
Prayer: Father Michael Schemm, St. James Catholic Church, gave the invocation.
Minutes: Harper made a motion to approve the Minutes of the May 18, 2009 council meeting. Huddleston seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Appropriations:
May (5A): Wallace made a motion to approve Ordinance 5A in the amount of $908,497.14. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Visitors:
Amber Newberry of 1402 Kelly Court was present to discuss the tall grass and mosquitoes in the drainage ditch adjacent to her property. Keefer stated staff will address this with the owners of the property as well as placing pellets in the water to combat the mosquitoes. Wallace stated that a long term solution needs to be found so this does not continue to be a problem each year.
Old Business:
Temp Note Bids: Wallace made a motion to accept the bid from Riedl First Securities at a net interest cost of $3,262.50 for Temporary Note financing in the amount of $60,000 for Street Improvements in Stone Lake Estates 3rd Phase. Childers seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Leffler made a motion to approve Resolution 2009-10 authorizing the sale and issuance of $60,000 in Temporary Notes for Street Improvements in Stone Lake Estates, 3rd Phase. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Street Improvement Bids: Reavis made a motion to accept the bid from APAC in the amount of $95,046.15 for street improvements in Stone Lake Estates, 3rd Phase. Harper seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
New Business:
Public Hearing: Council conducted a public hearing to take input on whether the property at 3117 Susan Street should be ordered to comply with the requirements of the City’s International Property Maintenance Code and Zoning Regulations. The hearing was closed after no public comments were received.
Dan Allen, City Inspector, recommended the resolution be amended to give the tenant and property owner two weeks as opposed to 30 days to clean up the property. Harper made a motion to approve Resolution 2009-11 declaring that 3117 Susan Street is in violation of various City Codes and directing the cleanup of the property within the amended timeframe of 15 days. Childers seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Bids: Staff recommended that the Council reject the bids for the Septic System improvements at the Municipal Airport and start over which with a more detailed scope of services. Wallace made a motion to reject the bids for the Septic System improvements at the Municipal Airport. Childers seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition. Staff will bring back bids for the June 15th meeting.
Leffler made a motion to approve the low bid from Blue Valley Public Safety for two storm sirens in the amount of $21,996.94 with the option to assist with the installation. Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Work Session: Harper made a motion to schedule a work session on Monday, June 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. to review and discuss Utility Rates. Reavis seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Informational Memorandum & Questions:
Huddleston – Huddleston asked if the repairs to the clock that will be done on site will be completed by the same company. Goedecke stated it will. Rawlings stated the same company that is making the repairs to our clock is the one that repaired the old clock tower at the courthouse. Huddleston asked if there is a generalized plan for spraying for mosquitoes. Keefer stated there is a plan that includes both fogging and placing pellets in standing water. But, the fogging cannot be done when there is any wind in excess of five miles per hour and that it is best to do it in the early evening or morning hours. Keefer stated he will include information on this in the next informational memorandum.
Childers – Childers stated that work has been done by the city around the 500 block of Edgewood and that it is pretty rough. Childers asked if city crews will be back to repair that area. Keefer stated the area needs to be paved, but that it has been temporarily patched once and he will follow up to make sure it is addressed.
Huddleston – Huddleston asked how much longer 4th Street and School will be closed. Keefer stated he will have to check with the contractor, but that it will probably be closed for a while for the storm sewer repairs and bypass line.
Rawlings – Rawlings asked Downtown Augusta Inc. Executive Director Eric Christinat if everything is on track for the Grasshopper Festival. Christinat stated it is. Rawlings asked if the repairs to the levee along Dike Road have been completed. Keefer stated the work has been completed with the exception of some fencing and seeding that will have to be done. Wallace inquired about the cost. Keefer stated that the bill was included in this appropriation ordinance and included all that was due to the contractor. Jones stated she has requested emergency funding from FEMA to recover the cost of this work, but that there is no guarantee that it will be granted. Wallace asked what will be done with all of the sandbags that were used during the flooding. Keefer stated that we will store them and the bags that were filled but not used were dumped with the bags being re-bundled and the sand re-used for other projects.
Final Comments:
Reavis – Reavis stated that last Friday he participated in the Relay for Life at AHS along with several hundred others and that together they raised over $36,000. Reavis stated there were also teams from Douglass, and a lot of area youth involved. Reavis stated it is encouraging to see the youth involved, and that Augusta should be proud of them.
Harper – Harper stated the grass is very tall at the corner of Henry and Summit. Keefer stated he would have staff look into it.
New Business Continued:
Property Tax Exemptions: Council considered approval of a Resolution adopting a new policy for granting property tax exemptions. Wallace inquired about section 22 of the resolution regarding confidentiality and asked why it would be necessary to keep that information confidential or what deems that information to be confidential. Mr. All stated that the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) designates what is or is not an open record and what can be kept confidential. Kevin Cowan stated the second sentence could be stricken without an impact on the resolution. Wallace stated that the resolution does not address who sets the standards so it was confusing. Cowan and Mr. All agreed that the KORA would dictate what is or is not confidential.
Huddleston stated the sample ordinance keeps making a reference as to what is eligible for the tax exemption. Huddleston stated the first paragraph says it is to be used exclusively by a business for the purpose of manufacturing articles of commerce, but that the second paragraph includes other types of business such as research, development, and storage. Keefer stated this is just a template for future use and that the options in the second paragraph have just been inadvertently left out of the first paragraph. Cowan agreed with Keefer.
Mr. All, in reference to section 22 of the resolution, stated that leaving the second sentence in only strengthens the City’s position in that even if a document or information is considered confidential under KORA it will only remain confidential if the applicant requests that it is. Wallace inquired about a reference to a specific part of KORA that addresses what is or is not confidential. Cowan stated the law is continually changing, so it is better to just reference the Act instead of a specific section in the act otherwise we would have to be continually updating it.
Wallace made a motion to approve Resolution 2009-12 adopting a new policy for granting property tax exemptions. Leffler seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
Adjourn: At 8:24 p.m. Wallace made a motion to adjourn. Huddleston seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.
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