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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Head Meetings Minutes 10.20.2009MINUTES DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING OCTOBER 20, 2009 3:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Ken Olson Mary Embleton Rick Musson Bill Sheridan Kurt Markegard James Caniglia Sam Painter Nancy Schmidt Council Agenda - October 20,, 2009 Scheduled Matters: • Confirmation of Appointments. • Ordinance No. 009-10: Ordinance to amend the official zoning map of the City of Laurel, Montana, to change the zoning designation of a parcel of property located in Yellowstone County from Residential Manufactured Horne to Light Industrial Zoning. Second reading. • Resolution No. R09-116: A resolution of the City Council to accept the Transit Coordination Plan prepared by LSC Transportation Consultants for the City of Laurel. James stated that LSC will prepare a final document. • Resolution No. R09-117: Resolution of the City Council granting a variance from the City's zoning regulations to allow the owner to replace the existing four-foot fence with a six-foot privacy fence at 602 West Maryland Lane, exceeding the fence height limitations for properties zoned R-7500 under the Laurel Municipal Code. • Resolution No. R09-118: Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign an agreement to provide health services with St. Vincent Healthcare of Billings, Montana. • Resolution No. R09-119: A resolution of the City Council authorizing the Mayor to sign a lease agreement for city property located on a portion of Riverside Park with the Laurel Jaycees. Bill stated that this resolution will be removed from the agenda. The Laurel Jaycees have concerns regarding repairs of the property and the provision of water during the winter. Further discussion is needed between the City of Laurel and the Jaycees. Draft Council Workshop Agenda - October 27, 2009 General items: • Fred Bicha: Presentation regarding Laurel Tree Board and its recent hosting of the Eastern Montana Forestry Conference and DNRC Grants Johnson Controls - Annual Re o?rt As he did not know about this agenda item, Mayor Olson asked that new items be highlighted for discussion regarding placement on the agenda. Fire / Ambulance: • Resolution - Declaring Engine 3 as surplus for sale to the Molt Fire Department There was no discussion. Executive Review: • Board Training - Wednesday, October 28th, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Council Chambers Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 20, 2009 Mayor Olson explained that the Laurel Airport Authority requested training regarding the authority, rules and state statutes governing boards and commissions. Dan Clark and Paul Lachapelle, of the MSU Local Government Center in Bozeman, will provide training on Wednesday, October 28`h. James plans to ask CTAP to provide some additional training for the Planning Board members. Mayor Olson scheduled a review of draft council workshop agendas on Monday prior to the department head meetings. Department Reports: Clerk/Treasurer • Budget Mary stated that the council adopted the budget last Thursday night. September financial reports have been distributed to the department heads. Mary will prepare the official State report soon. The electronic transmittal of schedules to Yellowstone County was completed. Mary stated that a budget amendment will be needed if the Tree Board submits a grant application and is approved. Mary requested the addition of budget amendments and transfers for last year's budget to the council workshop agenda if she is able to prepare them in time. Mayor Olson asked if they would be prepared by Wednesday's review of the agenda. Mary will try to do so. Bill stated that department heads need to meet to review and discuss capital improvements and any other budget issues. Bill will schedule the date and time soon. Mary stated that the CIP document should be updated in the next couple months. Fire /Ambulance • Preparations for new fire station Bill stated that Derek had an appointment regarding the potential new fire station and was unable to attend today's department head meeting. • Status of Fire Department grants Bill and Derek plan to contact the Federal government regarding the status of the grants. Library • Status of City of Laurel's website Nancy has updated much of the website and plans to meet with individual department heads on Fridays to discuss updates. The city contacts section on the website now provides phone numbers for city employees. Police D artment • Status of hiring process Rick stated that the deadline for applications is October 3& at 5:00 p.m. Three applications have been received so far. City Planner 0 Various grants for "Laurel Dump Cleanup" 2 Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 20, 2009 James has been working on the grant for the dump cleanup, the MDT grant, and the Historic District grant. There are no additional Planning funds for more grants. The dump cleanup project should be done next spring. At that time, Great West will submit a recommendation to DEQ regarding what should be done. James stated that will probably include riprap along the river and additional dirt. Soil testing has shown levels of benzene and other contaminants in the soil, but the soil is not terribly polluted. Public Works Department Kurt stated that Bright n' Beautiful will present awards to Vi Hills and New Life Foursquare Church at its event on October 28th. Mayor Olson stated that Bright n' Beautiful previously recognized the painting of the underpass and the improvements at Kiwanis Park. Mayor Olson would like a staff member to attend the event. The Yellowstone County Veterans' Cemetery will also be acknowledged at the event. Kurt received a quote of $4,300 to repair the shop roof. A small services contract will be prepared for Mayor Olson's consideration. • Construction of a storage building Kurt stated that this needs further review. • Status of water distribution upgrade Kurt stated that the project is proceeding as well as possible due to the weather. COP Construction is currently installing waterline at East 8th and Colorado. Inaccurate map data has caused problems, as the contractor recently looked for a 6-inch line that was really only a 2-inch line. • Alder Avenue Kurt stated that Alder Avenue is closed during installation of the waterline tie-ins. A thin layer of millings will be laid on Alder Avenue after the project is done. Millings from the State project have been delivered to the Fir field. • Status of Main Street from 0 to 8th Avenues There was no discussion. • SE 4th Street This project is ongoing for next spring. Kurt mentioned that Laurel Ford has been sold and the new owner will take over in November. • Report on progress with South Laurel Business SID This project is ongoing for next spring. • Status of Wastewater Plant upgrade Kurt received an invoice for the Elm Street lift station pumps. NorthWestern Energy's quote is $18,000 to do the work prior to January 1', when the cost will increase by 15 percent. Kurt faxed the quote to Stephanie at Morrison-Maierle. • Solid waste truck purchase Kurt stated that the bids for the garbage truck close on Friday. 3 Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 20, 2009 • Ditch mitigation ARRA grant project - 7d' Street There was no news regarding this item. Interviews were conducted last Thursday for the relief operator and maintenance 2 positions. Recommendations will be presented to the mayor soon. Kurt stated that the underpass will be closed on Wednesday from 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. while the contractor installs the siphon pipe. The contractor had requested six days of closure, which was not approved by the state or the city. An 18-inch waterline in the proximity will be shut down at 7:00 a.m. and the refinery will be notified. Kurt will inform the council at tonight's meeting. There was a brief discussion regarding traffic control provided by MDT on Monday night. Traffic was backed up to the East Laurel interchange, and the DOT directed traffic at the four-way stop on Main Street in order to move traffic along. Kurt stated that the East Laurel exit should not be shut down on Wednesday, as that option is needed to get traffic off the interstate. Kurt asked if a citywide fall cleanup should be scheduled since there was an early freeze and leaves have already fallen off the trees. Bill agreed that it should be scheduled. City Attorney There was no discussion. Mayor Olson Mayor Olson stated that the surplus auction will be delayed until next spring. Chief Administrative Officer • Schedule of Fees and Charges Bill will work on the schedule of fees and charges. • Moratorium on water resale rates and other water rates Bill stated that Harry Whalen, Rural Water, has provided some information and Mary is also working on this. The city will present specific rates for legislation soon. • Impact Fees Bill will work on impact fees. 0 City's lease of railroad property on Main Street for various uses Bill stated that an MRL official will provide costs for leasing property on Main Street. • Bus Transit System Bill has prepared a rough budget for the bus transit program and will give a copy to Mary. There was discussion regarding the vehicles, the funding and use of the grant money, and whether the council officially accepted the $30,000 MDT funding. Adam Kraft is the city's contact for this program. Other James explained that Randy Peers, SIDS Place, does not have funds to install the sidewalk, as per the annexation agreement. James wants to tell Randy that all improvements must be done before he can tap into the city's sewer line. Randy already has water services. The State project includes installation of the curb and gutter, so Randy is only responsible for the sidewalk. Bill asked James to schedule a 4 Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 20, 2009 meeting with Randy Peers. There was discussion regarding the sidewalk, which is in the State's right- of-way in this location. The fire hydrant was installed on the property line. Mary stated that the city received a past due notice for $741,000 for the 8th Avenue project. The standard agreement, which the city signed, says that the city has to advance the money. Mary discussed this with an MDT representative and questioned why the State should have the city's money for months before the project begins. She was informed that the city can do installments. The MDT representative will provide Mary with an accounting of the 8th Avenue project. Mary stated that the State's contracts are not user-friendly to cities and the League of Cities and Towns will try to help cities deal with this issue. At a past meeting with MDT regarding the 8th Avenue project, the city was told that $2 million was needed for right-of-way acquisition. The actual cost for right-of-way acquisition was $180,000. A meeting will be scheduled with Stefan Streeter to discuss the 8th Avenue project. Kurt stated that Jack Roma's request for an easement from the city needs discussion. The easement was requested so he can subdivide a 41/2-acre lot south of the city's reservoir. Mr. Roma already has access from the west side of the lot, but he wants an easement on the east side. James and Kurt expressed concerns regarding having homes and additional traffic by the city's water tower. The property owner wants to subdivide the lot without annexing into the city. There would be major issues to extend sewer services to this property. Kurt is concerned about building a road over the waterline in this area, especially since the road would be covered with snow and ice during the winter months. A meeting will be scheduled for further discussion. Mary stated that Pete Shatwell, Two Medicine, has asked to attend the department head meeting on November 10th. Two Medicine will give presentations to city employees on November 18th at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The health screening is scheduled on December 1st at the fire hall. Bill stated that Pete Shatwell should speak to department heads at 2:00 p.m. on November 10th. The meeting adjourned at 4:03 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 6, ?? d- ". 0- . Cindy Allen Council Secretary 5