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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 03.06.2007MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF LAUREL March 6, 2007 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, was held in the Council Chambers and called to order by Mayor Ken Olson at 6:30 p.m. on March 6, 2007. COUNCIL MEMBERS pRESENT: Emelie Eaton Kate Hart Gay Easton Vonda Hotchkiss Doug Poehls Mark Mace Chuck Dickerson Norm stamper COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None OTHER STAFF PRESENT: Mary Embleton Sam Painter Mark Richards Mayor Olson led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. Mayor Olson asked the council to observe a moment of silence. MINUTES: Motion by Alderwoman Eaton to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of February 20, 2007, as presented, seconded by Alderwoman Hart. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. CORRESPONDENCE: The National Arbor Day Foundation: Letter of February 14, 2007 regarding Laurel's designation as a 2006 Tree City USA. Only $1.00 Superstore: Letter of February 9, 2007 regarding layoffof empioyees. Yellowstone Valley Electric CooPerative: Letter of February 16, 2007 regarding Annual Meeting of the Cooperative on March 13, 2007. Montana Engineering and Administration, P.C.: Letter of February 4, 2007 regarding Storm Water PER. Big Sky Senior Services: Letter of thanks for continued support of Senior Helping Hands and Prevention of Elder Abuse. Montana Department of Revenue: Letter of February 21, 2007 regarding Application for Issuance of One Original NEW Montana Retail Off-Premises Consumption Beer/Wine License, Ricci's Express, 704 1 st Avenue, Laurel, Yellowstone County, Montana. Cable Montana: Letter of February 21, 2007 regarding rate increase. PUBLIC HEARING: None. CONSENT ITEMS: · Claims for the month of February 2007 in the amount of $117,313;99~ A complete listing of the claims and their amounts is on file in the Clerk-Treasurer's Office: · Approval of Payroll Register for PPE 02/25/2007 totaling $141,665~87. · Approval of Payroll Adjustment Register for 02/28/2007 totaling ($261.65). · Receiving the Committee Reports into the Record. ~ Council Minutes of March 6, 2007 --Budget/Finance Committee minutes of February 20, 2007 were presented. --City-County Planning Board minutes of February 22, 2007 were presented. --Council Workshop minutes of February 27, 2007 were presentedl The mayor asked if there was any separation of consent items. There was none. Motion by Alderman Mace to approve the consent items as presented, seconded by Alderman Poehls. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. CEREMONIAL CALENDAR: None. REPORTS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: None: AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION (THREE-MINUTE LIMIT): None. SCHEDULED MATTERS: · Confirmation of AppOintments. Emergency. Services Committee: Mayor Olson appointed Emelie Eaton to the Emergency Services Committee. Motion by Alderman Poehls to approve the Mayor's appointment of Emelie Eaton to the Emergency Services Committee, seconded by Alderman Mace. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. Yellowstone Historic Preservation Board: Mayor Olson appointed Emelie Eaton to a two-year term, ending December 31, 2008, on the Yellowstone Historic Preservation Board. Motion by Alderwoman Hart to approve the Mayor's appointment of Emelie Eaton to a two- year term, ending December 31, 2008, on the Yellowstone Historic:Preservation Board, seconded by Alderman Dickerson. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. Tree Board: Mayor Olson appointed Vonda Hotchkiss to fill a term ending June 30, 2009, on the Tree Board. Motion by Alderman Dickerson to approve the Mayor's appointment of Vonda Hotchkiss to fill a term ending June 30, 2009, on the Tree Board, seconded by Alderman Stamper. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. Big Slo/Economic Development Authority: Mayor Olson appointed Vonda Hotchkiss as the City Representative to the Big Sky Economic Development Authority. Motion by Alderman Easton to approve the Mayor's appointment of Vonda Hotchkiss as the City Representative to the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, seconded by Alderwoman Hart. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. Resolution No. R07-15: A resolution creating a Capital Projects Fund for the purpose of purchasing capital imProvements for the Laurel Public Library, and to approve the Capital Improvements Plan for fiscal Year 2006-2007. ~ 2 Council Minutes of March 6, 2007 Motion by Alderman Stamper to approve Resolution No. R07-15, seconded by Alderman Dickerson. There was no public comment. Alderman Poehls thanked Mayor Olson and the department heads that worked to bring this forward to the council tonight. The CIP has been worked on since he started on the council, and it is nice to see the end of that process and the fact it can continue on. Mayor Olson stated that Administrative Assistant Perry Asher and Clerk-Treasurer Mary Embleton appreciated the comments. He is comfortable in supporting the CIP. Alderman Dickerson thanked the clerk/treasurer for distributing the information in advance to allow time for the council's review. A vote was taken on the motion to approve Resolution No. R07-15. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carded 8-0. · Resolution No. R07-16: Budget amendment resolution amending revenues, appropriations and reserves for various funds for fiscal year 2007. Motion by Alderwoman Hotchkiss to approve Resolution No. R07-16, seconded by Alderman Poehls. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carded 8-0. · Resolution No. R07-17: A resolution transferring cash from certain funds of the City of Laurel, Montana, for the purpose of funding capital projects. Motion by Alderwoman Eaton to approve Resolution No. R07-17, seconded by Alderman Stamper. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. Resolution No. R07-18: A resolution approving assignment of the Professional Services Contract with Montana Engineering and Administration, P.C., to Great West Engineering, Inc. Motion by Alderman Mace to approve Resolution No. R07-18, seconded by Alderman Poehls. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. Ordinance No. O07-01: Ordinance to repeal the current Chapter 16 of the Laurel Municipal Code and to replace with the attached revised and updated Chapter 16 in order to comply with the mandatory changes adopted by the State of Montana Legislature. First reading. Mayor Olson removed the ordinance from the agenda for further preparation of the final document. The ordinance will be on the council workshop on March 13th and a special council meeting might be scheduled for action on the ordinance. The document will be in the council mailboxes as soon as possible. ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA: None. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS (ONE-MINUTE LIMIT): None. COUNCIL DISCUSSION: · Review of Monthly Reports: Police, Fire, Ambulance, and Code Enforcement: None. Alderman Mace mentioned that the City of Billings is considering doing an energy study and will probably get a bid from Johnson Controls. Alderman Mace also mentioned that, for the city's protection and the contractor's liability, property owners are responsible to remove the remotes from their property. Council Minutes of March 6, 2007 Mayor Olson stated that it is interesting when the City of Laurel is able to accomplish something before the City of Billings. At times, Laurel has looked at doing whatever Billings has done. The representatives from Johnson Controls were here yesterday, and they are doing everything in their power to produce a good product, as other communities will look at Laurel's project. There have been a few bumps in the road, but the city's main objective is to produce a more efficient meter reading process. Efficiency in the buildings is also being addressed. Mayor Olson stated that the council should be proud of its decision to go forward with this project. Alderman Dickerson spoke regarding the new maps on the council tables. He asked if the authenticity of the map could be addressed at the council workshop on March 13th. On the map just to the west of the Elena Subdivision, the large green area is shown as public park land. It is his understanding that and the area surrounding it belongs to the Laurel Golf Course. If this comes from the county and is zoned as public land, the golf course may be interested in knowing that. Mayor Olson agreed to forward the request in order to get an answer. Alderman Stamper asked regarding the timeframe for the council retreat scheduled on March 24th. Mayor Olson stated that the retreat would begin at 7:30 and end around 1:00 p.m~ The retreat will be held at the Best Western conference room. Alderman Easton, Mayor Olson, Alderman Dickerson, and Gary Colley recently toured the former Western Security Bank building to compare it with the Only $1.00 Store building. There will be further discussion regarding the buildings, the city's need for space, and the cost of the buildings. After discussion, it was agreed to tentative~ schedule a tour of the former Western Security Bank building for the council on Friday, March 9 , at 5:00 p.m. The need and possibilities for space will be discussed further at the council workshop on March 13th. Mayor Olson recently spoke with Dr. Ken Weaver and Judy Mathre regarding the council retreat on March 24th. Roles and responsibilities will be the primary agenda item, and a capital facilities plan will also be discussed. An explanation of acronyms referring to funding mechanisms will be given. Mayor Olson asked the council to submit any additional items for discussion at the retreat. Miral Gamradt, the retired financial officer from Bozeman, will also provide input at the council retreat. Mary Embleton mentioned that Carolyn Miller, the head of Bright 'N Beautiful in Billings, contacted the city regarding accepting a donation to the City of Laurel. The organization received a Troy Built Chipper Vac valued at $500 and the board voted to donate itto the City of Laurel's Parks Department. The equipment will be presented to the mayor on April 28th during the Great American Cleanup celebration at Senior High School around 10:30 a.m. Mayor Olson stated that the chipper would be put to good use for the city's parks and trails. He expressed appreciation for the generous gift to the City of Laurel. Mayor Olson stated that Jim Kraft, Yellowstone County Department of Emergency Services, will hold a community meeting for discussion of an application for a floodplain permit located outside the city limits. The meeting will be held in the council chambers on Monday, March 12th, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. UNSCHEDULED MATTERS: Mark Richards suggested asking department heads to tour the various buildings available to address the space issues. Mayor Olson stated that department heads are invited. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Alderwoman Hart to adjourn the council meeting, seconded by Alderman Mace. There was no public comment or council discussion. A vote was taken on the motion. All eight aldermen/women present voted aye. Motion carried 8-0. There being no further business to come before the council at this time, the meeting was adjourned at 7:07 p.m. Council Minutes of March 6, 2007 Cindy Allen, Secretary Approved by the Mayor and Passed by the City Council of the City of Laurel, Montana, ihis 20th day of March, 2007. Attest: (/~nneth 1~. 61son, Jr.i,~yor ~bleton! Clerk-Treasurer