HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Minutes 07.20.1999 MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
JULY20, 1999 6:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chairman Chuck Rodgers
Ken Olson Gary Temple
Gay Easton Bud Johnson
Bill Staudinger
OTHERS PRESENT:
V. Joe Leckie
Larry McCann
Mary Embleton
Rick Musson
Cai Cumin
Mary Embleton had distributed a financial statement and a hand-written cash report. She
plans to generate a monthly computer report that shows the cash balances in each fund
and each account within the fund. The first page showed the bank reconciliation, and the
other two pages showed the actual cash balances on the books. The current cash and
investments balance is $3,612,927.65.
Mary explained that the new medical benefits include health, dental and vision coverages.
The premium will be about $3,000 less than what the city previously paid for the health
insmance.
Another employee benefit is available along with the health insurance. A voluntary
deduction plan for the purpose of paying house and auto insurance is available to
employees. Mary will do further research on this.
Bill Staudinger mentioned that the weeds near Western Drug are getting quite tall. A
letter has been sent to the owner of the property.
Gay Easton complimented Mary Embleton on her financial statement and her
presentation to the Budget/Finance Committee.
Gay reported that the Yellowstone Conservation District is planning a tour that will
include the salinity test of the valley west of Laurel, in conjunction with the drilled wells
with the Bureau of Mines. They are using some local wells to determine the quality of
the water and how the quality fluctuates during the irrigation season. Gay mentioned that
this would coordinate with Larry's planned study of the storm sewer system. The tour
will be held in late August.
Ken Olson mentioned that the YMCA is still looking for a parcel of land to develop.
They are considering the advantages and disadvantages involved in certain areas.
Ken informed the council that the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Review Task
Force would be holding their meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
The Task Force will review the emergency medical services. They will address questions
regarding the Fire Department's ability to provide the services, the quality and price of
the services, and how the change in service would affect the surrounding areas. Ken
mention that Dirk Kroll is on the Task Force and will be able to keep the council
informed.
Rick Musson reported that the Police Department is still shorthanded in dispatch.
Advertising for the dispatch position will begin on July 21st. Cheryl Marshall has not
returned to work yet. Rick also reported that the drug dog died.
Larry McCann reported that the trees were pulled off the intake today. There was a water
leak on the south side on the 19th. Larry is changing the water flushing schedule, and the
public will be informed through an article in the Laurel Outlook on Wednesday, July 21st.
The two employees will do the water flushing work on Sunday night and the crew will fix
any problems the next day.
The Corps of Engineers is working at the river.
The South Pond Project is moving along again. Bruce Teeters has moved a lot of the dirt
from the mud chambers at the Water Plant to South Pond. Schessler is scheduled to help
dig in the water and sewer line at the end of August.
Duke Nieskens will be using the new truck that was picked up today.
Larry is investigating a new product that is on the market. The product cannot be used on
chip sealed streets, but can only be applied to brand new streets. The product is
emulsified oil that actually soaks into the asphalt. It is sprayed down and then sanded,
and it remains black and looks like new asphalt all the time. The product costs about
$400 per block and is cheaper than chip seal. Since the street stays black after using this
product, the street would take more heat in the winter and cause the ice and snow to melt
faster. SID 110 is three years old and it needs to be sealed. Larry has contacted Janet
Johnson, a member of the Public Works Committee and an employee of the Department
of Highways, to get her evaluation of the product.
Cai Cumin reported on the Log Cabin Project. The contractor found some windowsills
that were totally rotten and had to be replaced. The irrigation system was damaged
during construction because the water lines were not in the right location. A gas main
was also damaged because it was in the wrong place. A change order to add $5,850 to
the project is being submitted to the state. The $785 required matching funds will be
matched by the Chamber of Commerce. There was also an overrun of $585.00 for
plumbing fixtures, but it was received too late to be included in the change order.
The Laurel Revitalization Association will be meeting on Monday, August 9th, at 5:30
p.m. at Laurel Ford. A representative from the National Main Street Program will
present an overview of what they are proposing at the meeting. The representative will
interview about forty business and community leaders while he is here for the following
three days. National Main Street Program is a very successfal national program that
deals with renovations of downtown areas. The state is considering hiring this group to
do a statewide Main Street Program.
Gary Temple asked regarding the possibility of changing the recording system in the
council chambers so that the air conditioning and fans could remain on during the
meetings. Bud mentioned that an individual that works with acoustics had attended the
last meeting. One of his observations was that the building used to function as a library,
and it did really well in that capacity.
Gary asked if the city had considered any options other than the major remodeling
necessary for the present facilities. He suggested that the present R/cci's location would
make a nice city hall. Mayor Rodgers said that it has been mentioned but has not been
investigated. Larry, Gay and Chuck will be doing some groundwork on the matter this
week.
Bud Johnson expressed his agreement with Gay regarding working with Mary Embleton.
Bud is involved with the group that is looking at city and countywide planning. The first
meeting was last week, and the next meeting is scheduled for July 26th. The City of
Laurel was part of a similar group in 1984, and at that time, Laurel chose not to
participate in the inter-local agreement. Bud expects that the process of assessing the
planning issues will be very interesting.
Mayor Rodgers also thanked Mary for her work.
Mayor Rodgers received a letter from the Midwest Assistance Program of Whitefish,
Montana. They surveyed the water facilities and prepared a System Evaluation Report.
The mayor read the letter to the council and asked that copies of the letter and evaluation
be distributed to the council. The letter commended the community leaders and the water
department staff "for their obvious dedication and desire for excellence." The letter also
commended Duke Nieskens for his knowledge of the system.
Mayor Rodgers mentioned that the committee list was on the agenda. Members are still
needed for some committees and the list will be changed as those are added. Bud
questioned whether or not members of the city crew are members of the committee, as
listed on the committee list. The city crewmembers are only advisory members and are
not voting members. This clarification will be made on the committee list.
The meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cindy Allen
City Council Secretary