HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Head Meetings Minutes 03.18.2008 MINUTES
DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING
MARCH 18, 2008 3:00 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
PRESENT:
Mayor Ken Olson
Sam Painter
Rick Musson
Gay Easton
Bill Sheridan
Mary Embleton
Jan Faught
Scott Wilm
James Caniglia
Nancy Schmidt
Kurt Markegard (3:12 p.m.)
Council Aeenda - March 18. 2008
Scheduled Matters:
· Confirmation of Appointments:
o Fire Hall Task Force: Doug Poehls, Chairman; Gay Easton; Fire Chief Scott Wilm
Mayor Olson asked Bill to attend the task force meetings. The task force met today, and Bill will be
informed about the discussion.
· Ordinance No. O08-03: An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Laurel, Montana,
extending the boundaries of the Central Business District. Second reading.
The second reading of the ordirmnce is on tonight's council agenda.
· Resolution No. R08-23: A resolution of the City Council authorizing the Mayor to sign a
Warranty Deed transferring ownership of land to Yellowstone County for the Veterans'
Cemetery.
Mary stated that a Realty Transfer Certificate needs to be prepared and filed. Sam will do this.
· Resolution No. R08-24: A resolution creating a Capital Projects Fund for the purposc ofmaking
capital improvements to the veterans' section of the Laurel Cemetery.
Mary will deposit the money received from Yellowstone County into the CIP account.
Draft Council Workshon Anenda - March 25~ 2008
Yellowstone County Public Works/Big Sky EDA:
· Public meeting on April l't for TSEP funds to repair the Davis Creek Bridge south of Laurel
Big Sky EDA and the Yellowstone County Public Works Department applied for TSEP funds for repair
of the Davis Creek Bridge. Laurel will host the informational public meeting on April 1a during the
council meeting. Representatives from the Yellowstone County Public Works Department and Big Sky
EDA will attend the council workshop on March 25~ and the council meeting on April 1Rt.
Great West Engineering:
· Public hearing on April 1 ~ for TSEP Water Grant application
Great West Engineering will participate in the public hearing for the TSEP Water Grant application.
Pat Murtagh sent a draft resolution for application for the TSEP grant. Sam will review the draft
resolution.
Public Works Deoartment:
Department Head Meeting Minutes of March 18, 2008
· Resolution- TSEP Water Grant application
The resolution will be on the March 25th council workshop agenda.
· Resolution- Amended Task Order No. 1 with Great West Engineering
Bill stated that Great West Engineering suggested that additional work is needed for the GIS mapping
for an added cost of $8,000. The resolution will be on the March 25~h council workshop agenda.
· Resolution- Pool contract
Bill stated that the Public Works Department is still reviewing the operations of the swimming pool. He
thinks that the proposed contract with the YMCA is more expensive than it would be for the city to
manage the pool A recommendation will be presented to the council at the workshop next week.
Mayor Olson stated that A.EM will prepare the job descriptions needed for the pool positions. Mary will
forward MMIA's sample job descriptions to Paul Hutter.
· Resolution- Engineering finn for wastewater project
The contract with Morrison-Maierle will be presented at the next council workshop.
Department Reports:
Ambulance Service
Jan requested that the appointment of John Kuper as the new Assistant Ambulance Director be added to
the March 25t~ council workshop agenda.
City Council President
There was no discussion.
Clerk/Treasurer
· Timeline for annexation of Riverside Park
Mary dism~outed the following information regarding the annexation procedural timeline: Owner(s)
submit to the city a petition requesting annexation; Planning Board reviews petition and makes
recommendation to the council; Request for annexation is presented at council workshop via drat~
resolution; Resolution is placed on next regular council agenda; If approved, the resolution must be filed
with the county clerk and recorder, and this becomes the effective date of the annexation. The dates for
the timeline will be determined later. There was discussion regarding the legal description of Riverside
Park, the lease agreement with the Rifle Club that allows the use of firearms, and the need for a five-
year plan for extension of services. These services include streets, water, sewer, police, fire, and
ambulance. Mary explained some research regarding the legal description, which James will take to the
Clerk and Recorder's Office for review. It may be necessary to have the park surveyed. There was
discussion regarding use of the parks for weddings and the city's requirement for a beer p~mdt for such
events.
· Online training webinar survey
Mary received one additional response regarding the online training. Scott and Jan stated that they
looked but did not find anything that pertained to their depa~hnents. Nancy stated that she found several
items that would pertain to these departments. There was further discussion. Nancy will e-mail
departments heuda to explain the process she used to review the website. Mary will tell MMIA th. at the
department heads are still evaluating the online training oppommity.
Mary will be on vacation on Wednesday, March 19t~ and will return on Monday, March 31
Departmemt Head Meeting Minutes of March 18, 2008
Fire Dermrtment
Scott stated that the new chassis has arrived.
The fire department burned the ditches, except two sections, for the city on Sunday. The department
will bum the field north of the cemetery tonight.
Ll~rarv
Nancy will move the old furniture out of the way and the police department will take the file cabinets.
Nancy comacted Leonard Christenson regarding replacement of shingles that blew offthe l~rary roof.
Thore was discussion. Mary stated that the city has a $2,500 deduct~le on property. Nancy will get a
quote and then contact MMIA.
Nancy stated that the library will begin distribution of the new h'orary cards in the next month.
Police Department
· Bus parking zones
Rick will schedule a meeting with Herb Townsend to determine the exact proposed areas for the bus
parking zones.
Rick will attend the graduation ceremony for Jim Huertas from the Police Academy on Friday, March
280''
There was discussion regarding the city's website. Mayor Olson has received positive feedback about
the website and expressed appreciation for Jim's work. Jim will be scheduled to meet with the
department heads regarding future updates to the site.
City Planner
· Update on alley vacations (March 2008)
James received preliminary appwval for some minor phts.
regarding mill levies for planning.
On Thursday, he will attend a meeting
Public Works Department
· Update on swimming pool
Bill stated that the department is working on this issue.
City Attorney
There was no discussion.
Mayor Olson
· Retention ponds at The Crossings
Mayor Olson would like the city to have answers for the resident that is concerned about the retention
ponds. There was discussion. Kurt stated that Marvin Brown contends that the covenants require the
adjoining property owners to maintain the retention ponds until 80 percent of the lots are sold. At that
point, a homeowners' association will be formed to maintain the dedicated park and drain areas. The
Crossings have agreed to maintain the retention pond on the east side and will install a sprinkler system
and sod this year in the park areas. Marvin Brown has sprayed for mosquitoes in the past. An
ordinance may be needed to enforce the maintenance of the retention ponds as the city cannot enforce
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Department Head Meeting Minutes of March 18, 2008
subdivision covenants. Mayor Olson asked the Public Works Department to submit a recommendation
regarding this issue.
· Cable franchise
Sam stated that, based on the previous meeting with Cable Montana, it would help to have elected
officials attend another meeting. There was farther discussion. Sam will outline the procedure needed
to deal with the franchise issue with Cable Montana.
Oth~
There was no discussion.
The meeting adjourned at 3:46 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cindy Allen
Council Secretary
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Public Works Staff Meeting
March 17, 2008
Kurt Markegard
Gary Colley
Chris Rosenberg
James Caniglia
Cheryll Lund
Streets
The sweeping position needs to be posted. The position will go from April - October
from 3 am to 11 am Tuesdays and Fridays.
Kurt would like the council to consider sweeping one side of downtown streets on
Tuesday and then the other side (of the same street(s)) on Fridays to help with the parking
situation for those living in apartments that having no parking lots. This issue will have
to be put on the Council Workshop agenda to be discussed as there would be some cost
due to new signage if the changes were made.
The truck route signs need to be placed on N. 1st Avenue and Main Street (east and west)
every 4 blocks. The frost is now out of the ground so putting up the signs is possible.
Asphalt needs to be patched on W. First Street in the 100 block directly across from City
Hall and also the alley entrance behind City Hall.
Culverts were replaced north of the old Middle School on Colorado and E. 5th Street and
also on S. 4th Street and Woodland Avenue.
Crosswalk handicap ramps are done at the new Middle School and need to be painted and
signage put up.
Asphalt for the porta-patcher has been ordered. The crew has enough to do one or two
weeks worth of patching.
Parks
The Park board recommended accepting donated playground equipment. This will need
to be discussed by the city council at a workshop and then staff needs to make
recommendations on the placement.
Kurt discussed exposure risk for equipment going into parks that have ball fields
(Nutting) and also Lions Park that has exposure to water. The city may need to consider
fencing around all playground equipment to reduce incidents of kids being exposed to
hazards such as traffic and water. Kurt will look into this and determine a cost of these
improvements.
The parks crew recently completed maintenance on swings at Kids Kingdom in Kiwanis
Park.
Park bathrooms at Kiwanis Park and Russell Park need concrete, ADA walkways, and
power to be complete.
The park land in Elena Subdivision will have to be maintained by the City prior to a Park
Maintenance Agreement being done. James is working on the agreement.
Due to vandalism there are only 2 benches left in the Thomson Park Shelter. Anyone that
rents the shelter needs to be told that they will have to bring their own tables and chairs.
Kurt stated that we need to look at putting dog feces bag stations in the parks so people
will pick up after their dogs.
The Tree Board needs to meet at Russell Park in the near future to investigate placement
of lilacs and trees that are scheduled to be planted on Arbor Day in April.
Flags in our city parks will be evaluated for replacement in the near future.
Solid Waste
Kurt, Fran Schweigert and Dave Saylor met on Friday March 14th tO go over the garbage
route truck bid specifications. It should be ready to go out for bid this week.
Fifty 300-gallon garbage containers have been ordered and Kurt needs to get a second bid
on some 90-gallon containers.
The new rates for the Container Site have been posted.
Kurt will send letters to customers currently having the city haul their containers,
explaining the new rates.
Water/Sewer System
Seven maintenance workers will be attending the trenching/excavation training session in
Billings.
Large meter training school for the utility crew will be held in April.
WTP & WWTP
Kurt had nothing to report.
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Cemetery/Parks
All the trees in the parks need to be evaluating for priming and fertilizing and then
contact certified arborists for bids to do the work.
The field north of the city cemetery needs to be burned and then seeded. Gary will obtain
the bunting permit. This field is owned by the City.
Pool
The pool will be drained and maintenance on it will begin. Pool contract prices and the
option of the city running the pool will be looked at in more detail.
Public Works
Plans for the spring clean-up for the 100 year celebration are underway. Kurt would like
a volunteer Public Works team to help. Any other employees could volunteer if they wish
to join the public works team.
Bill needs to put together an interview committee for the Utility Worker II job that is
open until March 21st at 5:00 pm.
The light in front of the City Council chambers needs to be repaired and the pillars need
to be painted.
Planning
James has a meeting with the County Commissioners on March 18th regarding Global
Subdivision.
James also has a meeting on March 19th regarding a mill levy issue.
James is working on the park maintenance agreement for Elena Subdivision.
There are 2 beauty salons that are requesting to expand their businesses. They are located
within residential zones. James suggests that they go through a Special Review through
the Planning Board.
James will be out of the office March 27th - 31st.
Code Enforcement
Chris sent out 15 letters of code violation last week. He also received 3 complaints that
he sent out letters on.
Chris will travel to Boise, Idaho the first week in April to attend the ICC Training for
commercial buildings. He and Gary will be gone the 2"a week in April to attend a
Building Codes seminary.
Fire
Sonia Craddock, owner of the mobile home that burned down at 2613 Topeka has
received a promise of a $350 donation from the Chase Hawkins organization to pay for
the containers needed to haul offthe debris. Gary needs to request that the Chase
Hawkins organization send a letter stating they have offered to pay the $350 so that the
City can bill the hauls to them and they can pay the bill.
Building
G-my stated that he has issued permits for 5 residential buildings and 4 duplexes this past
month.
Gary sent information to the gentleman from Wyoming that is trying to put in a car lot on
Washington Avenue.
Code Enforcement
Gary is in the process of writing a procedures manual for Code Enforcement and
designing a new form for issuing and following up code violations.
Kart stated that they need to get a second digital camera for use in code enforcement.
Miscellaneous
Kurt is looking at get "wash coupons" for washing Public Works, Planner, and Code
Enforcement/Building Code employees' vehicles.
The meeting ended at 9:55 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryll Lund, Secretary
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