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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBudget/Finance Committee Minutes 07.05.2017 MINUTES BUDGET/FINANCE COMMITTEE JULY 5,2017 5:35 P.M. CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Emelie Eaton Tom Nelson Doug Poehls Chuck Dickerson OTHERS PRESENT: Bethany Keeler Mark Mace Brent Peters Chairwoman Emelie Eaton called the regular meeting of the Budget/Finance Committee to order at 5:36 p.m. The next regular Budget/Finance meeting will be on Tuesday,July 18,2017 at 5:35 p.m. The minutes of the June 20, 2017 meeting were reviewed. Chuck made a motion to approve the minutes, Doug seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Claims received through 07/03/2017 and totaling$207,188.06 were presented to the committee. Doug reviewed both the Claims Detail Register and the Check Register to ensure accuracy. Doug made a motion to approve the claims,Chuck seconded the motion, all in favor,motion passed. One purchase requisition was presented to the committee. The requisition was for the repair of a fire hydrant on 1 st Ave,at the entrance to the High School parking lot. The valve on the fire hydrant was broken during use and needs to be replaced with a 6"Easy Valve. The total requested for approval was $5,300.00. Emelie asked if they had replaced the fire hydrants on lst Ave. Fire Chief Brent Peters stated that he did not know the frequency at which the City replaced the hydrants. He did know that when the hydrants needed repairs or during a new construction period,they were fixed or replaced. Tom Nelson asked what the difference was between an Easy Valve and a standard valve. Brent stated that he believed the Easy Valve had a valve approximately 6' below the street surface so it wouldn't freeze, and this valve acted as an isolation valve to shut off water from the water main. Doug made a motion to approve the purchase requisition, Chuck seconded the motion, all in favor, motion passed. Fire Chief Brent Peters spoke to the committee regarding two recent Fire Department acquisitions. The Fire Department recently acquired a rescue truck that was taken out of service by the United States Air Force. The City only had to pay shipping costs of$4,500.00 in order to obtain the vehicle. These vehicles are Military surplus that have been taken out of service and offered to different Government entities. Two weeks ago, another opportunity presented itself in the form of a ladder truck. The only initial cost to the City was shipping. Brent was able to speak with the Mayor and CAO to get immediate approval for the cost to ship the ladder truck, as the shipping was over$5,000.00. The City of Laurel competes with thousands of other entities to obtain these surplus vehicles so time is of the essence. The shipping on the ladder truck totals$10,300.00 and DNRC is willing to pay$3,400.00 of the costs. The City will pay the remaining$6,900.00. Brent stated that the ladder truck will improve the City's ISO rating and it will cut down on delayed responses due to getting an aerial device from Billings or Columbus. An aerial device was used on the Fiberglass Structures' fire. The ladder truck can also be used for any type of rescue situation involving a multi-story building, such as The Crossings. The ladder truck will also allow the City to build additional multi-story buildings. The City has a height restriction due to the Fire Department not having an aerial device and now the Department does. The rescue truck was the 21 st vehicle to come to Montana from the Department of Defense, and the ladder truck was the 1 22aa Chuck asked what height ladder truck can fit under the underpass. Brent stated that this ladder truck is the same as the one owned by the Billings Fire Department, and that truck fit just fine. If the new ladder truck will not go under,then 5'Ave.will be used. This truck is a 102' aerial device. Doug asked about the annual and reoccurring maintenance this truck is going to require. Brent stated that the annual inspection fee for this ladder truck would be$400.00. Brent has spoken with the Cenex Fire Chief regarding a possible mutual aid agreement for this ladder truck. Cenex does not have a ladder truck and this truck would be used for any future needs at Cenex. Chuck asked if under a mutual aid agreement Cenex, or any other entity,would reimburse the City for the Firemen's wages. Brent explained that the mutual aid agreement covers the expenses associated with wages. The Mayor asked what a new truck would cost. Brent stated that a new truck like this one would cost approximately$1.2 million. Chuck asked if it was possible for the City to go get the trucks versus having them shipped. Brent explained that in order to drive them a person has to be DOT certified. Also,the City doesn't know the exact condition of the vehicles until they arrive and doesn't want to take on any liability with shipping. Doug asked if the shipping costs were being paid out of the CIP fund or the General Fund. Bethany stated that the costs were coming out of the General Fund. Bethany stated that she understands everyone's concerns regarding the increased costs to maintenance and insurance,but the expectation of the Fire Chief is still to stay within his approved budget. Bethany also explained that,prior to this ladder truck coming available, she had talked with the Fire Chief about the next equipment purchase for the Fire Department,which was going to be a ladder truck. This saves the City from having to take out a loan for a one million dollar piece of equipment. Brent explained that the rescue truck now responds to accident calls instead of the pumper trucks. This saves lots of mileage on the pumper trucks. Doug asked about storage of all the Fire Department's vehicles. Brent stated that he is currently working on different options for storage of the vehicles. The committee thanked Brent for his time and his hard work supporting the City. The Comp/OT report for PPE 06/18/17 was reviewed by the Committee. There were no questions or comments regarding the Comp/OT report. The Payroll Register for PPE 06/18/17 totaling$186,564.19 was reviewed by the Committee. Tom made a motion to recommend Council approval of the payroll register, seconded by Chuck, all in favor, motion passed. Clerk/Treasurer Comments: Bethany stated that the City's Fiscal Year 2016-2017 audit has been tentatively scheduled for 10/10/2017. Mayor's Comments: The Mayor asked Bethany how the City is doing financially half way through the year. Bethany stated that the 2016-2017 fiscal year is now over and reports look very good so far. Expenses will continue to be posted to the fiscal year through September and Bethany will continue to update the committee on fiscal year 2016-2017. Other: For next agenda: The meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bethany Keeler,Clerk/Treasurer 2