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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Head Meetings Minutes 10.14.2008MINUTES DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING OCTOBER 14, 2008 3:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Ken Olson Bill Sheridan Sam Painter James Caniglia Mary Embleton Kurt Markegard Gay Easton Nancy Schmidt Rick Musson Scott Wilm Council Workshop Agenda - October 14,_2008 Ambulance- • Resolution - Step raises/on-call rates The resolution will be presented at tonight's council workshop meeting. Public Works Department: • Resolution - Change Order No. 1 for fire hydrants on South Laurel Stormwater and Sanitary Sewer Improvement Project The resolution and the change order for $23,941 for installation of two fire hydrants will be presented tonight. The city will buy the materials and COP will install the fire hydrants. Kurt explained the need for the additional hydrants. • Resolution - Small service contract for asphalt patching of water breaks Kurt stated that two bids were received and the lower bid will be presented tonight. Patching will be done on last year's water breaks. Clerk/Treasurer: • Resolution - Records retention Mary stated that this is a housekeeping issue for disposal of records. After council approval, the list will be sent to the State of Montana for approval and advertisement to the public. Chief Administrative Officer: • South First Avenue project update Bill and Kurt gave an update on the project. The sanitary sewer main on South First Avenue has been replaced and storm water replacement is being done. Mary asked regarding payment of the fire hydrants. Bill stated that the funding should come out of the Water Fund. • Road signs on First Avenue South There was no discussion. Executive review: • Schedule council meeting for November 4"' (General Election Day) and council workshop for November 11 th (Veterans' Day) Mayor Olson stated that the council would discuss and schedule the dates tonight. • Council Issues: o Town Square information (Chuck Dickerson) Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 14, 2008 Bill stated that Chuck has questions regarding the Town Square. o Fencing of the underpass (Mark Mace) Bill stated that there are safety concerns in the underpass. o Eighth Avenue overpass (Doug Poehls) Bill stated that Doug has suggestions regarding an overpass. Deuartment Reports, Ambulance Service • Update on shower Bill stated that the shower does not work. Scott and Rick agreed that the shower has never been used since they started working at the FAP. City Council President Gay stated that Kurt has addressed the issues with trees after the weekend snowstorm. Clerk/Treasurer • Report on League of Cities and Towns Conference Mary reported that 375 participants from 55 cities and towns attended the conference. The Department of Revenue met with the Clerks' Association on Wednesday morning. The Department's goal is to provide better communication between taxing authorities and the Department of Revenue. They explained how they determine the valuation. The Department confirmed that it is never too late for an entity to request a review of their valuation. If the Mayor and council give direction, Mary will request a review of the city's TIFD valuation. Mary explained several legislative issues and will provide copies of the information to the department heads. • MMIA Wellness Program Bill stated that Operation Healthy Cities and Towns will be presented to city employees on October 28th and 29"'. This is MMIA's effort to help employees improve their health. Mary explained that the education portion will be scheduled on Tuesday, October 28th. Employees will be encouraged to attend, but it is not mandatory. The screening portion will be scheduled on Wednesday, October 29'h, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There was discussion regarding a location for the events. Scott will check to see if the fire hall is available. Scott asked if volunteers can participate. Mary stated that volunteers can participate but would have to pay the $70 fee. Scott stated that firemen have a stressful job with physical requirements, and he asked if something could be worked out for the fire department to participate. Bill will look into it. Fire Department • Report on new brush truck Scott stated that the truck will be delivered on Wednesday and will be taken to Industrial on Monday for installation of the radio. He has not been able to communicate with Pace regarding the new truck. • Preparations for new fire station • Property tax assessment for new fire station Scott stated that information regarding the fire hall mill levy will be in the Laurel Outlook on Wednesday and in the Outrider next Wednesday. The yard signs are done and are available. 2 Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 14, 2008 Scott explained that the Montana National Guard has scheduled three scenarios on December 9, 10, and 11. The states of Idaho, North and South Dakota, and Montana will participate in the scenarios. Scott has suggested three Laurel sites for the scenarios. The event is still in the planning stages, and more information will be provided. Scott stated that this is a good opportunity to determine where the city stands with mass disaster and NIMS preparation. He encouraged the staff to complete the required NIMS training. Scott stated that the fire department was busy over the weekend. The department has already received over 200 calls this year. Library Nancy stated that traffic at the library is up 53 percent as compared to last year. The latest statistics show that 22.45 percent of users are county residents. Nancy will be gone for a month starting on Thursday. She stated that Geralyn will be the contact person at the library. Police D artment • Status of new vehicle Rick did not know the status of the vehicle. Rick stated that Sgt. Zuhoski resigned effective on October 24"' and will be working in the private sector. Rick will start the promoting, hiring, and training process. Rick spoke regarding the NIMS training. He mentioned that Charlie Hanson, State Emergency Planning, is available for training, which could be coordinated with the departments. City Planner • Annexation of Riverside Park James stated that Dan McGee has started the survey process of Riverside Park. James stated that the city has been awarded grant monies to survey the downtown area and form a historic district. The $15,000 grant requires a $15,000 match, which James expects will be provided mostly with in kind services and donations. This is a good step for downtown revitalization. James will attend a workshop regarding federal and state housing programs on Wednesday. James stated that an individual wants to build a storage facility on South 6 h Street, which is west of the freeway and south of South School. James explained that the only access is through a dirt road and he does not think it is a good idea. James will write a letter to the individual. James mentioned that the annual board meeting of the Chamber of Commerce is scheduled on Friday evening at the Owl. Public Works D artment Kurt spoke regarding the situation with broken tree limbs after the snowstorm last weekend. Seven employees responded to the call out request on Sunday. Kurt prepared a memo regarding cleanup and 3 Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 14, 2008 the availability of the container site, and the information will be published in the newspaper on Wednesday. There was further discussion. • Status of streets Temporary employees will be hired to help with street work. The small services contract for asphalt repair of water breaks will be presented to the council tonight. • Status of water intake at WTP Kurt stated that it appears that HKM is not going to respond to the city's request. There was discussion regarding the situation and the need to find documents. Mary suggested that Great West Engineering should have the documents. MMIA will be contacted regarding insurance coverage of the intake. Kurt will ask Patrick Murtagh to review what caused the failure. • Alder Avenue Kurt stated that public works will gravel and blade Alder Avenue soon. Mary questioned if the agreement with the school district required restoration of the street to its pre-construction condition. Mary will check the Laurel Middle School annexation file. • Status of Main Street from 1" to 8th Avenues Kurt has three easements and asked who should negotiate them. There was discussion. Sam will help with negotiations. Mary stated that the original documents need to be filed at the courthouse. • Cemetery Agreement / irrigation water Kurt viewed the veterans' cemetery in Sturgis and saw how it is operated last week. Bill explained that Commissioner Kennedy wants the Yellowstone County Veterans' Cemetery operated according to federal standards. There was discussion regarding the need for ground rules to set times for burials. Bill stated that continued negotiations are necessary in order to assure that the City of Laurel can maintain the cemetery in the black. • Report on progress with South Laurel Business SID There was no further discussion. • Potential 6th Street SID project There was no further discussion. The Laurel Garden Club invited Kurt to speak at a meeting. The club plans to donate some money to the Park Fund. Kurt requested an account of the city's costs to run the swimming pool this year. Mary will provide the information. Kurt stated that Vern Hale, who owns land above the container site, has requested an easement. There was discussion. Mayor Olson stated that legal advice is needed. City Attorney • Purchase and Procurement Policy Sam will prepare the draft document by next Tuesday. The committee will meet on Tuesday, October 21St, at 2:00 p.m. 4 Department Head Meeting Minutes of October 14, 2008 Mayor Olson There was no discussion. Chief Administrative Officer There was no discussion. Other Scott stated that only four people from the Chamber of Commerce attended the informational meeting about the fire hall mill levy last week. Mayor Olson mentioned that not many people attended the informational opportunities provided regarding the change in the form of government. However, he felt that it was important to provide the opportunities and explanations when possible. Kurt stated that Riverside Park is a disaster after the snowstorm. Recent maintenance and trimming of trees in the other parks probably helped prevent major issues. He thanked the Tree Board for its work to maintain the trees. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, d?-- Cindy Allen Council Secretary 5