ELLIS CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR
MEETING
Minutes
March 2, 2020
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor David McDaniel called the regular meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Present were Council members Steve Ferland, Martin LaBarge, Jolene Niernberger, Sam Polifka,
Tricia Pritchett, and John Walz. Also
present were Public Works Director John Leiker, City
Clerk Amy Burton, Police Chief Chris Krom, and City
Attorney Olavee Raub.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA (if needed)
None
PUBLIC PRESENT
James Bell, Glen Keller, Verda Flinn, Bret Andries, Tammy Leiker, Nickole Byers, Alan
Scheuerman, Terry Zerfas, and Nick Keller.
CONSENT AGENDA
Council member John Walz moved to approve the consent agenda containing
the Minutes from the Regular Meeting on February 17, 2020, Bills Ordinance #2088,
and the Manual Journal Entries for December.
Council member Steve Ferland seconded the
motion. The Council approved the consent agenda 6-0.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Terry Zerfas spoke on the proposed ordinance
regarding noisy animals. He urged
Council to adopt a clear and effective ordinance with no leeway for
interpretation or discretion.
PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS,
PROCLAMATIONS, REQUESTS & PETITIONS (HEARINGS)
None
SPECIAL ORDER
Swimming Pool: Special Project
Three contractors submitted bids for construction of the new swimming
pool. Carrothers
Construction was the apparent low bidder with a bid of $1,294,000 – considerably
less than the engineer’s estimate of $1,635,000. With the potential savings on the construction
contract, the State of Kansas Community Development Block Grant award would decrease
from $1,000,000 to approximately $806,000.
The Swimming Pool Committee met
to discuss three options to possibly utilize more
grant funds – (1) add another swim lane and additional concrete; (2) replace all
of the concrete decking around the pool area; or (3) leave the project as
is. The Committee’s recommendation to
Council was to award the bid to Carrothers
Construction as is, but for Council to consider a change order later in the
project to replace all of the concrete decking if funds allow. Council member Sam Polifka
moved to award the Swimming Pool construction contract to Carrothers
Construction. Council member John Walz
seconded the motion. The motion carried
6-0.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
General Government: City Code
City Attorney Olavee Raub
presented another revision of the proposed ordinance regarding noisy
animals. Ms. Raub
explained the importance of allowing officer discretion in investigating such complaints. After further discussion, Council member
Martin LaBarge moved to approve Ordinance No. 1444
amending provisions regarding noisy animals.
Council member Tricia Pritchett seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
General Government: City Code
Ms. Raub continued by presenting the first
draft of the proposed ordinance authorizing the operation of utility vehicles
on City streets. Council again discussed
the minimum age of passengers allowed and fines to be assessed for
non-compliance of ordinance provisions.
Ms. Raub will make several revisions for
consideration at the next Council meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
General Government: City Code
At the recent Planning Commission meeting, members
discussed a discrepancy between the City Code and the Zoning Code regarding
overhanging vegetation. City Code states
that overhanging vegetation shall not be lower than 8’ on sidewalks and 12’6”
on streets. The Zoning Ordinance states
that overhanging vegetation shall not be lower than 10’ for both sidewalks and
streets. The Commission recommends that both
Codes be amended to restrict overhanging vegetation to no lower than 8’ on
sidewalks and 13’ on streets. Council
member Steve Ferland moved to approve the
suggested code amendments to the City Code and Zoning Code. Council member Martin LaBarge
seconded the motion. The motion carried
6-0. City Attorney Olavee
Raub will draft the ordinances for consideration.
Sewer:
Acquisition
Council member John Walz moved to approve the purchase
of ultraviolet bulbs from the Ray Lindsay Company in the amount of $1,308.32,
with funds to come from the Sewer Utility Fund.
Council member Steve Ferland seconded the
motion. The motion carried 6-0.
REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICIALS
Public Works
Public Works Director John Leiker presented a letter
to the Ellis County Commissioners requesting assistance with the annual street maintenance
project. Council member Jolene
Niernberger moved to authorize Mayor David McDaniel to sign the letter to Ellis
County Commissioners. Council member
Tricia Pritchett seconded the motion.
The motion carried 6-0.
Mr. Leiker met with Buck Driggs,
Driggs Design Group, to discuss a timeline for the
Waterline Improvement Project in which the City was recently awarded $412,113
in Community Development Block Grant funds.
The project is scheduled to be put out for bids late summer/early fall.
Police
Police Chief Chris Krom presented the Monthly
Activity Report for February and the March Staff Calendar. The Department received eight applications
for the open position, and Chief Krom has narrowed
the field to three candidates to interview.
City Clerk
City Clerk Amy Burton presented the minutes from the recent Planning
Commission/Board of Zoning Appeals meeting and the December financial
statements. The Swimming Pool
Improvement Project was awarded a $2,000 grant from the United Way of Ellis
County. The annual rabies clinic yielded
12 customers, the sale of 20 dog tags, and 28 immunizations were administered.
Attorney
City Attorney Olavee Raub
requested guidance once again on who Council would prefer to use for bond
counsel for the issuance of the Industrial Revenue Bonds for the sale of the
Days Inn. It was the consensus of
Council to contact Don Jensen since he was the City’s bond counsel for the
initial IRB issuance.
Mayor Update and Announcements
Mayor David McDaniel reported that approximately 25 people attended the
Legislative Coffee on February 28th.
The Governing Body Institute is April 24th – 25th.
ADJOURNMENT
Council member Martin LaBarge moved and Council
member Steve Ferland seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m.
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Mayor
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City Clerk