ELLIS CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR
MEETING
Minutes
June 5, 2017
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor David McDaniel called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Present
were Council members Bret Andries, Holly Aschenbrenner, Susan Eaton, Jolene Niernberger, Dena Patee, and Bob Redger. Also present were Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman, City Clerk Amy Burton, Police Chief Taft Yates,
and City Attorney Olavee Raub.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA
Mayor David McDaniel would like to table consideration of committee appointments
until the next meeting.
PUBLIC PRESENT
Buck Driggs, Justine Benoit, Jim Heit, Philip Martin, Dustin Mattheyer,
Dan Pyle, Cheryl Kinderknecht, Julie Yarmer, Gary Luea, Darin Myers,
Glen Keller, Brad Leiker (arrived at 7:35 p.m.), and
Charlene Weber (arrived at 7:43 p.m.)
CONSENT AGENDA
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to
approve the consent agenda containing the Minutes from the Regular Meeting on May
15, 2017 and Bills Ordinance #2022. Council
member Dena Patee seconded the motion. The Council
approved the consent agenda 6-0.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Jim Heit questioned why the tornado sirens did
not go off during the last severe weather storm.
Dustin Mattheyer inquired on the timeline for
the final cleanup of the street improvement project and when the contractor
would be supplying dirt and grass seed for the areas disturbed during
construction.
PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS,
PROCLAMATIONS, REQUESTS & PETITIONS (HEARINGS)
Industrial Development: Special
Project
Philip Martin, City Representative for the Ellis Industrial Development
Corporation, reported the EIDC has obtained the old hotel. A potential buyer is interested in the
location; however the buyer would prefer an empty lot. The EIDC is requesting City assistance with
petitioning the Ellis County Commission to waive the landfill fees for
demolition debris. Council member Bob Redger moved and Council member Holly Aschenbrenner
seconded a motion to ask the Ellis County Commission to consider waiving the
landfill fees on the demolition debris of the old hotel for the purpose of
economic development. The motion carried
6-0.
Sanitation: Accounting/Billing
Dan Pyle, Superintendent of the Ellis Recreation Commission, petitioned
the City Council to consider waiving the sanitation fees for weekly grass pickup. Previously, the Commission dumped the grass
clippings from the ballfields and soccer fields along the tree line; however,
the grass pile started on fire a few weeks ago.
The Commission has agreed to purchase a dumpster to store the grass
clippings. Council member Bret Andries moved and Council member Bob Redger
seconded a motion to waive the dumpster pickup fees for the Ellis Recreation
Commission for once a week pickups during the grass season. The motion carried 6-0.
SPECIAL ORDER
General Government: Financial –
Budget Request
Mr. Pyle continued by presenting the Recreation Commission’s 2018 Budget
Request. The Commission is requesting
$5,000 for upgrades to the dugouts and ballfields. The Council took no action and will consider
the request during budget preparation.
General Government: Policy
Darin Myers, Ellis County Fire Chief and Emergency Manager, spoke on the
County’s policy of when to sound the outdoor warning sirens. Chief Myers specifically discussed the recent
severe storm where tornados were rumored to have been in the area. Numerous storm spotters and emergency
responders were stationed around the boundaries of Ellis and there was not a
single report of identified rotation; therefore, the sirens were not
activated. Ellis County has a lower
elevation than some areas in the state and the National Weather Service radar
only picks up weather patterns higher above the county. Therefore, the NWS has informed Chief Myers
to rely more on the County’s trained weather spotters over a radar-indicated
threat. Chief Myers told Council they can either
instruct the County to activate the sirens anytime a severe weather warning is
issued, or to only sound the sirens when a reported funnel cloud, either
through radar or trained storm spotter, is threatening the area. Once activated, the 40-year-old sirens cycle
every 10 minutes as long as the storm is threatening the area. It was the consensus of the Council to
continue with the current policy of only sounding the outdoor warning sirens when
a reported threat is imminent.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Personnel: Insurance
Julie Yarmer, Freedom Claims Management Inc., was
in attendance to once again review the proposal for the employees’ health
insurance policy and answer questions from Council members. Both options presented (either renewing with
United Health Care or switching to Blue Cross Blue Shield) would raise
deductibles for the umbrella policy. The
Freedom Choice plan continues to work well for the City, saving the City a
considerable amount of money over the last two years. After a lengthy discussion regarding
coinsurance percentages and deductibles, Council member Bret Andries moved to renew with United Health Care for the
employees’ health insurance policy.
Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded the motion. Upon a call for the vote, Council members
Bret Andries, Jolene Niernberger, and Bob Redger voted in favor of the motion; Council members Holly Aschenbrenner, Susan Eaton and Dena Patee
voted opposed to the motion. Mayor David
McDaniel broke the tie by voting in favor of the motion; therefore, the motion
carried 4-3.
Personnel: Insurance
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved and
Council member Bob Redger seconded a motion to renew
the employees’ dental insurance policy with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Premiums for the dental policy decreased
slightly. The motion carried 6-0.
NEW BUSINESS
Streets: Special Project
Buck Driggs, Driggs
Design Group, updated Council on the progress of the Street Improvement
Project. Normally, the contractor will
perform final grading and seeding towards the end of the project; however,
Mayor David McDaniel requested the contractor expedite that process due to
residents’ inquiries. Mr. Driggs reported the Trego County Rural Water District is requesting
the new curb at the corner of 10th Street and Cottonwood be torn out. From an engineer’s perspective, the added
curb and radius provides protection for pedestrians and defines the driveways
for vehicles. It was the consensus of
Council to leave the curb as constructed citing pedestrian safety and that the
curb is located in the City’s right of way.
Mr. Driggs added that no opposition was voiced
regarding the curb at the public hearing held at the beginning of the
project. The project continues to run
ahead of schedule.
Streets: Special Project
Justine Benoit, Grant Administrator with the Northwest Kansas Planning
& Development Commission, presented the third set of pay applications for
the Street Improvement Project. Council member
Holly Aschenbrenner moved and Council member Jolene
Niernberger seconded a motion to approve Contractor’s Pay Estimate #3 to Vogts-Parga Construction, LLC in the amount of $193,599.98
for the Street Improvement Project. The
motion carried 6-0.
Council member Bob Redger moved and Council
member Jolene Niernberger seconded a motion to approve Request #3 for Payment
of CDBG Funds in the amount of $106,479.94 for the Street Improvement
Project. The motion carried 6-0.
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to
authorize the Mayor to sign the related documents for the Street Improvement
Project. Council member Dena Patee seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
The Kansas Department of Commerce will be here on June 8th to
conduct the Project’s first monitoring visit.
Water: Special Project
Buck Driggs, Driggs
Design Group, presented the seventh and final pay application for the Waterline
Improvement Project. This pay
application releases the retainage held throughout the project. Council member Bret Andries
moved to approve Contractor’s Pay Estimate #7 to APAC in the amount of
$40,550.79 for the Waterline Improvement Project. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner
seconded the motion. The motion carried
6-0.
Council member Dena Patee moved and Council
member Holly Aschenbrenner seconded a motion to
authorize the Mayor to sign the related documents for the Waterline Improvement
Project. The motion carried 6-0.
General Government: Land Disposition
Mayor David McDaniel stated that representatives from the Ellis Golf Club
were to appear to see if the City might be interested in selling land that
surrounds the club house and cart sheds.
Being that no representatives were present, this item will be tabled
until a future meeting.
Public Works: Special Project
Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman wanted to
discuss a drainage issue on the south side of the golf course; however, since
Ellis Golf Club representatives were not present this item will be tabled until
a future meeting.
Sewer: Acquisition
At the last meeting, Council approved the purchase of a Hach colorimeter for the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The final invoice included a freight charge
in the amount of $66.39; therefore, Council member Dena Patee
moved and Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded a motion to ratify the invoice
from Hach Company in the amount of $1,407.39. The motion carried 6-0.
Sewer: Acquisition
Council member Bret Andries moved and Council
member Bob Redger seconded a motion to approve the
purchase of a 3,000 lb. tote of aluminum chlorohydrate
ACH for the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the amount of $1,140, plus any
applicable chemical fees, with funds to come from the Sewer Utility Fund. The motion carried 6-0.
General Government: Financial
Council member Bob Redger moved to approve the
engagement letter from Adams, Brown, Beran
& Ball for assistance with preparing the 2018 budget document. Council member Dena Patee
seconded the motion. The motion carried
6-0.
Special Highway/Sewer: Acquisition
Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman presented
two bids for the purchase of tires for the front loader. Council member Jolene Niernberger moved and
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner seconded a motion
to approve the low bid from Golden Belt Coop for the purchase of four tires in
the amount of $4,111.24, with funds to be split between the Special Highway and
Sewer Utility funds. The motion carried
6-0.
REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICIALS
Public Works
At the last Council meeting, Robert Schmidtberger,
representing Habitat for Humanity, asked for the City to consider a request to
haul a load of dirt to a house on South Walnut to help with a landscaping
project to beautify the property. It
was the consensus of Council to deny the request.
As budget season approaches, Mr. Scheuerman
requested that Council consider putting aside funding for maintaining the
80-year-old dam at the campground and for repairing and maintaining the City’s
brick streets. The dam is well past its
life expectancy and is experiencing some holes in the structure. Brick streets are very expensive to maintain,
but the City has not put money aside to help maintain and repair these streets.
Both projects are important to the community.
The Council has set up a Facility Inspection tour for June 22nd
at 4:00 p.m.
Work continues on the sludge pit at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Department is waiting on a part to finish
repairing the water main break by the cemetery and golf course.
Police
Police Chief Taft Yates presented the Monthly Activity Report for May and
the June Staff Calendar. The Department
recently attended a refresher course on field sobriety testing.
City Clerk
City Clerk Amy Burton presented the Health Insurance Savings Report for
April and the draft minutes from City committee meetings. Ms. Burton recently attended the IIMC Annual
Conference in Montreal, Canada. On June
1st EMC Insurance conducted the City’s annual worker’s compensation
audit and this week the City will begin soliciting bids for the janitorial
contract for City Hall.
Attorney
City Attorney Olavee Raub
provided an update on the status of pending code violation cases. The property owner at 600 Jefferson St. has
been given an additional 30-day extension.
Ms. Raub also updated Council on a citizen
complaint involving a police officer and the complainant’s dog. The complaint review committee has viewed
footage from the officer’s body camera of the alleged incident and has deemed
the complaint unfounded.
Mayor Update and Announcements
Mayor David McDaniel offered kudos to the Public Works Department for an
excellent job in preparing the cemetery for Memorial Day.
Mayor McDaniel attended the Hays City Commission meeting where the
Commission discussed the sales tax proposal from the Ellis County school
superintendents. The Hays City
Commission is not interested in supporting funding for the schools in this
manner.
The old county shop has been purchased by a local resident. There has been a request to trim the trees
along the county road. The area is owned
by Union Pacific and maintained by the County.
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
Mayor David McDaniel requested an executive session to discuss personnel
matters of non-elected personnel. A
20-minute executive session was proposed starting at 9:48 p.m. Mayor David McDaniel asked for a motion to
recess. Council member Bob Redger moved and Council member Dena Patee
second a motion to recess to executive session for personnel matters of
non-elected personnel with City Attorney Olavee Raub and Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman
present. The motion carried 6-0. The Council returned to open session at 10:08
p.m. No action was taken in executive
session.
General Government: Policy
Council member Bret Andries moved to direct
City Attorney Olavee Raub
to draft a resolution providing for the discharge of fireworks from July 2nd
– 4th. Council member Jolene
Niernberger seconded the motion. The
motion carried 6-0.
ADJOURNMENT
Council member Bret Andries moved and Council
member Holly Aschenbrenner seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m.
___________________________________
Mayor
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City Clerk