City Council

Page 95 The City of Dyer Board of Mayor and Alderpersons met in regular session, Monday, November 27, 2017 at 7:07 PM. Those present were Mayor Chris Younger, Alderpersons Richard Reed, Fred Ivie, Craig Blackburn, Tom Mikkelsen, and Jennifer Hughey. The City Attorney was present. Motion made by Richard Reed, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to approve the minutes of the November 13, 2017 regular meeting. Motion carried with all ayes. Mayor's Report Mayor Younger asked the board to approve Christmas bonuses. Motion made by Jennifer Hughey, seconded by Richard Reed to approve $100 Christmas bonuses for full time employees. Motion carried with all ayes. The Board discussed bonuses for fire firefighters and part time employees. Motion made by Fred Ivie, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to approve a $100 Christmas bonus for Fire Chief Ryan Shanklin. Motion carried with Ivie, Blackburn, Mikkelsen, and Hughey voting aye; Richard Reed abstained. Motion made by Fred Ivie, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to approve a $75 Christmas bonus for fire fighters. Motion carried with Ivie, Blackburn, and Hughey voting aye; Tom Mikkelsen voted no; Richard Reed abstained. Motion made by Fred Ivie, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to approve $50 Christmas bonuses for part-time employees employed longer than 30 days. With consent of Hughey and Ivie, the motion was withdrawn. Motion made by Richard Reed, seconded by Tom Mikkelsen to approve $75 Christmas bonuses for part-time employees employed longer than 30 days. Motion carried with all ayes. Motion made by Fred Ivie, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to approve $25 Christmas bonuses for part-time employees employed less than 30 days. Motion carried with all ayes. Motion made by Richard Reed, seconded by Fred Ivie to approve an additional personal day for calendar year 2018 for full-time employees. Motion carried with all ayes. Mayor Younger reported that he had authorized the repair of the hole on Lee Street at a cost of $1,140.00 while the paver was repairing Madison Street. Department Reports Dyer Fire Chief Ryan Shanklin reported that Randy Hill has resigned as a fire fighter. Motion made by Craig Blackburn, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to accept Hill's resignation. Motion carried with all ayes. Chief Shanklin asked the board to approve the termination of Corey Kesterson who has been on an extended leave of absence. Chief Shanklin has asked him to return to service and he hasn't received an answer. Chief Shanklin would like to fill the position with an active fire fighter. Motion made by Tom Mikkelsen, seconded by Fred Ivieto terminate Corey Kesterson effective today and to accept applications. Motion carried with all ayes. Alderman Tom Mikkelsen asked Chief Shanklin if everyone had completed the FIT Testing. Chief Shanklin reported that all fire fighters had completed the testing. The City Recorder said financial reports were at the member's seats. He also reported that the contract auditors from Alexander Thompson Arnold were present this week for the annual audit. Finally, he encouraged board members to continue to spread the word about tax relief. Water Superintendent Randy Gregory reported that Steven Tucker had passed his Water Distribution exam with a score of 85. He has two more tests for water treatment grade 3 and then the wastewater tests.  Page 96 Wastewater Superintendent William Caton reported that the paving had been completed where the sewer line had been repaired on Madison Street. The bar screen (part of the CDBG Grant) should be delivered and installed next week. The lining crew should also be in town next week. Committee Reports Fire ChiefRyan Shanklin reported that all fire trucks are currently in service. He also reported that county trustys had completed oil changes for all fire apparatus at a cost of approximately $500.00. Previously, the City has paid a contractor to complete oil changes at a cost of about $850.00 per vehicle. Street, Maintenance, Water, and Sewer Committee Chair Tom Mikkelsen asked about the cleanup at the landfill. Public Works Superintendent William Caton said cleanup was almost complete. Mikkelsen asked if it could be done before the end of the year; Caton said it was possible and they would attempt to get it done. New Business Alderman Fred Ivie asked if the accessory building adjacent to the city shop ("Asa's Building") could be painted. PublicWorks Supervisor William Caton said that county trustys could be used to paint the building, and that an extra crew might be brought in, unless it were to be painted on the weekend. Mayor Younger reported that a new school bus stop had been installed at Rocky Point using contributions. He said he felt a shelter might be useful there since it's the only place in the city where large groups of children gather to wait for the bus. Younger said that city employees will monitor the shelter for cleanliness. Mayor Younger reported to the board that he had been in contact with the resident at 164 North Poplar about drainage. The resident reports that heavy rains may flood his home. The resident feels that a culvert located on city property on the east side of North Poplar should be dug out and either replaced or ditched. The culvert was inspected and is clean. Hoping to alleviate the problem for the resident, the culverts on the west side of North Poplar were inspected and cleaned out; it was discovered that catch basins had become clogged and buried. Those catch basins were cleared and an additional catch basin was installed. A drainage engineer from MTAS had inspected the location and felt that the drainage was sufficient if the culverts on the west side functioned properly (or were replaced with ditches). Younger hopes this solves the problem. Alderman Mikkelsen suggested waiting to see if the problem with drainage was resolved now that the culver had been cleared and the catch basins repaired /installed. Motion made by Richard Reed, seconded by Jennifer Hughey to pay the accounts. Motion carried with all ayes. Motion made by Fred Ivie, seconded by Craig Blackburn to adjourn. Motion carried with all ayes. Nathan Reed, City Recorder