Regular Meeting

City of Elko ) County of Elko ) State of Nevada ) SS January 23, 2024 The City Council of the City of Elko, State of Nevada met for a regular meeting beginning at 4:00 PM, Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The meeting was held in the council chambers, 1751 College Ave., Elko. This meeting was called to order by Mayor Reece Keener. The public can watch the meeting by phone, tablet, laptop, or computer by going to the link provided on the agenda. Questions can be sent to cityclerk@elkocitynv.gov. I. CALL TO ORDER The Agenda for this meeting of the City of Elko City Council has been properly posted for this date and time in accordance with NRS requirements. II ROLL CALL . Present: Reece Keener, Mayor Mandy Simons, Councilwoman Chip Stone, Councilman Clair Morris, Councilman Giovanni Puccinelli, Councilman City Staff Present: Diann Byington, City Clerk Technician II Jan Baum, City Manager Jeff Ford, Building Official Jim Foster, Airport Manager Cathy Laughlin, City Planner Ralph Negron, Development Manager Candi Quilici, Accounting Manager Susie Shurtz, Human Resources Manager Ty Trouten, Police Chief Scott Wilkinson, Assistant City Manager James Wiley, Parks and Recreation Director Dale Johnson, Utilities Director James Johnston, Fire Chief Julie Davis, Financial Services Director III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 1 of 10  Pursuant to N.R.S. 241, this time is devoted to comments by the public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified as an item for possible action. ACTION WILL NOT BE TAKEN Lee Hoffman, 1085 Barrington Ave., gave an update on the upcoming election and Nevada Republican caucus. Two of the candidates that were in the caucus have suspended their campaign. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 9, 2024 Regular Session The minutes were approved by general consent. VI. PRESENTATION A. Reading of a proclamation and plaque in recognition of Roche Bush as an extension of gratitude for his efforts and dedication to improve SnoBowl and the Community at Large, and matters related thereto. INFORMATION ONLY- NON ACTION ITEM Mayor Keener introduced Roche Bush, read the proclamation and presented him with a plaque. James Wiley, Parks and Recreation Director, expressed his gratitude to Roche Bush for his work and commitment at the SnoBowl. Roche Bush thanked Council for the recognition. He has many stories of his time at the SnoBowl. Mr. Wiley pointed out the sign behind the podium that is intended to be hung up at the SnoBowl by Saturday. VII. PERSONNEL A. Introductions of two fire volunteers by Fire Chief Johnson: 1. Trevor Brunch 2. Mickie Newman Trevor Bruch was present and introduced. Mickie Newman was unable to attend. B. Employee Introductions: 1. Savannah Rasband, Animal Shelter Worker II, Animal Shelter 2. Part Time Laboratory Technician, WRF Both new employees were present and introduced. VI. PRESENTATION (Cont.) January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 2 of 10  B. Presentation, discussion and possible direction to staff regarding the City of Elko System Modernization and Water/Sewer Rate Study performed by The Shpigler Group, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION A water rate study was approved in the FY24 Water Fund budget. The Shpigler Group was contracted to perform a System Modernization and Water/Sewer Rate Study. David Shpigler with The Shpigler Group will present the results of this study. DJ Mayor Keener noted that all City Council Members were paying customers of the City of Elko Water Department. He hoped to have workshops on this at a later date. Jan Baum, City Manager, said the Water Fund cash has been decreasing. With the budget, City Council authorized a Water Rate Study. The Shpigler Group also did a Sewer Rate Study and a modernization study. This will give us different options. Dale Johnson, Utilities Director, handed out some comparison charts. He summarized our one-inch meter compared to the other utility companies, our rates are much lower. Mr. Shpigler gave the presentation (included in packet). Mayor Keener said we live in the desert and should be mindful of conservation. He liked going to meters because of the fairness involved. Councilman Puccinelli said he didn't realize the discrepancy with the commercial side. Mayor Keener asked if anything surprised Mr. Shpigler while doing this study. Mr. Shpigler answered we have done a lot of these studies but he was surprised with vast discrepancy between the metered and flat-rate customers. Councilman Morris asked what the average cost was to install a meter on a residence. Mr. Shpigler said the cost to install is not that high, but the cost of the meter is the issue. They can go for $100 and some cost more. You don't need an elaborate meter. Installation may be around $13. The Water Department crews can do it themselves. Mayor Keener asked on what basis did they prepare the financials? Jim Kerr, Water/Sewer Superintendent, said we are paying roughly $300 per meter and the pit costs around $1,500. That does not include installation or excavation. There are more costs for parts to install the meters. Mr. Shpigler said he is running an RFP for another client and he has never seen meters cost $300 each. They modeled this at $175 per meter. We constantly run RFP's for clients and one we are running in Tennessee came in at $135 per meter. January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 3 of 10  Councilman Morris said when you install meters you will go into yards you will be cutting into concrete. Councilman Puccinelli said the meters are not the expense. The expense are the pits. They are 4 feet or taller because of installing below the frost level. Councilwoman Simons said putting everyone on meters is the most equitable. She doesn't see the feasibility of getting these installed at everyone's house. The process sounds like a nightmare. Mr. Johnson said a lot of the areas outside the tree streets already have meters. We will use the existing meter pits and retrofit the new meters into this. Cedar Street has meter pits installed now. Whenever we have had leaks, we have installed meter pits where we could. Mr. Kerr said there is a shortage of meter pits right now. They are hard to obtain and buy. Councilman Morris wanted to increase the rates as equitable as possible. It seems impossible to install meters and pits everywhere. Mayor Keener felt the meter pit issue will be something that will resolve itself and the market will eventually provide the products. This won't happen overnight. Mr. Johnson said this will take several years to install. The Division of Water Resources and Water Rights will one day say we have to be metered. Scott Wilkinson, Assistant City Manager, said most of the tree streets are wider than newer streets. Most of the install would take place in the right-of-way area instead of their yards. Mayor Keener said before we can evaluate this, we need numbers that are more realistic for meters and pits and installations. He would like an estimate of the number of meter pits required as well. We need to take corrective action on this and we should not wait until this is an emergency. Before we can make a decision, we need confidence in the numbers before us. He called for public comments. Rachel Randall, 2311 Wildwood Way, said much of the conversation went around residential meters. Why not look more into the commercial side of this where we need 507 meters. Councilwoman Simons agreed that maybe we should look at the commercial side first. Councilman Stone thought that was a great idea. Councilman Morris said we need to increase the rates on the flat rate side or we are just digging a bigger hole. Lee Hoffman, 1085 Barrington Ave., said we had this discussion many years ago. He wished they were able to implement meters all those years ago. He wondered if the $9 million of capital and the cash need includes the AMI and the potential cost of meters. January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 4 of 10  Mr. Shpigler answered that did not include the meters. Mr. Hoffman said we do need to understand what the cash flow would be with the proposed additional costs. To really understand this, you will need an inventory of acceptable wells where you want to implement meters. Some homes have meter boxes and some don't. You really need an inventory and he did not know what that would cost. Councilman Puccinelli asked of the 7,000 houses that need meters, how many have pits? (about half) What about the commercial businesses? (none) Mr. Hoffman said you need to understand what you are going to do with meters and you may not get that figured out before you do something with the rates. Councilman Puccinelli said he is looking at the rate increase suggestions and wondered if there could be more choices and maybe something to incentivize people to move towards meters. Mr. Johnson said we currently have the meter grant program. Ms. Baum said staff could meet with Mr. Shpigler and make sure the numbers are accurate and reflect the City of Elko. They could bring back other options too. Mayor Keener agreed that if this isn't going to be implemented for a while, we need to look at a rate increase. ** A motion was made by Council Member Simons, seconded by Council Member Stone to request that staff work with The Shpigler Group to bring us back more information on the cost of installing meters, as well as, other information pertinent to going forward with the three different options and current rates. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) VII. PERSONNEL (Cont.) C. Review, consideration, and possible approval of an updated position description for Elko City Clerk, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION The City Clerk position description has been updated with revisions to accurately reflect the duties and requirements of the position. SS Susie Shurtz, Human Resources Manager, explained this position description was updated as part of the Compensation Classification Study. We are pulling it in early because the position will be open soon. It has been fully reviewed by staff and they were looking for Council approval. Mayor Keener said it looked great to him. He called for public comments without a response. January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 5 of 10  ** A motion was made by Council Member Simons, seconded by Council Member Puccinelli to approve the revised City Clerk position description as presented. Mayor Keener asked if this had any input from POOL/PACT. Ms. Shurtz answered they have a job description template that we have used in the past. We provided that to Pontifex so these job descriptions have all the same information. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) D. Review, consideration, and possible approval of updated position descriptions for Water/Sewer Operator I and WRF Operator I, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION The Water/Sewer Operator I, and WRF Operator I position descriptions have been updated with revisions to the Commercial Driver License (CDL) requirements under certification and licenses sections. Staff requests approval to modify the CDL requirement for each position from the current requirement of possessing a valid CDL, to allowing CDL to be obtained within 1 year of hire. These are both the entry level positions in the Water/Sewer and WRF departments. SS Ms. Shurtz explained they are requesting this change because with the CDL required at hire, we are limiting our candidates during the hiring process. These are both entry level positions for each department, the higher level positions all require a CDL. Councilman Morris asked if Dale was good with this change. Dale Johnson, Utilities Director, answered we would rather have an operator pass probation before we send them to CDL training due to the costs. Ms. Shurtz said she had not spoken to the union yet. This change will not make it more difficult but she will reach out to them about it. ** A motion was made by Council Member Morris, seconded by Council Member Puccinelli to approve the revised Water/Sewer Operator I and WRF Operator I position descriptions as presented. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) VIII. APPROPRIATION A. Review and possible approval and/or Ratification of Warrants, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE APPROVAL January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 6 of 10  ** A motion was made by Council Member Simons, seconded by Council Member Morris to approve the regular warrants in the amount of $743,689.62. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) ** A motion was made by Council Member Simons, seconded by Council Member Morris to approve the hand-cut checks in the amount of $192,073.90. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) IX. PETITION, APPEAL, AND COMMUNICATION A. Ratification of the Police Chief issuing a 60-day Temporary Packaged Liquor License and issue a regular Packaged Liquor License, to Noel Aguirre and Elisa Saldana, DBA Gordos Tacos, located at 524 Front Street, Elko, NV 89801, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Chief Trouten explained this is straight forward. There are no concerns and no issues with these folks. He recommended approval. ** A motion was made by Council Member Simons, seconded by Council Member Puccinelli to ratify the Police Chief issuing a 60-day Temporary Packaged Liquor License and issue a regular Packaged Liquor License, to Noel Aguirre and Elisa Saldana, DBA Gordos Tacos, located at 524 Front Street, Elko, NV 89801. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) X. REPORTS A. Mayor and City Council Mayor Keener got a call from Kurt Inglehart, the Rural for Senator Cortez-Masto. There has been a US Dept of Transportation Grant for the Amtrak area. That will be administered by NDOT. We should be hearing from people regarding that shortly. He will be meeting with Mr. Inglehart next week. He asked Councilwoman Simons about the School District's Facilities Committee. Councilwoman Simons answered she is on that committee. There was a study done to outline what the needs are. It is a great committee. They are in the same boat as all of us. There is so much to do but not enough money. Councilman Stone reported Cowboy Poetry is coming up. B. City Manager No report. January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 7 of 10  C. Assistant City Manager Scott Wilkinson said his assistant received communication from the Western Inn that they have refurbished 2 rooms that can be used in cold weather emergencies. Mayor Keener suggested a mobile warming station such as a bus. Mr. Wilkinson answered he has given that a little thought and he will reach out to some entities to see if they would have some availability. We would need some type of agreement in place and will need to consider some possible problems that can come up. So far we have not had a cold weather emergency and we just need to get through this month. D. Utilities Director No report. E. Public Works Director F. Airport Manager Jim Foster reported we are working on snow removal. Everything has been going fairly well. We missed one flight due to weather. We are trending in the right direction to get into the threshold for AIP funding. The enplanement numbers are at 825 for the month. He heard there were 3 flights that were almost full. He is seeing more family travel with this bigger jet. Mayor Keener felt that was outstanding. G. City Attorney H. Fire Chief Chief Johnston mentioned they had their ISO evaluation and it went really well. This was our first site visit since 2014. Our ISO2 rating had an X on it and he found out that meant there were areas of the City that were unprotected based on the distance from hydrants. We discovered that was incorrect and it has been overturned. He thanked other City Departments for their help in this evaluation. I. Police Chief Mayor Keener said regarding liquor applications, if the applicant lives in the area, they should show up and introduce themselves to the board. It is a serious responsibility and not just an administrative stamp that they are getting their license. J. City Clerk January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 8 of 10  Diann Byington reported she has started the process of getting the QR code printed for the Cemetery for members of the public to search for their loved ones. K. City Planner Cathy Laughlin reported they are moving forward with the entitlements for the Rec Center. The Conditional Use Permit and a Variance will be on the agenda for the next Planning Commission Meeting. L. Development Manager Ralph Negron reported he had a meeting with NGM regarding vacant lots and subdivisions. We came up with an extensive list of vacant lots, townhomes, future lots and subdivisions. Under current subdivisions we have 297 lots that are still available to be developed. There are a lot of lots out there but it can be some time before developers move on it. As for apartments, we are looking at 403 units to be built soon. The potential infill for years down the road, we are looking at another 423 lots. The Newmont people had some great comments for us during the meeting. M. Financial Services Director No report. N. Parks and Recreation Director James Wiley reported we have run 2 weekends at the SnoBowl. The snow is good and we have gotten more. We will be able to stretch this out a few more weekends. On the pool front, the heat exchanger was supposed to ship today. We are looking at the middle of February to reopen the pool. O. Civil Engineer P. Building Official XI. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Pursuant to N.R.S. 241, this time is devoted to comments by the public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified as an item for possible action. ACTION WILL NOT BE TAKEN There were no public comments. There being no further business, Mayor Reece Keener adjourned the meeting at 6:00 p.m. January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 9 of 10  Mayor Reece Keener Kelly Wooldridge, City Clerk January 23, 2024 City Council | Minutes Page 10 of 10