City Council Meetings

CITY OF GREEN RIVER CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS September 4, 2012 The Governing Body of the City of Green River met in regular session at 7 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Castillon called the meeting to order and Kada Stoddard led the Pledge of Allegiance. The following Council Members were present: Gary Killpack, Gene Smith, Adam Coppolo, Tom McCullough, and Lisa Maes. The following were present representing the City: Interim City Administrator Bill Thompson, Director of Public Works Mike Nelson, Director of Finance Jeff Nieters, Director of Community Development Laura Leigh, Chief of Police Chris Steffen, Fire Chief/Emergency Services Mike Kennedy, Parks and Recreation Director Allan Wilson, City Attorney Galen West, and Public Affairs Specialist Stephen Pyles. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Council Member Smith moved to amend and approve the agenda by moving Consent Agenda Item F: Green River Arts Council Sculpture Showcase Agreements to Council Action Item: C. Council Member seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) PROCLAMATIONS Suicide Prevention Week Kyla Baumfalk read the proclamation and the Mayor proclaimed September 9th -15th, 2012 as Suicide Prevention Week in Green River and urged all citizens to raise their awareness, learn the warning signs and help prevent suicide by encouraging those at risk to seek life-saving help. PRESENTATIONS Military Recognition Harry Holler introduced Brent and Dena Wilde, the parents of Steven Wilde, who is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He presented them with a t-shirt and plaque in honor of their son’s military service. Green River Chamber of Commerce Update Rebecca Briesmaster said the River Festival/Art on the Green was a huge success. She thanked all of the volunteers who helped with the event.  The two yearling mustangs that were at the Visitor’s Center will be going back to the BLM on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 and hopefully will be adopted soon. She said there was a gentleman that was interested in adopting both of them.  The last Mustang Versatility event for the 2012 season is on September 15, 2012.  The Sweetwater County Photo Contest photographs were judged during the week of the fair. The pictures were on display at the Visitor’s Center throughout August. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate and the People’s Choice winner will receive a $25 gift certificate. Their names will appear in the September newsletter. The calendar will be on sale in November and will feature all Sweetwater County Events and the twenty-four pictures that were chosen.  The promotional event for the 2013 Tuscany trip will be Wednesday, September 5, 2012, at 6:30 pm, at the Krazy Moose. The trip coordinator will be there to answer any questions and explain what to expect.  A meet and greet for Ms. Briesmaster, Rod Ness, and Mr. Black will be on October 3, 2012, from 6 to 8 pm, at the Visitor’s Center.  The Forest Service will continue to staff the Visitor’s Center on Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm through September 29, 2012.  The Disney Institute class is on September 18, 2012, from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, at City Council Proceedings September 4, 2012 Page 1 of 6  Western Wyoming Community College Green River Center.  The Lunch and Learn is on Wednesday, September 9, 2012, at noon, at the Rolling Green Golf Course. The BLM will give a presentation on the Wild Horse Adoption Program.  There will be a ribbon cutting for Summit Title on September 20, 2012, at 6 pm. The office is located at 175 Riverview Suite C.  Traffic through the Visitor’s Center continues to rise. Council Member McCullough asked if the calendars were going to be on sale now, instead of free. Ms. Briesmaster said yes, they have to pay for the printing so they will have to charge for them. Recognition of the Animal Control’s Spay and Neuter Clinic Chief Steffen said the Animal Control Division did an excellent job with their first spay and neuter clinic. Lydia Holmes was able to contact a group of veterinarians from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. All of the vets came here and put on a clinic to spay and neuter animals. The city was able to provide free hotel services, from the Oak Tree Inn, for the vets and their staff along with free food from Subway, McDonald’s, and Dominoes. They were able to spay or neuter 59 dogs and 43 cats which is great. He thanked everyone in Animal Control for doing such a great job. He also thanked the Parks Department for assisting them. Council Member Maes thanked them for doing a good job. Council Member Coppolo suggested they work on getting the word out more next time to see if they can get more people to participate. He thanked them also. Chief Steffen said the vets that came also provided service to some animals that were in-house for free. This will help these animals be more adoptable. He said the Animal Control Division has been working understaffed, and they have done a lot for the city. Council Member Killpack thanked them for doing a great job. CITIZEN REQUESTS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS Lisa Muller updated council on the public safety building Mineral Royalties Grant that is before the State Land and Investment Board. She said there are many levels to a grant along with funding sources. She said one of the challenges they have is some grants are available for existing buildings and this does not qualify. She said they will be submitting this information in October and they expect to know about the 6th Penny funding in November, and then re-represent to SLIB in December. Harry Holler reminded everyone about the Christmas cards for the soldiers in the Middle East. They received 5,000 cards last year and he would like to see even more this year. There is no need for postage or an envelope. The only thing needed is a card with a small saying. Council Member Coppolo challenged everyone to do at least one card. Council Member Smith thanked Mr. Holler for doing such a great job representing the service members of our military. ORDINANCES Vacation of Park Area in the Jackson Heights Addition 1st Reading: An ordinance vacating from park area 17.16 acres in the Jackson Heights Addition to the City of Green River, Wyoming. Council Member McCullough moved to approve the ordinance on first reading. Council Member Coppolo seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) City Council Proceedings September 4, 2012 Page 2 of 6 RESOLUTIONS Personnel and Operating Budget Adjustments R12-39: A resolution for the governing body of the City of Green River, Wyoming, to approve a modification in the General Fund for miscellaneous budget adjustments in the amount of $77,671. Council Member Coppolo moved to approve the resolution. Council Member Killpack seconded. Council Member Smith asked for an explanation of what is being done and why. Mr. Thompson said the information he has is the same as what council has. Council Member Smith said he sees numbers that are being transferred to the Community Development Director, the City Administrator, and the governing body out of the Director of Human Resources. Council Member Killpack moved to go into executive session to discuss personnel at 7:58 pm. Council Member McCullough seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) RECONVENE Council Member Coppolo moved to reconvene at 8:07 pm. Council Member McCullough seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) Council Member Smith said he does not agree with what they are doing, they should wait. This should be a decision that is made by the new city administrator. The Mayor called for the vote. Motion carried (4-2) with Council Members Smith and Coppolo voting no. Budget Modification for the Recreation Center Improvements Program R12-40: A resolution for the governing body of the City of Green River, Wyoming, to approve a modification in the General and Capital Project Funds for the Recreation Center Improvements Project in the amount of $4,770. Council Member Maes moved to approve the resolution. Council Member Coppolo seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS Re-Appointment to the Sweetwater County Health Board Council Member Smith moved to confirm the Mayor’s re-appointment of Cathie Hughes to the Sweetwater County Health Board for a four year term. Council Member Maes seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) Grant Writing Services Proposal for the Union Pacific Depot Project Council Member McCullough moved to accept the proposal from Community Investment Group in the amount of $32,000, and for the City Attorney to develop and review a contract for grant writing services for the Union Pacific Depot. Council Member Killpack seconded. Council Member Coppolo said the city has already paid for grant writing services for the depot. The Mayor said the grant that was written earlier was only for the PD building. Ms. Muller said they had discussed pursuing grants for the depot before, but there was an issue on the title of the building. The city cannot pursue a grant for a building they do not own. Since she has a current working relationship with staff and the city council she would provide a City Council Proceedings September 4, 2012 Page 3 of 6 discount of 20%. That will reduce the fee for writing the grant to $32,000. She said the amount is due to the amount of work and time constraints to complete the grant before December. She said when the feasibility study is completed it will fit right into this grant and could help considerably with the preparation of the new grant. Council Member Maes said she understands the amount of work it takes to write grants, and she thinks Ms. Muller has done a good job for the city. Council Member McCullough thanked Ms. Muller for doing a good job, and said there is no guarantee in writing grants. When they are not received it does not mean it is because they were not written well. Council Member Killpack asked if the approval of the grant services was delayed would that create a problem for the deadline. Council Member Coppolo asked when the feasibility study would be completed. He said he thought the city sent staff to a grant writing class so why can’t they write them. The Mayor said the class was an introduction to grant writing, and if people chose to they could go to the weeklong class that is $1,500 per person in October. Mr. Wilson said hopefully, it will be brought to the governing body in October for review. Council Member Smith said he thinks the grant writer should be paid by a percentage of the grant received. He said he is unimpressed by the discount that is being offered. He will not support this. He reminded everyone that he asked how people around the state get grants. All but one said current staff writes their grants and he thinks this is what the city should do. Council Member Killpack said he is not in favor of the commission payment because all of the work that goes into writing the grant. The person writing the grants would not do all the work if they knew they might only get paid $1,000 for it. He said he is in favor of hiring a full-time grant writer for the city or continuing with what they do now. Council Member Smith said for less than what they are talking about now, the city could have sent 21 people to the full week long class. Council Member Maes reminded everyone that the council has been cutting staff and throwing more at staff to do. If they are asked to write grants with everything else it will not be done very efficient. They are already overwhelmed. The Mayor said the city needs to look into grants now while they are available. Council Member Smith said the 6th penny amount was supposed to go down if the grant was received. They were only going to ask for the matching funds. The Mayor said later in a different meeting, it was decided to raise the amount to $4 million in total for the 6th penny. Motion carried (4-2) with Council Member Smith and Coppolo voting no. Green River Arts Council Sculpture Showcase Agreements Council Member Coppolo moved to approve the contract agreements between the City of Green River, the Green River Arts Council, and the ten artists for the 2012-2013 sculpture showcases. Council Member Maes seconded. Council Member Smith said he asked for the item to be moved because he is hearing comments from people that do not understand what is going on with the sculptures. He said the city displays the sculptures for the artists for a year or until someone purchases them. The city does not purchase any of these items, their display is free for us and it contributes to the well being of the community. Council Member Coppolo said this is a very important program and it encourages younger artists. City Council Proceedings September 4, 2012 Page 4 of 6 Council Member Maes said this does not cost a lot of money and it is a very successful program. Mr. Wilson said if a sculpture is sold while on display the Arts Council receives 20% of the sale. Council Member McCullough said he supports the program and encourages people to go down and see them during the Art on the Green. Motion carried. (6-0) CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Coppolo moved to approve the following consent agenda items. Council Member McCullough seconded. Motion carried. (6-0)  Horse corral agreement with Chad and Kristy Spalding for corral #47  Catering Permit to the Liquor Depot to cater alcoholic beverages for the King wedding on Saturday, September 29, 2012, at the Island Pavilion, pending approval from the Rock Springs governing body  Catering Permit to the Ponderosa Bar, Inc. to cater alcoholic beverages for the City’s Employee Banquet, on Friday, November 9, 2012, from 4 pm until midnight at the Island Pavilion  Catering Permit to Santa Fe Southwest Grill to cater alcoholic beverages for the OCI Awards Banquet on Friday, September 28, 2012, from 6 pm to midnight, at the Island Pavilion, pending approval from the Rock Springs governing body.  Ratify the approval of the DEQ/ISC 12-02 Impact Assistance Agreement for the FMC Expansion Project for Sweetwater County to receive 65% of the Impact Assistance Distribution  Maintenance Agreement with Copier & Supply for the Savin Document Center located in the Municipal Court office  Minutes for: August 14, 2012 Workshop and August 21, 2012 Council  Financial Reports and Payment of Bills: Prepaid Invoices = $148,410.24 Outstanding Invoices = $1,181,284.38 Payroll Expenditures = $356,920.86 Pre-authorization Payments = $1,087,500.00 CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT Mr. Thompson had nothing to report Council Member Smith asked Mr. Thompson where the money is going to come from to pay for the sewer issue on Arizona Street and how will the city be made whole. Mr. Thompson said the family could not come up with the money right way to fix the issue. The family planned on walking away from the home since they could not afford to fix the sewer. He understands that they are in the process of looking at loans and other options to pay for it. Council Member Smith asked if the family was going to pay the bill directly. Is there a plan to use city funds to pay this bill? Mr. Thompson said he is not sure. Council Member Smith asked Mr. West if there is any legal basis under which the city can pay the bill. Mr. West said it is his understanding that agents of the city engaged the contractor by apparent authority, so the city has an obligation, contractually to the contractor, to pay for the contract. If someone with authority enters into the contract there is an obligation to pay for the contract. Council Member Coppolo said if the city pays the bill, can the city write up a contract with the homeowners for repayment? Mr. West said if this was done on a basis of reimbursement, then it is the cities right to be paid back. As a general proposition, the city does not have the authority to loan money or extend credit. City Council Proceedings September 4, 2012 Page 5 of 6 City employees with apparent authority engaged a contractor, so the contractor does not have to bare the loss. The contractor can look to the city for payment and the city will be obligated to pay. The city can seek the reimbursement later. CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT Mr. West had nothing to report. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS Council Members Smith, McCullough, and Coppolo had nothing to report. Council Member Maes thanked Mr. Holler for his hard work and thoughtfulness in dealing with the families of the military. She said the River Festival went very well. She congratulated everyone involved with it. Council Member Killpack said he supports the Arts Council. He thanked the volunteers and staff for doing a good job with the River Festival Event. The Mayor said the resolution for the 6th Penny passed last week. They are not sure who the bonding agent will be. The County would like to go out for bid since it is a large amount involved. The Industrial Siting Council said they will have a meeting to decide how to split the resources that are received. The split will be 65% for Sweetwater County, 17.5% for Uinta County, and 17.5% for Lincoln County. ADJOURNMENT Council Member Coppolo moved to adjourn at 9:10 pm. Council Member Killpack seconded. Motion carried. (6-0) ______________________________ H. Castillon, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ Jeffrey V. Nieters, City Clerk City Council Proceedings September 4, 2012 Page 6 of 6