City Council

PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANISTEE CITY COUNCIL – January 16, 2018 A regular meeting of the Manistee City Council was called to order by his honor, Mayor James Smith on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 70 Maple Street, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. PRESENT: Dale Cooper, Lynda Beaton, Roger Zielinski, Robert Goodspeed, James Smith, and James Grabowski. ABSENT: Erin Pontiac ALSO PRESENT: City Manager – Thad Taylor, City Attorney – George Saylor, City Clerk – Heather Pefley, DPW Director – Jeff Mikula, Finance Director – Ed Bradford, Planning & Zoning Director – Denise Blakeslee, Public Safety Director – Tim Kozal, and City Engineer – Shawn Middleton / Spicer Group. CITIZEN COMMENTS ON AGENDA RELATED ITEMS. None received. CONSENT AGENDA.  Minutes ‐ January 2, 2018 ‐ Regular Meeting ‐ January 9, 2018 ‐ Work Session  Financial Reports ‐ Payroll ‐ December 2017 ‐ Invoices ‐ December 2017  Notification Regarding Next Work Session – February 13, 2018 A discussion will be conducted on a MERS presentation and the City Manager’s Quarterly Strategic Plan Update; and such business as may come before the Council. MOTION by Zielinski, second by Grabowski to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. With a roll call vote this motion passed unanimously. AYES: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Goodspeed, Smith, and Grabowski NAYS: None CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO REPUBLIC SERVICES CONTRACT TO INCLUDE CURBSIDE RECYCLING. This item was tabled from the December 19, 2017 meeting and further discussed at the Council work session on January 9, 2017. The City of Manistee offers recycling at a drop off site in the Industrial park. City Council has asked Republic Services for a proposal to close the drop off site and move to curbside recycling. Each refuse customer would be supplied with a 96 gallon cart to be emptied two times each month. The estimated new cost of this service would be $2.76 a month for each customer. If approved, the program switch would have a July 2018 estimated start date | Page 1  PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANISTEE CITY COUNCIL – January 16, 2018 MOTION by Zielinski, second by Cooper to approve the contract amendment with Republic Services to institute a curbside recycling program and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the documents. With a roll call vote this motion failed unanimously. AYES: None NAYS: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Goodspeed, Smith, and Grabowski CONSIDERATION OF INCREASING ACCUMED GROUP BILLING RATES FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. The Manistee Fire Department works with AccuMed Group for billing purposes for ALS services. The amount the Fire Department assigns to billing for services is analyzed annually. The current fees have not changed in more than two years. In examining the current rates, the suggested fees, the fee schedules associated with Medicare, Medicaid, and BCBS; Deputy Chief Darling and Chief Kozal have recommended to raise the EMS rates in three areas. This reflects the current increases in vehicle fuel, vehicle maintenance, cost of medical supplies and personnel costs. MOTION by Goodspeed, second by Beaton to approve the AccuMed Group billing rates for the City of Manistee Fire Department. Brief discussion followed. With a roll call vote this motion passed unanimously. AYES: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Goodspeed, Smith, and Grabowski NAYS: None CONSIDERATION OF A FEMA GRANT APPLICATION BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR EXTRICATION EQUIPMENT. Applications are being accepted for the 2017 FEMA Firefighters grant cycle. Grant applications are due February 2, 2018. The Fire Department is requesting authorization to apply for a grant in the amount of $50,000. The cost would cover the purchase of extrication equipment and training for the department. If successful, the City would be responsible for the 5% grant match of $2,500 and the cost of a grant writer at 5% or $2,500. Bids would be solicited for the equipment if the grant is received. MOTION by Zielinski, second by Goodspeed to authorize the submission of a FEMA grant application in the amount of $50,000 with a submission fee of $500; a City match of $2,500 and $2,500 cost for the grant writer if the grant is awarded. Discussion followed. With a roll call vote this motion passed unanimously. AYES: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Goodspeed, Smith, and Grabowski NAYS: None | Page 2  PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANISTEE CITY COUNCIL – January 16, 2018 CONSIDERATION OF A FEMA GRANT APPLICATION BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR TWO HEART MONITORS Applications are being accepted for the 2017 FEMA Firefighters grant cycle. Grant applications are due February 2, 2018. The Fire Department is requesting authorization to apply for a grant in the amount of $70,000. The cost would cover the purchase of two heart monitors for the department. If successful, the City would be responsible for the 5% grant match of $3,500 and the cost of a grant writer at 5% or $3,500. Bids would be solicited for the equipment if the grant is received. MOTION by Zielinski, second by Goodspeed to authorize the submission of a FEMA grant application in the amount of $70,000 with a submission fee of $500; a City match of $3,500 and $3,500 cost for the grant writer if the grant is awarded. Discussion followed. With a roll call vote this motion passed unanimously. AYES: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Goodspeed, Smith, and Grabowski NAYS: None A REPORT FROM THE MANISTEE BLACKER AIRPORT Mr. Barry Lind reported on the activities of the Manistee Blacker Airport and responded to questions the Council had regarding their activities. CITIZEN COMMENT. Rick Schrock ‐ 603 Harvard Ln. ‐Budget season is here; thanked council for all their hours of work; in past years, public comment time has been short; encourages Council to spread out the timeline to allow for more thoughtful public input on the budget. Barry Lind ‐ 532 4th St. – thought last work session confirmed not enough money for streets without dramatic cuts; wants council to see what can be done to increase tax base to have revenue to accomplish what we need to do. OFFICIALS AND STAFF. None Received. COUNCILMEMBERS. Cooper – Recognized employees with service anniversaries in January; wished Thad Taylor Happy Birthday. Beaton – Welcomed Denise Blakeslee back to work. Smith – Thanked everyone for being here tonight. CONSIDERATION OF A CLOSED SESSION, MANAGER ANNUAL EVALUATION. City Manager Thad N. Taylor has requested a closed Session this evening as permitted by the Open Meetings | Page 3  PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANISTEE CITY COUNCIL – January 16, 2018 Act, Section 8 (a) for discussion on the City Manager’s Annual Evaluation. MOTION by Goodspeed, second by Zielinski to proceed to Closed Session under Section 8 (a) of the Michigan Open Meetings Act. Time: 7:49 p.m. With a roll call vote this motion passed unanimously. AYES: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Goodspeed, Smith, and Grabowski NAYS: None MOTION by Goodspeed, second by Zielinski to return to Regular Session. Time: 8:09 p.m. With a roll call vote this motion passed unanimously. AYES: Cooper, Beaton, Zielinski, Smith, and Grabowski NAYS: None ADJOURN. MOTION to adjourn was made by Zielinski. Meeting adjourned at 8:09 p.m. Heather Pefley CMC, CMMC / MiCPT City Clerk | Page 4