City Council

Regular Council Meeting April 11, 2022 1. Mayor Scott Schultz called the meeting to order at 7:00. Present were Council members David Butler, Kale Dankenbring, Dara Carmichael, and Larry Finley. Also present were City Superintendent JR Landenberger and City Clerk Lila Whitmore. Council member Amanda Milne and City Attorney Lauren Reyelts were absent. 2. Minutes from the March 28 Council meeting were distributed and read. It was moved by David and seconded by Kale to approve the minutes as written. Motion passed. 3. Consent Agenda – It was moved by Kale and seconded by Larry to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda: Permission for Clerk to pay insurance at time of billing; Permission for Clerk to pay utilities at time of billing; Permission for Clerk to pay utility incentives before the 25th of the month; Permission for Clerk to pay theater bills when due; Permission for Clerk to pay Payment Service Network bills when due; Kansas Municipal Energy Agency Annual Dues - $411; Computer Information Concepts Support Agreement - $5,475. Motion passed. 4. Sheriff Report: none 5. New Business: a. A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to approve the Mayor’s appointment of Leann Lee as Assistant City Clerk. David – yes, Kale – yes, Dara – yes, Larry – yes. Motion passed. Leann will start on April 18. b. Cheyenne County Wildlife, Inc. (CCWI) – Brock McAtee, Ryan Culwell, and Will Orten were present to talk about the lease between the City and the CCWI for the property that is used for the gun club. Mr. McAtee pointed out that they have always carried insurance for the property and have made many improvements over the years. The current lease expired in 2012 and they are requesting the Council consider renewing the lease for a long term. Mr. McAtee spoke about some of the things the CCWI offers to the community including programs for youth. There was discussion about the possibility of the CCWI purchasing the property but it was decided not to pursue that at this time. The Council agreed that they would approve a 20- year lease. The legal description of the property also needs to be updated and JR and Amanda are working on that. Once a new lease is drafted a copy will be provided to the CCWI for their review. c. Cheyenne County Community Foundation – The CCKCF was unable to attend and will reschedule. d. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by David to approve the Mobile Home Park License application for Rosa Dominguez for the mobile home park at 502 S. Valley. Motion passed. 6. Old Business: a. Property Cleanup – There has been significant activity on the property on Emerson. The property on Whittier with the dog feces complaint is also making improvements. Two properties are scheduled for Municipal court. Nothing has been done yet on the property located across from the Hospital. The Mayor has compiled a list of properties he believes need attention and he asked Council members to also look around town and identify other properties that are of concern. The Council can then review the lists and decide on those that may need to be addressed first. b. Projects Pending –  The Council discussed the old pool property. JR indicated that the County does not have the resources to assist with the demolition and removal of the pool house structure and concrete. Kale indicated someone had expressed an interest in possibly putting in a green house. The Council agreed to put it out for bids for demolition or for proposals for other ideas.  Amanda is still waiting to hear from Michael Baxter with Jeter Law firm regarding the cross overs and access road. JR discussed patching but not fixing some of the major holes. There is also concern about a drain ditch between Quincy and Scott street and  JR believes it is a structural issue and traffic should be restricted, however it is the State’s property.  Larry indicated that the Empire Motel property is still a high priority on the strategic planning list. The Council affirmed that the intended use for the property is still lodging/motel. c. Streets Project – Crack filling is completed. McCormick Excavation will be here next week to finish the work on Benton Street which will complete phase 1. After final payment on the current street project there should be sufficient funds remaining from the last issue of bonds to cover the expenses needed for the engineering design fees for phase 2 and Miller & Associates will begin working on that soon. JR has not yet received a price on the fog sealing. 7. Visitors – none 8. Pool Report – Larry indicated that Kelley Milliken has contacted a licensed lifeguard training instructor from Goodland, Barb Bedore, who is willing to come to St. Francis to teach lifeguard certification classes. The Board will also be hiring Morgan Sherlock and Margaret Poling to teach swimming lessons. Lila pointed out that both the lifeguard instructor and the new swimming instructor must be registered with the Red Cross to teach at our facility. We also need to ensure we are properly licensed with the Red Cross Learn to Swim program to offer the lifeguarding classes. Lila will check into this. Ten lifeguards are returning this year and two new lifeguards have been hired. Larry read the list of names and the Council approved them along with hiring Kelley Milliken as the manager. Morgan Sherlock has expressed an interest in assisting Margaret Poling with teaching swimming lessons. Admission prices have not been confirmed. Last year private party costs were $150, and the board wants to increase that to $200. The passes worked well. People like the convenience of the passes especially for aquacise and lap swim. Admission in 2021 was $1 for children and $2 for adults. The admission fee is for the use of the facility whether or not a person actually swims. After considerable discussion, the Council agreed that admissions should be increased by $1. This is still below what other pools in the area charge. They plan to open the pool on Memorial Day weekend. At the last Council meeting the Council approved having lifeguards pay for their certification and be reimbursed upon successful completion. However, the board would like the Council to reconsider that policy. After discussion the Council decided to pay for the cost of the lifeguard certification training but employment will still be contingent upon successful completion of training. It was moved by Kale and seconded by Dara to accept and file the pool report. Motion passed. 9. Building Permits – A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to approve the following building permits: Kathleen Sichler – 429 E. Second, chain link fence; Dale Weeks – 604 S. College, storage building; Kale Dankenbring – 312 W. Washington, concrete pad with carport; and pending JR’s approval St. Francis Catholic Church – 625 S. River, storage shed; Randy Smestad – 518 S. Adams, fence and storage building. Motion passed with Kale abstaining on his permit. 10. Superintendent Report – • A Gun Club member has requested to repurpose the lifeguard towers from the old pool property to be used as observation towers at the shooting range. The Council approved. • Keller Pond has been stocked with fish and will be closed until the annual fishing tournament next weekend. It is still open to walk in traffic but no fishing. • The contract has been received from Ward Electric and will be forwarded to Lauren for her review. Work is anticipated to be completed in the fall. • Pool chemicals have been ordered. • JR and Scott met with Brock McAtee to discuss the City Hall steps. It is an insurance requirement that the steps be fixed. There is additional work that will need to be done above what was on the original estimate. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Dara to approve the new proposal of $23,845 from St. Francis Redi Mix & Construction for the City Hall steps. Motion passed. They also met and discussed the improvements needed on the east side of the pool. It needs to be addressed soon to prevent erosion on the adjacent property fencing. A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to approve the proposal from St. Francis Redi Mix for $7,000 to concrete the entire area. Motion passed.  • JR has been working for quite some time trying to obtain quotes for a new water control system. It has been challenging finding a company to bid the project but he has finally received response from one and is working on getting a price put together. • JR talked about an emergency services program with AT&T that could be offered to employees for priority cell phone lines. The employee’s cost would be $40 which includes unlimited data. It would be optional for employees but it would be a useful benefit for both the employee and the City. JR will get the information to Lila. • At the end of the Superintendent report JR officially gave the Council his 2 weeks notice of resignation. He stated that completing the trash service contract before he leaves is a priority along with other outstanding projects like the water control system. • Kale indicated that he had been approached by someone wanting to take some of the City’s grass pile for compost. JR stated it would require a legal release of liability. • It was moved by Kale and seconded by Larry to accept and file the Superintendent report. Motion passed. • A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Dara to accept the resignation of JR as City Superintendent. Motion passed. JR plans to attend the next City Council meeting. 11. Attorney Report – none 12. Clerk Report – • The Council approved having Lila gather employee wage information for the Council to consider increases. JR mentioned that the social security cost of living increase was 5.9% this year. Lila will bring information to the next meeting. • At the September 13 City Council meeting the Council had extended the COVID sick leave for employees through the end of March. Lila pointed out that it is not required to offer this sick leave and most cities no longer provide this to their employees. The Council agreed to discontinue the COVID sick leave at this time but that it could be re-instated later if circumstances warrant reevaluation. • A motion was made by Larry and seconded by David to sign a letter of support for the CC4C/202 on Washington Project’s application for the Community Service Tax Credit Program through the Kansas Department of Commerce. Motion passed. • At the Mayor’s request Lila provided details regarding the funding received from the Highway Tax and the funds spent on street improvements from the Special Highway Fund since 2000. • Lila was approached by a representative of Colonial Life asking for the opportunity to offer supplemental insurance plans to employees. The City already offers AFLAC and Liberty National cafeteria plans. The Council opted not to add an additional plan to the City’s offerings. • Lila and Jen are busy preparing for the annual audit which is scheduled for the first week of May. This will be a virtual audit with no onsite visit planned by Adams Brown auditors. • It was moved by Dara and seconded by Kale to accept and file the Clerk report. Motion passed. 13. Council Comments: David – none Kale – none Dara – none Larry – none 14. Mayor Comments – Mayor Schultz brought up the topic of recycling. Council members have been approached concerning the recent changes in recycling. After considerable discussion it was decided that a committee of three members consisting of one Council member, one County Commissioners, and one former Council member should be formed with the goal of researching possibilities and options for continued recycling. 15. All bills on Ordinance #1061 were reviewed. It was moved by Kale and seconded by Dara to approve the bills in the amount of $269,860.86. Motion passed. 16. At 8:43 a motion was made by Larry and seconded by Dara for the Council, Mayor, and City Superintendent to recess into executive session for the non-elected personnel exception to discuss job duties, the open meeting to resume at 8:53. Motion passed. The open meeting resumed and no action was taken. Lila will initiate posting the job listing for the City Superintendent position. 17. Adjournment: It was moved by Dara and seconded by Larry to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. ___________________________________________ City Clerk