City Council

Regular Council Meeting July 25, 2022 1. Mayor Scott Schultz called the meeting to order at 7:00. Present were Council members David Butler, Kale Dankenbring, Amanda Milne, and Larry Finley. Also present were Interim City Superintendent Dan Blair, City Clerk Lila Whitmore, Assistant City Clerk Leann Lee, City Attorney Lauren Reyelts, and City Treasurer Jen Blair. Council Member Dara Carmichael was absent 2. Minutes from the July 11th Council meeting were distributed and read. It was moved by Amanda and seconded by Kale to approve the minutes as written. Motion passed. 3. Sheriff Report – none 4. New Business: a. Killy Hilt presented plans for construction of a building on the empty lot located at 316 S. Benton to be used as a gymnastics/dance center. This is in a residential area which would require a zoning variance. The Council determined that the property owners affected by the business would be Dan Siegfried, Harold and Sue Griffin, Gilbert Carroll, Robert Grogan, and the Baptist Church Parsonage. The Council approved the variance contingent upon Ms. Hilt obtaining the required 80% signatures which will need to be confirmed by the City Clerk. b. Enrique Lopez with Lopez Construction was present to discuss the building permit process with the Council. After discussion the Council agreed that the City Superintendent and Mayor can give initial approval of building permits for contractors so that they can begin work on projects for their customers, but the permits will still need to be presented to the Council for final approval. If Dan has any questions or concerns on a permit he will bring it to the Council before approval is given. Notices will be sent to residents to remind them to obtain building permits before work is started. c. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Larry to approve a Tree Trim/Landscape Contractor License for Enrique Lopez/Lopez Construction. Motion passed. d. Derek Fromholtz was present to talk about recycling. He has been working with companies in Denver and is offering to take the aluminum cans there if the City can load them onto his trailer. He would pay the City whatever the market rate is, which is currently $.34 per pound. He indicated he is also able to take tin/metal cans. He is looking into possibilities for other recyclables such as plastic and glass with the goal of getting the recycling center back to running like it was. He will work with Dan on that. Mr. Fromholtz is able to take aluminum and tin cans right away. Lauren recommended there be a written agreement in place before anything is done and requested Mr. Fromholtz contact her to discuss the terms. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Larry to approve an agreement with Mr. Fromholtz on a trial basis. Motion passed. The Council agreed that accepting tin/metal cans at the recycling center should start as soon as possible and notices will be put in the paper and on Facebook. On another topic, Mr. Fromholtz expressed concerns regarding the drainage at the end of Washington street. With heavy rains trash gathers there and washes down to the river and he wondered if there was anything that could be done to catch the trash before it ends up in the river. There was no discussion. e. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale to approve the Riverside Recreation Temporary Alcohol Permit for the Concert in the Park and to approve Resolution 2022-3: RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS APPROVING A TEMPORARY PERMIT ALLOWING FOR THE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR ON CITY STREETS. David – yes, Kale – yes, Amanda – yes, Larry – yes. Motion passed. 5. Old Business: a. Property Cleanup – Lila asked for clarification on the property cleanup process and identifying properties that need addressed. The Council agreed that now that we have an Interim City Superintendent he should initiate the property cleanups, take the pictures, and sign the notices. Council members will also identify properties and bring their concerns to the Council meetings for review. b. Projects Pending   David indicated that Jordan Zweygardt has asked for a more streamlined process to decide on the design for the billboard signs. The Council agreed that Amanda and Dara could make the decision on behalf of the Council. Amanda will reach out to Mr. Zweygardt.  David asked if there was any more information regarding the bandshell. Lila is still looking into if/how it could be removed from the Historical Registry. Dan still plans to contact Miller & Associates for their input on repairs of the seating area. The key is finding out what can be done to fix it and finding someone to do the work. c. Streets Project – Lila has been working with Kevin Cowan with Gillmore & Bell. He will be creating a resolution for the Council to approve which will allow the remaining bond funds to be used for the next phase of the street project. d. Gary Hill with Hill Trash Pickup was present for more discussion on the trash contract. He has asked for a fuel adjustment to be added. Mr. Hill and the Council agreed that the fuel adjustment would be a surcharge if the cost goes above $5.50/gallon and would be a credit to the City if it drops below $3.50. Jen talked about the billing cycle, which runs from the 15th to the 15th of each month, and how the effective date of the contract would affect what we are paying to Hill Trash Pickup. She pointed out that if the contract goes into effect August 1 we will be paying Hill Trash Pickup at the new contract rates before the new customer rates are in effect, which will cause the City to lose money. It would make more sense for the contract and new rates to become effective August 15 at the beginning of a billing cycle. The Council and Mr. Hill both agreed. Lauren will modify the contract to include the fuel adjustment and a new effective date of August 15. Lila will send the amended contract to Mr. Hill for his review and signature. Once signed Mr. Hill can scan and send it back to Lila. The Council can then review and approve it at the next Council meeting. Lauren will also create an ordinance for the new rates that can also be approved after the contract is signed and then a summary published August 11 so that the rates will become effective August 15. 6. Visitors – none 7. Pool Report – no updates 8. Building Permits – A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to approve the following building permits: Michael & Amy Barfield – 404 Parkway, fence; Vicki Killingsworth – 422 S. Benton, extend concrete porch; Robert Ogden – 415 E. Emerson, carport; Kent & Marsha Kechter – 411 E. Whittier, concrete in backyard; Travis Milne – 522 E. Third, concrete floor; Keith & Barb Lilley – 115 W. Whittier, enclose back patio; Keith Lilley – 115 W. Whittier, concrete retaining wall; Jolene & Gene Dodd – 202 E. Emerson, concrete and fence; Tommie Peter – 308 W. Webster, concrete sidewalk. Motion passed. 9. Superintendent Report • Dan shared the WAPA 5-year Small Customer Plan. This report is required to be completed every 5 years. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Larry to approve the SCP. Motion passed. • The sprayer broke down so we have gotten behind on spraying the streets for weeds. We have borrowed the County’s sprayer for now. A motion was made by Larry and seconded by Kale to approve the purchase of 50 gallons of weed spray at a cost of $2,256.60. Motion passed. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to purchase a new sprayer from JD Skiles for $2,476.80. Motion Passed. The County has offered to help with spraying if needed. The Mayor asked if the County is spraying the islands and the roadside park. Dan will find out. • The street sweeper broke down. Dan is waiting on a cost estimate for the elevator belts. • The County will be borrowing the City’s dump truck and packer for chip sealing in August. • Ward Electric’s last day of working in the City will be August 8. The Council will need to discuss the work to be done next year and materials that will need to be purchased. • The bulk fuel tank at the power plant is empty. It will hold 500 gallons but Dan recommended purchasing 250 gallons at this time. A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to approve the purchase. Motion passed.  • Dan talked about the trash hauling. The City crew has hauled trash on 1 Tuesday and 2 Fridays and the dump fees were $90.30. • A lens in one of the lights at the pool broke out Friday night. • American Boiler determined that the boiler has a bad blower motor. The boiler is only a year old so it should still be under warranty. • The Council gave approval for employees to have Friday afternoon of the fair off. • Ed Marin hopes to start on installation of the Roadside Park bathroom doors by the end of this week. There were 11 doors purchased with the SPARK funding which is just enough for the two roadside parks. Per Mr. Marin the restrooms in the Courthouse park were never measured and no doors were ordered for them. • Dan has one Chicken permit that he has not yet been able to reach the property owner to inspect for approval. • Dan requested 5 minutes of executive session for non-elected personnel to review job applications. • The Council discussed pallet fences but no decisions were made. • A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to accept and file the Superintendent report. Motion passed. 10. Attorney Report – Lauren requested 15 minutes of executive session for communications subject to attorney client privilege. 11. Clerk Report – • The Council approved the notices to be included with utility bills regarding building permits and abandoned vehicles. The notice will also include information on the trash rate changes. • Lila and Scott attended the Commissioners meeting on July 15 to talk about recycling. The Commissioners agreed that the money the County is receiving from SONOCO should go back to Bird City and St. Francis where the recycling work is being done. Lila contacted SONOCO and they sent reports showing the breakdown of tonnage and what was paid to Bird City and St. Francis so far in 2022. She shared these with County Clerk Scott Houtman. Lila will continue to receive these reports and will forward them on to the County Clerk. • Lila shared information on shredding services. There are a lot of records past their retention of 5 years that need to be disposed of and shredding them with the office machines in City Hall isn’t feasible. The cost for the services is $67 for a stop fee and $35 per tub. Lila estimates we will fill approximately 5 tubs so the cost should be around $250. • Janet Carman asked for approval from the Council to install a statue/sculpture in front of 202 on Washington. The Council indicated approval but would want to see specific plans on the size and placement. • A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Larry to accept and file the Clerk report. Motion passed. 12. Council Comments: David – stated he would vote no on the surcharge for trash. He cannot in good conscious vote for a contract where the City is doing more of the work but also paying more on the contract. Amanda and Lauren pointed out that there were considerable attorney costs for the modifying of the contract and ordinance as well. There was more discussion about trash but no further decisions made. Kale – none Amanda – none Larry – none 13. Mayor Comments – none 14. At 8:40 a motion was made by Larry and seconded by Amanda for the Council, Mayor, Interim City Superintendent, and City Clerk to recess into executive session for the non-elected personnel exception to review applications for the city crew position, the open meeting to resume at 8:45. Motion passed. Council member Butler excused himself from the executive session. The open meeting resumed. A motion was made by Larry and seconded by Amanda to hire Jacob Butler for the city crew position. Motion passed. 15. At 8:47 a motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale for the Council, Mayor, City Attorney, and City Clerk to recess into executive session for communications subject to attorney client privilege, the open meeting to resume at 9:03. Motion passed. The open meeting resumed, and no decisions were made. 16. Adjournment: It was moved by Amanda and seconded by Kale to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. ___________________________________________ City Clerk