City Council

Regular Council Meeting August 22, 2022 1. Mayor Scott Schultz called the Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) Hearing to order at 7:00. Present were Council members David Butler, Kale Dankenbring, Amanda Milne, Dara Carmichael, and Larry Finley. Also present were Interim City Superintendent Dan Blair, City Clerk Lila Whitmore, City Attorney Lauren Reyelts, and Assistant City Clerk Leann Lee. There was no public comment. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale to adopt Resolution 2022-4: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS TO LEVY A PROPERTY TAX RATE EXCEEDING THE REVENUE NEUTRAL RATE. David – yes; Kale – yes; Amanda – yes; Dara – yes; Larry – yes. Motion passed. A motion was made by Larry and seconded by Amanda to close the RNR hearing. Motion passed. 2. Mayor Scott Schultz called the Budget Hearing to order. There was no public comment. A motion was made by Dara and seconded by Amanda to adopt the official budget for 2023. David – yes; Kale – yes; Amanda – yes; Dara – yes; Larry – yes. Motion passed. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Larry to close the Budget Hearing. Motion passed. 3. Mayor Scott Schultz called the regular council meeting to order. 4. Minutes from the August 8 Council meeting were distributed and read. It was moved by Amanda and seconded by Dara to approve the minutes as written. Motion passed. 5. Sheriff’s Report – Sheriff Beeson shared the statistics for July which the Council reviewed. It has been extremely busy. The arrests made have all been District Court cases. They have completed active shooter training. They are back to working the school zones. It was moved by David and seconded by Larry to accept and file the Sheriff’s Report. Motion passed. 6. New Business: a. William Arthur/Nestled Insurance – Mr. Arthur is an independent insurance broker. He shared information with the Council regarding a cafeteria plan he would like to offer to City employees. It is a partnership between Attentive, which is a preventative care platform, and Cigna, which offers supplemental plans. He will send additional documentation to Lila to share with the Council. b. Jackie Remley was unable to attend the meeting. Sheriff Beeson has met with her to discuss her concerns regarding towing of vehicles. She may be writing a letter to the Council. c. Nicole Rauch addressed the Council regarding the damage to her child’s bicycle that was discussed at the last meeting. A police report was not filed on the incident. The Council reviewed pictures provided by Ms. Rauch and Dan and made no changes to their previous decision. Sheriff Beeson and Kale agreed to examine the damage to the bicycle. d. The Council further discussed the proposal from William Arthur. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to approve offering the plan to full time employees. Motion passed e. There was further discussion regarding the towing of vehicles. However, Lauren pointed out that ongoing matters on a potential municipal court case cannot be discussed in an open meeting and also cannot be discussed with someone who is not a party to the case. The Mayor talked about what the City’s ordinance states regarding the procedure for towing of vehicles. f. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale to approve Ordinance No. 640: AN ORDINANCE REGULATING PUBLIC OFFENSES WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS; INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE “UNIFORM PUBLIC OFFENSE CODE FOR KANSAS CITIES”, EDITION OF 2022, AMENDING SECTION 101 OF ARTICLE 11 OF THE 2015 CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS, AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 628. David – yes; Kale – yes; Amanda – yes, Dara – yes; Larry – yes. Motion passed. g. A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to approve Ordinance No. 641: AN ORDINANCE REGULATING TRAFFIC WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS; INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THE “STANDARD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE FOR KANSAS CITIES”, EDITION OF 2022, AMENDING SECTION 101 OF ARTICLE 14 OF THE 2015 CODE OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS, AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 629. David – yes; Kale – yes; Amanda – yes; Dara – yes; Larry – yes. Motion passed.  h. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to approve a Chicken Permit for Tyler & Ana Enfield. Motion passed. 7. Old Business: a. Property Cleanup • The Council discussed the mowing of weeds. Lila indicated that the cost of the mowing can be assessed to property taxes, but a list of the properties needs to be provided to her in order to submit it to the County Clerk. Dan and the Council discussed what an appropriate fee to charge would be. A notice has been posted on Facebook to let residents know that they are responsible for the weeds in the alleys, sidewalks, curb and gutters, and along fences. After discussion, a motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to approve a fee of $150 per yard for each time the City mows a property. Motion passed. • Lauren talked about one of the property cleanup cases which had a first appearance in July. There will be a sentencing hearing for the case this month. The Mayor confirmed that the property is in compliance. Lila indicated that the Mayor had signed a compliance letter. • There are other properties that need to be looked at and the Mayor will get with Dan on those. b. Projects Pending • The new banners have been installed on Washington street. c. Streets Project • A motion was made by David and seconded by Kale to approve Resolution 2022-5: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS, KANSAS DETERMINING THE NECESSITY TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT BOND RESOLUTION NO. 2019-6 OF THE CITY TO ALTER THE IMPROVEMENTS DESCRIBED THEREIN AND AUTHORIZE THE USE OF BONDS ISSUED THEREUNDER TO FINANCE SUCH ALTERED IMPROVEMENTS. David – yes; Kale – yes, Amanda -yes, Dara – yes, Larry – yes. Motion passed. • The Mayor signed the Transcript Certificate after review by the Council. 8. Visitors – none Sheriff Beeson left the meeting. 9. Pool Report – The pool will be open on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of August. There was a kid’s night late swim that was well attended. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale to accept and file the pool report. Motion passed. 10. Building Permits – A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to approve the following building permits: Greg Wolters – 616 S. Quincy, repair concrete; Keith Lilley – 115 W. Whittier, widen current driveway; Joan Petro – 422 S. Benton, porch; Jolene Dodd – 202 E. Emerson, concrete driveway. Motion passed. Dan presented several old building permits that had not been previously approved by the Council. The work has already been done. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Larry to approve the permits: Alonzo Perez – 320 W. Webster, shade awning; Kelly Lampe – 117 N. Quincy, wood fence; Marvin Miller – 523 E. Spencer, concrete driveway and retaining wall; Scott Northrup – 116 N. Quincy, fence and retaining wall. Motion passed. 11. Superintendent Report • A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale to approve $6,000 from Equipment Reserve for the purchase of bunker gear for the fire department. Motion passed. • Dan presented a quote from Yost Ford for the purchase of a 2016 F150 to replace the City Superintendent vehicle. The current vehicle will be utilized by the city crew. The trade-in value for the 2014 Dodge Charger is $7,500. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by David to approve the purchase of a 2016 F150 from Yost Ford in the amount of $26,006.25. Motion passed. • The engine/generator repair person will be here Wednesday or Thursday. • A request has been made for a water hydrant by the Veteran’s Memorial. The Council approved this along with one by the Dog Park. They also talked about installing another light for the memorial. • The Council gave permission for the County/EMS to install a fence on each side of the EMS building to prevent trucks from parking on the property. • Dan has received one estimate for repairs on the street sweeper in the amount of $10,447.96. He will obtain more estimates. We are currently using the skid steer sweeper.  • Leon Volk with Commercial Sign replaced the two failed modules on the LED sign. A third had also failed and was moved to a lower corner. The cost for replacement is $672 plus labor, but Mr. Volk has indicated he can show someone on the City crew how to replace the modules. Mr. Volk also stated that there are currently ten of these modules available. The sign is outdated and finding replacement parts in the future may be difficult. Mr. Volk also provided information on the costs of a new sign which range from $34,170 to $48,850 plus installation and setup. The Council agreed it would be a good idea to purchase the available modules to have on hand for replacement which would give the City more time before a new sign would be needed. Lila also indicated that the computer that controls the LED sign has failed and therefore the sign is not currently accessible. Leann has been working with Eric Harper to identify the hardware requirements for a replacement computer. A motion was made by David and seconded by Dara to purchase all available replacement modules for the LED sign. Motion passed. • The seal kit for the tipper on the trash truck is in. The truck will be taken to Andrist Ag for the repairs. • An individual has dumped items at the recycling center. The person’s vehicle was identified on the security cameras and reported to the Sheriff’s office. Lauren recommended the Council consider enacting an ordinance with its own specific penalty regarding items other than recyclables being left at the recycling center. • Dan requested 5 minutes of executive session for non-elected personnel to review an application. • A motion was made by David and seconded by Larry to accept and file the Superintendent report. Motion passed. 12. Attorney Report • Attorney Reyelts requested 15 minutes of executive session for communications subject to attorney client privilege. 13. Clerk Report • At the last meeting David had a question about the payment of $43,422.50 for the general obligation bonds. This is the semiannual payment on the bonds that were issued for the street project. Lila shared information with the Council showing the debt service schedules for the GO Bonds for the street project, the PBC Bonds for the pool, and the KDHE sewer loan. This loan will be paid off in September of 2024. • One of our CD’s at FNB Bank is up for renewal. It is $100,000 and is currently a 3-month CD. The Council reviewed the current interest rates. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Dara to renew the CD for a term of 1 year. Motion passed. • Lila shared a quote from Reach Solutions for $1,277 to install access points to improve the internet connectivity in the Council chambers. A new switch would also be needed. However, Dan recently installed a router at the back of City Hall and it was decided to wait and see if that helps with the connectivity before taking further action. • Lila shared an updated Work Site/Utility Vehicle registration form. The primary difference is that the new form has a space to identify the type of vehicle (ATV/4 wheeler, UTV/Side by Side, Golf Cart). The Council approved the new form. • Lila has received the required signatures for the variance requests from Flippin’ GZs to operate a food pantry at 405 S. Lorraine and from Grace Donohue to operate a daycare at 505 S. Lorraine. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by David to approve the variance requests. Motion passed. This is not a zoning change and the re-designation from residential to commercial is for Flippin’ GZs and Grace Donohue only. • Leann will be taking an online KOMA/KORA class on August 31. She will also be attending a KPERS training in Colby on September 13. A motion was made by David and seconded by Amanda for Leann to attend the Clerk Institute in Wichita November 14-16. Motion passed. • A motion was made by Larry and seconded by Amanda to approve a Special Event Permit for the Biketemberfest to be held on September 17. Motion passed. • A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Dara to accept and file the Clerk report. Motion passed. 14. Council Comments: David –A citizen asked if pea gravel could be placed in the potholes at the crossovers. The Council determined it would wash out and also it would not be safe for motorcycle traffic. Kale – none Amanda – none Dara – none Larry – Thanked the City crew for their help with the Concert in the Park. The Council thanked Larry and Terri Finley for organizing the special event. 15. Mayor Comments – The Mayor received a letter from the League regarding an essay contest for 7th grade students. He will take it to the school. 16. At 9:05 a motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Kale for the Council and all those present to recess into executive session for the non-elected personnel exception for an application review, the open meeting to resume at 9:10. Motion passed. The open meeting resumed. A motion was made by David and seconded by Kale to hire Derek Barnhart. Motion passed. 17. At 9:10 a motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Larry for the Council and all those present to recess into executive session for communication subject to attorney-client privilege, the open meeting to resume at 9:25. Motion passed. The open meeting resumed. No decisions were made. 18. Adjournment: It was moved by Amanda and seconded by Kale to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. ___________________________________________ City Clerk