Regular Council Meeting Minutes - October 10, 2012
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
October 10, 2012 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Randy Snyder, Scott Huss, Jerry Twombly and Kevin Lackey. Lori Kelley was unable to attend.
ALSO PRESENT: Brandon Whetstine, Bill Butrick, Mike Batchelder, Dennis Snyder, John Petrik, Pam Twombly, Dorothy Diveley, Karen Rockhold, Ted Collins, Garrett Nordstrom, Scott Sisk, Robert Powell and Melanie Hollabaugh.
PRESIDING: Mayor Ken Stewart
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. with a quorum present.
Randy Snyder moved to approve the minutes of the last Regular Council Meeting held September 12, 2012. Kevin Lackey 2nd, motion carried.
Scott Huss moved to approve the bills for the month of September 2012. Kevin Lackey 2nd, motion carried.
PRESENTATIONS:
Garrett Nordstrom of Governmental Assistance Services, the Grant Administrator for the City’s Street Project, was in attendance of the meeting for finalization of the Street Project.
7:03 p.m. Mayor Stewart opened the Public Hearing for Evaluating the performance of Grant No. 11-PF-035 by asking for any questions or comments from the public. Scott Huss mentioned a drainage problem on Missouri Street close to Chris Gibson’s home. Mayor Stewart informed the Council that problem would be something the City would be responsible for. John Petrik asked about the new tube on Kirkwood Street and if that was a part of the Grant or not. Mayor Stewart said it was not.
Mr. Nordstrom explained that the City would need a motion from the Council to accept the final payment request for $26,551.00 and to have the Mayor sign the necessary documents to complete Grant No. 11-PF-035. Scott Huss moved to accept the final payment request and to have the Mayor sign the paperwork to complete the Grant. Jerry Twombly 2nd, motion carried.
7:06 p.m. After no further comment, Mayor Stewart declared the Public Hearing adjourned.
CITY OFFICERS REPORT:
Police Chief Whetstine mentioned he had nothing to report at this time and asked if the Council had any questions for him. Mayor Stewart updated the Council on Officer Buckingham’s status on returning to work.
CITIZENS REQUESTS:
Scott Sisk asked if something could be done to fix the rough area in the road at the bottom of the hill on East Spring St. Mayor Stewart informed Mr. Sisk that the City had spent more money than usual out of the Street fund, and there would still be more money used to finalize the Grant and for other expenses. Scott Huss and Kevin Lackey both said they would like to see something done to fix the problem this year if at all possible. Mayor Stewart asked Scott Huss to look into possible repairs and bring back some prices to a work session to be scheduled at a later date. Dennis Lentz stated that he would like a copy of how all the money was spent on that project.
John Petrik asked if repairs could be done on North Kirkwood Street. Ken Stewart said City Maintenance was aware of the problem and would be performing the repairs after it has had time to settle.
Mr. Petrik mentioned the road in front of Ron Huss’s new shop had not been completely returned to the original condition after the shop building was built. Mayor Stewart asked Scott Huss to talk to Ron Huss about getting the road fixed back to it’s original condition, according to City Ordinance.
John Petrik informed the Council that he was unable to get any Law Enforcement at his place of business a few days ago. He asked the Council what could be done to have better Police coverage in town. Ken Stewart and Ted Collins stated that back up from the County when our officers are off duty has been an ongoing issue, except in emergency situations, and that hopefully policies will be changed for better coverage when the new administration takes office.
Mr. Petrik then stated he would like to see the ATV Ordinance changed so everyone can ride them in town again, not just employees of the College. Mayor Stewart said he would have the Law Enforcement Committee look into the request and bring back a recommendation to the next Regular Council Meeting.
Dennis Lentz asked what the procedure is on how a property is put on the Derelict Structure list. Ken Stewart explained that Code Enforcement Officer Malcolm Grier came to town and chose the properties that should be included on the list. Mr. Lentz expressed his frustration with the process.
Jerry Twombly informed the Council that he had been approached by Mike Parker about the parking situation in front of his residence on Main Street. Ken Stewart asked the Law Enforcement Committee to look into current City parking regulations and bring back any recommendations to the Council at the next Regular Council Meeting.
Dennis Lentz declared that he felt that because of recent problems in the town, the Police Chief should reside within the City limits, and would like it if Council Member Lackey would make a motion for that to be made policy. After complaints and accusations, Mayor Stewart stated he was satisfied with Chief Whetstine’s performance, thanked Mr. Lentz for his comments and asked him to leave the podium.
OLD BUSINESS:
City Attorney Ted Collins updated the Council on the progress of the New Zoning Regulations and Procedures for the City and County. Mr. Collins asked the Council to consider having a Special Meeting to go over details of this issue before it is finalized at the County level. Mayor Stewart and the Council decided to have a Special Meeting on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the Zoning issue.
Mayor Stewart advised the Council that Brian Kingsley and Brent Chestnut from BG Consultants had met with Bill Butrick, Ted Collins and himself earlier in the week to discuss the City’s Water Project. Mr. Kingsley and Mr. Chestnut suggested types of structures to be considered, possible placement of new water lines, a timeline for bidding on the new tower and water lines and ideas for replacing water meters and or hydrants and possibly installing a telemetry meter reading option. Mayor Stewart stated that bids for construction of the new tower should be let out this year and he further stated that the water line placement bids would take place after the first of the year .
Randy Snyder asked if the City Maintenance crew could pull the sides of the road back in on the newly asphalted Pennsylvania and North Carolina streets. Mayor Stewart said he would talk to Maintenance as soon as possible.
Jerry Twombly asked the Mayor to talk briefly about the “cloudy looking water” some people are experiencing in the City. Mayor Stewart explained the “cloudiness” was due to the water main break the City had last week. The discoloration is due to air in the water line from when the pipe was removed and replaced. He also stated it should clear up on its own soon.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mayor Stewart announced that the City would need to advertise for a new Part-Time Assistant City Clerk. It was agreed to have an ad put in the local paper and for the Mayor, Bill Butrick and Melanie Hollabaugh to review any applications and bring back a recommendation at the next Regular Council Meeting.
Kevin Lackey moved to have Melanie Hollabaugh attend her 2nd year of Certified Municipal Clerks School, November 12th thru 16th, 2012, and to pay all fees and expenses. Randy Snyder 2nd, motion carried.
Kevin Lackey moved to pay the City Attorney fees of $5000.00 for Grant project # 11-PF-035. Jerry Twombly 2nd, motion carried.
7:42 p.m. Scott Huss moved to adjourn. Jerry Twombly 2nd, motion carried.