CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 4/07/08

Meeting Called to order, minutes approved as presented.

Gary Fisher/Randy Frazer moved to approve March bills. Passed unanimously.

Fred Bohnenblust and Bill Parker attended the meeting to represent Habitat for Humanity and answer any questions the council might have concerning their program. The administrator requested that the council revisit a decision made at the meeting of February 4, 2008 where a consensus was made to “continue the policy” of not including habitat housing in the housing grant program. The administrator had responded in an e-mail last July, prior to the start of the of construction of the house just completed, that this house would qualify for the grant. When the council discussion took place last February this fact was forgotten. With apologies to the habitat representative the administrator requested a reversal of the February decision. Kathy Regier/Randy Frazer moved to pay Habitat for Humanity the $6000 grant amount for the home just completed. Passed unanimously.

City Attorney Harry Weelborg joined the meeting. Kathy Regier/Lanny Stucky moved to go into executive session to discuss the Airport Management Agreement under attorney client privilege at 6:10 p.m. for a period of 45 minutes, to reconvene at 6:55 p.m., with the mayor, council members, city attorney and city administrator participating in the session. Passed unanimously. The council returned to open session at 6:55 p.m.

Hank Siemens/Gary Fisher made the motion that pursuant to the Airport Management Agreement dated April 1, 1998, the City hereby resumes the management of the City airport facility and further hereby relieves Weaver Aero International, Inc. and Carl Weaver of any and all airport management responsibilities to be effective on and after May 1, 2008; and to convert the existing airport management agreement to a standard lease agreement. Passed unanimously. A letter of notification will be prepared by city attorney Harry Weelborg, as well as a revised lease agreement wherein the lease provisions of the original management agreement remain intact.

Randy Frazer left the meeting.

Moridge Manufacturing wishes to celebrate their anniversary by sponsoring a street dance in front of Black 32 the evening of the Black Kettle celebration on May 31. The band will play from around 8 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. They will provide security for the event. They also requested that they be allowed to have a fireworks display on June 7 at the company picnic on the Moridge grounds. The consensus was to approve these requests.

The Chamber has spoken for the old bulletin board sign being replaced by the high school and wanted to know if the City was interested in locating the sign by the City building or if they had a location which would be appropriate in a high traffic area. This sign would ultimately provide information for chamber and community events. Discussion didn’t reveal a suitable location and the question was tabled.

Max Fuqua, contractor for the Memorial Home project had asked the City if it would consider paving 700’ of the township road adjacent to the building project. Apparently there are state regulations which require this type of facility to be accessed by a paved road. The council discussed the idea and Gary Fisher moved to pave the road provided that all material costs were paid by Memorial Home. The motion died for lack of a second. The administrator will contact Mr. Fuqua and inform him that the City is not interested.

The administrator informed the council that the EPA came to town a couple of weeks ago and spent most of the week monitoring effluents from the industrial customers to our wastewater system and the wastewater system in general. They also took samples of effluent from the City lagoons. It is most likely that they’re responding to a complaint made in the last year or two concerning the odors emanating from the system when the ponds turn over every spring. The reports should be back within the next few months.

Updated the council on the debris and utility disaster projects filed with FEMA after the ice storm last December. One project has been turned in and the other is ready for final signatures. It looks like the City will recover close to $20,000 in total damages for the project.

Kathy Regier/Hank Siemens moved to approve ordinance #850, an ordinance authorizing the establishment of a grant program for residential construction in Moundridge, Kansas, until August 1, 2009. This is basically a reauthorization of the ordinance which has established the housing grant program since 1999. The wording in the ordinance includes houses built under the Habitat for Humanity program but excludes mobile or modular housing constructed with a metal frame or undercarriage for transport. Passed unanimously.

The administrator addressed the need to rehabilitate some of the sewer lines in the older part of town. Many of these lines are 15 to 20 feet deep and are almost impossible to replace or repair without extensive cost and inconvenience to the customers along with the City. There is a procedure of installing a liner which hardens into a permanent line inside the old pipe. The consensus of the council is to begin a systematic process of rehabilitating these lines on a “worst first” basis.

Informed the council that a meeting has taken place between a prospective developer, engineer, and the City to develop a proposed layout for a new addition.

Hank Siemens/Lanny Stucky moved to set the City mileage reimbursement rate to the current IRS allowable rate of 50.5 cents a mile. Passed unanimously.

A question was raised as to whether there would be a possibility of obtaining an easement to construct a handrail in the City right of way. The consensus of the council is that the issuance of encroachment easements are acceptable based upon approval of each separate request.

A request was made to check on the plans from a property in the 200 block of W. Krehbiel. The house has been in a state of disrepair for a considerable period of time and the cosmetic appearance of the property is not good.

Community clean-up day will be Friday, May 2. The Lions Club will be having a hamburger fry in the park for the noon meal. The consensus of the council is to pay for half the cost of the food.

It was requested that the City pick up ice damaged branches which were downed east along Hoch Street.

Meeting adjourned.