Minutes of City Council Meeting, January 14, 2004

CITY COUNCIL
Meeting Minutes

January 14, 2004

LOUISVILLE, NE

A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Louisville was held on Wednesday, January 14, 2004, at 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall. Present were Mayor Dave Pankonin, Council Members Clete Petrzilka, Alan Mueller, Joe Smisek and Steve Sherman. Also present were City Attorney Roger Johnson, City Supervisor Dan Henry and several guests.

Notice of the regular meeting was given in advance thereof by publication in the Plattsmouth Journal and by posting in three (3) public places as shown by the certificate attached to these minutes. Notice was simultaneously given to all council members. Their acknowledgement of receipt of notice and the agenda is attached to these minutes. All proceedings thereafter were taken while the convened meeting was open to the public.

Mayor Pankonin called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and asked the Council to review the consent agenda. Smisek moves, Petrzilka seconds to approve the consent agenda. Roll call vote: 4 ayes. Motion carried.

The first order of business was ordinance #753; Water and Sewer Fees. There were two options available, one with a $50 account set up fee and one with a $100 account set up fee. The council members were given a chance to state their opinions and the landlords present were also given the floor. Sherman moves, Petrzilka seconds to introduce and suspend the three required statutory readings of Ordinance #753; Water & Sewer Fees, the option with a $50 account set up fee. Motion carried with unanimous roll call vote. Petrzilka moves, Sherman seconds to adopt Ordinance #753. Motion carried with unanimous roll call vote.

There were also two options for Ordinance #754; Water Definitions, Multiple Meters & Landlord Policies. One states “no new water service account may be established for a meter with a delinquent account”, the other states the same with the addition of “…exceeding $100.” Mueller moves, Sherman seconds to introduce and suspend the three required statutory readings of Ordinance #754; Water Definitions, Multiple Meters & Landlord Policies, the option with the language that reads “no new water service account may be established for a meter with a delinquent account.” Motion carried with unanimous roll call vote. Petrzilka moves, Mueller seconds to adopt Ordinance #754. Motion carried with unanimous roll call vote.

Petrzilka moves, Sherman seconds to introduce and suspend the three required statutory readings of Ordinance #755; to Amend Section 9-301, Regarding Building Codes Published by International Code Council. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote. Petrzilka moves, Sherman seconds to adopt Ordinance #755. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Sherman moves, Mueller seconds to approve Resolution 04-01; No Parking on 3rd Street between Main & Walnut from the alley west 20 feet. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Mueller moves, Sherman seconds to approve Resolution 04-02; Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increase to $0.375. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

The council then discussed the interlocal governmental agreement between Cass County and the City of Louisville pertaining to the Sandhill Road Project. Dan spoke to the Ahl family concerning the property on either side of the curve. He was given permission, and is having Roger draw up an agreement, to do dirt work on the sides of the road in conjunction with the work being done on the road, to make visibility better and make the road more safe at that spot. Dan spoke to Randy Wilkens and was told work could begin as early as June. Council Member Mueller asked if the city had any say in the speed limit and Roger stated it was still at the county’s discretion. Petrzilka moves, Sherman seconds to enter into the interlocal governmental agreement with Cass County for the Sandhill Road Project. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Park fees at South Ridge Subdivision were then discussed. Roger explained that the park fees are an ordinance and a totally different issue than the subdivision agreement. An ordinance established the park fees and a resolution set the fees and neither says the park has to be in the subdivision, but in all reality, there should to be a park in that area. Bob and Dick agreed to pay the park fees per the ordinance. Dan also reminded Bob and Dick of the lot that needs to be deeded to the city as agreed upon in the subdivision agreement. That lot could be used for anything the city deems necessary, from utility service, to a water tower or for a park. Dick said, of course they will honor the subdivision agreement.

Petrzilka moves, Sherman seconds to approve the State Highway Maintenance Agreement No. 55. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote. Sherman moves, Mueller seconds to approve the Certificate of Compliance with the State Maintenance Agreement No. 55. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

The council reviewed the 1 – 6 Year Plan for Street Improvement. The plan was carried over from last year with the first priority being the 6th Street Bridge and the second being Eastwood Drive extension. The city maintenance crew has done extensive work to the 6th Street Bridge already. The city has received an application to request a zoning change on property on Eastwood Drive. Dan thinks this might bring more traffic to that area and having Eastwood extended to Highway 66 should be higher priority. The clerk was instructed to call Eric about changing the plan for this year.

Mueller moves, Sherman seconds to send a letter of support to The League of Nebraska Municipalities to support a request from SCAN to dedicate some portion of Nebraska’s Homeland Security allocation to tower infrastructure costs for the new statewide wireless communication system for public safety and utility personnel. Ayes – 4, nays – none. Motion carried.

Mayor Pankonin discussed the preliminary financial statement briefly. He and the clerk went over the original and had some questions that the CPA corrected. Overall, the opinion of the auditor is favorable. He pointed out at this time an article in the League magazine about other city’s woes with budgets. He appreciates the staff and council doing what’s necessary to stay out of these situations and at the same time the council needs to look ahead and stay on top of it. Some of the decisions made by the council have ramifications well into the future. The clerk mentioned that several of the certificates of deposit are short term investments earning lower interest rates. She assured the council that the cash account stays fairly constant, but there might be a benefit to committing the investments to longer term. It is something for the council to think about.

The clerk informed the council that the cleaning person quit and would like to ask permission to pay more than before. It was recommended by Roger that a contract be drawn up with informal bids taken for the job as a whole. The decision will be made at the next council meeting.

The next agenda item concerns sending the clerk to computer classes for continuous education for help with the cemetery records. Mayor Pankonin took this time to explain what’s happening with the cemetery board and what he wants to have happen with maintenance and bookkeeping. There are issues on the finance side that need to be addressed as well as from the functional standpoint. All the records need to be updated, make sure there are backups and that all matters are handled properly. Mueller moves, Sherman seconds to approve the attendance of the clerk to continuing education computer classes for $849.00. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Mueller moves, Petrzilka seconds to approve the reimbursement to Roger for half the registration to the LNM Conference. Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

There was a written sheriff’s report. There were no reports from Fire/Rescue, Library/ Senior Center, Care Center, MAC or the JayCees.

Dan reported for Water/Wastewater. He explained the condition of the water. The chemicals are staying in the lines longer because the usage is naturally down this time of year. The color means the chemicals are working and doing their job. The polyphosphates that are now injected by state orders do two things; it breaks loose the materials that have built up on the lines over the years and it suspends new particles so they don’t build up. The chlorine that’s injected disinfects the materials breaking loose. The maintenance crew is flushing the hydrants extensively to get the water through the lines. Dan has no idea how long this will last but is hoping this is the worst. Dan also reported that some water samples have been taken at places where potential test wells might be drilled for supplemental water for Louisville. Mayor Pankonin complimented Dan and the maintenance crew for their fine work on the snow removal. They were also complimented on the creek bank. Dan’s next plan is to clean the bank along the north side of the cemetery and paint the fence.

Mayor Pankonin reported for the BUILD Committee. Lynn Smith informed Dave that there will be a Lewis & Clark event held in Louisville. It could possibly bring a large group of tourists to town.

Mueller moves, Sherman seconds to enter executive session at 8:31 p.m. to discuss legal and personnel issues. Ayes – 4, nays – none. Motion carried. Mueller moves, Sherman seconds to exit executive session at 9:10 p.m. Ayes – 4, nays – none. Motion carried.

Petrzilka moves, Mueller seconds to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 p.m. Ayes – 4, nays – none. Motion carried.

I, the undersigned clerk, hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the proceedings had and done by the Mayor and City Council of Louisville to the best of my knowledge, that the agenda was kept continually current and available for public inspection; and the minutes were in written form and available for public inspection within 10 working days; the minutes are published in summary form, upon request a complete copy is available at City Hall.

Dee Arias
City Clerk