City of
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
The
Mechanicsville City Council met in regular session on
Chris
Yancey inquired about damage to her sidewalk and the repair to the city parking
area that was a result of the gas lines being replaced last fall. Council was also informed that there is other
unfinished seeding, street repair, and sidewalk repair too. Coppess stated a written inquiry had been
sent to Alliant last week requesting an update on the status of the project
with no reply being received yet.
CONSENT AGENDA: Larry Beck motioned, Jeff
Christianson seconded to approve the consent agenda including the agenda,
minutes from
The
claims approved were as follows:
|
MENARDS |
BLDG MAINT |
694.98 |
|
PAYROLL |
WAGES |
4,994.11 |
|
BRIDGE COMMUNITY BANK |
FICA/MC |
3,278.36 |
|
TREAS, STATE OF |
P.T. WAGES |
1,644.65 |
|
I P E R S |
IPERS |
1,446.60 |
|
|
POSTAGE |
114.72 |
|
DELTA DENTAL |
DENTAL INS |
148.97 |
|
WELLMARK |
HEALTH INS |
2,522.97 |
|
ACCO, UNLIMITED CORP. |
OP SUPPLY |
165.50 |
|
ADVANCED WATER TECH. |
OP SUPPLY |
334.20 |
|
AIRGAS, INC. |
MED SUPPLY |
111.17 |
|
ALLIANT ENERGY |
UTILITIES |
6,167.41 |
|
BARCO MUNICIPAL PROD INC |
SIGNS/SNOW |
850.05 |
|
CAS MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC |
MINOR EQUI |
367.00 |
|
JOHNSON CO REFUSE INC |
RECYCLING |
2,091.50 |
|
FARM PLAN |
MISC SUPPL |
53.63 |
|
I I W ENGINEERS |
ENGINEERING FEE |
1,730.00 |
|
|
TELEPHONE |
151.61 |
|
KARRIE JOHNSON |
REFUND DEP |
50.00 |
|
JONES |
RECORD FEE |
27.00 |
|
|
TRAIN/CONF |
153.00 |
|
KOCH'S PAINT & LUMBER |
OP SUPPLY |
118.67 |
|
KUNDE OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT |
VEH REPAIR |
24.30 |
|
MECHANICSVILLE TELE. CO. |
TELEPHONE |
290.67 |
|
|
VEH REPAIR |
102.14 |
|
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS |
PD: RADIO |
358.35 |
|
STRACKBEINS, INC. |
VEH REPAIR |
66.69 |
|
WALMART |
FURN & FIX |
103.77 |
|
|
MISC CONTR |
70.00 |
|
IA OFFICE SUPPLY |
LIB OFFICE SUP |
107.49 |
|
AMAZON.COM |
LIB VIDEO |
99.69 |
|
EAST CENTRAL LIBRARY SER |
LIB CONTINUE ED |
30.00 |
|
DEMCO |
LIB SUPPLIES |
52.91 |
|
PEOPLE |
LIB SUBSCRIPT |
57.71 |
|
DISNEY ADVENTURES |
LIB SUBSCRIPT |
19.97 |
|
QUILL CORPORATION |
SUPPLY |
198.89 |
|
CONSERVATIVE PUBLISHING |
PUBLICATIONS |
281.84 |
|
KEYSTONE LAB, INC |
TEST FEES |
54.00 |
|
CEDAR CO. SOLID WASTE |
FEES LANDF |
913.50 |
|
FARM PLAN |
OP SUPPLY |
32.20 |
|
I P E R S |
IPERS |
1,433.78 |
|
BUSINESS RADIO SALES |
OP EQ REPAIR |
49.91 |
|
CASEY'S GENERAL STORE |
VEH SUPPLY |
102.26 |
|
HYGIENIC LABORATORY |
TEST FEES |
15.00 |
|
JIM SCHROEDER CONSTRUCTI |
LAGOON UPG |
45,003.88 |
|
IWPCA |
TRAIN/CONF |
40.00 |
|
KEYSTONE LAB, INC |
TEST FEES |
240.00 |
|
NEW HORIZON FS INC. |
VEH SUPPLY |
1,154.31 |
|
ARAMARK UNIFORM SERVICE |
CLOTH ALLO |
124.16 |
|
BRIDGE COMMUNITY BANK |
PETTY CASH |
27.19 |
|
SEEHUSEN INS. AGENCY,INC |
INSURANCE |
24,075.00 |
|
ODD JOBBER |
BLDG MAINT |
805.00 |
|
PAYROLL |
WAGES |
5,301.17 |
|
WELLMARK |
HEALTH INS |
2,522.97 |
|
DELTA DENTAL |
DENTAL INS |
148.97 |
Total
Receipts for the month of March by fund:
|
Agency-Water |
261.86 |
|
Ambulance
Trust |
6284.46 |
|
General |
5827.56 |
|
Road
Use Tax |
10335.04 |
|
Sewer
Utility |
43643.45 |
|
Solid
Waste |
6936.83 |
|
Employee
Benefit |
745.94 |
|
Water |
-30.29 |
|
Water Sinking
Fund |
7500.00 |
Total
disbursements for the month of March per fund:
|
Agency-Water |
61.86 |
|
Ambulance
Trust |
2405.98 |
|
General |
27112.84 |
|
Road
Use Tax |
4324.12 |
|
Sewer
Utility |
4810.39 |
|
Solid
Waste |
4431.73 |
|
Special
Revenue Emp Benefit |
1197.14 |
|
Water
Utility |
2907.65 |
DEPARTMENT REPORTS:
ADMINISTRATION: Coppess informed council about a grant that is available to
help with promoting the Farmer’s Market, the library has applied for a grant
from the Community Foundation of Cedar County requesting new carpeting and the
painting of a mural on the wall, the two new storage rooms have been painted in
the Memorial Building and as soon as the Medical Center has completed moving
their items to the new storage area, the floor will be cleaned and ready to
move in the cabinets and other items from the auditorium. There have also been several calls to
register for the clean up day. The
State Auditor’s office has also extended the deadline for the filing of the
audit report until May 31.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: Work logs were submitted and
council reviewed the response to be sent to the DNR regarding the recent
inspection of the water supply system and the application for the NPDES Permit
which is only lacking the results of some of the tests that were needed to be
sent in with the application. Zerbe also
indicated that he is researching utilizing the slurry seal for the seal coating
of the streets this year. A request to
attend the Iowa Water Pollution Control Association Region 6 Conference in
Council
also fielded comments about the unfinished seeding along the bank that had been
graded last fall on
POLICE REPORT:
Police Chief Jim Barber presented the council with his summary of
activity (3/13/06-4/09/06) which included 1 accident, 16 agency assists; 1
alarm; 2 Assist Motorists; 1 building check; 1 burglary; 9 citizen assist; 1
fire dept assist; 5-911, 2 traffic stops with 2 citations & 1 warning; 2
citations issued for stop sign violation and failure to yield to emergency
vehicle.
Council
also reviewed a list of addresses that had appliances sitting outside and a
motion was made by Larry, seconded by Pam to send a letter requesting them to
contact city hall to register for the clean up day next week or to provide a
written plan indicating when the appliances & furniture would be
removed. Failure to do so may result in
a nuisance abatement be filed. Ayes all. Motion
carried.
FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT: Nate Baker reported that the fire
department had 5 calls which included a structure fire on
A
request to purchase an oxygen sensor that goes into the gas detector and a
replacement cylinder at $148 each, a request to approving paying for the
testing for Fire Fighter 1 for 4 students at $50 each, and authorizing the
Mayor to sign the Fireworks permit and the city to cover the cost of the
insurance for the Fourth of July Fireworks display were all approved with a
motion by Jeff and a second by Pam. Ayes all. Motion
carried.
Chief
Baker also reported that the department worked on putting the dry hydrant back
together and worked with Tipton and West Branch Fire Departments on this
project. He presented a copy of the
apparatus room floor layout with measurements to Mayor Furry so that additional
research can be done on replacing the heaters.
The request to purchase a programmable thermostat was not acted on as it
led to additional discussion on replacing the glass doors to the fire station with
insulated doors in order to conserve energy.
The Council felt contacting Alliant energy regarding an energy audit in
order to help identify items that would lower utility bills in city buildings
should be the first step.
AMBULANCE REPORT:
Sherie Paup reported that the ambulance had a total of 7 calls for the
month with 6 medical and 1 trauma.
Sherie informed the council that Medical Director Brad Wisnowski had visited
and toured the facilities. He also recommended
that personnel check their MMR vaccination records due to the recent out break
in mumps. It was estimated to cost $91 per person for the lab fee and draw to
be done to see if a vaccination may be needed.
Paup
requested to purchase a full size soft stretcher at a cost of $96 which was
approved with a motion by Pam and a second by Jeff. Ayes all.
Motion carried.
Paup
also requested to purchase a 2006 Life Line Ambulance the same color, style as
A-3 at a cost of $86,140. It was
indicated that it would take 6 months for it to arrive and that the price would
go up $3200 if we waited 2 weeks. There
was an allowance of $28,000 for the trade in on the 2000 Life Line which has
just gone out of warranty and has 39,000 miles on it. Pam motioned to table until next month;
however, there was no second. Additional
questions were asked regarding checking with other vendors for a price
comparison of which that had not been done.
Additional discussion was held on whether the volume of calls warranted
having 2 units and could both units be traded in. Council requested a recommendation from the
Public Safety committee to review the needs and to obtain additional comparisons.
Discussion and possible action on:
Sidewalk inspections: identify walks
that must be repaired to meet standards: Comments were heard
from Barnhart and Yancey regarding not only requiring residents to repair their
sidewalks but also for those who did not have a sidewalk to be required to put
one in. The council indicated that the
issue tonight was to plan how to proceed with the identification of those
sidewalks that must be repaired. Once
that process is completed the next step will be to determine where new
sidewalks must be installed. Mayor Furry
will divide up the town and assign sections to all council members so that the
walks that must be repaired can be identified.
All property owners have already been provided with the information so
that they can do a self inspection.
Update on Housing Rehab project:
Coppess informed the council that 2 houses had the bids submitted and
opened on 2-9; 2 more on 3-28 and 1 is scheduled for April 20 and another for
April 27 with 4 not being let out for bids yet.
Environmental Management Services
has been schedule for the cleaning of the tank for the first week in May.
Communication will also be made with the contractor who will be hauling the
tank away.
Mechanicsville Telephone Company
request for construction permit: A motion was made by
Beck and seconded by Tom to approve the request and then after additional
discussion the motions to approve were then withdrawn until additional
information could be obtained. Council
is concerned about a 190 foot tower being in the center of town and what it
would look like. If possible, they would
like to obtain a computer generated sketch to see what the sky line would look
like and possibly inquire about having equipment installed on the water tower
to eliminate an additional structure. No
further action at this time.
Trees Forever request for matching
funds: A motion was made by Pam, seconded by Larry
to approve up to $500 for the matching grant funds. Ayes all. Motion carried.
Review and comment on the
Repair of tennis courts: Coppess reported that a representative from Tennis Courts
Unlimited had been in town to look at the courts and indicated that they were
in very bad condition. His
recommendation would be to scrape the current surface, resurface with asphalt
(similar to the basket ball court project) and then cover the asphalt with a paint like material to create the smooth playing
surface. He also recommended that this
be done to the basketball court in order to extend the life of the court as the
paint protects the asphalt from the sun and water and keeps the mixture from
being broken down and having the gravel coming up through to create a rough
surface. A written cost estimate was also going to be provided. He also anticipated the project to extend the
life of the courts for approx. 10-12 years.
A Casey’s grant application had also been completed and sent in to
assist with this project.
Solid Waste- Recycling & Yard
Waste: The current recycling contract with Johnson
County will expire on June 30, so a motion was made by Pam and seconded by
Larry to proceed with publishing the notice that the council would be
considering bids for the contract at the next council meeting. They also would like to have a separate bid
to include curbside pick up for yard waste.
Ayes all.
Motion carried.
Library
Board Vacancy & appointment: Larry
Beck motioned, Tom Hall seconded to appoint Michelle Finnegan to fill the vacancy
created on the Library board by the resignation of Gerry Alger. Ayes all. Motion carried.
Committee Reports: None.
Correspondence:
The US Hwy 30 Coalition and information about the NIMS and ICS training
to be held in Bennett were both reviewed.
Set next regular meeting date:
MAYORS COMMENTS:
None.
ADJOURN:
There being no further business to come before the Council at this time,
council member Logue-Newcomb motioned, Beck seconded, to adjourn the meeting at
9:45 p.m. Ayes all. Meeting adjourned.
ATTEST:
____________________________ _______________________________
Linda K.
Coppess, CMC David
L. Furry, Mayor
City
Clerk/Finance Officer