Friday, September 28, 2012

Palouse Council Minutes September 11, 2012


DRAFT ONLY.  Without council review or approval.

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
September 11, 2012

CALL TO ORDER:  Councilmember Connie Newman called the Council Meeting to order at 7:03 PM.  Connie Newman began by stating both the Mayor and Mayor Pro-tem are absent and a motion by council must be made, naming a member of council to preside over the meeting.  Norm Schorzman MOVED to appoint Councilmember Newman to preside over the meeting.  Councilmember Jones seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

ROLL CALL:  Councilmembers present:  Tim Jones; Bo Ossinger; Norm Schorzman; Alison Webb; Connie Newman.  Absent:  Mayor Echanove, Cecil Floyd, Rick Wekenman.  Also present:  Public Works Superintendent Dwayne Griffin, Clerk-Treasurer Joyce Beeson, and Police Chief Jerry Neumann.  Public present:  Heather McGehee.    

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Councilmember Schorzman MOVED to adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of August 28, 2012.  Councilmember Jones seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC WORKS REPORT:  Superintendent Griffin submitted a written report and added that they are fixing some boards on the walking bridge and getting ready for Palouse Day.    

POLICE REPORT:  Chief Neumann submitted the August activity log.  They are ready for Palouse Day with help from Reserve Officer Snead.  There was a WSU flag stolen and an arrest was made.  Chief Neumann stressed to all that these flags are not novelty items and theft of them will be taken seriously.  The Chief would like to move forward with the next phase of upgrade to the PD building for energy savings.  It involves insulating the duct work and walling of the furnace area.  This will go to committee for a report at the next meeting. 

Councilmember Jones questioned why the flags were flown on Main St today and who is responsible for deciding when they are flown.  Chief Neumann said the flags are up commemorating the eleventh anniversary of 9/11 and that the Palouse Lions Club own and hang the flags.  Councilmember Jones expressed his personal concerns over the protocol of the decision to fly the flags for this occasion.       
OLD BUSINESS:  Councilmember Newman asked Council to be sure and read the letter sent to them by the Duran’s regarding chickens and roosters in Palouse.  The letter has been forwarded to the Planning Commission. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS/REQUESTS: 
Water & Sewer-Connie Newman, Chair:  They had a committee meeting with since the last council meeting to go over the comments by the Dept of Health (DOH) on the Water System Plan (WSP).  Angela Taylor of Taylor Engineering was present along with Dwayne Griffin, Joyce Beeson and herself.  All of the action items will be addressed by Taylor with help from Dwayne.  The draft WSP is available for review at City Hall.  October 9th, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM has been scheduled for public review, comment and question and answer period.  Angela Taylor will be there along with council members and staff.  Also, a presentation by Taylor Engineering along with a question and answer period will be on the agenda for the regular council meeting on Oct. 9th.  The comments must be addressed and returned to the DOH within the first week in November to avoid additional costs. 

The draft Sewer Extension Policy (SEP) is on the attorney’s desk and will be forwarded to the Policy committee for their review. 

Councilmember Jones expressed his unhappiness with reactions and comments made when he raised his concerns over the flying of the flags on 9/11.  He reiterated that he is a patriot who loves his country but believes that the decision to fly the flags on 9/11 commemorating the blunder and victimization by our government is a mistake.  

MAYOR’S REPORT:  Presiding Councilmember Newman read an update of the Brownsfield project from MFA, Michael Stringer.  Included in the update are plans to take extra precautions at the bottom of the excavation along the existing building which is not only a residence but the future site of the Palouse Health Center.  They would release “oxygen release compound” there to promote the breakdown of any benzene left in the soil at the foot of the building.  Ecology agrees that is an appropriate measure.  The additional cost to the contract with PSC is $15,000 and would require a change order.  Michael Stringer asked for council approval to move forward with the change order.  After some discussion, Councilmember Ossinger MOVED to approve the change order to the PSC contract with the understanding that the $15,000 is paid through the grant.  Councilmember Jones seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

ALLOW PAYMENT OF BILLS:  Councilmember Jones MOVED that the bills against the city be allowed.  Councilmember Ossinger seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

ADJOURN:  Councilmember Jones MOVED to adjourn.  Councilmember Ossinger seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.  The council meeting adjourned at 7:28 PM.

The following checks are approved for payment:

Payroll Paid, August 31, 2012.   Ck. #4269-4294 & EFT          $44,490.00

Claims Paid,   Ck. #4268, 4295-4323 & EFT     $40,027.20
VOID              Ck. #4100, replaced with ck. # 4268

APPROVED: ________________________________   ATTEST: ________________________________
 

No comments:

Post a Comment