SPECIAL
MEETING OF THE CITY OF CONNELL, WASHINGTON
CONNELL, FRANKLIN COUNTY, WASHINGTON
The Special
meeting of the City Council of the City of
PRESENT:
Mayor Gary Walton, Mayor Pro-Tem Perry Skoglund, Councilmembers Monica
Pruett, Andy Sawyer, Ron Boyer and Roel Martinez.
STAFF:
City Administrator
BUDGET DISCUSSION
City Clerk Treasurer Eckman provided Council with the
2004 Preliminary Budget and advised that the Finance Committee had discussed the
potential reallocation of the natural gas tax revenue.
This could be done by reallocating the percentage of revenue that went to
the General Fund, Park & Recreation Reserve, and the Street Reserve. Another
option would be to lower the amount transferred to these funds and support these
funds out of the improvement reserves.
City Clerk Treasurer Eckman provided that the Salary
Matrix projected the 2% COLA as approved by Council.
The new janitorial position was included in the payroll projections.
City Administrator Tackett advised that due to direct
supervision for CRCC inmates the City was no longer able to have inmates do the
janitorial work at the City Hall as well as other buildings.
The person hired would not only be doing janitorial work but would also
provide maintenance for the buildings. The
position would be advertised in December to begin in January.
Public Works Director Munyan noted that he had looked
into the cost for hiring a janitorial service to come in but that the City would
only receive half of the services currently received at a greater expense.
City Administrator Tackett advised that a separate
contract for building inspections and code enforcements for Public Works
Director Munyan. The contract would
be for $100 a month and would satisfy the requirements for the Auditor and Fair
Labor Standards.
Councilmember Boyer requested that the City look into
having the employees pay a portion of their medical premium.
City Administrator Tackett
advised that due to a state law the City had to be able to provide a retiree
with health insurance. Teamsters
insurance did not provide this option and the City chose to go with Medical Plan
B from AWC
Clerk Treasurer Eckman noted
that the premium cost remained about the same but coverage had dropped.
It was possible Teamsters would be providing retiree benefits in the
future. It was also noted that
coverage for full dental benefits for the family as well as full medical for the
employee had to be covered by the City, but not full medical for the family.
City Administrator Tackett
advised that the following year medical benefits would be looked at very closely
as the Police Department had to renegotiate their contract.
Clerk Treasurer Eckman went
over the Capital Improvement Projects for 2004.
Projects included $2,500 for tables at the Community Center; $18,500 for
the museum and caboose; $7,500 for evidence room and range; $6,071 (amount
received through donations) for the Thermal Imager; $27,000 for pool repair and
playground equipment; $14,140 estimated for golf course expenditures; $91,500
for a generator, a front-end loader and a compactor; $300,000 left to expend for
the USDA loan; $55,500 for a front-end loader, a bioxide system, a well washer,
and sewer plant cleanup; and $76,000
for a front-end loader, TIB match, and a compactor for a total amount of
$2,234,332 for Capital Improvements.
Clerk Treasurer Eckman and
City Administrator Tackett went over the Grants Management Fund. $2,500,00 would
be available in grant form once the City had met its obligation for the USDA
loan; $500,000 TIB application for West Adams; $250,000 for the railroad
crossing on Clark; $150,000 for IAC athletic fields; $60,000 for IAC property
purchase; $100,000 for the EPA wastewater cleanup study; and $2,120
for criminal justice programs for a total amount of $3,562,120 for Grants.
Clerk Treasurer Eckman
presented to Council a handout that explained the Levy Lid Lifts.
The maximum tax rate for the City was 3.375, the City was currently at
2.7643. This gave the city a float
of availability of .6107. The City
could present a levy lid lift to the voters that would generate $64,400.28 for
the general fund.
Discussed the cap for the
utility tax on natural gas.
Councilmember Boyer
expressed his concern that due to the increasing cost of natural gas Lamb Weston
may have to change to diesel, this would impact the City and advised that the
operating days were being cut.
Clerk Treasurer Eckman
advised that Council would have to make the decisions as to what to cut back on
and suggested a meeting be held with Council and Lamb Weston and discuss a Lid
on the tax utility. Clerk Treasurer Eckman provided that she would finish going
through the paperwork provided by Lamb Weston and would get numbers ready.
There being no further
business to be heard before the City Council of the City of