FORT PIERRE CITY COUNCIL

REGULAR MEETING

June 4, 2012

The regular meeting of the Fort Pierre City Council was called to order by Mayor Tidball at 7:30 pm.  Members present for Roll Call were Cronin, Gabriel, Hanson, Rathbun, and Ricketts.  Officials present were Cromwell, Heezen, Lawrence, and Thorson.

Agenda.  Rathbun moved and Gabriel seconded to approve the agenda.  Motion passed on Voice Vote. 

Consent Calendar.  Gabriel moved and Ricketts seconded to approve the following Consent Calendar items: 5/21/12 Minutes; 5/30/12 Minutes; Open Container Permit-Rachel Menning-6/23/12-CYI; Raffle Permit-Rachel Menning-med exp fund raiser. Motion passed on Voice Vote.

Debt Limit Presentation.  Toby Morris with Dougherty and Co presented the current debt limit status to the council.  He explained that we currently have approximately $3.3 million available.  He also indicated that using it for streets is vital to the City, but will eliminate the City’s ability to support economic development through utilizing a TIF because we will have no debt limit available until other debt is paid off and/or property valuations increase.  He said it will take about 60 days for the funds to be available and we would have up to 3 years to spend the money.  He indicated that the current interest rate is 3% to 3.3% and feels that we should move forward soon rather than wait until fall because he feels that interest rates might start being a little unpredictable with the upcoming election cycle.  Ricketts moved and Hanson seconded to authorize proceeding with the long-term financing process, including drafting the resolution.  Motion passed on Voice Vote.

Authorization to Advertise for Bids.  Ricketts moved and Cronin seconded to authorize advertising for bids on the parking lot at the school near the ball field.  The City is doing this on behalf of the school and the school will be paying for the project.  Motion passed on Voice Vote.

CCO #1, Sharpe Enterprises-Levee Removal.  Council discussed the proposed change order for Sharpe Enterprises in the amount of $38,459.25, which is for additional hauling to various disposal sites.  The Council felt that the intent of the contract as indicated in the specifications was for the bidder to allow for the cost of hauling to various sites and that there was no guarantee or requirement to haul to any specific sites except for segments 1 & 2 and for a portion of 10.  Accordingly, Gabriel moved and Cronin seconded to deny the additional charges on the change order.  Motion passed on Voice Vote.

CCO, First Dakota Enterprises-Levee Removal.  Council discussed the change order previously presented to council from First Dakota Enterprises in the amount of $10,002 for additional hauling to various disposal sites.  The contract specifications for segment 10 indicated a portion of the material was to be returned to a borrow site while the remaining portion needed to be hauled to a different disposal site.  The contractor misinterpreted the specifications and was under the impression that all the material could be disposed of at the closest site, but that was the borrow site that was limited by FEMA to only the amount that was originally borrowed.  Rathbun moved and Hanson seconded to approve the change order.  Roll Call Vote was taken: Cronin-nay, Gabriel-nay, Hanson-nay, Rathbun-aye, Ricketts-abstain.  Motion failed on Roll Call Vote. 

Street Discussion/Prioritization.  The council discussed the lists prepared of the damaged streets and the corresponding costs versus reimbursement.  The staff will review the list more in-depth and discuss at a future meeting.

Claims.  The following claims were submitted:

Gabriel moved and Cronin seconded to pay the claims as submitted. Motion passed on Voice Vote.

Reports. 1.) Lawrence reported that he has been selected to represent class B water and wastewater systems for rural water and will attend his first meeting on June 8. 2.) Lawrence indicated that the 292 Engineering Agreement for the Depot project is now in place with DOT so we can proceed with the plans for the project. 3.) Lawrence reported that he has had inquires regarding electricity produced by photo cells and that we need to work on the ordinance for interconnection standards and the generation process. 4.) Cronin indicated that the Ambulance Board will meet this week to review the 3 bids received for the ambulance service for the next 5 years and will make a recommendation to the entities to be approved at a future council meeting. 5.) Gabriel indicated that he has had calls regarding getting grass planted at the campground. 6.) Ricketts inquired to see if the City was still interested in getting inmate labor lined up for the summer.  He will follow-up with them to see if they are still available and other requirements

Executive Session.  Rathbun moved and Gabriel seconded to approve entering Executive Session at 9:04 p.m. for the purpose of discussing legal matters in accordance to SDCL 1-25-2 (3).  Motion passed on Voice Vote.  Tidball declared an end to the Executive Session at 9:10 p.m.

Adjournment.  With no further business, Tidball declared the meeting adjourned at 9:19 p.m.