CITY OF ABERDEEN
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
APRIL 12, 2016
Mayor Larry Barrett called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. City Clerk/Treasurer Linda Balls was present to record the following minutes.
Council members present were: Karalee Bonzon, Mary Leisy, Brian Schneider, Alan Summers, Denise Wahlen and Craig Wampler.
Also present at the meeting were Doran Lambson, Meggan Lambson, Beverly Beach, Dulce Phillips, Rita Lynch, Bridgett Lynch, Enya Lynch, Kristen Jensen, Virginia Snow, Jeff Pratt, Kelvin Bowles, City Attorney Garrett Sandow, Public Works Supervisor Robert Goss, Chief of Police Chuck Carroll, Jessica Monahan, and Vicki Gamble from The Aberdeen Times.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Councilwoman Leisy made the motion to approve the minutes as typed. Councilman Schneider seconded the motion. All were in favor, the motion carried.
Doran Lambson stated that he is with Deaton & Company and was there to present the audit and financial statements for fiscal year end 9-30-2015. Lambson went over the audit report and explained it to the council. Some things that he mentioned were the GASB 68 and 71 new reporting requirements on the pension liability with PERSI; the Circular A-133 single audit that was required because the city received more than $500,000.00 in federal grant money; and the enterprise funds, (which are the sanitation, water and waste water), have received enough cash from operating activities that they are in a ‘healthy’ state.
Doran Lambson stated that based on their report, they did not find any issues of non-compliance with either federal awards or regular contracts and agreements. The only statement they have provided regarding a deficiency is the same one presented in the past, and that is the city does not have an individual who can do the writing up of the financial statements. Management in the past has relied on the auditor to write up the financial statements. Lambson said that is common in an entity of this size, but they are required to write it up as a deficiency. However, management has overseen the financial statements and given their approval before they are issued and there were no difficulties encountered or disagreements with management during the audit.
Kristen Jensen with the Great Rift Business Development Organization said that she was invited to the council meeting to give some information on the organization and what it does. Jensen said that the organization was formed about nine years ago because there was a grant written to the Idaho Department of Commerce and they were able to receive funding. There are now 19 communities that participate and among them are American Falls, Aberdeen and Power County which help to provide the government match on the grant. There are private businesses that also provide grant match funds. There is a board of directors, of which Mary Leisy, Conan Feld and Dirk Driscoll from Aberdeen sit on the board among
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others, which oversee the day to day activities that Jensen performs. She is a part time employee with no benefits and her salary is paid through the grant. All the other expenses are paid by the donations.
Kristen Jensen stated that some of the things she is required to do is business retention, business expansion, business recruitment, tourism and community development. Things that have been done for Aberdeen include developing an information sheet, worked on a birding guide, a community visioning project, and helped get a $50,000 grant for the community review. The community review is a building block to something bigger and from the review a group has been formed, ACAN (Aberdeen Community Action Network) and they are working on making changes on Main Street.
Kristen Jensen said that the Great Rift Business Development Organization has done Operation Facelift in Aberdeen where different businesses in town got painted, and she plans on doing Operation Facelift again this year.
Dulce Phillips from the Bingham Crisis Center stated that they opened a small office in Aberdeen on April 29, 2011. They serve victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Bingham County area, which includes the Aberdeen area. If they don’t have the answers, they have a list of resources for people. They do fund raisers throughout the year to raise money for the center. Phillips said they hold a Domestic Violence Awareness Vigil in October and there was a good response at the last one. For the past couple of years the vigils have been held in the LDS Church because of the weather, but they do like to hold them outside if possible. There is a crisis line in Spanish and English and Phillips said they are looking for a bilingual volunteer from Aberdeen to man the crisis line. The number of the crisis line is 208-681-8715. She said there is someone at the Aberdeen office every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. She asked if the officers would take pictures of the victims for them as they are mainly stationed in the Blackfoot office.
Phillips stated that she is grateful for Wallace Drug and their willingness to help them after hours. She is also grateful for Rebeca Caldera who has translated for them, among other things.
Mayor Barrett asked Phillips if the office in Aberdeen was a safe house for children. Phillips said that they don’t take children in and take care of them, but children can go there to get help if they feel like they are in danger. Phillips added that they don’t do anything without contacting the police department first.
Phillips stated that they would like to be more involved in the community and participate in activities such as Aberdeen Daze, the Humanitarian Fair and the health fair.
Mayor Barrett stated that Phillips is welcome to leave any information at city hall and offered to put information on the city website. Phillips was told she would need to contact the Chamber of Commerce president to set up a booth at City Park for Aberdeen Daze. Chamber president Jan Pratt’s information was given to her.
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Beverly Beach stated that she works with a company out of Washington State that has a process to make compost out of bio-solids. She said that it can be turned into compost easily, and the process only takes about 72 days. Beach asked if Aberdeen would be interested in being part of a demonstration project to the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality). Beach then asked what our drying process was.
Councilman Wampler said we currently have drying bags and it takes about a year for them to dry before they can be opened and the waste hauled out. The bags sit on a cement pad at our waste treatment plant while they are drying out.
Beverly Beach stated that Aberdeen has the requirements that are needed by the DEQ in order to do the demonstration and it would let us be the first one to do a demonstration on our new setup at the waste treatment plant. She said they need grass clippings and wood chips in with the bio-solids to make the compost. Eventually they will use shredded cardboard also. Beach said in 2010 there was a bio-solids test done in Rexburg and all the test results were much better than was required.
Mayor Barrett asked Beach what she needed from the city. Beach said that she just needs permission from the city before she goes ahead. Barrett asked Beach to talk with Robert Goss and Craig Wampler and they will report back at the next council meeting and then a decision will be made.
Mayor Barrett stated that next on the agenda was approval of Off Premises Beer and Wine Licenses for Jack Enterprises LLC dba Ace Hardware at 123 S. Main Street.
MOTION
Councilwoman Leisy made the motion to approve the Off Premises Beer and Wine Licenses for Jack Enterprises LLC dba Ace Hardware at 123 S. Main Street. Councilman Summers seconded the motion.
Roll call vote: Bonzon, yes; Leisy, yes; Schneider, yes; Summers, yes; Wahlen, yes; and Wampler, yes. Voting was unanimous, the motion passed.
Linda Balls stated that the council needed to set a budget hearing date for the 2016-2017 Budget. She suggested that Tuesday, July 26, there be a recessed council meeting to tentatively approve the 2016-2017 Budget at Noon; and schedule the budget hearing for Thursday, August 18, at 6 p.m. After discussion, the council approved the above dates.
DEPARTMENTS
Councilwoman Bonzon stated that the city crew finished the playground equipment at Posse Park. Bonzon thanked them and all the volunteers for their work on getting the new playground equipment set up. She said that it is a nice addition at the park.
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Councilwoman Bonzon said that Arbor Day is scheduled for April 28, 2016 and that the city received the Arbor Day Grant again this year for $300.00. They will be planting more Blue Spruce trees at Posse Park this year.
Councilwoman Bonzon stated that the Aberdeen CAN (Community Action Network) group is doing the “Little Free Library” of which she is heading up. Bonzon said the “Libraries”, which look like birdhouses, will be put in City Park and Posse Park. The books for the libraries will be provided by the Aberdeen District Library. She hopes they will be in place by the middle of May.
Councilwoman Bonzon said that regarding the golf course, she is working with Kristen Jensen on getting a dual pass with American Falls and Aberdeen that will allow people to golf at either course. They are hoping that it will boost sales at both courses.
Councilwoman Wahlen reported that the Planning and Zoning Board held a public hearing for Jay Jackman for a three (3) foot variance for an addition to his house. The Board granted Jackman the variance. They also looked over several zoning permits. Approval was given for a driveway on W. Boise Ave, and a fence on S. Main Street. Another for a fence on S. 1st W. needs to be surveyed to find the property line. The Board is looking at one on S. 5th W. for a porch replacement and another for a shop with living quarters above on W. Bingham Ave.
Councilwoman Wahlen stated the Aberdeen CAN group is working on putting flower boxes on Main Street. They are waiting to hear from the Rotary Club regarding funding to help build the boxes. The group has been asking the businesses in Aberdeen to purchase a $100.00 sponsorship/advertisement to help with the costs and maintenance of the flower boxes. The businesses will get a sign that will be put on the boxes for advertisement. Wahlen is hoping the flower boxes will be done by mid-May. She said that Flor Beck is working hard on getting the flower boxes done.
Councilman Schneider stated that last year the city got a grant for a water study. There was a meeting today with the engineers and city regarding the study. Things that were discussed were water capacity, water rights and water usage. The infrastructure is in good shape as 70% of the water lines were replaced during the last water project over 10 years ago. Schneider said the city needs to look at ways to cut down on the water usage and ways to have water storage.
Councilman Schneider thanked the city crew for the truck that was used on the Gem Trail clean up.
Councilwoman Leisy said the airport’s Environmental Assessment and Pavement Maintenance Study will be done sometime in May.
Robert Goss stated that J-U-B Engineers will be doing the Pavement Maintenance Study at the airport on Thursday, May 5, 2016, in the morning. Goss also said that the aerial survey of the airport was done by a drone last Friday.
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Councilwoman Leisy said that using the drone for the aerial survey saved a lot of money on the Environmental Assessment. The city is working with T-O Engineers to do the work on the pavement maintenance at the airport.
Councilwoman Leisy stated she appreciates all the help the city gives on the Gem Trail. She said the bridge that goes down below the greenhouse across Hazard Creek is made and is at the Experiment Station on a trailer waiting to be set in place.
Mayor Barrett asked if the Canal Company was going to smooth out where they put the line in beside Wahlen Field. Councilman Schneider said that he thought they were going to let it settle first, but he would talk to the Canal Company and find out.
Councilman Summers stated that he met with Zoe Liptak from Keller Associates on a Fair Housing Assessment. He will meet next week with Bill Jones from Snake River Dispose-All regarding recycling again.
Councilman Wampler stated that this Thursday around 3:45 p.m. there will be another meeting regarding the pre-treatment program for the wastewater treatment plant. There is one major thing to get done on it yet. They have been working hard the last month and things are going well with the pre-treatment program. Wampler thanked Attorney Sandow for looking over what they have given him so far and that there will be more things to send which will be more in depth for him to look over. Wampler also said that the collections system project is going well.
Mayor Barrett stated that the city got notification that we received the $100,000 LHTAC Grant for replacing the bridge over Hazard Creek by the golf course on the way to the Experiment Station. Barrett said that there is sewer pipe left over from the collection system project and we are going to have to replace some of the sewer line at the lift station by the bridge. The pipe is under the bridge, then gets buried and comes up to a manhole where the sewer is gravity fed to the waste treatment plant. With the grant and replacing the bridge, the pipe needs to be eliminated. The left over 10” pipe will be traded for 4” pipe to be rerouted and run up to the manhole. There will be additional cost to do this, but the money that has been saved from other parts of the project will offset the cost. There won’t be any more money out of the city budget. A change order will be written up to reflect the pipe usage. Barrett said they will excavate across the road to the west over to the side of the golf course to the #9 T-box then go thru the creek down the side along the trees crossing the highway again to go to the lift station. It was decided to do that because on the other side of the road near the railroad tracks there is telephone, fiber optics, gas, sewer and water lines. They would have to get permission from the railroad to go on their property, so they felt this was a quicker way, rather than wait for permission.