Special City Council Meeting
City Hall,
Cherokee, Iowa
January 30,
2007 – 7:30 P.M.
A special meeting was called to order on this date
by Mayor Henrich. Present:
Councilman Varce, Mallory,
Stieneke, Peck, Clerk-Treasurer Taylor.
Councilman Leach arrived at 7:40 p.m.
Mark Napier, Water Supt., was present to review
his 2007-08 budget requests with the
council. Mark reviewed a list
of items and projects that will need to be addressed for
the city’s water facility in the near future: water tower repairs and
painting; water leak
repair on E. Main St.; well rehabilitations; and motor controls for well
pumps to prevent
water hammering. Other items including roof replacement and filter
rehabilitation at the Spruce
Street water plant and various water main improvements aren’t critical
at this time, but will
be needed at some point. The
council discussed the need to increase water rates.
The
last rate increase was 9/1/98. With
the
several hundred thousand dollars. Along
with the other projects mentioned, they feel there
is a need to begin putting money aside through a rate
rate figures for review. Mark
pointed out that water consumption for the industrial water
plant (Tyson Foods) has dropped considerably in the last several months,
which affects
revenues. As presented,this
budget shows a deficit balance because of the drop in revenue
and the need for improvements to the wells, control buildings and ground
storage tank.
Rates and revenue for the industrial plant are separate from the
city’s operations and the
council may have to review industrial rates as well.
Jim Agnitsch, Street Supt., was present to
review the Road Use budget. Jim
explained the
increase in the buildings and grounds maintenance line item.
This is where he charges
expenses for the traffic signals as well as the 81 new streetlights on
Main Street. Jim said
there was no research done when the streetlights were chosen and they have
cheap ballasts
that will all eventually need to be replaced.
Also, the light bulbs burn out continuously, however
part of the problem may be that as the lights sway in the wind, the
elements break. Jim
included funding for part-time wages for mowing, as it doesn’t look as
if we will be able to
use inmates as in the past. If we had a bus and driver, we could pick them up from
Rockwell
City. However, that probably
isn’t a possibility. Jim
was asked whether he could share a
seasonal employee for mowing with the water and sewer departments.
Jim said he wouldn’t
have a problem with that. When
asked about available space in the city garage to store the
sewer jet unit, Jim said that in the winter he doesn’t have any extra
space. He suggested that
rather than add a storage room on to the existing pole building at the
sewer plant, as requested
in the sewer budget, that the sewer plant’s metal building be insulated
and equipped with an
object heater. He felt that
city employees could do most of the work and it should be sufficient
for storing the sewer jet unit. In
his line item for street repairs, Jim is recommending using
blacktop on some of the worst streets in the additions.
The best way to repair the streets
would be to completely tear them out and replace them.
However, there just isn’t money
available to completely replace streets.
Blacktopping would allow a crown to be put back
on the street to direct water to the gutters and increase the life of the
streets for 25-30 years.
Jim feels the worst areas are Rock Island from Sequoia to Tomahawk,
Pilot and Oak Knoll
Drive. He would like a
commitment from the council to get some kind of street program
going. Councilman Varce would
like to see the retaining wall around the E. Main Street
parking lot replaced with landscape block similar to that used on W. Cedar
Street. He feels
that some of the businesses and churches that frequently use the lot will
donate some
funding for the project. City
employees could probably do some of the work.
He will continue
to work on this project. Although
not critical at this time, Jim would like to replace the 1980
grader. He said that it is
underpowered and is getting to an age where it needs to be
upgraded. Jim said he would talk to the county and indicate an
interest in purchasing a used
grader from them when they trade. He said the county trades about every 7-8 years and
they have an excellent maintenance program.
A used grader would cost approximately
$75,000-$80,000 and Jim feels he could sell the present grader for
$14,000-$15,000.
Jim would also like to start looking for a used ¾ ton, 2-wheel drive
pickup to replace his
1993 pickup.
A motion by Councilman Varce, seconded by
Leach, adjourned the meeting at 9:40 p.m.
Motion carried.
Dennis Henrich – Mayor
ATTEST:
Debra Taylor, CMC
City Clerk-Treasurer