HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/18/1988 FINANCE COMMITTEE MINUTES
April 18, 1988
6: 30 p.m.
Large Conference Room
Members present: Chairperson Rose Angel, Wright and Buck
Moved by Buck, seconded by Wright to approve the Agenda, as
proposed. Motion carried.
Item 1. Authorization to Purchase a Tree Chipper.
Bruce Bottorff, Superintendent of the Water Pollution Control
Plant, asked the Finance Committee to give him authorization to
purchase a brush and tree chipper for use by various departments.
Bottorff stated that the chipper could be utilized by the Park
Department, the Street Department and Operation Pride, and he
would recommend that the chipper be purchased in lieu of dumping
the brush in the brush dump. Bottorff stated that if the brush
dump were licensed, several requirements would be placed on the
City to monitor the brush dump. Bottorff asked the Finance
Committee to give him authorization to look at several models of
bush chippers and come back to the Committee with a
recommendation on the purchase based on the fact of different
safety standards and operational conditions between various
models of chippers.
Moved by Buck, seconded by Wright to authorize the Superintendent
of Water Pollution Control Plant to look into purchasing a brush
chipper and coming back to the Finance Committee with a
recommendation for purchase. Motion carried.
Item 2. Authorization to Purchase a Freestanding Dishwasher for
the Water Pollution Control Laboratory.
Bruce Bottorff, Superintendent of Water Pollution Control, stated
that the present dishwasher at the laboratory of the Water
Pollution Control Plant is approximately 25 years old and has
literally worn out. Bottorff continued that he was unable to
purchase an ordinary dishwasher due to the sterilization process
that needs to be completed to the equipment of the Water
Pollution Control Plant, and that he would need a certain type of
dishwasher with eleven cycles of sterilization.
Moved by Buck, seconded by Wright to authorize the Superintendent
of the Water Pollution Control Plant to purchase a dishwasher for
the laboratory at the Water Pollution Control Plant. Motion
carried.
Item 3 . Permission to Take Bids on River Bank Erosion Control.
Eric Thorson, City Engineer, ran through his letter asking for
permission to continue the process of eliminating the erosion
on the southwest bank of the Cedar River between West Fourth and
West Fifth Streets with Portland concrete cement. Thorson stated
that over the past couple of years, the Engineering Department
has tried other methods of stopping the erosion but it seems to
be best to fill in the part of the erosion with concrete cement
as they have done in the past. Thorson continued that he would
like permission to continue the process and would pay for the
project out of the Flood Control Engineering budget.
Moved by Buck, seconded by Wright to authorize the City Engineer
to solicit bids on river bank erosion control. Motion carried.
Item 4 . Reimbursement of Frinks' Greenhouse for Excess Payment
of Water and Sewer Bills.
Finance Committee
April 18, 1988
Page 2
City Clerk/Auditor Larry Burger ran through the letter from
Assistant City Attorney Donna Lesyshen to the Finance Committee
regarding the overpayment and reimbursement of the bill for
Frink' s Greenhouse. Burger stated that in the past, Frink' s
Greenhouse had been charged based on water usage, when in essence
part of his sewage ran into a septic tank system and only part of
it ran into the City sewer system. Burger continued that the
Assistant City Attorney, after long negotiations, was now asking
for reimbursement of $4,381 . 36 to Frink' s Greenhouse, and that
the amount of $573 would be credited to his unpaid sewage bills
accumulated over the last two years .
Councilperson Buck asked if the problem had been resolved
regarding the system of billing to Frink' s Greenhouse for future
sewage charges.
Burger responded that he believed that Mrs. Lesyshen and Mr.
Frink had worked out the details in cooperation with Bruce
Bottorff at the Water Pollution Control Plant.
Moved by Wright, seconded by Buck to approve the payment of
$4,381 . 36 for a reimbursement to Frink' s Greenhouse for excessive
payment of sewage charges. Motion carried.
Item 5. Review of Garbage Exemption Policy for Low-Income
Persons.
Clerk/Auditor Larry Burger stated that his office had done
extensive research on the garbage exemption policy that now
exists with the City. He continued that anyone who has an income
of less than $7,000 per calendar year is eligible to receive a
total exemption from garbage payment on a calendar basis. Burger
stated that if the Council wanted to look at different
alternatives, his recommendation would be that anyone who has an
annual income of less than $5,000 be totally exempt from garbage
payments for a calendar year, and anyone with an annual income of
$5,000 to $10,000 pay 50 percent of a normal garbage bill for the
calendar year. This would allow the City to gain an additional
income of approximately $60,000, but Burger was unable to
estimate the amount of money the additional exemption of 50
percent of the bill between $7 ,000 and $10,000 annual income
would cost. Burger stated that potentially the two amounts could
equal out so that the City would not experience any additional
revenue loss.
Comments were heard from the Finance Committee regarding
continuing the full exemption for anyone with an annual income
under $7,000 and adding a new exemption of 50 percent for persons
with annual incomes of $7,000 to $10,000.
Burger stated that his department could not recommend this option
at this time based on the fact it would cost the City additional
revenues in the garbage fund which he would not recommend due to
the City' s financial condition. Burger also stated that he would
recommend any new program that the City start should commence on
January 1, 1989 to eliminate any confusion that might be present
with changing the system in the middle of the calendar year.
Moved by Wright, seconded by Buck to receive and file the
comments and table this action indefinitely. Motion carried.
Moved by Wright, seconded by Angel that bills payment be approved
as contained in Schedule A918, pp. 1-41, totalling $257 ,042. 64
and Schedule W900, page 1, totalling $1, 490. 47, dated April 18,
1988. Ayes: Wright, Angel. Abstain: Buck. Motion carried.
With no further business before the Committee, the meeting was
adjourned.
Larry P. Burger
Clerk/Auditor