Regular City Council Meeting                                                                                  December 4, 2007

City Council Chambers                                                                                                          7:00 p.m.

 

Present:  Mayor –                     Joyce Hudson

               Council members        Jeff Kennedy                                       

                                                Jim Aden                                                         

                                                Roger Dudley

                                                Jeff Whiting

                City Administrator     Bruce Clymer

                City Clerk                 Connie L. Dalrymple

                City Attorney            Mike Bacon

                 Police Chief                         Randy Olson

 

Press:  Gothenburg Times - Beth Barrett                                   

 

Also present:  Shane Gruber, L Bovitz, Jen Wolf, Jeanne Janssen, Ben Rickertson, Travis Mason

 

Mayor Hudson opened the meeting and public hearing at 7:00 p.m.  Advance notice and a copy of the agenda were given to the Council and members of the press.  City Council meetings are conducted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act, a copy of which is available for public inspection on the north wall of the Council Chambers.

 

The public hearing on a proposed application for Affordable Housing Program Funds and Community Development Block Grant funds was taken up at 7:00 p.m.

 

The Department of Economic Development has one million dollars unexpended grant funds from 2007 and has therefore implemented another round of grants in the public works category.  The city can request up to $250,000 for CDBG funds to assist low to moderate income owners with paving costs of District 100, 22nd Street between Avenue J and H.  An earlier survey of the home owners in the area of the project revealed that more than 60% are considered LMI by terms of the grant process. Applications are due January 25 and the environmental review process must begin.  If successful, the grant will require LMI applications to verify that property owners qualify for the assistance.

 

Discussion was had on additional projects and the costs associated with them: 23rd Street between Avenue G and H, 22nd Street between Avenues G and H, and Avenue J from 23rd Street to 27th Street. Avenue J borders Hilltop Estates Subdivision on the east and is currently platted but unopened.

 

Kennedy moved, Whiting, seconded, to close the public hearing at 7:12 p.m.  Roll call vote: Yea – Aden, Kennedy, Whiting, Dudley.  Nay – none.

 

Dudley moved, Aden seconded, to proceed with the grant application for the full $250,000.  Roll call vote: Yea – Whiting, Kennedy, Aden, Dudley.  Nay – none.

 

Council member Aden left the meeting briefly.

 

Kennedy  moved, Dudley seconded, to approve the consent agenda that included:

            City Council minutes – November 20

            Planning & Zoning commission minutes – November 20

Roll call vote: Yea -  Whiting, Dudley, Kennedy.  Nay - none.  Absent and not voting – Aden.

 

Whiting moved, Kennedy seconded, allowing payment of the claims against the City, $68,703.02; Public Works Division $230,213.80; and the November 29 payroll of $28,251.14.  Roll call vote: Yea – Dudley, Kennedy, Whiting, Aden.    Nay - none.

 

Open Forum:

  • New shingles have been installed at the Pony Express Station.
  • Cabinet installation will begin in the kitchenette on Wednesday and the Council Chambers desk on Friday.  All should be complete by Monday, the 10th, except the carpet which will be installed mid-January.  The sound system will be later.
  • Miller and Assoc have prepared an extra-territorial map showing the zoning boundaries after the recent annexations.  Zoning jurisdiction extends one mile beyond the corporate limits.
  • The office has received the Notice of Closeout on the Senior Center renovation block grant.

 

Administrator Clymer explained the request and status of Ken Christensen’s request for access to his lot on 22nd Street.  The issue was removed from the agenda while the license to maintain agreement is being prepared.

 

Discussion was had on proposed Ordinance 822 dealing with construction inspections and Chapter 9 building regulations.  The City would continue to do residential and commercial inspections but would allow large projects to be inspected by the engineer.  Contractors could opt for their own inspections and provide a record of those inspections per Section 9.

 

Plan reviews can result in other issues since they do not consider engineering.  For example, a project may require a stamped plan but that does not consider traffic issues, water run off and foundation plans.  There is a state exemption from stamped plans for agricultural structures for equipment and animals.

 

If Council decides to approve the proposed ordinance, we’ll need to review and redo the user fee resolution passed at last meeting.  Administrator Clymer did a comparison of our building permit fees with area communities and in some cases we are extremely low and other comparable or above.  Our fees have not changed since 1990.

 

Dudley moved, Kennedy seconded, to introduce Ordinance 822.  Roll call vote: Yea – Whiting, Aden, Kennedy, Dudley.  Nay – none.

 

There are five Tuesdays in January, the first being on New Year Day.  Whiting moved, Dudley seconded, to change the January 2008 meeting dates to the second and fourth Tuesdays instead of the usual first and third.  Roll call vote: Yea – Aden, Kennedy, Dudley, Whiting.  Nay – none.

 

The City has been utilizing a credit card that names Bruce Clymer as the holder.  It would be better to have a corporate card that all departments would have access to.  The Mayor would establish spending limits and regulations for use of the card.

 

Aden moved, Dudley seconded, to pass and approve Resolution 2007-17 authorizing acquisition and use of a corporate credit card.  Roll call vote: Yea – Kennedy, Whiting, Dudley, Aden.  Nay – none.

 

According to Jennifer Wolf of Dawson Area Development, the Department of Economic Development has established a new block grant category for downtown revitalization.  To be eligible, a community must be a certified economic development community and have a population of less than 15,000.  Four grants will be awarded.  The unique criteria is that downtown areas can be based on the slum and blight standard.  There to phases to the grant:  Planning, with a $30,000 maximum, and Implementation at $250,000.  Both phases carry a 25% community match that can be monetary or in-kind.

 

In lieu of the planning portion, the City could use the new Comprehensive Plan but the revitalization projects would be restricted to those suggested in the Plan and the approval of DED.  Eligible projects include utilities and buildings, removal of architectural barriers, establishment of revolving loans for downtown façade improvements, historic preservation, upper level housing, and acquisition and rehabilitation of downtown area.

 

The notice of intent to apply is due March 8th.  The application process will include a pre-app consisting of a presentation and tour of our downtown area.  Dawson County has three of the ten communities meeting both criteria for the grant.  Scoring is based on leveraging, work plan, strategy, community involvement, and how the City has implemented past projects.  The City is a Main Street community and that will benefit the application.

 

We can do both the paving and the revitalization grants in 2008 because the paving grant is utilizing 2007 funding.  Normally a community can have only one grant in a category per year.

 

Aden moved, Kennedy seconded, to submit Intent to Apply for the downtown revitalization grant from the Department of Economic Development.  Roll call vote: Yea – Whiting, Dudley, Kennedy, Aden.  Nay – none.

 

The Municipal Power Pool has provided a new electric rate design based on Nebraska Public Power District’s rate structure.  NPPD will increase rates 13.6% in 2008 and 9% in 2009.  The rate study reflects City absorbing some the NPPD’s increase but to stay viable and maintain current infrastructure and service we need to adopt the rates proposed.  The design recommendation for Gothenburg is 10.9% in 2008 and 8.2% in 2009.  The rate increase will not be applied across the board but at specific usage levels per information contained in the proposal. 

 

John Krajewski of the Power Pool will be available at one of the next two meetings to address any questions on the rate design.

 

Dudley moved, Aden seconded, introduction of Ordinance 823 regarding utility rates.  Roll call vote: Yea – Kennedy, Aden, Whiting, Dudley.  Nay – none.

 

Dudley moved, Kennedy seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m.  Roll call vote: Yea – Whiting, Aden, Kennedy, Dudley.  Nay – none.  The next regular meeting will be December 18 at 7:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

___________________________________                               _________________________________

Joyce Hudson, Mayor                                                                     Connie L. Dalrymple, City Clerk