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Council Minutes- April 2017

Eureka Town Council Meeting

Eureka Town Hall — Eureka, Montana

Monday, April 10, 2017

Present AND Constituting a Quorum:

Mayor                                      LeeAnn Schermerhorn

Council Members                     Jennifer Hannay, Rosalie Adauto, Bill Savage, Kevin Jefferies

Clerk                                         Lisa Flynn

 

Visitors:           Nikki Meyer, Tracy McIntyre, Rita Collins, Gretchen Lancaster, Michael Lancaster, Myles Hickman, Naomi Wheat, Alan Hepner, Alan Hepner Jr.

Mayor Schermerhorn called the council meeting to order at 7:00 pm

PUBLIC COMMENT on agenda items.   None

Jennifer Hannay made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Rosalie Adauto, carried all ayes.  Kevin Jefferies made a motion to pay the bills, seconded by Jennifer Hannay, carried all ayes.

Reports.  There were no questions on the reports.

OLD BUSINESS:

Water Filtration Project.   Tracy McIntyre said she is working through the final administration for the project.  SRF has been increased to cover contingencies.  Lyle Cooney at Rural Development has made additional information requests.  She will have the packet of additional information to Rural Development tomorrow.  The council will need to approve a bond resolution in late April at a special meeting.  The requirement for project contractor approval is good.  The first invoice from Dick Dyer may arrive between council meetings.  Bill Savage made a motion to allow Mayor Schermerhorn to approve the first invoice from Dick Dyer, seconded by Jennifer Hannay, carried all ayes.

Wastewater Project.   Tracy McIntyre said the TSEP application is looking positive.  The DNRC application does not look positive.  Lyle Cooney at Rural Development want’s more information regarding EDU’s which will result in about twenty hours of additional work.  Ms. McIntyre distributed a handout comparing funding from RD and SRF.  If we decided to use SRF funding, there would be a loss of Grant funds.

Lions Club – Memorial Park play equipment.   Mayor Schermerhorn said the agreement Clif Hayden prepared was restrictive due to insurance company requirements.  Myles Hickman pointed out parts of the agreement they would not be able to meet, such as hiring a landscape architect.  Mayor Schermerhorn said she would work with Mr. Hayden and see if any issues can be resolved.

MOU with Forest Service & Lincoln County sewer extension.  Mayor Schermerhorn said this is currently on hold since the Forest Service has not gotten any information to Tracy McIntyre.

Riverside Park bandstand.  Rita Collins said that Alan Hepner will be undertaking the bandstand project as his Eagle Scout project.  The Boy Scouts will provide insurance for the project.  Alan Hepner told the council he plans to fundraise $5,000 for the project and the Sunburst Foundation will contribute $2,500.  He plans to have the project completed by August 15th.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve the Riverside Park bandstand project, seconded by Jennifer Hannay, carried all ayes.

NEW BUSINESS:

Quilt Show.  Jennifer Hannay mad a motion to approve the 2017 Eureka Montana Quilt Show on Saturday, August 5th contingent on the Department of Transportation approval of the restricted parking areas, seconded by Rosalie Adauto, carried all ayes.

Rendezvous Bed Races.  Naomi Wheat said the Chamber of Commerce has obtained approval from the Department of Transportation for the event.  They will have many more volunteers for crowd control and many more tires this year.  Bill Savage made a motion to approve the Rendezvous Bed Races event, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

 Rendezvous banner.  Naomi Wheat would like to put a banner for Rendezvous in front of Riverside Park.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve the Rendezvous banner, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

 Creekside sewer hookup agreement.  Michael Landcaster said that there were three items in the agreement that they have a problem with.  There is no cap on attorney or engineer fees and no estimate.  They feel that they cannot write a blank check.  They want to know the scope of work so they can have a fixed budget.  The connection size stated in the agreement is 2 inch and they have a 1 ½ inch.  They are hooking up to sewer only.  They will have a meter on their water so they would either like to be billed at 70% of water used year round or using the winter average in the summer like the town customers.  Mayor Schermerhorn said she will contact  Clif Hayden, the Town attorney, and Dick Dyer, the Town engineer, and get costs to date and what they expect to be outstanding.  Bill Savage made a motion to approve the Creekside sewer connection agreement contingent on Mayor Schermerhorn working with Clif Hayden and Dick Dyer to resolve any issues, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

 Midvale stop sign placement.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that Randy Miller has started to install the posts for the stop signs in Midvale.  She said she has received comments regarding the location of the posts.  Jennifer Hannay said there is an intersection that she has noticed may be a problem.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that any complaints or comments regarding the stop sign locations need to be addressed, in writing, to Police Chief Ian Jeffcock.

 Lincoln County Subdivision request.  Mayor Schermerhorn said the representative from the county regarding the subdivision is not present.

COUNCIL AND MAYOR COMMENTS.   After discussion, the Mayor and council decided to change the date of the work session scheduled for April 18th to June 6, 2017 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

PUBLIC COMMENT on non-agenda items.   None

With nothing further to come before the council, Mayor Schermerhorn adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m.

__________________________________

LEEANN SCHERMERHORN, Mayor

ATTEST:

 

________________________________

Lisa Flynn, Clerk/Treasurer

 

 

 

 

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Council Minutes: March 2017

Eureka Town Council Meeting

Eureka Town Hall — Eureka, Montana

Monday, March 13, 2017

Present AND Constituting a Quorum:

Mayor                                      LeeAnn Schermerhorn

Council Members                         Jennifer Hannay, Rosalie Adauto, Bill Savage,       Kevin Jefferies

Clerk                                         Lisa Flynn

 

Visitors:           Nikki Meyer, Tracy McIntyre, Miles Plemons, Neil Duram, Rita Collins, Gretchen Lancaster, Michael Lancaster, Linda Lord, Duane Martin, Cannan Smith, Kevin Ruble

Mayor Schermerhorn called the council meeting to order at 7:00 pm

PUBLIC COMMENT on agenda items.   None

Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Jennifer Hannay, carried all ayes.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to pay the bills, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

Reports.  There were no questions on the reports.

Mayor Schermerhorn decided to cover New Business first.

NEW BUSINESS:

Creekside sewer hookup agreement.  Mayor Schermerhorn said the agreement is not finished.  A letter has been prepared that states Creekside Trailer Park will be allowed to connect to the Town of Eureka sewer system.  Bill Savage made a motion to approve the letter that states Creekside Trailer Park will be allowed to connect to the Town of Eureka sewer system, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

Budget amendment.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that as part of the filtration project a water rate analysis was conducted and a rate increase appeared to be necessary.  The conservative estimate of revenues was found to be short of actual revenues by about $52,000.  There was found to be unused funds in water funds for payroll and a dump truck.  These findings have made it possible to not have to raise water rates.  Mayor Schermerhorn read Resolution No. 2017-733.  There is a Public Hearing scheduled for March 16, 2017 at 9:30 am on Resolution No. 2017-733 to Amend the 2016-2017 Budget to reflect these changes.

Fireworks ordinance update.  Mayor Schermerhorn told the council that the ordinance dealing with fireworks allows the sale of fireworks, but not the use of fireworks in town limits, which is a conflict that needs to be addressed.  It was agreed to discuss the fireworks ordinance at a work session on April 4, 2017 at 6:00 pm.

OLD BUSINESS:

Water Filtration Project.   Tracy McIntyre said SRF is granting the Town $87,500 in loan forgiveness.  There is no projected rate increase with this project.  Ms. McIntyre said the council needs to approve the filtration project budget to include the loan forgiveness and an extension of the warranty on the filtration equipment from 18 to 30 months.  Town attorney Clif Hayden has reviewed the warranty extension.  Jennifer Hannay made a motion to approve the filtration budget to include the warranty extension to 30 months and the loan forgiveness of $87,500, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.  Tracy McIntyre said that bid opening is set for March 27, 2017 at 7:00 pm and a special meeting would need to be scheduled for bid approval.

 Wastewater Project.   Tracy McIntyre said our application for funding to TSEP for the Wastewater Project  Phase 1b is looking very positive.  Rural Development has sent a letter saying our application looks good.

Midvale stop signs.  The second reading of Ordinance No. 2017-329 was waived.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2017-329to Amend Eureka Municipal Code by Designating Additional Stop Signs in the Midvale Water and Sewer District, seconded by Jennifer Hannay, carried all ayes.

 Lions Club – Memorial Park play equipment.  Mayor Schermerhorn said the preliminary agreement was received today but has not yet been reviewed.  Approval of the agreement will be put on the agenda of the special meeting on March 27, 2017.

Town Hall repair update.   Mayor Schermerhorn said that repairs on the Town Hall building started last week.

MOU with Lincoln County for fairgrounds sewer engineering.  Mayor Schermerhorn tabled the topic.

Riverside Park bandstand.  Rita Collins said the Sunburst Foundation received a $2,500 donation to be used for a project in town.  They would like to see it used toward a bandstand in Riverside Park.  Lincoln County High School student Cannan Smith and his teacher Kevin Ruble worked on a design for the bandstand and presented it to the Mayor and council.  Ms. Collins said they asked Western Building Center for an estimate for the cost of materials and were told about $6,300.  There will also be costs for moving in ground sprinkler lines and running electrical lines from the pole to the bandstand.  Volunteer labor will be used for construction.  Mayor Schermerhorn said there will need to be a user fee for electricity.  It was decided to put this topic on the agenda for the working session on April 4, 2017 and the Mayor will speak with Clif Hayden regarding any agreements that will need to be completed for the project.  Neil Duram said there was a Boy Scout who was in the process of deciding what his Eagle Scout project would be and he would mention the bandstand project to him.

COUNCIL AND MAYOR COMMENTS.

Bill Savage asked what was happening with the little library in Riverside Park that the council had approved.  Mayor Schermerhorn said they were probably waiting for spring to get started.  Nikki Meyer said they just had a fundraiser for the project.  Mayor Schermerhorn said town engineer Dick Dyer will be looking at the intersection of 1st Avenue East and 8th Street when he is here.  The Mayor submitted a claim to the state for $26,000 in emergency funds for snow removal and the water main leak but it is not known how long it will be before we have a response.

PUBLIC COMMENT on non-agenda items.   Boy Scout Miles Plemons gave a report to the Mayor and council about how the Boy Scouts are organized in Montana and what their functions and purpose are.  Mr. Plemons also reviewed projects scouts have done in the town that added value to the community.  There was discussion on the various projects, such as the Veterans Memorial and visitor kiosk in General Pershing Veterans Memorial Park.

With nothing further to come before the council, Mayor Schermerhorn adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m.

 

 

__________________________________

LEEANN SCHERMERHORN, Mayor

ATTEST:

 

________________________________

Lisa Flynn, Clerk/Treasurer

Posted on

Council Minutes: February 2017

Eureka Town Council Meeting

Eureka Town Hall — Eureka, Montana

Monday, February 13, 2017

 

Present AND Constituting a Quorum:

Mayor                                      LeeAnn Schermerhorn

Council Members                         Rosalie Adauto, Bill Savage, Kevin Jefferies

Clerk                                         Lisa Flynn

 

Visitors:           Nikki Meyer, Naomi Wheat, Tracy McIntyre

Mayor Schermerhorn called the council meeting to order at 7:00 pm

PUBLIC COMMENT on agenda items.   None

Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.  Bill Savage made a motion to pay the bills, seconded by Rosalie Adauto, carried all ayes.

Reports.  There were no questions on the reports.

OLD BUSINESS:

Water Filtration Project.   Tracy McIntyre said she has the most recent budget for the project.  We are finalizing the SRF loan for $175,000.  We are still awaiting final DEQ approval and there is a conference call scheduled for Wednesday. A resolution will be needed for the SRF loan application.  The town is talking to SRF about any possible loan forgiveness.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve an amendment to the town contract with The Dyer Group for an additional $10,000 for the filtration project, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.  The amendment was needed due to the additional time and work needed on the filtration project.

 Wastewater Project.  Tracy McIntyre said a letter has been sent to legislators in support of funding for infrastructure projects.  The Town of Eureka is ranked 9th for funding Phase 1b wastewater project with SRF.

Midvale stop signs.   Mayor Schermerhorn had the first reading of Ordinance 2017-329 which amends the Eureka Municipal Code by designating additional stop signs in Midvale.  Bill Savage made a motion to adopt Ordinance 2017-329bamending the Eureka Municipal Code Regulating Vehicle Traffic by Designating Additional Cross Streets and Avenues for Stop Sign Control, seconded by Rosalie Adauto, carried all ayes.

Lions Club – Memorial Park play equipment.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that Town Attorney Clif Hayden is working on the MOU.

Town Hall repair update.  The bid from the contractor has been submitted and we are waiting for the insurance company to give approval.

 NEW BUSINESS:  

Rendezvous Parade.  Naomi Wheat said the parade will be on April 29th.  There will be more people involved in parade set up this year, and the police have already been spoken with regarding their involvement.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve the Rendezvous Parade on April 29, 2017, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

 Riverside Park gazebo.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that Rita Collins has been in touch with her regarding building a gazebo in Riverside Park.  Ms. Collins said that the Sunburst Foundation has funds they would be willing to contribute to the project.  Mr. Rubble, a teacher at the high school, has a student interested in designing the project.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that improvements to Riverside Park are in the strategic plan.  Kevin Jefferies said a gazebo would be a nice addition to the park.  The mayor said power would need to be run to the gazebo.  Naomi Wheat said the Chamber of Commerce would contribute some funds to the project.  Tracy McIntyre said a MOU would be needed between the Town of Eureka the Sunburst Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve Jennifer Hannay to speak with the Sunburst Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce regarding the project to construct a gazebo in Riverside Park, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

 MOU with Lincoln County Fairgrounds sewer engineering.  Tracy McIntyre and Mayor Schermerhorn met with the Forest Service and Commissioner Mike Cole regarding getting sewer to the county fairgrounds.  There is a draft MOU that would get the engineering services started that town attorney Clif Hayden needs to review.  Town engineer Dick Dyer will do the work and Lincoln County will pay for it.  Bill Savage asked how many sewer services would be added and Tracy McIntyre said the project would result in an additional 8 or 9 sewer services.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to accept the MOU with Lincoln County based on approval by town attorney Clif Hayden, seconded by Bill Savage, carried all ayes.

Union agreement extension.  Mayor Schermerhorn said the Teamsters Union would like to extend the agreement with the town until July 1, 2017.  Kevin Jefferies made a motion to agree to extend the Town of Eureka’s agreement with the Teamsters Union until July 1, 2017, seconded by Bill Savage, carried all ayes.

 Resort Tax open house.  Mayor Schermerhorn said she would like to co-host an open house with Lincoln County and the Chamber of Commerce to receive public input regarding a resort tax.  Tracy McIntyre said Lincoln County would cover the cost of bringing in a facilitator.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve co-hosting an open house on the topic of a resort tax, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carries all ayes.

 Online Banking authorization.  Bill Savage made a motion to authorize LeeAnn Schermerhorn, Jennifer Hannay and Lisa Flynn to have access to online bank account information and to have the ability to pick up bank materials and information, seconded by Rosalie Adauto, carried all ayes.

 Water meters/estimated readings.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that due to snow, 168 meters were not read last month.  New meters that can be radio read would stop that from being a problem, but it would be a large investment.

 Resolutions for heavy snow emergency.  Mayor Schermerhorn said the town spent $5,000 for additional snow removal, blading roads, and snow blowing to the sewer ponds.  Kevin Jefferies made a motion to approve Resolution 2017-731 to Authorize the Mayor to Declare a Winter Snowfall Disaster, seconded by Bill Savage, carried all ayes.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to approve Resolution 2017-732 to Authorize the use of Emergency Reserves & Engaging an Additional 2 Mill Emergency Levy, seconded by Kevin Jefferies, carried all ayes.

COUNCIL AND MAYOR COMMENTS.  Rosalie Adauto asked if residents are responsible for their frozen service lines, and Mayor Schermerhorn said that, according to town ordinance, residents are responsible for their service lines from the main to the residence.  Kevin Jefferies asked if the town clears alleys of snow. Mayor Schermerhorn said Public Works first responsibility is for the roads.  Only after the roads have been cleared and sanded are alleys plowed.

PUBLIC COMMENT on non-agenda items.   Tracy McIntyre said she has been receiving questions regarding website updates, and most Facebook comments regarding Public Works snow removal during the storm were very positive.

With nothing further to come before the council, Mayor Schermerhorn adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m.

__________________________________

LEEANN SCHERMERHORN, Mayor

ATTEST:

 

________________________________

Lisa Flynn, Clerk/Treasurer

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Council Minutes: January 2017

Eureka Town Council Meeting

Eureka Town Hall — Eureka, Montana

Monday, January 9, 2017

 

Present AND Constituting a Quorum:

Mayor                                      LeeAnn Schermerhorn

Council Members                         Jennifer Hannay, Rosalie Adauto, Bill Savage

Clerk                                         Lisa Flynn

Town attorney                      Clif Hayden by video access

 

Visitors:           Nikki Meyer, Naomi Wheat, Diane Savage, Renee Tost, LouAnn Gay, Clint Heintz, Ian Jeffcock, Ben Chappelow, Jon Obst

Mayor Schermerhorn called the council meeting to order at 7:10 pm

PUBLIC COMMENT on agenda items.   None

Bill Savage made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Rosalie Adauto, carried all ayes.  Rosalie Adauto made a motion to pay the bills, seconded by Bill Savage, carried all ayes.

Reports.  There were no questions on the reports.

OLD BUSINESS:

Water Filtration Project.   Mayor Schermerhorn said the town engineer, Dick Dyer, has received 15 more questions from DEQ regarding the filtration project. DEQ has approved 2 deviations that were submitted.  We are looking to go out to bid in February.

 Wastewater Project.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that we are still working on securing funding.  She may be going to Helena next week with Tracy McIntyre to testify before the legislators regarding funding for projects.

Midvale stop signs.  Mayor Schermerhorn said the town has received the stop signs.  Clif Hayden, the town attorney, will be updating the ordinance.

Update on sale of property.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that Sandy McIntyre has contacted three real estate agents regarding the cost of a fair market appraisal and has been told it would cost the town $3,000.  Due to cost, the appraisal has been put on hold.

Lions Club – Memorial Park play equipment.  The MOU between the Lions Club and the Town of Eureka has not been completed.

NEW BUSINESS:

Little Free Libraries – Friends of the Library.  LouAnn Gay said they are proposing that two Little Free Libraries be put in Memorial and Riverside Parks.  The purpose of the libraries is to promote reading and sharing books.  There are people that have offered to donate the materials and build the libraries.  There would be no cost to the town.  Friends of the Library would be responsible for checking on them.  Bill Savage made a motion to approve Little Free Libraries to be installed at Memorial and Riverside Parks, seconded by Jennifer Hannay, carried all ayes.

Turkey population – Ben Chappelow.  Ben Chappelow said he has received complaints regarding the number of turkeys in town.  He said the town could enact an ordinance to prohibit feeding turkeys in town.  Renee Tost detailed the problems she was having with turkeys. Mr. Chappelow has dealt with problem turkeys on ranches by issuing a kill permit through a program, but that would be a problem in town limits.  In Libby they did bait them into a trailer, but that usually only works once.  It would be possible to issue the kill permit to the town, but when you have a kill permit, every turkey has to be accounted for.  There was discussion regarding the turkey problem and ways that it could be handled.  Some of the methods discussed would need state approval.  Mr. Chappelow said he would work with Ms. Tost to trap turkeys and would handle their disposal.  Mr. Hayden asked Mr. Chappelow to send him the regulations for the program and see if he could make it work with town ordinances.

Town Hall damage update.  Mayor Schermerhorn said that the insurance adjuster from MMIA was here last Friday.  The contractor will be shoring up the front and will provide a bid for repairs.

COUNCIL AND MAYOR COMMENTS.   Jennifer Hannay said we need to be thinking about snow removal.  Mayor Schermerhorn said we have received subcontractor information so that if needed, we have sources with the necessary equipment.

PUBIC COMMENT on non-agenda items.   None.

With nothing further to come before the council, Mayor Schermerhorn adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m.

__________________________________

LEEANN SCHERMERHORN, Mayor

ATTEST:

________________________________

Lisa Flynn, Clerk/Treasurer