The Mabel City Council reviewed two bids for a new ambulance for the Mabel Ambulance Service. One was from Mccoy Miller and the other from Lifeline. Mayor Jim Westby noted that there were significant discrepancies between the two bids, such as different chassis, gas versus diesel, and warranty lengths.
The ambulance from Mccoy Miller was priced at $169,893.75 with a 15-year warranty. The price included the trade-in value of the current ambulance. Lifeline quoted $180,142 for their ambulance with no trade-in and a five-year warranty.
The ambulance that the Mabel service has now is definitely ready to be traded in for a newer model. Mayor Westby mentioned that a car crash victim told him that the ride to the hospital in the ambulance was rougher than her car accident.
The ambulance crew is working on raising funds to help pay for the purchase of a new ambulance. Those funds, along with the annual county subsidies, the money currently in the ambulance budget and potential grant opportunities should alleviate the financial burden to the city for the purchase. “If things get tight, people will step up,” remarked Councilman Terry Torkelson.
The council approved the purchase of the ambulance from Mccoy Miller. The loan for the ambulance will be taken out from Mabel’s Bank of the West.
Bids for the fire department’s mini-pumper and tanker were opened at the meeting. One bid was received for the F-series tanker in the amount of $1,644. Mayor Westby had spoken with several dealers who agreed that the chassis alone is worth at least $10,000. On that basis, the council rejected the bid.
Two bids were received for the F-350 mini pumper in the amounts of $2,500 and $942. City Maintenance Director Bob Miereau informed the council that the fire chief had changed his mind about selling the mini pumper and preferred to keep it for a while longer. Mayor Westby disagreed with that decision. “I don’t think they’ll be using it,” he said, adding that it only works about half the time. “It’s just going to sit there. I’d put money on it.” He also pointed out that that would mean storing it an unnecessary and basically useless piece of equipment.
Councilmember Laura St. Mary felt that if the fire chief didn’t want to sell the mini pumper, the council should respect that.
The council passed a motion to sell the mini pumper to the highest bidder, with St. Mary voting against.
The city was sent a partial payment request from Metering & Technology Solutions, but as of the date of the council meeting, City Administrator Karen Larson had not received the proper paperwork from the company to process the request. The council approved the payment pending approval from Rural Development and upon receipt of the proper paperwork.
A zoning request from Bill Skaggs to install a handicap accessible ramp on his home was approved.
Miereau asked the council to approve a 2.5% cost of living raise for the public works department which would cover 2017 through 2019. The request was granted.
Miereau has begun putting steps into place to find and train a replacement for his position in the unspecified future. Mayor Westby thanked Miereau for his consideration for the City of Mabel.
Currently, the city requires a $200 deposit or a letter of credit from another utility company for new utility customers. The deposit is returned after the bill has been paid on time for a six month period. Larson noted that a customer had paid their bill on time during the six month period, but since receiving their deposit, have not paid it on time again since. She felt that it was time to change the city’s policy regarding new utility hookups.
The city has also dealt with a fair number of renters who abruptly moved out of town and left unpaid utility bills and no contact information. Those bills then end up being paid for by the taxpayers. “It’s not fair to them,” Larson pointed out.
After speaking with several other local cities and the city attorney, Larson recommended that the deposit/letter of credit requirement be dropped. She also proposed that, instead of renters paying their utility bills directly to the city, the landlord would be responsible for collecting payments and making sure the city was paid on time. Unpaid utility bills would then be assessed on property taxes.
Mayor Westby pointed out that landlords would need to be honest with their renters.
The council approved a motion making the policy changes. They will go into effect on January 1, 2017 and will not affect present renters.
The next Mabel city council meeting will be held on November 9 at 7 p.m.
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