The Wykoff City Council met in regular session on November 13, with all council members in attendance: Rocky Vreeman, Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, City Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett and Richard Gleason. Also attending was Assistant Clerk Luann Hare.
An item that generated much discussion was a dispute from Mike Shaw regarding a recent repair charge on his sewer line. Shaw stated that he understood the location of the problem meant it would be the city’s responsibility (Becky Schmidt disputed having told him that). He also objected to being expected to pay a bill when he was not given the option to pick who did the work. He explained that he felt the bill was significantly high, and that he could have arranged to get the job done much more affordably.
Council members discussed whether or not the city should pay all, or a portion of the cost. In the end, the council reached a consensus that since the city contacted O’Connell to do the work, Shaw was not given a chance to try to find a better deal. The council voted to pay half of the bill. Schmidt will meet with Shaw to set up a payment plan for his half of the cost. Richard Gleason asked the council to clarify, “Ok, we will from this point on, any more issues, if the main is running, it’s the property owner’s (responsibility) from this point on?” Council members voiced agreement.
In response to a citizen’s question about rental fees at the community center, Becky Schmidt replied, “We’re not looking at raising rates. We’re looking at adding another rate structure. The biggest complaint we get is we have a lot of people who want to rent it for an hour.” She explained that some other cities allow a certain rental fee for one or two hours, and then a standard daily rate as well. This way, the venue is likely to generate more usage for short events such as bridal showers and meetings. No action was taken on the issue, but a proposal will be brought to the next meeting.
Schmidt also brought up a concern, stating, “Luann and I have contacted our city attorney numerous times. We have emailed, we have called, we have even tried to snag him when he was here at our last meeting,.. I never get a call back, and there are many items that need to be addressed… So we are literally floundering without legal advice right now. So I would like permission to put out an RFP again to advertise for a new city attorney.” Schmidt stated that she knows the attorney is busy, but simply isn’t providing what Wykoff needs. The council voted to approve this search process to begin.
The council discussed pricing for LED lights to be installed to replace the current street lights in town. The expectation is that the lights will “pay for themselves” in three to four years. The council voted to approve the purchase, contingent upon first double-checking the correct number of lights needed.
Rick Whitney addressed the council, explaining that he is transitioning from PeopleService, and that in January the city will have a new contact person from PeopleService. Rick said he’s appreciated working with the city. He also asked the city to consider approving a control panel for the wastewater treatment plant, at a cost of $2,184. The council voted to approve the purchase.
Schmidt brought up a leadership conference being offered, which would be training for council members. It would cost $250 per person and required one overnight stay. She also said she has a slideshow that can provide similar training locally. The council members voiced a preference for the slideshow. The council approved the 2019 budget as submitted. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, January 14 at 7 p.m.
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