The City Council held meeting # 1545 on Monday, June 1, 2020, in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Mayor Brent Teske.
Present were Mrs. Smith (via Zoom), Mrs. Williams (via Zoom), Mr. Beach (via Zoom), Mr. Dufficy, Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Taylor, City Administrator Jim Hammons, City Attorney Dean Chisholm (via Zoom), City Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Reeves.
Meeting minutes were reviewed for meeting #1543.
Mr. Dufficy MADE A MOTION to approve the minutes from Meeting 1543, held on May 18, 2020.
Mrs. Smith, SECOND.
Beach, Smith, Dufficy, Williams voted FOR.
Zimmerman and Taylor Abstained due to not being present for the meeting.
MOTION PASSED.
Announcements:
None.
Committee Reports:
City Administrators Report: Mr. Hammons reported that Kristy Cline will be in town this week. She is working on the water delineation report for the Flower Creek Area. She is meeting with the plant operators on Tuesday and will be in contact with the Mayor and other Council members to get more information. Mr. Hammons also reported that cemetery flowers need to be picked up by Friday in preparation for mowing to resume on June 8th.
Mr. Dufficy asked how long Ms. Cline will be in town and if she will be able to complete everything within that time frame. Mr. Hammons explained that Ms. Cline will be in Libby through Wednesday or Thursday and that it will take some time for her to compile the reports.
Fire: None.
Police: There were 218 service calls, 4 arrests, and 31 citations. The jail is only taking high-risk public safety prisoners due to COVID-19. Chief Kessel also reported that they anticipate more traffic through Libby due to a bridge closure on Hwy 200.
Resolution/Ordinances: There is an Ordinance Committee meeting on June 10th at 12:00 PM to continue the discussion of cemetery ordinances.
Lights/Streets/Sidewalks: None.
Building: None.
Water/Sewer: There is a water leak on the 2-inch main that needs to be addressed. Mike Frasier provided update on grants. There is a project being discussed to replace the Sewer plant controller and three lines that are in poor condition. The total project amount would be a little over one million dollars. This project would be funded entirely through grant funds, without local contributions. The TESEP application is due July 12th; there will be a Public Hearing July 6th. Another Sewer project is in the works for a new Bar Screen. The City is waiting for Department of Commerce to respond with the grant agreement. The Water Project is underway; the survey is now complete. The preliminary route for the line replacement on the south side of Highway 2 has been identified. The City will begin working with 11 land owners to request easement. More information should be available by June 17th. The water line leaks between Nevada and Idaho were a priority but could not be included in the current water project. The City is hoping to find additional funding to make these critical repairs.
Cemetery/Parks: None. Pick up flowers by Friday.
Finance: There is a Budget Committee meeting on June 4th at 12:00 to review department requests.
KRDC: None.
City-County Board of Health: None.
Park District Manager: None.
Public Comment on Non- Agenda Items:
Mr. Beall, Service Officer at the VFW, reported concerns about the west side of the cemetery fence having loose top rails and reported that the flag holders that are falling down.
Mayor Teske responded that they would have a crew go out to the cemetery to address these concerns.
New Business:
Appoint Rod Beall as City of Libby Cemetery Official Representative, in reference to VFW/VA military headstone, market, or medallion ordering.
Mr. Beall explained that the VA changed their protocol for issuing government military headstones. Every headstone request now requires the signature of a cemetery or other responsible official. Mr. Beal stated this appointment would be only for the purpose of signing this document.
Mr. Beach asked if there was a term limit to this appointment. Mr. Beall explained that he will remain in this position as long as he holds the position of Service Officer at the VFW.
Mrs. Zimmerman MADE A MOTION to appoint Mr. Beall as the City of Libby Cemetery Official Representative.
Mr. Dufficy, SECOND.
Zimmerman, Taylor, Beach, Smith, Dufficy, Williams voted FOR.
MOTION PASSED.
Approve all Claims and Payroll for May 2020.
Mr. Dufficy MADE A MOTION to approve all claims and payroll for May 2020.
Mrs. Smith, SECOND.
Zimmerman, Taylor, Beach, Smith, Dufficy, Williams voted FOR.
MOTION PASSED.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
City of Libby Wildlife Management Plan.
There was no meeting. Mr. Taylor reports that he spoke with Hope Stockwell with the Environmental Quality Committee in Helena and Dustin Temple with Fish Wildlife and Parks. Dustin spoke with the Commissioner and they are putting together an analysis to see if Libby qualifies for funding based on the animals in the area. Dustin believes that Libby should qualify for funding through the state or feds to help with CWD. They will be working with the regional director and local biologist in the community to see if Libby qualifies for funding.
IP Negotiations.
An email went out from Mr. Payne to the IP lawyer. The public records request from the IP lawyer will be reviewed by Mr. Payne prior to sending out the information.
Zoning recommendations from the planning board for the purposed Downtown Business District and Highway Commercial District.
The council discussed holding the public hearing in June. All members were in agreement to schedule the public hearing in the month of June.
General Comments from Council:
Mr. Dufficy brought up concerns about the Haul Bridge.
Mayor Teske explained that this bridge was gifted to the City although the bridge is outside the City limits and connects county trails. Mayor Teske suggested future discussion to gift this bridge back to the County. Mayor Teske reported the bumper beams are rotting which diminishes the structural integrity of the fence. Mayor Teske pointed out that if the bridge became a liability and the City could not maintain it, the City would have to close the bridge.
The Council agreed to moving forward with asking the County to accept the bridge as a gift.
Mayor Teske brought up the idea of having basic laptops purchased for the Council members to cut down on paper waste.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mrs. Williams MADE A MOTION to Adjourn.
Mr. Dufficy, SECOND.
Zimmerman, Taylor, Beach, Smith, Dufficy, Williams voted FOR.
MOTION PASSED.
Meeting adjourned at 7:34 pm.
__________________ Attest; ______________________
Mayor Brent Teske Virginia Reeves, City Clerk/Treasurer