City Council met in special session on July 17, 2018 at 6:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of City Hall.
Mayor Lester presided:
Councilmembers present:
Scott Winkler
Mike Peterson
Dylan Canaday
Beryl Grant
Amy Farris
Pete Lane
City employees present were Public Works Director McFrederick, Public Works Maintenance Supervisor/Fire Chief Mager Clerk Kennedy, Chief Drew and Library Director Sobrero.
LIBRARY: Clerk Kennedy reported on the Library since the budget was completed before Gina was hired. Setting the library up as a taxing district was discussed. The Council felt the City should look into a Library Taxing District. Mayor Lester will have Attorney Green look into the process and report back to the Council.
FIRE: Mayor Lester explained the Personnel Committee recommended to Chief Mager to raise the pay for fires from $20 to $50. Rural fire has agreed to the new amount if the City approves it. Mager is buying 6 new turnouts and 4 SCBAs. Rural fire will pay for half of the purchases. He plans to add new LED emergency lights on the trucks. During the tour, he talked about building the new building but the building has gotten too big. Mager found an enclosed storage unit for $2,000/year which will hold all the Christmas decorations and the buffalo fire truck which is a community relations effort. For $3,700 the rest of the interior station can be painted. The downspout for the building needs new heat tape and it will be wired in on a new circuit so the breakers aren’t tripped.
Discussion occurred on a future city services building (police, fire, city hall); options including building new, remodel existing but it could all hinge on a library district being formed and the library moving.
POLICE AND ANIMAL CONTROL: Chief Drew explained there were no changes in Animal Control except the proposed salary changes.
On the police budget, he would like to go back to the vehicle lease. A fully outfitted pickup is $48,630 or the City can pay with lease. He also included a drone purchase in budget. The drone can be used for missing persons, anhydrous leak, fires…the drone is in the vehicle lease now. The Council needs to decide the lease time frame and if the drone should be included in the lease. The Chief would like to move to Spillman Records Management System which is used by Whitcom and Idaho County. This would integrate with the County system and allow information to come directly into the report being created. Spillman has a payment program that would allow us to pay over 7 years. He has money in the budget in case we can get everything worked out with the County to allow us to share server space.
SALARIES: It was explained the department heads met with the personnel committee a couple different times so everyone would be on the same page for budget. Chief Drew trimmed his scale to 6 years and he went with the midline. If topped out on the scale, then those employees need to be reviewed annually for a cost of living adjustment. There is a 15% difference between each category (officer, sergeant, chief) and it moves across at a 5% increase.
Public Works Director McFrederick cut his schedule to 10 years. He was low at the new hire area, and in his and Bob’s position. His schedule reflects the average.
Clerk Kennedy created a 10 year salary schedule which included her office and the Library. It reflects a 3% increase moving across the scale and includes the $.50/hour increase for certifications. Kennedy has a list of employees that need to be reviewed each year as they are not on the salary schedule; they include seasonal positions at the pool and Snowhaven.
Discussion occurred on Pool employees and certifications they receive. Currently lifeguards pay for all their own certifications and start at minimum wage. It was determined, that the starting wage for lifeguards should be $8.00/hour with a $.25 raise if they come back the following year. Assistant Manager starts at $10.00/hour and Manager starts at $600/week (approximately $12.00/hour). For additional certifications such as WSI or LGI, there is a $.50/hour increase for any employee. The City will pay for the lifeguard class and other necessary certifications for the employee (including WSI and LGI).
On Snowhaven, the current manager will be paid $18.00/hour and the new assistant manager will be hired at $16.00/hour.
Adjourned at 9:00 P.M.
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Wes Lester – Mayor
ATTEST:
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Tonya Kennedy – Clerk
