The Madison City Council meets bi-monthly on the first and third Monday of each month. The following report was generated from the Oct. 8 meeting minutes, which were approved during their Oct. 21 meeting.
Council President Daryl May called the regular meeting of the Madison City Council to order at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. May led the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda, minutes of the Sept. 16 meeting and Accounts Payable were approved as presented. Water adjustments were also approved.
City Clerk Alice Grimm talked to the council about filling the fire trucks after washing them. The council agreed it should be counted as a fire flush and should not be considered a loss to the city.
After council discussion, a building permit was issued to Daryl Hudson. Questions were posed from the resident of 208 Poplar about needing a building permit to build an add-on to the existing chicken coop and Dean Mariello wanting to redo the interior and exterior walls of his garage. It was decided that building permits were needed, due to the chicken coop add-on being an extension and the garage needing a diagram.
Grimm talked to the council about getting a bid for the McKinely Street repair from JHE Masonry. A representative from JHE Masonry also stated that he would like to leave an opening on his schedule for the Madison standpipe repair.
Mayor Paul Dean noted he did research and has pulled some road construction contracts that municipalities use. He stated he would take the information and draft a contract for a later date.
Discussion was had about the camp host re-applying for the position. It was determined that they would need to re-apply.
The contract with Shull Roofing was discussed. The first-half payment of $36,000, to order materials and lock in the current rate, was approved with Dean adding to the contract that the second-half payment of $36,110 will be made on Jan. 2, 2025.
Grimm talked to the council about an impact recovery post. The council tabled a violation at 208 E. Garfield until the next meeting.
The council discussed the time-frame for customers getting their water turned back on after getting it shut off. It was decided to create a list and the employees will turn on the water at the end of day to be more efficient.
The dam and safety inspection, in the amount of $5,450 was approved by the council. Mayor Dean informed the council about a possible leak in the bottom drain in the pool. Councilman Tony Fankhauser stated he would like to get a list of what needs done to the pool this fall, including using a camera to see what all is going on. May made a motion to camera the pool for $500. Fankhauser stated he is waiting on a couple people to come look at the pool and is hoping to have bids by the next meeting. He also stated he is hoping to get an electrician to look at re-wiring the pool. Dean stated he doesn’t think the whole pool needs re-wired, they just need to install light switches and plug ins.
Fankhauser stated he has talked with crews about using the pole saw to trim trees that are hanging over Lincoln Street and other areas.
The ball fields were the next topic brought to the table. Multiple community members have pitched in with forming the dugouts for concrete. Lloyd Leiser presented a bid for $800 for labor to pour the concrete. There will be 4 dugouts at the park for $500 and 2 on the hill for $300. A bid for $4,046 for 26 yards of concrete was also presented. The commission approved both bids for a total of $4,846 for completion of the concrete dugouts. During the ball field discussion, it was noted that the house next to ball field is currently for sale. It was suggested that the city purchase the house and turn it into parking and use the garage for storage.
Fankhauser brought equipment issues to the council. The boom truck needs a new wiring harness. It was suggested to start looking for a replacement. The backhoe is back and the bill totaled $19,000. Fankhauser noted that some items on the bill were not fixed or replaced and it is leaking hydraulic fluid, so he is looking into the billing issue. Generators were the next topic discussed. Fankhauser noted that a power pole will need to be set west of the water plant, however Evergy would like to get with the electrician first. It was also noted that the property at 427 N. 7th St will be dropped down to 110 watts with the understanding that Evergy will upgrade it if any problems arise. A water leak in front of the First Christian Church was also discussed.
Leiser Construction is currently working on the doors at the water plant. When the roof gets fixed, new lights should be put in. LED lights were discussed along with blown-in insulation.
An executive session for personnel pursuant to KSA 75-4319 was had. After returning to open meeting, it was approved to raise wages for Grimm to $20 per hour and James Paugh to $18 per hour effective with the next pay cycle.
Meeting adjourned. The Madison City Council also met on Oct. 21. Their next scheduled meeting is Monday, Nov. 4.
