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May 20, 2009 The Norton City Council met in regular session Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor David Corns presiding. Council members present were Jeff Otter, Donna Foley, Toby Kuhn, Kim Snyder, Roberta Ryan and Joe Leroux. Others present were Wesley DuBois, Pat Morel, Dan Bainter, Jeff Wolf, Brandy Leroux, Deena Wente, Erica Bradley, Karen Griffiths, Rob Lawson and Darla Ellis. Motion was made by Jeff Otter and seconded by Kim Snyder to approve the April 29, 2009, council minutes. Vote taken. Motion carried. The following building permits were presented: Mayor Corns stated the Norton Public Library will be celebrating their 100th birthday on June 11. At 2:00 p.m., kids of all ages are invited for The Flying Debris Show and various activities. Clowns from the Isis Shriners will have balloons for the children. From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., the Marc Baker Show will be held. They will perform Elvis songs and Country songs, and birthday cake will be served. Pens and magnets will be handed out and pictures of the old and new library will be on display. He encouraged everyone to attend the celebration. He also stated the Friends of the Library had their reorganizational meeting, and purchase many things for the Library, including the bikes and supplies for the summer reading program, supplies for the hooked on phonics program, retirement expenses, and other miscellaneous items. Karen Griffiths reported a meeting will be held in Dodge City on June 23, on the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Kansas Open Records Act, and stated she will be attending. If any council members wish to attend, the City Clerk will register them for the meeting. Police Chief Pat Morel reported on the April statistics for the Police Department. He also introduced Wesley DuBois, who has been hired as the new Police Officer, and began work on May 18th. City Administrator Rob Lawson announced that Dennis Paden is retiring on June 28. A retirement reception will be held for him on June 25 from 2:30 – 4:30. He also announced that Janet Manning will be retiring on August 14 and a reception will be held for her on August 13. Rob Lawson reported that there were problems with a pump at the Washington Lift Station over the weekend. Parts have been ordered, but it could take 14-16 weeks before the parts are delivered. The City was notified that they will not be receiving any stimulus money for these repairs. Rob Lawson stated he has had numerous complaints regarding the condition of the tennis courts. He stated they are in bad shape and the council should look at them so they can discuss whether to try and fix them or close them. Rob Lawson stated he has located a 1994 International sludge truck with 2100 hours on the engine, with an injector on the back. He stated this truck would allow crews to haul sludge during any weather. He stated it has a pumper hose on the side which could pump out the lift station if there are problems in the future. It is priced at $69,500 and is in Longview, Texas. The paperwork for the SRF loan amendment funding is in progress, and Rod Geisler of KDHE has said the City can buy this truck and will be reimbursed with SRF funds. A belt press will reduce the amount of sludge that will need to be hauled, but the City still needs a truck to haul the sludge. Motion was made by Donna Foley and seconded by Jeff Otter to purchase the 1994 International sludge truck after receiving two more bids, with funds to come from SRF funding. Vote taken. Motion carried. Rob Lawson stated a bid opening will be held at 3:00 p.m. on June 2nd for the water tower painting. Chris Miller of Miller and Associates will be here for the bid opening. KDHE is approving the plan for the rest of the project. Jeff Otter reported the Public Safety Committee discussed a no parking area between the County Health Department and Doctor’s Clinic, from the east side of N. Norton Street at E. Warsaw to the alley. A temporary sign will be put up and a study will be conducted. The Committee also discussed a 2 hour parking area on the 400 block of N. Norton, east of the Recreation Center. Construction equipment is often parked there which makes the road very narrow for traffic. Municipal Court Judge Jerry Hawks requested that the council consider allowing detainees to use a payment option for using house arrest, rather than having to come up with the whole amount upfront. Council felt that having house arrest is an advantage over serving jail time, and the cost should be paid for in advance of receiving the service. Judge Hawks also asked the council to consider a Charter Ordinance which would add a defendant’s expense for jail care, which is $52/day, to be added onto their fine. Jeff Otter asked Karen Griffiths to review it. She stated she doesn’t think it is successful because the people who are sentenced often can’t pay the fines, let alone the jail care costs. She will research it. Jeff Otter stated the new police car arrived yesterday. He stated Chrysler shut down production for awhile, but was going back into production for 3 days to build as many 2009 Dodge Chargers as they can. They will then shut down production of the 2009’s and start building 2010’s. If the City’s other unit is not built, the City will get a 2010 unit for the same price that was quoted for the 2009 unit. Toby Kuhn stated the Finance Committee began review of the 5 year management plans which were submitted by the Department Heads. He commended the department heads for taking the time to go through their inventory and equipment, and preparing the plans. He asked each committee to meet with their respective department heads to prioritize their budget requests. Kim Snyder reported the Public Works Committee met with members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church regarding installing a water line to their new location west of Norton. She stated the committee felt the crew has too many other projects they have committed to, and they would not have time to participate in this project at this time. She stated the committee also discussed capital outlay requests. Roberta Ryan stated she was not able to attend the recent Chamber of Commerce meeting, but she has the minutes from the meeting. Joe Leroux scheduled a Parks Committee meeting on June 1st to discuss the tennis courts, and asked that Greg Mann or a school representative be invited. Rob Lawson stated the wheel fence at the racetrack is being built. The City bought the fabric, staples eyebolts, guy wire and anchors; the race promoter will provide the poles and use volunteer labor to build the fence. He also stated the swimming pool grates were fixed to the new standards and has been filled with water. It is planned to open on Memorial Day on schedule. Motion was made by Kim Snyder and seconded by Donna Foley to approve Appropriating Ordinance #10 as a whole. Vote taken. Motion carried. Mayor Corns declared a 10 minute recess at 6:05 p.m. Shawn Wiltfong and Karl Kohfeld joined the meeting at 6:15 p.m. Mayor Corns called the Environmental Hearing for Shawn Wiltfong to order. City Attorney Karen Griffiths stated the Public Hearing is being held pursuant to Ordinance #1569; there have been allegations of code violations at 405 N. Norton, and a Notice and Order was issued on April 14, 2009. The Notice and Order was personally served on Mrs. Shaun Wiltfong and also personally served on Karl Kohfeld, which is the registered property owner at the Register of Deeds Office. On April 23, 2009, Shawn Wiltfong requested a hearing before the Governing Body to dispute the alleged violations. Jeff Wolf, Code Inspector of the City of Norton, was in attendance to present his findings of his inspection of the property. He reviewed his Notice and Order dated April 14, 2009, and discussed what exterior conditions remain on the premises as of today. He presented pictures which showed each condition sited in the Notice and Order. He asked that the City Council find that the conditions have not been alleviated and a Resolution be issued regarding the violations. Karen Griffiths stated if the council finds him to be in violation, then a resolution will be adopted at the next council meeting on June 3, and the property owner would be given 10 days to clean up the property. Notice is given to the property owner, and if the final date is not met, the City will clean up the property and the cost will be charged to the property owner. If the clean-up bill is not paid within 30 days, it will be assessed to the property tax. The floor was opened up to Shaun Wiltfong and Karl Kohfeld to present their questions or comments. Shaun asked where his kids are supposed to put their bicycles. He stated his kids should be able to have toys in their yard. He stated the travel trailer is not tagged, but he feels he should be able to park it on his own property. He removed the electric cord across his yard, but he should be able to plug in his pickup. He stated the hot tub in his yard is not inoperable; he just hasn’t decided where to put it and hook it up. He stated the scaffolding is in the rear yard so he can paint the house when he has time. Mr. Kohfeld stated if it is not in compliance and it comes down to the City cleaning it up at his expense, then he will pursue his legal remedies to get it taken care of. Motion was made by Joe Leroux and seconded by Jeff Otter to have the City Attorney prepare a Resolution, finding that the following conditions constitute a violation of Ordinance #1569 and must be alleviated within 10 days:
Vote taken. Motion carried. Motion was made by Toby Kuhn to adjourn. Council adjourned at 7:13 p.m. ATTEST: City Clerk Mayor: David N. Corns
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