Lind council balances busy agenda

During the regular meeting of the Lind Town Council on Tuesday, March 11, council members voted to sign a certificate of fiscal completion on the Wastewater Treatment Plant and for the clerk/treasurer position to be bonded, as well as insured.

USKH engineer Alan Gay presented to council discussing the progress Kearsley Construction, Inc., at the WWTP facility, and announced that with fixing an issue with the alarm system in one of the tanks, the company presented the council with a certificate of fiscal completion at the plant.

Gay explained he believed the issue would be fixed on March 12 and the certificate could be awarded after the issue had been fixed. The alarm was triggered with low water in one of the tanks, but Gay said it simply needed to be reprogrammed to take into consideration there did not need to be an alarm when the pumps were shut off.

Kindra Haase made a motion for Mayor Jamie Schmunk to sign the certificate and received a second from Tom Strohmaier. Kathy White also voted in favor of the mayor signing the certificate, while Paula Bell and Karissa Labes abstained. Labes voiced her uncertainty for having a signature on a certificate before the final issue was fixed.

Gay also informed the council he is waiting on the final change orders from Kearsley Construction, but believed he would have them to present at the next meeting.

Scarsella Brothers, Inc., had also sent a change order to Gay in the amount of $4,000 to have them remobilize to Lind to complete the boring under the railroad tracks for the waterline replacement of the USDA Rural Development Grant. Gay gave his personal recommendation, believing the council had no reason to improve the change order, as the contract with the company gave a specific project date and the council had not violated any part of the contract. The council members unanimously voted to reject the change order request from Scarsella.

During the previous Lind Town Council meeting, the public forum had been packed with concerns for residents, with the majority of comments surrounding the use of city equipment and inquires about employees.

The discussion on Feb. 25 was spurred following the council’s decision to pay new city clerk/treasurer Ruthie Panter an hourly rate of $15.50. The motion had been made by Kathy White, seconded by Tom Strohmaier and opposed by councilmember Paula Bell. The motion passed with a majority vote. Panter was not in attendance at the meeting.

During the public forum in the previous meeting, Bell presented the council with RCW 35.27.120, which states that the town’s clerk and treasurer must be bonded upon entering office.

Schmunk addressed the concerns during the March 11 meeting and explained all town employees are covered through the town’s $1 million employee dishonesty policy. In discussions with the town’s insurance provider, Canfield, Schmunk said they explained the town clerk/treasurer did not have to be bonded because of the policy, but many towns did decide to insure and bond the individual in that position in order to comply with the language in the state resolution.

Bell moved that the clerk/treasurer be bonded in the sum of $10,000, with a second provided from White. Strohmaier voted in favor, while Haase and Labes voted against the motion. The motion passed with a majority vote.

The council moved on to discuss the use of a Gator, purchased with grant funding for use at the WWTP, and its recent use snowplowing around businesses in town. Residents in the previous meeting had raised concern about the unnecessary and overuse of town equipment, and also using equipment designated for a certain department for other areas of town without a rental agreement.

Schmunk updated council she had spoke with Ritzville clerk/treasurer who advised the council can pay an hourly rate for the use of the equipment outside of the WWTP, or can amend the next budget to have multiple departments pay for the equipment.

The council unanimously agreed to have the hours any equipment is used outside of it’s designated department recorded, and the fund reimbursed through a loan payment between departments.

After a 20-minute executive session regarding a personnel issue, Schmunk announced the two-week notice of clerk/treasurer Panter.

During the mayor’s update, Schmunk advised the council and public that the decorative lights in downtown could soon be turned off, as they are currently attached to an Avista Utilities pole. Schmunk said an Avista representative visited the office to inform the town that all lights need to be run off of a separate meter. Schmunk is currently investigating options to ensure the town can continue to have the decorative lights on in town.

The next Lind Town Council meeting is March 25 at 7 p.m.