Regular Meeting s6

TOWN COUNCIL

REGULAR MEETING

APRIL 12, 2016

CITY HALL, SUNBURST MT 59482

IN ATTENDANCE: Mayor Gary Iverson, Councilpersons Holly Hovland, Shane Berthelote,

Tim Tharp, Mike Tobin, and employees Linda Burley, Scott Widhalm and Phil Iverson. Also in attendance: Stacy & Don Koon, Mark Stella, Walter Wilson, and John MacDonald

ABSENT: none

Meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm.

MINUTES: Mike moved the minutes be approved as modified. Shane seconded and the

minutes were approved 4-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS:

John MacDonald: Pat Henricks will be in Sunburst tomorrow. Pat has talked to Shane about

the planting of trees on the west edge of town. It looks like it will be approved by Chevron

but will probably not be complete until next year. It takes a while to get through the

legalities and we will need to order trees quite a while before the planting season. It will

likely be next spring before we can actually have the trees. There is not much activity with

Chevron in the area at this time. The DEQ seems to be closer to signing off on the work

plan, but it is unknown when they will be able to actually begin the work. Walter Wilson (Toole County Conservation District): Willie addressed the council for the

TCCD. The District will be participating in an Eagle Aquifer project with the DNRC and the

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, if the DNRC is awarded the grant. Mayor, Gary

Iverson informed us that we use the Red Creek Aquifer for our water. Willie explained the

project briefly and asked the Council to write a letter of support for the project. The

Council agreed to give the grant application their support. A letter will be written. Stacey Koon asked if there would be free swimming during Gala Days. Normally, Gala Days

is held the first weekend of June in order to kick off the opening of the pool. This year it

th will be held over the 4 of July weekend, to coincide with the holiday and the all class

reunion. Stacey applied for a grant for the pool and asked that the Town agree to spend

any grant money on the intended items, as listed in the grant request. The pool is on the

agenda to be discussed later in the meeting.

OLD BUSINESS: Creation of a school district-wide swimming pool district: Bill Hunt emailed that he had

reminded Mr. Raph that we were awaiting his opinion on the creation of a school-district

wide pool district. Mr. Raph has not yet made his decision on this. Bill will get back to us

when he hears back from the County Attorney.

iPads for the Council & Mayor: The council reviewed the iPad that was purchased. It was

set up with town emails and had quick links to the town website and town codes. The

iPads will allow council to keep all communication in one place and will allow handy access

to certain Town documents. Agendas can be emailed in advance of the meetings to allow Council to be better prepared for meetings, and packet documents will be on the iPad for

viewing at council meetings. Mike moved to purchase 4 iPads, one for each council

member. Shane seconded the motion. Discussion was held on who would be responsible if

anything happened to an iPad and it was decided that the individual would need to replace

it if it was damaged due to negligence. Vote was 4-0 in favor of purchasing the iPads. Linda

was asked to order them right away so she could activate and load them before leaving.

2016 All Class Reunion: There will be free swimming during the all class reunion. NEW BUSINESS:

Pool, Pool Managers & Lifeguards: Council reviewed lifeguard applications from former

lifeguards Nicole Potack, Chance Morgan, Haylee Koon, Krista Hauschulz, Kodie Christian,

Destiny Dichtel and Jordan Williams, as well as new applicants William Wallace and Jeffrey

Owens. Council approved the hiring of all applicants. Stacey Koon reported that Chance

has already gone to training and been re-certified for the season. The other trained

lifeguards all need blood borne pathogens training. She is working on getting the training online. William and Jeffery will have to go through the entire training before they can

Stacey applied for a grant from the Sunburst Community Foundation for pool equipment.

She didn’t request any exercise equipment at this time. She told the council that they are

working to get the community to “come back to the pool” and would later work on getting

the workout equipment once attendance was up. Gary stated he would like to see us

acquire a slide for the pool now that we no longer have a diving board. The Foundation

wanted it reflected in the minutes that the proceeds, should the grant be awarded, be spent as designated on the grant application. Mike moved we spend any grant proceeds as

designated on the Sunburst Community Foundation grant application. Holly seconded the

motion and it carried 4-0.

Don and Stacey Koon will be managing the pool this year. They requested that in lieu of

wages, they be given free water, sewer and garbage for 12 months. Council wants to have

them covered by worker’s compensation so wants to pay them a wage of some sort. Tim

moved we pay Stacey and Don each for one hour per day of the pool season, as well as free water, sewer and garbage pickup for 12 months. Shane seconded and it passed

unanimously.

Swim lessons will be offered this year. Prices will be $25 per week and will include 4

sessions, each 30 minutes long. There will be no break for multiple children in the same

family. This should cover the cost of the lifeguards giving the lessons.

Phil reported that we have one heater that is new and one that is operational. Phil will be

trying to locate and fix the leak. Council reviewed the admission prices for the swim pool. The fees have not changed in

many years so council raised the fees to be more in line with other pools in the area. New

admission fees will be:

Season Passes:

Family $60

Adults $45

Ages 6-18 $30 Daily:

Adults $5

Under 18 $4

Once we have exercise equipment it will be required that persons wanting to use the

equipment will be required to sign a waiver of liability before using the equipment. Tim

will send Linda a waiver that she can use as a template. Northern Montana Regional Water Authority: Council reviewed the agreement with

NMRWA. The agreement needs to be renewed every 5 years and the Council has been

asked to renew. Mike moved to renew our commitment to the NMRWA for another 5 years

and Tim seconded. Motion carried 4-0.

Mike moved to accept Nine Mile Water & Sewer District into NMRWA. Tim seconded and

motion passed unanimously. Clerk/Treasurer Resignation: Linda resigned her position as clerk/treasurer and has given

her 2-week notice. We need to start advertising for the position immediately. Montana

Municipal Clerks, Treasurers and Finance Officers Assoc. Clerk’s Institute is coming up on

May 1, 2016, and it would be beneficial to have a new clerk hired so he/she can attend the

Institute. Linda’s registration was already paid so we could easily transfer it to the new

employee. The job will be posted at Job Service, The Neighborhood Buzz on Facebook,

Craig’s List, and the Shelby Promoter. Applications will be accepted until 4:30 on Friday,

April 22, 2016. Council is also requiring a resume accompany the application. It will be posted as a full-time job with benefits, wages depending on experience. If questions about

the pay are asked, the applicant should be directed to call the Mayor at 450-1106.

COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA:

Walter Wilson asked the council to explain what is going on with the water break outside

his home. Phil explained that Willie’s and Micah’s curbstops need to be replaced. Once the

water line broke in the street and it was dug up, it was discovered that their lines are lead.

DEQ mandates that once this is discovered, the service be disconnected immediately and not returned until such time as the lead lines are replaced with compliant lines. Willie

stated that the lines needing replacing is not his fault. Phil further explained that the curb

stops will need to be placed in the boulevard and the Town will only pay for the line to the

curb stop. Willie stated that he just wanted to know what was going to be done. Phil

explained that he would run the mail line and replace the curb stops and then when Willie

was ready to hook up his new line, Phil would make the connection. Micah VanGilder is

aware of the situation and has made plans to replace his line. Phil and Scott will fix the

water leak immediately and will replace the curb stops later in the summer when time

allows. Tim Tharp told the Council he will be resigning due to his moving out of town this summer.

He asked the Council if they would prefer he resigned now, so that his replacement could

be involved in the hiring of the new clerk. Council feels that it is better to have his

experience involved in the hiring process and would rather he stayed until June. Council

will appoint a replacement at the June meeting.

Mike Tobin asked about a claim written to MMIA for a $750 deductible on a claim. He had

been looking through the claims and was curious to see the police report on the accident. He also asked if Phil had been drug tested after the accident as Mike was under the

impression that whenever a CDL driver had an accident, he was required to have a drug

test. Phil explained that he had backed into Lyla Bye near Early Bird Coffee Shop and the

authorities had not been called and no test taken. He said that Lyla was in a big hurry and

he admitted that it was his fault, so he told her to call Linda and fill out a claim and they left.

Tim stated that he thinks it’s very smart to have a test taken anytime there is an accident

for liability reasons. Other council members’ employers require it also. Holly asked if it

was addressed in the personnel policy and Linda, looking at the policy, did not see it. Holly

asked if it could be on the next agenda and if the policy could be emailed to council for their review. Linda suggested that they update the policy in the next few months as it is a good

idea to review and update it annually.

Shane Berthelote suggested that the council consider requiring an excavation permit of

anyone digging in town. The City of Cut Bank has one and the digger is required to speak

with the City Superintendant. This sets up communication and expectations for the digger

from the beginning of the project to the repair of any streets or roadways. st Phil was asked for an update on the hole at the intersection of 1 St N and Railroad Avenue

that developed as a result of the water leak in February. They put millings on it but it keeps

settling and needs some cold mix once it has settled enough. It is a bad spot where trucks

turn. The millings seem to fall, even after being heated.

Tim asked that it be recorded in the minutes that he appreciates all that Linda has done for

the Town, thanks her for her service, and wishes her well in her new job. VENDOR REPORTS: Claims list and payroll were reviewed. Mike moved to approve the

vendor list and Holly seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Approved were Claims 2441-

2445, 2447-2453, 2456-2475; Warrants 10075-10102, and electronic warrants –

99607through -99609, and Payroll Warrants 5521-5531, 5537, 5543, and Payroll

Electronic Warrants -89784 through -89781.

Hearing no objections, the meeting was adjourned by Mayor Iverson.

The next regular meeting will be held on May 10, 2016 at 7:00 pm.

______Gary Iverson, Mayor

Attest: ______Linda Burley, Clerk