The Meeting Was Called to Order by Mayor Pro-Tem, Chris Mccoy, at 7:03 PM

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

CITY OF KINGSLEY COUNCIL MEETING

Present: Council members, Beryl Ward, Jayne Schneider, Paul Stratman and Chris McCoy; Treasurer, Valerie Andres; City Clerk, Mary Lynn Neat; Tree Board members, Susan Melcher, Lynn Smuskiewicz, Phyl Breuer and Julio Campo; Attorney, Steve Emery; Lt. Cabrera; resident, Marilyn Whistler; Republic Bank representatives, William Engelbrecht and Alisha Deatrick.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pro-Tem, Chris McCoy, at 7:03 PM.

PRIOR MEETING MINUTES:

Paul made the motion to accept the January, 2014 minutes with changes. Jayne seconded and the minutes were unanimously approved.

POLICE REPORT:

Lt. Cabrera reported that 8 tickets had been issued. A person who was salting the streets received a citation for an expired registration and had no proof of insurance available.

Chris had a call from a resident concerning a property with a lot of in-and-out traffic. Lt. Cabrera will check on this.

CITY TREASURER’S REPORT:

Valerie presented the special bills as follows:

- Udar Services $94.51 Bookkeeping Services - Udar Services $124.00 Bookkeeping Services - Wayne’s Lawn Service $263.25 Grass Cutting - Wayne’s Lawn Service $760.25 Snow Invoice - Wayne’s Lawn Service $945.00 Snow Invoice - NSAP $980.00 Police Service - Greenhaven Tree Care $315.00 Tree Service - Kentucky League of Cities $335.00 2014 Membership Dues

The CD that matured 1/22/14 was cashed and deposited into the money-market account at Republic Bank. The balance of those monies was $24,611.74.

There was an erroneous deposit made into the MRA Fund that will be withdrawn and documented. Account Balances:

Bank Account Balances 1/31/2014 General Checking ###4487 $20,162.41 Money Market Sav. ###6264 $131,032.08 MRA Fund ###4646 $48,846.62 MRA Checking 1st Cap ###0593 $6,149.63 CD- 24 mo Rep. Bk. ###889-24 $0.00 CD-15 mo 1st Capital ##115 $60,275.09 Total Bank Accts $266.465.83

There was a short discussion regarding the availability of a fax machine, copying, etc. for Valerie’s use. It was agreed that any out-of-pocket expenses incurred would be reimbursed.

The motion was made by Jayne and seconded by Beryl, to pay the regular and special bills. The Treasurer’s report was unanimously approved by the Council.

ATTORNEY REPORT:

Steve suggested this was a good time to begin preparing the budget for next year.

There was a brief discussion of the reclassification of cities in the legislature. Possible changes would not affect the City of Kingsley.

Council members are now permitted to participate electronically in meetings via Skype if necessary.

Steve and Andrew will be out of town and unable to attend the April meeting; therefore, a refund of the April’s attorney fees will be made.

TREE BOARD REPORT

The Tree Board reported no activity since last month. There was a discussion regarding the ice build-up on trees in the park area. Greenhaven Tree Service is on stand-by for potential services. Paul put up caution tape around the park to guard against the fallen limbs.

NEW BUSINESS:

No tree removal permits were requested this month. One construction permit was submitted by Stephenson Properties, Gary Stephenson, 2658 Taylorsville Road, for the construction of a garage. The $500 bond check was received. The sidewalk inspection will be done by Chris and he will collect the $10 permit fee. The permit application was reviewed and approved by Steve.

The motion was made by Jayne to accept the construction permit, Beryl seconded and the council unanimously approved the permit.

The council then heard a presentation by candidate for District Court Judge, Josh Schneider.

Chris began the discussion regarding the reinvestment plan for the matured CD funds. There are various rates available from local banks. The other CD will mature in 5/14. The council discussed the possible benefit of splitting up the monies, but concluded the best plan would be to invest the funds for a longer time period for this CD, approx. 24 mo., with the bank that gives the best rates for this amount. Bill Engelbrecht from Republic Bank shared the 9 mo. and 1 yr. rates from Republic Bank with the group.

A motion was made by Paul to authorize Valerie to invest the CD monies for 24 months with the financial institution offering the best rates and to open a small checking account if required, seconded by Jayne and unanimously approved.

The annual Easter Egg Hunt was set for Saturday, April 19, 2014. The time will be set next month. There was a discussion regarding the method of obtaining the candy. Valerie suggested that buying the candy was better than having candy donated in this case. The motion was made by Paul and seconded by Beryl to authorize a $75 expenditure for Valerie to purchase Easter candy for the hunt. The council unanimously approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

Chris reviewed with the council his discussions with Becky after January’s meeting pertaining to the Tree Board and had decided that any further discussions would be postponed until Becky was back from Florida.

Chris provided hand-outs to the council with possible revisions to the Tree Ordinance. The possible changes covered were:

- Section 1.1. 15 ft. limit that triggers need for permit applications and replacement.

Phyl said this was raised to 15 from 10 feet. The question was raised if a resident removes the tree before it reaches 15 feet, is there a need to replace it? Phyl said a tree inventory is kept and is valuable for insurance claims should a need arise. Valerie brought up the point that if a tree is placed and it dies, then this might discourage residents from investing in trees. Marilyn Whistler suggested a possible provision could be if a newly planted tree dies within the first 5 years, there would be no obligation to replace it. - Section 1.1. Deposit of $200 for sidewalk protection.

Chris suggested making deposits in the Tree Ordinance consistent with other ordinances. The current cost of a sidewalk square is $150-$225. A higher bond would limit the potential loss of the City. The current ordinance states that if the damage is more than the deposit check, the balance is the responsibility of the homeowner. There was a discussion regarding raising the deposit to $500.

Beryl suggested that insured contractors would technically be liable for any sidewalk damage. However, without any permit, this would put the burden on the city to deal with the contractor vs. the resident working it out with their contractor.

- Section l.3.2: Clarify ordinance if there are numerous trees in front yards.

The council discussed the subjectivity regarding the size of a yard and current trees that work. The question was raised and discussed whether the number of trees that exist in a front yard would eliminate the requirement to replace a tree.

- Section 1.4: Maximum time to satisfy replanting requirement.

The council discussed potentially extending this time. The problem of weather and availability of trees is a factor. A question was raised about if the obligation to replace a tree accrues to a new owner if the property is sold. The council considered extending the replacement period to 9 months. Beryl suggested giving homeowners either a fall or spring timetable to replace their tree, following removal. Susan suggested adding that timetable language to the permit form.

COMMISSIONER CONCERNS:

Chris brought up that 2650 Kings Highway, the Michaelsons, applied for and were approved for a variance for the construction of a two-bedroom/bath addition

Chris revisited a concern of Beryl’s from January regarding the 2521 Kings Highway property and whether it could be considered a vacant property. She reported that the sidewalk was not being cleared of snow. Phyl suggested contacting IPL or Metro Call to establish the status.

The Mattingly home at 2605 Kings Highway has had no activity.

Paul mentioned that the park will need to be cleaned up at some point. Greenhaven will advise what trees can be salvaged. The council may possibly get a cheaper contractor if a full tree removal is recommended. The Tree Board has e-mailed Greenhaven regarding potential trimming and cleaning up. Jayne expressed concern regarding how long debris will be sitting there given the volume of work with the ice storm. The suggestion was made to have an evaluation done by Greenhaven once the ice is melted. CLOSING:

Paul made the motion to adjourn the meeting, Jayne seconded and the motion was unanimously approved at 8:37 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Lynn Neat City Clerk City of Kingsley