Meeting Notes
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006
Regular Council Meeting
I apologize for the delay in posting the notes. We have had company and have been enjoying showing them around our area.
The meeting began after a closed door session of the CDBG loan advisory committee. Mayor Bud Leonard announced that no action was taken in that meeting. The Council members were present with the exception of Marc Barsanti. The meeting started with ceremonial matters and the awarding of a plaque to former City Manager Jay Parrish. The plaque was presented by Mayor Leonard, who read the inscription. This was presented as a thank you for the many years of service to Rio Dell, six years as Mayor and 8 years on the Council. *The recent illegal appointment of Parrish as City Manager brought about the recent interruption in his years of service. The City shows every intention of simply hiring him back on once the one year requirement expires. Parrish thanked the Council and those present as he accepted the plaque to applause.
The consent calendar was next with the usual items, such as the approval of minutes, the approval of the check register and the ever present extension of the local water emergency through to the next meeting. These items were passed as a block. The special call items were next and included a rate increase with Eel River Disposal. This was explained as the annual increase due to the cost of living which is allowed as part of the current contract. This was described as an 'across the board' increase, and it was pointed out that the fees at the dump have gone up as well. *If you would like a break down of the rate increase, contact Eel River Disposal. The item was passed unanimously.
The next three items had to do with pay requests related to the raw water intake project. These items were spoken of as a group since they are interrelated. Two of the requests were for supplies and equipment. The Council approved $121,693.36 to John N. Petersen Inc for work, $2,076.72 to Roger's Machinery, Inc. for supplies and $29,587.32 to Roberts Water Technologies for equipment. The last item in this area was to approve an agreement with the County to collect special taxes, fees and assessments. The agreement means that the County will place the sewer assessment on the tax bills and save the city from having to bill for that separately. This particular assessment is from a 1978 bond that should be paid off by 2018. The cost for the County to bill residents is less than if the city had to do it, and the agreement was passed unanimously. *If you have questions about your particular sewer assessment bill, contact Karen at City Hall.
The public presentation portion was next, but nobody spoke.
In staff reports, Chief Graham Hill said that one Officer was leaving Rio Dell to another local community. The police have three possible applicants currently in the police academy. There is a possibility of a lateral transfer of an Officer from another community. The department is going to be buying a surplus vehicle from the Atherton Police. It is a police car with low miles that they are getting for under $1,000 and it is already outfitted for the police. As City Manager, Graham Hill reported that the environmental impact report notice of preparation is out and there will be public meetings. PG&E and Palco have been meeting regarding power distribution issues. Hill reported that SHN has received back two of the Phase 1 environmental assessment reports. There are more to be received including a report on brownfield issues. The ATV recently debuted by the police department at Wildwood Days is back in the shop for a paint job.
Council member Julie Woodall asked Hill if there was a legal advisor looking at the annexation for Rio Dell. Hill stated that there is a legal expert from out of the area who is looking into the issues with Rio Dell's best interests in mind. Council member Melissa Marks asked about the Davis St river access, which is still closed. She pointed out that it was asked about in the last meeting by Woodall. Hill stated that they are still looking into it, but the area is private property. They will hopefully reach an agreement, but there are some specific issues that the owners were dealing with. For the time being, residents should use the Edwards Dr. access. Marks commented on the need to have legal council look into the cities rights as the city has a 50 ft. right of way. Mayor Leonard commented that the right of way has been overgrown and drops off into the river in some areas. It can be restored but there is no money to do it.
Accounting Supervisor Gordon Elton stated that they had received the draft audit of 2003. Public Works Supervisor Jim Hale reported that the Army Corp of Engineers had okayed the rip rack (proper term?) on the river bank. He said the recent Wildwood Days were great and that although they didn't have the numbers yet on attendance, he believes it was a record attendance. The group needs volunteers for next year's Wildwood Days. *The festival is a lot of fun and could be a great asset to the city, but they need helpers. There hasn't been much advertising of the festival outside our area and that would bring in a lot more people if done properly. Hale reported that the vendors did well. *We had a lot of great vendors at the festival. There were many interesting things to look at and buy. A number of planned events were cancelled though, for a variety of reasons I would guess. Help out your community and get the benefit of a great Wildwood Days to enjoy. You could probably contact either City Hall or the Fire Dept. to ask about who to talk to.
As Leonard was beginning to read the closed door items, Marks asked if another item could be added to the closed door agenda. She stated that it was titled simply "Personnel." Leonard read the ordinance that governed adding an item to the agenda and the council members voted to allow its addition.
The Council recessed into the closed door session.
Mayor Leonard read the items to be discussed in closed session.
The Closed Session was as follows:
1. Potential Litigation - Roberts vs. Rio Dell
2. Potential Litigation - Nuisance Abatement Issues
3. Litigation - Concerned Citizens vs. Rio Dell
4. Potential Litigation - Property Damage Claim
5. Personnel - Rio Dell Employees Association Contract Negotiations
6. Personnel-City Manager
7. Personnel (added by Melissa Marks)
* Indicates my humble opinion and/or commentary
City Council Rio Dell California