City Council, October 6—Council held a public hearing on an Approval of the Findings of Fact and the Exemption to Competitive Bidding Process for the seismic upgrade and updating of the fire house. The positive outcome of the hearing now enables the to city to bypass certain competitive bidding procedures and allows it to act as the general contractor. Both moves will save the city considerable money. Additionally, Administrator Alvis informed council that once the fire department project begins, fire personnel will be housed in a modular home located in the parking lot near the public works yard behind the library. At the conclusion of the hearing, Mayor Becker thanked council and others involved for making another project possible that many said would never happen!
A Transient Lodging Tax Grant for $5800 was approved for the Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of ongoing marketing and promotional projects.
Council approved hiring officers Berry and Johnson from a list of Police Officer hires submitted by Chief Towe.
Administrator Alvis reported that the Britt Festival grounds are now a 100% non-smoking venue and thanked Councilor Ken Gregg and Britt Festivals CEO Donna Briggs for making the change happen.
Finance Director Stacey Bray announced that the city budget audit is nearly complete and that a presentation will be made to the council in the coming weeks. She also received approval for a $1500 software upgrade to the city utility billing program that will enable online bill-pay and the installation of credit card processing units at city hall.
Mayor Becker announced that staff is considering holding monthly city council meetings in the future instead of every two weeks, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to meet online via Zoom. No decision was made on the matter at the time.
Council accepted a recommendation from staff to hire Vitus Construction to complete nearly $400,000 in tenant improvements to the second floor of New City Hall. Funding will come from the Capital Projects Fund. With completion of the elevator to the second floor, the city is now able to move ahead with the much-anticipated completion of the project. Although no formal use has been designated for the space, plans include installation of an audio-visual system and theater-grade lighting.