Bancroft City Council Report—Jan 21
This report is adapted from the official minutes recorded by City Clerk Debbie Swensen. It has been edited for length and context. Several of the issues were carried over to the net meeting, and will be fully reported on when they reach a resolution.
Mayor Perry suggested Jessica Vawser for the position of council president, due to her experience on the council. A motion to formalize the appointment passed 4-0.
Electrical Panel Bid Review
Mayor Perry and CM Ackerman inspected the control panel at Memorial Park well due concerns and a large difference in estimates from contractors.
CM Ackerman stated that there were loose wires causing multiple burn spots in the cabinet.
One of the main wires had loose connections and was getting hot which caused burn spots in the panel. The terminals need to be replaced and the wire needs to be repaired. The repair consists of cutting the wire back, using compression crimps and putting heat treat over the top. The soft start or variable frequency drive that starts the pump up slowly seems to be fine with no proven failures. At this point the soft start does not need replaced but the city should purchase a back-up soft start in case of failure. CM Ackerman liked the estimate from Watt’s Up Electric due to being similar to the issues they saw when inspecting the system. It was presumed to be a big savings to the city if they do the recommended repairs and then have a back up soft start on hand. Mayor Perry read the other estimate and explained his concerns to the council. The other quote is to completely replace the wires and other parts that don’t appear to have issues. Some of the items that need replaced were not listed and the wire listed was incorrect. CM Ackerman and Mayor Perry suggested the city hire Watt’s Electric due to the description of findings being closely similar to their inspection of issues. CM Ackerman noted that there might need to be a few additional items added once they get in and analyze things more closely. Cm, Jcssica Vawser asked if all of this could have been avoided with routine maintenance. CM Michael Ackerman and Mayor Perry stated that yes it could have been avoided by routine checks and checking the connections. CM Michael Ackeman stated that the biggest failure was the loose wires.
Cm, Trevor Parsons made a motion to hire Watt’s Up Electric for the repairs (up to $5k) and have them do routine maintenance going forward. Motion passed.
Complaint Discussion
One of the most intense discussions of the evening involved a complaint that had been filed by Mike Ackerman, prior to his being seated as a council member.
Ackerman informed council that he made a complaint as a resident regarding noise and parking. The first complaint was filed in March and the other on Dec 30 for noise.
The complaint involved noise from a semi-truck across the street from his location, which was being worked on with a welder and sledge hammer, creating a great deal of noise. Ackerman stated he had to leave his home, and played a video he had taken of the incident.
CM Ackerman stated that there are 33 trailers parked on public property right now, making the city look unsightly. He further stated stated that the ordinance needs to be reviewed and re-worded.
CM Vawser stated that there are no solid ordinances to stop the resident from parking there, to which CM Ackerman replied that this is why the code needs to be reviewed, and that there is a truck route recently plotted out by the city and those roads in his area are not on the truck route, causing the road damage.
CP Vawser stated that it is not constant everyday use and that is what the truck route is intended for. She stated that there have been no other complaints from other neighbors. She also stated that the city council has already discussed this issue in the past and came to the resolution that nothing in the code prevents the resident from parking there.
The issue of overall limited parking locations in town and vehicles parking on city or land owned by others was discussed in further detail by the mayor and council.
CM Ackerman would like to make changes to the existing ordinance. It would allow residents to have personal operative vehicles which are: trucks, cars, ATV’s and UTV’s. Mike stated that the city doesn’t need 33 trailers and semi-trucks parked on city streets.
Mayor Perry asked council to look at the ordinances and be willing to go through them go through them.
CP Vawser would like to ask the city attorney if it is legal for CM Ackerman to participate with making a motion or voting on this topic where he has personal involvement.
CM Vawser asked if there are time restrictions on noise. Resident (and former councilmember) Eric Christensen stated that it is from 6am to 11pm Monday through Thursday and later on the weekends.
CM Vawser noted that this situation happened during the middle of the day and asked if there is a decibel limit. Eric Christensen stated that the limit is pretty high, and set by DEQ.
CM Parsons stated that he understands CM Ackerman’s frustration, but we are a small mining and farming community. CM Parsons commented that he started his business while living in the middle of town. Cm, Parsons stated that he got turned in for a similar issue to this and his only complaint is that his neighbor did not come to him first.
CM Ackerman commented that CP Vawser has attempted to clean the cars and messes up for appearance reasons and this is no different. CM Ackerman noted that the noise issue with his neighbor is a separate problem.
Mayor Perry would like to review the ordinance as a council and have further discussions.
Street Light Replacement-Rocky Mountain Power Estimate Review
CM Mike Ackennan would like to replace the current street lights updating to the LED lamps due to the savings and reimbursement plan offered by Rocky Mountain Power.
CM Ackerman brought a demo light to show council the difference between a yellow and white light.
The 3,000 is the warmer yellow light and the 4,000 is the white light. CM Parsons likes coming home to the warmer lights and feels it’s easier to sleep. CM Vawser also prefers the warm lights. Mayor Peny likes the white look of the 4,000. Council would like to go forward with the application for the energy savings grant that would cover the entire cost of replacing the lights.
Council voted and decided to go with the 4k white light cobra style.
CM Trevor Parsons made a motion to upgrade the 44 city lights to the 4k cobra style lights contingent upon having the funds in the budget and/or receiving funds from the grant.
Motion passed 4-0.
Building Permit
Jake Barfuss submitted a building permit for a hickory shed.
CM Parsons explained that this building permit was put back on the agenda per council request due to requiring the applicant to get written approval from his neighbor to put the shed close to the fence and add a gate. The city has received a signed consent from the neighbor agreeing to the noted changes. Permit was approved.
Misc
CM Parsons asked about the previous discussions regarding the pump behind the school. There is not a backup generator at this point. Council discussed the need of having a backup. CM Ackerman asked if there is an issue with having both pumps on at the same time. Eric Christensen stated that he doesn’t think there is an issue with them being on at the same time because they have separation.
Jessica Thurman feels like the city should utilize the rodeo grounds more and would like to plan a summer city event. CM Thurman was told that a group was denied using the rodeo grounds. Eric Christensen informed CM Thurman that the individuals were not told they couldn’t use the rodeo grounds, but that that they would need to pay a fee if their event was for profit and non-profit events are free of charge. Due to the cost of power, garbage, maintenance, and clean-up, the city put fees on the grounds to help recuperate some of the cost. There has been an issue with collecting those fees since this policy changed. Some groups are willing to pay the fee without questions and others have been difficult.
CM Thurman would like to have a spring or summer event and utilize the grounds more.
CM Parsons asked what happened to the tree burn.
Council presented Eric Christensen with a 20 year service award and thanked him for all his hard work and devotion to the community. Eric thanked the newly elected officials and commented that it is a thankless job but they will do great.
Cm, Eric Christensen wants council to remember that patrons have good input and most people just want to be heard.
CM Parsons stated that this has been discussed previously and some of the vehicles and equipment just need attention and some can be auctioned or salvaged. The dump truck needs a transmission and the truck just needs a battery. The post office has a box to dispose of the old flags. CM Parsons stated that a lot of the items were moved to this shop from the other one and most of the items just need to go to the dump.
