The City of Tarkio Board of Aldermen met Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. at Thompson Learning Center on the Tarkio Tech campus. The Pledge of Allegiance was conducted at 6:07 p.m. Roll call was done by Danielle Madron, City Clerk: aldermen Blu Dow, Scott Poppa, and Jeff Agnew were present. Alderman Andy Riley entered the meeting at 6:09 p.m. Visitors present were: City of Tarkio employees – Street Superintendent Jamie Quimby, Parks Department employee Chris Niles, Building Inspector Jesse Payne, Chief of Police Tyson Gibbons, and Police Officer Dorrel; Tarkio Park Board President Ashlee Driskell and board member Jeff Olson; and John and Sandra Davis, Betsy Chapin, Kyra Mills, Jessica and Scott Walker, Sara and Duane Lester, Dallas Prather, Michael Klosek, Sr., Allison Hatt, Richard Weidenaar, Sandra Kaelin, Sherry Bowlin, Barb Swinford, Ashley Dalton, Tony Grossman, and John Driskell.

The regular meeting minutes from the November 9 meeting and the special minutes from the November 21, December 1, and December 7 meetings were approved as distributed.

There were no additions to the agenda.

Election filings began December 6, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. and the last day to file is December 27, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Positions up for reelection are North Ward Alderman Scott Poppa and South Ward Alderman Andrew Riley.

Sandra Kaelin expressed her concerns about the residential parking on the north side of Main Street from 6th to 10th streets. It is causing traffic congestion and causes safety hazards for children playing and mail carriers working. It makes it hard to see what traffic is coming if you are turning off certain side streets. Ashley Dalton, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, expressed her concerns about people not being able to see her when she is crossing the street while delivering mail, due to the parking on Main. Dallas Prather expressed how much of an eyesore it is to have so many vehicles parked on the street, as the city residents have been working really hard to try and clean up areas to make the town look better. Richard Weidenaar, who owns the vehicles in question, stated that he has no room in his driveway behind his house for the vehicles to park them anywhere else. He also brought attention to the fact there are no parking restrictions for the north side of Main Street. The board members thanked everyone for voicing their concerns. The board will be looking into making an ordinance about parking on the north side of Main. A public hearing on this matter will be held at a later date.

Mayor Staten read by title Bill No 286.22, Ordinance 272.22: An Ordinance To Amend Chapter 119 Boards And Commissions, Article II Board Of Public Works, Section 119.190 Establishment Of Rates. It was approved.

Mayor Staten gave the second reading of Bill No 286.22 Ordinance 272.22. It was approved and Bill 286.22, Ordinance 272.22 was adopted.

Mayor Staten asked for the approval of the yearly stipend pay for the Tarkio Volunteer Fire Department as distributed. A motion was made and seconded and all approved.

Mayor Staten asked for the approval of the 2023 liquor licenses for the following businesses: Casey’s: Intoxicating liquor original package, not to be consumed on premises, Sunday sales included, $450.00; Tarkio Golf Club, Inc.: Intoxicating liquor (all kinds) – by drink, Sunday sales included, $750.00; Hy-Vee: Intoxicating liquor original package, not to be consumed on premises, Sunday sales included, $450.00; 1887 Bar and Grill: Intoxicating liquor (all kinds) – by drink $450.00; and The Gee Spot: Intoxicating liquor (all kinds) – by drink, $450.00. The 2023 liquor licenses were approved.

Mayor Staten asked the council to approve the resignation of Judge David Baird. The resignation was accepted.

Mayor Staten asked for the approval of the yearly incentive pay for city employees. This topic will be discussed in closed session.

Department Reports

Blu Dow, City Buildings – There was nothing to report.

Jeff Agnew, Fire Department – Shane Bredensteiner turned in his resignation as Fire Chief, but he was voted chief again for 2023.

Andy Riley, Parks & Pool – Ashlee Driskell reported to the board that the Elf Auction was a success, raising $7,163.75. Between donations, the elf auction, and other events the Park Board has put on, a total of $48,098.51 has been raised for the bleacher project so far. The lighted Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 17, at 7:30 p.m.

Scott Poppa, Street Department – Quimby’s report:

• Repairs/Equipment – There have been no major repairs, just regular maintenance.

• Winter Prep – Everything is ready for inclement weather. Quimby has ordered an additional four pallets of salt to have an emergency supply.

• Brush Pile – A piece of furniture was dumped at the far south end of the rip-rap pile. There were no cameras in this location. There is now one there.

• RV Park – There is one camper at this facility currently. They are paying to store it there for a month. This facility is checked daily to make sure there are no water leaks or other issues. If someone comes in, heat tape will be plugged in to the hydrants, but otherwise they will be unplugged.

• Christmas Décor – There have been some wiring issues with the Christmas signs and the pole decorations. The wind has caused some of the pole decorations to move. The wiring on these decorations is becoming brittle from age. Evergy is going to assist in trying to fix the ones that are out on Main Street in the next several days depending on weather.

• Potholes – There are two pallets of aqua-patch to patch holes this winter. We have used some already on a few deeper holes.

• CPR – On November 16, all of us attended a CPR class that Chief Gibbons arranged.

• New F350 – The new F350 for the street department has been ordered. The bad news is we may not get it because Ford is only allotting so many, but the 2024 model year is going to be a full run so in a worse case we would receive a 2024 instead of a 2023. The 2024 run will begin in late spring or early summer.

• Old Oil Totes – The old totes of oil from the old building have been taken by the trash company to try and recover oil to burn in their oil furnace. We have cleaned the area where these were stored and spread gravel.

• Gold Dump Truck – Since the new F350 has been ordered and this dump truck is the one designated to be sold, Quimby thinks it should be put out for bids to be opened at the next City Council meeting with a minimum bid of $3,500 to $4,000.

Mark Staten, Gould Petreson Municipal Airport – The hangar building project has not started yet. Payments have been processed for Olsson and all contracts have been signed for this project.

Chris Niles, Animal Control – There have been two dogs in the pound this month. One dog has been picked up multiple times.

Chief Tyson Gibbons, Police Department – The water pump quit in the Police 694 vehicle. It has been towed to Tri-State Ford to be fixed. The Tarkio PD will be putting on a cornhole tournament the beginning of January.

Clerk Danielle Madron, Financials – There was nothing to report.

Mayor Staten announced an executive session would be held per Chapter 610.021 Section 3 hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting a particular employee, etc. The meeting entered into executive session.

Dow left the meeting at 7:20 p.m.

The meeting moved out of executive sesson.

Riley made a motion to approve the yearly salary incentive for all employees except Nic Schebaum. Agnew made a motion to approve Nic Schebaum’s yearly salary incentive. Poppa seconded, and there were two ayes to approve and one abstained. The motion and the second passed.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 p.m. The special employee recognition meeting is Saturday, January 7, 2023, at the Tarkio Community Building. Next month’s regular meeting will be January 11, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.