City of Mount Washington
Minutes of the Regularly Scheduled Council Meeting
October 9, 2006
City Hall Annex Building, 186 Branham Way
Mayor Sullivan called the meeting to order at 6:30pm with the following Council members present: Joetta Calhoun, Ed Hilbert, Ralph Lutes, Sid Griffin, Lloyd Dooley and Larry Porter.
Also present were City Clerk Christi Franklin, City Treasurer Peggy Brinkman, Utility Superintendent Ronnie Fick, City Engineer Dave Derrick and City Attorney Jim Winchell.
Ralph Lutes gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Melanie Roberts introduced herself as a candidate for Bullitt County Judge Executive and discussed her qualifications and goals.
Minutes
Christi Franklin read the minutes of the September 25, 2006 Council meeting. Sid Griffin made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Larry Porter seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a roll call vote.
Police Report
Chief Hockenbury presented the police report for September 2006. Discussion followed. He also reported the two new vehicles are in and will be in service within the next few weeks.
Ordinances
The Council held second reading of an ordinance establishing the real and personal property tax rates for the calendar year 2006 and providing assessment equalization and collection. Joetta Calhoun made a motion to pass the tax rate ordinance. Ed Hilbert seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a roll call vote.
The Council held second reading of an ordinance amending regulations for dumpsters located in business, commercial and/or industrial areas. Sid Griffin made a motion to pass the ordinance relating to dumpsters. Larry Porter seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a roll call vote.
The Council held second reading of an ordinance amending the City of Mt. Washington annual budget for the 2006/2007 fiscal year. Lloyd Dooley made a motion to pass the ordinance amending the budget. Larry Porter seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a roll call vote.
Guests to Address the Council
Paula Lipscomb, 321 Newman Way, discussed tall weeds, signs on telephone poles and yard sale signs on the corner of Highway 44 and Fisher Lane. She said she has called several times and hasn’t seen anything done. Mayor Sullivan said the City will address her issues. Discussion followed regarding yard signs and if they are regulated in the temporary sign section of the City Code. Jim Winchell will review the regulations regarding temporary signs and report his findings at the next meeting.
Debra Mudd, 200 Kevin Place, said her survey pin went missing when the City worked on the water line in front of her house last year. She said she will now have to have the property resurveyed and requested the City pay for the survey. Ronnie Fick said no one on his crew saw the pin and even tried to find it with a metal detector. Mayor Sullivan said he will look into this issue.
Disposition of Surplus Property
Mayor Sullivan discussed the use of the internet as a means to sell surplus property other than by sealed bid. After researching items sold on GovDeals, he determined that items sold on the internet will sell at a higher price. He is interested in recovering as much money for the City as possible and would like the Council to respect that. It is an executive decision. Discussion followed.
Mayor’s Report
Ronnie Fick said he sent off a sample from Debbie Smith’s property and it had e-coli in but it didn’t smell like sewage, although e-coli also comes out of storm sewers. He discussed two situations with surrounding developers. He said the sample had sewage in it but is was so diluted and was a result of those developers. Those issues have been taken care of.
Report from Council
Lloyd Dooley said many street lights are out and he is will be willing to drive around and check them if the City can get LG&E to fix them. Discussion followed. Mayor Sullivan asked Mr. Dooley to get him a list and he will work with Donny Crigler on this. Further discussion followed.
Joetta Calhoun discussed a complaint of an odor at the lift station by the Catholic Church. Discussion followed. Ronnie will check the belt on the lift station. Ms. Calhoun reported the stop signs on both sides of Carla are gone. Mayor Sullivan will check the stop signs. She also addressed speeding on Carla and Sunnyside.
Larry Porter reported the pole at College Street and Highway 44 has been replaced and moved back.
Sid Griffin said regarding the junk ordinance, the Council was told at the last meeting that a man had everything he needed to clean up his mess at a certain location and it still hasn’t been done and it has been two weeks. He feels the City needs to enforce the ordinances or do away with them. Larry Porter said he will step back and the Council should decide what to do and act on this issue. He felt this one item has been singled out and all violations should be enforced. Mayor Sullivan will have the Code Enforcement Officer address this issue. Discussion followed. Jim Winchell discussed the legal options for the V Fisher property. Mayor Sullivan asked Jim Winchell to obtain a copy of the court file and discuss the findings with him. Further discussion followed.
Adjourn
Larry Porter made a motion to adjourn at 7:17pm. Joetta Calhoun seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously by a roll call vote.