At Monday night’s Indianola board of Aldermen meeting, the city lawmakers voted 3 to 2 to proceed with the necessary steps to install radio-read water meters for the remaining areas of the city.
Aldermen Sam Brock and Marvin Elder voted no.
The meters are already in use by residents in Sunflower Estates and other parts of the city.
Mayor Steve Rosenthal said they have been replacing the worn out meters with the electronic signal devices instead of going back with the old type.
City Engineer Ron Cassada addressed the officials and presented a projected cost estimate of $1,229,552.40 to replace the 3,800 plus meters citywide.
The decision was tabled at a previous meeting because Brock requested more information. It was then suggested that Cassada be retained to do a preliminary cost estimate.
After a discussion that lasted nearly 30 minutes Tuesday night, Brock said he still was not ready to vote and needed additional information.
However, Alderman Ruben Woods made the motion and Fratesi seconded and they plus Alderman Darrell Simpson voted yes.
Cassada said that of the options available, the drive by system is the city’s best choice. One person with a laptop and antenna in his truck could collect the data from all of the meters in a matter of hours without having to drive each street. The computer setup will be able to draw a signal from several streets over.
He said it eliminates human error and takes out the guesswork. Cassada said the system sends an alert if a meter has not been read and can retain six to nine months worth of data so they can actually tell the time that a leak occurred and how long it lasted. “It gives precise data,” Cassada added.
Cassada is also projecting that there will not be a water rate increase.
Rosenthal also attested to the accuracy of the meters and how they would enhance customer service and how the customers can count on their water bills being correct, thus eliminating the need for re-reads. Rosenthal said everybody knows that, "Even though we send the men out to read, they are not being read."
He has avowed that no jobs would be lost as a result of installing the drive by system and it would actually free up the water employee to assist in the public works department.
Cassada said the next step is to design the system in order to get an exact cost and submit a request for bids. Woods asked about any additional upkeep and maintenance that would be required on the new meters and Cassada assured that they were 20-year meters and would not require anything above what was already being done with the existing units.
Rosenthal is proposing using a portion of the nearly $2 million that has accumulated in the water and sewage account to pay for the system, since it cannot be used for anything else including streets, and financing the rest over a 10-year period. He said revenue from the water service would pay the note.
In other business,
Allyson Denson and Daryl Richards of South Delta Planning and Development appeared before the city officials to discuss grant availabilities for municipal street and drainage repair projects. “Unfortunately, they are not abundant,” Denson said. She expounded on the Community Development Block Grant, which is available for streets and drainage, and explained the difficulties associated with getting that of type assistance.
One obstacle is that you can only have one at a time and the city still has at least 120 days left on their existing grant. She also mentioned low interest loan programs as an alternative.
The aldermen voted 3 to 2 to approve awarding the city's insurance policy to Blue Cross Blue Shield for the start of the plan year July 1. Aldermen Brock and Fratesi voted no. Fratesi mentioned that it would involve raising taxes by two mils to pay for the rate hike.
The new policy from Blue Cross Blue Shield increased the city's contribution for employee health insurance from $316.79 per employee to $411.83 per person. The city pays the full cost for employee health insurance.
According to Rosenthal, the city’s consultant and the provider suggest raising the deductible to lower the rate to $356 per person and using a supplemental gap insurance that will cost the city an additional $39 but will save them $18,455 from what they would have to pay if they accepted the current rate from BCBS only.
Based on the information provided, the employee would not be affected by the higher deductible. The reason for the city’s increase was because BCBS experienced a 119 percent loss ratio and no other provider was willing to provide coverage. Rosenthal said, “Unfortunately, with the way insurance has gone, they have us over a barrel. Nobody else wants to insure us.”
The city lawmakers voted 3 to 2 to amend the hiring policy to include the requirement that a potential hire must have a high school diploma or GED and valid driver's license, if it is required for their job, to be considered for employment.
They unanimously approved an amendment to the training policy that no department head and assistant can be away from the department at the same time for training classes.
City officials amended the personnel policy that will allow the board, instead of just the mayor, to make a decision regarding a department head having a second job.
The board approved the hiring of a water meter reader. After Rosenthal said they would not advertise the position, an audience member questioned why he was not going to advertise it. Rosenthal responded that it was because he already has over 50 applicants and he would review those and make a recommendation.
At the request of Brock, the board amended the vehicle take-home policy to state that city vehicles must be parked off of the street and no out of town personnel are allowed to take vehicles home.
Approved an addendum to the city's mobile food vending ordinance that prohibits any food truck from being on site more than 72 hours.
The aldermen recessed until today at 6 p.m., to comeback and discuss a request from Sam Rosenthal regarding a tax abatement for property renovations he is proposing for 211 U.S. 82.
Any action was tabled to allow the aldermen to gather more information. The issue in question was whether the property was due an abatement because it was allegedly a work in progress.
