City Council - Regular Meeting

[laughter] That's because you sit there and nobody wants to hear you. [laughter] And she said that out loud. Tell us how you really It was right [laughter] there. I'm sorry. That's why we all love that. 7:45 this morning. No filter. [laughter] No filter. No, it can get worse. Trust me. Look at that. It came right on. I'm good to go. Well, look at you figure the battery situation. I I do think it was on purpose. [laughter]

I mean, we need to shut him up. And then there's uncomfortable silence. [laughter] I hate that. It's awkward. Well, I'm not complaining, I guess. Oh, shoot. You just get Casey to be quiet. [laughter] He's such a troll.

He's a hoot, isn't he?

No. We're going have to move these meetings to like 4:30 so it's light. [laughter]

But then the public won't be able to attend. Linda, I'll still be working. [clears throat] We're to continue to have them on the same nights at the joint council and commissioner meetings. Nobody will come to ours. Yeah. Going on over there going over there. [laughter] Not exactly. Oh gosh.

[snorts]

Okay, quick. Just look down there. I want to see you jump whenever he hits the gavl down because he jumps every time. [laughter] [clears throat] Nice.

See that? You're welcome. I'm going to include you just this time. [laughter] packed up. You're not included this time. [laughter] I'm going to get me a binder. Money. I keep carrying it cuz I'm like we need to reference something. I like to have all my notes together. That's first first one I'm aware of that she said.

Oh, yeah. She bought last year. She brought me a couple shirts and stuff. Whatever. I I don't wear shirts like that. That's okay. Like 5K shirts. Yeah. He wouldn't want anybody to get confused exercises. He [laughter] doesn't run. I know he doesn't. But they were bright green like a light like a fluorescent like color green. If you see Randy running, you better run too cuz somebody I got a TV. [clears throat and cough]

I call the meeting to order. Lindy, you have roll call. Mayor Crane here. Council member Copenhaver here, Olser here, Easter here, Smith here, Randles here, and attorney Pal here. Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes?

Stand approved. Okay. Um, first thing we have is resolution 20 25-4. It's concerning the [clears throat] transfer of funds within general MBH and park and wreck and other funds for the year 2025. Whereas the resolution will allow the transfer of monies within each fund category between 100 through 700 line items as needed to meet current deficiencies in each appropriation.

Same thing we do every year. I make a motion to approve it. Second. [snorts] Okay, Randy. Uh can we do we have time for a question? Oh, yeah. Sure. That was pretty quick. Yeah. Yeah. So you you mentioned park and wreck. Yeah. So is there money coming out of that into another or is there money going back into It all stays within that fund. All we're doing here is allowing you. It's like if you had if if [clears throat] the say the pool supplies was had been paid out and was a minus $500, we'll take 500 out of another fund

fund category and put in that to bring it up. We're required by which state board of accounts. I knew that. But in case there are questions, somebody says, "Wow, that was fast. That was lightning [laughter] speed." So, you know, just just to par paraphrase, I guess. So, same thing. Booking adjustments. Yeah. Yep. Same thing we do every year being moved. So, okay. Yeah. You vote in the affirmative. Does anybody else have a question? Does anybody else have a question? [laughter] Well, you know more. I vote I I'll say yes. Okay. Brad, yes. Kathy, yes. Chad, yes. Paula, yes.

Motion passes. I'm not trying to buy. Oh, that's okay. If you got a question [laughter] like you sound like Linda now. Wow. I'm starting to feel a little chafe. [laughter] You feel the love? I I do. Do we sign all three of these? Yes. Yes. That's why you got some three of them. So, it's not [snorts] Remember [clears throat] they used to put underneath these and then they just go through all three copies.

Remember those those carving? Yeah. That you get all over your fingers. Yep. [clears throat] Anyway, think they have that anymore, do they? I just [laughter] I just said how old Brad and I were. actually our our deposit books that we write deposits when people first when they come in to make deposits to move our card. Still try explaining to a high school student what a punch card is. I don't know what that is [laughter] or a library card. [clears throat] Is that what you don't know about when you go to work? No, that's what I thought. Oh,

no. This is this is how you used to be. Dad used to program computers, put everything in, but it was like the old hanging chads from Florida. They're voting just knocked out. Put holes in cardboard in the carts and that's the way the computer read it. [laughter] I thought they were waiting for you to finish up. We're just filling in time. Now it becomes an awkward pause. [clears throat] Okay.

Just film in time so it doesn't go at you again. [laughter] I think I had just any more meetings this month. one. We have one more 3:30 [clears throat] on Thanksgiving Day. This there's Okay. All right. Yeah. I won't be here. [laughter]

I'll be [cough and clears throat] um next thing I got a call this week from John Milikin and went out met with he and his wife. Um he was interested in he lives at the point the last house between Pearl and Liberty. Wanted to know if we would be interested in buying the land past his fence for a trail head which would you know there's not many places to park out there. people could go out and park and uh for the trail and it's better than parking over, you know, in the ditch. And u what he what he would like to have he would like to have $30,000. [clears throat] It's for the if you go out and look at it, it's past his fence. It's pretty much the the whole thing. It's It would be a make a real nice trail head

right on the triangle part. Yes. Yeah. On the triangle. So, would you have entrance Pearl Street entrance and a Liberty Street entrance? Yeah, definitely. Uh, but it's just it's just ground now, right? There's it's not it's trail trail passes through that from the you know he's talking from his fence to the point that that yes the whole that whole triangle and right now it's just grass. Yes. Yeah. Plus the trail that goes across it.

Um I would suggest that everybody go out and look at it and see what you think. I've seen it a couple times.

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Um I would also like to see uh coming into town possibly to get with the county and see if we could put up a stop sign coming in because when we were out there talking, cars are flying coming in. They're they're they're 50 60 m an hour and that's too fast by the trail there. So, I would uh it would be nice to have that and make a nice trail head and maybe the foundation would be interested in partnering with us to do that.

Where does city limits actually fall in relation the city limits? That house and that property is in the city limits. What I'm getting at is [snorts] open to put a stop sign out there. No, without dealing with the county. That's what I mean. We need to go talk to the county because the north side from the fence,

the north side of Pearl is in the county. The south side of Liberty is in the county till you get to the nursing home until you get to Dear Run on the [clears throat] on the north side. [snorts] [clears throat] So, it would have to be a joint on that. So, I would just say go look at it. We can we can discuss it next meeting. Then you'll reach out to Dale. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. See if he would be interested and Yep.

My initial reaction is that's a lot of money for that land, but Dale's [clears throat and cough] a lot more reasonable. Yeah. Yeah. So that's what they initially want though and we didn't talk about anything else. You're going to have to bring a lot of gravel and everything else in make it Oh yeah. It's going to it's going to require take some work.

Yep. It's going to require some work to build it. The other thing is Linda and I met with the health health insurance company today um Sigma um to get a quote from them. Actually, it was from RT insurance. James Blanken Beckler who is located back here behind us in Brad Keller's building. He had the girl from Sigma and um basically the same. They have some um prime the office um spatialist office co-pays are lower. Uh it's a lower out ofpocket in network. Um it's a lower out-ofpocket max. Um, the deductible would still be $500. The [clears throat] family deductible on the $500 deductible that we have now, the family deductible would be a,000 instead of 1,500. Um, and it's about 16,700 a month less. So we save about um 1920 $20,000 a year. So there's just we've I've got two of these. So Chad Paula, we've been

Anthem Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Um they they wanted eight 8 and a half 8 point something. I got them down to six something. He thought he might be able to get down to two or 3% increase but he said the best they would do is six. So that shows the first column is is our current. The next one is what the renewal is and then what Sigma is for the $500 deductible and then a $1,000 deductible. I would we don't have a lot of employees that are on it now. I would stay with $500 deductible. Would not want to take something away from them. Well, and that's what I was going to ask if the if everything is still comparable to the service and the healthcare providers and everything that they already have as long as it's not changing anything.

That's what we need to check. People they [clears throat] cover, but I think it's the same as Anthem. Okay. You can use Illinois, too. [snorts] That that would be my only concern for them. Yep. Well, I've got I've got another considering what's going on. Um, [clears throat] how many employees do we have using Carl's network using Carl? Yes. Well, I I don't know. I don't think we have any right now to be honest with you. Anthem is working with Carl and Sigma at this point. I don't think he is. I don't think we have any Carl.

I guess probably not if [clears throat] they've been on the plan because it would had been their insurance come. So, that was probably a stupid question. [laughter] Well, and it tells um on the second or third page behind that, it tells the the employees that are on um got them listed, you know. Yeah. So, but it would save save the employees that have health insurance, save them some money

also. [snorts] We'll discuss that again at the next meeting. Yes. Yep. Just wanted to let everybody know that. Um Casey, you have anything? I do. Okay. I am asking if we or something can be or would be done to end the hour of overtime per night to carry the electric phone besides on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We have Monday through Thursday. That is what I'm asking.

Sorry, ask a question. If we can end that automatic hour to hold the phone [clears throat] per night, who would that affect? Tyler and G Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. You get an hour Friday because you're on call for the weekend anyway. But they're getting an hour per night to hold the phone at least twice. They rotate daily, evening, nightly. So they're at least getting two hours to hold them per week. And if you on call, that's an automatic five without even having a call. That's what I'm asking. [snorts]

How do you How do you guys do it? Street department. Get five hours. Get one for Friday night, two Saturday, two Sunday. But you hold the phone during the week. I don't get anything that's part of it. So great. But the reason why they're not is because they don't have a superintendent. Is that that was the start of it? Yes. [clears throat] That's when they it was agreed upon to give them that hour, but now that they're going to be making superintendent pay or above. Just don't see the point of them getting extra overtime to hold the phone unless you're called out, which is completely different. But if you're called out, you're called out anyway. Yeah, that counts no matter what, right? Not just to hold the phone for the night,

right? In case it might ring since they do have to rotate. What' you say? In case it might ring ring [laughter] in case they get a call. Check my ears. Sorry. I'm sorry.

And And what do you think that would take away from those guys then? like basically 120 bucks a week [cough] and [clears throat] a half over 40. But it's the same thing that would happen to them if we had a supervisor for the department. They wouldn't get they would they would lose it at that point anyway. Yeah. Whatever, right? basically since they you're trying are starting you're trying to here with what they're starting at. I just don't see the point of

you're trying to equalize those guys versus what you guys are your folks are dealing with. It's just kind of part of it to hold the phone ring. If you have to go out, you have to go out. You get compensated for that. But as far as holding the phone for the night, I don't agree with it basically. That's my piggy back off of that, like if I'm on vacation during the week and Matt's on call with the phone. Should he get an hour a night too if they're going in overtime? If it's going to be fair for No, just to hold it. Just to hold it. Just to hold it because just to hold it. But it is an hour of overtime

just on Friday and you get two Saturday, two Sunday. They don't get a if Matt has it during the week. If he's gone, he does not get an hour. You guys only voted for do the electric. Well, we didn't vote. Yeah. When Mike was still here, Mike Cadman was here and they came to the meeting and said they had to take the phones, they wanted to be compensated.

They don't have a supervisor. But [clears throat] my feeling is since they're making they're making it the first year which is supervisor pay with Petersburg doesn't have anybody because it's I just don't see why they should [laughter] they're getting compensated regardless if there actually is a call. Absolutely. So all that we're really talking about is because these guys have the phone in their hand whether it rings or not. It's nothing against them or anything else. No, it's just consistency across the board. Yes.

How do stir the pot? How do they feel about that? I did not ask them or did they [laughter] ask me about what they just came in and asked for? I'm sure they don't want to get rid of the the income. Yeah. [laughter] So, but if they had a supervisor, they'd lose it anyway. Correct. [clears throat] Yeah. And then plus

the phone calls would just be forwarded to Casey's phone Monday through Thursday just and he has if it is an electric call, he'll call them out. Then that's when they would get the one out over time. Two have to go out anyway unless it's something. So really going out with you before to hold a flashlight to do a cutout. Yeah. I mean it's just what it is. Do you guys get it over the weekend? Do you get the I don't I don't take it. My three other guys take it. So they rotate weekly. They get They get it on the weekend zone, but they get the hour Friday. Yeah. But I if I'm gone or whatever for a week or I don't pay them extra

to hold the phone, right? Or give them an hour. I pay them. But yes, it's just the five the weekend call. Okay. That's we are asking I guess or I am I don't know. I think I have some stuff too. [laughter]

I would like to look to see what [clears throat] the minutes were when it was officially pass when it started and get a little bit more background information on it and everything before I make a decision on it so that I right

have the full context. I would feel more comfortable with that. But I also think that it would be um prudent if we are spending city money for things. It's not fair to the other departments, [clears throat] especially with [snorts] the payraises and everything that we just did the last meeting as well. So, but I would like to see everything in full context before I make a decision on something like that. Linda, any idea what that hour four days a week is costing the city? $240 a week. A week.

That's true. That's a big difference. Yeah, because they're make $40 an hour divided by two time and a half to take the phone home at night. So, yeah, they'll be at $63 an hour. Well, they could go ahead and get those. Can you send us a copy of the minutes from that time period? Y,

that would be good. [sighs and clears throat] And I think it I'm just going to say this out loud. I think it does stem from what they got. And in in their defense, uh, they brought us all the information, you know, their certifications, their their classes. We haven't heard any of that. I've heard some from Greg, uh, but none of your guys have come forward and said, "Hey, this is what we do. This is this is our qualifications. This is this is this." And that's I mean, that was pretty much what police department did last year and then Jean and and Tyler did that this year. So, we I would like to have more information on maybe a job description, maybe an evaluation, and I've harped on that for a long time about, you know, let's let's give us

give us some information that when we do make raises and and, you know, give us that information so we can make a educated decision. They don't have any other certification [clears throat and cough] for spray and CDL. There's nothing else. I don't know what he's supposed to get, but there are class classes available for the other guys, not just Joe. Well, yeah. I mean, they give her CEL. Yeah. But other than that, that's why I'm saying that's that's where the increases come from in my book is your classifications, your certifications, your you know, different things like that and what you're willing to do. So, you know, I I mean, they want to compare you can't surrounding areas, but you can't compare departments like that.

No. And I agree, but he's making what Jeff Low makes at Petersburg and he had 25 years at Titan. Well, there's a cap. I mean, you know, there's a there's a ceiling. I mean, once you get to point, then it's increments, not But you're talking about two different things right now. You're talking about what a qualified rate is by a job description, and he's talking about a process. There's no certification to hold a phone. No. [laughter] Well, you're certified. If you're holding that phone, you have to have those certifications to go out on the call. Yeah. To go out on a call. Yeah. Not to hold the phone. We could have a phone service make do that what they're doing for the hour.

Yeah. So, if we' have bumped everybody up like saying that, then we don't get the hour though, Randy. [clears throat and cough] Okay. It's part of the job, right? Hold the phone. which it sounds like somebody thought it was important enough to give them that, right? But before that, they're not they're not at that pay rate. They're going to be at first the year now and when that took effect, but now they're going to be they're making superintendent forming hourly wages to where well not both of them. Whoever's holding the phone would be well not I mean he's got he's got a journeyman's card or going to have a journeyman's card. There really isn't.

But now you're back to job description and phone as far as a journeyman's car. Yeah. Go work with the union. Well, and that's you know what that is? You know how much they make an hour? 70 80 bucks an hour. That's but they're also doing work and they could do that. Either one of them. I'm not getting into this. Yeah. Well, I'm just talking about two different things. I just don't see why they should get an hour. Okay. All right. That's all I'm We're talking about two different things. Sure. Well, and we also want to keep good employees. We We want to keep our employees, too. So, disagreeing with any of that. I know. So, what we're going to do trying to compare what they do to what we do or anything else, right? Yeah. No, I get it.

Yeah. And I think Paul's right. I mean, you know, look at it and kind of dissect. One of the things it was based on was the number of that other municipalities base theirs on. And there was a boy that was in school with Jean that works for Rockville. And Rockville sells 20 20 million [clears throat] more kilowatts than we do. And that is supposed to be part of the criteria for for payment, you know. So it's it's not apples and oranges when a municipality sells that.

I I think that that was my point. Yeah. And Duke, if Duke is or or you know, somebody at Duke may be making 50 thousand or $50 an hour or a tip, but you know, um I think I mean I see I see KC and Greg's point if they're not, you know, I mean to hold the phone. And let me let me ask something because so what happens after that hour? Once that hour is up, what happens? This hour for the it's basically for the time. So they're just paying

put down an hour to hold it from 3:30 to 7:30 in the morning pretty much. Just like a weekend's very rarely anybody over five hours. Yeah. I mean, yes, you're on call, but you're on call really anyway. Yeah. Even if Tyler didn't have the phone, like if Gan has it tonight, Tyler, even though he doesn't have it tonight, he still needs to be ready in case something happens because two have to go out or shift, you know, depending on what the situation is. Sure. And if he's not available, then it's next person, which would be me. No, that's not what I'm getting. I just No, thanks for bringing it.

Yeah, thank you for bringing it to our attention. Yeah. So, you're going to get that for Yeah. And I think it probably was about when Clint, it all came about when we lost our superintendent. Yeah. Yeah. And they came and wanted the to And I've tried to hire a superintendent. I mean, we've advertised for it. Tried to make Jean the superintendent.

Tried to make Jean the superintendent. I I've tried to make Gan the superintendent. He didn't want it because he wasn't going to get the hour overtime by doing that. And he's I feel he's qualified to do it because we've had Dwayne come and help him on [clears throat] some things, you know, but most of those things it takes at least three people and Dwayne's knowledge who who taught he taught them. So he passed on the job because of this hour of overtime. Well, I won't say that that's why he passed, but he didn't. No, he doesn't want the responsibility.

He doesn't think he's qualified as a superintendent, but he's he's still doing the job. He's still doing make 42 bucks an hour.

Him and Tyler are both doing the same thing. So Tyler is learning. He he's had more safety than anybody though, so and you know he's great up in the bucket and and all he's saved us a lot of money on trees. So, um But I wouldn't want to lose anybody we have, whether it be Greg, Casey, Joe.

Right. Yeah. Tyler, or Jean, you know, they're all instrumental in making the city, you know, a great place to live and and working together. So, um, Greg, is that all you had, Casey? [laughter] Okay, Greg. Yeah, I just want to piggy back in on this a little bit more. Uh, you know, in my 44 years with the city,

I've seen a lot of changes come and go. And, uh, you know, I'm thankful. Let me start out say I'm thankful that we got a raise this year. You know, again, that's always a good thing. Um, but saying that, I just want to want to make sure you guys know how this all started on this just my department now. So, with the with the new uh raises and stuff coming in, I mean, [snorts] and this is again, like he said, I'm not putting down anybody else. It is what it is. That's fine.

Uh, you know, Jean's going to be at this is before any overtime going to be around 83. Tyler will be around 77. Casey's like 82, I think. Uh, and Greg is 62. Big difference there. And that was originally because when I started and Tom was uh superintendent, we were told that the difference was why the superintendent for wastewater was so low, so much lower than everybody was that we made it up in overtime, which back then was a truth because there was just two of us. And looking ahead now, there's just two in the electric department. Just throw that in there. There was two of us and we rotated the 5h hour weekend call out overtime between two of us. So you know that and that was a little more overtime than the other departments did in in their rotation of back then it was like eight for the street department or so. And also we got more overtime because back then man there was everything was old and we got a lot of overtime call outs and stuff because stuff wasn't working. Now, since then, we've improved by a lot. We hardly our overtime is like way down. We We don't get much overtime at all. I mean, Casey checks it all. We're, you know, in the five hours from being on call, we don't get a whole lot anymore, but when it happens, it happens. And uh so I I just wanted you guys to know how that was all come about from years ago. But now with all the new raises and the electric department making so much more and I'm 20,000 under everybody there's just two of us just like there's just two in the electric department to rotate the overtime around.

Um now I just wanted to make you guys aware about what what I'm feeling about this. Nothing against them making like I said I'm not putting anybody down just like the AC said that's not that's not a point and probably up until the last three four five six years you were probably the one the highest paid employee counting your overtime try to catch us up with time yeah

that's all kind of changed now I do feel that all of us like our departments have been working together really well for quite a while and I can Remember back when Linda can attest to this too and Brad I there was some issues between departments all the time. Nobody got along as well as we have been. I think this whole thing will create a little aminos animosity between the departments again. Um you guys got to live together and rebuild them. So they'll be fine. It'll be they'll be fine. [clears throat]

It'll be fine. I'm just saying it's going to, you know, not probably won't be as smooth as it always has. If everybody will work through it, it'll be fine. Every for 26 years, I given I've pretty much done the the salaries, everybody's got a raise for 26 years. We've never had it froze in a year. Uh, you know, and several I know with them before they went a few years without getting any. Yeah. I'm like I said I started that's outstanding. I'm thankful for our race.

That's and and you know that's for next year. The year after is going to be a whole different ballgame because of the funding and I don't know what's going to happen with that. But with the Senate Senate Enrolled Act, it's going to be different and somebody better be pretty sharp to keep up with that to keep us funded or police and fire, any of the general funds are going to suffer and it's going to be, you know, I just want to throw my two two maybe three. Yeah. Okay. Which also goes to Ry's point about having evaluations.

Yeah. For employees. So that But let me tell you something. And that's okay in a factory. But it's okay anywhere. It's okay. It's called lean manufacturing. That's what Yeah, lean manufacturing. It's okay in a factory, but if KC says, Tyler, you're not going to get a raise. Joe, you're going to get 3%. Oh, that's going to be animosity every every day. Is that right? But if they're not doing the job, you know, then they then he has to call them out. Then they should be gone. If they're not doing the job, I know that's a pretty fine thing. It is. I'll just say it. Yeah. It's performance-based. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. It's hard to do performancebased in our situation. I mean, yeah, we could do it, but I I just, you know, you're going to create animosity and you're dependent on, you know, you're working next to a guy, you may be working next to one that's got you that's holding something for you and you're down in a hole and you may not want to be working in that hole if there's one that you didn't give a raise to. So, no. No, but at the same time, Casey's probably got guys that he knows that if he needs somebody, he knows who he's going to call and who he's not going to call. Yeah.

And to sit there and say those same guys deserve the same amount of pay for the same job. Yeah. That's not the same thing. But, but it's, you know, it would be tough and and I know and I know that. So, and it's a, you know, everybody's pretty close, works together pretty well. So, I just, you know, all you have, Greg. Okay. Randy, you have anything? Uh, no. I don't have anything tonight. Brad, I don't have anything. Kathy, nothing to

Chad. No. Paula, I so want to. [laughter] I so want to, but I I'll just We're good. Huh? I'm good. You got something? Nope. Tell us. No, we're good. We're good for tonight. I'm not even hangry. I ate before I came. Uhhuh. Does council need to take action on what redevelopment just did? I just put it in the minutes that the redevelopment commission met at 5:15 this evening to come up with a spending plan for TIFF monies for 2026 that has to be filed in gateway by December 20. But does it have to be accepted? I don't think so. It just said it just needs to be mentioned in the minutes. Okay. Does anybody have anything else? No.

Meeting adjourned. I don't know. I got here. Just one second. I just recently got access to individual small group plan. So curious just as to I'm curious to send that out because that's one company.

I think it's worth asking. I think it's worth looking into. See you. Thank you. We'll see how fast I can get it turned around. Information [laughter] I need. Huh? They did. No. Why not?