September 14th Council Meeting

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The Ulysses City Council held their meeting on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.

Those present at the meeting were Mayor Tim McCauley; Council Members: Ken Warner, Sam Guy, John Duran, Caleb Woods, Terry Maas, and Mark Diaz; City Clerk Sarah Britton, City Administrator Alan Olson, and City Attorney Lynn Koehn.

The meeting was called to order at 5:00pm by McCauley and led in prayer by John Duran.

The Council moved and passed the motion to amend the consent agenda, adding the minutes from the Special Meeting on August 15th.

The consent agenda was accepted and approved by the Council.

The first business the Council discussed was the 2022/2023 Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) Hearing. Mayor McCauley opened the public floor for comments. No public comments were made. Olson explained the RNR for 2023 is 43.827 Mills, saying this vote will allow the City to exceed this amount if circumstances make that happen. Olson said the current budget is set at 43.827 Mills, but future changes in valuation could alter this amount. Each Council member individually voted for exceeding the RNR for 2023.

The Council moved and passed the motion for resolution 22-3 to exceed the RNR for 2022/2023.

The Council moved on to the 2023 Budget Hearing. Mayor McCauley opened the public floor for comments. No public comments were made. Olson said the 2023 budget has the authority for expenditures of $15,606,594, with a Mill level of 43.827, which is exactly the amount of the RNR. Olson reminded the Council the city’s utility rates would be raised by 3% on January 1, 2023.

The Council moved and passed the motion to approve the 2023 budget.

Pete Earles came to the Council to discuss the Water Tower Project. Earles told the Council the intent is to restore the tower to its original condition; sandblasting the inside and out, as well as primed and repainted with a new tigers logo. Earles said he received four bids ranging from $689,000 to $359,000. Earles G&L Tank Sandblasting and Coatings LLC had done previous work in Hugoton and Andover. G&L Tank Sandblasting and Coatings gave the bid for $359,000. Olson said he would like to use the funds from the American Rescue Plan for this project. Earles said after the notice to proceed, this project should take about two to three months to complete. Earles said this project should start this spring.

The Council moved and passed the motion to accept G&L Tank Sandblasting and Coatings LLC’s bid for $359,000 for the Water Tower Project.

In Staff Comments, Olson told the Council new light poles and benches are currently being installed on Main Street.

The meeting was adjourned by Mayor McCauley at 5:24pm. The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 5:00pm at City Hall.

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