Rice council approves budget, levy

by Dave DeMars

news@thenewsleaders.com

The Rice City Council at its Dec. 19 meeting approved small increases in the 2017 budget and levy as revenues for the coming year remained flat.

The council approved the 2017 final budget and levy, which was discussed in a business meeting held prior to the regular council meeting. The amount of the 2017 tax levy is $424,410. City revenue for the year is $1,140,698, and expenditures were set at $1,114,601.

The levy for 2017 represents a 5-percent increase over the proposed 2016 levy of $404,200. City revenue for 2016 was $1,134,518. Revenue for 2017 increased $6,180 or about half of one percent. Expenditures in 2017 are up $29,589 compared to 2016 when total expenditures were $1,085,012. This represents a 2.72- percent increase. (All figures for 2016 were taken from minutes of the Dec. 7, 2015 Truth and Taxation and regular meeting minutes of the Rice City Council.)

Direct deposit 

The direct deposit issue was discussed again with the presentation of a new resolution, which proposed to amend and restate a previous resolution passed in 2014. In the text of the resolution, employees who do not receive regular monthly or bi-monthly employment payments from the city get to choose whether to receive their payments by check or direct deposit rather than be required to be paid only through direct deposit.

Council member Paula Kampa questioned whether the wording “bi-monthly” was correct. Council member Alan Voigt conceded the resolution should have read “bi-weekly, not bi-monthly” and suggested simply making the change at the table and reissuing the corrected version. More discussion led to questions as to whether an amount might not also be stated in the resolution.

Kampa questioned whether a person working in the recreation department one day a week would be required to take direct deposit, especially if the check was for a small amount. Treasurer Sheri Johnson said a maximum dollar amount could be used to determine if payments should be by hand-written check or direct deposit.

Kampa added she is willing to sign something that would protect those who have misgivings about using direct deposit.

“But if we are going to have this, let’s make it correct,” Kampa said. “And that would be to have something for under-the-age-of-18 workers. Get that corrected to state bi-weekly. Maybe we can put something in there to state if their check is less than $500, they wouldn’t need to. So then we are covering every base then.”

Voigt was hesitant and said he needed some assurance that if the resolution presented were to be voted down, that it would be brought back with the changes mentioned by Kampa. Kampa assured him that that would be the case. When Rogholt called the question, the council unanimously voted the resolution down. Expectations are that a clean resolution will be presented in 2017.

In other agenda items, Christmas came early for the Rice City Council when the Rice Firefighters Association presented the council with a $20,000 check to be used for the purchase of a fire-rescue truck. A smiling Mayor Dale Rogholt quickly entertained a motion to accept the check.

In other business, the council did the following:

• Approved the hiring of Johnathan Supan as a hockey-rink attendant.

• Certified the election results of Nov. 8, 2016.

• Approved the use of the city hall for a Christmas Eve service by the Rice Community Church for Dec. 24.

• Approved an easement for access resolution to correct a previous oversight. The easement gives access to the Deason Properties LLC as part of the street right-of-way of Gateway Drive N. In a second clarifying resolution related to the previous resolution, the city confirmed Gateway Drive N. is a public street maintained by the city for public use. The council also approved a $600 telecommunications grant from Benton Telecommunications Foundation for the purchase of software for a portable radar sign.

• Approved a three-month extension to the Watab Township fire contract. Discussion revealed this seems to be a problem as the township has requested previous extensions. The issue revolves around payment for services and the apparent inability of the township to collect payment. Fire Chief Scott Janski said the township had requested the department consider dropping the medical portion of the contract. That would mean the department would no longer respond to medical emergencies and would provide fire coverage only.

“This just gets really frustrating when every time it comes to contracts, it’s always a request for an extension,” said council member Brian Skroch. “It gets really frustrating because everyone else seems to be able to sign right now. It seems like we are bending over backward, and they just keep coming back for more extensions and (with) more complaints.”

Voigt said he agreed with Skroch’s assessment but wondered what could be done. Services can’t be dropped because ultimately it’s for the protection of the people in that township.

Committee reports

City Clerk Stephanie Fischer apprised the council of the following upcoming items that will need to be reviewed and possible actions taken: annual salary schedule, appointments, fee schedule, the Fire Relief Investment Report Card, analysis of property-variance requests, disposition of SCORE-grant compost money and 2017 SCORE-grant applications, and the recording of meetings.

Also requiring action are committee appointments, negotiations with the clerk and treasurer for 2017, and review of what to do about the recreation-management position. With regard to that position, Kampa said she wanted to maintain the position and had explored three options but was still seeking more information before recommending a final action. General consensus was that maintaining the program in Rice is important.