COMMISSIONERS OF PUBLIC WORKS
Minutes of March 27, 2008

The regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Public Works was held on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 10:00 a.m., in the Boardroom at 121 West Court Avenue.

In attendance:

                                                                                                                       

1.       Chairman Watts called the meeting to order and Ken Barnett gave the invocation.

 

1. Chairman Watts gave the statement of compliance with the notification provision of the Freedom of Information Act.

           

1. A motion was made by Commissioner Monaghan and seconded by Commissioner Hancock to approve the minutes of the February 14, 2008 regular meeting, and the February 28, 2008 regular meeting as submitted; the motion was unanimously approved.

1. Financial Statement:

 

Commissioner Monaghan requested that Ms. Ogletree and Mr. Barnett study the under-billing situation and report back the following month. He added that it made him nervous given that it affects the cash flow, and continued that they should look at all of the mechanisms currently in place. Chairman Watts asked if that was a sufficient amount of time to prepare a report; Ms. Ogletree responded that it was.  

1. New Business:

 

1. Chairman Watts postponed discussion of the information back-up system support in order to allow additional time for Mr. Auman to bring back a recommendation.

1. Chairman Watts suggested approval of Items B., C., D. and E. with one motion.

 

A motion was made by Commissioner Hancock and seconded by Commissioner Monaghan to approve the following bids: MST Concrete Products, Inc. for a six- month bid on concrete vaults;   low bid in the amount of $44,854 plus sales tax from E. H. Wachs Company for a utility vacuum  and valve operating system; low bid in the amount of $89,626.62 from Central Equipment Company for a trencher; and the low bid in the amount of $28,052.25 plus sales tax for equipment and $6,000 for training from McMiller Company for gas text equipment; the motion was unanimously approved.

1. Chairman Watts requested clarification of the spreadsheet provided on vehicle maintenance quotes. Manager Reeves explained that the areas highlighted in yellow were recommended based only on their being the  lowest quotes. He added that a few marked in yellow were vendors with whom there had been less than adequate service in the past and vehicles had to be taken back to some of these four and five times.  He explained that the areas highlighted in blue were not low bidders but had provided good service in the past; in most instances the vehicles were repaired satisfactorily the first time. Manager Reeves pointed out that the specifications stated that any and all bids can be rejected for any or no reason. Commissioner Monaghan asked if a letter was ever sent to those who were not doing satisfactory work to make them aware of our dissatisfaction. Manager Reeves noted that nothing had gone out to his knowledge but certainly could. Commissioner Monaghan stated that those vendors should still be used pending satisfactory performance, and expressed that they should continue using those  who provided lower quotes unless their performance or service was unsatisfactory; the other Commissioners were in agreement. Commissioner Monaghan expressed appreciation to Mr. Burnett for putting together the bids and additional information.

 

A motion was made by Commissioner Monaghan to approve both categories of vendors as recommended; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Hancock, and unanimously approved.

1. Other Business:

                             

1. Manager Reeves acknowledged receipt of the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for period ending December 31, 2006. He noted many consecutive years of receiving this award and thanked Ms. Ogletree and staff, and the Commissioners joined Manager Reeves in commending staff. Chairman Hancock commented that this is the highest national accounting award given to a governmental entity.    
2. Manager Reeves shared information on a full-page ad that had run the past two years in a magazine produced by the Chamber of Commerce. He noted that CPW and Metro had shared the cost with each having a half-page ad. He stated that the cost to CPW would be $1,495 and noted that a motion was not necessary.    
3. Manager Reeves stated that there was nothing new to report on annexation. He noted that work had been ongoing for some time related to sewer issues with a local developer. He stated that they were in the process of coordinating a meeting between the developer, Steve Brown, and himself. He added that the developer has an interest in annexation but there was nothing firm at this time. Mr. Gentry provided an update on the community block grant application. He stated that surveys were done and commended everyone who helped to get them back in a short amount of time. Mr. Gentry stated that a hearing was to take place on April 10 at the old Brewer School in an effort to get community support for the project. Commissioner Monaghan thanked Mr. Gentry for his hard work. Mr. Gentry responded that there is a lot of help from others. Commissioner Monaghan referred to minutes of 2001 where the issue of Henderson Street was addressed. He noted that this street sits one block off of the city limits and has no sewer or water; they are on common wells with three or four houses to a well, and on septic tanks. He stated that most of the people are renters. He suggested that Mr. Gentry look into the possibility of grant money, or working with the county to help them in that area. Mr. Gentry responded that they had looked there; they talked with residents and put out surveys. He noted that one guy offered to take them all and to talk with people; they never heard back from him. He added that to make it feasible it would take the consent of pretty much everyone to go online. Mr. Barnett added that they had gone out to talk with the residents about water on at least three or four occasions over a period of time and only one or two had responded positively. Commissioner Monaghan recalled a tragic incident years ago when a house burned down on that street and a mother and child perished. He noted that the fire service came from volunteers rather than the city. Mr. Gentry stated that was why they keep revisiting that area. Commissioner Monaghan requested that they continue to pursue it. Mr. Gentry noted the likelihood of a problem with the hookup charges. With it being mostly renters, the owners may not want to pay city taxes. Commissioner Monaghan stated that it was a shame since they are only a block away from the city; if they were in the city, we would do it all for them.  Manager Reeves stated that he had a thought that would be shared later.

1. Executive Session:

 

A motion was made by Commissioner Monaghan and seconded by Commissioner Hancock to go into Executive Session to discuss legal, contractual, and personnel matters; the motion was unanimously approved.
                 

1. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

           

   

                                               

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