Nevada City Council OKs amended budget

After holding a two-hour budget work session prior to Wednesday's special council meeting the Nevada City Council voted 3-2 to pass on first and second reading an amended version of the budget included in the city council members packets and posted on the city's Web site. Tim Wells, Bill Gillette and Mike Hutchens voted yes and Jayne Novak and Joyce Wilson voted no.

A third reading will need to be held either during the council's next regular meeting on Jan. 6, 2009, or during a special meeting held no sooner than Dec. 24.

"I think we need to approve a conservative budget," Mayor Mike Hutchens said during their budget work session, noting that with the national and state economic problems in play, "we need to be careful about what we spend here. I don't think that it's going to be any different here than the rest of the country," Hutchens said.

He told the council that the state is talking about a 15 to 30 percent across-the-board cut in spending and some of that will trickle down to city operations.

The one thing this council does not plan to do is to cut jobs, although they have suggested that the city manager may want to look at a hiring freeze in the coming months.

"We will cut an expenditure before we cut an employee," Tim Wells said.

In other business the council:

* Voted 4-1, with Bill Gillette voting no, after a discussion of a proposed taxi coupon rate increase, to have the city manager contact Don Meisenheimer, owner of M-NOD Taxi to see if he will object to the city resoliciting bids for operation of the handicapped accessible van separate from the taxi service and extending his current contract with the city until a contractor is found to operate the van service. Meisenheimer was the only one to submit a bid to operate the van service. Pat Chambers, of On My Own, Inc., told the council Wednesday night they would have liked to bid on the van service when bids were last solicited, but they did not receive a bid packet and only were given four days to prepare a bid, which did not give the On My Own board a chance to meet.

* Voted 5-0 to reject paying Blevins Asphalt $73,668.48 for additional asphalt than originally estimated for the reconstruction of a section of South Cedar Street, citing cost and billing discrepancies.

* Voted 5-0 to accept the low bid of $15,996, not to exceed $17,400, for 12 dry tons of caustic soda from Univar of Springfield.

* Voted 5-0 to award a blanket purchase order not to exceed $130,000 to McInroy Contractors LLC D/B/A Vernon County Ready-Mix, the low bidder for the public works department 2009 concrete needs.

* Voted 5-0 to 5-0 to accept the low bid of $6,696 from Waste Corporation of Missouri, Joplin, for the city's 2009 trash disposal services.

* Voted 5-0 to award a blanket purchase order, not to exceed $130,000, for an estimated 10,400 tons of various sizes of rocks for the public works department from the low bidder, Nelson Quarries Inc., Gas, Kan.

* Voted 5-0 to accept a $200 bid from Bart Collins for the four-box V.A.S.I. lights from the Municipal Airport.

* Voted unanimously to reappoint Monte Curtis and Mike Farran to their first full term on the airport board and Scott Buerge to his second term on the board. Their terms will expire January 2013.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance accepting a proposal from DSWA CPA to perform the city's 2008 annual fiscal audit.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance accepting a $10,000 grant from the L.F. Richardson Foundation to purchase furnishings for the new terminal building at the Nevada Municipal Airport.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance removing $200,000 of street sales tax money from the street maintenance budget for the purchase of a street sweeper and putting into the street fund for street reconstruction. The city is buying the street sweeper with a lease-purchase agreement using other funds.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a supplemental agreement No. 4 for construction phase services with Burns & McDonnell for rehabilitation of the runway at the Nevada Municipal Airport.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance setting daily and monthly rental fees for hangar space in the new terminal building and hangar at the Nevada Municipal Airport.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving participation in the Tri-state Fire Recruitment Alliance and repealing a previous ordinance approving participation in the alliance.

* Voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution No. 1242 declaring the cypress tree grove at the former Nevada State Hospital as a Preserved Green Space to attempt to preserve the grove of 100 year old trees from damage.

* Voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution No. 1243 authorizing Randy Marti to sign documents relating to the wastewater treatment project so the bills can be paid for the project. The resignation of City Manager Bill McGuire left the city without anyone who could sign necessary documents.

* Adopted Resolution No. 1244 approving the addition of one street light at 918 E. Walnut St.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance authorizing the Mayor to approve an amendment to extend the Community Development Block Grant that paid for the new airport terminal building until Dec. 31.