The Gallatin Board of Aldermen on December 13th approved an ordinance involving an agreement with Allstate Consultants LLC. The ordinance authorized the city to enter into an engineering service agreement for street and drainage improvements.
City Administrator Lance Rains reported the City of Gallatin has received notice that D. A. Davidson and Company is willing to find the funding match of $500,000 for the street improvement project.
Rains said the Federal Emergency Management Agency and State Emergency Management Agency have adjusted their payments and will only release funding once the check has been cut and cash and documents provided for any engineering and/or contracting going forward.
The 2022 budget was discussed. The board agreed to add a mini excavator lease option to the budget. The lease was for a Cat 305E2 CR for 60 months, with an annual payment of $11,344 or a residual buyout of $33,390. Another lease option was for a Kubota U-55-5 for 48 months, with an annual payment of $13,075.25 or a residual buyout of $37,120.
The board approved the use of capital improvement funds to be transferred for the advanced metering infrastructure electric and water meters purchased in 2021 and to help balance the 2021 budget. The board also approved the reimbursement of the AMI grant funding back to the capital improvement fund if approved and received in 2022. This was after Rains recommended the approval.
The general fund was reviewed by each revenue and expense line.
A special meeting was to be held on December 16th to continue the discussion of the budget. No announcement was made from that closed session.
Rains provided roof bids from Milbourn Construction, LLC for the cupola building, but no decision was made since the bids need to be approved during an official Friends of Gallatin meeting. The bids were for $24,420 for the middle roof area and $21,960 for the back roof area or $39,790 for the middle roof and back roof areas combined.
Rains provided a stopping/standing/parking ordinance example from the City of Trenton as well as trailers and cabins ordinance example for the Gallatin Board of Aldermen to review.
He provided a listing of grants he has applied for and the stated funding received if approved. Mayor Barbara Ballew thanked Rains for his hard work in obtaining about $1,500,879.28 in grant funding during his time as city administrator.
Public Works Director Mark Morey reported the sewer line replacement for BesaMe Wellness on Park Street was completed last week by B and M Septic and Construction. There were no major problems.
Crews had hauled 20 loads of lime sludge from the new water plant to spread so far. Morey said it was a slow process, and about 90% of the sludge was water. He recommended the board consider hiring an independent contractor to extract, haul and spread lime sludge in the 2022 budget.
Irvinbilt Contractors started pouring concrete this week for the floor of the new clarifier at the wastewater plant.
Morey received a bid for replacing the aerator blower that was dropped and damaged while moving it out of the basin a few months ago. The bid is for $14,957. Rains said that FEMA and SEMA funding has been approved at 75%, with a city match of 25%.
Ballew received two letters from the Department of Natural Resources regarding permit issues. One letter regarded the old water plant backwash basin. Rains was to contact Red Rock stating the cleanout needed to happen as soon as possible. The other letter was about the new water plant, and Morey said he would follow up with DNR to better understand the request.
The board entered into a closed session for employee matters, and no announcement was made.
