08/24/1998-CC-Minutes-Work SessionMINUTES: City Council Workshop
August 24, 1998
PRESENT: Mayor Tommy Kincaid, Councilman McNeill, Councilwoman Madden,
Councilman Mike James, Councilman Glenn Ervin, Councilman Jerry Jenkins.
OTHERS
PRESENT: City Administrator Jack Smith, City Secretary Rosalie Chavez,
Water/wastewter Superintendent Eddie Branham, Electric Superintendent Jeff
Morris, City Mechanic Tommy Belcher, Chief of Police Benny Erwin
Woodrow Barton
1. Mayor Kincaid Call Meeting to Order.
2. Discuss Fiscal Year Budget 1998-1999
City Administrator
indicated the
last Department Head to
make their presentation was
the City Secretary
Rose Chavez
with the Administrative
Department.
City Secretary indicated Mayor and Council budget basically stayed the same and the
bulk of it was coming out of the administrative side.
Discussed Ladies' Restroom in office.
Discussed Insurance, Contractual Services, and Legal Services.
City Secretary indicated they were trying to departmentalize on telephone services.
City Secretary addressed R & M building for the Sullivan Center.
Discussed Health Inspections, City Secretary indicated the City will have a new
inspector, and that Joe Tims will send a letter recommending the Council officially
appoint the new inspector.
Discussed Supplies for Data Processing, Postage, Maintenance on copy machine,
computer hardware, and other office equipment.
Discussion on what they still owe on new computer system and the monthly payments.
Mayor Kincaid indicated they should start discussing salaries and finish up discussing
budget.
City Administrator indicated they wanted to give people good salaries this year and
wanted to be able to keep the trained staff.
Discussed proposed increase for Department Heads.
Discussed
Sergeant,
and Lieutenant
position
in Police Department, and the required
tests to be
given for
those people to
get these
salaries.
Discussed Police Officer positions.
Councilman Jenkins indicated they should get salaries up enough to keep well trained
people.
Discussed Fire Fighter Position.
Councilman McNeill indicated he would like to see them pay volunteer fire fighters per
run, instead of hiring a full time fire fighter.
Jeff Morris indicated that people's lives have gotten so busy that true volunteerism has
become a thing of the past. He has visited with other cities and volunteers and they
have indicated the same. He indicated he would like to see them start hiring paid
firemen to guarantee the citizens a certain quality of care.
Mayor Kincaid asked if the City would have a better insurance rate if they had a paid
PAGE 2
fire department.
Jeff Morris indicated it had been discussed, but he was not sure.
Councilman McNeill indicated statistics show that volunteer fire departments are the
biggest service organizations in the United States, and do more for the people than any
other service organization.
Discussed position of possible paid fire fighter, Jeff Morris indicated this person would
be considered a captain and would report to the Chief and the assistant Chief.
Jeff Morris indicated there was no one in the department at his time that was qualified
for the position. He indicated the person would need to be a certified EMT or a
Paramedic.
Discussion on different options of the volunteers.
Councilman Jenkins indicated they should look at other options, leave it in the budget
for the position, allocate the dollars, but do not create the position until it can be
discussed more in depth.
Discussion on the possibility of Jeff Morris finding other alternatives in lieu of hiring
a full time fire fighter.
Councilman Jenkins asked Jeff Morris what they needed a back hoe for.
Jeff Morris indicated it was for hauling dirt, and for digging.
Councilwoman Madden complimented Fire Department on the job they did putting out
fire on Rector Rd.
Councilman James indicated that some of the proposed salaries were too high. He
indicated the Librarian salary was too big of an increase, and indicated they needed to
decide if that position was a department head.
Councilman James asked about the salary for the position of Administrative Secretary.
City Secretary indicated the person in this position was someone who could back her
up, and take her place when she was gone. She indicated she saw the potential in this
person to be her assistant.
Discussion on Administrative Secretary position and Salary.
Discussion on Water Department, Eddie Branham indicated he had one person he
wanted to promote and give a salary increase to immediately, he indicated this person
would become certified as an operator, and be also needed to train someone to replace
him.
Eddie Branham indicated he would like to eventually see all of his personnel certified.
Discussed hiring a person for meter reading.
Discussed using people from streets department for meter reading.
Discussed salary of City Mechanic and if the position was a Department Head position.
Councilman Jenkins indicated it was not a Department Head position, and that he was
the sole person that answered to the City Administrator.
Discussion on hire date, and salary for City Mechanic.
Discussion on if City Mechanic was a Department Head, Councilman Jenkins indicated
they needed to decide if it was or was not,
PAGE 3
Council agreed that even if he did not have the title of Department Head, his salary still
needed to be raised.
Discussed Mechanic's Salary.
Councilman James indicated they needed to rewrite the job descriptions for the
Librarian and the City Mechanic.
Council agreed to allow City Administrator to come up with job titles and job
descriptions for City Mechanic and Librarian.
Council discussed and agreed to raise salaries of Librarian, and City Mechanic.
Mayor Kincaid indicated they would need to schedule a meeting to file the proposed
budget with the City Secretary.
Scheduled Special Called Meeting for August 31, 1998 at �:00 PM to accept budget
proposal.
3. Meeting Adjourned.
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Rosalie Chavez, City Secre y
Tommy caid, Mayor
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