City Council votes to approve new mower

WAITSBURG—Equipment purchase and financing, and ongoing flood control efforts were discussed at the Waitsburg City Council meeting on March 17.

Meeting in person for the first time in over a year, councilmembers present were Mayor Marty Dunn, Kevin House, and Jim Romine, with Karen Gregutt joining the meeting via phone call. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe and two community members were also present. Waitsburg City Council will continue to hold their monthly meetings in-person at the Waitsburg Lions Club building at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The City will follow all current COVID-19 guidelines for in-person gatherings.

Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider was scheduled to speak at the meeting; however, he was unavailable. Councilmember Romine said Sheriff Crider was attending a training session that was running later than anticipated.

Hinchliffe led a discussion on Washington State’s LOCAL Program for funding the purchase of a new mower for the City’s Public Works (PW) department. LOCAL financing is a financing contract (lease) through the Office of the State Treasurer (OST) for equipment and real estate projects. The leases are pooled together as security called a Certificate of Participation, (COP) similar to municipal bonds. Program participants gain access to the tax-exempt bond market, below-market fees and expenses.

According to Hinchliffe, the Public Works (PW) department is in need of a new mower. The current mower is a mid-2000’s model, with lots of hours on the machine, and is being used for all of the City’s mowing needs. He said that the mower runs well, currently, but it is showing signs of aging.

Hinchliffe presented two comparable mowers from equipment dealers Pape Machinery and RDO Equipment. The mower from RDO cost roughly $4,000 less and was available for immediate purchase. After some discussion among the councilmembers, they voted to purchase the mower from RDO, for approximately $59,000. Public Works will keep the current mower for a specific job area, potentially the park. The new mower will be used for larger areas, including the fairgrounds and the cemetery.

Should the City of Waitsburg pursue a loan from the LOCAL program, the payments would be due annually, with the first payment due in December, according to Hinchliffe. The loan is a five-year note, with the interest rate currently at .33%. There is no penalty if the city pays off the loan early.

The council discussed Resolution 2021-716: Retainage Release. The City Council voted to approve the final payment to Sharpe & Preszler, for work related to Hazelbaker Road/ Taggart Road Extension project, in the amount of $30,504.29. This is the final payment for the project.

During council reports, Councilmember Romine noted that two damaged lights along Main Street had been repaired and stated that it made a big difference in the appearance of the area.

Hinchliffe shared that the City of Waitsburg is slated to receive roughly $270,000 from the American Rescue Plan, passed earlier in March. Money received will go towards recouping financial losses incurred by the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, investing in water and sewage repairs, and the potential for another round of business grants. The city has a couple of years to use the funds, according to Hinchliffe.

Hinchcliffe said that he had met with a couple of council members to assess needed repairs to the large breach in the Coppei River bank that runs along Preston Avenue. A plan to temporarily repair the breach is being developed, with Hinchliffe saying that the city is working on gaining easement rights from property owners in the area for repairs.

This year’s election for the Waitsburg City Council will be the first handled by Walla Walla County and not the City. Elections are to be held every other year, in odd years, for either three or four seats on the council. Hinchliffe did not specify which seats would be up for election in this first round. The filing period for Waitsburg City Council is May 17-21.

The Millrace Grade project is waiting on Department of Transportation certification before it can advance to the bid process. Hinchliffe said that he expects a springtime bid period.

The council voted to reimburse Bill Moran for fuel-expenses that he incurred in February for snow removal during the winter storms. The council did not specify a cost.

The meeting adjourned after the approval of bills. Further information about the mower purchase, and the LOCAL Program, can be found at http://www.cityofwaitsburg.com.