HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-05-05 Finance Committee Minutes
FINANCE COMMITTEE
May 5, 2008
Councilors: Stone, Gratwick, Farrington, D’Errico, Palmer, Hawes
Staff: Cyr, Barrett, Little, Cammack, Hupp, Cyr, Bostock
Others: Mr. Blenkhorn
1. Consent Agenda
A motion was made and seconded to approve the Consent Agenda.
a. Quitclaim Deed – Ware – 46 Larkin Street
b. Quitclaim Deed – Leonard – 55 Thirteenth Street
c. Acceptance of Maine Fire Training Education Grant
2. Bids/Purchases
a. Metal Castings – Public Works/WWTP – EJ Prescott - $46,832
Cyr said this is a contract that goes out to bid every three to six years,
depending upon the contractor. The City did go out to bid this year. This is
actually a re-bid as there was some confusion about the required weights.
Five responses were received and staff recommended a three-year contract
to EJ Prescott, the low responsive bidder, at an estimated $46,832. The
needed products will be ordered from Prescott on a project by project basis
and not kept in inventory. Stone asked about product liability insurance
provided by vendors and asked staff to look into it. A motion was made and
seconded to approve staff recommendation.
b. Disk Harrow – Airport – Hammond Tractor - $14,000
Cyr said BIA is looking to purchase a disk harrow, which will be attached to a
tractor. She noted that harrow is a very large piece with 26” blades and the
offset disk rigid is 8’ 1/2 inches. The only bidder was from Hammond Tractor.
The City has used Hammond Tractor in the past and has no issues with their
performance or their products. Hupp said the equipment is used for grading
of the runway and taxiway safety areas. There are Federal regulations and
requirements to be followed. Palmer asked for further information about the
product and how it is implemented. A motion was made and seconded to
approve staff’s recommendation.
c. Quint – Fire – Pierce - $668,919
Cammack said he came to the Committee previously to ask permission to
shop for a Quint. Staff has done so and found that one can be purchased
from Pierce for $668,919. The overage of $18,919 is due to safety equipment
including air bags. Stone spoke about a 50% deposit. Palmer said he agreed
with Stone. He asked about the safety of the Quint and dual rear axles.
Cammack said traffic accidents are the number one killer of firefighters. He
asked if there was room for further price negotiations. Cammack said he
feels they have done all they can but doesn’t mind going back to the
manufacturer. Pierce is the only manufacturer to provide delivery by the
deadline. Bostock said he and others looked at several manufacturers at a
trade show. Pierce was by far the better. Pierce helps with long-term
maintenance. Responding to Stone, Bostock said there was one vendor who
could make a March 2009 delivery at $648,000. Cyr will provide an option for
the additional funds and be prepared to address the prepayment concern
prior to the Council meeting. A motion was made and seconded to
recommend approval to the full Council.
3. Taxpayer Request to Waive Interest
Little introduced Mr. Blenkhorn, a taxpayer, who purchased a mobile home at
Pray’s Park last fall. At the time, the seller did not inform him of any tax
issues with the property. He recently received notice from the City that there
are five years outstanding taxes on the property. He is more than willing to
pay the taxes but would like the Council to consider a reduction in or a waiver
of the interest. Palmer asked why Blenkhorn didn’t catch this at the time of
the sale. Blenkhorn said it was a private sale and provided further details.
Palmer asked Little if the City finds itself in this situation often. Little said it
happens a lot but not just with mobile homes. Most mobile homes are
private sales and do not require a deed at the registry. Responding to
Farrington, Little said in the past the Council has approved and not approved
such requests. Little said it is not inconsistency of the part of the Council but
their determination is made on the circumstances in each individual case.
Little said his opinion is that the interest be paid by Mr. Blenkhorn.
Responding to Barrett, Little said the City did not make any errors in his
situation. Palmer said the interest should be collected but that the monthly
payment could perhaps be lowered. Blenkhorn said $100/month is okay with
him. Palmer made a motion that Little put together a PSA for the City’s
government channel providing information about these types of situations to
educate the public. He also asked Little to call Northeast CONTACT to have
an article generated for the BDN’s business page to alert consumers. Palmer
moved that the workout agreement be accepted. The motion received a
second. Barrett said that staff would insure that Homestead application will
be provided to Blenkhorn to avoid future taxes. Little said it has already been
done. At D’Errico’s request, Stone clarified that the motion was made on
staff’s recommendation that the City charge the interest and payments be
made at $100/month.
4. Appropriation and Acceptance of Homeland Security Grant
Barrett asked the Fire Chief to detail what is included in the grant and to
answer any questions. The amount is $25,000 for the technical rescue team,
$10,000 for the explosive ordnance disposal team, $20,000 for the special
response team at the Police Department, $7,000 for projects on the mobile
command vehicle; the generator is for Mary Snow School for emergency
shelter purposes. This is the third generator at a Bangor School. Bostock
spoke about the GIS and the money is essentially to hire consultants to move
the project forward. Chief said the next item is a special response vehicle
and the money will be utilized to replace the command vehicle which is used
by the assistant chiefs as they respond to calls. The next is water and
communications facility security and it is a software program that will inform
dispatch if a repeater site goes down. Another is security cameras at the
waterfront for $21,000, $30,000 for a rescue boat, AVL software that will be
utilized in all police vehicles so that dispatch will be able to locate the
equipment and dispatch the closest appropriate unit to the call. Funding for
NIMS Compliance for employee overtime for up-to-date national incident
management training. Gratwick asked how this GIS software fits into the
overall picture. Cyr indicated that there is a city staff committee working on
an overall City GIS program. Barrett said it would be better discussed during
budget sessions with Engineering and Public Works. Gratwick spoke about
port security. Cammack indicated that he and the police department are
working on waterfront security coordination. Cammack said that the rescue
boat would be a unit that would be anchored at the waterfront. Responding
to Stone about maintenance on the items to be purchased with the funds,
Cammack said he would bring the information back with each item. A motion
was made and seconded to approve staff’s recommendation.
5. Finance Committee Resolution Approving $2,000,000 in SRF
General Obligation Bonds
Cyr said that last August the Council approved the issuance of bonds for
continued CSO improvements. The money will help finish the last project
from the EPA’s Consent Decree. The interest rate through the State Revolving
Loan Fund is significantly lower. A motion was made and seconded to
approve staff’s recommendation.
6. Ordinance, Amending Chapter 33, Sec. 18 of the Code of the
City of Bangor to Permit Certain Employees to Serve on the
Ethics Board
This Ordinance, if approved by Council, Heitmann said this would amend the
City’s Code of Ethics that provides that members of the Board of Ethics may
not be employed by the City. The amendment would allow part-time
employees who work for less than 200 hours during any calendar year to
serve on the Board. This issue arose when a person who usually works for
the City during elections was appointed to the Board of Ethics. The Board of
Ethics, which recommends this change, determined that such limited
employment by the City, particularly in an area such as staffing elections
where we often have difficulty finding enough help, does not pose an ethical
problem. A motion was made and seconded to approve staff’s
recommendation to the full City Council for its action.
7. Executive Session – Hardship Abatements (a) and (b) – 36
MRSA Section 841(2)
A motion was made and seconded to move into Executive Session.
8. Open Session – Hardship Abatement (a) and (b) Decisions
A motion was made and seconded to approve staff recommendation.
The Committee adjourned at 6:05 pm.