Council approves wellness program; denies homeowners request

The Guthrie Public Works Authority and City Council met Tuesday evening and approved all but one item on the busy agenda.

All trustee’s and members were present and agreed to the Employee Wellness Program for full-time City of Guthrie employee’s.

In an effort reduce claims as employee medical costs continue to rise, the city and the YMCA developed a wellness program. The program will provide discounts for monthly membership and initiation fees at the YMCA for employees and or families with matching funds from the city. The city will pay 30% of the annual monthly membership for eligible city employees. In turn, the YMCA would give a 15% discount and waive 50% of the enrollment fees.

A family membership at the Guthrie YMCA is $43.50 a month and the adult price is $29 a month. The YMCA charges a one-time joining fee of $70 for adult and $105 for a family.

The lone item not to pass was a Revocable Permit for a fence in the city’s right-of-way located at 704 E. Warner. It failed with all council members (0-8) voting no.

The homeowner requested the permit to install a fence on the west and south sides of the property due to people walking on the property, up to her home and some cases damaging the landscape areas.

The city has a “right-of-way” 30 feet from the center of the road.

The homeowner listed several others properties that had fences built-in the city’s right-of-way that City Attorney Randel Shadid explained they were likely in violation. Although, he was not certain if they were or not.

Resolution No. 2010 was approved and will provide fiscal stability for the GPWA and allow management to apply fiscal prudence in managing the budgetary condition of GPWA. The  resolution is creating a stabilization fund balance level. The amounts for the stabilization fund balance shall be deposited into a separate bank account and accounted for in the GPWA Fund. The amounts deposited in the stabilization account are to be used only for the purposes defined within the proposed resolution.

The minimum amount of 12% must be contained in the account of the most recent audited annual non-capital operating expenses. The maximum amount to be held in the fund is 30%.

Council members approved a grant from Dollar General and the American Library Association. It is available to public libraries nation-wide to add or expand literacy services for Adult English language learners.

Grant funds may be used for expanding literacy materials within the library collection, acquiring electronic literacy and language-learning resources, funding outreach and off-site collaboration efforts, and enabling staff and volunteer training. Selected libraries will be announced by Friday, 12 October, and awards run $5000 to $15,000.

In other council action:

– members out of executive session approved the collective bargaining agreement for the fiscal year of 2013 for both the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 105, and Internal Association of Firefighters. Details were not disclosed at the time.

– awarded demolition services and debris removal, to the low bid of $5,524 to K & M Wrecking, for the demolition and removal of 1223 W. College as part as the 10 dilapidated structures declared to be a nuisance.

– reappointed Jim Reazer and Lewsic C. Robinson III to the Guthrie Housing Authority Board of Commissioners for a two-year term.

– appointed Sidney Brown to as the Guthrie Special Municipal Judge. Brown replaces current city council member Sheri Mueller.

– approved eight ordinances dealing with building codes and will allow the new editions in the International Building Code that are published every three (3) years.