June 16, 2020 • Town of Guernsey, Regular Meeting, Platte County, Wyoming
Present: Mayor Paustian, CM Kelley, CM Whitworth, CM Harris, CM Augustyn
Staff: L. Bryant, K. Farmer, M. Allred, Attorney Lent, J. Thomas
Guests: Joe Michaels, Jackie Martin, Franky Adams, Christopher Martinez, Pat Russell, Rose Martinez, Shawna Reichardt, Mark DeLap
Mayor Paustian called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance and was welcomed to the meeting.
Agenda: CM Whitworth moved to approve the agenda with changes to the order of items, seconded by CM Harris. A vote was taken, and the motion carried with 5 ayes.
Minutes: CM Augustyn moved to approve the regular minutes for June 2, 2020, seconded by CM Whitworth. A vote was taken, and the motion carried with 5 ayes.
Consideration of Claims: Mayor Paustian presented the vouchers for approval. CM Whitworth moved to approve the Considerations of Claims in the amount of $181,347.02, seconded by CM Kelley. A vote was taken, and the motion carried with 5 ayes. Vouchers follow in entirety: Allred – 95.38, Anderson Carpet – 3542.50, Banner Capital Bank – 750.00, Bear Creek Originals – 473.95, Benzel Pest Control – 80.00, Blueline Vinyls – 1430.00, Burnitt - -63.25, Capital Business Systems – 456.58, Caselle – 570.00, Cash-Wa Distributing – 148.60, Contractors Materials – 275.40, CRA Payment Center – 39.97, Crystal Ice Company – 126.00, Dahlgren Consulting – 1744.40, Desert Mountain Corp. – 13975.36, Ferguson Waterworks – 491.72, Ferry Boat Music – 599.00, Flying Phoenix – 3234.55, Gene Davis Distributing- 576.45, Golf Associates Scorecard – 865.80, Griffith – 108.71, Guernsey Gazette – 82.70, Hough – 1000.00, Ideal Linen – 366.70, Kant-FM – 336.00, Kath Broadcasting – 400.00, Long Building Technologies – 708.00, Martin – 599.00, Mission Communications – 1042.20, Mosley – 440.00, Municipal Emergency Services – 7156.40, National Judges Association – 100.00, Nebraska Printworks – 133.69, Northwest Pipe Fittings – 52.83, Pioneer Awards – 575.00, R & R Products – 422.98, Reese – 500.00, Sam’s Clube – 230.00, Soapy Suds – 90.00, Stotz Equipment – 252.20, Sunny Bunny Easter Eggs – 381.00, Swank Motion Pictures – 2530.00, Syncb/Amazon – 96.43, TDS – 1154.37, Torrington Beverage – 798.75, Torrington Office Supply – 617.12, Verizon Wireless – 502.83, Vistabeam – 449.55, Westco – 1598.30, Wheatland REA – 38.89, wright Express – 2000.16, WSGA – 100.00, WRS – 360.00, Wyrulec – 455.66Payroll – $80,898.44, Taxes & Benefits – $45,001.70 Total Vouchers – $181,347.02
Oath of Office Kate Farmer: Mayor Paustian swore Kate Farmer in for the Clerk/Treasurer position.
Resolution 2020-006 – SRF Loan – Landfill Cap: CM Augustyn moved to approve resolution 2020-006 SRF Loan for the Landfill cap, seconded by CM Kelley. Vote taken and motion carried with 5 ayes.
Ordinance 2020-004 – Budget FY 2021 2nd Reading: CM Kelley moved to approve Ordinance 2020-004 Budget FY 2021 on second reading, seconded by CM Harris. Vote taken and motion carried with 5 ayes. Ordinance follows in title only:
AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS TO DEFRAY ALL THE NECESSARY EXPENSES AND LIABILITIES OF THE TOWN OF GUERNSEY, WYOMING, SPECIFYING THE OBJECTS, PURPOSES AND AMOUNTS OF SUCH APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, BEGINNING JULY 1, 2020 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2021.
Open Container Permit – FSB: CM Whitworth moved to approve the open container permit for First State Bank, seconded by CM Augustyn. Vote taken and motion carried with 5 ayes.
Police Policy Manual: CM Whitworth moved to approve the Police Policy Manual by taking out the Chief’s name and replacing it with Chief of Police, seconded by CM Augustyn. Vote taken and motion carried with 5 ayes.
Trail Ruts Golf and Camp Rates: CM Augustyn moved to approve the increased rates for the Trail Ruts Golf Course, seconded by CM Kelley. Vote taken and motion carried with 5 ayes.
Fireworks Detonation Dates: CM Whitworth moved to approve the firework dates for July 1st through the 2nd from 10 am to 10 pm and July 3rd through the 4th from 10 am to midnight, seconded by CM Kelley. Vote taken and motion carried with 5 ayes.
Hub City Slide in the Park: Frankie Adams said that Hub City will have a water slide and games at Gordon Davis Park on July 3rd and 4th. They will disinfect the water for the slide, and they will have a generator to run the pump. They will have cones 6 feet apart to abide by social distancing. The slide will be on Sunrise Street or South Dakota Street.
Public Comment: Pat Russell let the council know that the food pantry brought in 44 boxes of fresh produce at 25 pounds each. She is looking for volunteers to help get the food from Evansville to Guernsey. This Friday CM Whitworth will be picking up 88 boxes of fresh produce to distribute to Guernsey families. They can go get the food if they have volunteers. On July 18th they will have a mobile pantry with 80 pounds of food for 300 families. Setup will be at 11 am and distribution will be at 1 pm. All volunteers will have to wear gloves and masks and vehicles will have to be ready for the volunteers to load the boxes in them. Another fresh produce run will be in August. She is looking for volunteers on Friday to fill the bags to be ready to give out to families. 303-807-2727 is Pat’s number if you would like to volunteer. Jackie Holtz said she has been through a lot of things and wants to be more visible in the community. She took some hot beer away from some children near the beach at the river. Shawna Reichert scheduled the golf tournament for September 12th at the Trail Ruts Golf Course. The Chamber has pride certificates and they funneled $27,000 back into Platte County from those certificates. Tourism is picking up and we are hoping it continues. Christopher Martinez reported a random draw A, B, C flight golf tournament. It will be a 3-person scramble, and it will be either 54 or 81 golfers for the tournament. He said he has watched Nick give 3 different oaths and you have made jokes about all of them. As a town member he does not appreciate jokes during oaths. He has been watching what is going on in town and the community is watching as well. He would like to start with a positive comment. He thinks that the work at the west river bridge has been great but people drinking alcohol during that is a violation of the open container ordinance. He has seen the Mayor and CM Augustyn drinking before council meetings. CM Kelley barked at another council member during a meeting. He said the CM Kelley ran into the fence behind Ben’s Bar and he asked if a police officer pulled them over would you expect them to arrest you? The council said they would expect them to if they were drinking. He would like to thank Officer Holt for stopping and helping some women that were in a wreck and saved their lives. Mayor Paustian said he is a hero. We are proud of Officer Holt and he did a great job.
Department Reports: Kate Farmer reported a letter was included from Economic Development to BNSF to let them know the impact the lost jobs will have on Guernsey. The bathrooms for the 4th of July celebration can be open if the volunteer group sanitizes the door, sink and toilet handles every 2 hours with signage about stopping the spread of COVID-19. The Council will have a workshop of council duties on July 6th at 6 pm. Swimming Pool memberships will be reduced this year to $38 for a single, $114 for a family and $19 for aerobics/lap swim. Platte County has issued a Fire Ban. Jeff Thomas said the Volunteer Fire Department supported the Special Olympics Torch Run and Dr. Holly’s funeral. Mike Montgomery said he would have the area mowed and the camp will water it down for safety reasons. Banner Ambulance left only one EMT in the County and there was an accident in the State Park. A one-month old baby had a severe head injury and the EMT told the mother of the child that swelling was fine and the child did not need to go to the emergency room. Chief Thomas told the mother that the child needed to go to the hospital and the child was sent to Denver with a skull fracture. Banner is abiding by social distancing and they are not staging at the tri-level because you cannot have two people in the ambulance, so they are working out of Wheatland. Joe Michaels reported that WMPA is having a meeting on Thursday. The economy has put a hurt on electrical purchases, WMPA is looking at raising .0225 mills. He suggested that the first reading to raise the electric rates should be at the next council meeting to accommodate the raise from WMPA. Attorney Lent said that allegations are easy to state but hard to prove. Your council is good and ethical, and they are working hard for you. The police are ethical, and you have a great Police Chief.
Mayor and Council Report: The Council thanked Officer Holt for assisting in the ambulance call. The rocks for the dog park are dropped off at Town Hall and for every rock collected, Pamela McClure donates $5 of her own money towards the park.
Announcements: 6/18 – Hank Cramer, Concert in the Park, 6/26 – Detective Pikachu, Movie in the Park, 6/27 – Community Garage Sale, 6/30 – Special Meeting 6 pm, 7/3 – Town Hall Closed, 7/4 – Independence Day, 7/4 – Timberline, Concert in the Park
Adjournment: With no further business to come before the Council, Mayor Paustian called for a motion to adjourn. CM Harris moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:02 pm, seconded by CM Whitworth. A vote was taken, and the motion carried with 5 ayes.
Attest:
Nicholas Paustian, Mayor
Kate Farmer, Clerk/Treasurer
Public Notice No. 1864 published in the Guernsey Gazette, July 7, 2020.
