The Cheney City Council unanimously approved a pair of ordinances at their Nov. 12 meeting, setting annual increases to the city’s regular property tax and emergency medical service levies.
Increases are limited by state law to 1 percent of the previous year’s actual levy amount. For the EMS levy, $255,515 was collected in 2014, setting the increase for 2015 at $2,555.
The actual regular levy amount, for the property tax levy is $1,211,887. The 1 percent increase means $12,118.87 will be added to the city’s general fund coffers in 2015.
Cheney’s finance director, Cindy Niemeier, told the council she received no public input during the recent comment period. When Councilman Chris Grover asked Niemeier to clarify the property tax increase figure, Niemeier said it was due to the fact that it’s calculated on the previous year’s amount.
“So it’s more constraining than it seems,” Mayor Tom Trulove said.
In other action items, the council approved a $25,000 change order from the Public Works Department for installing a new pump and components in the city’s No. 3 water well. The well has been off-line since summer undergoing restoration work that will hopefully increase its pumping capacity from 100 gallons per minute to its original 900 gpm.
Public Works Director Todd Ableman said the project contractor, Specialty Pump Service, examined the well and the current pump installation and proposed the best way to proceed was installing a new 400 gpm submersible pump. The change order increases the project amount to $57,000, including taxes.
The council also approved renewing a memorandum of understanding between Cheney Municipal Court and Moon Security Inc. for electronic home and alcohol monitoring services. Court Administrator Terri Cooper said the new agreement includes a $3 per day rate reduction while adding wireless monitoring for people living in rural areas.
The council also approved the second reading of the ordinance adopting the city’s nearly $23.38 million, 2015 budget. Final passage is scheduled for the council’s next meeting, Nov. 25, with no public comment having been received so far.
Finally, the council rejected a $22,915.14 claim from Thorne Tibbits and Mike Mulholland for damage to several townhouses at Clay and Fifth streets they alleged was caused by a leaking water main creating groundwater problems. Councilwoman Teresa Overhauser said the finance committee reviewed the claim and recommended denying it due to a lack of information on the cause of the problem.
Speaking during the citizens comment period, Mulholland questioned the rationale of not enough evidence, saying when the water main was replaced, the leak disappeared.
“I don’t know what more proof you need than that,” he said.
Ableman told the council that only one of two units experienced groundwater issues. He added that the water main in question was located 170 feet away and that no other impacts were seen in the area.
Trulove asked Ableman to sit down with Tibbits and Mulholland and go over in more detail why the city believes the problem was not with the water main.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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