Hamilton Park Board wants to operate independently from city
Steve Guthrie from People Services attended Hamilton’s last board of aldermen meeting on May 11 to give an update on the water/sewer situation. Guthrie said they had figured out how to isolate the water plant from the distribution system, so they will not have to insert an inlay valve which will save the city few thousand dollars. A couple of aerators and blowers are down and they are working to have them fixed. A part that tells the motor to start needed to be replaced and the cost was approximately $800. That will be taken out of the city’s maintenance fund. Guthrie asked the city if they would be interested in a proposal for distribution and collection. Hamilton could share resources with Gallatin, such as staffing and vehicles instead of going solo, which would save the city $55,000 a year. The city will consider this suggestion.
Cary Sayre of Allstate Consultants attended the meeting to discuss the water line project. Sayer said the city needs to understand the amount of money they have and try to select the streets that are most heavily traveled and in the worst condition. He suggested the city needs to find out how much they want to spend on those streets and work their way back to get the most “bang for your buck.” He said that the water and sewer personnel need to understand the major problems that the city has. Use the city map to locate the lines that have problems. Mark on the map where the water lines are and where the sewer lines are to see which streets will not have as much impact by the water/sewer utilities and work on those first. Cowherd suggesting they use chip and seal for secondary streets, adding that if you fix some of the secondary and you fix some of the main, residents will at least see some progress is being made.
Scott Esry discussed the city’s insurance currently with Travelers which will need to be renewed July 1. He has been working with Allen Gentry and the first round of numbers came back yesterday. Esry said we’re looking at about a 3% increase over last year, approximately $1,600. With a 4% increase in property values, it is an automatic increase to figure in replacement costs. There were also some changes, mainly with Workmen’s Compensation, due to adjustments with personnel. Esry said he would get a final premium prior to the council’s next meeting.
Management of the Park Board is considering converting the Park Board into an association from which they would operate independently from the city. They would prefer to use the money they make through fundraisers to go to park activities and not to the pool. Allen Gentry said they would probably want to get set up as a non-profit and not pay sales tax and added that the association would be responsible for their own insurance. The city would continue to run the pool because of higher liability and the need for more employees. It was noted that the pool needs a good manager and that rates should to be raised to keep up with wages and other expenses.
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