City Council — Minutes

CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY JULY 8, 2025 7:00 P.M. Mayor Jason TePaske called the Regular meeting of the Augusta City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. Present were council members Sue Troxel, Lisa Fugett, Brian Leslin, Robert Chaffee, and Brian Leslin. Also present were Police Sergent Kurt Devroy, Kasandra Thompson and Cynthia Anderegg. Absent: Scott Williamson, Gordon O’Brien, and Leslie LaRose Pledge of Allegiance ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PROPER POSTING A notice of the meeting and an agenda was posted at the three public places, and the local newspaper was notified. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion by Leslin seconded by Troxel to approve the agenda. Motion carried. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Troxel seconded by Fugett to approve the minutes for the following meetings: June 10, 2025 City Council meeting. Motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENT • None APPROVAL OF DEPARMENT REPORTS Motion by Troxel seconded by Leslin to receive the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried. Motion by Chaffee seconded by Fugett to receive the Police Department Report. Motion carried. Motion by Troxel seconded by Chaffee to receive the Senior Center Report. Motion carried. Motion by Troxel seconded by Abley to receive the Library Report. Motion carried. Motion by Troxel seconded by Chaffee to receive the Public Works Department Report. Motion carried. The Augusta Bridge Creek Fire Department submitted the Minutes from the May 14, 2025 meeting. COMMITTEE REPORTS Capital Improvement Plan Committee Meeting – 6-26-25 A quorum was not present. Members who were present used the opportunity as a work night to continue compiling lists of equipment and infrastructure that will be included in the plan. Joint City Improvement & Recreation Committees Meeting – 6-25-25 Play equipment that was purchase with grant monies will be installed at the Main Street Park and should be ready before the Community Night Out event scheduled for August 5th. The group will be working on plan and organizing the Community Night Out. Personnel Committee–6-23-25 and 6-26-25 The committee reviewed Employee Handbook policy updates and discussed the proposed police department wage changes. Augusta Industrial Development Corp –7/8/25 The committee discussed marketing strategies to promote the city to encourage commercial growth and residential housing. CONSIDER APPOINTING A MEMBER TO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN COMMITTEE TO FILL THE VACANCY Motion by Chaffee seconded by Troxel to nominated and appoint Randy Rineck to the Capital Improvement Plan Committee. Motion carried. Sheena Bruder resigned. DISCUSS AND CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS a. REVISED FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER STARTING WAGE AND POLICE OFFICER WAGE RATES Sergeant Kurt Devroy presented a proposal to increase the starting wage for full-time police officers and the reasons for the request. The primary goal is to attract qualified and experienced officers in good standing to apply for full-time positions. Chief O’Brien submitted a written statement in his absence, emphasizing the importance of remaining competitive with surrounding police departments in order to retain and recruit highly qualified candidates. Motion by Chaffee seconded by Fugett to approve the following recommendation from the Personnel Committee for hiring an experienced police officer: Personnel Committee Recommendation: to authorize an increase in the starting wage offered to new hire full-time police officer applicants, and to approve a wage increase for current full-time police officers as proposed. The wage increase for current officers is contingent upon the successful hire accepting the revised starting wage. Maximum new hire starting hourly wage: $32.00 Current employee hourly increases: Chief ……………$0.51 Sergeant ……….$2.76 Patrol officer …$0.92 Roll call vote: Ward 1, yes; Ward 2, yes; Ward 3, yes; Ward 4, yes; Ward 5, yes. Motion carried. b. UPDATES TO THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK POLICY Motion by Chaffee seconded by Troxel to approve the following Employee Handbook policy amendments as recommended by the Personnel Committee: i. Updates to Section 5. Benefits Section 5. K Clothing Allowance for Public Works Department: The City provides uniforms to full-time Public Works employees through contracted services. An annual allowance of one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) per employee will be provided for hard-toed safety boots meeting ANSI Z41 or ASTM F2412/F2413 standards — the current accepted U.S. safety footwear specifications. Employees are expected to wear the provided uniforms during working hours. Exception: Closed-toed athletic shoes are permitted only while reading water/sewer meters. ii. Updates to Section 9. Miscellaneous Section 9. C Fire Department and EMS: Employees who are members of a volunteer Fire/EMS service are not permitted to attend calls during working hours unless authorized by their department head. If the employee is the department head, authorization must be given by the city mayor or one council member on a case-by-case basis. Roll call vote: Ward 1, yes; Ward 2, yes; Ward 3, yes; Ward 4, yes; Ward 5, yes. Motion carried. APPROVE ANNUAL GARBAGE HAULER’S PERMIT APPLICATION FOR THE PERIOD OF JULY 1, 2025, TO JUNE 30, 2026 Table as permit application has not been received. The current contract will expire on June 30, 2027. Contract services began July 1, 2020. APPROVE BARTENDER LICENSE APPLICATIONS Motion by Chaffee seconded by Troxel to approve the following bartenders’ applications for Express Mart: Allison Engel, Ceiara Lindsley, and McKenna Segura. Motion carried. ANNOUNCE AND DISCUSS UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS c. Joint City Improvement & Recreation Committee – July 16th at 5:30 pm d. Capital Improvement Plan Committee – TBA e. Augusta Industrial Development Corp. – August 12th at 5:30 pm ADJOURNMENT Motion by Chaffee seconded by Leslin to adjourn the meeting. Cynthia Anderegg, City Clerk