City crews ready to trim trees, fiber soon to be installed

Gallatin aldermen heard a tree trimming policy, a plan to drop cable lines, and got an update on the unfolding saga of the bats during their meeting held Aug. 24.
City crews will be trimming tree limbs back between now and winter in street right-of-way to help tall vehicles and buses that use city streets. Public Works Director Mark Morey advises Gallatin residents, that if you know you have a tree that needs to be trimmed and you would rather have it trimmed yourself, you need to have it done prior to crews arriving in your area.
Grundy Electric has notified Administrator Rains that they are moving forward with installation of the fiber throughout town. They plan to move their aerial crews to Gallatin in the next month to start dropping the cable lines and placing the fiber in its place. Grundy Electric is requesting use of a small plot to hold a 6×6 building to store their equipment. The board agreed to establish a rental agreement for placing the building on city property. City Administrator will work through the details with Grundy Electric.
Police Chief Mark Richards submitted an activity report dated Aug. 24, for the board to review. The activity report included three lockout, three domestic disturbance, two traffic accident with damage, two juvenile problem, one burglary, one assault, simple, one animal cruelty, one illegal burning, one curfew violation, three suspicious person, two alarm, two harassment, two animal control, one child abuse or neglect, one citizen assist, one suicidal person, one property damage, not vandalism.
The department is unable to find the part for the Impala police vehicle. Chief Richards led a discussion on purchasing a used 2014 Explorer equipped with emergency equipment at a reasonable price.
There are five dogs in the Gallatin Pound.
The break-room remodel at the power plant is complete, but the bathroom remodel is still in the works, according to Public Works Director Mark Morey. He requested the board consider bidding on a rubber chip and seal roller online rather than a weekly rental. The board agreed for Morey to place a bid on the online auction.
Morey led a discussion on the need for an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) metering system in the future. Morey stated the AMI system would reduce service calls and re-reads, reduce EL/WA loss, and it would allow the city to bill customers more accurately to align with Missouri Public Utility Alliance’s (MPUA) new method of billing which will start June 2021.
Bills in the amount of $39,362.72 were approved for payment.
Administrator Rains provided information to the interested party regarding the cupola building. There is no other update at this time.
Administrator Rains provided a vehicle repair bill from a resident who claims the repairs were caused by a pothole on West Grand. The resident is requesting the board pay for the repairs to her vehicle. The board denied the request for reimbursement for the repairs.
Administrator Rains led a decision on an opportunity to renew the copier contract with MARCO. Administrator Rains will check on the details of the service agreement and calculate if the city should be charged per copy or opt for a monthly allowance.
City Hall and the Police Department has been sealed up and the exit pipe for the bats has been installed by Critter Control. The pipe will remain installed for two weeks to allow the bats to safely escape. Once the pipe is removed the hole will be sealed.
An ordinance was approved adding section 155.010 to the city code in regard to fund transfers from the utility fund to the general fund; repealing ordinance 519, and setting an effective date.
Administrator Rains is working closely with engineers regarding the clarifier replacement project which continues to move forward. Rains also reported that he has the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from an engineering firm to review the 2400 electric system upgrade.
The board agreed to meet at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, to continue discussion on the water supply contract with Daviess County Public Water Supply District #2.
The above are the unapproved minutes of the meeting for the City of Gallatin held on Aug. 24, at City Hall. Present were Mayor Barbara Ballew, Board President Carol Walker, Aldermen Steve Evans, Dan Lockridge, Dan Mccann, City Administrator Lance Rains, City Clerk Hattie Rains, Police Chief Mark Richards, Public Works Director Mark Morey, Police Chaplain Austin Bonnett.