The Riverside Town Hall met in regular session at 6:00 pm at the Riverside Town Hall with Mayor Leroy Stephenson presiding. Council members present were Lisa Lorenz, Linda Brown and Ed Golden. Also present were Peggy Huntley representing CCEDC, Lee Ann Stephenson, Helen Weiland, and Riverside Clerk/Treasurer Jana C. Cook.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Stephenson led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.
MINUTES: September 14, 2023 Regular Meeting: Council read the minutes of the September meeting as presented. Lorenz moved with Brown seconding to approve the minutes. The motion passed.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT/BILLS: September 2023 financial statement and payment of bills: Council reviewed the financial statement and the unpaid bills report. Golden moved with Lorenz seconding to approve the financial statement and pay bills in the amount of $47,000.02. The motion passed. The amount includes a specific purpose tax requisition in the amount of $34,030.84.
INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Mayor Stephenson introduced Riverside's representative to the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation Peggy Huntley. Ms. Huntley told the council she and Councilmember Lorenz attended the annual dinner and fundraiser "Guns and Roses" at the Platte Valley Community Center.
REPORTS:
CCCOG: September 20, 2023 Meeting: The clerk told the council Mark Helwick did not attend the meeting, but suggested council read the article in the Carbon County Comet-there is a story about the meeting.
SOUTH CENTRAL WY EMSJPB: Weiland told the council Cathy MacPherson has been revising the original agreement. She said there is a good rework of such agreement and asked Riverside to have an attorney review it. Mayor Stephenson said since Riverside does not have an attorney after November 1st, the opinion of the county attorney will be sufficient.
PARKS: Riverside Party Day 2024 Plans; Trash Cans: Lorenz said she had not had the time to search for another band so suggested the town contact High Plains Tradition to play another year. She moved with Brown seconding to approve High Plains Tradition for the 2024 Riverside Party Day on August 17, 2024. The motion passed. The clerk asked Lee Ann Stephenson to contact them and see if they are available on that date. The clerk told the council Robert Dailey is concerned with the amount of trash being left in the trash cans at Rick Martin Memorial Park. He said there has been no littering, just packing the cans full. There was discussion on what to do, with the clerk suggesting getting a dumpster next summer. The council disagreed. There was no action taken. The clerk asked Weiland about winterizing the park restrooms. She said she could drain the old building, but did not to drain the new restrooms. There was discussion about contacting Eric Bauer to winterize both. Lorenz moved with Brown seconding to call Eric Bauer to winterize both buildings. The motion passed.
SEWER: No report.
STREETS: There were two bids for snow removal for the 2023-2024 winter. The bids were submitted by Brad Heibig-High Plains Foam Building and Cory Nuhn-Bridger Fabrication. Mr. Heibig quoted $225.00 per hour with a 2 hour minimum and Mr. Nuhn quoted $110.00 per hour per machine and no plowing until there is 4-6 inches of snow. Lorenz said she was sure Nuhn would do a great job, but she was concerned with parts of the bid-being able to cancel the contract at any time for example. Brown moved with Lorenz seconding to accept the bid from Brad Heibig. The motion passed.
SIERRA MADRE JOINT POWERS BOARD: Lee Ann Stephenson told the council the requisition for $34,030.84 is not the final requisition but the project has been completed. There will be a large invoice from the contractor.
SPECIFIC PURPOSE TAX: Requisition #25: The requisition for $34,030.84 was approved under unpaid bills.
MOSQUITO: No report.
90 DAYS DELINQUENT: There are no delinquent accounts.
ZONING/BUILDING: Rocking R Storage: There was a lengthy discussion about this building permit application with Golden expressing concern about dust blowing this winter if Mr. Rauterkus starts dirt work. He quoted a section of the Riverside Zoning Ordinance that deals with blowing dirt. Mayor Stephenson suggested the building permit application be tabled until the March 2024 meeting. The council agreed.
ACTION ITEMS: There were no action items.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: Mayor Stephenson has items for the agenda. The first was a letter he wrote as a Riverside resident to HH Sinclair expressing concerns with the condition of the cottonwood trees on the Sinclair property on the north end of Riverside. Sinclair responded quickly and sent a tree service company to remove the problem trees.
Mayor Stephenson said he spoke to Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken and Sheriff Bakken suggested an MOU with Carbon County Sheriff to help with the speeding problem. The cost of the MOU for the Town of Hanna is $5,000.00 per month for 60 hours of coverage. There was discussion about the MOU, but no actiton was taken. Brown brought up the letter residents can send to state officials. Stephenson said he received a flyer for a Radar sign. He explained the current sign collects data, but there is no way to collect data because the sign is obsolete.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Grande Encampment Cowboy Gathering: Council read a thank you letter from the gathering.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Replacement for Tom Thompson: Mayor Stephenson said he called Brad Hiser and Hiser indicated he was not interested in the position. Brown suggested called Kylie Waldrop in Rawlins. Stephenson said he would make the call.
Possible depository change: The clerk asked that this be tabled for another month. There was no objection.
Window Repair: Mayor Stephenson said he received a bid for $430.00 from Snowy Range Glass in Laramie for the glass and installation. Stephenson said he was the one who broke the glass so he would pay for it. There was strong objection with Golden moving Riverside pay the entire amount. Lorenz seconded the motion-Brown agreed and the motion passed. Stephenson will contact Snowy Range Glass and arrange for installation.
Ordinance #229-Budget Amendment 2nd Reading: Brown moved with Lorenz seconding to approve Ordinance #229 budget amendment on 2nd reading. The motion passed.
Letter to Governor Gordon-Speeders: Brown gave the council a copy of a letter asking for help with speeders in Riverside. She had the names and addresses of state officials to send the letter. There was discussion how to send it, Mayor Stephenson suggested a computer document where people can easily change the names and addresses.
NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business. The Clerk reminded council members regular meetings will begin at 5:00 PM from NOVEMBER THROUGH MARCH. She will post notices in Riverside.
With no other business being brought before the council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.
Jana C. Cook Leroy Stephenson, Mayor
Attest:
Approved: November 9, 2023.
Jana C. Cook
The next regular meeting of the Riverside Town Council will be November 9, 2023 at the Riverside Town Hall beginning at 5:00 pm.