Jordan recognized as employee of year; budget passed

PRESCOTT – Ann Jordan was officially recognized as the 2019 employee of the year for the City of Prescott.

This was done at the January meeting of the Prescott City Council Tuesday night. In talking about Jordan, Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver said she answers thousands of calls, is able to calm people down, goes above and beyond the call of duty regularly, is a leader who people come to for advice, is dedicated to her job, is a good cook and puts others first.

The council also approved a budget for 2020. Initially the budget included a $100 a month raise for members of the council, but this item was struck from the budget and voted out, 7-1, with only Susie Meeks voting to keep it in. Had it been left in the budget it would have raised the council’s stipend to $500 a month.

City Accountant Carl Dalrymple told the council he added $40,000 to the budget to cover the cost of the raise the Nevada County Quorum Court approved for dispatchers at the Nevada County Jail. The budget also includes a $25 a month increase for the City Recorder, along with an additional $200 a month for the city accountant and city attorney each. Dalrymple pointed out these positions haven’t seen an increase in pay since 2009.

He informed the council the financial packages they receive this year will see the city sales tax on a separate sheet to make it easier for them to see where the money goes and how it’s used. Dalrymple said a small surplus was built into the budget, but he expects to see it go away during the year.

The question was raised about the city’s offices returning to the old City Hall. Oliver said the city won’t be moving back to its old offices, but the building needs to be renovated so it can be rented or leased. This means the roof will need to be fixed, interior repairs made and mold abatement done.

On the topic of the landfill, Dalrymple said the lease for a new trash truck was included. This truck, he added, can be leased for three years and at the end of the lease either be bought or the city can lease another one. The city will also be providing trash cans at no cost, but those who lose or destroy the one provided will have to pay for a second one.

Dalrymple concluded his budget talks by asking the council not to touch the city’s depreciation fund for at least six months to allow it to build back up.

The council discussed legal fees for the electricity situation, as these cost between $15,000 and $20,000 a month. City Attorney Glenn Vasser said these fees will depend on what the federal court and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission do. The fees, he told the panel, could continue for a while or, if the case is struck down, go away completely.

Justice of the Peace Bob Cummings addressed the council concerning the cost of the dispatchers for the jail. He said the county has always paid minimum wage, but when people get trained and some experience under their belts, they go elsewhere for more money. He pointed out Nevada County Sheriff Danny Martin wanted to give the dispatchers a $2 an hour raise, which would have brought their pay to $12 an hour, but the court went with $1 an hour instead. This amounts to the $40,000 increase.

Cummings said the last time the interlocal agreement on the dispatchers was updated was 10 years ago and the county has been picking up the tab ever since, along with paying retirement and insurance costs. He suggested the council watch the dispatchers in action, saying the phones are constantly ringing, people are at the windows and they’re maintaining communications with the various agencies.

He said the court formed two committees, one a Solid Waste Board, and the other for the jail. These committees will consist of members of the court and council to keep a line of communication open between the two government entities and avoid similar problems in the future.

Prescott Police Chief Joey Beavers said the Prescott Police Department made around 425 arrests in 2019 requiring jail time. Those charged with felonies spent more time in the county jail then those charged with misdemeanors, but at $30 per day per inmate, it adds up and is something the PPD couldn’t afford to pay. He agreed it’s been a while since the dispatchers got a raise, saying this should be addressed annually.

Cummings agreed on the need to address raises for these employees on a yearly basis. He reminded the council the dispatchers work 12-hour shifts and they work 365 days a year. Holidays, he said, are just another day to them, though they do get paid for working on holidays.

In other business, Jamie Hillery, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, said HGTV is looking to make over an entire town and suggested residents of Prescott submit applications to get Prescott on the list for consideration. The community chosen will get a complete makeover as decided by HGTV at no cost to the city.

Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, agreed with Hillery about applying for this makeover.

Godwin said grant projects are in the works to be finished this year. One is the sidewalk grant for $129,000, an 80/20 match. Happ and Marlar will be the project engineer for this AHTD grant project. She said with luck it’ll be done by the end of summer, but this will depend on the weather.

In addition, the $200,00 AEDC water and sewer improvement grant will see A.L Franks as the project engineer and should also be finished this year.

Franks will also be the engineer on the TA road project, which is in the design phase at this time and will start this summer if all goes well.

The council voted to keep the meeting time and date the same, the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The only exceptions are in January and February when the third Monday falls on a holiday, and in November when the third Monday is on the opening day of modern gun deer season.

The council also discussed selling two parcels of city-owned land to Park Baptist Church. One had already been approved. The second was appraised for $11,326. Together the land would run $21,016, but councilman Jerry Hightower suggested going with a lower price for the second parcel by $1,016 to make the cost $20,960.

The issue was tabled until it’s determined if there are any liens against the property or not.

At the end of the meeting, it was announced Mt. Zion Church has coats for the needy at no cost.