City council receives proposal for police wages, tables the matter

Following up on its decision to advertise the new officer position in Holyoke Police Department at a starting salary of $42,000 at the Dec. 3 meeting, Holyoke City Council received a proposal for increased wages for the three existing officers at the Dec. 17 meeting.

Council member Steve Moore moved that the council table the matter so he could discuss it with Police Chief Doug Bergstrom and fellow police committee member John Schneider before a decision is made. The motion was passed.

According to the proposal, each officer’s base annual salary would be increased $6,500, putting the new officer at $42,000, officer Mary Seeley at $43,631.54, Sgt. Mark Werts at $51,588.29 and Bergstrom at $73,627.04.

Additionally, council members approved incentives in January 2019 for having a bachelor’s degree specific to law enforcement, having an associate degree specific to law enforcement or being fluent in Spanish. Currently, Seeley is the only officer receiving such an incentive, and it adds $2,080 to her annual salary.

The proposed wages total $212,926.87. The City has budgeted $238,570 for police salaries in 2020.

Library operating agreement signed

Also at the Dec. 17 meeting, an operating agreement between the Heginbotham Public Library Board of Trustees and the Holyoke City Council was adopted. It is meant to establish and clarify the relationships between the two boards and outline the responsibilities of each.

The building that houses the library at 539 S. Baxter Ave. is owned by the City, but the library trustees have custody and control of the building. The City is to maintain the building, including all major repairs, but the trustees may contract for maintenance of the grounds and minor repairs. The City also pays for utilities, janitorial service and insurance of the library building. The library director, with approval from the trustees, will purchase books, computers and other personal property with funds annually appropriated to the library budget.

Trustees are responsible for hiring a library director, who is in turn responsible for additional employees, with trustee approval. Library employees are considered employees of the City for purposes of payroll and benefits, but only the trustees may terminate the director’s employment, and the director may terminate employment of other library staff. Library employee personnel costs will be included in the annual library budget.

Trustees will submit an annual budget to the city council. The council appropriates library funds, and the trustees have exclusive control and spending authority over the disbursement. Trustees are authorized to accept gifts, grants or other funds for library purposes. The funds will reside in an account managed by the City and will be expended in collaboration with the trustees.

Building permit fees increased

Since the fees for building permits hadn’t been updated since 1999, Holyoke City Council approved new rates at the Dec. 17 meeting. The basic fee for jobs up to $600 was increased from $18 to $25.

For jobs up to $2,000, the fee is $25 plus $2.50 (up from $1.50) per $100 over $600.

For jobs up to $25,000, the fee is $60 plus $10 (up from $8) per $1,000 over $2,000.

For jobs up to $50,000, the fee is $290 plus $7.50 (up from $5.50) per $1,000 over $25,000.

For jobs up to $100,000, the fee is $477.50 plus $6 (up from $4) per $1,000 over $50,000.

For jobs over $100,000, the fee is $777.50 plus $5 (up from $3) per $1,000 over $100,000.

3 new pickups purchased

Council members also approved the purchase of three new pickups from Korf Motors in Sterling. A Ram 1500 Tradesman crew cab was purchased for the city superintendent at a cost of $31,398. Two additional Ram 2500 Tradesman standard cabs were purchased at a cost of $29,905 each. One is for the electrical department, and the other is for the water and sewer department.

Officials, rec director report

Brown reported last Tuesday that the electrical department handled one power outage Dec. 4 and that the water and sewer department handled a water main break Dec. 9. The street department hauled the grass pile to the airport and is working on spreading it. Crews have also been working on removing the building from the City’s property on the 300 block of West Denver Street.

Bergstrom reported that HPD, including code enforcement, handled or generated 340 calls for service Nov. 26-Dec. 12.

City Clerk/Treasurer Kathy Olofson reported that the City received the fourth-quarter distribution from the conservation trust fund at $5,110.82. The total for 2019 was $24,905.63, which is up $2,822.23 from 2018.

Olofson also noted that the City office will close at noon Dec. 24 and will be closed all day Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Recreation director Victoria Dunker reported that an activity was scheduled Dec. 18 for fifth graders and Regent Park residents to decorate Christmas mugs together. She also reported that a community meeting to review the department’s 2019 activities is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. in the Peerless.

Other business

In other business at the Dec. 17 meeting, Holyoke City Council members:

— Wrote off bad debts for 2019 utility bills in the amount of $1,354.06.

— Donated $1,600 to the Phillips County Historical Society for 2020 museum utilities.

— Heard from Mike Romero and Billy Newman of Washington National Insurance Company.

— Authorized Brown and Mayor Orville Tonsing to sign a Federal Aviation Administration grant application for pavement maintenance and electrical improvements at the municipal airport.

­ — Agreed to keep Joe Marcum in charge of website maintenance at $15 per hour.