The Perry City Council met in regular session Monday.

At the meeting, Assistant City Administrator Sven Peterson said the apron project at the airport is slightly delayed due to the weather, it was initially set to start Monday but hopes are it will begin this week.  Plans and specifications for the soccer complex are also moving forward and the City is expected to go out for bid next month.  Peterson also acknowledged Director Mary Murphy’s work in obtaining grants to bring programs to the Perry Public Library. Councilman Chuck Schott also said the grants that were obtained for the Perry Public Library are “huge” and Murphy did “tremendous” work in bringing these unique programs to Perry, he thanked her for her work on the project.

Councilman John Andorf talked briefly about the recent Metro Alliance Council meeting.  He encouraged the Council to take a look at the livability study that was recently released.  He also mentioned the legislative update that was shared at the meeting in regards to property tax backfill, abandoned nuisance properties legislation, cell phone tower placement and local option sales tax.  He also encouraged people to stop by the local farmers’ market on Thursday evenings.

Councilman Dr. Randy McCualley then acknowledged City Administrator Butch Niebuhr’s upcoming retirement and this as his last official meeting in the position.  He said he’s appreciated all Niebuhr has done over the years and said he makes a tough job look easy, which he assured him was a compliment. Mayor Jay Pattee also talked about all the work NIebuhr has done over the years as city administrator and water works superintendent.  he said it has been a pleasure to work with Niebuhr and he “took care of business” in the position.  He said the City owes Niebuhr a great debt.  When the City was running in the red, Pattee said Niebuhr stepped up and offered to serve both positions and help the City get out of financial trouble.  The Mayor also said it’s fortunate that Peterson has had the chance to learn from Niebuhr as his mentor.

During open forum, Grant Eklund stepped forward to congratulate Peterson on his new position and Niebuhr on his upcoming retirement.

A public hearing was held in regards to the disposal of public property.  This is to give the land at the old middle school lot to Newbury Living for the development and construction of a senior living complex. Niebuhr said there are several things that need to be done before the structure can be erected.  Following the hearing, an amendment to the purchase agreement with Newbury Living was approved and the title to the property was transferred to the company for a cost of $65,000. A cross access and joint use agreement with Hamlim-Bell Associates was then approved.  This is to build a driveway on the future site of the senior housing building.

The Council then revisited a request to forgive excessive sewer charges that was initially brought before them at the June 1st meeting.  Jesus Martinez requested the $9,356 forgiveness due to a water leak.  The excessive usage occurred between February 2013 and November 2014 when 4,385,400 gallons of water was used.  The proposed adjusted usage the Council was considering was the average usage plus 10 percent of the overage, or $7,088 in forgiveness. Councilman McCaulley said this is the third time in three years Martinez has requested an adjustment and he has concerns with the fact that this went on for 18 months before he noticed there was an issue.  Each Council member weighed in and said they feel they’ve been generous in awarding forgiveness to Martinez in the past.  Ultimately, the issue failed due to lack of a motion and no forgiveness was awarded.

Wage amendments to the fiscal year 2016 resolution were then approved in regards to the police sergeant and communications supervisor positions per the union contracts.

Local union contracts with the Teamsters and American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (ASFCME) unions were then both approved for the period of July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018.  The Teamsters union contract includes a 2.4 percent increase in the upcoming fiscal year, followed by 2.5 and 2.6 percent increases in the subsequent years.  Police officers and dispatchers are eligible for Teamsters benefits.  The ASFCME contract is the opposite, 2.6 percent increase in the 2016 fiscal year, followed by increases of 2.5 percent in 2017 and 2.4 percent in 2018.  Those in the ASFCME union include those who work for the public works, disposal plant, recreation, cemetery and library departments.

Benjamin Brown was then appointed to the Perry Volunteer Fire Department.  A special meeting was scheduled for June 26th to close out the current fiscal year and pay outstanding bills.  Additionally, there will not be a meeting on July 6th.  Instead the Council will only hold one meeting next month on July 20th.

Finally, a two year City Administrator contract was approved.  Sven Peterson was appointed to the position effective July 1st.

For more on last night’s meeting, tune into today’s Let’s Talk Dallas County when we speak with Assistant City Administrator Sven Peterson during the 9am, noon and 5pm hours on Am 1310 KDLS.