WEBSTER COUNTY, KY (2/15/12) – In a meeting that lasted about an hour Monday night, Dixon city commissioners heard the city’s annual audit report, approved changes to their health insurance policy for the city’s two employees, and reviewed several ongoing items of business.
 
The meeting began with the audit report presented by Mike Overby. He told the commission the city ended fiscal year 2010 with “no material weaknesses or deficiencies,” and commissioners after the meeting noted that the city’s water fund seemed to be balancing better due to a rate increase they implemented in 2009.
 
Overby agreed that the increase had helped with the water fund deficit of years past.
 
“As you can see... the tax base and everything that comes in, you don’t have a lot of tax money, and so the major portion of your bills are paid from monies from the water system,” Overby said. “You’ve done well with that.”
 
Overby said the commission needs to work at bringing its revenue and expenditure numbers “more in line” with each other, and with actual income and spending.
 
“If a person looked at it from the outside (he or she) would see you’ve got a big variance. You’re budgeting more than you’re actually (collecting), but then also down in the expenditures, you’re budgeting more than you’re actually spending, so when you put the two positives and negatives together, you’re still coming out at the bottom with a positive $76,508,” he said. “Those are things that you as a commission probably need to be looking at.”
 
Following the presentation, the commission approved the report.
 
Later in the meeting, the commission approved a recommendation to change its health insurance policy for city workers. The decision stemmed from a commission workshop held Thursday night (see related story) during which Dixon Mayor Linda Frederick told the commission the city is facing a significant increase in the cost of its current policy. Under the new agreement, the city will provide a cheaper policy with a higher deductible for its two employees, but will also set aside a pair of debit cards carrying $1,500 for each employee for them to use to help offset their deductibles. Dixon City Clerk Peggy Poole, one of the two employees affected by the change, said she and Water Operator Larry Parrish had reviewed all of the proposals presented during the workshop and had signed agreements supporting the policy the commission approved Monday night.
 
In other business, Dixon commissioners tabled discussion of a leak ordinance after Frederick said comments made during the commission’s last meeting on the subject had been “misinterpreted,” referring to a report that citizens who requested a leak adjustment might have to share financial information with city officials to prove a hardship. Frederick said she anticipated the ordinance would require little more than providing a paycheck stub to determine one’s income, or something similar.
 
“‘Full financial disclosure’” wasn’t what we meant,” Frederick said.
 
Commissioner Terry Webb agreed with Frederick.
 
Still, Commissioner Anthony Powell asked the commission to table the second reading of the ordinance pending more discussion, possibly at a workshop.
 
“I don’t know if I’d want someone to look at my paycheck stub,” he said. “I think we really need to do some work on this ordinance.”
 
Frederick said she would support discussing it in a workshop session, and asked for a motion to table the ordinance. The motion passed.
 
The commission also approved the two-year appointment of Dixon Park Board members, including Paul O’Nan as chairman, Melanie Payne, Tonya Franklin, Gina Townsend, Donna Matheny, and John Roy. It was noted that only two of the appointees live within the city, but Frederick said those who don’t are actively involved with the park district and have helped care for it.
 
On a related subject, Frederick told the commission the city had received a scoreboard that came with a permanent mount rather than a portable one, and that to return it the city would have to pay nearly half of what the item originally cost. She also said she didn’t know who had ordered it, but quickly added that it was “immaterial” as she asked the commission what it wanted to do. The scoreboard reportedly cost almost $3,800, and had been purchased with park grant funds designated for playground maintenance and improvement at Baker Park. She recommended the city use LGEA funds to reimburse the grant, and then move the scoreboard to the city’s other park on Bourland Ave.
 
Powell asked if it would create problems with the grant if LGEA money was used to cover the cost of the scoreboard, since it wasn’t appropriate for installation at Baker Park. Frederick said she didn’t believe it would, and Dixon City Attorney Ben Leonard said he didn’t know what the legalities were in that situation.
 
The commission agreed to keep the scoreboard rather than pay to send it back, and approved a motion that contingent upon confirmation the decision was legal; the city would transfer funds from its LGEA account to the park fund. Frederick said the new park board will be reviewing the “wish list” of the previous board and making revisions as needed.
 
Commissioners also reviewed a list of city projects and street requests, and informally agreed to make changes to the city’s property insurance policy when it comes up for renewal next month.
 
Dennis Beard
Journal Enterprise

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