LINCOLN -- Lincoln City Council adopted an ordinance at its November meeting to require restroom facilities at public events on city property and also passed a resolution to established new rates for groups and individuals who want to rent the city community building on Lincoln Square.
The ordinance requiring restroom facilities states that every sponsor of public events on city property is required to provide facilities for the use of those attending the event. Events held on the downtown square may provide some restroom facilities by renting the community building.
City Council members have discussed the need to make sure people have access to restroom facilities, in particular for events on the square, during previous meetings. The Council's parks and recreation committee also has been discussing restroom facilities.
After the Nov. 17 meeting, Doug Hutchens, committee chairman, noted that more people are using the square for events open to the public.
"We're seeing it as more of an issue," Hutchens said.
The ordinance does not give a specific number of restrooms required for events.
Alderman Johnny Stowers said he thought trying to "quantify how many (portable) restrooms for how many people for how long would turn into a rat's nest."
Rhonda Hulse, grants coordinator and office manager with city water department, said city staff mainly needs to know that restrooms will be available for people attending an event.
Council members discussed whether the city should require groups to apply for permits to use public property for events and they agreed it is probably a good idea to have a form for groups to fill out.
Mayor Rob Hulse noted that a permit system would allow the city to have a record on file of groups using public facilities. It also would help the city keep a calendar of scheduled events, Hutchens added.
New rates to rent the community building will be $150 per day with a $200 deposit required prior to rental. The deposit would be returned within seven days following the rental on condition the facility has been properly cleaned and returned undamaged based on an inspection by city staff.
The new rates will help offset the city's cost for utilities from rentals and general upkeep of the building, Hutchens said after the meeting.
In other action, the Council appointed Herb England as the city's representative on the Benton/Washington County Water Authority. Rob Hulse will serve as alternate.
The mayor gave an update on plans by the Authority to increase rates in 2016 for its system members. The Authority plans to construct a parallel water line to serve the south part of the system. Hulse said the increase would probably be 25-27 cents per 1,000 gallons and the Council would have to pass that on to its city water customers.
"No one likes increases. I don't like them," Hulse said, noting a rate increase would apply to everyone.
The Authority also wants all of its members to be able to store one-day's worth of water to meet the needs of its customers in case of an emergency. Lincoln falls short of having this storage capacity and would have to look at that in the future, Hulse said. The requirement is part of a five- to seven-year project for the water Authority.
Council members also approved a resolution to clarify vehicles as surplus based on the VINs on the vehicles. Surplus vehicles are two 2000 Ford Crown Victoria cars, a 1998 Dodge 1500 truck and two 2001 Ford Crown Victoria cars. The city will try to sell the vehicles, which are not in good condition, by sealed bid.
The Council authorized Rhonda Hulse to submit a fire grant application for a Polaris Ranger, trailer and radio to assist with rescue operations at Lincoln Lake. The grant is for about $14,500 and the city would be responsible for 50 percent of the grant. Fire Chief Jay Norton asked the city to apply for the grant because of an incident at Lincoln Lake. A ranger would have helped emergency personnel in responding to the incident.
General News on 12/16/2015