Cheney buys pole trailer

The Cheney City Council conducted a couple financial transactions at its final regular meeting in February.

Tuesday night, Feb. 24, the council unanimously approved the sale of a 4,000 square foot piece of property in Golden Hills Phase II Addition owned by the Water Department to homeowners Gary and Glenda Glasgow. The Glasgows live next to the property and purchased the lot, which was part of a larger parcel and had been deemed surplus by the city, for $2 per square foot.

The council then unanimously approved the $15,705 purchase of a pole trailer by the Light Department to replace its existing trailer that is undersized and in some instances illegal to use, Light Department Director Joe Noland said. Noland originally budgeted $13,000 for the trailer, but prices have gone up and a $2,500 delivery charge was not included.

“I’m a little over budget but we sorely need this piece of equipment,” he said.

The council approved a $45,000, one-year extension of a contract with American Utility and Residential Tree Service for work clearing trees and other brush from around city power lines. The original contract called for two, one-year extensions of the contract if the city was satisfied with the work and if the original contract price was maintained. Noland said American Utility and Residential Tree Service met both requirements.

The council also approved formal establishment and adoption of the city’s investment policy, which will allow the city to invest excess fund amounts and protect these funds through “secure and low risk investments.” Finance Director Cindy Niemeier said the city conservatively invests any excess money from its 36 separate funds in order to earn interest on that money and return the interest to the fund.

The formal policy, created by Cheney’s treasury manager, Laurie Hale, puts in place a process with which to do this that outlines areas of delegated authority, authorizes financial dealers and institutions and establishes primary objectives.

Finally, the council held all three readings and final passage of an ordinance adopting and updating the commute trip reduction plan for the city in 2015, and held the first reading of the Parks and Recreation Department’s comprehensive plan.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.