Council waves on roundabout plan

An agreement that will allow planning for intersection changes at Thain Road, Powers Avenue and 14th Street to go ahead was approved in a split vote Monday night by the Lewiston City Council.

The disagreement was two-fold, whether the work really needs to be done, and a stipulation in the contract with the Idaho Transportation Department that if it isn't completed, the city will reimburse the state for everything it has spent.

Councilor Thyra Stevenson, participating by telephone, said she doesn't approve of the project to build a roundabout at the intersection, but believes the city is committed. She voted for it, leaving councilors Ged Randall and Clinton Daniel as the sole dissenters in the 5-2 vote.

The agreement with the transportation department allows $35,000 of state money and $5,000 of city money to be spent on the next phase of design work being done by Thomas, Dean & Hoskins (TD&H) engineers of Lewiston.

The expectation is that federal funding will pay for the majority of the project, estimated at $965,000 and targeted for construction in fiscal year 2015. If at any point the city calls a halt to the work, it will have to repay anything spent by outside entities, Mayor Kevin Poole said.

A salary increase of between 1.6 percent and 2 percent, to $7,224 per month, also was approved for City Attorney Jamie Shropshire, but not without a debate and a final 4-3 vote.

Daniel and Randall attempted to halt Shropshire's increase, saying that with the present economic uncertainties, no hikes should be approved. When that was shot down, Daniel tried to ensure the increase stayed at 1.6 percent, the same percentage given to other city employees. Kleeburg joined them in that unsuccessful vote, but went with the majority on the final vote to give her a raise. Daniel, Randall and Stevenson ultimately voted against the raise.

Daniel also argued that there was no debate over Shropshire's new contract. It was prepared and presented by her, affects only her and there were no negotiations, he said. He also attempted without success to reduce her guaranteed six months of pay and health benefits if fired without cause to three months, and asked why she can't be terminated without cause for 120 days following a city council election.

That's because there are few comparable jobs to be had, City Manager Jim Bennett said. The same clauses appear in his contract.

Shropshire and Bennett are the only two city employees who work directly for the council.

In other business:

• Police Chief Steven Orr said a digital display will be placed inside the new library building at Fifth and D streets with the names of donors or the veterans in whose names donations are made for a new illuminated flagpole. It was mistakenly said earlier in the Tribune that a plaque with those names would be outside, he said. The flagpole is a project of the Valley Veterans Council.

• Kevin Kelly and Joe Hulett were appointed to the Solid Waste Advisory Commission, Maxine Miller was reappointed to the Urban Forestry and Cemetery Commission, and Forrest Dinnell was reappointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

---

Lee may be contacted at slee@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2266.