Meta maintenance employee Mitch Stumpe asked aldermen at their Aug. 14 meeting why there is a discrepancy between the salary they earn and what is paid to City Clerk Deidra Buechter and Treasurer Mary Plassmeyer.

“I wondered why the city clerk and treasurer make more than the maintenance men do,” said Stumpe.

“I wondered that too,” Mayor Harold Libbert said.

“When we first started out we were making $10 an hour, then we went to $12, and they got a $4 raise, and we only got 50 cents,” Stumpe continued. “I just wanted to bring it up. I was wondering.”

“Well, I think you guys have a legitimate gripe,” Libbert said of Stumpe and Kenny Loethen, who did not comment at the meeting.

Plassmeyer said the reason that was presented to the board when a request for a salary increase was made during the budget meeting was the responsibility that the clerk and treasurer have.

“We do something wrong, we can go to jail,” she said. “If we mismanage your funds, we can go to jail. We deal with the public; the maintenance guys don’t. There’s a whole list.”

Plassmeyer added that she and Buechter have to be bonded, and are responsible for everything that happens in the office.

“Ivie, am I correct?” Plassmeyer said.

“I agree with all of that,” Alderman Ivie Helton replied. “If you guys feel that you deserve a higher pay, you are more than welcome to present that to us. I feel we’re pretty open-minded about that. We would be happy to talk to you about it, and hopefully come to an agreement. That’s what they did.”

Alderman Otto Wankum said there is always going to be a difference in pay between certain positions.

“To be perfectly honest with you, every organization has differences in pay, and just because one group gets a dollar an hour raise, and another group gets 50 cents an hour, it doesn’t mean anyone thinks any less, but you also have to take a look at the position, and the job description, and the responsibilities that position incurs, and the repercussions if that job isn’t fulfilled,” Wankum said. “All of that goes into a determination on what someone needs to be paid. You also have to look at how hard it is to fulfill that position and how hard it is to replace the position based on qualifications needed to hold that position.”

Stumpe said that his question was based on the fact that only the last raise was not uniform, noting that everyone was earning the same $10 hourly wage, and then everyone was bumped to $12, but this last time, there was a large discrepancy — $14 compared to $12.50 —which created his issue.

“I understand but that was a makeshift pay increase situation and it wasn’t based on job responsibility of that particular position,” said Wankum. “You can’t necessarily pay everyone the same.”

In other business, aldermen agreed it was worthwhile to put together a statement of work outlining the city’s needs regarding digital meters.

Buechter requested quotes from several companies regarding digital meters that can be read electronically and tie into the existing system. One company, Midwest Meter Inv., of Edinburg, Ill., responded with a quote of $60,274.80, which would include 103 new meters, installation and 10 years of maintenance.

Since last month’s meeting, at the direction of the board, Plassmeyer prepared a report of current salaries to read meters, which totaled $3,890.60 for the year. Loethen and Stumpe read meters once per month, and Libbert as the chief water operator reads the master meter daily. The total cost also includes the time it takes Buechter each month to prepare meter-reading sheets, and the process to verify readings and send out bills.

Based on the annual cost of the system, it would take about 15 years at the current rates paid to employees to break even, Wankum noted.

“But then what you have is a lot less running,” said Wankum. “I think it’s definitely something the board should consider.”

With digital metering, the information is fed directly into the computer, so there’s less chance that an error will occur.

“It’s definitely cost-effective because you can add miscellaneous hours that are spent that don’t always get recorded for reading meters,” Wankum said, adding that would make 15 years the top end in terms of justified cost. “On the same token, it’s not going to get any cheaper to do it.”

Buechter will prepare the statement of work new meters and installation.

* Alderman Lawrence Hoffman reported that all is well with the creek behind the Meta Civic League Hall.

Last month, Hoffman said he had been contacted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding loose sediment in the creek, and in order to be compliant with the permit issued to the city, which allows employees to remove debris and rock for 100 feet upstream and downstream from bridges and slabs. Hoffman said the loose gravel must be removed completely, and may not be pushed up onto the bank.

The work was completed by the maintenance staff.

Hoffman said he has applied for a permit to remove additional gravel from the rest of the creek.

In related news, aldermen continued their discussion from last month regarding whether Libbert could be paid for projects such as cleaning out the creek since the board believed he is limited to $500 per transaction or $5,000 for the year, based on state statute for city employees who serve on the board.

City Attorney David Bandre in a letter to aldermen explained the cap only applies to the “selling, renting or leasing” of property. The first section of the statute pertains to work performed by a city official, and there is no dollar limit.

“Since Mr. Libbert got the position via a bid, and since he is billing the city hourly, then he can be paid for that hourly work,” Bandre noted in his letter.

The city is not required to do anything except re-bid the position when the scope of work expires, and advertisements are being published leading up to the expiration of Libbert’s position of chief water operator.

* Remote Computer Services (RCS), which installed the cameras at the ball park, was set to move the unit Aug. 20 from the concession stand that focuses on the bleachers to a more effective location. A 10-foot piece of conduit was installed by the maintenance crew to facilitate the wiring.

* Aldermen agreed to have Buechter secure extermination services for City Hall and for the park building.

* A business asked whether it could be hooked up to the city’s water system, even if the property is beyond the city limits. Plassmeyer explained the request came from a firm called Overland Engineering, which did not identify the business it is representing.

The property in question would be built near the Meta Mini-Mart, rented by Bee Line, to the west.

Mayor Libbert said there is a sewer line from the Mini-Mart to the middle of the property.

Aldermen agreed that providing water is not a problem, so long as the company hooks into the main line. Annexation is not required to sell water, Libbert said.

WATER NEWS

* Buechter’s water report indicated that for the month of July, the city had $4,114.55 in water sales, $1,030,95 for trash service, $152.85 in sales tax, $140 in connection fees, $60 in reconnection fees and $414 in primacy fees, giving the city total current charges of $5,912.35. With a previous balance of $1,307.17 and payments received in the amount of $5,296.41, a total of $266.62 was still due as of July 31.

In terms of water loss, a rate of 8% reflects a total of 578,845 gallons pumped and 530,950 gallons sold, with 47,895 gallons lost.

FINANCIAL NEWS

In her regular monthly financial report, Plassmeyer noted that operating fund had a balance on hand of $483,327.43; the money market balance was $139,473.83; the escrow account totaled $910; and two certificates of deposit total $50,940.77, giving the city total funds on hand as of July 31, of $674,652.03. Plassmeyer explained that a CD in the amount of $249,315.97 was cashed July 29 per the board’s decision to pay for the shed project, with $130,000 deposited into the general account, and the balance of $121,185.84 put into a new six-month CD, which will be reflected in next month’s financial report.

* Aldermen approved an amendment to the budget which reflects moving $126,500 to the capital projects fund for the shed, with the remaining $3,500 from the CD that was cashed to remain in the general fund.

* Checks written in July totaled $14,991.40.