KEMMERER — The first items of business for the Kemmerer City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 23, were to approve the bills and agree to sign a lease with Heidi Despain of Quality Reality LLC.  Despain requested to lease two offices spaces in the Old Town Hall. The council approved the bills and for Kemmerer Mayor Bill Thek to sign the lease agreements. 

The council approved an amendment to the budget to include grant funding from the Kemmerer Community Foundation and the Lincoln County Recreation Committee. The Kemmerer Community Foundation granted $2,725 for the purchase of a rock-climbing automatic belay system at the Kemmerer Recreation Center. The foundation granted $2,050 for new archery sets at the recreation center and $5,780 for disc golf equipment.

In old business, ordinance number 2023-881 to amend section 19-9 concerning permit applications was read for the third time. This will allow the city to set permit fees for excavation bonds and permits. The ordinance passed the third reading. 

In new business, a first reading to amend city ordinance 22-25 took place. This ordinance will help Kemmerer/Diamondville Water and Wastewater Joint Powers Board (JPB) recover costs for repairing broken and frozen pipes at businesses and residences. The JPB is only responsible for the pipes that go from the street to the curb. Anything after the curb is the homeowner’s responsibility.

JPB Operations Manager Brent McClarnon explained that last winter, “it cost JPB $96,000 extra [to repair pipes that were the owners’ responsibilities] that we didn’t have in the budget. This increased our insurance cost because of the claims from last year to cover these incidents.”

The ordinance passed the first reading.

The next city council meeting will be Monday Nov. 13.