During the Jan. 13 meeting of the Beaver Dam City Commission, the commission approved a personnel policy revision, purchased a plasma cutter and applied for a crumb rubber grant.
— The Beaver Dam City Commission was presented with a personnel policy revision that would end the paying of salaried employees for sick days.
Commissioner Charles Patton asked if the policy revision was due to the personnel policy not being in line with an ordinance. He was informed that was not the case. The policy revision was due more to the fact that most salaried jobs do not receive pay for sick days. An example given was a salaried employee taking off a half day due to illness would be paid for the full day, and under the current policy, they would also receive sick pay for half a day.
“(The policy revision) wouldn’t affect any current employees, but it would take care of new (employees) who come in,” Mayor Paul Sandefur said.
Commissioner Sandy Robinson made a motion to revise the personnel policy. Commissioner Kevin Davis seconded the motion. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
— The city commission was informed City Superintendent Larry Carter requested the city purchase a plasma cutter for the city garage. Currently the city garage has a cutting torch that uses oxygen and acetylene. The city leases the oxygen and acetylene tanks for around $700 a year as part of a three-year lease. The city also pays for the filling and refilling of the tanks.
The plasma cutter would end the need for oxygen and acetylene and cost around $1,800.
Commissioner Keith Dale believed the plasma cutter would pay for itself in the short term and Sandefur believed using oxygen and acetylene is a safety hazard.
Davis made a motion to purchase the plasma cutter. Dale seconded the motion. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
— The City of Beaver Dam was presented with the opportunity to apply for a grant that will go toward the purchase of crumb rubber. Crumb rubber is recycled rubber from automotive tires and is used as ground cover around playground equipment. If the city receives the grant, the crumb rubber will be placed around the playground and fitness equipment at the Beaver Dam Park.
The total amount of the grant would be $17,165. The grant is a 25 percent match, meaning the city will have to match 25 percent of the grant total to receive the full amount. The city can turn in labor and equipment use as part of its 25 percent. The amount of the city’s 25 percent match will be around $4,200 with half or more of that total being labor and equipment use.
Sandefur told the commission the city would have to purchase crumb rubber regardless, so it might as well try to get most of it paid for with the grant.
The grant is being offered by the state through the Division of Waste Management’s Waste Tire Trust Fund.
Robinson made a motion to apply for the crumb rubber grant. Commissioner Charles Patton seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote.