EVANSTON — The Evanston City Council removed the Kate’s rooftop lounge request from the table to hear more discussion on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Kate’s (or Rachel’s LLC) is asking permission to serve alcohol on the rooftop, and untabling the request allowed council members to hear updates from Kate’s representatives.

Frank Brown, representing Kate’s, stepped to the podium and updated the council on required work that must be completed before the council members are comfortable voting on the issue.

“We received the engineered drawings and the building is structurally sound,” he said. “The architectural drawings are being completed and will go to the state once they are done.”

Brown requested the council approve a conditional use permit for Kate’s, allowing the bar to serve alcohol on their proposed rooftop bar area once all conditions are met; however, Mayor Kent Williams said he wasn’t comfortable approving such a request. He asked that Kate’s show the city engineer the engineered drawings. 

Brown said they had delivered the drawings to the city engineer earlier in the day and would also provide architectural drawings once they were available.

“I’d like to give our people time to look over the drawings before we move forward with this,” said Williams. “Once you have more information, please present it to us.”

At this time, the council has not approved Kate’s request to move forward on serving alcohol on their rooftop, but council members said they look forward to receiving more information from the organization.

In new business, the council approved Resolution 17-54, authorizing the execution of a revised agreement with the Uinta County Human Services Board.

The council originally approved the agreement on Aug. 1, agreeing to have the Human Services Board to provide human services for the citizens of Evanston; however, the revised agreement corrected an error in the original agreement.

“We had the wrong contribution amount,” city treasurer Trudy Lym said. “This corrects it to the $135,000 we’re contributing for this year.”

Resolution 17-55 was approved, authorizing the renewal of a flexible benefits agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming to provide city employees with health reimbursement arrangements or flexible spending accounts.

Lym said the renewal costs $250, and the plan will cost more as well. “This is a renewal for our flex plan and health reimbursement accounts for our city employees,” she said. “It was $4.50 per employee and goes to $5 on Jan. 1.”

Councilmember Wendy Schuler asked if employees could roll over monies in their accounts or if they would lose it if not used.

“Money in the flex accounts don’t roll over,” said Lym, “but money in the health reimbursement accounts does.”

Lym said employees using flex plan accounts have to plan their usage so they don’t lose the money.

During council comments, Mayor Williams addressed the article in the Aug. 15 edition of the Herald about the three Thompson girls, who were struck by lightning.

“We send well wishes to the Thompson family and are thankful for the good outcome,” he said.