City Council

CITY OF BRITT – BRITT IOWA – AUGUST 18th, 2020 The City Council of the City of Britt, Iowa met in pursuant to law and the rules of said Council in regular session at 7:00 o’clock P.M. the 18th day of August 2020. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arndorfer, and the following Council members were: PRESENT: Stacy Swenson, Curt Gast, Karrie Wallen, Paul Verbrugge, and Chad Luecht ABSENT: None The Mayor presented the amended agenda for approval. Item 4 (a)(1) was removed as it is not needed. It was moved by Swenson and seconded by Luecht to approve the agenda as presented. A roll call vote was had which was as follows: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Verbrugge, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried. It was moved by Luecht and seconded by Wallen that the following items contained in the Consent Agenda be approved and adopted: All items listed under the Consent Agenda will be enacted by one motion with a roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a request is made prior to the time Council votes on the motion. Consent Agenda items may include any non-controversial subjects. a. Approve Minutes of the 08/04/2020 Special Council Meeting b. Approve Minutes of the 08/04/2020 Council Meeting c. Approve Minutes of the 08/12/2020 Council Meeting d. Claim list in the amount of $573,473.20 e. Approve extension of a Class C Liquor License (LC) (Commercial) to include outside service extension for El Tequila from Wednesday, August 19th, 2020 & September 16th, 2020 from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. f. Approve extension of a Class C Liquor License (LC) (Commercial) to include outside service extension for the Captain’s Quarters Hob Nob from Wednesday, August 19th, 2020 & September 16th, 2020 from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. g. Approve extension of a Class C Liquor License (LC) (Commercial) to include outside service extension for Britt Bar & Grill from Wednesday, August 19th, 2020 & September 16th, 2020 from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. A roll call vote was had which was as follows: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Verbrugge & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried, and the Consent Agenda items were approved and adopted. Present to be heard was Mark Anderson, Police Chief, to discuss the possibility of hiring an uncertified officer. Anderson reported we have received over 30 applicants but no certified officers that fit what we are looking for. There are some non-certified officers that exceed the expectations set for a new officer and some of those individuals would be considered local. As we have taken in some monies from the sale of the patrol car, Anderson asked if those funds could be put towards sponsoring a non-certified officer through the academy. To hold on to officers, City Administrator Sawyer suggested we change the contract. Currently, our law enforcement contracts require the new officer, who we put through academy to stay for 4 years. If they leave prior to those 4 years, the total cost to attend the academy is pro-rated. This means if they leave within one year but not two they owe us 75% of their contract, if it is two years but less than three they owe us 50% of the contract amount, and finally if they are here three years but less than four they owe us 25% of their contract. We also allow those officers to pay us back in monthly payments. Sawyer suggested we stop doing a pro- rated reimbursement and make the officer pay back the full amount if they choose to leave before the allotted period. It was moved by Swenson and seconded by Verbrugge to approve the hiring of a non-certified officer with the change to the current contract. The new contract will state if the officer decides to leave before 5-years and 1-day they will have 30 days to reimburse the city the entire amount of their contract. Motion carried by unanimous vote. The City Administrator presented her report. Sawyer stated she had spoken to Kelly Sweers of K&C Tree Service, who has done work for the city in the past. He stated they are now certified to inject trees for Emerald Ash Borer. The presence of the beetle was confirmed in Mason City last month. He stated if we or any of our residents would like pricing to give him a call. The council asked if Sawyer to contact Sweers and ask if the process can be done in a preventative manner or is the trees only treated after they are infected. Next, Sawyer presented a revised Change Order #1 for the Diagonal Street Watermain Improvement project. We had approved the installation of a 36” tall hydrant extension for one of the hydrants located along Diagonal Street during the July 7th council meeting. But upon further review, it was determined that a 24” extension would fit better. This is for the 24” extension, instead of the 36” extension. It was moved by Verbrugge and seconded by Luecht to approve the amended Change Order #1 for the Diagonal Street Watermain Improvement project. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Mayor Arndorfer presented his report. He informed council we had another counter offer back after our original counter for a lot in the Burgardt Commercial Park. He requested the council move to go into closed session to discuss possible negotiation and purchase of land. It was moved by Verbrugge and seconded by Luecht to go into closed session to discuss possible negotiation/purchase of land pursuant to Iowa Code Section 21.5 (j). A roll call vote was had which was as follows: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Verbrugge and Luecht Nays: None The motion carried. Let the record show, City Council went into closed session at 7:36 p.m. It was moved by Gast and seconded by Verbrugge to return to open session at 7:50 p.m. A roll call vote was had which was as follows: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Verbrugge and Luecht Nays: None The motion carried. It was moved by Gast and seconded by Verbrugge to resubmit the counter offer as discussed in closed session for the purchase of property in the Burgardt Commercial Park. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Next, Mayor Arndorfer discussed the employees’ vacation usage policy. We have a request from one of our employees to cash out his vacation hours in one lump sum. Earl Hill, City Attorney, has provided the council with a sample policy written by the firm that updated our employee handbook last time. This change allows for up to 2 weeks (80 hours) of unused vacation to be cashed out in a lump sum for those employees suffering from some sort of extenuating circumstances. Council agreed the approval for these requests will be made by the Personnel & Finance committee. It was moved by Luecht and seconded by Swenson to approve the new policy language as presented. This information will be added to the city’s Employee Handbook. Motion as follows: Ayes: Swenson, Wallen and Luecht Nays: Gast and Verbrugge. Motion carried. Sawyer was instructed to work with Earl Hill to get our employee handbook updated. Finally, Arndorfer discussed the city-wide clean-up. He informed the council that he has reached out to Absolute Waste regarding curb side pick-up for our annual city wide clean up. They have said they will do this for an estimated cost of $5,700. From earlier conversations with Absolute, it looks like the clean-up will happen over a two-weekend process. This is because the landfill we have to use in in Lake Mills and closes at 12 noon on Saturday. Also, we may have to plan to have large items like mattresses, box springs, couches, and love seats picked up a day earlier due to space constraints. We will be able to provide more information to the public once we get the dates scheduled. It was moved by Gast and seconded by Luecht to schedule a curb-side city- wide clean-up with Absolute Waste. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Sawyer was instructed to touch base with Absolute Waste and get it scheduled. We will also be providing information to our residents via Facebook, our website, the newspaper, and a flyer in the mail with the September’s water bill. With no further business it was moved by Verbrugge and seconded by Luecht to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried by unanimous vote. __________________________________ ______________________________________ Debra R. Sawyer, City Administrator/Clerk Ryan L. Arndorfer, Mayor “These minutes are as recorded by the Clerk and are subject to Council approval at the next regular meeting.” VENDOR DESCRIPTON AMOUNT A P CLEANING SERVICES CLEANING SERVICE $650.00 ABSOLUTE WASTE REMOVAL TRASH AND RECYCLING SERVICES $13,408.40 ACCO CHEMICALS/POOL $2,598.25 AFLAC AFLAC-PRE-TAX $85.52 AGSOURCE LABORATORIES TESTING SERVICES $1,979.50 ALLIANT ENERGY ELECTRIC/GAS $12,846.77 ALLIED ENS LLC SERVER MONITORING $474.90 AMANDA DAHL SUMMER REC REFUND $30.00 ARAMARK MISC SHOP ITEMS $368.64 BASE MEDICAL REIMB $292.52 BOLTON & MENK ENGINEERING FEES/DIAGONAL ST $41,124.00 BONNIE BOOTHROYD SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 BRANDY LUEDTKE SUMMER REC REFUND $20.00 BRENDA HARMS SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 BRENT HALVERSON RCOOK-3rd Street SW $1,072.50 BRITT FOOD CENTER GROCERY $372.47 BROWN SUPPLY INC SHOP MISC $49.50 CARD SERVICES MAY/JUNE EXPENSES-POLICE $559.77 CHA GEOTECHNICAL $3,250.00 CHOSEN VALLEY TESTING DRILLING/SAMPL/ENG FEE/DIAGNL $3,500.00 CHRIS SQUIER SUMMER REC REFUND $15.00 COLLECTION SERVICE CENTER GARNISHMENT $327.86 COLOF DIGITAL WEBSITE SUPPORT $169.00 COMM 1 TELEPHONE/FAX/INTERNET $671.13 DALLAS JOHNSON SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 DAVID FOX SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 DAWN SCHLICHTING SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 DEBRA SAWYER TRAINING $32.20 DELTA DENTAL OF IOWA DNTL/VISN-PRETX $476.98 DNR/WATER SUPPLY OPERATIO ANNUAL FEE $1,275.00 DON ANDERSON SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 DOUG WEILAND SUMMER REC REFUND $15.00 EARL HILL COUNTRY CLUB $5,832.40 EFTPS FED/FICA TAX $12,868.78 FIRST STATE BANK MISC FEE $1.75 GLOBE GAZETTE CIRC DEPT NEWSPAPER $49.99 GREAT AMERICA FINANCIAL COPIER LEASE $154.59 GRIMM CONSTRUCTION WATER LINE REPAIR $750.00 GWORKS UTILITIES $500.00 HANCOCK CO PUBLIC HEALTH POOL/SLIDE INSPECTION $418.00 HANCOCK COUNTY HEALTH SY CHRIS GOBELI PHYSICAL $72.00 HANNAH MUTH SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 HAUGLAND REPAIR 1/2 MOWER REPLACEMENT $5,430.20 HEARTLAND ASPHALT ALLEY OVERLAY PROJECT $72,494.06 HOLLY BERGMAN SUMMER REC REFUND $40.00 HUNTS ELECTRIC VOLT MOTOR CAPACITOR $24.95 IA DEPT OF NAT'L RESOURCE NPDES STORM SEWER PERMIT $350.00 IMWCA INSURANCE #2 INSTALLMENT $1,088.00 IPERS POLICE IPERS $10,271.54 JEREMY PURVIS SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 JOHN SWEERS STUMP GRINDING $275.00 JOSHUA SCHMID SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 KAM LINE HIGHWAY MARKINGS ROAD LINES $1,007.59 KIOW BRITT CAMPAIGN $111.59 KYLE FREESEMAN SUMMER REC REFUND $20.00 LAURIE HADACEK SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 MAIN STREET SPECIALTIES NEW TRUCK $15,345.25 MARCUS BRUNS SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 MARK OR JOANNE EARLES LAND PURCHASE NEW WTP $26,818.00 MARSHAL ANDERSON SUMMER REC REFUND $10.00 MAXYIELD COOPERATIVE GAS $1,616.57 MCKINNES EXCAVATING SWR SVC/WTR REROUTE 3RDST/3RDA $49,757.70 METERING & TECH SOLUTIONS MISC SUPPLIES $504.82 MICHAEL HORSTMAN SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 MIDWEST ROOFING FIRE DEPT ROOF REPAIR $747.35 NANCY ANDERSON SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT DEFERRED COMP $40.00 NEXT GENERATION TECH INC SYSTEM SUPPORT $17.80 NORTH IOWA MEDIA GROUP MEDIA-PUBLISHING $622.32 NORTHERN LIGHTS POOL CONCESSIONS $1,816.83 PAYROLL CHECKS PAYROLL CHECKS ON 07/29/2020 $22,738.38 PAYROLL CHECKS PAYROLL CHECKS ON 07/31/2020 $1,015.27 PAYROLL CHECKS PAYROLL CHECKS ON 08/12/2020 $21,208.13 PETER BIXEL SUMMER REC REFUND $10.00 PRESTO-X-COMPANY PEST CONTROL $49.00 PRITCHARD AUTO 2014 EXPLORER MAINTENANCE $1,039.33 PSI PAPER/NAME PLATE $109.55 REBECCA DONAGHY REFUND FOR SUMMER REC $20.00 RIEKENS PLUMBING & HEATIN A/C REPAIR POLICE $106.15 ROBERT WHITE SUMMER REC REFUND $20.00 RYAN EEKHOFF SUMMER REC REFUND $10.00 RYAN JOHNSON SUMMER REC REFUND $55.00 SONNY BRUNS SUMMER REC REFUND $50.00 SPARTAN FIRE NEW SPARTAN PUMPR/CITY PORTION $215,092.50 STACEY KING SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 STATE HYGIENIC LABORATORY TESTING $26.00 STATE TREASURER STATE TAXES $2,687.00 SWENSON'S HARDWARE MISC SUPPLIES $534.47 THEODORE SMITH SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 THOMAS BUNS SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 TODD STEFFEN SUMMER REC REFUND $5.00 TRULSON AUTO MISC. ITEMS $68.32 TYLER HARMON EDUCATION REFUND $272.40 U S POSTMASTER POSTAGE FOR WATER BILLS $368.01 UHC HEALTH-PRE-TAX $7,513.91 VERIZON PHONE,INTERNET, ETC. $333.03 WATCHGUARD VIDEO WARRANTY $1,740.00 WBC MECHANICAL MISCELLANEOUS $3,599.76 CLAIMS TOTAL $573,473.20 GENERAL FUND $108,111.07 LIBRARY FUND FUND $7,103.21 FIRE DEPARTMENT FUND $215,299.42 ROAD USE FUND $89,197.67 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FUND $1,088.00 LOCAL OPTION TAX FUND $5,430.20 LOST-ECO DEV/MISC REV FUND $169.00 CAP PROJECT - LAND ACQUIS FUND $6,750.00 WATER FUND $40,563.79 SEWER FUND $95,808.26 STORM WATER FUND $3,952.58