City Council

CITY OF BRITT – BRITT IOWA – February 1st, 2022 City of Britt, Iowa Council met in pursuant to law and the rules of said Council in regular session at 7:00 o’clock P.M. the 1st day of February 2022. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arndorfer, and the following Council members were: PRESENT: Stacey Swenson, Curt Gast, Karrie Wallen, Ashley Weiss, & Chad Luecht ABSENT: The Mayor presented the agenda for approval. It was moved by Swenson and seconded by Gast to approve the agenda. A roll call vote was had which was as follows: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Weiss, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried. It was moved by Weiss and seconded by Gast 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 01/04/2022 Regular Council Meeting & 01/20/22 Special Council Meeting b. Claim list in the amount of $170,068.92 c. Approve Class C Liquor License for Britt Bar and Grill LLC Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Weiss, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried, and the Consent Agenda items were approved and adopted. Brian Ruter and Maralee Ruter were present to be heard. The Ruter’s believed the water tower was being drained caused their white clothes to stain while washing. They requested Council reimburse them for the items ruined. Public Works Director, Vance Hagen, explained the water went onto the street, so it would not have been for that reason. He also stated there are pipes over one hundred years old. Which could have been the cause of their clothes being stained with rusty water. Council felt they could not reimburse the Ruter’s for their damaged items. If they did for them, they would have to for everyone else. Mayor Arndorfer stated the city would do better in notifying our residents when our pipes/water is being worked on. We are working getting text message notifications to our residents, which could eliminate this problem. Department reports were given. Linda Friedow, Library Director, presented her report. They received donations from Bettie Johnson’s family, The Leader published a great article. Dewey’s Coffee and Tea Bar is now in the library and is extremely popular with the children since hot chocolate is offered. They had a door counter installed, which will give them more accurate numbers for the state report). They are still working on “Red Bag” kits for checkout. These are the backpacks on a topic (farm, transportation-2 age levels, music and movement, princess/fairy/ballerina) and include books, manipulatives, fingerplays, songs and parental guides. They have been doing winter cleaning and reorganizing sections-giving more shelf space to the areas growing. Staff training day was Thursday, Jan 27. They covered in-house reviews, beacon system updates, daily operation reminders, scheduling, and employee evaluations. Then they visited the new Algona library, Bancroft, and Swea City Libraries. Vance Hagen, Public Works Director, presented his report to Council. The Dept removed the Christmas Tree decorations and nativity scene. A bigger mower was ordered from Tim Lodin of VanWall-John Deere. They sent requests to two contractors about 5th Ave SW and 1st St NE. Final Clarifier needs repair. JT started this month. Hagen Spoke with DNR about clarifier. Fab Tech consulted about repairs for clarifier. There was a watermain break at 316 1st Ave SW. He Received quotes on Muffin Monster, and cleaning of digester tank. He also received quotes on snow blower and broom for new mower. They performed maintenance on the snow blower, sander, and grader. The dept did locates and read meters. Hagen needs an approval from council for the Clarifier. The cost would be $19,542.60. It was motioned by Gast and second by Luecht to approve buying the clarifier for 19,542.60. Motion carried by unanimous vote. The Dept. is also needing a digester. They received a quote from Nutri-Ject. Inc. for $27,694.80. The Council wanted to wait on approving the digester until we can get a better understanding of the funds available. Mark Anderson, Chief of Police, presented his report. The PD had 175 calls for service in January. Officer Reis continues to progress at the academy. Officer Williams and Mehmen attended ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) training in Algona. Jon Swenson, Fire Chief, presented his report. There were two calls for service to assist WHAS in Jan of 2022. The Department Trained on Bloodborne Pathogens cleaned and checked gear and drained trucks for the winter. There is a meeting with Rural Board on Thursday, February 3rd. The Estimate for 727 fire engine pumper repair, $17,118.63, parts are ordered, it will be out of service for a week at Feld Fire in Carroll, IA. Mike Boomgarden, Zoning Administrator, was not present to give his report. Mike issued one new permit for a sign to Dollar Tree/Family Dollar. He spoke with nine residents over zoning questions. Boomgarden also attended the Zoning meeting on January 20th, 2022. Acting City Clerk Elizabeth Ibarra presented her report. Resolution 01-2022 Providing Wages for Fiscal Year 2022. It was motioned by Swenson and second by Luecht to approve Resolution 01-2022 Providing Wages for Fiscal Year 2022. A roll call vote was had: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Weis, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried, and the Resolution items was approved and adopted. Ibarra presented Resolution 02-2022 Naming Official Check Signatures. Those signers being Mayor Ryan Arndorfer, Council Member Curt Gast, and Acting City Clerk Elizabeth Ibarra. It was motioned by Luecht and second by Weiss to approve 02-2022 Naming Official Check Signatures. A roll call vote was had. Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Weis, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried, and the Resolution was approved and adopted. Ibarra presented Resolution 03-2022 Naming The Leader as our Official Publication. It was moved by Gast and second by Weiss to approve Resolution 03-2022 Naming The Leader as our Official Publication. A roll call vote was had: Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Weis, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried, and the Resolution was approved and adopted. Next was Resolution 04-2022 Naming Official Depository First State Bank of Britt, Iowa to not exceed funds of 3,500,000.00 and Farmers Trust and Savings Bank of Britt, Iowa to not exceed funds of 2,500,000. It was motioned by Luecht and second by Wallen to approve resolution 04-2022 Naming Official Depository First State Bank and Farmers Trust and Savings Bank. A roll call vote was had. Ayes: Swenson, Gast, Wallen, Weis, & Luecht Nays: None The motion carried, and the Resolution was approved and adopted. The City has had complaints on how accessible information is to our residents. Ibarra and Marcy Mayland looked into getting bids for text message notifications. Ibarra got a quote from TextMyGov, a one- time set up fee of $4,000 and every year after would be $3,000. Mayland received the second quote from DialMyCalls, $3,034.69 yearly fee. The Council wanted Ibarra to reach out to the County and West Hancock to see who they currently use before making any decisions. Next Cindy Kendall, with Kendall Consulting, spoke on the proposed Max Levy Hearing Notice. Kendall gave the Council a brief summary on the past five years and how the next five years could go. She also gave the Council three options for their 2022-2023 budget. Option B is what the Council liked most since it would lower taxes. It was motioned by Gast and second by Luecht to use option B for the 2022-2023 budget. The motion carried unanimous vote. Kendall also said we need to set the Public Hearing date for March 1st, 2022. It was motioned by Luecht and second by Gast to set the Public Hearing date for March 1st, 2022. The motion carried unanimously. Next, we reviewed our health insurance policy. Currently our policy pays for 100% of the Employee and 50% of the family’s monthly premium. While Ibarra was trying to calculate a new hires insurance, she found that employees who had family’s on the plan were not accurately charged. The City was paying 75% of the family’s monthly premium. Although the Council would have like to charge 50% of the premium, they also realize that it would be unfair. There would be a significant increase, which could lead the city to lose three employees. Mayor Arndorfer asked for Cindy Kendall’s opinion. She gave them options, one of which was charge 25% of the employees’ family rate if hired before Feb 1st, 2022. It was motioned by Wallen and second by Gast to approve that employees will only be charge 25% of the families cost of insurance, if hired before February 1st, 2022. Motion carried, Luecht being the only one to disagree. Mayor Arndorfer presented his report. The following outside budget requests were brought to Council. Britt Draft Horse Show for $4500, American Legion for $1500, Hancock County Fair District Fair for $2000, Britt Hobo days for $15,000, Britt Chamber for $750, BIDCO for $10,000, Hancock County Historical Museum for $2,200, Hancock County Agricultural Museum for $1,000, and lastly The Hobo Art Gallery for $400. Every Budget request was approved by Council except for The Hobo Art Gallery for $400. The Council mentioned that they do not help with the operational costs when looking at Budget Requests. Next Arndorfer listed his Mayoral Appointments: Mayor Pro-Tem: Curt Gast, Police Chief: Mark Anderson, Personnel/Finance: Ryan Arndorfer, Curt Gast, Karrie Wallen & City Admin, Public Works: Chad Luecht, Ashley Weiss, Vance Hagen & City Admin, Police Dept. & Nuisances: Curt Gast, Parks & Recreation: Stacy Swenson, Chamber Rep: Elizabeth Ibarra, Trees/Trees Forever: Karrie Wallen, NIACOG/Community Housing: Karrie Wallen & City Admin, Safety Coordinator: City Admin, Cable vision/Peg Channel: Chad Luecht, Hancock County Economic Development: Ryan Arndorfer, Disaster/911/Emergency: Ryan Arndorfer & City Admin, Fire Advisory Board: Ryan Arndorfer, Ashley Weiss, & City Admin, Golf Course Board: Ashley Weiss & Stacy Swenson, and Library Board: Linda Friedow. The Council Appointments were as follows: City Administrator/City Clerk: TBD, City Treasurer: Jane Swenson, Public Works Director: Vance Hagen, Zoning Administrator: Mike Boomgarden, Fire Chief: Jon Swenson, City Attorney: Earl Hill. Mayor Arndorfer wanted to recap on West Hancock Ambulance Service. Arndorfer and Weiss attended the ambulance meeting last month. WHAS asked if the City could give a donation for their services. They were told they could submit an Outside Budget Request if in need of equipment, but the Council does not give grants for operational expenses. The Council appreciates everything WHAS does for our community, and we are incredibly lucky to have them. Lastly, Mayor Arndorfer wanted a motion to approve the City Administrator offer of $55,000 salary to the candidate of the council’s choosing. It was motioned by Wallen and second by Gast to approve the City Administrator offer of $55,000 salary to the candidate of their choosing. Motion carried by unanimous vote. With no further business it was moved by Luecht and seconded by Gast to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried by unanimous vote. __________________________________ ______________________________________ Elizabeth Ibarra, Acting City Clerk Ryan L. Arndorfer, Mayor CLAIMS REPORT VENDOR REFERENCE AMOUNT A P CLEANING SERVICES CLEANING SERVICES $ 650.00 AGSOURCE TESTING $ 447.00 ALLIANT ENERGY ELECTRIC $ 12,050.16 ALLIED ENS LLC STORAGE $ 1,267.50 AMAZON LIBRARY- MISC $ 894.71 ARAMARK WET MOP/FRAME $ 481.17 BASE MEDICAL REIMB $ 250.84 BOLTON & MENK WATER TOWER PHASE 003 $ 65,778.15 BOOK LOOK LIBRARY-IF BOOKS $ 367.73 BRITT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBERSHIP DUES 2022 $ 50.00 BRITT FOOD CENTER MISC SUPPLIES $ 140.18 BROWN SUPPLY INC MISC WATER SUPPLIES $ 233.00 CARD SERVICES POLICE CLOTHING/MISC $ 1,794.08 COLLECTION SERVICE CENTER GARNISHMENT $ 302.64 COLOFF DIGITAL WEBSITE SUPPORT $ 169.00 COMM 1 IINTERNET/PHONE $ 578.52 DELTA DENTAL OF IOWA DNTL/VISN-PRETX $ 460.92 EARL HILL LEGAL FEES $ 915.68 EFTPS FED/FICA TAX $ 10,616.08 GIFTS SEW SWEET MED SERVICE SHIRTS (REIS) $ 172.20 GREAT AMERICA FINANCIAL SVCS COPIER $ 209.30 HANCOCK CO SECONDARY RDS SAND $ 2,926.80 HANCOCK COUNTY SHERIFF GARNISHMENT3 $ 298.08 INGRAM LIBRARY SERVICES LIBRARY-BOOKS $ 1,034.80 IOWA PRISON INDUSTRIES SIGNS $ 334.03 IPERS IPERS $ 6,436.84 JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL MISC SHOP ITEMS $ 147.36 JUDY CLARK CALLISON PARK CLEANUP/PLANT $ 250.00 KIOW BRITT CAMPAIGN $ 111.59 LC PHOTOGRAPHY JT HEADSHOT $ 50.00 MID-AMERICAN RESEARCH CHEMICAL JUDGEMENT DAY WEED KILLER $ 1,521.52 MICRO MARKETING LIBRARY-AUDIO $ 194.50 MIDWEST TAPE LIBRARY-DVDS $ 142.94 MODERN MARKETING LIBRARY-MAGENTS $ 293.50 MOSQUITO CONTROL OF IOWA 2021 MOSQUITO SPRAYING $ 5,300.00 MOTHER EARTH NEWS LIBRARY-RENEWALS $ 17.00 MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS RADIOS FOR NEW VEHICLE $ 4,387.82 NEW COOPERATIVE FUEL CHARGES $ 2,334.43 Payroll Paid January $ 33,824.67 NORTH IOWA DESIGNS CEILING TILE $ 68.70 P&P ELECTRIC OIL FILTER/LABOR $ 1,156.31 PETTY CASH LIBRARY-PETTY CASH $ 127.82 PRESTO-X-COMPANY COMMERCIAL PEST $ 51.00 STATE HYGIENIC LABORATORY TESING $ 27.00 STATE TREASURER STATE TAXES $ 1,706.00 THE FLOWER CART LIBRARY-EVERGREEN PLANTERS $ 60.00 TSI CLEANING AND CALIBRATING $ 1,080.00 UNITED HEALTH CARE HEALTH-PRE-TAX $ 7,531.35 VERIZON POLICE PHONES $ 232.35 WELLIK IMPLEMENT SNOW BLOWER PARTS $ 343.65 WORLD TRADE PRESS LIBRARY-DATABASE $ 250.00 Accounts Payable Total $ 136,244.25 ***** REPORT TOTAL ***** $ 170,068.92