City Commission

MEETING MINUTES OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DEVILS LAKE, ND DECEMBER 16, 2024 The regular meeting of the Devils Lake City Commission was held on December 16 2024 with the following members present: President Moe and Commissioners Hach, Knowski, Pierce, and Uhlenkamp. MEETING ITEMS 1) Call to Order 2) Approval of Minutes –December 16, 2024 Commissioner Pierce made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from the December 2, 2024, regular meeting. Commissioner Uhlenkamp seconded the motion, and the motion was carried unanimously. AWARDS AND PROCLAMATIONS 1) Years of Service – Devin Grey Water (10 Years) President Moe recognized Devin Grey Water for his 10 years of service to the Devils Lake Police Department. PUBLIC HEARINGS – 5:30 PM BID OPENINGS VISITORS OR DELEGATIONS COMMISSION PORTFOLIOS Commissioner Pierce – The Fire Chief said they are working on preparing for the annual fishing derby and will be monitoring ice thickness levels after Christmas. He said the training forms for the ARFF mission have been provided to the airport manager. Commissioner Pierce said they will be having an LEC meeting on Wednesday and thanked local law enforcement officers for their work on shop-with-a-cop. Commissioner Uhlenkamp – The City Engineer said everything is going well in the Streets Department. He said the Streets Department is taking ownership of a new snowplow that was purchased over a year ago. Commissioner Hach – the City Engineer said everything was going well in the Sanitation Department. The City Assessor said tax statements were sent out by the County and that the primary residence property tax credit application window is now open. Commissioner Knowski – The City Engineer said they are working on some of the filters at the Water Treatment Plant. He said water quality is still good and that the work will be happening Wednesday and Thursday. The City Engineer said there will be no impact to the taste of the water. President Moe – The Police Chief said everything was going well in the Police Department. The City Administrator said the first municipal infrastructure bucket from “operation prairie dog” has been filled and that the second bucket looks to likely be filled in quarter 1 of 2025. He said he expects 2.5 million from the first bucket to be deposited in January. He said he has met with the Engineering Department on prospects for a remodel of City Hall that is budgeted for 2025. He requested the Commission delegate President Moe and Commissioner Hach to a City Hall Renovation Steering Group to help define scope and provide recommendation to the Commission. President Moe asked the Commission their thoughts regarding a possible renovation of the current facility or renovation with addition to the west side of the building for a new Commission Chambers. The City Administrator said the ultimate goal is to get to action on something and avoid some of the analysis paralysis The City Administrator said he, the Public Works Director, and Sanitation Supervisor met with Lake Region Corporation last week on the current and future outlook for the recycling program. He said it was a productive meeting and that Lake Region Corporation was generally acceptable to a potential future partnership that included just the bailing of cardboard and not curbside recycling pickup. The City Administrator said it would be a lot of change and it would need to occur in tandem with the transition to the automated truck and new cans to avoid residents having to purchase an additional can with the current programs service offering. The City Attorney said everything was going well in his office. The Mayor said all was going well with the transition of ownership of the hospital and that it looks like it should be officially approved near the beginning of February. OLD BUSINESS CONSENT AGENDA NEW BUSINESS  1) Approval of Preliminary Report and Resolution Directing Preparation of Plans – Street Improvement District No. 81-25 Commissioner Pierce made a motion to approve the preliminary report and resolution directing preparation of plans for street improvement district No. 81-25. Commissioner Hach seconded the motion and the motion was carried unanimously. 2) Approval of Preliminary Report and Resolution Directing Preparation of Plans – Street Improvement District No. 82-25 Commissioner Knowski made a motion to approve the preliminary report and resolution directing preparation of plans for street improvement district No. 82-25. Commissioner Uhlenkamp seconded the motion and the motion was carried unanimously. 3) Approval of Preliminary Report and Resolution Directing Preparation of Plans – Street Improvement District No. 83-25 Commissioner Hach made a motion to approve the preliminary report and resolution directing preparation of plans for street improvement district No. 83-25. Commissioner Knowski seconded the motion and the motion was carried unanimously. 4) Approval of Preliminary Report and Resolution Directing Preparation of Plans – Street Improvement District No. 84-25 Commissioner Knowski made a motion to approve the preliminary report and resolution directing preparation of plans for street improvement district No. 84-25. Commissioner Hach seconded the motion and the motion was carried unanimously. 5) Approval of Preliminary Report and Resolution Directing Preparation of Plans – Street Improvement District No. 85-25 Commissioner Pierce made a motion to approve the preliminary report and resolution directing preparation of plans for street improvement district No. 85-25. Commissioner Uhlenkamp seconded the motion and the motion was carried unanimously. 6) Devils Lake Regional Airport Grant Closeout Budget Adjustments and City/Airport Cost Share The City Administrator said the included budget adjustments are related to closing out the inactive grant accounts for the airport. He said normally the airport authority would receive a grant from the FAA and there would be a local match associated with the grant. The airport would request that the City supply the local match, which they traditionally have done through the city’s infrastructure fund. He said that once the projects were over, if there was any money left over, the remaining funds would be transferred back into the City’s infrastructure fund. He said the most significant of the adjustments pertain to grant 9029 and the roughly -$233,000 cash balance in the account. The City Administrator said there was a land acquisition deal as part of a runway expansion project that ended up in mediation and a -$533,000 cash balance on the City’s books. The results of mediation are not recognized by the FAA so their was no reimbursement of the added expenses. He said the City received a grant for $150,000, of which the City matched for another $150,000, and transferred over to the negative balance to bring it to its current amount of -$233,000. The City Administrator said the City and the airport authority have gone back and forth on how to address the negative balance over the past few months. He said he viewed it as an airport issue and they have adequate reserves in their operations account to clear the balance. He said the airport authority members were under the impression the City was going to cover the negative balance. The City Administrator said the frequent conversations over the past few months under the Mayor and Commissioner Hach’s leadership occurred with the goal of finding a resolution acceptable to both the airport authority and the City. He said the City proposed to the airport authority that the City would match them dollar for dollar, splitting the amount 50/50. He said they presented that to the airport authority with the mindset that they were in the mess together and that they would solve it together, and that the airport authority was acceptable to the terms. President Moe said there really isn’t a win for anyone with the situation and it is necessary to clean up the books. Commissioner Knowski made a motion to approve the budget adjustments and the cost share of Grant 9029. Commissioner Uhlenkamp seconded the motion, and the motion was carried unanimously on a roll call vote. CITIZEN COMMENT INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1) November 2024 Financial Report LIST OF BILLS Commissioner Pierce made a motion to approve the List of Bills. Commissioner Uhlenkamp seconded the motion, and the motion was carried unanimously on a roll call vote. __________________________________ __________________________________ SPENCER HALVORSON JIM MOE CITY ADMINISTRATOR/AUDITOR PRESIDENT OF CITY COMMISSION