City Commission

MEETING MINUTES OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DEVILS LAKE, ND JULY 28, 2025 The special meeting of the Devils Lake City Commission was held on July 28, 2025 with the following members present: President Moe and Commissioners Hach, Uhlenkamp, Pierce, and Knowski. MEETING ITEMS 1) Public Works Salary Review The City Administrator mentioned that Tanya did a review, which is attached. The City Engineer communicated that the memo written by Tanya lays out everything. It was mentioned that local utility companies are paying very well compared to what the city is paying for utility department workers. The City of Grand Forks just did an extensive pay scale review, and the City of Devils Lake compares well to Grand Forks. Dropping a column at the beginning and adding a column at the end appears to be the best option. Commissioner Knowski asked if supervisors would be able to adjust employees’ pay based off the new pay scale. If they can now hire up to an F, can they move up an employee so that a new hire does not start at a higher rate. The City Administrator mentioned that this has not happened in the past, but it could be brought to the City Commission for approval. 2) Law Enforcement Center Starr Klemetsrud, Director of the Law Enforcement Center, went through each section of the budget. She mentioned that on the E911 side, they are not doing anything major except for a radio connection to the courthouse, which will cost $10,500. They are also replacing computers in dispatch as they are due for replacement. They are looking at making a 3% cost of living increase for the LEC and it was mentioned that the County is looking at 3%-4%. The reentry center has made most of the big purchases in 2025, so the only thing for replacement in 2026 will be the mattresses which is $2,500. She mentioned that she is looking closely at the meal expenses and had budgeted for 90 people in jail per day. The per day cost is $16/day/person for 2026. They can hold up to 105 individuals in jail. The LEC is reprograming the jail radios, which is going to cost $5,000, mattresses replacement for $9,000, two (2) vehicles for $60,000, and a program called Createch, which is a program for medical records. They have 22 staff within the jail, 4 medical/mental health providers, and 8 administrative. The E911 and RREC budget have both been approved and the LEC budget is up for discussion at the next meeting. The budget presented is based off of 90 inmates. The only concern that Starr has would be losing the state inmates that are currently being held, due to it being half of the population. 3) Street Department and Highway Distribution The Street Department Supervisor communicated that there is some equipment that is coming up on their lease and we will be buying them out. The City Engineer mentioned that lease to buy price was a better option than buying right away. 4) Cemetery a. Cemetery Rates and Fees The City Administrator mentioned that these rates and fees have not been adjusted for at least 5 years. Compared to other cities, our rates and fees are very low. It was mentioned that these rates could be increased more than what was proposed, but that is up to the City Commission. 5) Water and Sewer Departments The Utility Supervisor communicated that there is not a lot of change in the water department besides upgrading two (2) pickups in 2026. There are also a few upgrades on SCADA that will need to be done. The City Engineer mentioned that they are trying to allocate expenses in the appropriate line items. The City Engineer communicated that water meters are eventually going to need replaced around town. There is always newer technology and when we upgrade that, the meter needs to be upgraded as well. In addition to this, if water use stays high, we may have to look at water use expansion. There are currently 4 spinners in the lagoon, and we could look into purchasing more of those, each one is $40,000. He mentioned that going to a mechanical system is very expensive, so we are looking to stay away from that. a. Water and Sewer Rates and Fees The City Administrator briefly went through the rates and fees that will be changing within sewer and water. 6) Sanitation Department The Sanitation Supervisor communicated that within the department there are three (3) departments. The automated truck is going to be the biggest expense for 2026, budgeted at $750,000. Rolloff rental revenue is up quite a bit, but landfill tipping has decreased. This is due to Nordic Fiberglass needing to switch what they do with fiberglass waste. They are now renting 5 rolloffs. The City Administrator mentioned that one thing they would like to propose is decreasing the special pickup we do from two per year to one per year. The Sanitation Supervisor mentioned that he sees what happens every year and has noticed that it has started to get abused. If we were to switch to one per year, it would be later than the usual spring cleanup. a. Sanitation Rates and Fes The City Administrator briefly went through the rates and fees that will be changing within the sanitation department. 7) Capital Improvement Plan The Assistant City Engineer went through the capital improvement plan for 2025-2030. He communicated that the 2025 numbers are true dollars. He went through projects that will be happening within the next few years. They have identified the areas that need priority first, which is included in the capital improvement plan. The City Administrator briefly went through some revenue accounts and prairie dog funding. The City Commission proposed looking into plans to relocate the police department and make some improvements to City Offices. 8) Other __________________________________ __________________________________ SPENCER HALVORSON JIM MOE CITY ADMINISTRATOR/AUDITOR PRESIDENT OF CITY COMMISSION