City Council Meeting

City of Hinckley City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM Council Chambers (Community Room) 106 First Street SE, P. O. Box 366 | Tel: (320) 384.7491 | Fax: (320) 384.7492 | ww.hinckleymn.gov Mayor and Councilmembers: Mayor Don Zeman | Councilmember Tim Burkhardt Councilmember John Frank | Councilmember Judy Hopkins | Councilmember Jace Scharpnick 1. Call to Order- Pledge of Allegiance PRESENT: Mayor Donald Zeman, Tim Burkhardt, John Frank, Judy Hopkins, Jace Scharpnick. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Leaha Jackson, Fire Chief Elliot Golly, Firehouse Manager Phil Taggart, Pine County Deputy Josh Pepin, Ted Goltzman with Commonwealth Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC., and Joel Virtue, Hinckley Chamber of Commerce. 2. Approve Agenda Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Frank, to approve the agenda with the additions of 3B April 8, 2025, Regular Meeting and Summary Minutes, and 7E Resolution 26-2025 Accepting Restricted Donation. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 3. Minutes of Previous Meetings A. May 01, 2025, Special Meeting & Summary Minutes B. April 8, 2025 Regular Meeting & Summary Minutes Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve May 1, 2025, Special Meeting & Summary Minutes, and April 8, 2025, Regular Meeting & Special & Summary Minutes. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Public Hearings - None 5. Consent Agenda (Those items listed under Consent Agenda are considered routine by the City Council and will be acted upon by one motion under this agenda item. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless the Mayor or a Councilmember so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered under New Business.) A. Hinckley Athletic Association- Temporary Liquor License- July 18 & 19, 2025 B. American Legion Post 388- Temporary Liquor License- July 11-13, 2025 C. American Legion Post 388 Temporary Liquor License- August 8 & 9, 2025 D. Resolution 17-2025 Declaring Equipment or Property as Surplus and Authorizing the Sale of the Same E. Resolution 20-2025 Appointing Heidi Minke as Part-time Bartender Retail Clerk with Firehouse Liquors F. Resolution 21-2025 Accepting Restricted Donation from Hinckley Library Patrons  G. Resolution 22-2025 Appointing Maria Patton, Kyle-Michael Knoll, and Jaiden Cofield as Seasonal Part-time Bartender/Retail Clerk with Firehouse Liquors H. Resolution 23-2025 Appointing Brian Hendrix and Geneva Vork as Temporary Public Works with the City of Hinckley Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Scharpnick, to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 6. Reports of Officers, Council Committees, & Citizens Committees A. Pine County Sheriff- Deputy Pepin noted a few noise complaints. Councilmember Burkhardt reported a three-wheeler running up and down Lawler in the last few weeks. B. Bolton & Menk- None C. PeopleService- March Work Order & Maintenance Report D. Building Official/Inspector- A letter was received from a member of St Paul's Church regarding the inspection process. Included was a response from Planning and Zoning Administrator Mark Perry. Staff will be working to improve internal processes to ensure inspection records are more readily accessible in the future. One councilmember expressed dissatisfaction with the City’s inspection process related to the issue. Concerns were raised regarding inspections occurring solely when scheduled by the contractor, as this may not be sufficient in cases involving less scrupulous contractors. In response, Mayor Zeman suggested that City staff explore the possibility of conducting scheduled and unscheduled inspections when feasible. E. Hinckley Fire Department 1. Monthly Run Report - 41-59 2. Equipment Pending Items Report- Equipment Inspection Pending Items Reports were included in the packet for informational purposes. 3. Hinckley Rescue Bylaws- Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve the Hinckley Rescue Bylaws as presented. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. F. Firehouse Liquors - The April monthly financials and Manager’s Report were included in the packet. Manager Taggert reported April was a better month, even with the tap beer system still being down, and hopes to have the glycol cooler replaced soon. The Assistant Manager’s last day was May 9th, and they are working on getting ready for the busy season. He presented two quotes for replacing the glycol cooler: CRBMcD $3,230.38 and Nordic Beer Systems, Inc. $2,600.89. The repair cost is more than half the replacement cost, and may not hold for more than a month or two. Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Scharpnick, to approve the quote from Nordic Beer Systems, Inc. for $2,600.89. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. Manager Taggert also noted the customer appreciation day is set for the 1st Friday in June. G. Library- April Highlights The first Friends of the Hinckley Library meeting was held, and five members committed to supporting the library. Four hundred five reference questions were answered, and 794 visitors visited. The summer reading program, themed "Color Your World," will start on June 1st and aims to encourage community members to explore their local library and earn fun prizes. H. Standing Committees  1. Planning Commission- April 22, 2025 Minutes 2. Park Board 3. EDA- None. Councilmember Burkhardt is waiting for the grant start date to move forward with this year's Sweet Summer Sounds concert series. 7. Unfinished Business A. 2025 Budget Update The unaudited April financials were included in the packet. Jackson noted that some significant expenses remain for the Community Center repairs. Revenue in water and sewer is down compared to 2024. The audit is finishing, and the report will be at the June meeting. B. Commonwealth Real Estate Acquisitions LLC Preliminary Development Agreement Amendment Liz Peterson was present to provide some updates, including the reason for the proposed Development Agreement Amendment, and to answer any questions. This is needed to cover the period during the application, award notices, and execution of contracts. MN Housing Finance requires the applicant to have a property interest throughout the process. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve the First Amendment to Preliminary Development Agreement between the City of Hinckley and Commonwealth Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. C. Commonwealth Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC Resolution XX-2025 and Letter of Support As part of Commonwealth Development Corportation's Minnesota Housing Finance Agency application, they are seeking the approval of a resolution showing the Council's support of their Tax Application (TIF). Staff checked with Mike Bubany from David Drown Associates to ensure this would not impact any future TIF requirements, and he responded that it is just a support resolution and does not create a TIF District, so no hearing is needed yet. Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Frank, to approve Resolution 19-2025 Supporting the Tax Application for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for a 44-unit Development Proposed by Commonwealth Development Corporation. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. D. Resolution 24-2025 Appointing Travis Kohler as Public Works Supervisor Union member Travis Kohler applied for the Public Works Supervisor position before the deadline. He carries the qualifications and staff feel he is a great candidate. The position was advertised with a wage of $30.50 to $31.00 per hour, with $30.68 being in line with the starting General Maintenance Worker wage. Staff is asking Council to set the starting salary and approve the resolution hiring for the Public Works Supervisor, with a review to be held at 90 and 180 days. Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Frank, to approve Resolution 24- 2025 Hiring Travis Kohler as Public Works Supervisor at $31.00 per hour. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. E. Resolution 26-2025 Accepting Restricted Donation from Hinckley Hockey Association Inc. Staff and the Mayor met with the group, and at this time, there is not enough interest to continue the group or reapply for nonprofit status. With the loss of their status, they must donate the remaining assets to another nonprofit or a government entity. They are willing to  donate them to the City to be used to keep the rink open. Councilmember Hopkins asked what would happen if a hockey group started back up. Staff replied that the City would work with the group for the remaining funds. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Frank, to approve Resolution 26-2025 Accepting Restricted Donation from Hinckley Hockey Association of $18,591.17 cash and other physical assets. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 8. New Business A. City Vision/Future Planning Councilmember Scharpnick had a community member ask if the City would allow commercial businesses or nonresidents to use the compost pile, maybe with a charge. Staff will look into the capacity of allowing this type of usage. B. Resolution 18-2025 Certifying Unpaid Charges- Utility Account Staff have exhausted collection attempts for utility charges. C. League of MN Cites Insurance Coverage Waiver and Excess Liability Staff met with Gabe Cessna from Town & Country Insurance to review the renewable. During this review, he suggested that the City consider adding excess liability coverage due to increasing verdicts and claims starting to hit policy limits. Two proposals were presented: $3,903 for $1 million and $5,5634 for $2 million. Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Frank, to approve NOT waiving the monetary limits on municipal tort liability and increase coverage to include an additional $1 million limit of excess liability coverage. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. D. Community Center Flower Beds Kala Roberts, the Family Resource Center (FRC) Coordinator for Pine County Public Health, proposed a project for the flower beds at the Community Center. They would work with program participants to clean out, redo, and maintain the beds this summer. They would ask the City to provide the mulch. Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Scharpnick, to approve the cleaning out of the Community Center's flower beds and the contribution of the mulch for the project. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. E. Ordinance 01-2025 Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Hinckley- PID 40.0154.007, 40.0154.008, and 40.0154.009 The Planning Commission held a public hearing on April 22, 2025, for the amendment of the Zoning Ordinance changing from General Business District to Multiple Dwelling District for all or portions of the above properties. No comments were heard or submitted. They did not have a quorum, so they could not take action on a recommendation to the Council. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Frank, to approve Ordinance 01-2025 Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Hinckley. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. F. Administrative Assistant Clerks Training Administrative Assistant Kristy Hosler recently completed her second year of the MCFOA Clerks Institute. Council has discussed in previous years, including an increase, as she completes the training and implements the skills learned. Staff proposed a $0.50/hour increase for each completed year. Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Burkhardt, to  approve an hourly increase of $0.50/hour for each year of the institute completed. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. G. Resolution 25-2025 Accepting Resignation of Rebekah Hanson, Assistant Firehouse Liquors Manager Firehouse Liquor Assistant Manager Rebekah Hanson gave notice of her resignation on May 9, 2025, which was also her last day. The Personnel Policy requires 30-day notice to leave in good standing. Staff would like to look at options before filling the position to see if this is the best option for the department. Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Scharpnick, to approve Resolution 25-2025 Accepting the Resignation of Rebekah Hanson, Assistant Firehouse Liquors Manager, from the City of Hinckley, Effective May 9, 2025. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 9. Presentation of Claims A. General Fund Payables- $202,410.12 B. Firehouse Payables- $277,225.69 C. EDA Payables- $0.00 D. Payroll Payables- $52,561.99 Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Burkhardt, to approve the claims as presented. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 10. Notices and Communications A. City Hall Open House May 19, 2025, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 11. Presentation of Petitions, Complaints, and Requests (3 minutes each) Councilmember Scharpnick asked Joel Virtue from the Hinckley Chamber if he had an update on the previous meeting's question on signs/banners. He stated members on Main St were asking for temporary signs at the corner of Hwy 61 and Main St. Staff responded they would not be opposed to temporary signs like the sandwich board style on that corner as long as they are removed when not open and not in the way or creating a hazard for anyone during construction. 12. Closed Session - None 13. Adjournment Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Hopkins, to adjourn at 7:59 p.m. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. Don Zeman, Mayor Attest: Leaha Jackson, City Administrator