City Council Meeting

City of Hinckley City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, July 08, 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 PRESENT: Mayor Donald Zeman, Tim Burkhardt, John Frank, Judy Hopkins, Jace Scharpnick. ABSENT: None. ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Leaha Jackson, Fire Chief Elliot Golly, Pine County Chief Deputy Scott Grice, Joel Virtue, Hinckley Area Chamber of Commerce, Nick Vetrano, Schooley Mitchell, Scott Savage, SCI Cable, and Emily Burroughs, Midco. 1. Call to Order-Pledge of Allegiance Zeman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the Council in the pledge of allegiance. 2. Approve Agenda Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Scharpnick, to approve the agenda with the addition of 6E Fire Department Run Report. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 3. Minutes of Previous Meetings- None 4. Public Hearings A. Cable Communications Franchise Ordinance The public hearing regarding the Cable Communications Franchise Ordinance was opened at 7:01 by Mayor Zeman. The presiding officer explained the purpose of the hearing and asked for any public comments. Council elected to leave the public hearing open until later in the meeting. Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Frank, to close the public hearing at 7:39 p.m. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. No public comments were heard. 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. Resolution 33- 2025 Accepting a Restricted Donation from Northview Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank Des Moines for Ground Fill Station ($10,000.00) B. Approve Hinckley Athletic Association- On-Sale Liquor License- September 20, 2025 C. Resolution 35-2025 Appointing Lillie Meyers as Seasonal Part-time Bartender/Retail Clerk with Firehouse Liquors  D. Resolution 36-2025 Appointing Kyle-Michael Knoll and Cheyanna Larson as Part-time Bartender Retail/Clerk with Firehouse Liquors Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Hopkins, 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 - Calls were included in the packet. Chief Deputy Grice reported Pine County Sheriff's Office has been contracted to help with traffic control on Sunday for a few hours to help with the heavy traffic on Hwy 48 and Hwy 61. B. Bolton & Menk 1. Aerator System Review Scope of Work Proposal- Included in the packet was an aeration component review quote for $9,500. With the growing complexity of the project, the staff and PeopleService want to ensure we consider all angles before starting the project. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve the Aeration Component Review quote with Bolton & Menk for $9,500. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. C. PeopleService 1. PFAS Grant Consulting and Operations Agreement- Tim Gratke of PeopleService, who wrote the grant application, has submitted a formal Grant Consulting and Operations Agreement. This will enable PeopleService to assist in carrying out the necessary work as part of the PFAS Source Identification and Minimization Grant. 2. MPCA Water Treatment Plant- Paul Christensen from PeopleService has been working on completing the requirements as part of the WTP NOV. Attached is MPCA’s acknowledgement of receiving the reply to item 1 in the NOV. We are still working on item 2. 3. MPCA Wastewater Treatment Plant- MPCA provided an acknowledgment of receiving PeopleService and the City’s response to items 1a, b, and c of the LOW. Also attached is the response from PeopleService for item 2 of the LOW and the LOW case conclusion. 4. MPCA Wastewater Treatment Plant- As a result of item 1c from the previous LOW, the City has now received a NOV for the WWTP. D. Building Official/Inspector- Minor Subdivision Request- Linda Ledoux 308 1st St NW- Planning and Zoning Administrator Mark Perry provided a request by Linda Ledoux for a minor subdivision. This would expand the lot by twenty feet by purchasing property from the neighbor to the east. The neighbor has agreed to the purchase, and the subdivision appears to meet the lot areas, frontage, and setback requirements of the City Code. The findings of fact and certificate of survey were included in the packet. Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Burkhardt, to approve the minor subdivision request of Linda Ledoux with conditions as proposed in the prepared findings of fact. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. E. Hinckley Fire Department 1. Monthly Run Report- Runs 75-83 were included in the packet. 2. 2025 DNR Fire Contract- The updated MN DNR Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement was included in the packet. Motion made by Scharpnick, Seconded by Burkhardt, to approve the MN DNR Cooperative Fire Protection Agreement. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0.  F. Firehouse Liquors - No Manager's Report available. G. Library- None H. Standing Committees 1. Planning Commission- None 2. Park Board- Events continue with the final being on National Night Out on August 5th, hopefully it will be outside if the weather cooperates. 3. EDA- June 10, 2025, Regular Meeting Minutes 7. Unfinished Business A. 2025 Budget Update The unaudited June financials were included in the packet. The financials do not include updated investment activity. The meter vendor was out and found a meter at the Casino that had a broken impeller. We are just waiting on parts to come in to fix the meter. The effluent meter at the WWTP has been installed and is just waiting to be calibrated. Fund 609 includes the replacement of three point-of-sale computers under 609.49755.05700; however, these were budgeted under 609.49755.02400. B. Streetlights- Old Hwy 61 S, 1st St S & 2nd St S Council asked staff to look into streetlights at 2nd St SW and Whistle Stop along Hwy 61. Staff noted there was a light at each of the intersections to the north and south of Whistle Stop and at 2nd St SW. The poles are leaning a bit, which might affect the projection a little. Staff will investigate the available brightness options. C. MN Power Charging Station Easement Agreement MN Power is interested in installing an EV charging station along 1st ST N by the corner of Lawler. They have an agreement with Daggett's for equipment that will be located on their property, but still need a License Agreement with the City. This would be in place of an easement agreement. Staff have done what they could to minimize the impact on the City. The contact was provided to Kevin Hofstad for review, and his suggestions have been incorporated. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve the MN Power Charging Station License Agreement. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. 8. New Business A. City Vision/Future Planning Councilmember Scharpnick brought up that you can not hear the siren by Kwik Trip. There was some discussion in the past about looking into installing a second siren on the east side of the freeway, and the Corporate Commission may have been involved. Council asked staff to check with Corporate Commission. B. Westside Park Softball Fields Storage- Hinckley-Finlayson School Mandy Hartl with Hinckley-Finlayson submitted a request to ask the City to allow a shipping container for storage at the Westside Park softball fields for their equipment. They are also asking if the City would participate in the cost of adding siding to it. The Council is willing to contribute to the cost of the siding and would like the school to inquire about any available volunteers to complete the installation. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve the use of a shipping container for storage as long as it can be sided. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. C. Ordinance 02-2025 Cable Communications Franchise Ordinance Scott Savage from Savage Communications approached the City to update the Cable Communications Franchise ordinance. The proposed Cable Communications Franchise ordinance was provided to Kevin Hofstad, and his comments have been incorporated. This was last adopted in 1999 and was for 15 years. Emil Burroughs from Midco was present to introduce herself and provided an update that Midco intends to purchase Savage Communications, with the transition scheduled to occur in October. Midco also intends to upgrade its coaxial infrastructure to fiber in the future and plans to offer email services. Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve Ordinance 02-2025 Cable Communications Franchise ordinance and direct staff to publish the ordinance summary. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. D. Lease Between City of Hinckley and Savage Communications at 301 Morris Ave N Savage Communications has had a building located on City land at 301 Morris Ave N for many years without any formal agreement. This lease sets out expectations for both parties. This was shared with Kevin Hofstad, and his comments have been incorporated. Motion made by Frank, Seconded by Scharpnick, to approve the lease between the City of Hinckley and Savage Communications at 301 Morris Ave N. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. E. Resolution 34-2025 Consenting to Assignment of Franchise Included in the council packet was a letter from Savage Communications (SCI) notifying the City that SCI has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Midcontinent Communications, with the transfer expected to happen in the fourth quarter of 2025. To aid in that transition, SCI is asking for a resolution consenting to the assignment of the Franchise Agreement to Midcontinent Communications. Motion made by Burkhardt, Seconded by Hopkins, to approve Resolution 34-2025 Consenting to the Assignment of Franchise. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. F. Presentation from Nick Vetrano of Schooley Mitchell Nick Vetrano presented how his company can help cities like Hinckley save money on everyday expenses in areas like credit card processing, telecom, facility services, and fuel. Some questions from council members were about data privacy, the duration of the contract, and the terms. The contract would be for 36 months, and the compensation would be 50% of the savings the City chooses to implement. Schooley Mitchell does not require access to any resident or customer data; they only look at the invoices or contracts that the City uses to pay vendors. Council has asked for a month to think about the service. G. Open Meeting Law Update There was an update to the Open Meeting Laws regarding remote meeting attendance this last legislative session. Effective July 1st, members are allowed to attend meetings via interactive technology from any location, without disclosing their location, and with no limit to the number of times. The Council would like staff to explore a policy that focuses more on the use of this in emergencies. H. 201 1st ST NW Sewer Lateral Line Repair Included in the packet is a request from the homeowner at 201 1st St NW. He had a sewer repair due to backup issues. It was found that there was a 2.5" belly in the service line where the pipe was previously replaced due to a City water project. Staff asked Council to authorize the reimbursement, up to $7,000, after staff clarifies the amount that applies to the repair of  the bellied section. Motion made by Burkhardt, seconded by Hopkins, to approve the reimbursement, up to $7,000, for the repair of the bellied section only. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0. After clarification from the contractor, the bill from the contractor was split into two parts: $3,500 for the repair of the belly section and $3,500 for the replacement of the rest of the service line to the home. The homeowner elected to replace the section of service line to the home as a preventative measure, as it was the old black style pipe. The City reimbursed the homeowner $3,500 for the repair of the bellied section. 9. Presentation of Claims A. General Fund Payables - $341,331.41 B. Firehouse Payables - $409,590.77 C. EDA Payables - $149.26 D. Payroll Payables - $64,925.12 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. Blair Ave Complaint- Complaint of a large trailer on the road, making it hard to see when turning. B. Seventy-two letters were sent out to property owners in June for items such as long grass, tires, appliances, miscellaneous items stored outside, parking, and unlicensed dogs. C. Budget Workshop- CIP with Mike Bubany of David Drown Associates, August 28, 2025, at 4:45 p.m. 11. Presentation of Petitions, Complaints, and Requests (3 minutes each)- None 12. Closed Session - None 13. Adjournment Motion made by Hopkins, Seconded by Burkhardt, to adjourn the meeting at 8:36 p.m. Voting Yea: Mayor Zeman, Burkhardt, Frank, Hopkins, Scharpnick. Motion carried 5-0.