City Council Meeting

Holdingford City Council Meeting Minutes March 10, 2014 Mayor Ernie Schmit called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and the pledge of allegiance was recited. Present: Ernie Schmit, Lewis Becker, Susan Marstein, Mike Odden, Lloyd Rausch, Sandra Meer, Cheryl Foster, Keith Hommerding, Bruce Gerads, Pat Meier, Dorine Rausch, Eric Berscheid, Tim Berscheid, Eugene Cipala, Gordon Sjaaheim, and Ed Vail. Motion to approve checks and bills was made by Sue Marstein, seconded by Lloyd Rausch. AIF Motion to approve electronic transfers and withdrawals was made by Lewis Becker, seconded by Sue Marstein. AIF Motion to approve bank reconciliation for February 2014 bank statements was made by Sue Marstein, seconded by Mike Odden. AIF Lloyd Rausch made a motion to approve minutes of the February Council Meeting with a correction to strike sentence under Liquor Store reports “Lottery income for January was $347.75.” Motion seconded by Sue Marstein. AIF Motion to approve Special Meeting minutes from February 18, 2014 was made by Sue Marstein, seconded by Mike Odden. AIF Reports Liquor Store report was given by Pat Meier. Gross profits for February = $31,903.23. Expenses = $27,226.95. YTD lottery = $593.85. Crowds were good for both the bar and bingo nights in February. A restitution request for the store front damage was sent to the court and included one estimate for repairing the damaged wall of about $7,000 and $396.65 for costs incurred to close up the wall for the winter. One or two more bids will be sought for repairing the damaged wall. A band was booked for Holdingford Daze street dance and booking fee will be shared between American Legion and Liquor Store. Fire Department report was given by Keith Hommerding. In 2014, there have been 13 calls thus far including two fires, eight medical, and three false alarms (good intent). This past weekend there was a combined fire call with Upsala Fire Department. The breakfast fundraiser this past weekend was successful. The free will offering generated more revenue than last year’s ticket sales and attendance was down by about 30 people. The Fire Relief Association appreciates all the support they have received this year. Two individuals have applied to the Fire Department and a few applications were handed out at the breakfast. No word on the FEMA grant. Air packs need to be replaced but waiting for FEMA grant funds. New hose reel will be picked up in Alexandria and installed on pumper truck. Sue Marstein made a motion to approve grant application to Stearns County for vitals machine. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF Last month a Smoke Reading Training was held at the Fire Hall. The Fire Department will be hosting the next Lake Region meeting in Holdingford at 7:00 p.m. on April 21st. The Emergency Managers meeting will also be held at the Holdingford City Center on April 15th at 7:00 p.m. It will include Skywarn training and the council is invited. The new trophy cabinet was delivered, mounted on the wall and filled with trophies. Dorine Rausch is waiting on confirmation for acceptance in the Certified Emergency Managers training program. Maintenance Report was read by Mayor Schmit. New carbide cutting edges were ordered for the plow truck. Maintenance attended the MRWA Annual Water & Wastewater Technical Conference the first week of March. The water pressure at several residences went down on Sunday, March 2nd when the electronic transducer that sends water level signals in the water tower to the water pumps was not working. The transducer was repaired, but a new transducer will be ordered and the old one will be kept as a spare. There have been several weather related issues at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) including a mixer in an oxidation ditch that froze, a blower that is tripping the breaker and the well pump not working. Sewer levels at the WWTP doubled since residents were asked to keep a trickle of water running so pipes wouldn’t freeze. The WWTP can accommodate twice the capacity that it’s currently running. Mayor Ernie Schmit gave his Mayors’ Report. See end of minutes for details. Council Reports: Holdingford Daze Committee met and the car show is scheduled for Friday, July 11th and the parade is Saturday the 12th at 7:00 p.m. No theme has been determined. Clerk reported that the time clock for the City Center was taken in for repair and was not repairable. Binsfeld’s Office Machine Service had a used digital time clock that the City can “try then buy” for $250. MCFOA Annual Conference is March 19-21st in St Cloud. Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute is April 28-May 2 in Brooklyn Center. Guests Cheryl Foster from the Stearns County Appraiser’s Office reported on property values and sales in the City during the past year. There were 11 homes sold with the average sale price at 93.9% of assessed value. Property values for commercial-industrial went down 4- 6%, residential and apartment values stayed the same. Ag market values went down 10-15% but with Green Acre program status property values are increased by approximately the same percentage. Old Business Mayor Schmit reported on the transferability of the TIF District classification if the City View Apartment complex were to be sold. TIF District #1 is in the LIHTC program based on Section 42 of Internal Revenue Code giving entities tax credit for creating low income housing. According to Traci Ryan at David Drown Associates, since the TIF District is part of the federal program it would be more difficult to deny the transfer of the TIF classification. As part of the federal program the owners of the TIF District are to provide a report each year on the income levels of residents in the building and also give the City a copy of the audit. The Council agreed that a decision would be made if and when the property is sold. Clerk Meer reported on advice from legal counsel regarding the division of property R58.33703.0000 and R58.33702.0000 where one parcel includes the Holdingford Gas & Grocery Store and one parcel includes the adjacent house. The City’s Zoning Ordinance establishes standards for new plats and since the lots sizes were established before the City’s Zoning Ordinance was in place the lots sizes are grandfathered in and the property division does not have to be approved under the current ordinance. Legal counsel also noted that the division of property is a more natural division between the buildings since the prior division did not allow the business access to the east side of the building and the paved alley serves the business’s customers and allows access to the residence. Recommendation was to approve the resolution since the County was given verbal approval, the transaction is complete, and has been recorded at the County. Following discussion, Sue Marstein made a motion to approve Resolution 14-01-13-1 to Approve Division of Land for Andrew Neupert, LLC. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. Motion passed. AIF Resolution 14-03-10-1 to Extend Abatement Deadline for Ed Vail Property was read by Mayor Schmit. Ed Vail noted that he needs to get volunteers or pay people to help him. He plans to move and/or sell most of the unnecessary equipment off the property and asked for June 1st deadline but agreed that a May 1st deadline as attainable. Mike Odden made a motion to approve Resolution 14-03-10-1 to Extend Abatement Deadline for Ed Vail Property to May 1, 2014 to bring his property into compliance with City Ordinance before the City makes application to the court for injunctive relief. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF New Business Two quotes were received to replace the water softener at City Hall. A quote for $4,093 was received from Duane Towle and a quote for $4,325 was received from Ripplinger Plumbing & Heating. Since $1,000 was budgeted for a new water softener and there is $20,000 budgeted for other City Center building repairs, Lloyd Rausch made a motion to table the water softener purchase until other building repairs estimates are obtained and all costs could be combined. Sue Marstein seconded the motion. AIF Mike Odden made a motion to approve a gambling permit for bingo during Holdingford Daze for Helping Hands Outreach. Sue Marstein seconded the motion. AIF Greater Minnesota Gas is waiting for information from Xcel Energy to complete the proposal for bringing natural gas to the Holdingford area. CenterPoint Energy will also be providing a proposal to the City but does not have final numbers yet. Sue Marstein made a motion to hold a special meeting on March 24, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. to review proposals for piping natural gas to the Holdingford area and make a decision on the issue by the end of March. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF The threat of frozen water pipes continues to be an issue as the frost goes out. Eugene Cipala has been monitoring his water temperature and reported that the temperature has gone up from 35 degrees to 39 degrees in the last week. Residents should continue to run a trickle of water to eliminate frozen pipes. A notice will be put on the March water bill regarding turning water off and residents will be billed for extra water charges beginning in April. SEH provided a list of grant opportunities and the Mayor is seeking grant dollars for a bathhouse shower facility at Veteran’s Park. Mike Odden made a motion to approve seeking a 50/50 matching grant for bathroom and shower facilities at Veteran’s Park. Lloyd Rausch seconded the motion. AIF Holdingford Schools is charged $500 annually for disposal of kitchen food scraps and asked for a reduced price since their procedure has changed and food scraps are no longer disposed of in the same manner. Sue Marstein made motion to reduce charge to $200 to Holdingford Schools and monitor the amount of food waste that comes through the WWTP during the summer months compared to the school year. Mike Odden seconded the motion. AIF Residents who are delinquent in their utility payments are: Diane Young, Jayson Burgradt, Corey Johnson, Kevin Feia, Steve Horvath, James Urbansich, Minnesota 13, Mike Byland, and Mark McClintok. There was discussion regarding the deteriorating business signs on Meier’s property coming into Holdingford from the west on County Road 17. The Commercial Club had been talking about updating the signs. Motion to adjourn was made by Sue Marstein, seconded by Lewis Becker. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sandra Meer City Clerk, Holdingford FEBRUARY 2014 Department Gross Pay General $ 5,047.16 Public Works $ 6,749.70 Fire $ .00 Liquor $ 7,170.55 Total $18,867.41 2 pay periods ending 2/10, 2/24 City of Holdingford - Equal Opportunity Provider Accounts Payable Check Register Report - STEARNS BANK For The Fiscal Periods Range From 2014-2 To 2014-2 For All Vendors And For Outstanding, Cleared, Voided Checks - Computer Generated Check # Type Date Vendor Name Amount Status 29778 C 2/7/2014 328 AllSpec Services, LLC $75.00 C 29779 C 2/7/2014 74 Amerigas $2,038.31 C 29780 C 2/7/2014 326 Auto Value $87.36 C 29781 C 2/7/2014 8 Becker Septic Pumping $120.00 C 29782 C 2/7/2014 812 Benusa Appliance Sales & Service $1,650.00 C 29783 C 2/7/2014 18 C & L Distributing, Inc $2,774.95 C 29784 C 2/7/2014 24 Central-McGowan, Inc $29.98 C 29785 C 2/7/2014 48 D & D Beer Co. $52.00 C 29786 C 2/7/2014 70 Frito-Lay, Inc $30.79 C 29787 C 2/7/2014 316 GERAD'S OIL CO., INC $2,569.43 C 29788 C 2/7/2014 80 Gopher State One-Call, Inc $102.90 C 29789 C 2/7/2014 787 Granite City Jobbing Co $414.94 C 29790 C 2/7/2014 92 Headley Hardware $734.20 C 29791 C 2/7/2014 614 Holdingford Gas and Grocery $395.06 C 29792 C 2/7/2014 117 Jerome Schueler $500.00 C 29793 C 2/7/2014 121 KASM Radio $160.20 C 29794 C 2/7/2014 730 Midcontinent Business Solutions $62.54 C 29795 C 2/7/2014 161 Mike Odden $75.00 C 29797 C 2/7/2014 176 MN Rural Water Assn $600.00 C 29798 C 2/7/2014 184 MN State Fire Chiefs Assn $397.00 C 29799 C 2/7/2014 808 OCC $498.35 C 29800 C 2/7/2014 216 Reichert, Wenner,Koch $630.00 C 29801 C 2/7/2014 465 Sandra Meer $27.12 C 29803 C 2/7/2014 750 St Cloud Times #1076 $24.00 C 29804 C 2/7/2014 237 St Rosa Lumber, Inc $1,500.00 C 29805 C 2/7/2014 685 Star Publications, LLC $110.00 C 29806 C 2/7/2014 271 UC Lab $844.00 C 29807 C 2/7/2014 339 Verizon Wireless $53.27 C 29808 C 2/7/2014 281 Viking Coca Cola Bottling $146.00 C 29809 C 2/7/2014 796 XCEL ENERGY 51-10028448-1 $3.62 C 29810 C 2/7/2014 288 XCEL ENERGY 51-4196971-1 $122.61 C 29811 C 2/7/2014 714 XCEL ENERGY 135920-8 marquee $14.97 C 29812 C 2/7/2014 384 XCEL ENERGY 51-336-4 & 8 $252.56 C 29813 C 2/7/2014 360 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655037-5 $476.67 C 29814 C 2/7/2014 358 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655040-0 $2,899.17 C 29815 C 2/7/2014 383 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655041-1 $191.80 29816 C 2/7/2014 519 XCEL ENERGY 51-8242904-3 $11.49 C 29817 C 2/13/2014 813 Flagship Recreation, LLC $13,000.00 C 29796 C 2/7/2014 811 Minnesota 13, LLC $100.00 O 29802 C 2/7/2014 451 Servocal Instruments, Inc $3,275.00 O 29818 C 2/26/2014 409 Albany Heating, A/C & Service, Inc. $137.50 O 29819 C 2/26/2014 74 Amerigas $2,812.41 O Check # Type Date Vendor Name Amount Status 29820 C 2/26/2014 6 AmeriPride Linen $129.77 O 29821 C 2/26/2014 9 Bernick's Pepsi-Cola $1,278.07 O 29822 C 2/26/2014 507 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota $2,962.00 O 29823 C 2/26/2014 18 C & L Distributing, Inc $3,657.20 O 29824 C 2/26/2014 21 Central MN. Alarms, Inc. $217.87 O 29825 C 2/26/2014 34 D & D Auto Repair, Inc. $594.33 O 29826 C 2/26/2014 470 Dylan Risberg $16.95 O 29827 C 2/26/2014 52 E. A. Sween Company $49.42 O 29828 C 2/26/2014 64 Eugene Cipala $995.70 O 29829 C 2/26/2014 70 Frito-Lay, Inc $139.24 O 29830 C 2/26/2014 316 GERAD'S OIL CO., INC $275.12 O 29831 C 2/26/2014 787 Granite City Jobbing Co $1,001.88 O 29832 C 2/26/2014 90 Harry's Frozen Foods $298.00 O 29833 C 2/26/2014 481 Heggies Pizza $173.15 O 29834 C 2/26/2014 691 Integra Telecom $186.66 O 29835 C 2/26/2014 119 Johnson Brothers Liquor C $1,744.10 O 29836 C 2/26/2014 753 MPCA License Renewal $1,450.00 O 29837 C 2/26/2014 208 Principal Financial Group $609.23 O 29838 C 2/26/2014 671 Ripplinger Plumbing $361.50 O 29839 C 2/26/2014 750 St Cloud Times #1076 $24.00 O 29840 C 2/26/2014 254 Strategic Equipment $12.26 O 29841 C 2/26/2014 258 The Nut Man $90.50 O 29842 C 2/26/2014 263 Tom's Refuse $4,926.08 O 29843 C 2/26/2014 804 Toshiba Financial Services $99.12 O 29844 C 2/26/2014 386 USA Bluebook $156.01 O 29845 C 2/26/2014 339 Verizon Wireless $92.33 O 29846 C 2/26/2014 281 Viking Coca Cola Bottling $1,318.30 O 29847 C 2/26/2014 759 Volunteer FF Benefit Assoc of MN $133.00 O 29848 C 2/26/2014 796 XCEL ENERGY 51-10028448-1 $12.40 O 29849 C 2/26/2014 288 XCEL ENERGY 51-4196971-1 $26.87 O 29850 C 2/26/2014 714 XCEL ENERGY 135920-8 marquee $46.26 O 29851 C 2/26/2014 384 XCEL ENERGY 51-336-4 & 8 $316.43 O 29852 C 2/26/2014 360 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655037-5 $762.80 O 29853 C 2/26/2014 359 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655038-6 $1,103.67 O 29854 C 2/26/2014 361 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655039-7 $867.88 O 29855 C 2/26/2014 383 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655041-1 $534.65 O 29856 C 2/26/2014 519 XCEL ENERGY 51-8242904-3 $18.21 O 29857 C 2/26/2014 291 Yes Co. Inc. $242.20 O Cleared $33,675.29 Outstanding $33,248.07 Void $0.00