City Council Meeting

Holdingford City Council Meeting March 9, 2015 Mayor Sue Marstein called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and the pledge of allegiance was recited. Present: Lewis Becker, Eric Berscheid, Sue Marstein, Mike Odden, Alan Walz, Sandra Meer, Keith Hommerding, Pat Meier, Dorine Rausch, Tony Stalberger, Robb Berscheid, Tim Berscheid, Josh Krueger, Gordy Sjaaheim, Gary and Linda Zapzalka. Motion to approve checks was made by Lewis Becker, seconded by Mike Odden. AIF Motion to approve electronic transfers and withdrawals was made by Mike Odden, seconded by Alan Walz AIF Motion to approve bank reconciliation for February 2015 statements was made by Mike Odden, seconded by Eric Berscheid. AIF Lewis Becker made a motion to approve minutes of the February 9, 2015 council meeting to include a correction made on the Fire Department report that “New tires were put on the Bulldog truck”. Motion seconded by Alan Walz. AIF Department Reports Liquor Store report was read by Pat Meier. February gross revenue = $ 30,254.07. Expenses = $24,911.72. Year to date balance = - $4,608.46. March events include meat raffle, two bands scheduled and bean bag tournament. Pat will finalize inventory this month, and expects it to come out ahead of last year. Council asked about the status of food sales since purchasing the convection oven. Pat will get a report to the Mayor. Fire Department report was given by Chief Keith Hommerding. The Fire Relief Association breakfast was March 8th and served 780 people. Expenses were down. Total profits were up $500 from last year and averaged $9.90/plate with free will donations. There have been seventeen calls this year, all medical except one canceled in route, including two in Brockway Township, ten in the City, four in Krain Township and one in Holding Township. Chain of command will remain the same as last year. Brian Donabauer from Park Industries donated three oxygen kits that are no longer used at the company. All the kits are like new. Eric Berscheid made a motion to pass Resolution 15-03-09-4 to thank Park Industries and Brian Donabauer for their donation of three oxygen kits. Motion was seconded by Lewis Becker. AIF Chief Hommerding requested permission to sell the used 6x6 ATV that the department wants to replace. Mike Odden made motion to list the 6x6 ATV on Craigslist. Motion was seconded by Alan Walz. After further discussion, Mike Odden amended the motion to include the trailer. Alan Walz seconded the amendment to the motion. AIF Mike Odden made a motion to approve the purchase of a 2015 Polaris Ranger and trailer for the Fire Department with money received from donations and breakfast fundraiser. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF Chief Hommerding suggested the sale of the 1976 Ford 400 pumper truck since it has a gas motor and doesn’t get used as much as the two other pumper trucks. Eric Berscheid made a motion to list the 1976 400 Ford fire truck on Craigslist for $2,500. Proceeds will go to the Truck Fund. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF The grant money for the air compressors was received. The new grant for $80,000 for oxygen tanks was returned after a minor error was corrected. The grant is under consideration. The city siren that normally goes off each night will only be used in case of emergencies. Following discussion, it was decided that the fire department will test it when they have their monthly meeting and it will not be sounded on a nightly basis. Dorine Rausch gave her Emergency Managers Report. All of the online classes have been completed and certificates received. She has three classroom trainings to complete, two in June and one in October, before she will be certified. Maintenance Report: Snow blower attachment from John Deere (mower) was taken to get repaired. Removed snow, maintained equipment and changed oil. Bi-annual mercury testing was completed at WWTP. Water line break repaired on Cedar Street by Pilarski’s. Maintenance helped County unthaw frozen culvert east of Wobegon Trail parking lot. Sewer main blockage was opened on Riverside to County Road 9 with help from City of Albany. Thanks to the City of Albany and Jerry Schueler for their quick response to a Sunday call. Jetting and cleaning the sewer lines should be done on an annual rotation with about ¼ of the lines cleaned each year. Mike Odden made a motion to get bids for jetting and cleaning the sewer lines located west of the river. Alan Walz seconded the motion. AIF A letter will be sent to residents to remind them not to put items down the sewer that shouldn’t be flushed. Andy and Jerry Schueler attended the Minnesota Rural Water Association annual conference in St Cloud this past week. Andy took the Class C wastewater test. Brian will be attending the MPCA conference March 25-27 in Brooklyn Center and will test for Class B wastewater certification. Guests: Resident Josh Krueger had 60,000 gallons of water go through his system in January and 57,000 gallons of February. He didn’t receive a bill in January and talked to the Post Office. The water softener was replaced after it was discovered that it was the problem. Council could not reduce the bill since water went through his system and down the drain but can work with the homeowner to make monthly payments. Home owner Jim Stoldolka is working with his insurance company after burst pipes caused an excessive utility bill and water damage. Linda and Gary Zapzalka asked about the right of way on County Road 17 and the Pedestrian Road that runs behind their property. They would like to divide their property to build a patio home for her parents and need to make sure there is enough property to build on. The County spent several hours looking through the archives to see if the old County Road 17/ Pedestrian Road was vacated or if the current 33 foot right of way is still valid. The original county road was built in 1920’s. Eric Berscheid made a motion to formally request that Stearns County vacate the Pedestrian Road/old County Road 17. Alan Walz seconded the motion. AIF The City would then need to classify the “Pedestrian Road” as a road or an alley. Tim Berscheid requested that the City waive the hookup fees for water and sewer for new home construction. He also proposed giving new property owners a tax rebate incentive for buying in Holdingford. Alan Walz made a motion to approve both incentive options for two years; to waive the water and sewer hookup fees for new construction; and to rebate the City portion of the property taxes using the base price for a vacant lot for two years after a home is constructed. Mike Odden seconded the motion. AIF Robb Berscheid wanted to bring several issues to the council’s attention. One was in regards to the corner of Rolling River and River Crest where water pools in the spring by the road and it needs to be sloped and graded. Robb has posted signs on the overhead door entrance on the south side of his building on Cedar Street so that he can access the doors for his business and asked about permanent signage. The sidewalk will be painted yellow in front of the overhead door and no parking signs could be posted, but it will take residents a while to change. Also, around the new building the rear parking area will be paved and he asked if the council would consider paving the alley from Cedar to Plymouth Street since there will be two drive thru’s in the back alley. Patching will be done and gravel will be put down this spring after it settles from natural gas line installation. Other options may be considered at a later date. Old Business A meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, March 11th with Matti Gurney from FEMA and Scott Lange (SEH) to discuss the storm shelter grant application. Scott Lange is also meeting to discuss the drainage ponds by school and SCADA system options. A cost analysis was put together for the clerk’s position and assistant office position that detailed salary and benefits within the 2015 budget. The clerk would maintain full time status as defined in the Personnel Policy Appendix A and would prorate employer paid health insurance by 15%. Following discussion, Eric Berscheid made a motion to move forward to hire an office assistant for 20 hours per week with Clerk’s hours changing to 32 hours per week after a month long training period. Alan Walz seconded the motion. Becker, Berscheid, and Walz voted in favor. Odden opposed. Friends of Two Rivers Lake Association inquired about support for dredging Ditch No. 28 north of Two Rivers Lake. They are working with the County for permitting and project approval and are seeking funds for the project. The council expressed concern for the residential areas and roads that are downriver from the dredging sites and the adverse effect it would have on the river levels as it makes its way through Holdingford. Mayor Marstein and Eric Berscheid will write a letter to the County Commissioners noting their opposition to the dredging project and the unidentified impact it will have on river levels in the City. New Business Lewis Becker made a motion to approve Resolution 15-03-09-1 to permit Helping Hands to hold a cash raffle and bingo during Holdingford Daze on Saturday, July 11, 2015. Eric Berscheid seconded the motion. AIF The current health insurance plan was discussed. The City is offering employees individual insurance coverage through Primary Benefit Services and a third party administrator, HR Simplified. The council considered opinions from the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) and the accountant, Schlenner Wenner, who both recommended offering group insurance versus individual coverage. Mike Odden made a motion to approve the hybrid health care plan agreement with HR Simplified and continue with the employee health insurance options that are currently in place. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF The lease for ten acres of City owned property is in its final year. The City is working with lease holder, Jeremy Wentland to maintain all soil nutrient levels. The City will advertise for bids in the fall for the next three year lease agreement. The LMC proposed is seeking support for early voting legislation and dedicated state funding for city streets. Mike Odden made a motion to approve Resolution 15-03-09-2 In Support of Legislation Establishing an Early Voting Process for Voters in Minnesota. Alan Walz seconded the motion. AIF Eric Berscheid made a motion to support Resolution 15-03-09-3 Supporting Dedicated State Transportation Funding for City Streets. Lewis Becker seconded the motion. AIF Mayors Report: Mayor Marstein suggested scheduling periodic work sessions for the council to discuss long term planning, budgeting and other issues that come before the council. The council agreed to meet an hour before the regular monthly meeting and the first work session will be April 13th at 6:00p.m. See end of minutes for the Mayor’s Report. The Mayor is the official City Weed Inspector and can appoint an assistant. The Mayor will attend the upcoming County training with one of the Maintenance men. The softball association is still looking for teams for a summer co-ed league. If they were interested in doing a raffle the Commercial Club offered their permit as a non-profit. Alan Walz noted that fence guard for the ball field may be available through Melrose Schools. Clerk’s Report: There is training in April for certification on the AED machine through a grant with Catholic Health Initiatives. The clerk will be attending the Minnesota Clerks and Finance Officers Association annual conference in Redwing, March 18-20th and the office will be closed. The boiler is still listed for sale on Craigslist but has not had any serious inquiries. If there is room to store it, the council suggested keeping it through the summer and posting again in the fall. Announcements Residents who are delinquent in their utility payments are: Brian Mader, Jayson Burgardt, Debra Feld, Rough Riders, David Hageman, and Brandon Cottrell. Motion to adjourn was made by Alan Walz, seconded by Lewis Becker. Meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sandra Meer City Clerk, Holdingford