City Council Meeting

Holdingford City Council Meeting February 8, 2016 Mayor Sue Marstein called the February Holdingford City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The pledge of allegiance was recited. Present: Eric Berscheid, Susan Marstein, Mike Odden, Bob Sanchez, Alan Walz, Sandra Meer, Lisa Silbernick, Melvin Breth, Keith Hommerding, Patrick Meier, Dorine Rausch, Tony Stalberger, Scott Lange, Butch Bauer, Ray Becker Jr., Charla Bueckers, Aaron Rudolph, Renee Rudolph, and Ernie Schmit. Mike Odden made a motion to approve consent agenda, consisting of claims, checks, electronic transfers and withdrawals, bank reconciliation, and minutes of the January 11, 2016 council meeting. Motion seconded by Bob Sanchez. AIF Department Reports Liquor Store Report was given by Manager Patrick Meier. January gross revenue = $29,044.88. Expenses = $30,108.51. Year to date lottery proceeds = $320.40. Year to date balance = -$1,063.63. Bingo has been doing well as the payout increases. Charlie Roth is playing on Feb 19th. Pat is still looking for double door freezer and will be seeking bids for side door entrance repair/remodel. Fire Department report was given by Chief Keith Hommerding. The department has responded to 10 calls, including one in Krain, one in Brockway, five in Holding Township and three in Holdingford; one fire call , nine medicals. Calendar donations are still coming in. Annual fundraiser breakfast is March 13th from 8am-noon. Free will donations accepted at the door. At the annual Fire Board meeting, the townships agreed to increase the retirement pension benefit. Eric Berscheid made a motion to approve increase of pension benefits for retiring firefighters from $1,200 per year of service to $1,300 per year of service. Alan Walz seconded the motion. AIF Training was switched to the first Thursday of this month so the new air packs can be put into service. Valves on 600 Pumper truck will be changed in-house to cut costs. Next month, regular scheduled maintenance on trucks will be done. Firefighter Molly Sobania requested a one year leave of absence due to family obligations. Eric Berscheid made a motion to accept the request for a one year leave of absence for Molly Sobania. Alan Walz seconded the motion. AIF On-site physicals will be provided by Midcompass for $65 per firefighter. Emergency Managers Report was given by Dorine Rausch. Dorine will be attending the Governor’s Conference this week to receive her certification as the Emergency Manager for the city. Maintenance Report was read by Mayor Sue Marstein. Snow was removed. Rags and disposable wipes were cleaned out of the lift station. Generator was inspected and passed with minor repairs needed. Our Maintenance Department will be awarded a Certificate of Commendation from the MPCA for their outstanding operation, maintenance and management of our wastewater treatment system this past year. Thank you, Brian and Andy! The skating rink was filled and is ready at the park. Vehicle maintenance was done. Guests Charla Bueckers from Tom’s Refuse asked for an increase in garbage fees due to tipping fee increases by Stearns County, as provided in their contract with the city. Following discussion, Mike Odden made a motion to accept Resolution 16-02-08-2, Increase in Garbage Rates. Bob Sanchez seconded the motion. AIF Residents will be notified on the February billing, and increase will take effect in March. Charla Bueckers also requested that the contract for garbage services be renewed. New contract would run from May 2017 to May 2022. The council compared quotes for services from Tom’s Refuse and Waste Management, each 5 year contract proposals. Bueckers noted the many services that her company provides that other companies charge for and offered to dispose of brush that would be collected in one area, probably by the maintenance garage. Eric Berscheid noted that the proposal from Waste Management was less costly and suggested tabling the contract decision for a month. With past history and good business service to the city, Mike Odden proposed to enter into another 5 year agreement with Tom’s Refuse. Bob Sanchez seconded the motion. Voting in favor; Marstein, Odden, Sanchez, and Walz. Berscheid opposed. Motion passed. Scott Lange, from SEH noted that a bidding document to recoat the interior of the water tower will be created and ready for council consideration at the March council meeting. Bids will be collected and work done in late summer or early spring 2017. Calculations on EDU’s were revisited with additional information and feedback from affected businesses and the school on commercial EDU charges. By capping the EDU’s at 20, as had been done in the past for the school district and Polar Tank & Trailer, the city would maintain revenue and sustain the bond payments. Mike Odden made a motion to calculate Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDU’s) for commercial properties based on water usage where the minimum charge is one and maximum is capped at twenty. All numbers are rounded to nearest whole number. Alan Walz seconded the motion. AIF Aaron and Renee Rudolph requested approval for a liquor license for Rudolph’s Redneck Roost that they are planning to open in mid- March on Main Street. The liquor license would be pro-rated for the remainder of this year. The Rudolph’s are still working on a few legalities before the liquor license can be obtained. The sports bar will offer family friendly dining for lunch and dinner, opening daily at 11:00am. Weeknight closing time would be dependent on business, weekend closing at 1:00am. Ray Becker, Jr. noted that the sidewalk on Main Street in front of Opatz Metals fence hasn’t been cleaned since last meeting when the issue was addressed. He requested that the sidewalk be cleaned off within the next week. There was discussion on further cleaning of sidewalks, keeping the sidewalks cleaned and what the ordinances state. Council agreed that all sidewalks, especially those on Main Street should be cleaned and will be done as a courtesy to the residences and businesses. After a snow fall when streets are cleaned, the sidewalks will also be done. After initial cleaning by the city, the businesses and residences are responsible to clean off sidewalks. The ordinance states that businesses and residences are liable for keeping sidewalks clean. Also discussed was liability from snow sliding off of roofs onto adjacent property and causing damage or injury. Businesses and residents are asked to be aware of winter safety conditions in order to reduce liability issues. Old Business One sealed bid was received for renting 10 acres of city owned crop land. Mike Odden made a motion to accept the bid from Jeremy Wentland at $162.50 per acre for 10 acres on a three year contract. Bob Sanchez seconded the motion. AIF A signed contract with Xtratyme Technologies was sent in January, but has not been accepted or returned yet. Kyle Ackermann will be contacted. Requests for utility e-bills are slowly coming in. Sample survey questions were reviewed for a survey on utility billing, accessing city information and branding the city. The survey will be put on the website and paper copies made available for residents’ feedback. Other organizations in the city, like the school district, Hometown Happenings Committee, Commercial Club/Chamber of Commerce, will be asked to contribute links and information. Office staff will have online website training this week and will start getting new webpages put together. CW Technology support has been cancelled and Norton Security installed on city computers. A used electric dishwasher, heater and many accessories from the Albany Hospital was purchased for $1,000. The dishwasher won’t be converted to natural gas. Fire Department personnel will take care of labor to install the machine, but the soap and rinse dispensers will need to be installed by professionals. Quarry tile, instead of commercial vinyl should be installed according to State guidelines and the County inspector. A quote from Hennen’s in Freeport for $4,162 was reviewed and quarry tile could be installed within the next 4-5 weeks. A donation will be sought from the Fire Relief Association for the dishwasher and flooring. Alan Walz made a motion to go with flooring quote for quarry tile from Hennen Floor Covering, hooking up 3-phase electrical to accommodate the dishwasher, and asking the Fire Relief Association for a donation. Bob Sanchez seconded the motion. AIF New Business A building permit refund policy was considered for unused building permits. Eric Berscheid made a motion that building permits are valid for one year and projects must be started within one year of applying for a building permit. For unused building permits, seventy five percent (75%) of the permit fee will be refunded, not including the State Surcharge and plan review fees. All requests for refunds must be in writing within 180 days of permit application. Bob Sanchez seconded the motion. AIF On recommendation from the Loss Control Consultant from the League of Minnesota Cities, the city is applying for a safety grant for eye wash stations and a meter for confined space entry atmospheric testing. Mayor Marstein has started to write the safety grant for matching funds. The Mayor also reviewed a list of recommendations regarding liability issues. A Safety Committee will be established within the Maintenance Department to regularly discuss safety concerns and act on the recommendations. Following an inspection of the Main Lift Station pumps it was determined that repairs are needed. The Maintenance Department regularly cleans out rags/wipes that clog the pumps and space between the impellers is too wide. The rags, mainly consist of “disposable” wipes such as Clorox cleaning wipes, baby wipes, personal hygiene wipes, Wet wipes, Armor All cleaning wipes, etc. that should be put in the garbage, NOT down toilets or drains. Area daycares, the school and businesses will be notified. If the problem continues, the sewer systems could be screened in order to isolate the problem areas in the city. An estimate was received from Tri-State Pump & Control for parts and labor to repair the impellers on two pumps. The council asked for another estimate before considering the expenditure. Resolution 16-02-08-1 in support of increasing Local Government Aid in the 2016 legislative session was reviewed. Mike Odden made a motion to approve Resolution 16-02-08-1, in Support of Increasing Local Government Aid in the 2016 Legislative Session. Eric Berscheid seconded the motion. AIF Admin Reports Councilmember Reports: Annual Fire Board meeting was well attended and townships are all receptive and appreciative of what the department does. Alan Walz and Sue Marstein both completed the online training for Board of Appeals and Equalization. The Holdingford Museum received donation of a large petrified wood piece that has been up by St Mary’s Church. It will be relocated to a location closer to the museum. The Museum was also given one of the original mill stones. The newest project at the museum is planning for a bathroom so the building can be opened to the public. Mayors Report was given by Mayor Sue Marstein. See end of minutes for detailed report. Clerk Sandra Meer reported on attending the Region 3 meeting in January with topics covering utility rate structure and conservation rates and TIF districts and Tax Abatement. Both Sandra and Lisa are registered to attend the annual MCFOA clerk’s conference, March 16-18 in St. Cloud. Brian Zapzalka is registered for the annual Minnesota Rural Water conference, March 2-4 at St John’s. Changes to the Fee Schedule were discussed including raising rates on bulk water sales from $15-$16 per 1,000 gallons for the first 5,000 gallons and from $5 to $6 per 1,000 gallons over after the first 5,000 gallons. Charges for bulk water sales would also include a minimum charge of $25 for maintenance crew assistance. An application fee for zoning variances and appeals was set at $25, with additional costs for special meetings, administrative hours and publishing costs to be the responsibility of the applicant. Announcements Residents who are delinquent in their utility payments are: Jesse Johnson, Dave Hagemann, Edward Ehrlichmann, Katie Severson, and Rough Riders. Motion to adjourn was made by Alan Walz, seconded by Bob Sanchez. Meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sandra Meer City Clerk, Holdingford JANUARY 2016 Department Gross Pay General $ 6,082.78 Public Works $ 6,846.89 Fire $ Liquor $ 6,867.89 Total $ 19,797.56 2 pay periods ending 1/11, 1/25 City of Holdingford - Equal Opportunity Provider Accounts Payable Check Register Report - STEARNS BANK For The Fiscal Periods Range From 2016-1 To 2016-1 For All Vendors And For Outstanding, Cleared, Voided Checks - Computer Generated Check # Type Date Vendor Name Amount Status 31576 C 1/11/2016 704 AFSCME Council 65 $99.58 C 31577 C 1/11/2016 5 Albany Area Hospital $184.00 C 31578 C 1/11/2016 6 AmeriPride Linen $64.53 C 31579 C 1/11/2016 18 C & L Distributing, Inc $2,185.30 C 31580 C 1/11/2016 792 CW Technology $335.00 C 31582 C 1/11/2016 550 Everything Signs $180.84 C 31584 C 1/11/2016 787 Granite City Jobbing Co $872.89 C 31586 C 1/11/2016 92 Headley Hardware $391.10 C 31587 C 1/11/2016 481 Heggies Pizza $254.40 C 31588 C 1/11/2016 614 Holdingford Gas and Grocery $342.37 C 31589 C 1/11/2016 888 Holdingford Snoflyers $353.98 C 31590 C 1/11/2016 691 Integra Telecom $285.91 C 31591 C 1/11/2016 119 Johnson Brothers Liquor C $2,329.32 C 31592 C 1/11/2016 730 Midcontinent Business Solutions $183.14 C 31593 C 1/11/2016 161 Mike Odden $75.00 C 31594 C 1/11/2016 170 MN Dept of Health $456.00 C 31596 C 1/11/2016 191 Northland Trust Services, Inc $56,408.75 C 31597 C 1/11/2016 207 Postmaster $114.00 C 31598 C 1/11/2016 849 Ski's Lumber Inc. $125.75 C 31599 C 1/11/2016 750 St Cloud Times #1076 $33.00 C 31600 C 1/11/2016 685 Star Publications, LLC $180.70 C 31601 C 1/11/2016 258 The Nut Man $60.00 C 31602 C 1/11/2016 271 UC Lab $998.00 C 31603 C 1/11/2016 276 United Systems Technology $11.16 C  Check # Type Date Vendor Name Amount Status 31604 C 1/11/2016 281 Viking Coca Cola Bottling $341.20 C 31605 C 1/11/2016 360 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655037-5 $1,336.19 C 31606 C 1/11/2016 359 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655038-6 $1,514.74 C 31607 C 1/11/2016 361 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655039-7 $795.33 C 31608 C 1/11/2016 358 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655040-0 $2,174.24 C 31611 C 1/25/2016 507 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota $345.03 C 31618 C 1/25/2016 655 David Yurczyk $110.20 C 31622 C 1/25/2016 787 Granite City Jobbing Co $832.96 C 31632 C 1/25/2016 144 MEDICA $1,292.36 C 31635 C 1/25/2016 207 Postmaster $105.00 C 31636 C 1/25/2016 208 Principal Financial Group $106.52 C 31637 C 1/25/2016 465 Sandra Meer $53.48 C 31641 C 1/25/2016 791 Thomas Van Hove $2,700.00 C 31649 C 1/25/2016 359 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655038-6 $385.79 C 31650 C 1/25/2016 519 XCEL ENERGY 51-8242904-3 $23.09 C 31581 C 1/11/2016 64 Eugene Cipala $266.79 O 31583 C 1/11/2016 80 Gopher State One-Call, Inc $2.90 O 31585 C 1/11/2016 90 Harry's Frozen Foods $100.50 O 31595 C 1/11/2016 179 MN State Fire Dept. Assn $135.00 O 31609 C 1/25/2016 889 Avenet, LLC $1,375.00 O 31610 C 1/25/2016 9 Bernick's Pepsi-Cola $562.30 O 31612 C 1/25/2016 786 Brandon Cottrell $98.28 O 31613 C 1/25/2016 627 Breakthru Beverage Minnesota $832.22 O 31614 C 1/25/2016 18 C & L Distributing, Inc $3,342.75 O 31615 C 1/25/2016 21 Central MN. Alarms, Inc. $75.00 O 31616 C 1/25/2016 873 CenturyLink $62.91 O 31617 C 1/25/2016 48 D & D Beverage $120.00 O 31619 C 1/25/2016 52 E. A. Sween Company $399.40 O 31620 C 1/25/2016 70 Frito-Lay, Inc $139.25 O 31621 C 1/25/2016 80 Gopher State One-Call, Inc $100.00 O 31623 C 1/25/2016 90 Harry's Frozen Foods $192.00 O 31624 C 1/25/2016 851 Health Partners $1,016.48 O 31625 C 1/25/2016 481 Heggies Pizza $127.50 O 31626 C 1/25/2016 104 Holdingford Community Ed $3,000.00 O 31627 C 1/25/2016 781 Jeff's Custom Cabinets $231.00 O 31628 C 1/25/2016 119 Johnson Brothers Liquor C $2,681.52 O 31629 C 1/25/2016 132 Larson Excavating $415.00 O 31630 C 1/25/2016 472 Laurie Fiedler $20.00 O 31631 C 1/25/2016 452 MCFOA $35.00 O 31633 C 1/25/2016 176 MN Rural Water Assn $225.00 O 31634 C 1/25/2016 205 Phillips Wine & Spirits $1,288.09 O 31638 C 1/25/2016 750 St Cloud Times #1076 $33.00 O 31639 C 1/25/2016 391 Stearns Co. Municipal League $20.00 O 31640 C 1/25/2016 258 The Nut Man $27.50 O 31642 C 1/25/2016 263 Tom's Refuse $5,228.08 O 31643 C 1/25/2016 804 Toshiba Financial Services $119.52 O 31644 C 1/25/2016 267 Tri-County Septic Service $660.00 O 31645 C 1/25/2016 728 Tri-State Pump & Control, Inc. $450.00 O 31646 C 1/25/2016 271 UC Lab $1,318.50 O 31647 C 1/25/2016 339 Verizon Wireless $89.61 O 31648 C 1/25/2016 281 Viking Coca Cola Bottling $94.00 O Cleared $78,640.85 Outstanding $24,884.10 Void $0.00