City Council Meeting

Holdingford City Council Meeting Minutes April 13, 2020 The Holdingford City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Sue Marstein at 7:02 p.m. via Zoom, an electronic teleconferencing resource. Mayor Susan Marstein read a declaration for the Determination Regarding Conducting Meetings by Telephone or Other Electronic Means due to a health pandemic or an emergency declared under MN State Statutes, Chapter 12. The pledge of allegiance was recited. Present via remote access/electronic teleconferencing: Susan Marstein, Robb Berscheid, Eric Berscheid, Mike Odden, and Bob Sanchez answered to roll call. Sandra Meer, Steve Horvath, Scott Lange (SEH), Jessica Funt-Schustak (SEH) and Kate Asfeld (Star- Post) were also present. Robb Berscheid made a motion to approve the consent agenda to include minutes of the March 9th Council Meeting, March 30th Special Meeting and April 7th Local Board of Appeals and Equalization meeting, submitted monthly claims, and financial reports. Eric Berscheid seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Department Reports Municipal Liquor Store financial report was given by Mayor Sue Marstein. March gross revenue = $24,933.63. Expenses= $32,653.81. At this time there are no loans or grants offered through the SBA or federal government to help Municipal Liquor Store employees who are laid off or account for loss of sales due to the covid-19 pandemic. There is a wage “share” program available through MN Unemployment Insurance. The MN State Legislature is considering other changes to off-sale regulations to help businesses affected by the covid-19 pandemic. Currently, the Liquor Store is open for purchases of off sale liquor and to-go pizza orders Monday-Friday Noon-7 and Saturday, Noon-6pm. Please call ahead for pizza or large liquor orders. Fire Department personnel were not available. Mayor Marstein noted that Chief Hommerding relayed his concern regarding keeping fire fighters safe when responding to calls during the pandemic. She noted that the council would look at what other cities are offering in terms of pay and safe places to quarantine if they were potentially exposed to the virus while responding to emergency calls. Maintenance Department Report was given by Lead Supervisor, Steve Horvath. Mercury Management Plan was completed and submitted to the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency). The flow based sampling feasibility study was also completed and results should be forthcoming. Street sweeping was started and the south side of town is complete. Water samples were collected for the bi-annual copper and lead testing submitted to MDH (Minnesota Department of Health). Since then adjustments have been made to the chemical balance in the water supply. A chemical feed at the WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant) was started on April 1st for fecal coliform testing. Compost piles are ready and residents are welcome to pick up compost by the WWTP as needed. The hockey rink lining will be put away as soon as it is completely dry. The new Consumer Confidence Report is available and information will be included with April utility billing. Steve Horvath noted that he passed the Class “C” wastewater certification exam that he took in March. Areas that had plow marks from snowplowing were repaired and will be re-seeded this week. Several of the cracks in the streets that were sealed last fall have weathered and some feathering has occurred. Bertram Asphalt said they would come back and refill cracks at a cost, a quote for crack sealing from Rock to Roses for $4,056 was reviewed and an option to fill cracks with MacSeal, a product that was used before on city streets was discussed. The council agreed that the option to purchase a barrel of MacSeal from Team Labs for approximately $800 and have Maintenance Staff apply it would be most cost effective. Last month: 1,294,000 gallons of well water were pumped. 1,592,000 gallons of wastewater was treated. No emergency manager report was available. Engineer Scott Lange discussed project updates at the council work session and reviewed details for scheduling projects. MNDOT has approved the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Project plans. Legal descriptions for easements will be needed. Placement of the sidewalk along the 100 block of River Street was discussed. A tree that’s in the Right-Of-Way needs to be moved or taken down and options will be discussed with property owners. The proposed timeline to proceed with the SRTS Project: pending city approval and authorization for advertisement for bids, bid opening on May 13th, award project at a special meeting or June 8th council meeting. Eric Berscheid made a motion to proceed with plans for SRTS project as proposed. Mike Odden seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. A Special Meeting was scheduled for Monday, May 18th via teleconferencing (Zoom) to award the project. The main concern with updating the city well house is that the storage of chlorine is out of compliance since its being stored inside the well house which is corroding electrical connections and controls. The projected cost of the well house project is about $65,000 and the city share of the Main Street water and sewer replacement project is estimated at $380,000. The council agreed that additional funding means should be explored, whether grants, loans or a bond and David Drown Associates will be contacted. Funding options will be gathered, the council can authorize advertisements for bids in May and decisions can be postponed until June for both well house and the Main Street projects. The plans for the Main Street project were submitted to MNDOT. The 10” water line will be removed and replaced. Curb stops will be replaced. Sewer pipe will be relined. Fire hydrant on Main and Plymouth will be relocated. Curb and gutter on corner of Washington and Main by Scepaniak’s will be replaced to increase flow. Five foot (5’) sidewalks will be replaced only if needed and pedestrian ramps will be added to comply with ADA standards. Sidewalks on the west side of Main Street will be reworked and sloped to shorten the step up into the building and help with ease of access. Unfinished Business Longevity benefits for part-time staff were discussed. Office staff inquired with other cities that offer benefits for part-time staff and received responses from the cities of Finlayson and Loretto. Council asked staff to inquire with more local communities that are about the same size. Estimates for moving electrical services for the Main Street Power Pole Relocation Project were received from Sunset Electric for $85,800 and Design Electric for $113,277. Project costs also include Xcel Energy work totaling $23,240. If Main Street Utility Construction project isn’t approved this year, it would not affect this project except for removing poles on Main Street. The Holdingford Chamber has committed $50,000 to the project and is planning more fundraisers, which may be limited this year, but will ease burden of project costs on the city and not burden business owners. Eric Berscheid made a motion to approve estimate from Sunset Electric for $85,800 to move electrical services for eleven Main Street businesses, provide light poles and account for permits and inspections. Robb Berscheid seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Summary of March 30th Special Meeting that was closed for 6 month evaluation of HMLS Manager Bill Shank: Council voted to terminate HMLS manager Bill Shank and thus void current contract and then re-hire Bill Shank as an at-will employee bound by the Holdingford Personnel Policy. Council also recommended improving computer knowledge, communications with staff and attitude. New Business Eric Berscheid made a motion to accept Resolution 20-04-13-1: Church of All Saints Raffle to be held on November 1, 2020. Sue Marstein seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Sue Marstein made motion to accept Resolution 20-04-13-2: Approving Plans and Specifications and Ordering Advertisement for Bids for Safe Routes to School Project. Mike Odden seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Mike Odden made a motion to move Maintenance Specialist Steve Horvath from Step H-4 ($20.92) to Step I-2 ($21.34) which includes a pay increase, as a result of his successful completion of Class “C” wastewater licensure. Robb Berscheid seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Following discussion and review of evaluation for Lead Bartender, Nikki Horvath, Robb Berscheid made a motion to approve pay increase for Nikki Horvath from F-4($14.55) to F-5($14.83). Mike Odden seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Mike Odden made a motion to hire Lloyd Rausch as Seasonal Assistant to the Maintenance Staff. Eric Berscheid seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passed. Lloyd will be primarily mowing at the parks and helping with snow removal. Nuisance properties were discussed including property on the 100 block of Cedar Street where another storage container/box car was placed along with more pallets. City Ordinances limit the amount of storage buildings on residential property and prohibit accumulation of clutter, building material, etc. A letter will be written and followed up with legal action if needed. A fuel tank with a rubber hose extension was placed at the old school (Cedar Street and Washington Street) and needs to be addressed. There is still a pile of tires, pallets and other material that may have been left by a previous owner, which need to be cleaned up. Mayor Marstein will follow up with the property manager and property owner to reach a resolution on the piles and fuel tank. A notice was sent to the property owner on the 100 block of 4th Street regarding keeping chickens on the property. A letter will be sent to owners of a vacant house on the 200 block of Washington Street regarding repair, upkeep or sale and followed up with legal action if needed. Vehicle complaints and parking issues were identified at the 200 block of Cedar Street and the 300 block of Meadow Street and letters will be sent to those residents regarding number of vehicles, parking on designated parking surfaces, licensed vehicles and inoperable vehicles. Letters will identify the ordinance and provide a time frame to allow residents to resolve the issues. Admin Reports Clerk Treasurer Sandra Meer noted that the county attorney sent the 2019 Misdemeanor Prosecution Contract Report as well as the 2019 Adult/Juvenile Diversion Report and will not be reporting to the council in person. In 2019, there were half as many adult prosecutions (4) and the same amount of juvenile prosecutions (6) as in 2018. There were no adults from Holdingford admitted to the Diversion Program in 2019, however, there were five juveniles that were admitted and successfully finished the program. City office staff is maintaining regular office hours at this time, but we encourage residents to use alternate means to make utility payments or contact us. Residents can drop off utility payment checks in the drop box outside the north doors at city hall, at Stearns Bank or send in the mail. Payments can be made over the phone, online or with automatic monthly withdrawals. Forms for automatic withdrawals can be found on the city website. Please call to discuss alternate payment arrangements if your income has been affected by Covid-19. Our office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8am-4pm, Wednesday 8am-6pm and Friday 8am-noon. Mayors/Council Discussion notes:  Cleanup Day will be rescheduled to June 13th due to covid-19. Lionesses have also rescheduled Holdingford Cares Day.  Braun Intertec will be drilling and testing seven soil borings around the old school building (between Cedar & Washington Streets) as directed by the MPCA.  More four wheelers, golf carts and other recreational vehicles are out on city streets. Residents are reminded to be courteous to neighbors, obey traffic laws and be aware of regulations when using them on city/county roads. Please drive responsibly. Announcements Residents who are delinquent on their utility payments: Dave Hagemann $4,159.84, James Taylor $642.08, Sandra Ross $495.68, Jacob Hanebuth $481.18, Mara Glader $461.78, Bill Fellegy $425.54, Walker Neinaber $413.25, Aubrey Neuman $372.51, Mel Nierenhausen $323.35 and William Wolter $307.17. It was noted that water will not be shut off for non-payment due to the need to combat the covid-19 virus. Penalty fees will continue to accrue unless residents request relief with proof of lost wages. Please contact the city office to make payment arrangements. Next council meeting: Monday, May 11th at 7:00 p.m. with work session beginning at 6:00p.m. This is tentatively planned as another virtual meeting. Please contact city hall for remote access to “attend” the meeting. Robb Berscheid made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Eric Berscheid seconded the motion Meeting adjourned at 9:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sandra Meer City Clerk, Holdingford MARCH 2020 Department Gross Pay General $ 7,017.07 Public Works $ 7,091.22 Fire $ Liquor $ 6,702.95 Total $20,811.24 2 pay periods ending 3/13, 3/27 City of Holdingford - Equal Opportunity Provider Accounts Payable Check Register Report - STEARNS BANK For The Fiscal Periods Range From 2020-3 To 2020-3 For All Vendors And For Outstanding, Cleared, Voided Checks - Computer Generated Check # Type Date Vendor Name Amount Status 35413 C 3/4/2020 676 Diane Konsor $78.75 C 35414 C 3/4/2020 998 Julie Warren $62.40 C 35415 C 3/4/2020 975 Karen Larsen $109.65 C 35416 C 3/4/2020 333 Kathy O'Hara $177.15 C 35417 C 3/4/2020 976 Lynne Nienaber $166.50 C 35418 C 3/4/2020 465 Sandra Meer $300.10 C 35420 C 3/10/2020 704 AFSCME Council 65 $127.33 C 35421 C 3/10/2020 691 Allstream $219.91 C 35422 C 3/10/2020 6 AmeriPride Linen $84.73 C 35423 C 3/10/2020 326 Auto Value $224.79 C 35424 C 3/10/2020 9 Bernick's Pepsi-Cola $303.44 C 35425 C 3/10/2020 828 Brian Zapzalka $650.00 C 35426 C 3/10/2020 18 C & L Distributing, Inc $7,732.20 C 35427 C 3/10/2020 24 Central McGowan, Inc $37.76 C 35429 C 3/10/2020 996 Core & Main LP $1,152.00 C 35430 C 3/10/2020 787 Granite City Jobbing Co $302.09 C 35431 C 3/10/2020 92 Headley Hardware $550.22 C 35432 C 3/10/2020 481 Heggies Pizza $123.10 C 35433 C 3/10/2020 948 Henry's Foods, Inc $612.19 C 35434 C 3/10/2020 614 Holdingford Gas and Grocery $222.74 C 35435 C 3/10/2020 119 Johnson Brothers Liquor C $1,642.64 C 35436 C 3/10/2020 121 KASM Radio $300.00 C 35437 C 3/10/2020 140 Little Falls Radio $55.00 C 35438 C 3/10/2020 553 Melvin Breth $42.55 C 35439 C 3/10/2020 730 Midcontinent Business Solutions $319.08 C 35441 C 3/10/2020 495 MN Trails $855.00 C 35442 C 3/10/2020 753 MPCA License Renewal $1,450.00 C 35443 C 3/10/2020 199 Opatz Metals $613.44 C 35445 C 3/10/2020 685 Star Publications, LLC $133.66 C 35446 C 3/10/2020 478 Stearns County Recorder $46.00 C 35447 C 3/10/2020 637 Tony Stalberger $31.62 C 35448 C 3/10/2020 804 Toshiba Financial Services $131.64 C 35449 C 3/10/2020 270 Two Rivers Enterprise $246.00 C 35450 C 3/10/2020 271 UC Lab $844.00 C 35451 C 3/10/2020 276 Vadim Municipal Software Inc $3.92 C 35452 C 3/10/2020 903 Upper Lakes Foods, Inc. $43.23 C 35453 C 3/10/2020 339 Verizon Wireless $116.67 C 35454 C 3/10/2020 281 Viking Coca Cola Bottling $55.25 C 35455 C 3/10/2020 1008 William Shank $28.75 C 35456 C 3/10/2020 360 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655037-5 $2,072.08 C 35457 C 3/10/2020 359 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655038-6 $997.86 C 35458 C 3/10/2020 361 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655039-7 $1,019.69 C 35459 C 3/10/2020 358 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655040-0 $2,607.76 C 35460 C 3/10/2020 383 XCEL ENERGY 51-5655041-1 $677.47 C 35461 C 3/10/2020 519 XCEL ENERGY 51-8242904-3 $41.64 C 35464 C 3/25/2020 856 Andy Bartkowicz $75.00 C 35466 C 3/25/2020 18 C & L Distributing, Inc $1,699.60 C 35467 C 3/25/2020 24 Central McGowan, Inc $59.25 C 35472 C 3/25/2020 787 Granite City Jobbing Co $125.53 C 35473 C 3/25/2020 89 Handyman's Inc $5.49 C 35475 C 3/25/2020 134 League of MN Cities Ins. Trust $16,778.00 C 35482 C 3/25/2020 915 Steve Horvath $75.00 C 35419 C 3/10/2020 1017 Adam Sandhurst $900.00 O 35428 C 3/10/2020 836 Charles Roth $350.00 O 35440 C 3/10/2020 179 MN State Fire Dept. Assn $600.00 O 35444 C 3/10/2020 941 Paul Jensen $250.00 O 35463 C 3/25/2020 1013 Anderson Excavating & Septic $300.00 O 35465 C 3/25/2020 9 Bernick's Pepsi-Cola $547.85 O 35468 C 3/25/2020 873 CenturyLink $65.78 O 35469 C 3/25/2020 48 D & D Beverage $56.30 O 35470 C 3/25/2020 1018 Ellingson Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Electrical $23,486.00 O 35471 C 3/25/2020 70 Frito-Lay, Inc $109.94 O 35474 C 3/25/2020 90 Harry's Frozen Foods $81.00 O 35476 C 3/25/2020 687 MN Dept Hlth, MDH $697.00 O 35477 C 3/25/2020 911 MN PEIP $1,137.00 O 35478 C 3/25/2020 184 MN State Fire Chiefs Assn $520.00 O 35479 C 3/25/2020 1019 Northland Lining, Inc $18,750.00 O 35480 C 3/25/2020 223 S.E.H. $23,768.10 O 35481 C 3/25/2020 750 St Cloud Times #1076 $25.00 O 35483 C 3/25/2020 263 Tom's Refuse $6,197.00 O Cleared $46,429.87 Outstanding $77,840.97 Void $0.00