City Council Meeting

Holdingford City Council Meeting Minutes Monday, June 12, 2023 Present: Seth Young, Eric Bersheid, Tim Winter, Jayme Opatz, Nicky Lahr, Sandy Skwira, Andy Higgins, Jared Hillesheim, Herman Lensing, Steve Horvath, Kelly Abfalter, Matt Spies, Travis Harlander. Eric called the City Council meeting to order at 7:00 pm, the pledge of allegiance was recited. Jayme made a motion to accept the consent agenda with a date change to the parade scheduled for July 8th. Seth seconded it. AIF Guests: Sandy Skwira returned to discuss her sewer connection issues. She presented an estimate of $2200 to replace the existing connection. She also stated that over $2000 had been spent on Roto Rooter services to unclog her sewer. Jayme asked for clarification on what was said at the previous meeting involving the cause of clogging. He said the minutes from the May meeting stated that having the ground shift is possibly what started the issue. Sandy said that the issue is due to the 6-inch to 4-inch connector. Seth stated he did not want to set a precedence of paying for this connection as it is in the homeowners’ yard, and others may also request. Eric reminded everyone the City is not responsible for the pipes or connections in the homeowners’ yards, which this is. Sandy reminded the Council it was the City’s contractors who installed the connections. Jayme said the install was more than 20 years ago and the issue didn’t start until recently. The part would not be under any type of warranty. Tim made a motion to cover the cost of the part replacement only. Andy seconded the motion. Eric, Jayme and Seth opposed the motion; therefore, the motion did not pass. Travis Harlander wanted the Council to know he thought they made the right decision. As a Roto Rooter employee, he has seen several of these connections around town. Department reports: Eric asked for a moment of silence for Steve Stoermann who recently passed away. He was on the fire dept for 26 years. Fire Department report was read by Tim Winter. The new skid unit is ready for pick up. The grass rig is ready for upfitting, and is already stickered. The fire relief association made another donation from gambling funds to the city for the work. Several pools were filled by the fire department. Some stated the water was discolored and Chief Hommerding is asking to forgive the pool fill cost, as they may be draining the water anyway. Eric recommended the individuals effected by this could ask the council for a refund or discount. Steve Horvath mentioned he would assist next time pools are filled, as he can get the water directly from the pumphouse which would be clearer. He just needs to be informed when they will occur. Maintenance report was read by Steve Horvath. Water main flushing has been completed. MRWA helped repair a fire hydrant on Cedar Street. City hall furnace and A/C units serviced. Park and Ballfield bathrooms were opened for the season, playground and park inspections were completed. Steve is recommending the bleachers at the ballfield be pressure washed and repainted and would like to know if there are any charitable organizations that would want to paint, if prep work is done and paint is purchased. Biosolids were land applied and no further Nickel testing is needed. Quarterly water testing completed as well as the consumer confidence report, and posted on Utility Bills, City’s Website and the City Hall bulletin board. Lawn sprinkler up and running, and flower pots placed out after Holdingford FFA planted them. Will be street sweeping after it rains next, and crack filling will begin soon. Volleyball nets will also be set up. City Engineer’s report: Scott was not present but asked for a resolution to be signed to request capital funds for the lift station project. Jayme made a motion to approve resolution 23-6-12-02. Seth seconded it. AIF. Liquor Store report presented by Jared Hillesheim. The ceiling tile replacement is nearly completed with Jayme and Seth’s assistance. Plumber was called to clear drain lines for ice machine. He showed Jared how to clear them in the future. A/C drain is also clogged. The hose was not to code, and Granite City Refrigeration is scheduled to replace/repair with a better solution. Still looking for more employees so the Muni can open on Sundays for the football season. With THC/CBD bills passed in the state of MN, Jared would like to look into the possibility of carrying cannabis products in the store. He stated that licensing cost may be prohibitive, however. He will continue to do more research and reach out to the Municipal Beverage Assoc. for guidance. Emergency Manager Report Amber took the emergency management course and received recertification. Land Use Committee did not have any new information. Clerk’s Report: was read by Nicky Lahr. Paycom start date was pushed back to mid-July due to data entry, as Asyst is unable to export data. Banyon accounting software project is installed on one computer, and entries have been started. Final changeover is expected July 1st. One more utility reading on the old meter reader, and then the new one will be shipped to us for the end of July reading. Utility bill format will be changing again due to the new software. Annual Audit extension was filed and approved. Must be completed by Aug 31st. Audit prep has started with help from ABDO. Next safety committee meeting is July 21st at 9am. Tim stated he should be able to attend. Letters will be going out to residents with long grass/weeds. ARPA reporting is still in progress. Wellhead Protection Plan extension was filed and approved through July 18, 2026. TIF reporting is due at the end of August. Campground, and shelter reservations are coming in with many weekends booked full. Kelly is now a registered Notary of Public. Clerks will look into adding this service to the city fee schedule. Unfinished/Old Business: N/A New Business: Dan Lahr’s annual review was submitted by Steve Horvath. Jayme made a motion to approve the step increase due to the favorable report. Seth seconded the motion. AIF. Minnesota added Junteenth as a State Holiday, therefore city business cannot be conducted on this day. Also, Columbus Day was changed to Indigenous Peoples day. The union asked for a memorandum of understanding to be signed to approve these changes to the contract. Eric made a motion to approve and sign the union MOU and add to the list of City paid holidays. Jayme seconded it. AIF. There were 3 requests for forgiveness to the sewer portion of their pool fills, and 1 request for sewer forgiveness for lawn watering. Eric made a motion to approve the forgiveness of the sewer portion of the utility bill for the pool filling for Tim Winter, Scott Posch, and Holdingford School. Andy seconded the motion. Tim abstained from the vote. AIF. Eric recommended waiting until next month’s council meeting to approve Dan Eiynck’s as he was projecting amounts. Eric also recommended looking into purchasing a rental meter to be used when pool filling. Kelly stated that she would inquire with the new meter company about purchasing this. Jayme made a motion to approve Resolution 23-6-12-01, gambling permit for the Holdingford Lions club. Andy seconded the motion. AIF. Note that the raffle amount was not written on the application. Liquor license renewals were present for Redneck Roost, American Legion, Art in Motion and the HMLS. Jayme made a motion to approve liquor license numbers 2023-01, 03, 06, and 07. Tim seconded the motions. AIF Jayme made a motion to approve liquor license numbers 2023-04, and 05. Seth seconded the motion. AIF Jayme made a motion to approve liquor license numbers 2023-02, 08, and 09. Andy seconded the motions. AIF Certificates will be delivered by the Clerks once approved by the state. Additional agenda items/council member updates: Seth made a motion to approve the temporary liquor license for Holdingford Wrestling as the COI was received. Jayme seconded the motion. AIF Eric mentioned that the sidewalk at the shower building is not ADA accessible, and asked we reach out to the Lions Club as they donated and installed the concrete. Matt Spies approached the council asking what can be done with the trailer park. He has been in touch with Greg Koshiol, from the environmental services of Stearns County, and has been told that a housing inspector would need to inspect the occupied units for safety if there are concerns. Eric asked the Clerks to reach out to Greg to see if he knows of any Inspectors we could use, and if we would be able to bill the inspections to the property owner. Past Due Water Bills: David Hagemann, Dale Lundberg, Estate of Nancy Mager, Duane Young, Brooklyn McGillivray, Joseph Doll, Hyatt House LLC, Aubrey Neumann, Jesse and Carlena Johnson, Roger Jensen, Greg and Kyna Reiter, Principal Logistics LLC, and Andy Higgins. Looking Forward: Next Council Meeting: Monday, July 10th, 2023 City Hall Closed June 19th for Juneteenth City Hall Close July 3rd and 4th for Independence Day Holdingford Daze, July 7th and 8th Adjourn: Jayme made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:28 pm. Andy seconded the motion. AIF