City Council

Regular Council Meeting December 27, 2021 1. Mayor Scott Schultz called the meeting to order at 7:00. Present were Council members Kale Dankenbring, Amanda Milne, Dara Carmichael, and Larry Finley. Also present was City Clerk Lila Whitmore, City Superintendent JR Landenberger and City Attorney Lauren Reyelts. Council member David Butler was absent. 2. Minutes from the December 13 Council meeting were distributed and read. It was moved by Amanda and seconded by Larry to approve the minutes as written. Motion passed. 3. Consent Agenda – none 4. Visitors – none 5. New Business: a. The Council discussed the year end transfers. Lila pointed out that because of the ARPA funds and the Theater Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) funds that were designated as revenue replacement and put into the general fund in 2021, the ending balance for the general fund is enough so that there does not need to be any transfer made into the general fund at year end. Because of this, additional funds can be transferred into other funds, such as the capital improvement fund. JR noted that the amount received from the SVO grant, $31,171.73, could be used as matching funds for any theater renovation project grants the city applies for. After discussion, a motion was made by Dara and seconded by Amanda to approve the following year end transfers: $310,000 from Utility to Capital Improvement; $100,000 from Utility to Equipment Reserve; $10,000 from Sewer to Capital Improvement; $10,000 from Sewer to Equipment Reserve; $51,845 from Infrastructure Sales Tax to Bond & Interest; $105,155.00 from Infrastructure Sales Tax to Infrastructure Improvement. Motion passed. 6. Old Business: a. Property Cleanup – Lauren asked what the status is for the property on Fourth street. Lila was on vacation and has not had the opportunity to create and send the notice letter discussed at the last meeting. There was further discussion regarding notifications sent for property cleanup. Mayor Shultz stated that if he or a Council member identifies a property that needs some attention a notice could be sent from City Hall initially. If the problem persists then it could be escalated to Municipal Court. Lauren indicated that the property cleanup letter she sends out sites the ordinance and specifies that they have 10 days to clean it up or 15 days to schedule a meeting in front of the City Council. JR indicated that baseline pictures of the property should be included with the letter. At least two Council members/Mayor would need to agree on the need for a notice to be sent and JR would be responsible for taking the pictures. The Council decided that a longer time period for compliance should be given for the initial notice and decided on 20 days. The same notice process can be used for other violations including dog tags and RVs parked on City streets. If it is brought to the Council’s attention that a dog is not registered a letter could be sent. Motor vehicle violations would need to be addressed by law enforcement. Lila will create a notice letter. The Council also instructed Lila to send letters to the owners of existing registered ATVs with the new wording of the code requiring flags. Lauren also indicated that the property owner of 616 S. Denison will be called and notified that they have until January 10, 2022 to rectify the issue with the deed. If not resolved by then the issue will go to court. b. Projects Pending – a) The Mayor mentioned that the City billboards on east and west Highway 36 are becoming very faded. The Council discussed advertising for someone to create a design for the signs. The Council requested Lila place ads in the Herald and on Facebook to seek suggestions from people for what to put on the sign. This topic will be placed on the projects pending list. c. Streets Project – Fourth and Parkway has not yet been paid for and the funds have been encumbered. Benton will be completed next year. 7. Building Permits – none 8. Superintendent Report – a) The Council approved 40 hours of vacation carryover for JR and Mike Meyer. b) JR has been working with Robert Grace on the Theater renovation project and it is moving forward. c) The Council approved the sale of asphalt millings to contractors on a limited basis for $4/ton for the better  quality millings and $2/ton for the rest. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Larry to accept and file the Superintendent report. Motion passed. 9. Attorney Report – Lauren gave a brief update on municipal court. A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Amanda to accept and file the Attorney report. Motion passed. 10. Clerk Report – a) A motion was made by Kale and seconded by Dara to approve the CMB license renewals for Pizza Hut and El Jalapeno Mexican Restaurant. Motion passed. b) A motion was made by Larry and seconded by Amanda to approve the RV Park License renewal for Zimbelman RV Park. Motion passed. A motion was made by Amanda and seconded by Dara to accept and file the Clerk report. Motion passed. 11. Council Comments: Kale –none Amanda – none Dara – none Larry – none 12. Mayor Comments – none 13. Adjournment: It was moved by Amanda and seconded by Larry to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. ___________________________________________ City Clerk