September Council Meeting

Twin Valley City Council Minutes | September 2024 | Page 1 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 – TWIN VALLEY CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING Twin Valley Community Center – 7:00 PM MEMBERS: Mark Askelson, Paul Bekkerus, Michael Bolton, Tracy Christianson, Mike Lampton OTHERS: Kerry Askelson, Jason Douville, Prestin Douville, Ben Fall, David Portz, Alex Ranz, Jess Riepe. PURSUANT DUE TO CALL and notice thereof the Twin Valley City Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 11, 2024. Mayor Bolton called the meeting to order at 7:00PM. MONTHLY BUSINESS Minutes—TC/MA-m/s/p to approve the August minutes as written. Disbursements—ML/PB-m/s/p to approve disbursements totaling $102,244.85. A full copy of claims and payroll disbursements is available at the Clerk’s office. COMMUNITY—Building Permit—ML/TC-m/s/p to approve a building permit request for 2015 Norman Ave NW to build a 12’x24’8’ detached garage. Sewer Line Issue—David Portz attended meeting to discuss options for repairs to his sewer line, which runs under the garage of neighboring property. Has discussed this issue with the two neighboring properties that will be affected by the necessary repairs. Askelson has spoken with Lunde’s out of Flom for repair options. The current quote to repair is $4,000, which does not include any possible damages to the existing fence or the pavement. Portz is requesting financial assistance due to the prior approval of a building permit which now limits his access to his sewer line. Bekkerus felt $1,000 would be an appropriate amount, and the City also takes care of any tar that is affected. Askelson was also in agreement with this proposal. MA/PB-m/s/p to approve spending up to $1,000 towards the repairs on this project. Membership—PB/MA-m/s/p to approve $25.00 membership to the Norman County Historical Society. LIQUOR—Nysetvold was unable to attend meeting. Gross sales for August were $46,662, ATM revenue $476. Note from Nysetvold distributed –update on events given. Have started opening on Sunday for football games. PUBLIC WORKS—Ranz updated Council on ongoing sewer/ponds project. Project is currently on schedule. Engineers are working with the MPCA on the reuse of sand from the lagoons which was originally approved but has since been flagged. Liner will not be salvageable and must be replaced. In town portion of the project is still on schedule to be completed by September 30th. It was noted that property owners in Herold’s court should expect to see their property that has been disturbed during construction returned to its original state. The first pay request was received from Sellin Brothers, for $966,885.45 which accounts for a plethora of materials to have on hand for the project. MA/ML-m/s/p to approve request for payment. Clerk will send documents to Minnesota Rural Water Association to request interim financing payment. Three new RV sites slated to be completed by the end of September with water and sewer services. Splash park is now closed for the season. Curbs and Hydrants have been repainted throughout town thanks to community service workers. EDA/PARKS—Askelson noted that a new round of funding from the Joseph Urdahl foundation has opened. Looking into requesting a grant to improve the current fencing along Heiberg North Trail system. Committee is exploring options for digital signage in town, only in the preliminary stages. Discussed splash park/skating rink directional signage for Highway 32, similar to the existing dump station signage. Further research is necessary to MN DOT regulations. POLICE—Resignation received from Chief Douville, effective September 20, 2024 with request for payout of sick and vacation time in accordance with negotiations. TC/ML-m/s/p to accept. Mayor Bolton thanked Douville for his 23 years of service with the City of Twin Valley. Discussed options moving forward, whether there was an 1  Twin Valley City Council Minutes | September 2024 | Page 2 option to keep the local police department or contract hours with the Sheriff’s office. Sheriff Fall attended meeting to discuss possible County contracted services for the City—noted the County is also not fully staffed at this time, was not sure how many man hours he would have available for contract hours. Once Douville severs ties with the City, the Police Department cannot remain active as the State requires a Chief Law Enforcement Officer for any Department to remain active. Discussed the process for hiring a law enforcement officer and extensive POST requirements, Council ultimately decided it may not be in the City’s best interests to try and maintain a local force. Requested that Sheriff Fall put some numbers together and give the Council a quote for available extra County coverage. Noted that the County will still respond to any emergency calls that are received regardless of any contracted hours for city patrol and services. FIRE/RESCUE—Lampton reported 3 fire calls and 9 rescue calls for August. The Fire Department is forming a committee to review aging equipment and explore replacement options. Looking into hiring a grant writer to assist in funding these necessary upgrades. One FEMA grant that is being looked into is a 5/95% matching grant, meaning the City would be responsible for 5% of the replacement’s costs should we get approval. The City/Fire Department already has funds in reserve for necessary upgrades. Ben Fall, on behalf of the fire department, requested the city’s support and approval to move forward with hiring a grant writer for $2,100 and to support and commit to the matching fund requirements of said grants. MA/TC-m/s/p to approve. FINANCIALS—August financial statements as well as an updated General Fund Budget report as of 08/30/2024 were distributed to Council for review. Preliminary levy certification is due to the County Auditor’s office before September 30th. MA/ML-m/s/p to increase the current levy of $199,972 a proposed amount of 10%. The Council will hold further budgeting meetings and certify the final levy to the County in December. Meeting adjourned 8:40PM, ML/MA-m/s/p. Attest: Signed: RACHEL JOHNSON, CLERK TREASURER MICHAEL BOLTON, MAYOR ****** ****** ****** ****** ****** 2