City Council Meetings

Watertown City Council Regular Meeting Mayor Steve Washburn Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawelk Michael Walters Dan Schuette 7/27/2021 - Minutes 1. Call To Order And Roll Call Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the regular meeting of the Watertown City Council was called to order in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, 2021, by Mayor Steve Washburn. Council Members present: Washburn, Mike Walters, Adam Pawelk, Lindsay Guetzkow, and Dan Schuette. City Staff present: Interim City Administrator Jeff O’Neill, Administrative Services Director Lynn Tschudi Guests: Carver County Commander Mike Wollin, Carver County Deputy RJ Cripps, Tim Litfin About 30 Watertown residents were in attendance. 2. Adopt Agenda PAWELK MOVED, SCHUETTE SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3. Consent Agenda Discussion And Approval GUETZKOW MOVED, WALTERS SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3.A. Adopt A Motion To Approve Workshop Meeting Minutes From 0713/21 3.B. Adopt A Motion To Approve Regular Meeting Minutes From 07/13/2021 3.C. Adopt A Motion To Accept A Donation To The Fire Dept From United Farmer’s Cooperative In The Amount Of $2,477.07. 3.D. Adopt A Motion To Accept A Donation From The Watertown Lions Club In The Amount Of $500 For Replacing Historic Marker Signs At Rick Johnson Park  3.C. Adopt A Motion To Accept A Donation To The Fire Dept From United Farmer’s Cooperative In The Amount Of $2,477.07. 3.D. Adopt A Motion To Accept A Donation From The Watertown Lions Club In The Amount Of $500 For Replacing Historic Marker Signs At Rick Johnson Park 3.E. Adopt A Motion Approving Resolution 2021-89 Appointing Elisa Cook, Amanda Olson, Steward Pratt And Mathew Schug To The Position Of Paid-On-Call Firefighters. 3.F. Adopt A Motion Selecting Finalists For The Position Of City Administrator As Discussed At The Previous Work Session 4. Open Forum 5. New/Old Business 5.A. Presentation By Tour De Tonka Representative On Upcoming Event August 7, 2021 Tim Litfin with the Tour de Tonka presented the 2021 ride for council. He said the ride has come through Watertown every year. There are 7 different distances total for the ride with three of them coming through Watertown. The first day registration for 2021 had over 100 people signing up. The ride will come through Watertown on August 7 this year. 5.B. Commander Mike Wollin And Deputy Robert Cripps Will Be Providing A Service Update And Will Be Available For Discussion Commander Wollin updated that Watertown contracts with Carver County Sheriff’s Office for three full- time deputies. Wollin provided a graph for police reports from the weekend. Wollin shared comparative data for July 2021 to July 2020. Most of the data showed a decrease in defenses from 2020 to 2021. Deputy Cripps updated the council on his extra patrol efforts as well as making business connections. Cripps reported that residents are complaining about unreported crimes. He is trying to educate residents on making a phone call to report crime when they see it. Cripps explained that there are many checks and balances, and it is difficult for calls to go unanswered. Council Member Pawelk asked for clarification on any gaps in coverage. Wollin stated that prior to 2019 Watertown had a gap from 4pm – 6pm. That gap has been shifted to 4am – 6am due to more need for service in the evening. RJ Cripps voiced the importance of not publicizing the exact coverage hours so that the public is not aware of when the sheriff is on the clock. Council Member Walters expressed the importance of having a deputy in the city to respond to emergencies. He feels the not reporting of crimes is a big problem. Mayor Washburn invited attendees to the podium: Shannon Richter - 100 Riverside Terrace – stated the crime has gotten very bad in the trailer park lately. Richter expressed her frustration with the drug use in the trailer park. She is frustrated because she has been told that Carver County has limited authority in the Trailer Park due to the private nature of the property. Cripps responded to Richter that the limitations of Carver County are related to traffic, not drug related. Cripps said they are aware of the drug problems and are addressing them. Resident at 110 Jefferson Ave SW – addressed the four wheelers that race up and down Highway 25. She also complained about the noise level of these machines.  Resident at 110 Jefferson Ave SW – addressed the four wheelers that race up and down Highway 25. She also complained about the noise level of these machines. James Waltz 301 Franklin SW – lives a block off Highway 25 and would like to address concerns regarding traffic. Concerns: speeding, ignoring stop signs, burnouts, excessive acceleration, late night speeders on Highway 25, parking with cars facing the wrong direction, vehicles with missing parts. He is concerned about the safety of his family. Brent Smith 216 Westminster – Complained of vehicles driving over 100 mph up Madison Ave. He suggested for the Sheriffs to sit at night and listen to the vehicles to get a feel for where the crime is. Jonathan Schmidt 301 Angel Ave SW – Moved in 2020 and is also concerned about the speeding and noise. He wants to keep the streets safe for his kids and others around him. He said his experience with law enforcement has been great and problems have always had follow up. He shared his list of vehicles that he has documented over the past year. Mario Cortolezzis Mario’s Italian Kitchen & Southfork BBQ - addressed council to say that he hears stories from many residents. He encourages residents to call in their crime. Cortolezzis said residents are scared to call 911 to report crimes. He suggested that the Carver County Sheriff put together a social media video to encourage residents to call and report crime. Debbie Cain-Rivord 715 Reo Road – Shared her concern about fireworks and drag racing. Rivord would like to know what she can do to help with all the vehicles racing down the streets. Stacy Lewandowski 212 Westminster Ave SW – expressed her thanks to the officers. She said she shared the meeting on Facebook and Nextdoor so that her neighbors could voice their opinions. She suggested increase patrolling in Watertown. Rich Raymond 211 Westminster Ave SW – Raymond wants to know what the residents can do to help the police. Gail Sommerfeld 568 Castle Ridge Road – asked if there are curfews anymore. She suggested enforcing a curfew and fining the parents if curfew is broken. 5.C. Staff Report On Drought Mitigation Measures Associated With Expected DNR Drought Warning Declaration Interim City Administrator Jeff O’Neill explained to council that there is potential that Carver County will be entering DNR severe drought warning state. O’Neill explained the required minimums the City would need to meet during this drought. In advance of this, the City is reaching out to developers to warn against any new tree and sod installation. If this does occur, the City would enter into a public information campaign and share the messaging across all media outlets. The City would then have the authority to issue citations for violations of water usage. O’Neill did report that all City wells are operating at 100% and all other equipment is operating as expected. Walters asked about the timing of when they will find out if Watertown is included. O’Neill said this information is reported every Thursday. Guetzkow shared with residents that this is important because the fire department relies on water pressure for emergencies. 6. Other Reports  Guetzkow shared with residents that this is important because the fire department relies on water pressure for emergencies. 6. Other Reports O’Neill updated on the City becoming eligible for the PSIG funds. He also updated council on the library dehumidification remediation. Pawelk updated on the Park Board meeting from July 21. The commission will be meeting at Wildflower Park on August 18 at 6:30 for a community engagement session. Residents will be able to interact with Flagship Recreation staff and help choose replacement playground equipment. Guetzkow updated on the Rails to Trails events occurring Friday and Saturday July 30-31. She said if the City enters into a drought, the pop up splash pad will be cancelled. Walters updated on the Chamber Meeting. 7. Claims PAWELK MOVED, SCHUETTE SECONDED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2021 CLAIMS. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 7.A. Approve Claims Roster For 2021 Budget 8. Adjournment WALTERS MOVED, GUETZKOW SECONDED A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:00 PM. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. ________________________________________________________ Steve Washburn, Mayor ATTEST:__________________________________________________ Lynn Tschudi, Admin. Services Director 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388