City Council Meetings

Watertown City Council Regular Meeting Mayor Steve Washburn Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawelk Michael Walters Dan Schuette 2/22/2022 - 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 6:31 p.m. Tuesday, February 22, 2022, by Mayor Steve Washburn. Council Members present: Washburn, Adam Pawelk, Dan Schuette, Lindsay Guetzkow, and Mike Walters. City Staff present: City Administrator Jake Foster, Administrative Services Director Lynn Tschudi, Public Services Director Mike Dressel, and Fire Chief Tom Hanson. 2. Adopt Agenda WALTERS MOVED, GUETZKOW SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3. Consent Agenda Discussion And Approval PAWELK MOVED, SCHUETTE SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3.A. Approve City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes From February 8, 2022 3.B. Approve City Council Meeting Minutes From February 8,2022 3.C. Adopt Resolution# 2022-08, Accepting Donation And Directing Its Use 3.D. Adopt Resolution# 2022-09, Accepting Resignation Of Fire Fighter Employee/Dept.: 3.E. Adopt Resolution# 2022-13, Reestablishing Precincts And Polling Places 3.F. Fire Officer Appointments  3.D. Adopt Resolution# 2022-09, Accepting Resignation Of Fire Fighter Employee/Dept.: 3.E. Adopt Resolution# 2022-13, Reestablishing Precincts And Polling Places 3.F. Fire Officer Appointments 4. Open Forum 5. New/Old Business 5.A. Discussion And Direction For Ladder 11 Fire Chief Tom Hanson approached the City Council to update on the replacement of the current ladder truck. The fire department formed a truck committee over a year ago to research the replacement of Ladder 11. Hanson said there were $18,000 of repairs on the current ladder and many of the issues are no longer able to be fixed due to the age of the apparatus. Hanson said the on-board generator has been intermittently working as well as the hydraulic stabilizers. Hanson said the truck committee focused on researching a 100-foot ladder truck due to the setbacks of some of the neighborhoods in Watertown. Hanson said they looked at used vehicles, however most of them are at the end of their useful life and require large maintenance costs. He explained that if a truck is brought from a different climate, it would need to be outfitted for the Minnesota climate. Chief Hanson said the truck committee is recommending the e Sutphen SLR108 ladder truck. He listed the features of the apparatus and reasons it would be a good fit for the Watertown Fire Department. Hanson said the lead time is 14 months from the time of the purchase order. The budget is currently set at $1,077,000 for a new ladder truck. Hanson asked council for direction on if he should secure pricing information on a Sutphen SLR108 Rear Mount Ladder from CustomFIRE using the HGAC pricing consortium. Pawelk asked Hanson if he has any idea what kind of price will come back on the ladder due to the state of the economy. Hanson said it will be over budget and there have been three price increases since the Fire Department asked to begin researching ladder trucks. Schuette asked how much is due at the time of purchase order. Hanson said there are prepaid discounts and other incentives available. Mayor Washburn expressed his frustration in the price increases. PAWELK MOVED, WALTERS SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2022-15, AUTHORIZING THE SOLICITATION OF PRICING FOR AERIAL LADDER FIRE APPARATUS. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 5.B. Adopt Resolution #2022-14, Awarding Low Quote For Riverpointe Stabilization City Administrator Foster said the engineers have identified significant erosion along the west bank of the Crow River. Bolton & Menk is proposing using rip rap to stabilize portions of the riverbank. Foster shared photos of similar areas that were treated with this same repair. Foster said the area is less than the 300 feet that requires a DNR permit. The budgeted cost is $30,000 and the bids all came in just under that amount. Council discussed the streambank restoration study that was completed in 2021. They asked Foster to ensure that the areas being addressed are the most important areas needing attention on the Crow River. Walters asked if there are areas of the trail falling into the river. Public Services Superintendent Dressel said the bank is getting closer to the trail but it has not washed away yet. Walters asked if it would be cheaper to move the trail. Dressel said he did not believe that would be a cheaper option. Schuette asked why the project will start in March when it is frozen. Foster said it needs to happen prior to the ground thawing and the water rising.  Walters asked if there are areas of the trail falling into the river. Public Services Superintendent Dressel said the bank is getting closer to the trail but it has not washed away yet. Walters asked if it would be cheaper to move the trail. Dressel said he did not believe that would be a cheaper option. Schuette asked why the project will start in March when it is frozen. Foster said it needs to happen prior to the ground thawing and the water rising. Council discussed the possibility of increasing the spend up to budget. GUETZKOW MOVED, PAWELK SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2022-14, APPROVING THE LOW QUOTE FOR THE RIVERPOINTE SHORELINE STABILIZATION PROJECT. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 5.C. Adopt Resolution #2022-12 Authorizing The Purchase Of Towmaster TC-12D Trailer Public Services Superintendent Dressel said he is looking to replace a failing trailer in the fleet at Public Works. Dressel received three quotes with Farm-Rite Equipment Inc in Dassel coming in with the low quote at $7,954.80. Dressel said the lead time for the trailer is 12-18 months once it is ordered. GUETZKOW MOVED, WALTERS SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2022-12, AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF TOWMASTER TC-12D TRAILER. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 6. Other Reports Foster updated on the Spring Mill project. He said low bidder for the 2022 Mill & Overlay project came in at $413,000-$415,000, which is right around budget. Mayor Washburn updated on the State of the City address. He said there is a large demand for commercial real estate in Watertown. 7. Claims PAWELK MOVED, GUETZKOW SECONDED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CLAIMS FOR 2021 AND 2022. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 7.A. Approve February 22, 2022 Claims Roster 8. Adjournment GUETZKOW MOVED, SCHUETTE SECONDED A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 7:35 PM. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388 ________________________________________________________ Steve Washburn, Mayor ATTEST:__________________________________________________ Lynn Tschudi, Admin. Services Director