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Thursday, August 25, 2005
CITY OF WAUBUN MN REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, July 12, 2005 The regular July meeting of the Waubun City Council was held on Tuesday July 12, 2005 at the Waubun Community Center beginning at 6:00 PM. Mayor Peter Haddeland called the meeting to order. Council members present were Ken Kylmanen, Leonard Wells, Peter Haddeland, Milo Winter and Larry Swiers. Staff present was G. Riegert, Dan Murray and Paul Brehm. Guests and delegations: Kurt Philion, Carol Moore, Pam Stall, Robert Johnson, Charles Hanson, Judy Berger, Cliff Tweedale (HRDC), Elroy Hanson and Jon Pratt. The following items were added to the agenda: • Report on Volunteer Award—Herbert Ahles is first recipient • League of MN Cities—what does it do for us? • Safety commissioner appointment Kylmanen made a motion to approve the amended agenda. Winter seconded it. The motion carried. A motion was made by Kylmanen and seconded by Wells to approve the minutes of the last meeting as sent out and posted. Motion carried by a unanimous vote. The following monthly bills were reviewed: GENERAL FUND: Pitney Bowes 75.00 Systecom Corp. 2449.50 Ahles Repair 38.23 One Call Concepts 2.70 Hobans Plbg and Htg. 105.00 LMNC 20.00 Office Supplies Plus 133.13 Bement Oil 59.04 Larke Lock & Key 12.75 D&G Foods 7.99 ACS 188.64 True Value Hardware 77.29 Midwest Printing 523.29 D&J Towing 80.00 Ottertail 1155.96 Wilson Bros. 137.01 Waubun Feed & Hdwe. 54.17 Ken Kylmanen 17.77 Cindy Lindsay 86.15 John Deere Credit 8508.12 WATER AND SEWER FUND: Ottertail 376.84 MN Dept of Health 23.00 RMB Labs 237.00 Hawkins Inc. 252.41 Electro Watchman Inc. 70.29 Water Tower Paint & Repair 1150.00 Chad Smith 200.00 Swiers made a motion to pay the bills. Wells seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. Bills sent since the last meeting was: • the June water and sewer billings • Mowing bill to Irene Hamm for vacant lot on North side The Clerk reported the following receipts since the last meeting: • Mahnomen Co. Treasurer 25,925.08 • Irene Hamm-mowing 120.00 • Midwest Bank-interest 702.16 #’s 19724,19725,20374,22239 • Mahnomen Co. Treasurer 11,110.73 Delegations: Mayor Haddeland recognized Judy Berger. She questioned what we were doing about the tree that was damaged by the tree removal service. She was told that we have sent Mr. Lhotka a letter informing him that he will not be paid for his services until he obtains a release from the Berger’s. She thanked the Council for their concern and left the meeting. He then recognized Charles Hanson who wanted to know if black topping the streets, especially on the parking lot of his apartment building would increase the property taxes. Mayor Haddeland said that assessing is contracted out and that he should contact Les Finseth, Mahnomen County Assessor for more information. Carol Moore was recognized. She presented a list of “taxpayer questions” to the Mayor. He read them aloud and asked if they were questions or complaints. Comments were made on whether city employees kept time logs and how did they get paid for overtime. They were assured that time cards are kept and that any time in excess of eight hours daily is considered compensatory time and can be taken by the employee on an hour for hour basis as it is convenient for the employee and the City. Comments were made Ms. Moore and Ms. Pam Stall that the City Maintenance person made wrecking calls on City time when the cemetery needed mowing, etc. They were reminded of the compensatory time method allowed. It was agreed that the City cemetery was not in the best shape for Memorial Day but it was so wet that it was difficult to mow correctly. After some discussion it was agreed that the Cemetery will be mowed, trimmed and swept on a weekly basis as long as it is our responsibility. Other concerns expressed dealt with using the city mower to mow personal property, whether the person in question had the necessary experience to operate the new backhoe the city will be purchasing and why OSHA rules were being violated. The person using the city mower had gotten permission to use it as his was broken down, he has had many years of experience operating heavy equipment and will be using the machine to do repairs and not new construction and that safety equipment was not available but has been ordered. The task that was noted was done when it was, because people were demanding that the banners be put up ASAP. It was also noted that hydrant flushing will be done next week as the hydrants have been repaired now. By the end of the discussion tempers had cooled off and peace restored. Cliff Tweedale was introduced. He is employed by the Headwaters Regional Development Commission at Bemidji. His purpose with us was to address the Seventh Generation Initiative process which seeks to make a better future for our communities by working together for the greater good of everyone. Successful communities are distinguished by a collective, strategic and sustained civic effort. The challenge for our area is to create our own destiny or someone else will. This can be done by sharing values and by realizing that the only way our communities will continue to be viable and productive is by thinking outside the box and creating lasting changes based on shared dreams—a whole area wide community yearning for a better future for all of its members. He stressed that every community member is important and asked everyone in the room to take a questionnaire and complete it as soon as possible. Questionnaires are available at First National and Midwest Banks, Mahnomen City Hall and the White Earth RTC building. Questions can be addressed to him at ctweedale@hrdc.org or by calling 218-333-6538. Old Business Water treatment plant report: Jon Pratt, City Engineer, reported that there have been problems with the filter bed. There has been excessive media loss due to methods of backwash which has caused an iron buildup and the presence of iron bacteria. The next step is to find out where the iron is coming from and how to correct the problem. He assured the Council that the water is safe to use and that the company who installed the media will work with us to get the system rehabbed. He agreed to work closely with Dan to get this taken care of. On a related issue, Mr. Pratt asked if the City was willing to settle with Mark II for the repair of the hatch on the water tower. It was the consensus that the City would accept $5,315.11 as full settlement. Payment can then be made by the City to Maguire Iron Inc. for their trip to thaw it out. All of the other bills associated with the project have been paid. Mr. Pratt asked if the Council was ready to apply for grant/loan funds to do work on the water mains and sewer mains. He was assured that we know that something must be done in the not to distant future so he will come back to the August meeting to address these issues after he researches possible funding sources. Mr. Pratt also reported that he had gotten written confirmation from MN DOT that the Highway #113 project will begin in the spring of 2006—as soon as road restrictions are lifted in May. Hydrant repair report: Hough Construction repaired all of the necessary hydrants as agreed. When the one at Main and 2nd street was done, they hit a sewer line which necessitated their return to repair. It was noted that there was no curb stop at this point and there were two services off the one line. If there are a lot of these types of connections, major repair issues will be facing us soon. Hydrant flushing will be done within the next two weeks. Past due Water and Sewer Bills: The Clerk reported that there are still many people who are behind in paying their bills. At the end of each month, accounts receivable range in the $1,200 to $1,600 range. After some discussion, it was agreed that Mayor Haddeland will work with the Clerk to devise a series of collection letters which will be utilized in the future. Waubun Brochures: Ken Kylmanen distributed copies of the final product. Copies have been set out at the Information Center at EZ One Stop and at the Cenex Station in Mahnomen. The extra copies are in the Clerk’s Office. Vacating Ethel Avenue: The public hearing on this issue was postponed to July 19 because the clerk didn’t get the list of homeowners to be notified early enough. Conflict of Interest: A copy of the letter from the MN Attorney General was presented. It noted that the offices of Police Chief and Fire Chief are not incompatible. The City Council makes a determination on this matter. Siren Study: Len Wells reported that he has talked to Ottertail about a pole for the siren apparatus which will be placed in the City Park. The siren was ordered and will be available at any time someone can come to get it. He agreed that he will travel to Blaine to pick up the siren, probably next week. Discussion followed on who would be responsible for activation of the warning system. Swiers made a motion to have County Emergency Management personnel responsible for activation. Wells seconded it and it carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS Waterline extension on the North side: City Attorney Hanson and City Engineer Pratt said that in their separate research they could not find where the existing service was done under any contract. This poses several problems such as no repairs because there are no easements. The hydrant that is located there is not certifiable for fire protection because it is fed by an undersized line. It should be bagged. To help extend the line for the new housing that is coming into the area would be a waste of monies at this time because it would exacerbate the situation. Another question to think about is what happens to insurance rates if this problem is not resolved. After some discussion it was determined that Mayor Haddeland will meet with Ron Spaeth and tell him that we cannot help out with the costs at this time for all of the above reasons. City Cemetery: Earlier discussion about the cemetery resurfaced. Is it possible to sell the cemetery to another entity such as the Circles of Faith Church for $1 and have them responsible for upkeep? Attorney Hanson will research this issue before the next meeting. It is cost prohibitive as it now operates. Lots are $50 and perpetual care is expected by City employees. If we keep the cemetery, lot prices would have to be raised to co-inside with others in the area. Further action was tabled until the August meeting. Safety Commissioner Appointment: Mayor Haddeland said he felt that one of the Councilors should take over the role of dealing with safety issues within the City. Ken Kylmanen volunteered to act in that role for the remainder of the year. This office will be added to the roster for the January 2006 organizational meeting. Winter made a motion to accept Kylmanen. Swiers seconded it and it carried unanimously. LMC and laws governing Cities: Swiers asked if there is a handbook of laws that govern City operations. The Clerk said that the League of MN Cities is available for this purpose and is always willing to assist with problems and questions. It is one of their major functions and this is provided for us by the payment of annual dues. If he wants more information she will provide the LMC website. STAFF REPORTS Police and Fire: Paul Brehm presented his written reports. Public Works/Water and Sewer: Dan Murray brought his concern to the Council that he has been accused of burning his own tow truck and that this rumor was initiated by the Fire Chief. It was determined upon investigation that the fire started from an electric short. He requested that the Council direct the Fire Chief to issue a public apology. Swiers spoke to the issue that these kinds of allegations keep surfacing and it against public policy to make such statements—they need to be controlled. After some discussion it was determined that Safety Officer Kylmanen would get the two parties together for a meet and confer session with the results to be reported to the full Council. The City tractor has been built and delivery will be made sometime the third or fourth week of July. Question of overlay on the streets surfaced. The quote we have for the worst areas is about $26,000. This is just the overlay as Dan can obtain matting from the County and can do the digging and filling with our own machinery. The clerk was directed to research applicable law about bidding requirements before any commitments will be made. Maintenance logs have been set up on all equipment for which Dan is responsible and all maintenance is on schedule. All is working okay at the present time. The truck needs cleaning as they used it to take out the muck when the hydrants were repaired but it work well. Dan requested the services of a part time male to assist with fixing streets. He suggested Randy Tibbetts who would accept the rate of $8 per hour up to a maximum of 200 hours. Winter made a motion to approve this request. Kylmanen seconded it and the motion carried unanimously. Dan reported that he has obtained his Class D Water License. He will take the Waste Water test sometime in August. He will be having hernia surgery later this summer and will be off for six weeks. He has trained Joyce Guenther to do the meter readings etc. so the City will be covered. City Clerk: Clerk Riegert had no further reports. Other: Councilor Wells reminded all staff that mileage and maintenance records are to be kept on file and up to date as required by statute. Karen Ahmann, County Commissioner, reported that the County is now in the Budget 2006 process. The County Fair will be held the coming weekend. Some changes have been made in office spaces—the County Attorney will be moving to the Mahnomen Service Center. Bids were opened on Co. Rd. 10’s bridge. 37 requests were received for plans and only one bid was received and it was way over projected costs. They will try to rebid it next spring. No further business was brought before the Council. Swiers made a notion to adjourn and Wells seconded it at 9:10 PM. Motion carried unanimously. _______________________________ ___________________________ Mayor Clerk |
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