Hallock City Council Minutes, Monday, May 6, 2019

Minutes of the regular meeting of the Hallock City Council Monday, May 6, 2019 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Dave Treumer called the Regular Meeting of the Hallock City Council to order at 5:40 p.m. on May 6, 2019. Those Present: Mayor Dave Treumer, Naomi Larson, Kevin Waller, Jennifer Peterson, and Mike Totleben. Absent: None Also, Present: City Administrator Angela Grafstrom, Assistant Fire Chief Scott Slusar, Chief of Police Mike Docken, Utility Superintendent Dan Larson, Margie Holmgren of the Kittson County Enterprise, Emily and Matt Kuzel, Jeff Langan of Houston Engineering APPROVE AGENDA: Councilor Totleben moved to approve the agenda with additions of 5d Qualified Opinion, 5e Fire Dept Ordinance, and 19i Temp Liquor License for the Ag Society. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilor Waller moved to approve the Minutes of the Regular Hallock City Council Meeting of April 8, 2019 as written. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously. FISCAL ISSUES: Approval of Bills: Mayor Treumer and Councilor Totleben reviewed bills. Motion by Councilor Totleben to authorize payment of City bills in the amount of $128920.13, General fund, checks #107733 to 10810 totaling $128920.13; which includes a transfer of $22,365.46 to the payroll account to cover wages, taxes and benefits. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. Approval Deputy Clerk Johnson for Signature Cards: Grafstrom noted that we have not yet approved Kendra Johnson to sign checks for the city. She started working for the city January 2, 2019. The previous deputy clerk was authorized to sign checks and Grafstrom would like the council to approve Johnson as well. It is good to have back up. Motion by Councilor Larson to authorize Deputy Clerk Kendra Johnson to complete a signature card at United Valley Bank and American Federal bank so she is able to sign checks for the City of Hallock. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. Mayor Treumer and Councilor Totleben agreed to review the bills for the June 3, 2019 meeting. Qualified Opinion: Brady Martz would like the council to take action on a qualified opinion in the city’s 2017 audit so it can be cleaned up before the completion of the 2018 audit. From 2016 and back to the city’s installation of the Banyon Utility System, all prepaid utilities were allocated in Banyon into gas, water and sewer. The city used hand-written ledgers and the funds were only allocated to gas in the handwritten ledgers. This creates a deficit in water and sewer and leaves additional funds in gas which belong to the other enterprise funds. Over the years the city has offset the deficit with transfers from the gas account. Brady Martz wants the city to decide whether they should leave the money as is and move forward or if the council thinks they should go back and reallocate the funds to the appropriate account. Council acknowledges these funds may not have been properly allocated among the 3 enterprise accounts in the past, but realizes the funds are all city revenue. Since 2017, and with the new software system, all funds are being properly allocated and will continue to be going forward. The action needed is for council to decide if they want to expend time and person power to correct the fund balances going back from 2016 to when the city got Banyon Utility, or just leave it and move forward. Council Peterson motions to leave the enterprise funds and previously allocated in gas, water and sewer and just move forward. Motion seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. Ordinance Establishing Fees for Emergency Protection Fire Services The city wants to bill for fire calls but currently does not have an ordinance in place to allow for this. Motion by Councilor Peterson to set public hearing on Ordinance for June 3 at 6 pm. Seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. FIRE DEPARTMENT: Scott Slusar reported the department is doing a 24-hour training on how to handle pipeline protestors as they must be certified. They held the regional meeting here with over 100 Firefighters from the area. The Fire Relief Association will pay $162,865.50 toward the Rosenbauer invoice for the new firetruck. This is half the cost of the truck. The city has already prepaid the Chassis in the amount of $91,729.00 and will pay the balance of the city’s share which is $ 71,136.50. Councilor Waller motioned to pass Resolution 2019-07 accepting a donation of $162,865.50 from Hallock Fire Relief Association. Motion seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. Councilor Waller motioned to approve the payment of $71,136.50 toward the Rosenbauer invoice for the fire truck. Motion seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. POLICE/PARKS DEPARTMENT: Mayor Treumer requested a camping report from Chief Docken. Docken reported we have about 7 campers already. Chief Docken asked about purchasing the speed sign trailer with the county. The city’s cost would be approximately $3300.00. The council discussed this and decided at this time they would only rent the sign from the county and see how it goes. They directed Docken to see if they county would be willing to apply our rent toward the purchase price if the city decides to go in on it. Councilor Totleben motioned to approve renting the speed sign from county. Councilor Waller seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Docken reported that, as the utility department has been very busy, he asked Gary Koop how much he would charge to trench in the power lines to the poles. The bid for additional electric at Gilbert Olson was approved last year, but he trenching was supposed to be done by the city. As the city has been short handed this has not happened. Koop is willing to do it for $2.00/foot. It would probably cost approximately $400.00. Councilor Larson moved to approve hiring Gary Koop to do the trenching for the additional power at Gilbert Olson in the amount of $2.00/foot. Motion seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. Docken finished his report by stating the DNR contacted him and asked if the city would be interested in another Special City Deer Hunt this year. It would be offered again to 15 people with a limit of 2 deer each. Councilor Waller motioned to approve a Special Deer Hunt for 2019. Motion seconded by Peterson and carried unanimously. AIRPORT: Resolution 2019-08 Authorizing Execution of M and O Contract Grafstrom Received the updated contract and resolution from MnDOT. The new contract is for the city to receive M and O reimbursements for the state fiscal year of 2020-2021. Councilor Totleben motioned to approve Resolution 2019-08 authorizing the execution of the Maintenance and Operation Contract with MnDOT for state fiscal year 2020-2021. Motion seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. Grafstrom reported her and Councilor Totleben are meeting with KLJ later this week regarding the Taxi-lanes project at the airport. KLJ would like to bid the taxi-lanes. The city was not planning to do this project this year, but we do have entitlements that can go toward the project. The total project is approximately $300,000. Treumer noted the city’s portion is about 5%. Grafstrom stated the city had not budgeted for it as we did not think the Hangars would be completed. She recommended the city proceed with the Taxi-lane project as we cannot get the hangars rented until the taxi-lanes are put in. Council does not want to approve accepting bids until after Grafstrom and Totleben meet with KLJ, so they tabled discussion until the June 3, 2019 meeting. UTILITY/PARKS DEPARTMENT: Superintendent Larson reported the department has dealt with moderate floodin and cleanup. They have had 3 major water breaks. When they cut out the streets to fix them they found a 6 foot by 6 foot cavern and 2 others under the road. They got the last storm sewer replaced and now need to replace one hydrant at a cost of $4200.00. Mayor Treumer was on site when the utility department was replacing a valve. He informed the council that many of the city’s water valves are old and rusty and need to be replaced. He suggested they be replaced whenever we dig up the streets and find them so we don’t have to dig them up again when the street is redone. Larson continued with his report stating they plan to start at the pool on 5-7-19 and it will need to be repainted and then filled. Treumer asked when it was last painted. Larson reported about 2 year ago and they need to be repainted approximately every 2 years. Larson stated the dumpsters are here through the weekend for cleanup week. Larson gave the council a bid from Hallock Electric to wire the generator at the south sewer lift station for safety reasons. It would make it possible for the generator to be plugged in at the station and unplugged to transport to another location if needed. Currently the utility department is splicing wires to make it operational at the station. Councilor Totleben motioned to accept the bid from Hallock Electric in the amount of $1869.00 for repair work on the south lift station. Motion seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS: Emily Kuzel etal: Playground Equipment Install Emily and Matt Kuzel addressed their concerns to the council about the playground equipment not getting installed. Many people donated money to the purchase of the equipment and would like to see it put in. They understand how busy the utility dept is and that this will always be pushed to the bottom of the list. Matt Kuzel asked if the council would let him put together a team of volunteers, and coordinate with Superintendent Larson to get the equipment installed. It would likely be a 1 to 2-week project. Someone asked about liability issues for the city and Mayor Treumer stated the city would have no liability issues using volunteers. Councilor Peterson motioned to allow Matt Kuzel to assemble a team of volunteers and install the playground equipment at Gilbert Olson Park. Motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and Carried unanimously. Paint the Gazebo White The councilors have heard many complaints from the general public about painting the gazebo white. Many people want it stained again instead. No one came to the meeting to discuss. Councilor Waller stated they have a group of people willing to pay for the paint and do the work. Some others were concerned about long term maintenance. Waller wondered if the councilors felt all of them had heard from the same few people and it was not as many people complaining as it sounds. As no members of the public came to discuss they took no additional action and moved on. Before they moved on, Holmgren from the Enterprise spoke up to ask if the council invited the people who complained to come to the meeting and discuss. None had. Jeff Langan: Dam Project Langan from Houston Engineering reported they project is still scheduled to bid in late June or early July. They are a little behind on the bridge design and the permitting. The original bridge design was a truss bridge, but they found they had to extend it by 10 feet, so they narrowed it by 2 feet. The new bridge will be an open span with no pillars. Now the bridge will be 10 feet wide instead of 12 feet. An ambulance is only 8 feet and would still be able to clear. The bridge will also be 4 to 5 feet higher than the existing bridge. The sloping areas will have a concrete wall, so no leakage, with rock upstream 7 to 8 inches. This would be okay for a 100-year event but with milder events the spillway will overflow more frequently. The project will be handicap accessible. Mayor Treumer wants the engineers to speak directly with Dr. Larter as a landowner who will be affected by the project. Treumer is concerned the engineers want to cut down trees on Larter’s property. Treumer will arrange this meeting. Jim Johnson Flower Committee Beautification Request Jeanne Cooney put together an estimate of what is needed. She is requesting 13 Galvanized stock tanks for $1169.87, 3 extra-large traditional flower pots for $900.00 for a total request of $2069.87. They would also like to remove the diseased tree from Millennium Park. Jim Johnson was unable to attend the meeting and the council did not feel Cooney provided enough information. They want to know exactly where the galvanized tanks would go. They are wondering why they need the additional funds when the flower committee does fund raising. Council tabled until the next meeting when someone could come and explain in more detail. Employee Hours: Council discussed the city hall and utility department employees’ requests to reduce their lunch hours from 1 hour to ½ hour and shorten their day. Grafstrom stated the city office staff has a hard time getting a 15-minute break, let alone a full hour for lunch. The office is open during the lunch hour. The ordinance now reads city hall is open from 8:30 to 5 pm, but they are actually working from 8 am to 5 pm. They are busier at 8 am than they are at 4:30 pm, so Grafstrom would like the council to change the hours as set by ordinance from 8:30 am to 5 pm to 8 am to 4:30 pm and allow them to take only a half hour for lunch. Many other cities close the office at 4:30 pm. Mayor Treumer felt the hours were fine as they are now, even though it is a nine-hour day. He did not see the issue with a one-hour lunch break and the office should just work out the coverage to keep the nine-hour days. Peterson and Larson both stated this is a long day when the office personnel do not get their normal breaks and the staff eats lunch at their desk. Peterson and Larson stated if we post the hours the public will adjust to the hours. Grafstrom reiterated they have very little traffic after 4:30 pm. Council is not ready to change the ordinance and feels they need a trial period for the new hours. They will try it and review at a later date. Councilor Totleben motioned to temporarily approve changing the city hall hours from 8 am – 5 pm to 8 am – 4:30 pm with employees getting only a half hour for lunch. Motion seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. Utility Department Hours: Dan Larson said the utility department would like to go to 4, ten-hour days for the summer, or 4 nine-hour days and 4 hours on Friday. They would also like to reduce their lunch break from one hour to a half hour. Mayor Treumer was surprised to learn that the utility dept has a one-hour lunch break and saw no issue with a half hour lunch break. Totleben said that Dan Larson is a dept head and knows what needs to be done, he should be able to set the hours for his staff. Mayor Treumer agreed with guidelines. Councilor Larson felt the city should still set hours as a guideline and Superintendent Larson could send staff home in lieu of overtime if work was completed. Councilor Larson motioned to approve changing the utility department hours for the summer from 7 am – 4 pm to 7 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Thursday and 7 am to 11 am on Fridays with employees getting only a half hour for lunch and hours modified to accommodate the required work schedule. Motion seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. Zoning Permits: Dan Larson noted that Kinkaed knows there is a gas line in the proximity of his project. Councilor Waller motioned to approve Zoning Permit 2019-05 for Dennis Kinkaed. Motion seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. Councilor Totleben motioned to approve Zoning Permit 2019-06 for Erika Swanson. Motion seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. Councilor Waller motioned to approve Zoning Permit 2019-07 for Bob Jaszczak. Motion seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. Grafstrom also provided the council with an application from Ben Gonzalez and an application from David Anderson as an FYI. Gonzalez is not changing the properties footprint; no permit is required. Anderson is adding an apron to his driveway which is not addresses in the city ordinances. Parks and Rec Committee Recommendations: The city council reviewed that recommendations made by the Parks and Recreation Committee after the meeting held April 30, 2019. Recommended private lessons run for 5 days at a half hour per day. Councilor Waller motioned to run private lessons for 5 days at a half hour per day. Motion seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. Recommended lifeguards be paid a set hourly rate for private lessons. Councilor Larson motioned to pay the returning WSI lifeguard $13.50/hour to offer private lessons and any new WSI life guards offering private lessons will be paid $12.00/hour regardless of the number of students per lesson. Motion seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously with Totleben abstaining. Recommended the city offer water aerobics and pay the lifeguard an hourly wage to teach the lessons. Councilor Waller motioned to offer aerobics at $5.00 per hour class per person and pay the instructor at $13.50 per hour regardless of the number of students. Motion seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. Recommended the council approve the Pool Manager job description with 17-20 hours per week and the attached pay scale for managers. Councilor Waller motioned to approve the job description and the pay scale for pool manager as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Committee. See attached document. Motion seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. Regional Safety Council: Grafstrom/Treumer reported area cities are considering going together to purchase the offered OSHA classes. The more cities that buy in the lower our costs to get trainers to the area. This is just an FYI at this time as the Mayor of Badger and the Clerk of Lancaster are working on getting more information about the cost to each city. Mayor Treumer has additional notes on this and we can review in more detail at the next meeting. No action taken. Ag Society Temporary Liquor License Councilor Waller motioned to approve the Ag Society’s Temporary Liquor License. Motion seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. Council Roundtable Waller mentioned a chunk of the pavement is missing in Gilbert Olson park between the blacktop and the shelter. He wanted to make sure the city intends to put it back in. Waller mentioned the streets are in terrible condition and in need of patching. If the city crew is too busy maybe we should contract to the county to get this repaired. Councilor Larson was wondering who owns the alley by the hospital. Treumer noted Boychuk’s road needs to be crowned and grated. Waller stated the gazebo painting is a hot button issue and the council should compare notes on who has complained to see who we are hearing from. He stated we have people willing to donate and do the work. People will stop doing it if they are continually harped at. Treumer attended the mayor’s council. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, Councilor Larson moved to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Hallock City Council of May 6, 2019. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m. Dave Treumer, Mayor Angela M. Grafstrom, City Clerk/Administrator (June 12, 2019) ––––––––––