Hallock City Council May 4, 2020

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING
OF THE HALLOCK CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020
CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Dave Treumer called the regular meeting of the Hallock City Council to order at 5:34 pm on May 4, 2020. Those Present: Mayor Dave Treumer, Naomi Larson, Kevin Waller, Jen Peterson and Mike Totleben.
Also present: City Clerk-Administrator Aimee Sugden, Chief of Police Mike Docken, County Commissioner Loren Younggren and Anna Jauhola of the Kittson County Enterprise.
APPROVE AGENDA:
Councilor Totleben moved to approve the agenda as presented.  The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
Resolution 2020-07, Tax Abatement:
Mayor Truemer closed the regular council meeting and opened the public hearing for Resolution 2020-07, the Carr Construction, LLC. Tax abatement.
Jason Murray, a housing consultant with David Drown & Associates, presented the plan and answered questions from the council.
Kittson County Commissioner Loren Younggren spoke to the council in support of the abatement and noted the unique opportunity the county may have to house individuals who can work remotely.
Councilor Peterson moved to pass Resolution 2020-07 authorizing a tax abatement on property within the City of Hallock for the purpose of assisting with townhomes constructed by Carr Properties, LLC. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
Councilor Waller moved to close the public hearing. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Councilor Totleben moved to approve the Minutes of the Hallock City Council Meeting of April 6, 2020 as written.  The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
FISCAL & ADMINISTRATIVE 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 $181,207.67, General fund, checks #11389 to #11470, which includes a transfer of $39,150 to the payroll account to cover wages, taxes and benefits.  The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
Mayor Treumer and Councilor Totleben will review bills for the June 1, 2020 meeting.
Fire Department:
Fire Chief Klein was not present, but gave a report over the phone. He inquired about the Fire Department acquiring the lot north of the fire hall. This space would be used for fire simulations and practice. If approved, the department would work on grants to acquire containers for practice. Councilor Waller proposed an alternate location for the training site.
Councilor Totleben moved to approve the retirement of fire department member, Doug Wilebski. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
Councilor Totleben moved to approve the addition of Scot Olson to the Hallock Fire Department. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
Police Department Report:
Police Chief Docken reported that he had inquired again about the status of the grant he had applied for through Enbridge, but had not heard anything yet. Signs for slow moving children were ordered and their delivery is scheduled this month. He will put two in the North Douglas neighborhood and one near the pool. He has also ordered 20 street signs to replace the most aged looking signs around town. He does not have a delivery date for those. Chief Docken also reported that he applied for a special permit for the in-town deer hunt for 2020. Councilor Waller asked if there was anything we could do to increase the number of deer taken during the hunt, citing the large population of deer in town. Mayor Truemer requested enforcement of code violations, especially those with junk in their yards, as the warmer weather has arrived. He cited a later cleanup week for a reason to begin enforcing now.
Airport:
Airport Manager Jeremy Seng was not present at the meeting so no report was given.
The council discussed a broken downspout at the new hangar. The issue had been reported to project engineers, KLJ Engineering.
Utility & Parks Department Report:
Utility Superintendent (US) Larson reported that the department had recently finished flood cleanup around the city. Beavers have become an issue in and around Gilbert Olson Park in the recent weeks. Police Chief Docken will assist in eradicating the beavers from the area. City Maintenance crews have been busy with cleaning streets and repairing roads and should wrap up some of those efforts this week. Caleb Pinnock completed his gas certification in April after finishing all 48-modules of the training program. Councilor Peterson inquired about the status of the pool. US Larson reported to the Council that Horizon Pool Company will be in town this month to repair the damage to the pool that occurred late last summer. While in town, they will also be assessing the baby pool and will start forming a plan for repairing that. Councilor Waller inquired about the status of assembling the new playground equipment. US Larson and City Administrator Sugden have had conversations about the status and will be reaching out to the committee in charge to see if there is a plan. Councilor Waller also inquired about the hiring of summer help. The city has received two applications for the positions and will be interviewing in the next few weeks. US Larson completed his report by informing the council that his department will begin their 9-hour workday schedule the upcoming week.
New Business:
Zoning Permit 2020-02
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve Zoning Permit 2020-02 for K. Erickson. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
Zoning Permit 2020-03
Motion by Councilor Larson to approve Zoning Permit 2020-02 for M. Camacho. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Zoning Permit 2020-04
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve Zoning Permit 2020-02 for D. Aipperspach. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
Zoning Permit 2020-05
Motion by Councilor Larson to approve Zoning Permit 2020-02 for B. Urie. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
Zoning Permit 2020-06
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve Zoning Permit 2020-02 for K. Soberaski. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Sale of Parcel R32.0020800
Motion by Councilor Waller to sell land parcel R32.0020800 to Gullander Hardware. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Sale of Fire Department Polaris Ranger
Motion by Councilor Totleben to the Fire Department’s Polaris Ranger to Mr. Jordan Lofstrom, the high bidder, for $7,502. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
USDA Loans
Mayor Truemer asked the council to consider offering USDA loan holders a forbearance if needed during these difficult economic times. The council agreed that they likely would, but no action was taken at the meeting.
Other Business
Cleanup Week
Anderson Sanitation and the landfill requested monitoring of the dumpsters at all times. Councilor Larson and Councilor Peterson will work with CA Sugden on a plan.
Council Roundtable & Public Comment
Councilor Waller reiterated the need to fix streets around town.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Councilor Waller moved to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Hallock City Council on May 4, 2020. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:41 p.m.
Dave Treumer, Mayor
Aimee Sugden, City Administrator
Minutes prepared by Aimee Sugden
(June 10, 2020)
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