Hallock City Council October 5, 2020

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE HALLOCK CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020
CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Dave Treumer called the regular meeting of the Hallock City Council to order at 5:38 pm on October 5, 2020. Those Present: Mayor Dave Treumer, Mike Totleben and Jennifer Peterson. Kevin Waller and Naomi Larson were absent.
Also present: City Clerk-Administrator Aimee Sugden, Police Chief Mike Docken, Utility Superintendent Dan Larson and Fire Chief Kevin Klein and Kittson County Emergency Manager Scot Olson.
APPROVE AGENDA:
Councilor Totleben moved to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Councilor Peterson moved to approve the Minutes of the Hallock City Council Meeting of September 28, 2020 as written. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben 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 $294,244.83, General fund, checks #11627 to #11683, which includes a transfer of $40,400.00 to the payroll account to cover wages, taxes and benefits. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Mayor Treumer and Councilor Totleben will review bills for the November 2020 meeting.
CARES Act Funds
Administrator Sugden presented the council with cost estimates for items that CARES Act funds could be spent on. The list included updating computer technology, purchasing equipment to better live-stream meetings, covering wages for employees if they were to become ill or need to quarantine, protective equipment, potential upgrades to public facilities and wages to cover additional time spent by the Administrator. The Council advised Sugden to go ahead with purchasing the technology upgrades and broadcasting equipment. Additional information will be needed for upgrades to facilities.
Assessing Delinquent Utilities
Administrator Sugden presented the Council with sample letters to be sent to utility customers with current balances exceeding $500 and eligible to be assessed to their taxes. Customers will receive two letters in the month of October and may contest their charges at the November council meeting. The Council agreed that they would like to proceed with collecting on these past-due utilities.
Special Report:
Jeff Langan, Houston Engineering
Jeff Langan, engineer with Houston Engineering, updated the council on the city’s dam project. Bids were opened at City Hall on Thursday, October 1, 2020. Bids were received from Davidson Construction, Gladen Construction, R.J. Zavoral & Sons, Spruce Valley and Wagner Construction. Spruce Valley Construction had the lowest bid at $2,081,073. Langan felt that the bids were mostly favorable but still higher than the original budget. He will be working on securing additional funding to cover the gap but asked the council to accept a bid contingent on the securing the additional funds.
Langan and Treumer also discussed options for acquiring one additional piece of land. Sugden and Treumer will be working with the landowner and City Attorney Hanson.
Fire Department:
Fire Chief Klein and Kittson County Emergency Manager/Hallock Fire Department member Scot Olson were present to discuss a mutual aide agreement for fire departments in Kittson County, including Hallock, and municipalities in Southern Manitoba.
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve a mutual aide agreement between the Hallock Fire Department, the Municipality of Emerson-Franklin and the rural Municipality of Stuartburn in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Police Department Report:
Police Chief Docken reported that Stone’s Equipment has installed the new siren system but there are a few glitches to work out. With the new system, the sirens will only go off for three minutes and then automatically shut off. Previously, the county’s dispatcher would have to manually shut-off the sirens. Docken also gave a report on deer in town. Three deer were taken in the City’s deer hunt over the prior weekend and he has filled 14 out of the 15 available spots for the hunt. More diseased elm trees will be coming down over the next month. Lastly, Docken and the council agreed to sell old street signs for $25/each.
Airport:
Airport Manager Jeremy Seng called into the meeting and reported on the completion of the taxilane project. He, Administrator Sugden and members of the Airport Commission will be doing a walk-around of the project with the engineers this month. Seng also updated the council on some necessary maintenance at the Airport. He will have estimates and information regarding a grant from MNDOT for an overhaul of the lobby, office, apartment at the next meeting.
Utility & Parks Department Report:
Utility Superintendent Larson reported to the council that work on the playground equipment will commence on the next day. The water table looks lower, they’ve rented a cement mixer and the weather looks favorable for the project. The crew has added two gas lines and removed one gas line to a residence that is being torn down. The annual gas surveys were completed in the previous month. They have also started to discharge the holding pond, much earlier than usual.
New Business:
Resolution 2020-14; Authorizing Two River Golf Club to Dispense Alcohol
Motion by Councilor Peterson to approve Resolution 2020-14, Authorizing Two River Golf Club to Dispense Alcohol. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
Resolution 2020-15; Authorization to Execute MNDOT Grants
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve Resolution 2020-15, authorization to execute MNDOT grants. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Resolution 2020-16; Accepting CARES Election Funds
Motion by Councilor Peterson to approve Resolution 2020-16, Accepting CARES election funds. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
Resolution 2020-17; Awarding Bid for the Two Rivers Fish Passage Restoration and Habitat Enhancement Project
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve Resolution 2020-17, awarding the bid to Spruce Valley Construction. The motion was seconded by Councilor Peterson and carried unanimously.
Other Business/Announcements
Truth in Taxation
The Truth in Taxation meeting will be held on Monday, December 7, 2020 in City Hall at 6:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Council’s December meeting.
MNDOT Visit
MNDOT will be visiting the City on October 8, 2020 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. in the parking lot of Kittson Auto & Equipment. The public is welcome to attend to learn more about the upcoming projects on US Hwy 75 and State Hwy 175.
Next Meeting
The next council meeting will be on Monday, November 2, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Election Day
Election Day 2020 is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Polls will be open at City Hall from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program will be distributing boxes of food on October 12, 2020 at the Hallock Senior Center starting at 10:00 a.m. This is open to the public. There are no income restrictions.
Council Roundtable & Public Comment
None
Adjournment
There being no further business, Councilor Peterson moved to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Hallock City Council on October 5, 2020. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m.
Dave Treumer, Mayor        Aimee Sugden, City Administrator
Minutes prepared by Aimee Sugden
(November 11, 2020)
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