MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE HALLOCK CITY COUNCIL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE HALLOCK CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Treumer called the regular meeting of the Hallock City Council to order at 5:36 pm on November 7, 2022. Those Present: David Treumer, Kevin Waller, Mike Totleben and Naomi Larson. Jen Peterson was absent.
Also present: City Administrator Aimee Sugden, Airport Manager Jeremy Seng, Fire Chief Kevin Klein and Kittson County Enterprise Reporter Anna Jauhola.
APPROVE AGENDA
Councilor Totleben motioned to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Councilor Waller moved to approve the minutes of the City Council meeting on October 28, 2022. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
FISCAL & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
Motion by Councilor Totleben to authorize payment of City bills as listed;
General Fund Amount; $63,488.88
Total Check Amount; $91,822.45 (AF), $15,628.44 (UVB)
Check Numbers; 12735-12774 (AF), 15904 (UVB)
EChecks; 11536E-11537E (AF), 488E-495E (UVB)
Payroll Transfer (covers wages, taxes and benefits); $34,700.00
The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
Mayor Treumer and Councilor Totleben will review bills for the December 2022 meeting.
MNDOT Check
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve payment of check #12679 to MNDOT for the Hwy 75 project. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously. The check had been held until the project was complete.
Budget to Actual Report
Administrator Sugden presented the Budget to Actual Report to the council. She noted that they were on track to stay within or under budget for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.
Project Status Report
Administrator Sugden presented the Project Status Report to the council. Highlights included the completion of adding a water access in Centennial Park, repairing the sidewalk at Grace Lutheran Church, gas installations, a mock OSHA inspection and airport project updates.
Maintenance Hour Tracking Report
Administrator Sugden presented a Maintenance Hour Tracking Report to the council. The report tracks maintenance hours from September 2021-September 2022. The top five categories are as follows; mowing/snow removal, parks and recreation, shop (equipment maintenance), street repairs and gas.
Administrator Review & Wage Adjustment
A review for Administrator Sugden was completed by Mayor Treumer and Councilor Waller in March 2022. A wage adjustment was put on hold until a confirmation on pay equity could be determined.
Motion by Councilor Waller to increase pay for Administrator Sugden 13.3%, retroactive to March 1, 2022. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
Airport Report
Airport Manager, Jeremy Seng, reported;
• Manager Seng and City Administrator Sugden attended the annual CIP meeting with the FAA, MNDOT and airport engineers.
• Held an airport commission meeting on October 25, 2022.
• Potentially able to acquire new mowing and snow removal equipment or have funds to hire the services out.
• Updated the FBO contract to include terms regarding fuel storage/sales should the manager depart.
2023 Manager/FBO Contract
Motion by Councilor Totleben to extend the Airport Manager and Fixed Based Operator contracts with Jeremy Seng for the 2023 calendar year. The motion was seconded by Mayor Treumer and carried unanimously.
The Airport Commission voted unanimously, at their meeting, to recommend extending the contract.
Fire Report
Fire Chief, Kevin Klein, reported;
• Previous month was busy.
• Seven members will be taking Firefighter 1 and 2 (training courses) this winter.
Utility & Parks Report
Utility Superintendent, Dan Larson, was not present at the meeting, but provided councilors with a written report;
• South lift station float control went down. City crew ran it manually until a technician could repair it. Awaiting a quote for new floats.
• Doing fall discharges at sanitary ponds.
• Locating for the Wiktel fiber project took up a lot of time throughout the month.
• Parks are shut down for the winter.
• Installed three gas lines.
New Business
Dam Updates
Administrator Sugden attended FEMA’s preliminary site inspection (October 13) and site inspection (October 21). The damage inventory report has been completed and approved. Additional damages may be submitted by December 12, 2022. Completing the damage inventory report makes the city eligible to submit expenses for reimbursement.
Houston Engineering presented the council with a list of recommended repairs to be done prior to freeze up to prevent additional damage in the spring. The cost estimate of that work totals $64,036. Work can be done by Taggart Construction. This work will be eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
Motion by Mayor Treumer to proceed with the work recommended by Houston Engineering to be completed by Taggart Contracting. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and passed with a 3-1 vote. Councilor Totleben voted no.
Resolution 2022-12; Liquor at City Hall for Fall Spa Event
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve resolution 2022-12, allowing for liquor to be served by Last Chance Trading Post at the Fall Spa Event on November 19, 2022. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
Carr Tax Abatement
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve tax abatement payments totaling $6,731 for FY2021 and FY2022 to developer, Carr Construction. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously.
Agricultural Land Lease
The council previously requested that a change be made to the current agricultural land lease to prohibit subleasing. The contract was updated by City Attorney Jeff Hane and is being presented to the council.
Motion by Councilor Waller to approve the updated agricultural land lease (1-year lease with a July 15 payment). The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried with a vote of 3-0-1 with Mayor Treumer abstaining.
Building Permit 2022-10; R. Evenson
Motion by Councilor Totleben to approve building permit 2022-09 for the construction of a fence at a residential property. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
Building Permit 2022-11; R. Bakken
Motion by Councilor Waller to approve building permit 2022-10 for the construction of a garage addition at a residential property. The motion was seconded by Councilor Totleben and carried unanimously.
Building Permit 2022-12; Bakken Construction
Motion by Councilor Larson to approve building permit 2022-11 for the construction of a residential home. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waller and carried unanimously.
Council Roundtable & Public Comment
Mayor Treumer asked that the council begin to consider their thoughts on allowing shipping containers in residential and commercial properties.
Other Business/Announcements
Upcoming Meetings
Next Meeting; December 5, 2022
General Election; November 8, 2022
Adjournment
There being no further business, Councilor Waller moved to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Hallock City Council on November 7, 2022. The motion was seconded by Councilor Larson and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:57 p.m.
Dave Treumer, Mayor
Aimee Sugden, City Administrator
Minutes prepared by Aimee Sugden
(December 14, 2022)
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