REGULAR MEETING – DANUBE CITY COUNCIL – APRIL 22, 2009

Gene Allex called the regular meeting of the Danube City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2009.  Council members present:  Sharon Lothert, Les Schneider, Sr., Al Strunc and Ryan Bentley. 

Also present:  Les Schneider, Jr., Chief of Police

A motion was made by Les Schneider, Sr. to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Under old business: “Boilers License” and “FEMA” and  “Chlorine Room Wall” and under new business: “2009 Dust Control” and “Resident Complaint”  Ryan Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

A motion was made by Sharon Lothert to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 8, 2009.  Al Strunc seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Police Chief Les Schneider, Jr. was present to give his police report.  The March activity was very similar to March of last year.  The following items were discussed:

·         Les attended the ETI conference in Rochester, earning 15 credits, and heard information on topics such as online licensing, part-time licensing, violent crime incidents rising due to the bad economy, youth violence and grant opportunities. 

·         Officers Dan Hotovec and Marcel Krueger attending a weather spotting class.  Marcel will also be attending an arson class.

·         Les received his new Peace Officer license.  It is good for 3 years.

·         Regarding the school building:  the roof has again been fixed under warranty and it was suggested that a drain be put on the roof; the pea rock on the playground has been removed so dirt can be put in and grass planted; Les suggested getting a quote for waxing the floors in the lobby area while Tri-Valley is having their floors waxed.

·         Les attended a RAPAD Coalition meeting.  In the future there will be alcohol compliance checks taking place. 

·         The squad car had to have the brakes and rotors replaced.  The fuel pump was also replaced and the transmission was flushed.  The squad car is on year 7 of use. 

·         The police department will be participating again in the Crime Prevention Association Program.  It costs $25 and the department will receive Minnesota Twins tickets which will be used to take some local kids to a game that wouldn’t normally be able to go. 

·         The MPCA sent a bypass/overflow release form.  The form is used only in case of emergency.

·         Dan Kaufenberg, Public Works Director, requested to go to his summer schedule.  He will now be working 10 hour days Monday – Thursday.

·         A Danube resident needs community service hours.  Dan said the resident could work on cleaning up the park. 

·         There were a couple complaints from Danube residents about a website giving false information about the City of Danube.  The council stated that the City has no control over anything on the internet other than the City’s website, which is www.cityofdanube.com.  Anyone can edit some of these public websites. 

·         Les was given a verbal list of some problem dogs in town. 

The council requested to see a copy of Dan Kaufenberg’s boilers license.  The clerk will bring it to the next regular council meeting.

There was nothing new to discuss regarding the Mahoney case.

The upcoming Community Center and School Building rentals were reviewed by the council.  There will be a bridal shower taking place on Friday, April 24; the Danube Senior Citizens will be in the hall on April 27 and May 11; a Lady’s Expo will take place on Saturday, May 9.  The St. Matthew’s youth group continues to use the School Building.  Al Strunc requested a copy of the Community Center rental agreement.  The clerk will bring it to the next regular council meeting.  The clerk was informed that the rental payment and deposit for Community Center and School Building rentals needs to be paid up front and the renter’s requested date is not officially reserved until the rent and deposit are received in the City Office.

A motion was made by Sharon Lothert to hire Brandon Beckendorf for the part-time summer maintenance position for 20 hours per week at $7.50 per hour and to hire Gayle Danielson for the Community Center custodian, as needed, at $8.50 per hour.  Ryan Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

A motion was made by Ryan Bentley to approve the bills as submitted in the amount of $16,746.86.  Sharon Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

The clerk was asked to check into different companies for telephone service.

There was no update available on the Department of Health’s request for a false wall to be put in the chlorine room. 

There was no update available on the FEMA plan.

The council set May 4, 2009 as Danube’s city wide clean up.  Any branches, leaves or brush left on the curb by 9am on May 4 will be picked up by City Maintenance.  Leaves and brush need to be bundled.  The brush site sign needs replacing.  Al will check into this.

Blighted properties need to be addressed.  The clerk will ask Les Schneider, Jr. for a list of blighted properties for the next council meeting.

There was no new information available on the skid loader bids.  The clerk will ask Dan Kaufenberg to see if the bid from Haug Implement can be extended for 30 days. 

Discuss took place on who has keys for the Community Center and the School Building.  The clerk was asked to find out how much it would cost to re-key the locks on the Community Center.

A motion was made by Sharon Lothert to approve the door being open between Miller’s On Main Bar and the Community Center for Trista Schneider’s bridal shower on Friday, April 24, 2009.  Ryan Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Les Schneider, Sr. informed the council that Danube was mentioned the League of Minnesota Cities Magazine.  The article referred to the ongoing Mahoney case regarding his shed, which is not in compliance with Danube’s building codes.

A survey from the League of Minnesota Cities was discussed.

First quarter utility bills were discussed.  Some residents complained that the bills were sent out 2 weeks late.  The clerk explained that she was delayed in getting the meter reading forms to maintenance due to having to make new forms. This delayed the readings.  There were also computer problems that slowed down the process.  The due date on the utility bills was extended to reflect the late billing date. 

Sharon Lothert brought up city employee accountability.  It was decided that each city employee will be assigned to one councilmember.  The assigned councilmember is who the employee should go to with problems or if sick.  The following assignments were made:  Les Schneider, Jr. was assigned to Gene Allex; Dan Kaufenberg was assigned to Les Schneider, Sr.; Sara Wilson and Gayle Danielson were assigned to Sharon Lothert. 

The City will not be participating in 2009 dust control.

The clerk was asked to contact various contractors to get bids on street repairs that need to be done. 

At 9:55 p.m., there being no further business to discuss, Sharon Lothert made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Ryan Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Respectfully submitted:  Sara Wilson, City Clerk