September 23, 2009 - council meeting minutes
DANUBE CITY COUNCIL - REGULAR MEETING of SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
Gene Allex called the regular meeting of the Danube City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Council members present: Sharon Lothert, Al Strunc, Les Schneider, Sr., and Ryan Bentley. Absent: None
Also present: Craig Hebrink, Susan Williams and Dan Kaufenberg.
A motion was made by Sharon Lothert to approve the agenda, with the addition of “school” under old business. Les Schneider, Sr. seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
A motion was made by Schneider, Sr. to approve the minutes from the regular council meeting of September 9, 2009. Ryan Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Danube Public Works Director, Dan Kaufenberg, was present to give his monthly employee report. Items discussed were as follows:
· Kaufenberg has been replacing broken water meters. He has two left to replace, but cannot find the residents home.
· Vosika was in town to finish cleaning out the water shut offs.
· Hardline is finished with the 2009 street repairs.
· Kaufenberg explained the loss prevention recommendations for the boilers.
· Kaufenberg reminded the council of the need for a new main broom for the sweeper.
· Kaufenberg informed the council that he will be returning to 5 day work weeks after Thanksgiving. He also requested to take the following vacation time: November 9-12; December 24; December 28-31. Discussion took place on what to do in case of a snow emergency while Dan is on vacation. There are people in town that the City can call.
· Kaufenberg brought in quotes for a new mower. The current 2002 mower has 900 hours on it. The clerk will make copies of all quotes for the council.
· Lothert told Dan about the rust on the grout in the bathrooms at the Community Center.
· There hasn’t been any progress in getting a bucket made for the new skid loader. Dan has been unable to talk to Nyquist about it.
A motion was made by Schneider, Sr. to purchase a new main broom for the street sweeper at an approximate amount of $500.00. Al Strunc seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Craig Hebrink was present, representing Co-op Country Farmer’s Elevator. Hebrink informed the council of some short-term and long-term possible plans for their property on the east side of Danube. Hebrink asked about the permitting process and the City water and sewer connections that will be needed. He was told that the Elevator will have to apply for a building permit and that the City will put in water and sewer. There is a $1300 per lot assessment for new sewer.
There were no updates available on the Mahoney case.
The clerk is waiting for a return call from Mediacom regarding business phone service.
A motion was made by Al Strunc to hold a public hearing regarding the paving of 2nd Street East at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, before the regular council meeting. Sharon Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
The clerk will publish the notice in the October 1st and October 8th editions of the Renville Register and also mail notices to the abutting property owners.
The mayor reported that he has approached a couple more organizations for donations to the playground equipment.
Another CD has matured in the amount of $150,000 plus interest. The clerk checked into CD rates and they are still very low. The City’s money market savings account APY has dropped from 2.27% to 2.07% but still remains higher than current CD rates.
A motion was made by Schneider, Sr. to put the matured CD proceeds into the City’s money market savings account at Hometown Bank in Olivia. Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Schneider, Sr. reported that Stephanie at the Tri-Valley school approached him about leasing the space in the school building that was the library. For now they will use it for storage. The room is 1760 square feet.
Strunc made a motion to have Schneider, Sr. negotiate a price per square foot with Tri-Valley on behalf of the City council. Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Susan Williams, from the Renville Register, was present to explain to the council that she wants to cover the Danube council meetings. This will mean that the clerk will email her typed minutes to Susan after the council meeting, but before they are approved by the council. Williams will then write a “story” from the minutes about the highlights of the meeting. The council was fine with the request.
A motion was made by Schneider, Sr. to have the door open between Miller’s on Main and the Community Hall for a wedding reception on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Lothert brought in some flyers containing options for new Christmas decorations for the streets in the City of Danube. The council agreed that the decorations are in bad condition. Bentley will take the information to the Danube Fire Department and ask for possible financial assistance. Other City organizations may be contacted as well.
On behalf of the Danube Area Action Club (DAAC), Strunc requested that the City pay for the extra dumpsters and garbage service from Danube Fun Days. The bill was $207.
A motion was made by Schneider, Sr. to pay the West Central Sanitation bill for extra garbage service during Fun Days. Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
The clerk requested permission to have someone come in to service the copier/printer. Schneider, Sr. said to check with Deb at Americana Insurance to see who services their copier.
The City will not send out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for auditing services this year, as Oberloh and Associates contracted with the City of Danube for the years 2007, 2008, and 2009. Next summer the City can send out an RFP for the years of 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Discussion took place regarding the budget process. The new members of the council requested that the council holds a special meeting to go over the budget, rather than do it at a regular meeting. The council set a special budget meeting for Thursday, November 12, at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall. Additionally, the schedule for the first regular council meeting in November falls on Veteran’s Day. Therefore the council decided to change November’s meetings to the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Those dates will be November 4th and 18th.
The clerk brought in the Tax Levy resolution that had already been voted on. It just needed the mayor’s signature.
There being no further discussion, at 8:55 p.m. a motion was made by Lothert to adjourn the meeting. Schneider, Sr. seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted: Sara Wilson, City Clerk