April 14, 2010 council meeting minutes
REGULAR MEETING – DANUBE CITY COUNCIL – APRIL 14, 2010
Mayor Gene Allex called the regular meeting of the Danube City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. Councilmembers present: Sharon Lothert, Al Strunc, Ryan Bentley, and Bob Simpson. Absent: None
A motion was made by Lothert, seconded by Bentley, and carried unanimously to approve the agenda with the following additions:
· Approve minutes of special meeting of March 31, 2010
· Under New Business:
o Approve building permit applications
o Credit card
o Water main break & sewer lines
o Blights
o Carpet in Community Center entry
No updates were available on the Mahoney lawsuit.
Kaufenberg has removed the old slide at the park. A check can be made out to Cullen’s Home Center for $3,000. This includes the $1,000 donated by the City of Danube along with the $2,000 in donations the City has received towards the project. Bentley and Kaufenberg will make a list of old playground equipment and give it to the Clerk to advertise for sale. Washed sand is being donated by Homer Haug for the area around the new playground equipment.
Everything that needs to be done in order to rezone a portion of the land owned by Co-op Country Farmers Elevator, is complete, except for holding a public hearing on the matter.
A motion was made by Strunc to hold a public hearing during the next regular council meeting on April 28, 2010 to allow concerned citizens to speak in regard to rezoning a portion of the land owned by Co-op Country Farmers Elevator. Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The Clerk will publish a notice in the Renville Register.
The City is now allowed to sell the property at 303 – 4th Street. The Clerk will check into the procedure and then publish a notice on the bulletin board and in the paper stating sealed bids will be accepted at City Hall until May 11, 2010. The notice will also state that the council has the authority to reject any and all bids.
A motion was made by Lothert to approve the minutes of the regular meetings of 3/10/10 and 3/24/10 and the special meeting of 3/31/10. Simpson seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Strunc updated the council on the quotes received to reroof a portion of the former school building. Discussion took place about the quotes and Lothert made a motion to hire Marty’s Roofing to reroof approximately 12,500 square feet of the 3 story portion of the building at a price of $51,851 with an addition 60 cents per square for 1 1/2” foam to be placed on the roof. Strunc seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The clerk will send an award letter to
Marty’s Roofing and a rejection letter to the other 3 contractors. Strunc will follow up with Marty’s Roofing.
The council reviewed the upcoming Community Center rentals. DAAC Steak & Shrimp Fry will be held April 16, Gayle Danielson has a private event on April 17, Minnwest Bank has a function on April 20, Kirk Erickson has a private event on April 24, Census training takes place April 26-30 and the Danube Senior Citizens use the hall on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month. On Friday, April 16, the 4th grade basketball players will hold a scrimmage in the school gym.
Approval of the personnel policy was tabled until the next meeting to allow all council members to read the changes.
A motion was made by Lothert to approve the bills as submitted in the amount of $25,572.63. Simpson seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
The clerk will post an ad in the paper and on the bulletin board advertising Danube City Wide Clean Up as May 3, 2010. It will also be advertising that the brush site will be open every day from May 1 – May 9. The ad will be similar to last year’s ad.
The council received informational handouts on Consumer Confidence Reporting, Tatanka Bluffs, Retroreflectivity Requirements, and contacting congressmen about LGA cuts.
A motion was made to approve the door being open between the Community Center and Miller’s on Main for events on April 16, 17 and April 24. Bentley seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Some people have voiced concern over their utility bills. The clerk informed the council that the bills could be higher due to the timing of when the meters were read in December vs. March.
The Police Chief will be asked to deal with a resident parking semi trucks on each side of the road thereby narrowing the road. This poses a danger and can causes cars to not be able to see if other vehicles are coming or if kids are playing and biking in the area. Allex will check into posting a weight restriction on 2nd Street East.
A motion was made by Strunc, seconded by Simpson and carried unanimously to approve the following building permits applications:
· Jeff Bidinger for a storage shed at 101 Summit
· Galen Serbus for additional fencing at 103 4th Street
· Dalles Schneider for replacing fencing at 702 Maple
· Barry Dahlbeck for fencing at 102 4th Street
A motion was made by Bentley to obtain a City of Danube credit card through Minnwest Bank for Police Chief Les Schneider, Fire Chief Dan Wersal and Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg, with City Clerk Sara Wilson having access to the accounts to be able to make changes and retrieve information as needed. Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Lothert told the council of the cleanup after Josie Hernandez rented the Community Center on April 3, 2010. The damage deposit will not be returned to Hernandez and she is banned from renting in the future.
Blights will be discussed with the Police Chief. The council has requested a copy of the Blight Ordinance for the next council meeting.
In light of the recent water main breaks, some residents have asked if the City is going to replace the old water mains and sewer pipes in town. A plan will be developed. Allex will talk to the City engineer before the next meeting. The Clerk will find out if money has been designated for water main and sewer pipe repairs.
Lothert brought up the fact that Kaufenberg has a lot of responsibility for one person. Allex commented that Kaufenberg did a good job of taking care of the water main breaks in a timely fashion. He called in 2 companies to get the job done quicker. Residents need to remember that the work could not even start until the Gopher One Call people got to town to mark the gas and electrical lines.
Bentley reported that to clean the sewer lines for 1/3 of the town would be around $6,000 at $1 per foot. This will be discussed with Kaufenberg.
The Clerk reminded the council that the meetings start at 6:30 on April 28 with the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization first, the public hearing at 7:00 and the regular council meeting to follow.
A motion was made by Bentley to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Lothert seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted: Sara Wilson, City Clerk