September 22, 2010 council meeting minutes
DANUBE CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 7:00 PM
Danube City Council Chambers
A regular meeting of the Danube City Council was conducted on September 22, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Gene Allex presiding. Council Members Ryan Bentley, Bob Simpson and Al Strunc were present. Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg, City Clerk-Treasurer Sara Wilson, Kathy Block, City Engineer Lee Elfering, City Auditor Dennis Oberloh and media were also present. Council Member Sharon Lothert was absent.
Approval of Agenda
Council Member Simpson moved and Council Member Bentley seconded a motion to approve the Agenda, with the addition of Kathy Block under New Business. The motion carried unanimously
Approval of Minutes
Council Member Bentley moved and Council Member Strunc seconded a motion to approve the minutes from the regular meeting of September 8, 2010 as submitted. The motion carried unanimously.
Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg Monthly Employee Report
Recently, a fire hydrant and a property owner’s shut off valve were run into by vehicles. Both are soon to be repaired.
Sam Lang of 29223 US HWY 212 has had continually decreasing water pressure over the years. His meter is 5 years old. His water hooks into a ¾” line that runs to County Road 1. City Engineer Elfering asked if the meter has a filter. Kaufenberg said yes and the filter looks fine. Lang wants the water problem fixed by winter. Council Member Strunc suggested checking the water meter. Kaufenberg will put a new one in and see if the problem is corrected. If there is still a problem, he will get together costs of putting in a new line.
Kaufenberg reported that the boilers have been put back together at the school. Mayor Allex will check with Lonny Davis to see if he will still over see the boilers so Kaufenberg can get them up and running again.
Kaufenberg informed the council that he wants to take November 8, 9 & 10 off for vacation.
2nd Street East Project
City Auditor Dennis Oberloh of Oberloh and Associates and City Engineer Lee Elfering of Elfering and Associates were present to discuss financing options for the 2nd Street project. Mr. Oberloh suggested that the City is in good financial condition, with over $1,000,000 in the bank and could afford to pay for the cost of paving 2nd Street East. However, if there are other projects the City is considering, it may be a good idea to sells bonds instead. The council is meeting with the Minnesota Municipal Utility Association next month to discuss the idea of starting an electric utility in Danube. Mr. Oberloh also stated that bond issuance costs can be substantial on a small bond issuance and could cost over $20,000 plus interest. Mr. Oberloh, Mr. Elfering, and the council all agreed that a portion of the cost of paving 2nd Street East needs to be assessed to the property owners on that street. Mr. Oberloh said the council needs to strongly consider going away from the past practice of assessing the entire cost to the property owners, as that would be a very large assessment. Most Cities do not assess 100%, but average around 50%. The council will have a better idea on the financial aspect of this project once the 2011 budget is finalized.
507 Oak Street
Kathy Block was present to represent her son, Dan Block, a new homeowner in Danube. She asked the council to grant Block permission to leave his garage standing through the winter so he can store things in it. He plans to take it down and put in a new one in the spring. A blight letter had been sent to the previous owner of the property saying the garage needed to come down. The council told Block that it would be fine to wait until spring for the garage plans.
Sidewalk Replacement
Clerk Wilson reported that the last sidewalk improvements that were done in Danube were paid for by the City and not assessed to the property owners.
Council Member Strunc obtained estimates from 2 local contractors to remove, dispose of and replace approximately 135 feet of sidewalk on the 300 block of the west side of Main Street. The lower bid was from Penning’s Concrete and Construction for $3,955.
Council Member Strunc moved and Simpson seconded a motion to approve the bid from Penning’s as submitted which will be paid for with City funds. The motion carried unanimously.
Xcel Energy Contract
Karen Young of Xcel Energy stopped in the Clerk’s office to see if the council had signed the Electric Franchise Ordinance. They have not. She wants to come to the next council meeting. The council said she should wait until the following one because the MN Municipal Utilities Commission will be at the next meeting.
School Building Updates
Council Member Strunc requested that the entire council walk through the school to assess its condition. The council agreed to do this before the next council meeting at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13.
Approve Bills
Council Member Strunc moved and Council Member Simpson seconded a motion to approve the bills in the amount of $14,660.26. The motion passed unanimously.
EFTPS Enrollment Requirement
Clerk Wilson informed the council that the City will now be required to pay Federal Payroll Taxes via electronic funds transfer. The Clerk asked permission to pay all payroll taxes and sales tax and PERA in the same fashion and the council said that was fine.
Clerk’s Desk Key and Computer Password
The Clerk told the council that she had been asked where to find her password and desk key in case something happened to her. The Clerk said the key was already in the safe deposit box and that she’d like to put the password in there too. Council Member Bentley asked who has authority to go in the safe deposit box. The Clerk replied that Mayor Allex, Council Member Lothert, and herself can access it and a signature is required when accessing
Approve Door Open Between Bar and Hall
Council Member Strunc moved and Council Member Bentley seconded a motion to allow the door between Miller’s on Main Bar and Grill and the Community Center to be open for the Maurice/Kemnitz grooms supper on Friday, September 24, 2010. The motion passed unanimously.
Regular Meeting of November 24, 2010
The second meeting of November falls on the day before Thanksgiving. The council discussed whether the meeting should be moved or cancelled. Since everyone thinks they will be around that night, the meeting will not be changed.
Adjournment
There being no further business before the council, Council Member Bentley moved and Council Member Simpson seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. With all members voting in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted: Sara Wilson, City Clerk