November 24, 2010 council meeting minutes
DANUBE CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 7:00 PM
Danube City Council Chambers
A regular meeting of the Danube City Council was conducted on November 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Gene Allex presiding. Council Members Sharon Lothert, Ryan Bentley, Bob Simpson and Al Strunc were present. City Clerk-Treasurer Sara Wilson was absent.
Approval of Agenda
Council Member Lothert moved and Council Member Strunc seconded a motion to approve the Agenda with the addition of Santa’s Closet, Community Center Floor and Cleaning of City Sidewalks under new business. The motion carried unanimously
Approval of Minutes
Council Member Strunc moved and Council Member Bentley seconded a motion to approve the minutes from the regular meeting of November 10, 2010 and the budget meeting of November 16, 2010, as submitted. The motion carried unanimously.
Xcel Energy Contract/MMUA Updates
Mayor Allex has one person committed to being on a committee to pursue a municipal electric utility in Danube. He’s still talking to other people regarding this.
Mahoney Lawsuit
No updates, waiting on response from City Attorney.
RFP - Auditor
Two proposals were received from area auditors to do the annual City audits for the years 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Council Member Strunc moved and Council Member Lothert seconded a motion to accept the audit proposal from Oberloh and Associates, LTD., stating they will conduct the annual audit for the City of Danube for a cost of $3,550 for the year ending December 31, 2010 and for a cost of $3,800 for the years 2011 and 2012. The motion carried unanimously.
School Building Updates
Pat Pederson, from Santa’s Closet, requested another key to the school building. Santa’s Closet has been borrowing things from Tri-Valley without permission. They will be told that if the City of Danube receives another complaint from Tri-Valley regarding Santa’s Closet, Santa’s Closet will be given a 60 day notice to vacate the school. Tri-Valley is a renter in the building, therefore their needs and wishes come first and foremost before anyone that is using space free of charge.
The cement work by the school has not been done yet.
Community Center Updates
The wax on the floor at the Community Center has been deteriorating. Mayor Allex said he and Lonny Davis could use equipment from RCW School to strip and wax the floor for $700. The chemicals will cost around $400. Council Member Strunc doesn’t think a council member should be involved and would rather see only Lonny Davis hired to do the floor.
Approve Bills
The council discussed several of the bills including mileage to MVTL in New Ulm, the telephone bill and cell phone bill, the pay for Darlene Clark for the governor recount, and a couple names on the Fire Department payroll. Council Member Lothert moved and Council Member Strunc seconded a motion to approve the bills in the amount of $18,307.93, including the fire department payroll. The motion passed unanimously.
Resolution to Certify Delinquent Utility Bill
Council Member Strunc moved and Council Member Bentley seconded a motion to approve Resolution number 08-2010 certifying past-due utility billing to the Renville County Auditor-Treasurer for collection with the 2011 property taxes. The motion passed unanimously.
Establish 2011 Fee Schedule
Council Member Simpson moved and Council Member Lothert seconded a motion to approve the 2011 Fee Schedule to be the same as 2010. The motion passed unanimously.
Door Open Between Bar & Community Center
Council Member Lothert moved and Council Member Bentley seconded a motion to approve the door between Millers on Main and the Community Center to be open on November 27. The motion passed unanimously.
Employee Evaluation Forms
The council was given two samples of employee evaluation forms. Council Member Strunc would like to know what other towns our size pay their full-time employees and how long they have worked there. Mayor Allex said he’d like a copy of the City of Danube’s employee’s job descriptions. The council decided on an employee evaluation form and discussed how they will evaluate each employee.
Other/Correspondence
Sam Smith dug up the water shut off on Sam Lang’s property and determined that the City’s lack of water flow is causing Lang to have poor water pressure. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has determined that the City of Danube needs to send a certified check or surety bond in the amount of $2,000 in order to receive a permit to bore under Highway 212 to put in a new water line. Council Member Strunc will talk to Les Schneider, Sr. about a surety bond. Council Member Bentley will have Public Works Director Kaufenberg get the supplies ready to start the project.
Council Member Lothert moved and Council Member Strunc seconded a motion to transfer $25,000 from the City’s savings account to checking.
Paul Nyquist has moved out of town, so Public Works Director Kaufenberg would like to ask Sam Lang to drive the City truck for snow removal at a rate of $10 per hour. The council was fine with that.
Mayor Allex has been trying to find a way that the Police Department local phone gets answered. The council discussed the situation and thinks that Chief Schneider needs to correct the situation because he is in charge of the Police Department.
Cleaning of City Sidewalks
Council Member Lothert stated that the sidewalks by the City buildings have been slippery. A council member asked who cleans the sidewalks and Council Member Lothert replied that Public Works Director Kaufenberg cleans them.
Adjournment
There being no further business before the council, Council Member Lothert moved and Council Member Simpson seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. With all members voting in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted: Sara Wilson, City Clerk