June 22, 2011 Council Meeting Minutes
DANUBE CITY COUNCIL
Regular Council Meeting
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 7:00 PM
Danube City Council Chambers
A regular meeting of the Danube City Council was conducted on June 22, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Gene Allex presiding.
The following Councilmembers were present: Bob Simpson, Al Strunc, Ryan Bentley, and Dave Maurice
Councilmembers absent: none
Others Present: Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg, City Clerk-Treasurer Sara Wilson, media, Danube resident Lloyd Bentley and Troy Heimerl of Electric Pump.
Approval of Agenda
Councilmember Maurice moved and Councilmember Bentley seconded a motion to approve the Agenda. The motion carried unanimously.
Approval of Minutes
Councilmember Simpson moved and Councilmember Maurice seconded a motion to approve the minutes from the regular meeting of June 8, 2011. The motion carried unanimously.
Open Forum
Danube Resident Lloyd Bentley was present to tell the council that the ceiling in his EDA unit is leaking again around a light fixture. He is concerned that a mold problem could develop. Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg will crawl in the attic and see if he can determine where it is leaking. Bentley also voiced concern over where semi trucks and other bigger vehicles were parking during the street improvements on 2nd Street East.
Electric Pump - Lift Station Monitoring System
Troy Heimerl from Electric Pump was present to answer questions regarding the quote previously presented to the council for lift station monitoring system. The $3,350 quote included the equipment, installation, programming, wiring and testing. The annual service agreement is $276 and there are savings available for 2 and 3 year agreements.
Heimerl told the council that the alarms are instantaneous and the system uses a website to monitor data from the day before. He explained the reports that are produced. He said that these systems have been around for 10 years and there are 250 systems installed in Minnesota.
Kaufenberg and Councilmember Simpson will get together to discuss the system and bring a recommendation to the council.
Sewer Camera
The purchase of the Sewer Eye Inspection Camera was revisited. Kaufenberg wanted to make sure it comes with a self leveling head. He told Councilmember Strunc that the City has 8” sewer mains and it is 350 feet from one manhole to the next. Councilmember Simpson said that the City should spend what they need to spend on safety equipment to be safe and not go cheap. Others agreed.
Councilmember Simpson moved and Councilmember Strunc seconded a motion to purchase the Sewer Eye Pipe Inspection System and related safety equipment. The motion carried unanimously.
Councilmember Strunc told the council to think about whether they will allow other individuals or neighboring cities use the camera and how much to charge. The owner of the company that makes the Sewer Eye suggested renting it out for $300/day if the council decides to rent it out.
Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg Employee Report
Public Works Director Dan Kaufenberg was present for his monthly employee report. He told the council that the street repairs were done and that by doing the air patching method, the City saved money and got a lot more repairs done.
Kaufenberg reported that he has 9 outside meter readers left and 12 inside/outside combos. He estimates that 10 currently need to be replaced in town. The last time he ordered meters, the outside readers cost $30 each and the inside/outside combos cost $90/each. The outside readers will be discontinued at the end of the year.
Kaufenberg said he will just take his boilers license test without the review class. The test costs $75 each time. He will not get a copy of it if he fails.
After Kaufenberg and Councilmember Bentley interviewed some of the summer maintenance position applicants on Monday, Cody Groen was hired and started today.
2nd Street East Improvements
City Clerk Wilson gave the council a copy of a recent email she received from City Engineer Lee Elfering which outlined his thoughts regarding paving on the project. If the contractor needs extra time to get the paving done, due to all the wet weather we’ve had, Elfering would recommend an extension past the June 30th deadline.
Councilmember Strunc mentioned that perhaps once the 2nd Street Improvements are done, a quote is obtained to cement the driveway at the City Shop and put grass in front of the shop and Police Department with a sidewalk to the front door of the Police Department.
Sump Pump Ordinance
The council received a draft of a revised sump pump ordinance, along with the original Ordinance #71 prohibiting the discharge of storm water and surface water into the sanitary sewer system. The discussion was tabled to allow the council to review the materials.
Approval of Bills
Councilmember Strunc moved and Councilmember Bentley seconded a motion to approve the bills as submitted in the amount of $48,659.30. The motion carried unanimously.
Utility Payment Issue
Clerk Wilson requested permission to deny payment arrangement privileges to a utility customer who continually breaks the agreement. The council agreed to the request.
Transfer of City Funds
Upon request of Clerk Wilson, Councilmember Strunc moved and Councilmember Maurice seconded a motion to approve a transfer of $40,000 from the City’s savings to checking. The motion carried unanimously.
Theft of EDA Funds
The council received a copy of the Complaint, Affidavit for Restitution and Victim Impact Statement in the case of the State of Minnesota vs. Sharon Lothert for Felony Theft and Forgery. Clerk Wilson explained that the EDA will be able to fill out the Victim Impact Statement stating how they would like Lothert sentenced and how the incident has impacted the EDA.
Clerk Wilson also mentioned that the City Council would have to decide if they would like to bring a civil suit again Lothert regarding their reason to believe that she wrote down more hours for janitorial services than any other custodian has. The council suggested Clerk Wilson prepare a comparison report of Lothert’s hours compared to past custodians’ hours.
Correspondence
Clerk Wilson reminded the council that she will be gone to training at the Clerk’s Institute July 11-15 which means she will miss the next council meeting. She also informed them that City Auditor Dennis Oberloh will be at the July 27th council meeting to present the 2010 audit report.
Adjournment
There being no further business before the council, Councilmember Simpson moved and Councilmember Maurice 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