|
Walnut Grove, MN
April 13, 2009
The City Council met in a
regular session on the 13th day of April at 7:00 PM in the
Council Room.
Present: Greg Hansen, Leonard
McLaughlin, Todd Harrington, Xiong Yang and Jeff Harnack, City
Clerk Paula McGarvey
Also Present: Redwood County
Assessor Kathy Hillmer, City Assessor Carole Snyder,
Tom Hansen, Deb Johnson, Mike
Zeug, Wes Bell, and Mike Landuyt.
Mayor Hansen presided at the
meeting
Purpose of the initial part of
the meeting was to hold the annual Board of Review and
Equalization.
The assessors explained how
the tax value was figured. No residents were present to
question there valuation.
The Board of Review and
Equalization portion of the meeting was closed and the regular
session of the council meeting was opened.
The Bar & Grill
report was given by Deb Johnson. The Bar & Grill will donate
$100 to the Walnut Grove Family Festival and $100 for the Hmong
New Years Celebration.
Some of the employees will be
attending the TAMS training on April 26, 2009. Deb will be
attending the MMBA convention in Alexandria May 17-19. Deb will
hire Brent Alms to fix the windows in the kitchen area and put
up some shelving in the Off Sale.
Tom Hansen gave the
maintenance report. The new tractor has arrived. The purchase
price of the new tractor after the trade in is $15440.00.
Financing will be 4.9% for 60 months with the first payment due
this year.
Tom presented the council with
a quote from Moorseal to apply Reclamite Rejuvenator Seal which
is used in place of seal coating the designated streets in 2009.
This process is much cheaper than seal coating and will last
between 5-7 years. The council asked Tom to get information
from the state where this process had been tested a few years
ago. Tom will also get estimates from other companies for seal
coating.
The council approved the
ordering of wood chips for the playground areas in the park.
Wes Bell gave the
Water/Wastewater Report. He is still waiting for the primary
clarifier to arrive so that he can get it repaired. Wes
received an award from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
for the Walnut Grove Waste Water Plant.
The Consumer Confidence Report, which is the
drinking water report will be published in the Sentinel Tribune
and not be mailed to each resident this year. The testing fee
will be charged to the utility accounts in June of 2009.
Mike Landuyt presented the
council with a new hire policy for the Ambulance Service. The
council asked for a couple minor changes to be made and they
will review it again next month.
The Police Report was given by
Mike Zeug. Motion by Jeff Harnack, second by Todd Harrington to
adjust Mike Zeug’s wages temporarily to that of a Police Chiefs
while he is serving as Acting Chief. All voted in favor, motion
carried. Mike will continue to work around 30 hours each week
and will not be paid full time benefits at this time.
Discussion was held on
delinquent property taxes in Walnut Grove to determine if there
are any options that the city has prior to these properties
going to county auction. Non homesteaded properties that are 3
years delinquent or Homesteaded properties that are 5 years
delinquent may be sold at the next county auction, which will be
in 2010.
Motion by Leonard McLaughlin,
second by Xiong Yang to approve the Land Use Permits for Steve
Hanson and David Herder. All voted in favor, motion carried.
Motion by Leonard McLaughlin,
second by Todd Harrington to approve the Land Use Permits for
Meadowlands. All voted in favor, motion carried.
Discussion was held about the
grant application with Rural Development. The council will wait
to hear from Bolten & Menk regarding recommendations for
improvements that may need to be done at the waste plant within
the next few years before continuing with the application
process.
The City Spring Clean Up Day
is scheduled for May 2. There will be a charge of
$5 for appliances and electronics for Walnut Grove Residents.
Residents will need to stop by the office to pick up stickers
for these.
Discussion was held regarding
where monuments can be placed on a plot at the cemetery. The
council determined that they would approve markers or monuments
to be placed at either end of the plot as a headstone or
footstone, or they may use both headstone and footstone, but did
not want more markers placed in the center of the plot.
Motion by Todd Harrington,
second by Leonard McLaughlin to approve the Minutes for the
March 9, 2009 regular meeting. All voted in favor, motion
carried.
Motion by Xiong Yang, second
by Leonard McLaughlin to approve Claims #30271 through #30367.
All voted in favor, motion carried.
Motion by Xiong Yang, second
by Leonard McLaughlin to adjourn. All voted in favor, motion
carried.
Paula McGarvey
Clerk-Treasurer
|
