HERON LAKE CITY COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019, 7:00 PM
REGULAR MEETING

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Pro-Tem Mayor Glenn Kuhnau, with the following council members present; Andrew Rasche, Danni Swanson and Carol Wagner. Mayor Jason Freking arrived later. Others in attendance were Zach Schumacher, Roger FitzHenry, Troy & Ann FitzHenry Family, Jerry Wagner, Jackson County Sherriff Haken, Police Chief Anthony Fauglid, Joe Liepold, John Haberman, Tamara Shelton and Stacy J. Grube.

Approval of Agenda

                Council Member Rasche moved, seconded by Council Member Swanson, to approve the agenda with the additions of Summer Rec Report, Request to rent city plow truck, Use of senior room for community celebration meeting, Zach Schumacher regarding tree project at Laker Field with school FFA. Vote on the motion: Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

 

Approval of Minutes

                Council Member Wagner moved, seconded by Council Member Rasche, to approve the minutes of the Council Meeting of July 9, 2019, with the correction of dollar amount listed regarding a forfeited property. Vote on the motion: Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.
 

Laker Field – Zach Schumacher

                Zach Schumacher requested permission from Council to plant new trees at Laker Field as part of a project with the local FFA Chapter.         

                Council Member Wagner moved, seconded by Council Member Swanson, to approve planting of trees at Laker Field, according to guidelines in the City Tree Ordinance. Vote on the motion: Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.    

 

Zoning Permits

                Council Member Kuhnau moved, seconded by Mayor Freking, to approve the zoning permit of Security State Bank to place a flag pole at 274 10th Street. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

                Council Member Rasche moved, seconded by Mayor Freking, to approve the zoning permit of Tom Mischke to demo the house at 541 10th Street. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

 

Southwest Minnesota Initiative Foundation

                Council Member Kuhnau moved, seconded by Council Member Wagner, to approve a $500 donation to SWIF, as the foundation invests in our community. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

 

Ordinance – Sample Ordinance for wells

                Council reviewed the revisions on the sample ordinance prohibiting wells within City limits from the City Attorney. Discussion resulted in directing staff to contact City Attorney with concerns regarding penalty.    

 

Industrial Water Supply & Distribution

                Concerns from HLBE regarding the draft agreement were discussed; staff was directed to contact City Attorney to set up meeting with HLBE.

Personnel Policy

                Mayor Freking moved, seconded by Council Member Rasche, to approve updates to the Cellular Phone Use section of the personnel policy to include Hands-Free laws. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

 

LMCIT Safety Review

                Loss Control Consultant from LMC completed their annual visit and recommended that the City complete a facility inspection and documentation program, roof inspection program and test fire detection/alarm system annually. It was also recommended that the following sample policies regarding snowplowing, sidewalk inspection, social media, and City website be approved. Discussion resulted in:

                Council Member Rasche moved, seconded by Mayor Freking, to approve the Social Media, City Website and Snowplowing policies. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.  

 

PeopleService

                Joe Liepold explained that a homeowner has requested to change their water service line to an alternate water line; Council stated that all expenses are to be paid by the homeowner. Discussed recent repairs to fire hydrants and repairs still needed. Bids from Steffl Drilling & Pump INC. and Thein Well were presented for work on south industrial well resulting in:

Council Member Rasche moved, seconded by Council Member Kuhnau to approve bid from Steffl Drilling & Pump Inc. to complete work at the South Industrial Well. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.   

 

Public Works

                John Haberman reported the following: 1) Storm sewer updates were given; 2) Backhoe transmission concerns were reported to Council; 3) Council was told that the warranty on the mower will expire in September or when the mower has over 800 hours; 4) Council Member Wagner reported that the library would like a small light pole removed in the back of the library, staff will work on removing the pole; 5) Street work projects estimates from Bargen Incorporated and Fuller Paving were reviewed, discussion resulted in:

                Council Member Kuhnau moved, seconded by Mayor Freking to approve using Bargen Incorporated for street improvements, not to exceed $10,000. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

 

Police Department

                Chief Fauglid reported 148 calls in July which included directed patrols and foot patrols and a stolen department trail camera. He also stated that the new squad car should be arriving soon and he has contacted Racom regarding changing out gear from current squad car and using as much as possible in the new squad car. Chief Fauglid and Jackson County Sherriff Haken revisited the agreement presented to Council in July as an option to provide additional on-call services if needed, discussion resulted in:

Council Member Kuhnau moved, seconded by Council Member Wagner to move forward with an agreement with the Jackson County Sheriff Department for on-call services. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.      

Senior Room Usage

                Council approved usage of senior room for initial meeting for Community members wishing to plan a future community celebration and requested further info regarding future use if needed.

 

Other Business – No action taken

               Property Zoning – Troy FitzHenry expressed interest in a property that will be on the forfeiture sale. He inquired to see if the City would be willing to rezone the lot to commercial as it is currently zoned residential. Council stated they would not be able to give an answer until this has gone through the Zoning Board for a hearing first.

                Summer Recreation Program – Annual report was provided to Council, with one invoice for transportation not yet available. Lucas Knutson plans to continue as Summer Rec Director.

                Plow Truck Rental – Council was questioned if the City plow truck could be rented to haul dirt to residence outside of city limits. Council declined the request.

 

Claims

                Council Member Wagner moved, seconded by Council Member Swanson, to approve payment of claims as presented, totaling $261,609.47. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays; Rasche, abstained. Motion carried.                                        

 

Adjourn              

                Council Member Rasche moved, seconded by Council Member Kuhnau, to adjourn at 9:15 PM. Vote on the motion: Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson and Wagner, aye; no nays. Motion carried.

Submitted by: Stacy J. Grube                                            
Clerk/Treasurer
Approved: 9/4/2019    
Freking, Kuhnau, Rasche, Swanson, Wagner