Present: Jenae Ulbricht, Irene Ehlert, Juli Scherping, Chad Landowski, Romie Gessell and Brooke Thieschafer. Others present: Steve Marty, Bobby Veldkamp, Adam Ulbricht, Louis Thompson, Debbie Strassberg, Ron Strassberg, Tina Rhode, Mick Flood, Barney Vanhaverment, Sharon Erickson, and Richard Keen.
Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Ulbricht called the meeting to order at 6:58 PM.
Approval of Agenda City Council: Mayor Ulbricht made a motion to add under new business: Burtrum School, Speed Sign, and Kris with Bollig Inc. Motion by Irene Ehlert seconded by Juli Scherping. All in favor, motion carried.
Approval of the Minutes from May 2023: Motion by Juli Sherpingm, seconded by Chad Landowski. All in favor, motion carried.
Approval of Bills City Council: Total bills for the month were: $2,428.13. Deposits totaling: $14,442.14. Motion by Irene Ehlert, seconded by Juli Scherping. All in favor, motion carried.
Old Business: Handicap railings at Community Center: Romie Gessell gave pricing and size options from Long Prairie Plumbing and Heating. There was a discussion on how many rails for each bathroom. Looking for a motion to purchase four 36 inch rails. Motion made by Irene Ehlert and seconded by Juli Scherping. All in favor, motion carried. Romie Gessell will pick up the rails at Long Prairie Plumbing and Heating.
City Phone Number/Wi-Fi Community Center: Mayor Ulbricht was happy to announce she found a free option for the city phone with Google Voice. It can route to different phone numbers. It will go to the Mayor and City Clerk. Capable of incoming and outgoing calls and text messages. New number will be posted on the City’s Facebook page. Mayor Ulbricht recommended discontinuing the $50/month cell phone reimbursement. Irene made a motion to end the $50/month cell phone reimbursement, seconded by Juli Schpering. All in favor, motion carried.
Mayor Ulbricht went over the options for Wifi again, and stated there is potentially an option with T-Mobile. It was the same cost as Verizon. No discussion was made at this time.
City locks: Mayor Ulbricht went over three quotes. Most locks will require Wi-Fi. A total of 5 locks will need to be rekeyed. A discussion was had on the pricing and companies. Romie Gessell suggested leaving locks as is for now. Mayor Ulbricht stated she would like to open the office up 1 day a week for an hour or 2 to the public for the City Clerk to be able to assist with anything after WiFi is available at the community center. No action needed.
City Clean Up Bid: Mayor Ulbricht attended the township meeting. There was discussion of changing the location of the dumpster site for next year and not having it on Main Street/Highway 28. Township went with a new company and they did not drop off and pick up the same day. There was a mess and things were dropped off after hours. Suggestions for next year is to have the dumpster picked up and dropped off that same day and at a different location. There was concern of not enough people to help with the clean up day. The township mentioned they did not need help. A recommendation for next year is having to show proof of residency with a tax statement or bill. Feedback was given to the township. No further decision was made at this time.
Quinlivan & Hughes (city attorney): No update. Will be removed from the agenda and no further action is required.
City Sign/Logo: Mayor Ulbricht brought print outs of all the examples of logos submitted by the Central Lake College Students. The top 7 logos were posted to Facebook for voting. Total of 47 voters. A winning logo was decided on. There will be minor tweaks of adding the year and Minnesota. Looking to get city sign quotes with the new logo, clothing, and city stamp. A concern was brought up about not being able to vote on Facebook. Irene Elhert made motion to go with logo #1. Julie Scherping seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
Office/Backroom: Office is still a work in progress. Old desk and file cabinet were removed. The city is looking for any extra paint, primer, desk, cabinets, light fixtures, etc. If anyone is interested in getting rid of those items, please reach out to the city. Volunteers needed to clean out the backroom.
Grants: Mayor Ulbricht did contact someone who specializes in writing grants. Next year is a bonding year. The Mayor will contact our local State Representatives to see what they can do for our community.
Discussion was had on what a bonding year means and how it will not affect the local tax payers .It is a State Tax.
Bean Bake Rental: Mayor Ulbricht opened up the floor regarding the bean bake rental. Local Residents of the City of Burtrum and surrounding area brought up the following concerns and discussion was had: Does not think the City should charge for the use of the Community Center for the Bean Bake. Stated light bill went up by $10-$12. The Community Center was built on donations. Stated it has been a 125 year tradition that they have not had to pay. Stated, the Bean Bake does not make a profit. The money belongs to the cemetery for upkeep. They want to preserve the cemetery. Attendees questioned the point of charging to use the Community Center since some members pay taxes and helped build the Community Center in the early 1970s. A request was made that the Cemetery Association also be refunded for their use of the Community Center. Attendees stated the whole month of September should be reserved for the Bean Bake. Attendees said the City can’t charge the Lion’s Club who have paid for a lot of equipment, including the lawn mower. Mention of if the City wants to charge to make money, then take from the pull tabs from the bar. Attendees stated the City should start its own non-profit. One attendee stated his brother helped build the Community Center and would like to see his brother’s name recognized.
Mayor Ulbricht pulled the 2022 expenses for the Community Center operating expenses. Data was pulled from CTAS, an accounting software Burtrum uses. The city spends $6,000 annually in expenses for the Community Center to operate. This breaks down to $16.50/day. Those costs do not include maintenance, lawn care and snow removal. The City was going to charge Bean Bake $150 for 9 days, which largely fall on weekends, to rent the center, which is $18.75/day. The $150 would cover the daily cost of operating expenses. Mayor Ulbricht provided an example to Council and attendees by looking at the 2022 electric bill. The month-over-month cost of electricity doubled from last August to September. Mayor Ulbricht stated she has personally donated to the Bean Bake. The Mayor stated it is common for nonprofits to donate for usage of buildings. The Burtrum Bean Bake is a separate entity from the cemetery association, complete with a separate Employer Identification Number. Mayor Ulbricht elaborated the City Council is not trying to dishonor or disrespect what the Bean Bake does, just wants what is best for the city taxpayers, and make it fair to all parties involved.
City Council Member Irene Ehlert stated the reason why fees have increased is the City’s attempt to cover increased costs. One local resident asked if this was for profit or for the community? Another person in attendance stated this is for Civil War veterans and the Bean Bake honors them before questioning why would the City charge money? Mayor Ulbricht stated we are only charging for operating costs of the building. Bobby Veldkamp Jr. stated he would pay the $150 fee for this year. He respects everyone and this is not about taking away any respect. Irene Ehlert stated the Cemetary does have extra funds available. Further discussion was had on the Bean Bake and charging to use the community center.
City Council Romie Gessell decided he would donate $150 this year to pay for the Bean Bake use of the Community Center, part of which comes from the money he makes as a City Council member per quarter. Mayor Ulbricht showed appreciation for what Romie Gessell did. Veldkamp Jr. agreed to pay the $150 rental fee for the Bean Bake in 2024.
Building Permits: Louis Thompson asked to build an addition of 12×12. Romie Gessell made a motion, Chad Landowksi supported. All in favor, motion carried.
Juli Schpering requested to build a 14×16 garage on a pre-existing slab and 16×20 deck. Irene Ehlert made a motion to approve. Romie Gessell support. All in favor, motion carried.
Bobby Veldkamp Jr. requested to build a 36×56 pole barn on the same side of the house. Irene Ehlert made motion, Juli Scherping seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
Beth Gessell requested an additional 20×26 to be built on the existing home. Irene Erherlt made a motion, Juli Scherping supported. All in favor, motion carried.
Shawn Elhert requested a 2017 mobile home 16×80 be put across the driveway with pitched roof and siding. Juli Scherping made a motion, Romie Gessell supported. All in favor, motion carried.
School: Mayor Ulbricht stated there is a Lis Pendens on the Burtrum School, and potential buyers are unable to purchase/close until that is lifted. The Mayor said the city council has the power to remove the Lis Pendens. Potential buyer stated the plan is to put a new roof on, put the building under surveillance, and board up property for roughly 2 years to dry it out. Clean up and maintain the area. They would love to save the building as much as possible. There is a purchase agreement on the property. Irene Ehlert made a motion to remove the Lis Pendens. Juli Scherping supported. All in favor, motion carried.
Speed Sign: The electronic speed sign is working and people are slowing down, and should get one on the other side of town. The City Clerk will look into options/grants. Chevron signs are needed. Bobby Veldkamp will ask the State for some signs. Missing Yield sign on Chicago Ave. Will ask the county to replace Yield sign.
Horse Ordinance: No issues at this time. No further action required.
Open Floor: Dust control happens the first week in June. Mayor Ulbricht drove around and looked at potholes, and will be re-blading and dust control. There were about 5-8 yards with spots in the street.
The road flooding, the township is willing to split the cost to repair the flooding road. Next year is a bonding year to get funds. Debbie Strassburg asked if she was still cleaning the community center, Mayor Ulbricht stated yes. We’ve had no recent rentals. There is going to be a Block/City Party on July 29th, 2023 at Debbie Strassburg’s home located on Chicago Ave. Streets will be blocked off.
City Council members discussed pricing on a storage cabinet for the Community Center for all the cleaning supplies. Need to measure space before any discussions will be made. A representative from Bollig Inc. presented information and funding available and what they do for smaller cities/communities.
Kris, presented past projects which included grant money to help with a variety of different projects for smaller cities. Projects include bringing water and sewer to the city. Current clients are the City of Flensburg. Kris stated engineers and a funding team work very closely with the cities to help secure millions of dollars. Projects and price changes must be approved by the City Council, there are no hidden fees. Breakdowns of the work ordered are given. Average funding rate is 64%. Kris presented a Task Order, no charge to the city for this. Bollig will come in and do an assessment and meet with the City and Council Members to see what there is a need to improve the city. The engineer will report back with suggestions and results. The City of Burtrum would like to name Bollig as their Engineer. Chad Landowski made a motion, Romie Gessell supported. All in favor, motion carried.
Adjournment: Motion by Juli Scherping, seconded by Irene Elhert to adjourn meeting at 9:02 P.M. Motion carried.
Next City Council Meeting is scheduled for July 11th, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Minutes not approved.
Brooke Thieschafer, City Clerk-Treasurer
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