The regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joseph Arnzen at 7:00 pm on the 14th day of January 2025 in Council Chambers. Council members present were Brad Johnson, Brian Hollenkamp and Roland Ahrendt. Council member, Chris Browen, was absent. Also in attendance were Mike Berscheit and Beth Ramacher and guest: Brian Bye.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the agenda. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the minutes of the December 10, 2024 Truth in Taxation meeting as written. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the minutes of the December 10, 2024 meeting. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Bryan Bye from Widseth was present to discuss the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Reports required by Rural Development for funding for a water treatment plant (WTP) improvement and well project. The report will look at alternatives for the wells and WTP, a life cycle analysis and whether it makes sense to rehab the existing or do a new build. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve moving forward with the Water System Study, contingent on approval from the City Attorney. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Resolution 2025-04: Resolution Authorizing Application for Grant Navigation Support for the City. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-04: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION FOR GRANT NAVIGATION SUPPORT FOR THE CITY
WHEREAS, the League of Minnesota Cities (“LMC”) has created a pilot Grants Navigation Program (“Program”) in which LMC will provide grants up to $5,000 per city to use with industry partners to ease the process of identifying matching funds to city projects and aid in the grant application projects.
WHEREAS, the Program is limited to providing services to help obtain grant funding for one project per city.
WHEREAS, the Program is limited to providing support in obtaining grant funding, and LMC does not provide funds to implement projects.
WHEREAS, the City of Grey Eagle (“City”) wishes to apply to the Program to for support in finding grant funding for Water System Improvements (“Project”).
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that the if approved, any funds received through the Program must be used in a manner consistent with the conditions above as well as all other conditions or limitations of the Program.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREY EAGLE, MINNESOTA AS FOLLOWS:
1. The City names Widseth as its fiscal agent (“Fiscal Agent”) for the purposes of applying to the Program on behalf of the City.
2. The City authorizes the Fiscal Agent to act on its behalf when communicating with LMC in all matters related to the Program application for the Project.
3. If the City is awarded a grant under the Program, it agrees to use the funds to engage with industry partners who will aid in the grant matching and application process consistent with the terms and conditions of the Program.
4. If a state, federal, foundation, or nonprofit grant match is not found, or is applied to but not awarded, the City will seek feedback on why the project was not eligible and report back to the LMC with these findings consistent with the terms and conditions of the Program.
5. If a state, federal, foundation, or nonprofit grant is awarded, a project assessment will be submitted to LMC within six months of the application’s approval and then periodically until after project completion consistent with the terms and conditions of the Program.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
The People Service reports for October and November 2024 were presented and reviewed.
The following fourth quarter 2024 reports were reviewed: Todd County Sheriff and Utility Transaction History. A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the 4th Quarter Utility Transaction History Report. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the Rescue Rig and Certified First Responders to be on site at Trace Lake for the following: Central MN Pond Racing on January 18, 2025 and the Race on Trace on February 15, 2025. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The council would like the old table and chairs from the City Hall listed for bids.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the City does not waive the statutory tort limits for liability coverage. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the pond spraying quote from Team Lab for 2025. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to move the regular scheduled council meeting on November 11, 2025 to Wednesday, November 12, 2025 (due to Veterans Day). A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Resolution 2025-01: Resolution Accepting $2000 from Swanville Dollars for Scholars for the Fire Department. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-01: A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING $2000 DONATION FROM SWANVILLE DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS FOR THE GREY EAGLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, money has been donated by Swanville Dollars for Scholars; and
WHEREAS, the City Council feels that the donation will benefit citizens of the area;
1. That the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle formally accepts the donation from Swanville Dollars for Scholars for the Fire Department.
2. That the City Clerk is authorized and directed to make the appropriate revenue and expenditure budget adjustments as needed to reflect this donation and its intended use.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve Resolution 2025-02: Accepting $2000 from Sourcewell for Boost Funds – Public Safety FY 2024-2025. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-02: A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING $2000.00 FROM SOURCEWELL FOR BOOST FUNDS – PUBLIC SAFETY FY 2024-2025
WHEREAS, money has been received from Sourcewell; and
WHEREAS, the City Council feels that the donation will benefit citizens of the area;
1. That the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle formally accepts the funds from Sourcewell for Boost Funds – Public Safety for the fiscal year 2024-2025.
2. That the City Clerk is authorized and directed to make the appropriate revenue and expenditure budget adjustments as needed to reflect this funding and its intended use.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Resolution 2025-03: Accepting $2020 from Sourcewell for Consultant Reimbursement FY 2024-2025. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-03: A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING $2020.00 FROM SOURCEWELL FOR CONSULTANT REIMBURSEMENT FY 2024-2025
WHEREAS, money has been received from Sourcewell; and
WHEREAS, the City Council feels that the donation will benefit citizens of the area;
1. That the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle formally accepts the funds from Sourcewell for Consultant Reimbursement for the fiscal year 2024-2025.
2. That the City Clerk is authorized and directed to make the appropriate revenue and expenditure budget adjustments as needed to reflect this funding and its intended use.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Resolution 2025-05: Resolution Adopting 2025 Appointments & Designations. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-05: RESOLUTION ADOPTING 2025 APPOINTMENTS & DESIGNATIONS
WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council Members can only act collectively as one unit. Streets, Parks, Utilities, City Hall, Health & Welfare, Building Permits, Library and Community Builders will be the responsibility of the entire Council. The other official designations are as follows:
Acting Mayor: Brad Johnson
Official Auditor: Brian Koehn, CPA
Official City Attorney – Civil: Quinlivan & Hughes, Joe Krueger
Official City Attorney – Criminal: Todd County Attorney
Official Depositories: Magnifi Financial (Grey Eagle Office)
Official Newspaper: Long Prairie Leader
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve Resolution 2025-06: Resolution Adopting Policy to Allow Payments Before Council Authorization. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-06: RESOLUTION ADOPTING POLICY TO ALLOW PAYMENTS BEFORE COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle is required to review expenditures before payments are made, and
WHEREAS, business and contractor billing cycles are not always in step with the City payment schedule, and
WHEREAS, some businesses and contractors demand payment upon job completion, and
WHEREAS, some businesses and contractors include finance charges for bills not paid within 10, 15, 20 or 30 days, and
WHEREAS, it is in the City’s best interest to pay just debts in a timely manner.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle authorizes the City Clerk/Treasurer to make payment of regular payroll expenditures, regular cyclical payments such as, but not exclusively, and sales & use tax, payments to Minnesota Power without prior approval by the City Council.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve Resolution 2025-07: Resolution Allowing Wire/Automated Bank Payments. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-07: RESOLUTION ALLOWING WIRE/AUTOMATED BANK PAYMENTS
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle, County of Todd, State of Minnesota, acknowledges the need for wire and automated bank payments for such things as: payroll withholdings, sales tax, Rural Development Bond payments and other required payments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council shall allow the Clerk/Treasurer to make such payments by wire/automation instead of paper checks. These payments will be approved at the appropriate council meeting.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of January 2025.
Discussion was held on electric and Wi-Fi for the new digital sign by the city parking lot. More to follow at the February meeting.
The Minnesota Health Department did an on-site inspection on December 18, 2024. A copy of the sanitary survey report summarizing the inspection of the Grey Eagle Public Water System was presented to the council.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve payment of Claims #3333-3363 (excluding Claim #3360 for $354.52), totaling $69,625.47 and include additional payments of the following: RHL Inc $7710.00, MN Power $2461.22 and Connect Interiors $2323.14. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The Council requested a Special Meeting for January 21, 2025 at 7:00 pm for a maintenance review.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to adjourn the meeting at 7:48 pm. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The next regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 in Council Chambers.
Beth Ramacher, Clerk/Treasurer
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