Grey Eagle City March 13, 2018

The regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joe Arnzen at 7:00 p.m., on the 13th day of March 2018 in council chambers. Council members present were Thom Muellner, Roland Ahrendt, Brian Hollenkamp and Bill Pohlmann. There were no council members absent. Also in attendance were Chico Hellmann, Lori Hellmann and guests Steve Neville, Mark Larson, Sherry Larson, John Zeis, Vern Fuchs, Larry Schultz and Dan Berscheid.
A motion was made by Thom Muellner to approve the amended agenda. A second was made by Bill Pohlmann and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Thom Muellner to approve the minutes of the February 13, 2018 meeting as written. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Mark and Sherry Larson were in attendance to discuss the following Lions Club activities for 2018:
1. Community Appreciation will be held on May 26th from 4:00-8:00 p.m. All bills would be run through the City and reimbursed by the Lions Club.
2. GEMFest will be held on July 21st and 22nd. This will be the 25th Anniversary of GEMFest. The parade is tentatively scheduled for July 21st at 6:00 p.m. with the tractor pull being held on July 22nd. They are looking into having a fireworks display on July 21st at dusk. They have contacted Precocious Pyrotechnics and have received an estimated cost of $3,000 – $3,500. The Lions Club is requesting a donation from the City towards the cost of the fireworks.
3. A Tractor Pull will be held on Labor Day.
A motion was made by Bill Pohlmann to approve the 2018 Lions activities with the Community Appreciation bills going through the City and reimbursed by the Lions Club. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Mark informed the council that PJ Signs restored the city sign that is located in Melrose Township for $960. The Lions Club would reimburse the City once a government request form is received. A motion was made by Thom Muellner to approve paying PJ Signs $960 for restoring the city sign and will submit a government request form for reimbursement.
A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Steve Neville was in attendance requesting permit information for Neville Hardware for the following items:
1. Steve would like to rebuild and extend the fence approximately 8’ between the apartment and the Double R Saloon. An agreement between both property owners would need to be signed allowing placement of the fence on the property line. Agreement must be notarized and a copy submitted to the city when the permit is obtained.
2. Steve would like to install a propane cage on the sidewalk between the service door and the garage door on Woodman Street side of the building. Council stated that he would need to come in with a drawing showing the placement and how much of the sidewalk would be taken up and present to the council at the April meeting.
3. Steve would like to install solar panels on the roof and was unsure if this would require a permit. After some discussion it was determined that a permit would need to be obtained and more information would be needed before a permit could be approved. Steve stated that this project would be a couple of months away but would bring the information to a future council meeting.
Dan Berscheid was in attendance to discuss the following Fire Department items:
1. Bayer reinforced the bumper and all other issues have been resolved. They are requesting final payment of $11,908.14.
2. Bitz Plumbing & Heating provided a drawing of the sink the Fire Department would like to install in the Fire Department meeting room. The cost of the sink and installation will be paid from out of Relief Association funds. A motion was made by Thom Muellner to approve the installation of the new sink. A second was made by Bill Pohlmann and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
3. A motion was made by Thom Muellner to accept the resignation of Bryan Allen from the Fire Department. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. Mayor Joe Arnzen thanked Bryan for his many years of service to the Grey Eagle Volunteer Fire Department.
4. A motion was made by Bill Pohlmann to approve the Fire Department compensations as follows:
– increase hourly rate to $10 per hour for any calls, training and meetings. Approve officer’s salary to be paid quarterly as follows: Fire Chief $300, Assistant Chief $200, Medical Officer $125, Liason Officer $125, 1st Lieutenant/Training Officer $125 and 2nd Lieutenant $125. This will eliminate any extra paid hours at the end of the year and will be effective retroactively to December 1st and all pay will be subject to withholding taxes. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
5. New credit cards will need to be ordered for the Fire Chief and Assistant Chief.
The council interviewed three individuals for the part time/seasonal employee position. After discussion a motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to offer the position to John Zeis at the rate of $11 per hour with a review after three months.
A second was made by Bill Pohlmann and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The council discussed the community sign that still needs to be placed where it would be most visible.
The council discussed sidewalk snow cleaning within the city. The council will work on a plan for the next winter season.
Mayor Joe Arnzen updated the council on his discussions with Mr. Holig regarding the removal of the bush alongside of the bank and the bank parking lot.
The windshield on the city truck has a crack all the way across and can be replaced by Glasswerks for $275. Chico was authorized to get it replaced.
The council discussed a request to rent out the Fire Hall for a private party for April 21st or April 29th from 1:00-4:00 p.m. A motion was made by Joe Arnzen to approve the rental of the Fire Hall at the cost of $150 per event but only during the months of April – September. Money received for Fire Hall rent will be deposited into the Fire Fund. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The following water/wastewater/maintenance items were discussed:
1. The pond gate is breaking and needs to be replaced. The second gate closest to the ponds is the same size and will be used to replace the gate that is breaking.
2. The light on Highway 28 by the Berscheit property has finally been fixed.
3. Chico updated the council on information regarding the sewer project. Bryan Bye is recommending that the council consider locating the west lift station closer to city limits and provided his opinion on locations where he thought it could possibly go. This could potentially save the city some money as there would be three less manholes that would be replaced and a new lift station will be installed during the project so that sanitary sewer use is available during all phases of the project. The council will take this recommendation under consideration.
The Clerk was instructed to proceed with delinquent utilities as allowed by ordinance.
A motion was made by Bill Pohlmann to approve the various fund transfers as follows: $750.67 from the Fire Fund to the Fire Hall Debt Service Fund and $106.26 from the Water Fund of which $31.26 goes to the Water Fund and $75 goes to the Sewer Fund for Fire Hall and Library utilities. A second was made by Thom Muellner and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve payment of the bills as listed and to include the payment of the following additional items: $2,313.82 to Minnesota Power, $200 to Central Minnesota Credit Union, $148 to Minnesota State Fire Department Association, $11,908.14 to Bayer Truck Equipment and $960 to PJ Signs. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to adjourn at 9:08 p.m. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The next regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council will be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 in council chambers.
Lori Hellmann, Clerk