The regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joseph Arnzen at 7:00 pm on the 13th day of May 2025 in Council Chambers. Council members present were Brad Johnson, Brian Hollenkamp, Roland Ahrendt and Chris Browen. No council members were absent. Also in attendance were Leon Althaus, Mike Berscheit and Beth Ramacher and guests: Ben Ettle, Greg Stang (via phone) and Brian Koehn (via phone).
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the amended 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 April 8, 2025 meeting. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Ben Ettle was present to discuss a building permit application for 203 State Street East. The council determined a building permit is not required and he can proceed with the plan from the architect.
Leon Althaus was present to discuss various maintenance items. The surface of the tennis/pickleball courts has cracks and is lifting. The council was made aware this would happen when they were resurfaced in 2023. The Dodge truck will be serviced at Melrose Motor. The basswood tree on the northeast corner of the ballpark will be taken down. Weeds by the west lift station will not be sprayed. No sand or concrete will be put down at Bass Lake for the picnic tables at this time. There is an issue with people not cleaning up after their pets at the park. A notice will be put on the utility bills.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to donate the old picnic tables to the Heritage Club in Burtrum. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The picnic tables at the Memorial Park will be replaced with two new ones.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve Empire Memorials to reset stones at Lakeview Cemetery, up to $3000. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to have Eric Spaeth bring in black dirt, level and seed the south side of Lakeview Cemetery. A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A phone call was held with Greg Stang from People Service to review the contract proposal for 2026-2028. Pricing will remain the same for 2026 if the contract is approved at the June meeting. The Minnesota Department of Health will be in Grey Eagle on May 15th to do sampling for PFAS.
A phone call was held with Brian Koehn regarding the 2024 audit. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve and submit the 2024 audit. 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 transfer $72,466.00 from the sewer fund to the sewer capital project fund (to fund debt service). 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 transfer $29,267.00 from the general fund to the capital project fund (to close the capital project fund). A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. A building permit application from Matt Doubek was reviewed for adding a 10’ x 14’ deck to the back of the house. A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the application. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the quote from the City of Sauk Centre for street sweeping. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The Grey Eagle Burtrum Lions will be donating to the electricity hookup for the digital sign by the post office. A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve purchasing two years of extended warranty. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
There are numerous cars that are not up to date on registration. There are also houses/yards that need attention; council will bring a list to the June meeting.
Lance Chase currently services the fire department vehicles. The council would like him to service non-fire related equipment too as needed.
An update was provided from Todd County on the east ditch of County Road 102/Maple Street North. The height difference of the ditch from south to north is 3” over 700’. The typical grade for this distance should be 3.5’. The County will do what they can to help with the water flow.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the quote from Anderson Brothers to have the basketball court resurfaced. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The City was asked again if the 10 acre park is for sale. A role call vote was taken at the July 9, 2024 meeting in which all council members voted nay. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp stating the park is not for sale. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor.
The Grey Eagle Village Hall Task Force asked if they could be preapproved for all future grant applications, donations to the project, etc. and not have to come to get Council approval each time. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp stating they would need to be approved for each occurrence. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The Council will need to review and make comments on the Grey Eagle Personnel Policy prior to the next council meeting. The council will review and discuss all the comments at the next council meeting.
Grey Eagle was approved to get two AEDs to place in town. A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to place one outside by the Veterans’ Memorial and the second would be in the City Hall/Fire Department. 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 2025 budgeted transfer of $12,840 from the General Fund to the Fire Fund. A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Resolution 2025-12: Accepting $2000 from Sourcewell for Boost Funds – Local Government 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. 2025-12: A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING $2000.00 FROM SOURCEWELL FOR BOOST FUNDS – LOCAL GOVERNMENT 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 – Local Government 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 13th day of May 2025.
There are several houses being resided due to last year’s storms. Residents are reminded that house numbers should be in a conspicuous place on front of your house. This is especially important for emergency services to easily locate your property. A memo will be placed on the website as well as noted on the utility bills.
The Council would like to remind residents that chickens are not allowed within City limits, per the Chapter 10 Ordinance regarding Animals.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to have Minnesota Rural Water fix a couple of water valve covers. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Further discussion was held on the trees on the east side of the city hall/fire hall. New quotes will be obtained for this and presented at a future meeting.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve payment of Claims #3443-3465, totaling $25,611.89 and include additional payments of the following: MN Power $2156.64, Midwest Machinery $617.00 and Legacy Title $26.19. A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to adjourn the meeting at 9:03 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, June 10, 2025 in Council Chambers.
Beth Ramacher, Clerk/Treasurer
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