Melrose City
August 13, 2015
The Melrose City Council met in a Regular Meeting on Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Melrose City Center pursuant to due notice being given thereof. Present were Council Members Jenny Mayers, Dick Christenson, Tony Klasen, Josh Thieschafer, Mayor Joe Finken, Finance Director Tessa Beuning, and City Clerk Patti Haase. Mayor Finken presided thereat. The Council then recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
A motion was made by Ms. Mayers, seconded by Mr. Thieschafer and unanimously carried to approve the agenda as submitted.
Mayor Finken then opened the floor to public comment. There were no comments.
Mayor Finken stated that Streets/Parks Supervisor Mark Maus will retire on August 28, 2015. The Council recognized and commended Mr. Maus for his 41 years of service with the City. Mayor Finken presented Mr. Maus with a retirement memento in recognition of the City’s appreciation of his contributions to the City during his years of service.
The following items were considered for approval under the Consent Agenda: Approval of the following:
A. The minutes from the Council’s July 16 Special Meeting and Commission, the Council’s July 16 Regular Meeting
B.. list of bills in the amount of $273,258.39.
C. list of investments for the month of July.
D. 1) Resolution No. 2015-40: Donation in the amount of $300 from the Melrose Lions towards the Night to Unite.
2) Resolution No. 2015-42: Donation in the amount of $200 from VFW Post #7050 towards the Night to Unite.
3) Resolution No. 2015-43: Donation in the amount of $50 from the Melrose Women of Today towards the Night to Unite.
E. Fire Department uncollectible accounts in the amount of $250 have been submitted to Revenue Recapture, collections, or written off. A complete list of accounts is on file at the City Office. There was also a total of $280 collected from account holders during this quarter.
F. Ambulance Department uncollectible accounts in the amount of $4,739.96 have been submitted to Revenue Recapture, collections, or written off. A complete list of accounts is on file at the City Office. There was also a total of $1,112.15 collected from account holders during this quarter.
G. The Council gave consideration to approval of a Community Festival License: Public Property to The Dam, Inc., for Saturday, September 12, 2015. The event will be held outdoors and a portion of 4th Avenue NE from Main Street to 1st Avenue NE will be closed. This event must comply with City Code Chapter 113.23 (D) which deals with Community Festivals – Public Property. Police Chief Maus and Finance Director Beuning have reviewed the Community License Application and recommend approving the application.
A motion was made by Mr. Christenson seconded by Mr. Klasen and unanimously carried to approve the Consent Agenda items.
A) Police Chief Craig Maus presented the Police Department’s July monthly report. He noted there were 236 calls for service during that month compared to 267 for July 2014. A total of 9 citations were written for the month of July. The year-to-date number of calls is 1766 compared to 1563 in 2014. For the month of July 2015, the Department received 31 agency assist calls. The Melrose Police Department along with other Community organizations participated in Night to Unite on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at the Sauk River Park.
B.) Chief Maus provided an update on Rose Park/Melrose Community LLC. The paperwork is still on FEMA’s desk. It is anticipated construction will not begin until spring of 2016.
C) City Attorney Scott Dymoke reported on projects he has been working on for the City.
Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvements: Reviewed agreement with Magney Construction for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant for compliance with state statutes, including bonding and insurance requirements.
D) Finance Director Beuning presented the General Fund Financial Second Quarter Report. Ms. Beuning noted that the General Fund Revenue is at 27% and the Expenditures are at 44%. Revenues are low due to the first half of LGA is not received until July. Also the 2nd June property tax settlement is received in July. MADA Revenue is at 38% and the Expenditures are at 8%. There is a potential for higher costs in the 3rd and 4th quarter relating to the City Open House. The Ambulance Revenue is at 59% and the Expenditures are at 48%. Both the revenue and expenditures are on track. The Revenue for the Fire Department is at 6% however this is due to the fact that the Fire contract charges and the City’s contribution is not collected until December. Overall the budget is on track as projected.
A) Mayor Finken noted that the Initiative Foundation has submitted a request for support in 2015. The Initiative Foundation is seeking financial support in the amount of $1,600. In the past, the City and Utilities have agreed to equally share in the annual pledge amount. The contribution was approved in the 2015 budgets by both the Commission and Council.
A motion was made by Ms. Mayers seconded by Mr. Christenson and unanimously carried concurring with the Public Utilities Commission approving the donation to the Initiative Foundation.
B.) Mayor Finken stated the City has a franchise agreement with Charter Communications, Inc. (“Charter”). Charter and its subsidiaries entered into agreements to merge into an entity with other networks. The same subsidiary of Charter will continue to provide service to the customers in the City of Melrose. This merger will result in a pro forma transfer of control, and therefore they are notifying us of this change. LeeAnn Herrera, of Charter, was present to answer questions relating to this transaction. Ms. Herrera stated that Charter Communications is merging with Time Warner Cable and is acquiring cable systems currently operated by BHN. Upon completion of these transactions Charter will become the nation’s second largest cable company. This will allow Charter to compete more effectively and continue investing in the development and delivery of industry leading voice, video, and data products that customers have come to enjoy.
Mr. Klasen introduced Resolution No. 2015-41, Resolution Consenting to Transfer of Control. The motion was seconded by Mr. Thieschafer with a roll call vote recorded as follows: For: Council Members Klasen, Thieschafer, Mayers, Christenson and Mayor Finken; Against: None .
C) Mayor Finken stated that at the July 16, 2015 Council meeting, WSB & Associates presented the Lake Survey report for the Melrose Lake Dredging Project. A proposal for professional services was received for project administrative support. This proposal bills the City hourly not-to-exceed $4,800 for the period August 1, 2015 through July 31, 2016. Any hours in excess of that amount will be held and released for payment only if the project obtains the necessary funding and approvals.
The second proposal was completed for Melrose Lake Dredging Project Sediment Testing and Settlement Tests. Before the City of Melrose and the Melrose Lake Association can move forward with the Dredging Project, it will need to be known that the dredged sediments do not exceed level 1 dredged material standard and thus can be reused on agricultural or residential land or marketed as clean fill. Secondly, through a settling test, they will determine whether they can reduce the size of the 93 acre settling basin currently considered. The proposed cost of providing the sediment and settling testing is $4,900. Furthermore, the City and Lake Association have considered the potential to dredge the west basin. The size of the west is about the same as the east, so the number of boring and tests would be the same. The proposed cost for this is $4,600. A $1,000 credit will be given if both proposals are approved, bringing the cost to $3,600.
Council Member Klasen recommended the proposals be reviewed by the Melrose Lake Improvement Association. Council Member Thieschafer added that he would like to see it brought before the Parks and Recreation Committee for review. Mr. Thieschafer noted that the Parks and Recreation Board is looking at standardizing requests for consideration for the Capital Improvement Program.
After further discussion a motion was made by Mr. Thieschafer seconded by Mr. Klasen and unanimously carried to send the proposal to the Parks and Recreation Board and the Melrose Lake Improvement Association for review and consideration.
D) Mayor Finken stated that in order to reduce its tax forfeited inventory; Stearns County Board has decided to reduce the prices of some of the tax-forfeited properties. It is the Board’s Authority to establish the appraised prices and classification of properties. The County Board of Stearns County Minnesota has classified the following described forfeited lands as non-conservation lands and at ordered the following tracts to be at public sale thereof, in accordance with Minnesota State Statute 282.01. Parcel 66.36668.0001, 66.36668.0003, 66.36668.0005, 66.36668.0006, 66.36668.0009, and 66.36668.0010.
A motion was made by Mr. Klasen seconded by Mr. Christenson and unanimously carried approving the classification as made by the County Board of Stearns County and also approve the sale of such lands according to law.
A) Mayor Finken stated that a notice was published informing residents that any petitions requesting public improvements for the year of 2016 must be filed with the City Clerk no later than July 22, 2015. The petitions for improvements such as sanitary sewer, water mains, street, and curb and gutter will be given consideration for improvement in 2016. No petitions have been received.
A) League of Minnesota Cities Legislators of Distinction for 2015. Representative Paul Anderson has been selected as a League of Minnesota Cities Legislator of Distinction for 2015.
B.) The following are schools and/or conferences where registrations were made: 1) Civic Conference, September 24-25. Attending: Finance Director Tessa Beuning, Accounting Clerk Stacy Funk, and HR Coordinator Diane Gruber.
C) The minutes from the Utilities Commission’s July 13 Regular Meeting, and the July 13 Special Meeting with Industry.
D) The minutes from the Parks and Recreation Board’s July 13 Regular Meeting.
A motion was made Ms. Mayers, seconded by Mr. Thieschafer and unanimously carried that the meeting be adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
Patricia Haase, City Clerk