Call to order:
The regular Randolph City Council meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Mayor Robert Appelgren.
Roll Call:
Present:
Mayor Robert Appelgren
Council Members Sarah Podritz, Jacob Friedrich, and Todd D Carlock
Treasurer Sandy Nicolai and Clerk Mary Haro
Public Comments:
It was asked about putting the speed bumps back in the area of Davisson, 290th and Dawson as people are driving too fast and not even stopping at the stop signs and there are more children in the area that walk to and from school. It was asked that the deputies patrol the area to watch for this. Appelgren will talk to the Otte's regarding putting in the speed bumps.
Prior Meeting Minutes
A motion to approve the March 9, 2022 regular council meeting minutes was made by Friedrich, seconded by Podritz. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Treasurer's Report
We took in $2700 from water bills. She will be mailing them out by the end of the month. The new rates will go into effect with this billing cycle. She will put a note on the water bill explaining that the rates were increased.
It was asked about the RVS Software invoice and Sandy will call them to inquire about it.
A motion to approve the Treasurer's Report was made by Friedrich, seconded by Podritz. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Approval to Pay Bills
Sandy discussed that there have been several benchmarks that were not paid to the Randolph Trailblazers. There is one from 2018, two from 2020 and two from 2021. There are also two current ones for 2022. These payments are paid to the Randolph Trailblazers once the money comes in from the MN DNR; however these payments are received electronically and it is not clear that the money is from the DNR when paid to our account. Also the 2020 payments were not received until sometime in 2021 due to COVID. Sandy checked and we received all of the monies due to them so she cut the checks to reimburse the Randolph Trailblazers for all of these benchmarks. The DNR is working on trying to change it so it is clear what the payment are for when it comes from them.
Also we had a discussion regarding ordering signs for "Firemen Only Parking" for the city lot as there have times when it is full and we don't need the firemen looking for parking when there is an emergency call. Nate from R Bar indicated he will pay for the signs so we should forward him a copy of the invoice when we receive it.
Motion to approve the payment of bills was made by Friedrich, and seconded by Appelgren. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Old Business
Building Permit for Keith Sande
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Mark was waiting to hear from us if he should issue the permit with a penalty. It was noted that Benny did not issue a permit and he also posted a stop work order for the project. and we did indicate that yes he should be penalized. Mark indicated that the permit is $1747.38 which includes the penalty. The penalty is split between Mark and the City. The city did authorize that a penalty, which is 100% of the cost of the permit should be included with the permit fee.
We have had to penalize others who have not gotten a permit, so we need to be consistent and will issue him the penalty. Mark will have to do an inspection and he will work with him on that and things he finds that need correction or proof of the work.
New Business
Dakota County Deputy
Officer Andrew Leko indicated that he will ask that Davisson and Dawson streets be patrolled.
There was a discussion regarding mail theft and he indicated that we should call when it happens because there are a few key players involved. The problem is that we don't always know at the time that it happens but we should be on the lookout and call in anything suspicious. One person indicated that they were told by the post office that the individuals who are stealing the mail are following the mail vehicles. He will put a notice for officers to be aware of this.
It was mentioned to him that at the end of Dixie Avenue that there is someone dumping garbage – there use to be dumpster there but it is no longer there.
Mowing Contract
Ace Mowing presented a proposal for a one-year contract for the same fees as last year. Motion to accept the proposal from Ace Mowing for 2022 made by Appelgren, seconded by Haro. Voting in favor is Appelgren, Podritz, Friedrich and Haro, Opposed Carlock, motion passed 4:1.
Randolph Trailblazer
Bob Romanoski asked if the City would again sponsor the Randolph Trailblazers for the 22-23 season. Motion by Appelgren to sponsor the Randolph Trailblazers by Resolution No. 22-01 for the 2022-2023 season, seconded by Carlock. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Otte Development - Annexation
It was asked what needs to be done to annex property and the steps the need to be taken.
Blake Otte could not make it but since Korine was here we asked her to explain the process. First they need to submit a petition to the city. The city has to hold a public hearing and give at least 30 days' notice to the township and all the adjacent landowners. We hold a public hearing and it gets adopted by ordinance if the council agrees and submits it to the administrative law judges and there is a 90 day window to file objections. An Administrative law judge then would approve it assuming there is no objection.
We are just discussing what he needs to do. Korine will send us a form for them to use. The petitioners will have to cover the cost of the fees involved for the public hearing.
R Bar Special Event on June 25th
Nate Icaza came before the council to request that he would like to hold a bike show that would benefit Nates Community Garage a non-profit that supports vets and law income individuals on June 25th at the R Bar. Because of the size he would asked that the road in front of R Bar between Distad Path and Divers Path be closed from 1 pm to 5 pm so they have ample room for the bikes and parking. He will have to hire two off duty officers. It was noted that he should provide notice to the Castle Rock Quarry so they are aware of the road closure. Friedrich made a motion to approve Resolution No. 22-03 for the road closure on June 25th form 1 pm to 5 pm seconded by Podritz. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Polling Place Designation
Clerk Haro noted that we need to pass a new resolution due to the redistricting of polling places for the 2022 elections.
Clerk Haro made a motion to approve Resolution No. 22-02 designating the Randolph City Hall as the polling place for 2022, seconded by Friedrich. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Bolton & Menk Sewer Update
Matt Blazer of Bolton & Menk discussed the open house on march 30th and 31st. It was a great turn out. The video that was tapped from the meeting was uploaded to the website along with the boards that were there and a summary of the questions asked. There were several individuals from Dakota County there, 1 from Water Resource group, a regarding the grants available for low income individuals and 2 from the Transportation Department answering questions regarding the Highway 88 project. The next step will be the feasibility report to be presented at the next meeting. Matt plans to have it us a week in advance so we have time to review it.
A few questions that were asked was "Will there be a connection fee" – which there will not be for the existing households in the city but new homes will most likely have a fee. It was noted to homeowners that they are responsible for hooking up to the sewer lines from their residence and it was asked "What is the cost of hooking up" and that would be up to a contractor for the price.
Matt indicated the next open house will be closer to the start of construction.
Korine noted that negotiations are still being discussed regarding the land. When there is a decision to be made by the counsel they will come back and discuss it with it as either a closed or open meeting but at this time there is no resolution.
It was asked if we are any closer to determining what kind of water lines are underground. Matt was discussing this with locators but it is not an easy solution. We decided that we will have Otte Excavating dig two holes in different areas so we can have an answer for this question.
Miscellaneous
It was noted that there are some potholes that need to be filled. Jake will get some bids to get them filled.
Clerk Haro noted that we will have to get a new email address as Northfield Wifi will no longer be offering this through their site. It is not feasible for them to offer them. She will look into different options but needs to get it done by June 13th. She will check on getting a .gov email account.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting made by Appelgren, seconded by Podritz, the meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.