Call to order:
The regular Randolph City Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 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:
None made.
Prior Meeting Minutes
A motion to approve the October 13, 2021 was made by Podritz, seconded by Friedrich. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Treasurer's Report
Sandy discussed the quote from DSG for the water meters that are needed. The quote is for $5,458.70 which includes a 4 inch meter and 3 1-1/2 inch meters and all accessories needed to hook them up. The also gave us $2.380.00 for the 4 meters that were returned. The costs for the new meters needed would be $3,078.70.
Motion by Appelgren to move forward with the quote from DSG for $3,078.70, seconded by Podritz. Voting in favor, Appelgren, Podritz, Carlock and Haro, opposed by Friedrich. Motion passed 4:1.
A motion to approve the Treasurer's Report was made by Podritz, seconded by Appelgren. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Approval to Pay Bills
The check for One Hour Heating is for the work to be done on the pump house on November 19th and they require payment on the day work is done. The work will all be completed on that day.
to approve the payment of bills as written was made by Friedrich, and seconded by Haro. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Old Business
No old business to discuss.
New Business
Dakota County Deputy
Deputy Sam Weber stopped in and reported there was nothing new to report at this time.
He asked if we had anything we wanted to discuss and we talked about the boat on Dickman Avenue that has been there for over a year. He will stop over and discuss it with the homeowner.
Building Permit for John Banazewski
Mark our building inspector discussed that he had placed a stop work order on the project at Banazewski’s property and it was removed and the structure was put up after he told them they needed to come to a meeting for a permit. Mark indicated according to our ordinances they needed to come before the council for approval. The mayor said it is not a permanent structure because he did not cement it in. He was going to cement it but decided not to at this time. Under Section 527 anything over 140 sq ft needs to get approval and his is approximately 860 sq ft. Car ports are considered temporary and not permanent as long as they are not cemented in. We need to look at our ordinances which we will do next year and Mark will assist us with this project. We should have it in the ordinance how we define building and structures. Mark indicated that the state changed it so you can build a shed up to 200 sq ft without a permit.
The council decided to approve the carport as is at this time and if any changes are made to it such as pouring cement they could need to come to a meeting.
Motion by Appelgren to approve Banazewski’s carport and past carports as is and in moving forward we will change our ordinance to make it more clear, seconded by Friedrich. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Mark also noted that stop work orders that are posted it is illegal to remove them and we need to let citizens know they are not to remove them. There could be a fine it they remove it or if a licensed contractor is involved, their license could be in jeopardy.
Water Rates
Todd Hagen from Ehlers discussed different options regarding water rates. We discussed refinancing the bank loan and whether or not we want to reimburse the general fund for the amount owed from the water account. With no increase we will not have a healthy water fund and would be in the negative. We need to get the water fund in a positive balance. The water fund should not be supported by the general fund – it should be treated as a separate business account. Its state law that a water fund should operate on its own. Sewer is more flexible. The $20.00 repair fund was to save more for repairs and that should be built up. Also the repairs that were recently done should last for 15 – 20 years before we would need to do any major repairs.
Friedrich made a motion to approve Option No. 4 to raise the water usage rate and water tower repair charge by 23% for 2022, seconded by Appelgren. Voting in favor, Friedrich, Appelgren and Haro, opposed, Podritz and Carlock, motion passed 3:2.
Refinancing of Bond
Todd Hagen from Ehler’s also discussed the refinancing of the bond. The amount is subject to change. If we get a better rate, the amount will be less. We can always prepay at any time. It would all be finalized by December 8th for our net meeting and plan to close on December 28th.
Carlock made a motion to approve Resolution No. 21-11 Providing for the sale of $328,000 Taxable General Obligation Water Revenue and Refunding Bonds, seconded Podritz. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Building Inspector
Mark discussed that he needs to enforce the building code as well as our ordinances and we need to be on the same page as him. There are some conflicts with some of the ordinances and they need to be reworded so they are clear. They need to be clarified. We will put this on our January agenda to discuss having a meeting next year to work on our ordinances.
Also it was noted that in the future if anyone needs a permit they should be referred to Mary or Mark. Council members should not make a decision except as council meetings regarding permits. It is preferred that they talk to mark. Also it was noted that it is a misdemeanor if they do work without a permit. We will plan a meeting next year to go over our ordinances. Mark will assist and we will check with Korine to see if she is also available to attend the meeting.
Mark also noted that the fee schedule for square footage cost is from 1998 and should be updated to place the valuations where they should be. Mark will update it and bring it to the meeting. He also noted we need to include a definition of habitable for separate buildings.
Joint Powers Agreement with Dakota County
Clerk Haro noted that our JPA with Dakota County expires on December 31, 2021, which was a three year agreement. Do we want to renew it? There was an increase in fees.
Motion to renew our JPA with Dakota County was made by Friedrich, seconded by Appelgren. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Amendment to Development Agreement for Hereford Hills 3rd Addition
Korine mentioned that the Development Agreement with Dan Wenstrom needs to be amended since Dan paid the park fees.
Podritz made a motion to approve Resolution No. 21-12 amending the Development Agreement for Hereford Hills Third Addition, seconded by Friedrich. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Prosecution Firm for City of Randolph
It was noted that the law firm of Levander, Gillen & Miller who we just approved to do the city prosecution work has decided they will no longer do this type of work. We need to look for another firm to assist the city. She recommended a firm in Apple Valley. We will table this until next month so that we can look at fees for this type of work.
Sewer Update
Matt noted they are still moving forward with getting land for the holding ponds. They are starting on the preliminary design. They have to get appraisals together. We will have several meetings to discuss with the public before anything gets approved.
Miscellaneous
Clerk Haro noted that we need to finalize the tax levy at the December meeting and asked what time we should start. It was decided we will start the meeting at 6:30 p.m. to go over the budget prior to the start of the council meeting.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting made by Podritz, seconded by Friedrich, the meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Opmerkingen