by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
At the August 3, 2020 meeting of the Garretson City Council, they had a first look at the proposed 2021 budget, gave a positive update on the streets project, and decided upon an architect to help with planning the future community center/City Hall.
The meeting began with an update from the Garretson Parks Advisory Committee (GPAC), who noted a lot of clean-up had been going on down in the parks.
In Split Rock Park, two areas formerly covered in sucker trees and brush were being cleaned out, re-exposing some of the pink quartzite granite that attracts visitors to the parks. Several ash trees and dead trees were also being removed, moving ahead with the City’s plan to reduce the number of trees that will be affected by the Emerald Ash Borer.
They also let the council know that the sidewalk and gutter were slated to be started in the Jaycee’s Sports Complex as soon as Wednesday, and that Kwik Kerb had been installed at Devil’s Gulch. A new sign was slated to be finished and installed within the next 2-3 weeks at Split Rock Park.
Council member and GPAC advisor Jodi Gloe expressed her gratitude for the work of City employees Craig Nussbaum, Randy Megard, and Anna Uhl with regards to all the parks projects. GPAC expressed its gratitude for the willingness of Gloe and the City’s seasonal help to pursue the clean-up projects.
The ambulance gave an update as well, saying that while calls were down substantially in April and May, June and July had more than made up for that, and they were even with 2019’s call volume.
Ambulance Director Curtis Nelson let the council know that they had transported a handful of COVID-19 positive cases. None of his rostered members had tested positive so far, though one had to quarantine for two weeks after a personal exposure. The state of South Dakota will soon start asking first responders if they’re willing to volunteer for a sentinel program to ensure all members are negative for the virus.
With regards to budget, Nelson was optimistic, saying current negotiations and proposals were looking good. Unfortunately, they had been unable to do their two largest fundraisers. While they had been fortunate to receive a PPP loan and a grant from the Prairie Rose Foundation, and were in the process of looking to do a raffle, they are still in need of a new truck with a cost estimate between $150,000-$200,000. During the City’s budget reading, Finance Officer Uhl did note the ambulance’s request for its usual $40,000, plus an additional $25,000 for equipment.
After approving a fence variance request from Cindy Jorgenson, Uhl reminded the council of the Clean Up Day scheduled for Saturday, August 29. Community members will be able to bring their unwanted items to Garbage N More, located at 708 Nordstrom Ave, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Springdell 4-H will be picking up items as a fundraiser. Contact Uhl for details.
City Maintenance Supervisor Nussbaum then updated the council on the progress of Main Avenue, which is well underway. Everything was right on schedule; water and sewer lines had been replaced and the water mains were being pressure tested. The work on Main, which began July 9, is slated to be completed far enough by the end of August/beginning of September for the company to begin on the truck route, which encompasses Depot, Granite, and Railroad Avenues. The entire project is slated to be completed by November 16.
Infrastructure Design Group owner and Garretson community member Chad Hanisch then spoke on the drainage issues that are being addressed in the new development on Sarah C St. It is likely that Nielsen Construction, the developer, will be starting on 4 new houses in the near future.
Hanisch also addressed the 5th Street bridge project, which had to be revised and re-submitted to the SDDOT. It is looking more likely that project won’t be completed until next year, though Hanisch said they were giving bidding companies the option of either 2020 or 2021 for construction.
Council member Richelle Hofer then asked Hanisch, who played a role in the development of the CIP (City Improvement Plan), whether that needed to be revisited. The implementation of a CIP is a very different process than how the City has addressed issues in the past, as it’s more of an offensive than a defensive approach. Hanisch replied that the CIP does need to be looked at while budgeting, and that they may need to re-prioritize projects based on projected revenue.
Hanisch’s vast knowledge base also came in handy with regards to getting water lines to fire hydrants and Central Valley Dairy between the railroad tracks. He spoke of an application process that needs to occur, but it needs to be submitted with drawings, a proposal, and a $600 application fee to the right address. BNSF then gets 3 months to review the proposal and either accept or reject the application. He was able to provide the links to both Uhl and to Central Valley Dairy owner Rod Tillma.
The council then addressed annexation, which is currently being worked on. Council member Hofer asked if annexed properties were required to follow all ordinances or if they were grandfathered in. Uhl said it was up to the council which ordinances could be grandfathered; for instance, in some areas it is impossible to enforce the septic tank ordinance.
Mayor Greg Beaner then asked if annexation into the City affects tax rates for those property owners involved. Council member Dave Bonte, whose own property was annexed in several years ago, responded that it could, “significantly.”
“It depends on whether it’s an acreage or a farm,” said Uhl.
“It’s very individualized,” said council member Greg Franka. Mostly, properties are only affected by City tax rates. School taxes are already set by the county.
The council then received an update from Uhl about advertising for a part-time office employee. The position had been budgeted in for 2020, and the process was about to be started this past spring when the pandemic hit. The position is slated to start as 20-hours per week to help with office and billing duties. Uhl had listed the position on Monday, August 3, and was leaving it open for two weeks. As of that evening, she had already received two resumes.
Nussbaum is also planning to hire soon for a full-time maintenance position, with the hopes that the employee would be able to train as his replacement. Some discussion occurred on advertising it as his replacement, and council member Bill Hoskins mentioned that Brandon had gone through three maintenance officers before they found a proper replacement. The council agreed that it would not be advertised as such, but would be an important piece of the interview process.
Mayor Beaner then offered a proposal that had been received from the same company that did the salary survey. This proposal would help re-develop the employee handbook, which is currently “very inadequate.” For $3,000, the company would re-work the document, and for a subscription, also included Human Resources help, which would be good for new employees. Council member Hofer inquired whether that $3000 included updates. Mayor Beaner was unsure, and the council opted to table the proposal until they knew for sure.
At this point, the council then looked at the proposed 2021 budget. Most subsidy requests had remained the same as the year prior, and Uhl noted that she had set aside some funds to start preparing for bathhouse improvements at Split Rock Park. This will include mortar, tuckpointing, a new roof, and floor.
She asked the council to comb through the budget for the next few weeks, to ensure all needs were met and to help balance the budget. While she still had several tweaks she planned to do, the budget was approximately -$45,000.
Later comments from council members pointed out that this was actually rather reasonable, as other years, the first reading of the budget had been more than $100,000 in the negative.
The council set a special meeting for the budget, which will be held on Monday, August 24 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Due to Labor Day, the council also rescheduled the September meeting, which will now be on Tuesday, September 8 at the Legion.
The council asked if any progress had been made on the removal of the dumpsters on Railroad and Granite which contain the remains of the chemical spill. Nussbaum said he was in talks with Nachurs Alpine to have it removed.
The council inquired whether the City had pursued any insurance monies from Nachurs Alpine to help fund the cost of road repairs and City employee time that had to occur after heavy equipment unintentionally destroyed the road during clean-up. Council members pointed out that not only was the time valuable, but that it was a truck route road, meant to take heavier vehicles. Even though it was scheduled for replacement, the road should not have been so badly affected. This means that equipment far too heavy for it was utilized.
While it was pointed out that it could potentially cost more to pursue the insurance funding, council member Hofer stated that it seems like there should be a compensatory amount provided. Uhl agreed to speak with the City attorney to inquire.
Mayor Beaner then opened the floor for public questions, and community member Mark Williamson asked about the baseball field on behalf of the American Legion.
While no decisions have been made yet as to whether the City will gain ownership of the field, council member Bonte said they would push for it over the winter and get the details worked out. He noted that some of the process had been hampered by confusion about the property and building that the Blue Dragon Foundation owns. Bonte clarified to Williamson that the Foundation would still be in charge of everything at the field, similarly to how it has been.
Next, the council addressed the four applications that had been received for garbage licenses. A short discussion occurred regarding weight limit concerns and the possibility of limiting the number of garbage haulers in town in order to reduce wear and tear on roads and alleyways, but no action was taken other than approval of the four licenses.
Prior to entering executive session in order to discuss the architect proposals, Uhl discussed a proposal that had been given in order to increase the natural gas capacity of the community. An increase purchase had been recommended because the community currently goes over on peak days during the winter, and it would prevent the City from having to build a second TBS point for a few more years. The total cost quoted for a second TBS had been $75,000. Purchasing the extra capacity was quoted at $19,166.39 for the winter months or an extra $3,833.28 a month over the year, and the City would be able to lock that price in. The council voted to purchase the increase.
At that time, the council entered executive session to discuss proposals. Upon the council reconvening, they voted to have ISG, an architecture firm with offices in Sioux Falls, begin the process of Phase I of the new community center and City Hall. ISG will be partnering with engineering firm Infrastructure Designs during this project. The timeline presented begins with a kickoff meeting, site inventory and analysis, user group meetings, and concept plan development before moving into concept plan reviews and refinement. ISG intends to also bring funding and grant opportunities to the City’s attention.
The council believed ISG will best serve Garretson during Phase I due to their close work with Brandon, as well as Salem and other small communities in planning their developments and multi-use facilities. All told, it was a difficult decision, as the council initially received 18 proposals from companies interested in working with the community.
The next meeting of the Garretson City Council will be a special meeting to revise the budget. It will be held on Monday, August 24 at City Hall. The next regular meeting of the council will be on Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion.
