The October meeting of the Garretson City Council brought up a contentious issue with regards to pets, with a council member wanting to severely limit the number of domesticated animals allowed on personal property. They also gave final approval to a septic system that has been debated for three months, and re-iterated why the camper ordinance is necessary when a community member addressed the nuisance board.
The meeting had all council members in attendance, and began with reports from the pool and the fire department.
The pool had another successful season, with 153 family and individual passes sold, and a new swimming lesson structure that was well-received. The pool board was also able to install new flooring and toilets in the bathhouse, and feels the facility is really getting up to date again.
The fire department fielded 11 calls in June, 7 in July, and 10 in August. They’ve put in many hours of continuing education, including an entrapment and collapse training and swiftwater rescue training, both with Sioux Falls Fire Department.
The council then approved rates for natural gas, which City Finance Officer Anna Uhl stated remain steady. The reasoning behind why the City does not lock in a certain amount prior to the change in seasons to help save money was brought up, and Uhl and City Maintenance Supervisor Craig Nussbaum addressed the lack of storage ability, and if the locked in amount is not used, any overage is sold back at a substantial loss.
“If we did lock in an amount,” said Nussbaum, “we wouldn’t want to do more than 75% [of projected need], we haven’t ever done more than 60%.”
Temporary Septic Systems Allowed
The council then moved on to ordinances and resolutions with a variance request from Jay and Cindy Bobb with regards to placing a temporary septic system on their property. This was the third appearance for the Bobb’s, with no decisions made by the council at meetings prior (in September, the request for a variance died for lack of a majority). If they were to run a septic line out to the front of their property, it would have to be prohibitively long, plus would not have enough use to keep it from plugging up and would have to be a forced system. The lay of the land is more amenable to a line going west, which the Bobb’s would like to do once the area to the west of them is developed.
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