by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
The City Council of Garretson met in session on Tuesday, August 2 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was well attended by the public, which is always highly encouraged. All council members except Tom Lines were present, and Mayor Tim Mullin called the meeting into order with the Pledge of Allegiance. He then opened the floor for anyone who was in attendance that may have needed to address an item right away. First to the floor were the Garbage bids. Last month, the single bid that had been proposed was denied due to lack of detail and bids were again requested. Two itemized bids were submitted, one from Garbage-N-More and one from Van Dyke Sanitation out of Edgerton. The out of town service placed a bid that was $615 lower, which councilmember Bill Hoskins moved to accept. However, before it was voted upon, Garbage-N-More owner Jeff Schreurs asked if it was possible for future requests for bids be multi-year contracts. He also wanted to let the council know that his bid was not out of line, as last year, vandalized and stolen dumpsters cost his company $3,000 that insurance did not cover. The increased cost to his company due to the vandalism was the reasoning behind the increased bid, as he was hoping to recoup some of those costs. The idea of going with a more local company was appealing to the Council, and they brought to a vote whether to use Van Dyke Sanitation, and it failed due to a lack of majority (3 to 2). When brought to a vote for Garbage-N-More, it failed again 3 to 2 (Sanders stated she mis-voted for the first vote). The Council decided to continue as-is and look at it again next month. Schreurs expressed his appreciation for the vote, saying, "I pay over $3000 in taxes to Garretson per year and appreciate the stance for local business."
Next, a city nuisance violation was addressed. A neighbor had expressed his concern with a lot of junk and items at a house on Granite, as well as a van parked on the corner, and a letter of violation had been sent. The property owner had cleaned things up and moved items into his shed, but the opinion of the neighbor was that a few things had been moved around and the owner had added to it. A short discussion ensued about ordinance enforcement and who was responsible for it. It often falls to the Mayor, who was also requesting the Council also back enforcement. Council member Greg Beaner expressed concern that having the Council enforce codes may lead to hard feelings, which is never good in a small town. A suggestion of a Code Enforcement Officer was brought up and quickly discussed, but no action was taken or ideas brought to the table beyond questioning whether it was possible to cost share with another community or to hire some type of outside party for enforcement. As for the nuisance violation, the council agreed to send another letter for further clean up to occur by a specific date, and for the van to be moved, as it was a traffic hazard on a busy corner. The corner of Railroad/Essex and Granite was also discussed, as it is currently only controlled by one stop sign, and it seemed to the community member and a few council members that placing more stop signs might be a good idea. It was decided to place that item on the agenda for next month.
Jeff Frerk then presented for the Garretson Fire Department. There were 8 calls in May and 9 calls in June, which brings the year-to-date calls up to 66. The year-to-date man hours is 1321 hours.
Variance 2016-9 was then addressed, the property on Railroad Avenue. The property owner wished to build a large garage (36'x40') on the land, and the neighbors were all in agreement that it would be a good structure to place there. The board voted to allow the structure to proceed.
Matt Penning addressed the council with Ambulance service news. There have been meetings to redraw maps and territory lines, and not much is changing for Garretson. Cindy Heiburger, Minnehaha County Commissioner, also had spoken with the county's ambulance services and said the commissioners were trying to find a long term, better way to fund the county ambulance services, not cut funding, as had been rumored and reported. They "felt insulted" that it was implied they were considering cutting funding. It was previously reported to this newspaper by other sources, including Commissioner Jeff Barth, that funding cuts were under consideration. This was also what Penning had previously reported to the Garretson City Council. This resulted in a public outcry not to cut ambulance funding.
For the Sheriff's report, no officer was on hand. However, Mayor Mullin wanted to let everyone know that there are reports of many officers retiring over the next few years, which means there will be several younger officers coming onto the force.
Natural gas reported that prices were down slightly again, and the council voted to lower prices to match.
Water, sewer, and streets were next on the agenda. The 3rd Street water lines and Railroad road construction project, which was originally to occur this summer, is now moved to next spring in order to take advantage of better funding opportunities. The project had been expanded substantially since it was first decided to replace the water mains on 3rd. Initially, it was two small projects, and it has now grown into one large one that includes the sewer system and repaving of streets. If the grant money is applied for in January, larger amounts are generally awarded than if it is applied for in June. Jeff Frerk then asked the council to consider making sure the water hydrants were also updated during that project. They get deducted for having old hydrants, and newer ones would help them, as well. The council stated that hydrant replacement was on the project list already. "Our constituents are very concerned about this and so are we," councilmember Hoskins said. City Maintenance Officer Craig Nussbaum replied, "It's a large project and we are adding to the value of the community, so we need to make sure we have the funding properly in place." Councilmember Richelle Hofer used this project as a good reason to have a quality 5-year plan outlined for Garretson, and should be budgeted for when the 2017 budget is presented in September. "If we have certain projects outlined, we can plan for them," she said, "and have the funding in place in advance." This project has changed since it first came about, but a five-year plan would help move Garretson into an offense position rather than a defense position when it comes to large projects. "Right now, we're just reacting. I'd like to see us become proactive."
Councilmember Hoskins replied, "Five years isn't enough to address all the issues the city has, we only have so much income and need to spend it wisely."
"That's part of what a five year plan does," Hofer responded. "We need to address current infrastructure and plan for future projects. We just need an engineer to get the ball rolling on a plan. That will cost some money." A quick discussion ensued as to whether our current city-contracted engineer or another engineer would be used, but no decisions were made.
Next on the agenda were the parks. At the Jaycee Complex, bleachers are being put together, and a line for electrical to the picnic shelter is needed. Discussion was also had regarding getting more electrical lines and outlets into that area for future events that may be held up there. At the pool, a bid had been requested for cameras to be set up at the pool due to vandalizing. Items were being thrown into the pool, which so far had not created any major damage, but could change. Also, the grant money check had been deposited, but it was learned that it is required to be used for playground equipment within six months or given back. The council agreed that if the current equipment is a liability, it needs to be pulled out, but they also agreed that having play equipment up there is an asset and that something should be figured out and agreed upon with the Pool board. The City was also taking issue with the hours and lack of communication from the pool regarding pool closures. "We are paying the employees, if they are saying that they're supposed to be open, they should be open, regardless of whether it's for two kids," Mayor Mullin said. Local community members chimed in that they'd had issues recently with the pool being closed when it should have been open. Also, community members pointed out that there are several communities with playground equipment nearby the pool, and this isn't an issue in those places. Rock Rapids, Iowa, for instance, has a very large playground structure right outside the entrance to their pool. They utilize privacy fencing to discourage distraction for the lifeguards. The council encouraged the community to contact the pool board members to address these issues, as well as the play equipment.
For finance, the audit is finished, and they are just waiting for the results. Anna Uhl, City Finance Officer, is also working on the 2017 budget, which will be presented for first reading next month. The city is also waiting for its final payment from FEMA for the Splitrock Park Dam project. The council then discussed the dam and how to prevent accidents in the future.
Grow Garretson then formally requested permission to close Main street between 3rd and 4th Avenues on August 13 for the Second Saturday event. It was also requested to have a special meeting to approve the liquor license request, as there will be a wine and beer walk as part of the event.
The formation of the Parks Board was next on the agenda. The resolution was read and adopted. The Council will now be accepting applications for members to be on the Parks board. To apply, send a short letter of interest to the mayor that will be shared at the next meeting.
Next, Andy Hermanson with the JC Foundation requested a liquor license for their upcoming rededication event. For their 25th Anniversary on August 27th & 28th, they will be hosting a kickball tournament and selling hamburgers, hot dogs, and beer. The liquor license was approved.
For city maintenance, a street project on Dows to place an overlay had received 3 bids, and upon the recommendation of Nussbaum, the lowest bid was accepted. Work was to begin on Wednesday, August 3 and be finished by Friday, August 5. A discussion regarding the purchase of a new sweeper and disposal of the old sweeper was next. The current sweeper was in need of repairs, and would cost a minimum of $15,000 to fix with the potential for more fixes next year and likely had less than 5 years of life left in it. The sweeper under consideration would be much newer, but cost over $50,000, even with the trade in of the old sweeper. It was decided to surplus the old sweeper and place a bid for a new sweeper.
Next, the Animal Ordinance was brought to the table for a first reading. As it was increasing substantially in size, the council opted to take it home and will have more discussion on it next month. Uhl wanted the council to pay special attention to the vicious dog and the chicken ordinances. Community member Karen Berg said that regarding chickens, "If Seattle and Sioux Falls and Minneapolis can have ordinances allowing chickens, why can't a small, rural community like Garretson?" Mayor Mullin responded that it was due to enforcement. If Garretson allowed chickens on a plot of land that bordered an acre or more (which had been discussed during the July meeting and detailed in the Gazette in July 21st issue), they would have to enforce the number of chickens and who owned them. "People like to push the rules. If we limit it to 4 chickens, someone will always see if they can get away with 5," said Mullin. Since this is a first reading, revisions will occur during next month's meeting. Citizens should bring their concerns to the Mayor and City Councilors.
Next was Ordinance 628, a first reading of the budget, which is allowing requests until September 1. So far, the Sheriff's department request was only up $1000. Councilmember Hofer also asked that $25,000 for a five-year plan that addresses facilities, infrastructure, and more be requested.
The third to last item on the agenda was the re-platting of land owned by the Pierret family. Tract 1 is east of Leslie Circle and Jacob Circle and out to the Valley Springs road, and Tract 2 is north of the industrial park. Both requests were approved and the council authorized the Mayor to sign the documents necessary.
A quick discussion ensued regarding ordinances such as sign height, lighting, parking lots, and landscaping. These questions had come about by Heather Hitchcock of Dollar General, and it was addressed that Garretson did not have ordinances for any of these items. It is something that should have been done a long time ago, the council agreed, but nothing was decided.
Finally, discussion regarding garages at the trailer park was held. Garages are allowed, but they require a building permit and cannot be portable. It must also follow current city ordinances.
The meeting adjourned for the evening. The next meeting is slated for Labor Day, but will likely be moved due to the holiday.
