By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Lemond Township Supervisor Jim Springer was present to address the New Richland City Council during its regular meeting Oct. 25, 2021. The township will no longer be using the service of the New Richland Fire Department for coverage in three of its 11 sections in order to “square up” the coverage on its map. Beginning in 2022 everything east of County Road 7 will be covered by the Ellendale Fire Department. (At the time of printing we could not confirm the highway number)
“Nothing against the coverage or any of that,” Springer said. “It just makes more sense on the map. It will help our residents understand who is covering what.”
Fire Chief Josh Moen said the monetary loss from this is less than $5,000. “It’s not like we’re gonna lose too much sleep over this. This is their decision... because they’re the ones paying taxes.”
Street and Water report/Skating rink question.
Eric Hendrickson delivered the Streets and Water report prior to a riveting discussion about the town skating rink.
There were no water shutoffs in the month of October and only 16 blue cards were issued for late payments. The mayor thanked Eric for his storm sewer cleaning and said multiple people approached her and expressed gratitude for the way it’s being handled.
Hendrickson said his preparation to “winterize” is done and he is only waiting on bids for road construction. In preparation for winter he asked the council what they would like to do regarding the skating rink as it costs the city roughly $2,000 per year to keep it operational.
Each council member had comments, and many opinions were expressed. In the end the discussion was tabled. New Richland residents seeking to voice their concern should do so on the New Richland Happenings page or the city’s Facebook page.
The council approved the report.
Care Center
Administrator David Dunn delivered the care center report. A problem discussed during budget discussion was the city paying $5,600 per month to the MN Department of Health for a program associated with the care center.
“The program was never supposed to be a tax burden,” Dunn said. “The agreement between the city and the care center had never followed through.”
Mayor Gail Schmidt laid out the ways the city can recuperate the money and said her goal, although lofty, is to try to recuperate the $58,000 before the end of 2021. The two different plans suggested are:
1. Invoice the care center each month for the prior expense.
2. Have the care center fund a city project in the amount of $58,000.
Administrator Dunn said the care center would like to do what’s right. Going forward the $5,600 monthly expense will be accounted for in the care center’s budget and the owed amount will be repaid once the council determines which course of action is best.
Census/staff/finances
The current occupancy is at 39 residents with three admissions booked for last week. In October there were 25 referrals, eight admissions and nine residents discharged.
Brittany Hinz-Henry, an NRHEG graduate, was hired as the new director of nursing in October.
Dunn praised the care center staff, saying they show a lot of heart and character with their willingness to pick up extra hours and open shifts.
The care center is still open for visitors and the facility is following the MN Dept. of Health recommendations, only allowing two visitors at a time, and requiring everyone to sign in upon visiting.
The council accepted the care center report.
Ambulance Department
Director Sarah Sundve made a brief appearance to provide an estimate for ambulance department T-Shirts.
The cost for 40 shirts with embroidery per the estimate is $1,088.
Mayor Schmidt said she is not in favor of spending $1,000 on T-shirts and told the council they need to discuss the topic.
Councilperson Chad Neitzel said the council needs to stop talking about this subject and make a decision. Ultimately no decision was made and the topic was tabled again.
Miscellaneous/Approved motions
1. Resolution 21-24 was approved by the council accepting a $60,110 donation from the New Richland Fire Dept. Relief Association.
2. Consent agenda was approved, including last month's financials, accounts payables, and meeting minutes.
3. A job offer to an applicant for the city hall clean position was approved.
Shell Johnson delivered the People Service report and the council discussed which party, the city or a resident, is responsible for cleaning manholes on 5th/Broadway, which do not flow well into the main line. It is believed the city is responsible for everything from the street to the curb on the street and it was agreed that MN Rural Water should use a camera to assess the problem.
The city is looking at updating city ordinances and paying American Legal Publishing for an attorney to review them.
Going forward the care center will receive their own bill for insurance and the city its own. In order to save money, the city is considering offering a stipend in place of health insurance coverage for city employees who already have health insurance coverage.
The sportsman’s club agreed to pay half the expense to have a porta potty remain at St. Olaf Lake park during the winter.
The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m.