The council then questioned Irhke and Thiele about the dollar amount budgeted for car replacement. Thiele said he would have to take that question to the county commissioners, as he does not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the county. Thiele also informed the council that county will, in all likelihood, go live on the 800Mghz the end of December.
Lenton was given the floor to discuss the proposed franchise agreement. Lenton told the council his company and Kohl had been in contact with each other to reach the proposal brought to the council. The new agreement would be for 25 years, with the option to terminate the agreement after 15 years. Lenton told the council that if they would like to impose a franchise fee any time during the agreement, the city would have that right. Lenton noted the fee would be passed along to the end user, the residents of Ellendale. The council felt at this time they would not impose the franchise fee. The ordinance to grant Minnesota Energy a natural gas franchise was approved.
Kohl addressed the council with a variety of items, starting with the Anti Blight ordinance. The ordinance had 1000 feet as the measurement to determine how close an adult entertainment business could be from homes, schools and churches. However, as Kohl pointed out, this does not leave the city with many possibilities.
The council reviewed different footages and decided that a 500-foot buffer would be sufficient. As Kohl pointed out, the city must provide a possible site, and with the 500-foot buffer the city could potentially have two or three areas. There will be a public hearing on this matter scheduled for December 8th at 7 p.m.
Kohl brought to the council’s attention the assessment policy. The council and Kohl both felt that with the current street reconstruction, the city should adopt an assessment policy to be consistent and fair. The council felt that for future councils, it would be easier to do curb and gutter if a street reconstruction was being planned. The policy would also cover the different percentages that could be assessed to homeowners. The council moved to adopt the assessment policy. Kohl then briefed the council on the proposed purchase of the Mobil property. The Council asked Kohl about the vacating of the alley way in Crown Ridge.
After some discussion, the council asked Kohl to look into just vacating the area of concern. Kohl updated the council on hiring practices, including Veterans preference. Kohl was asked if the city was a non-profit organization. Kohl responded by telling council members that the city is not a non-profit organization, however, if someone wants to donate for tax purposes, that is considered a legal donation.
Swearingen was next with his monthly report. He started by saying that the street improvement projects in the city were almost complete. He told the council the construction company was going through the pick list. Swearingen said the asphalt had been done by Commercial St. and School St., which totaled $3200. This was done to prevent the water shut-off from being torn up. Swearingen reported that a total of 18 different areas had been black topped which ran around $7800. Swearingen noted that 350 feet of pipe has been installed on 2nd St. so far. Swearingen said he has been having some tire issues on the plow truck and on the backhoe. The council asked if he had gotten any quotes. Swearingen said he had some for the backhoe tires but not for the truck.
Swearingen asked the council for direction on some animal control concerns. Swearingen reminded the council that a resident with too many dogs was given a deadline of Oct. 1st to get down to the maximum limit of two per household. Swearingen said he had some concerns if he has to house the animals, as he does not have enough room. The council asked Swearingen to seek help from the sheriff’s office, if necessary. The council stated they need to remind residents that there is a two-dog limit per household.
The council approved the minutes of the September 22, 2011 meeting.
The council went over and approved the claims for the evening totaling $36,193.25.
Louks went over his items for the evening. He reminded the council of the assessment hearing on October 27th at 7 p.m. Louks said he had received 15 applications for the Municipal Liquor Store manager position. Liquor Commissioners Goebel and Groth will review them and inform the council of the persons they wish to interview.
During open discussion, the council asked about employee reviews and the water line on Second St. that is not in the right spot. There will need to be some survey done to make sure the water line gets in the alley. Swearingen said the weather may not cooperate long enough to change the water line yet this fall.
The next meeting of the Ellendale City Council will be October 27th with the assessment hearing at 7 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.
