Ellendale City Council
By SCOTT GROTH
Contributing Writer
The Ellendale City Council met Thursday, February 23 with Mayor Engel and all councilmen present. Also attending meeting were Roger Swearingen, city maintenance; Eric Haffner, engineer; Steve Louks, clerk; Gwen Reiss, Municipal Liquor Store; Jeff Johnson, fire department.
The council discussed strategy with Haffner and Swearingen regarding street repair. The council feels there are quite a few roads within the city that will need attention in the near future. Haffner, who works for Bolten & Menk, told the council about some work his firm had done for another city. Haffner said his firm went through the town and ranked the streets and gave them priorities. Swearingen said he would like to see 3rd St. from Highway 30 to 6th Ave. repaired. Swearingen also felt the same block on 2nd St. would be a good candidate for refurbishing.
The council also talked about seal coating some areas in town. Haffner said seal coating is good maintenance if started at the right time in the street’s life. After some discussion, the council moved to have Bolten & Menk go through the city streets, rank them, and make note of any special repairs needed. The council felt then the city could implement a plan for the future.
Haffner also presented the city with a pay request to BCM, the contractor who did the street work last summer. The pay request was for two change orders and totaled $7,618.07. Haffner told the council his firm was in agreement with the change orders and asked the council to approve the pay request. The council approved the payment.Johnson, representing the fire department, was next with his report. Johnson stated that most of the township monies are in. Johnson also said the fire department will be holding a fish fry on March 10th for a fund-raiser. Johnson went over the expenses for the month which totaled $792.45. The council approved the expenditures.
Reiss was present to give an update on the MLS. Reiss gave the council an estimate for upholstering stools and chairs in the MLS. The council will try to get another estimate for comparison. Reiss said there is a food show she would like to attend in Eau Claire on April 9-10. The council approved attending the show. Reiss told the council that most of the old stock in the MLS has been sold. Reiss said she was not having good luck getting a band for Ellendale Days, as the one she thought she had booked cancelled.
The council passed Resolution 02-23-12-01 allowing the state to make improvements on handicap approaches on the sidewalks along Highway 30. There will be no assessments to any adjoining properties.
The council reviewed and passed the financial, investment and disbursement reports.
The claims for the evening were presented for approval. The claims totaled $1,837.69 and were approved.
Clerk items for the evening started with a proposal for a new computer for the clerk’s office. After some discussion, it was felt the council should get another bid for comparison. Louks reminded the council that employee reviews would be held February 28.
Mayor Engel stated he would like to see the council review the dog ordinance. The council agreed to review the ordinance in the future. Engel next stated the council should make a decision on the CERT bus the city owns. At the last meeting of the Council, it was noted that the bus would cost the city almost $1,100 for liability insurance. The council moved to take the bus off the insurance role and put the bus up for sale. The council will take sealed bids at its next meeting.
The next meeting of the Ellendale City Council will be March 8 at 7:30 p.m.