New Richland City Council
By NICOLE BILLING
Editorial Assistant
The New Richland City Council had its first meeting of the month Tuesday, November 13. The meeting started at 6:30 and lasted for two hours. All council members were present and they approved the agenda as presented.
The first order of business was a public hearing for delinquent property charges. Two landlord property owners rose complaints about delinquent water bills that their renters did not pay. A comment was made that the city needs to follow state law with water bills.
The next order of business was the police report. Scott Eads reported there were 110 calls for service and 44 additional contacts or activities for the month of October. No serious or felonious calls were reported.
The new camera arrived on October 30. Eads said the police department is very grateful to the NRAFF’s Grace of God Fund for the grant that allowed the purchase. They want to add a tripod and external flash, which can be made possible with the remaining $200.This Halloween was more uneventful than in the past, according to Eads.
There is a bid for snow tires from Christenson Tire & Auto. The cost for the tires, alignment, and additional fees is $678.5. Eads requested approval for the amount. The council approved the purchase.
Next was the maintenance report. Misgen’s will give around $600 and I-35 Auto will give around $800 for the city’s old sweeper. The new sweeper has been running well, without having an issue.
The next order of business involved the first main water break in the last two and a half years. The break was at the corner by Country Neighbors.
The fire department then requested approval for flow and fit testing for air packs and heads up display on face masks for repair. The council approved both motions.
The council then approved a purchase agreement to purchase the building across the street for storage space. The council approved giving money to the fire department to send people for training.
Next, the council looked at a no-charge agreement for the Softball Boosters to use the softball field and raise funds to make improvements. The council approved the agreement.
The school agreed to amend their lease agreement for Legion Field to be a $35,000 lump sum for the next four years.
Election results were discussed. There were 602 voters and the council declared the election results to be true. If no one contests the election, the results creates a vacancy in the city council. No one would be appointed until the beginning of January. The council approved the motion of advertising the council vacancy.
Council members then discussed a request the New Richland Area Historical Society made for the amount of $1,500 for a genuine Odd Fellows oak bench from an auction for the new Odd Fellows building. The council approved the motion and moved the amount to $2,000.
Thereafter, they looked at ways to reduce the city’s budget. Council members discussed cutting the lifeguard and concessions stand hours at the lake during the summer and also cutting the number of people working on weekends. They also discussed taxes for the city.
The last order of business was to discuss evaluations of city workers. The council mentioned these evaluations are really a touch-base type of thing, making sure the employees are satisfied with their jobs and doing a good job.