Ellendale City Council
By SCOTT GROTH
Contributing Writer
The Ellendale City met Thursday September 12, with Mayor Swearingen, Councilmen Reiter, Groth and Lassahn present. Councilman Goebel was absent. Also in attendance were LeAnn Hojberg, Assistant City Clerk; Josh Otto, City Maintenance; Pete Paulson, Municipal Liquor Store Manager; Pastor Patrick Stitt, and Matt Arthur.
The council had on the agenda for the evening to propose the 2014 tax levy. The levy had to be sent to the Steele County Auditor by September 15 and is certified in December. The council was reminded that the levy that is set now may only be lowered in December; it may not be raised. The council decided on setting a 4 percent raise over last year’s levy. Last year the council did not raise the levy. Last years levy was $291,138 along with a special levy for 8th Ave. of $15,980. The total new levy will be $318,764, which compares to last year’s levy of $307,118. The council adopted the levy with Resolution 09-12-13-01. The council also set the Truth in Taxation hearing for December 12 at 7 p.m. with a continuation date of December 26 at 7 p.m.
Pastor Stitt, Vibrant Life Church, explained to the council that on most given school days, at least 40 kids come to The Refuge after School. The Refuge provides a snack, drink and activities for those who attend. Pastor Stitt also explained that those who attend are not required to be members of Vibrant Life. Pastor Stitt was present to ask the council if there was any possibility that the city could help out in any way. Mayor Swearingen said he would like to seek legal council before the counsel would make any commitment to the program. Council members were in agreement about seeking advice before saying yes or no. The council thanked Pastor Stitt for providing a place for kids to go and told him they would be in contact with an answer.Otto was next with his monthly report. He began by telling the council he had been in contact with a company that will do a maintenance program for the generators in town. Otto and Mayor Swearingen felt the program would be good because there are so many components to the generators, that if Otto were to try and work on them one mistake could be very costly. The council agreed to do a one-year maintenance contract to see if it is beneficial before doing a multi-year deal.
Otto next told the council that he will be applying for his applicators license for 2014. He has ordered the books at a cost of $120. Otto said he has continued to use the PO system currently in place with the council. Otto requested he be permitted to purchase a few more tools he feels would make the job go faster and easier. The council granted the purchase.
Otto informed the council the tile line that has been talked about in the Country View Estates will be going in next week. Otto also noted the street lights for the most part have been repaired. The street light by Sun Rich Elevator has some issues and is in a poor location anyway. The council elected to remove the light.
Otto lastly asked for a couple of days off in October, which the council granted.
Paulson was next. He passed out his monthly numbers report. Paulson noted August had ended with a spike in business. September, however, has started slow which is typical for this time of year. Paulson noted he had a distributor that will be working with the MLS to provide monies for the area food shelf during October. Paulson also told the council he was working on a couple of events in the near future.
The council approved the claims for the evening which totaled $13,080.07
The council approved the minutes from the regular meeting on August 22, 2013 and the special meeting minutes from September 5, 2013.
Assistant Clerk Hojberg was next on the agenda. Hojberg gave the council an update on the hours she would like to keep and was wondering about mail collection. Currently Mayor Swearingen picks up the mail and will continue to do so for the interim. The council felt Hojberg should work the job for awhile before setting any type of office hours. Mayor Swearingen noted there are contact numbers on the clerk’s office door if anyone needs assistance.
Mayor Swearingen was next with his update. Swearingen told the council he had purchased a new phone for the city office as the old one will not let the recorded messages be played. Swearingen had no other business for the council.
During open discussion for the councilmen, Councilman Reiter passed out the City Clerk job description and job application forms for the council to review. After some discussion, it was decided Reiter will revise the forms and bring back to the council at the next meeting.
The next meeting of the Ellendale City Council will be on September 26 at 7:30 p.m.