New Richland City Council
By JESSICA LUTGENS
Staff Writer
The New Richland City Council started off its second meeting of the month on Monday, April 27 with the approval of the agenda, consent agenda items, and Resolution 20-07 extending the state of local emergency to the next meeting. Council member Jason Casey abstained from the vote on Resolution 20-07. All members were present, and the meeting was again conducted via an online app allowing attendees to connect on their computer, mobile, or call-in.
The PeopleService report was reviewed by the council in the absence of Brad Field and approved. Ryan Nissen then presented the maintenance report, stating that the search for a seasonal maintenance worker/lawn mower has had no luck so far. A request to advertise for the position online was approved.
“We’ll be in dire need soon for someone to start mowing for us,” Nissen said.
A purchase request for another locator due to an increased number of weekly utility locations at a cost of $745 was approved, followed by some discussion regarding St. Olaf Lake and the upcoming swimming season. It was agreed that the dock and swimming ropes will be installed, but the raft will not. The fate of this year’s swimming lessons will be decided at an upcoming meeting.
Before the report was approved, chip seal work at a cost of $22,941.49 was approved.
Chuck Ness called in the care center report, stating that the center saw a new income loss of $65,809 for the month of March, about $62,000 of which was from mutual funds. The census has been slightly lower at 78.6%.
“We’ve made some changes, and the census is currently at 41,” Ness noted. “We’re doing better than a lot of nursing homes that do a lot of therapy, though.”
As for the Covid-19 situation, Ness said that they’ve kept the virus out of the building, though some extra expenses have been incurred. Any Covid-19 expenses will be reimbursed in time, however.
“Hopefully we never get it,” said Ness, referring to Covid-19, “but we need to be proactive and hire a few more staff just in case.”
The need for more staff also comes from increased staff required to take residents out of their rooms in order for them to enjoy the warmer weather, which involves residents wearing masks and safe social distancing practices, which require more activity staff. Last week, residents were brought outside, and a plan is in the works to allow residents to go outside in order to meet with family members, which is currently restricted as very few individuals are allowed into the building. The plan will require all to wear masks, residents and guests included, and keep six to eight feet distance with staff monitoring.
“It’s somewhat labor-intensive,” Ness said, “and not an easy or cheap thing to do, but it’s necessary for the quality of life for residents.”
More discussion regarding other measures taken due to Covid-19 and supplies ensued, and the report was approved.
Next, the 2019 audit report for the City of New Richland was presented, showing the same findings as the last several years: namely, limited segregation of duties. It was explained that, while more than one individual in charge of the city’s financial transactions is preferred, the council is an additional oversight for the process. The report, which can be viewed on the city website, was accepted by the council.
A purchase request for a new computer for the ambulance, which includes the computer, docking station and extended warranty plan, was approved at a cost of up to $3,746. The extended warranty cost, an additional $317, was also approved.
Before adjourning, the council approved a donation of $500 to the New Richland Area Sportsman’s Club for a St. Olaf Lake project, as well as the purchase of a new vest for the police department at a cost of $1,400, which will be reimbursed in full. The meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m.