Hampton City Council Regular Meeting Minutes for June 11, 2019

The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Victor Anderson, David Luhring, and Kati Evertz-Garcia. Council Member Anthony Verch was absent. Also present were Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent; Cory Bienfang, City Engineer; Alex Conzemius, City Planner; and Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk. 

Regular Meeting Called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 

Disclosure of Interest – None. 

Approval of May 14, 2019 Regular Meeting Minutes - Motion by Anderson seconded by Luhring to approve the May 14, 2019 Regular Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to approve the June disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Public Comment –The Deputy Sheriff reminded residents to move over and stop for emergency vehicles. Luhring questioned if here had been any theft concerns. The Deputy confirmed that there hadn’t been any in this area but recommended putting any garage door openers out of view. 

Petitions, Requests, and Communications – Knetter thanked the Hampton Boosters for assisting in planning a city festival and said that they had a target date of September 14. 

Ordinances and Resolutions - 

Resolution 2019-05 – Approving State and Attorney JPA 

Motion by Luhring seconded by Evertz-Garcia to approve a Joint Powers Agreement between the State and new City Attorney, Levander and Gillen. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Gene Dohmen requested that he be able to be added to the agenda. Motion by Luring seconded by Evertz-Garcia to add Gene Dohmen to the agenda. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees - 

Engineers Report – Cory Bienfang, City Engineer introduced Alex Conzemius from Bolton and Menk as the new City Planner. Conzemius explained that he had 10 years experience and was familiar with working in rural areas within Dakota County. 

Bienfang stated that the street project was progressing rapidly and that the first pay estimate had been included in the June disbursements. Cory provided a written summary of findings regarding the Rayspark’s drainage discussed at the previous meeting. The City Engineer explained that he has seen failures on portions of Belmont and Main Street that required a full pavement patching and after reviewing previous quotes, felt that Pine Bend had been competitive in their pricing and that any additional problem areas that could be addressed by spray patching would be beneficial. Motion by Luhring seconded by Evertz-Garcia to move forward with the street repairs. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Cory discussed the Main Street drainage issue and said that he had found some failure to the culvert going on to the Warweg property and as there appeared to be a risk of collapse, proposed putting in a 24 foot culvert. Bienfang felt that it would be more cost effective than a 36 foot and could be incorporated with the current street project. Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to move forward with the new culvert. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Council Member Anthony Verch arrived at 7:24 p.m. 

Water / Sewer – Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent stated that he was finishing up with the discharge and thanked Roger Otto for his assistance with the lift station during the recent power outage. Reinardy mentioned that he has been negotiating the media maintenance for the air scrubber with Syneco and that he had found that the flange needed to be replaced on the hydrant at Highway 50. 

Park Report – Evertz-Garcia thanked both the Cardinals and Mike Thurmes for the painting done at the ball field and that the parts had been ordered for the park repair at the Heights of Hampton. Kati said that she would be looking into quotes for tree trimming needed at the park. Knetter requested that additional wood chips be ordered for both parks. 

Street Report – None. 

Unfinished Business 

Water Meter Transition – Jon Bradley with DSG provided a brief background on the new meters being considered and said that they did come with a 20 year warranty. Bradley quoted an approximate price of $184.00 per meter. Knetter confirmed that they would not soon be outdated as an expensive handheld device was not used, but a simple smart phone or tablet could be used for reading. The Deputy Clerk confirmed that references had been checked and that a second quote had been obtained showing DSG being the best option. Luring questioned the compatibility with all water types. Bradley said that they worked well with all types no matter what the city dealt with. Anderson wondered whose responsibility it would be to replace any worn meters after the 20 years. Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk said that it would be the property owner’s. Knetter suggested discussing options of funding the transition with the City Treasurer. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to approve moving forward with the new water meters. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. 

New Business 

City Planner Introduction – See Engineer’s Report 

Liquor License Renewal – Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Verch to approve the Liquor License renewal for Merics and the Round Up. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. 

Deputy Clerk Resignation – The Council thanked Linda Holty for her service and dedication. Motion by Luhring seconded by Evertz-Garcia to accept the Deputy Clerk’s resignation and begin advertising for a replacement. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. 

Gene Dohmen – Gene Dohmen addressed the Council and requested the ability to purchase the city land adjacent to his on Main Street next to the City Parking Lot which could provide him enough for a buildable site. The Council felt that it would be a benefit to the City with a new home in regards to taxes, water and sewer revenue, and less maintenance. Cory Bienfang, City Engineer commented that it would be a perfect time to add water and sewer to that area with the current street project. Motion by Verch seconded by Anderson to approve the water and sewer connections and look into the potential land sale. 

Adjournment - Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter 

Hampton City Council Regular Meeting Minutes for May 14, 2019

The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Victor Anderson, David Luhring, and Anthony Verch. Council Member Kati Evertz-Garcia was absent. Also present were Chris Meyer, City Treasurer; Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent; Shannon Sweeny, City Financial Advisor; and Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk. 

Regular Meeting Called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. 

Disclosure of Interest – None. 

Approval of April 9, 2019 Public Hearing and Regular Meeting Minutes - Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to approve the April 9, 2019 Public Hearing and Regular Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to approve the May disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Public Comment – None. 

Ordinances and Resolutions - 

Resolution 2019-04 - Providing the Issuance of G.O. Bond Series 2019A 

Shannon Sweeny, City Financial Advisor stated that he was able to acquire a better interest rate than previously discussed of 3.24% from Bremer Bank and suggested amending the resolution to read the prepayment dates of February 1 and August 1 to be consistent with the term sheet. Sweeny recommended that when any assessments are paid that the City use them towards paying down the debt payment. Shannon explained a Post Issuance Policy for tax exempt bonds that would allow the IRS to confirm procedures were in place for maintaining written records and following debt payment requirements. Motion by Verch seconded by Anderson to adopt the Post Issuance Policy. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to approve Resolution 2019-04 awarding the bond sale with amendments to the pre-payment dates. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees - 

Engineers Report – Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk said that the 2019 Street Project was underway and phase one had water and sewer service completed and they would begin building up the street. Fisher thanked Marlin Reinardy for his assistance with the valve locations and suggested residents utilize the project website to keep up to date on progress and closures. Brad explained that he had investigated the culvert over at Water Lane and after looking at the project’s original plans, found that the wetland delineation is close to the homes and into the backyards. Fisher said that it would be illegal to extend the culvert into the wetlands at this time as the area really can’t be touched and that the water would still find the low lying yards. Knetter requested a written summary of what Bolton and Menk had determined. The Deputy Sheriff stated that there had been a grass fire at the gun club due to a transformer issue and that it had been controlled without causing any damage. The Deputy said that there had been a few ATV crashes involving alcohol which had caused some serious injuries and reminded the residents that the same DWI laws apply as driving a car. The Officer also stated that the hands free law goes into effect August 1 and that everyone should feel free to call the Sheriff’s office with any suspicions or problems. 

Water / Sewer – Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent confirmed that the discharge was going well and that he had figured out the reporting problem determined at the pond inspection. Marlin explained that he had previously been given approval to discharge six inches per day per pond rather than six inches a day total but as he couldn’t find the documentation, he would formally submit another written request. Reinardy said that there had been a power outage at the lift stations as the overloads had tripped and that a transformer at the ponds had melted some insulation which started a grass fire. The Water and Sewer Superintendent mentioned that the water samples had came back fine and confirmed with John Knetter that the hydrants were flushed. Reinardy commented on a leak by the hydrant over at Lincoln Street Apartments that caused the parking lot to flood this past winter. Marlin said that it had been turned off for quite some time and when he went to turn it back on, found that there was no leak but he would continue to look into the problem. Reinardy also said that he had met with DSG on purchasing new water meters. Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk gave a brief background to the new Council Members explaining the about five years ago the City Council approved switching out all waters meter at half cost to residents to move towards a radio read system starting with broken and older meters first. Carpenter stated that they had switched approximately five meters out a year and that as the software currently being used was now no longer supported, the City needed to consider stepping up the process to bring the utility billing up to date and avoid problems in the future. Reinardy said that he received a quote for citywide meters and installation for about $70,000.00 which came to a cost of approximately $125.00 per resident. Marlin mentioned that the meters had a 20 year warranty and Luhring was concerned with any new technology that could cause them to be obsolete sooner as the last software purchased. The City Clerk suggested looking into any grants available. Knetter requested the item be placed on next month’s agenda for further discussion. 

Park Report – Luhring requested that the City Clerk remind Otto’s to mow the whole stretch of Second Street and confirmed with John Knetter that all hydrants has been flushed. 

Street Report – Luhring said that street sweeping would take place tomorrow and felt that some areas on Main and Belmont were beyond patching. Brad Fisher said that along with Cory Bienfang and Marlin Reinardy, they would collect quotes for the work to be done. 

Unfinished Business - None. 

New Business 

CD Withdrawal – Chris Meyer, City Treasurer requested approval to withdraw one CD from the General Fund and two from the Sewer Fund and to deposit them into the ICS Money Market account to earn a better interest rate. Meyer said that he would continue to monitor CD rates. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to withdraw the CDs at this time. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Debt Service Fund Transfer – Chris Meyer stated that the Bond Series 2013 A has been paid off and requested that the accumulated monies left after the payoff be transferred over to the General Fund for public use. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to transfer $31,155.33 from the Debt Service Fund to the General Fund. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

City Attorney Services – Knetter confirmed that the current City Attorney was retiring and that the City Clerk had collected three proposals offering both civil and criminal representation. Wendy Carpenter explained that she had spoken with all three and checked references of the lowest quote, Levander, Gillen had provided. Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to hire Levander, Gillen to represent Hampton legally. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. 

Adjournment - Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. The meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter