The
Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at the Hampton City Hall
for a public hearing and the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Skog; Council Members
David Luhring, Jerry Huddleston, and Amanda Jensrud. Council Member John Knetter was absent.
Public
Hearing Called to Order - The purpose for the public hearing was to discuss and consider the
utilization of Right-of-Way Permits.
Mayor Skog opened the Public Hearing at 6:31 p.m.
Mayor
Skog stated that the policy and permit application looked to be
sufficient. Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk
confirmed the procedure to be followed which included forwarding any completed
application to Council Member Luhring and the City Engineer for verification
and any further direction and the permit could be issued after the City
Engineer‘s approval and the appropriate fee was collected. The fee was set at a minimum of $180.00 with
an additional amount of .25 charged per lineal foot over 2,640 feet.
No
other public comment was made.
Adjournment
- Motion
by Jensrud seconded by Luhring to close the Public Hearing. All voted in favor. None opposed.
Motion passed 4:0.
Regular
Meeting called to Order - Mayor Skog called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:02
p.m. Present were Mayor Skog; Council
Members John Knetter, David Luhring, Jerry Huddleston, and Amanda Jensrud.
Disclosure
of Interest – None
Approval
of January 13, 2015 Special and Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Knetter seconded
by Huddleston to approve the January 13, 2015 Special and Regular Scheduled
Meeting Minutes. All voted in
favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Approval
of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Knetter to approve the February
disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed.
Motion passed 5:0. Motion by
Jensrud seconded by Luhring to approve Knetter’s February disbursement. All voted in favor. None opposed.
Motion passed 4:0. Knetter
abstained from voting.
Public Comment – Mike Slavik, Dakota County
Commissioner introduced himself to the new members of the City Council and
mentioned that a Community Advisory Board in regards to the Ziprail was being
formed if anyone was interested and stated that for the record he was opposed
to the Ziprail. Slavik recommended the City apply for the
2015 Community Development Block Grant and would forward an application to the
City Clerk. The Commissioner addressed the speed issues
on County Road 47 and suggested the City request in writing that a traffic
study be conducted and perhaps, install electronic “your speed” signs as they
are 100% funded by the County. Slavik also discussed the option of entering
into a JPA to allow the Sherriff’s Department to enforce other city ordinances
such as jake braking.
Council agreed to direct the City Clerk to
complete an application for the CDBG in regards to park improvements and
formally request a traffic study on County Road 47 and Highway 50.
Neil Hoadley, Planning Commissioner informed
the Council that he had been contacted by the Project Manager of the Ziprail
Advisory Committee and requested approval to participate and attend the
meetings being planned. Council agreed
to allow Hoadley to represent Hampton and thanked him for his time and effort. Hoadley stated that he would provide updates
to the Council.
Petitions,
Requests, and Communications - Chris Meyer, City Treasurer provided the 2014 Year
End Financial Summary and explained that it was an annual requirement that
showed the monthly balance in each account as well as information on the city
owned CDs. Meyer
stated that he will also be submitting the City of Hampton Financial Statements
to the Council by February 14 to comply with State law and will address any
questions at the March meeting.
Ordinances
and Resolutions
Ordinance
1114 - Motion
by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to approve Ordinance 1114 to Manage and
Administer Use of the Public Right-of-Way in the Public Interest, and to
Provide for the Issuance and Regulation of Right-of-Way Permits. All voted in favor. None opposed.
Motion passed 5:0
Summary
of Ordinance 1114 - Motion by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to approve publishing of the
Summary of Ordinance 1114. All voted in
favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Reports
of Officers, Boards, and Committees
Engineer
Report – None
Water
/ Sewer Report - None
Park Report – Huddleston explained that he had been working
with Paul Steinbruckner and for the most part, the ice rink was in good
condition and Steinbruckner had been given authority to direct the City’s
snowplowing contractor to plow the rinks as needed. Jennifer Budrow said that there was a problem
with the lights at the rink and expressed concern that Steinbruckner had access
to the well house. Knetter stated that
Paul was an employee of the City and required access to the hose at the well
house in order to flood the rinks. Wendy
Carpenter, City Clerk recommended having Brett Reinardy address the issue with
the lights if Steinbruckner was unable to resolve the situation
Street Report - Luhring confirmed that seal coating quotes
were being collected and that he planned to discuss some issues with the
snowplowing contractor including some inconsistency in plowing all streets
completely.
Unfinished
Business –
None
New
Business - Refunding
2008A Bond Series - Shannon Sweeny, City Financial Advisor provided information
on refinancing the 2008A Bond and explained that he had been monitoring the
interest rates and planned to look at refinancing when it was closer to the
call date of February 1, 2016. At this
time the interest savings would be approximately $232,076.00 if we refinanced
but as the City cannot pay the current bond until February 1, 2016 new bonds
would need to be issued months before they could be used to pay the old bonds
which would cause the City to pay interest on the new and old bonds. In summary, Sweeney had determined that if
Hampton locked in today the savings would be $232,076.00 but if the City would
wait until the call date, assuming that interest rates would not rise, the savings
would increase another $42,002.00 due to no additional bonds being
purchased. Huddleston
thanked Sweeney and Meyer for bringing this option to the City and felt that
the Council had a duty to act on this savings opportunity on behalf of the
City. Sweeney agreed as it was fairly
close to the call date. Meyer felt that
it may be beneficial to act on this issue now and pointed out that the
$42,000.00 was not a cost to the City, just that much less of savings in the
end. Sweeney offered to prepare a
proposal for the March meeting to lock in on an interest rate unless a change
would occur, which in that case a resolution could be drafted to allow the City
to proceed as soon as the savings would reach a certain level.
Motion
by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to order the proposals to be prepared and voted
on at the March meeting. All voted in
favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Motion
by Skog seconded by Jensrud to acknowledge the Engagement Letter required by
the Securities and Exchange Commission providing David Drown’s financial
responsibilities and rates. All voted in
favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Approval
of Rental License - Jeff and Elizabeth Kunz requested that the Council approve
their rental license as the fee had been paid, the inspection performed, and
all requested repairs had been made aside from finishing the basement including
some electrical concerns. Knetter
inquired if the basement was part of the living space. The Kunz’s confirmed that it was not part of
the rental living space but was just used for the water softener and
furnace. Knetter stated that any other
electrical issues are addressed by the State, and not the City Building
Official. Council requested
documentation that the rental agreement includes language stating that the
basement is not part of the living space.
Knetter said that he would contact Scott Qualle, City Building Official
for additional information. Motion by Skog
seconded by Knetter to approve the Kunz rental license after receiving the requested
rental agreement documentation. All
voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Planning
Commission Appointment - Skog recommended that all the Council Members that
currently served on the Planning Commission step down to make room for the
three individuals that had submitted interest forms which included Larissa
Luhring, Marlin Reinardy, and Keith Thompson.
Jennifer Budrow stated that she had turned in an interest form the day
before the meeting but was told she had missed the deadline, although she had
seen no notice with a deadline date on it.
Carpenter confirmed that the notice had been posted with a deadline of
February 2 for Council meeting requirements and provided Budrow’s interest form
to the Council. Knetter confirmed that
at this time there was one opening to full fill Jerry Huddleston’s term. Skog said that he would like to see Thompson
appointed. Jensrud requested they
consider the other applicants as well.
Skog said that he would have an issue with Reinardy being appointed as
he was a paid employee and felt that Planning Commission members should not be
making recommendations to the Council if they themselves sit on the
Council. Jensrud stated for the record
that this was in fact the second time Skog had told her to step down from the
Planning Commission and did not appreciate him asking her to make a decision
such as this immediately at this meeting.
The City Clerk confirmed that a paid employee could serve on the
Planning Commission legally. Knetter
explained again that there was one opening at this time. Skog felt that Budrow would be an asset with
her Council background. Huddleston
confirmed with the Clerk that there was a deadline and was concerned that they
were not being consistent if the Council considered Budrow’s interest
form. Skog made a motion to table the
item and allow another month to consider any additional interest forms
including Budrow’s. No second was made. Motion failed. Huddleston felt that Reinardy was a wealth of
knowledge when discussing the City of Hampton and would be an asset to the
Planning Commission. Motion by
Huddleston seconded by Knetter to appoint Marlin Reinardy to the Planning
Commission. Knetter, Luhring,
Huddleston, and Jensrud voted in favor.
Skog was opposed. Motion passed
4:1.
Enforcement
of Non Sufficient Funds Fee - Carpenter confirmed that this issue had been
resolved and all fees paid.
Adjournment - Motion by Knetter
seconded by Luhring to adjourn the meeting.
All voted in favor. None
opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted, Wendy
Carpenter