The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Skog; Council Members John Knetter, David Luhring, and Amanda Jensrud. Council Member Jerry Huddleston was absent. Also present were Cory Bienfang, City Engineer; and Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent.
Regular Meeting called to Order - Mayor Skog called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
Disclosure of Interest – None
Approval of May 12, 2015 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to approve the May 12, 2015 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to approve the June disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Motion by Luhring seconded by Jensrud to approve John Knetter’s June disbursement. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0. Knetter abstained from voting.
Public Comment – Lois Nokleby addressed the Council and provided pictures on the Main Street drainage issue. Nokleby explained that after the street project three years ago, the area in front of her home had sunk and that it gets worse after every winter. Lois stated that at this time, approximately four inches of water stood in the street outside her home and requested the Council address this issue.
Petitions, Requests, and Communications - Reed Kosir spoke on behalf of the Fire Department and requested that the retirement level be raised from $1,000.00 to $1,300.00 to achieve the required amount. Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to add Kosir to the agenda. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Motion by Luhring seconded by Skog to raise the Relief Association’s retirement level to $1,300.00. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0. Knetter abstained from voting. Motion by Skog seconded by Luhring to keep the interest at 1.25% on the retirement fund. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0. Knetter abstained from voting.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees
Engineer Report – Cory Bienfang, City Engineer provided the Council with two quotes on repairing the Main Street drainage problem and explained that the lowest quote had been submitted by Hard Drives for $30,927.59. Bienfang felt that the cost could be reduced if the City chose to cut down on the amount of aggregate base and remove the ditch grading from the project. Council agreed that either way this would be a short term fix but felt that it needed to be an adequate one. Motion by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to award the Main Street drainage project to Hard Drives, to retain the ditch grading, and to save on the rock used if possible. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Water / Sewer Report - Dan Hines, Water and Sewer Operator was unable to attend the meeting due to a family commitment. Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent stated that the discharge had been completed with good results. Reinardy explained that there had been an issue with the Main Street lift station due to excessive hair and wipes that are now mentioned in the media. Marlin confirmed that the handles on the control structures on 2 and 3 had been replaced and as ESI reduced dumping by half due to the Xcel Power Company repairing their own facility, has accepted some households and will watch to see if there are any issues. Reinardy confirmed that John Knetter had sent in the quarterly water samples which came back fine and stated that the EPA has lowered the required fluoride level from 1.2 to .07 and as this level is confirmed to be satisfactory, the MDH has approved the City to maintain the new required amount which will provide some savings to Hampton. Marlin mentioned that the homeowners affected by the fall water main break in the Heights of Hampton seemed to be satisfied with the repairs made by Hedlunds.
Park Report – Skog confirmed that Sentence to Serve had gone through approximately ten gallons of paint on the hockey rink and explained that some of the hydrants addressed had the white caps painted over. Skog said that he had fixed the hydrants in his area so that they were compliant and had some paint left if there were others that needed to be touched up.
Street Report - Luhring confirmed that the seal coating in the Heights of Hampton and FESBA had been completed and that any remaining rock would be swept up.
Unfinished Business -
City Donation to Community Days - Skog requested that the Council consider donating to the Hampton Community Days and said that the City Attorney had stated that it was allowed to donate to a free musical event. Cory Bienfang informed the City Council that Bolton and Menk would like approval to donate $500.00 to the event. Jensrud reminded the Council that as Hampton Community Days was not put on by the City, the Council could not approve donations and that the event was sponsored by private business owners. Skog mentioned that the City could still make a donation however; the Council did not feel the music at Frank’s Place was a qualifying event.
New Business -
Gambling / Temporary On Sale Liquor License for St. Mathias -
Motion by Knetter seconded by Luring to approve the temporary liquor / gambling license for St. Mathias’s Fun Fest. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Liquor License Renewal - Motion by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to approve the liquor license renewals for the Round Up, Franks Place, and Hampton Pump and Grocery. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Adjournment - Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter