The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at the Hampton City Hall for a public hearing and the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Victor Anderson, David Luhring, and Jerry Huddleston. Council Member Kati Evertz-Garcia was absent. Also present were Chris Meyer, City Treasurer; Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent; and Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk.
Public Hearing Called to Order - The purpose for the Public Hearing was to review and certify the 2018 budget and adopt the final levy. Mayor Knetter opened the Public Hearing at 6:35 p.m. There were no changes from the preliminary budget and levy set at $278,871.00 approved at the September meeting and no public comment was made.
Council Member Evertz-Garcia arrived at 6:36 p.m.
Adjournment - Motion by Luhring seconded by Huddleston to close the Public Hearing. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The Public Hearing closed at 6:37 p.m.
Regular Meeting Called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular City Council Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Victor Anderson, Jerry Huddleston, Kati Evertz-Garcia, and David Luhring.
Disclosure of Interest – None.
Approval of November 14, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes - Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Luhring to approve the November 14, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Evertz-Garcia to approve the December disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Public Comment – None.
Petitions, Requests, and Communications - Council agreed to meet at 6:30 p.m. on January 9, 2018 for a special meeting to discuss Resolution 2018-01 Setting Salaries and Fees.
Ordinances and Resolutions -
Ordinance 1121 - Amending Chapter 150 Regarding Plumbing Plan Review
Huddleston confirmed that there were no changes in the verbiage discussed at the previous meeting and that this would allow plumbing plan reviews to be conducted at a local level. Motion by Huddleston seconded by Luhring to Adopt Ordinance 1121 Amending Chapter 150 Regarding Plumbing Plan Review. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Resolution 2017-11 - Adopting the Final 2017 Tax Levy, Collectible in 2018
Motion by Luhring seconded by Huddleston to Approve the 2017 Tax Levy. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Resolution 2017-12 - Approving Water and Wastewater Service Rates
Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Huddleston to Approve the Water and Wastewater Service Rate increase of 10% effective January 1, 2018. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees -
Engineers Report - Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk provided an update on the abandoned well and explained that they had performed exploratory digs and found the well pipe. Fisher said that the Minnesota Department of Health, along with a Representative from the County was present while Hartman Well removed a portion of the wall to add a riser pipe to bring up the well and drill through the concrete. Brad stated that the plan was to restore as much of the building as possible and continue drilling to whatever point would satisfy the MDH. The Deputy Sheriff reminded residents to keep doors and garages locked. Knetter inquired as to if there were any suspects regarding the recent break-ins. The Deputy had none to speak of at this time.
Water / Sewer – Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent stated that an odorizer had been installed in the lift station at Main Street and was considering a lease on the product verses purchasing it and felt that a trial again in spring to see how effective it would be in the warm weather would be a determining factor.
Reinardy mentioned that the wear rings on the pump would need to be replaced soon.
Park Report - Evertz-Garcia stated that although the hockey rink construction was not complete, the rink was useable this season. Knetter confirmed residents Jeff Jensrud and Kyle Hubred had volunteered to assist in flooding the rink. Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk said that she would order a porta-poddy to be placed on site.
Street Report - Huddleston stated that his yard, as well as his neighbors, had been cut into when the contractor plowed the first snow event. Carpenter said that she would speak with Supreme on the issue. Marlin Reinardy stated that the ballast was out in the street lights within the City Hall parking lot and recommended replacing the existing lights with LED. Knetter confirmed that maintenance needed to be kept up with and also mentioned that the furnace in the old city hall needed to be repaired.
Unfinished Business - None.
New Business -
Approve Final 2018 Budget
Chris Meyer, City Treasurer presented the 2018 budget for approval and said that he had attended the CDBG / RIG Grant Workshop and would be looking for opportunities with a street project planned in the near future. Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Anderson to approve the 2018 budget. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Insured Cash Sweep
Chris Meyer explained the option of ICS with Merchants Bank and as the City goes above the limit of $250,000.00, insurance is required and a monthly fee is involved. Meyer recommended the ICS as at the end of the business day, monies would all be swept into different accounts within Merchants Bank and all insurance requirements would be met without additional fees and a better interest rate would apply as well. Motion by Huddleston seconded by Luhring to open the ICS account. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Debt Service Transfers
Meyer stated that to make the necessary bond payments, transfers to the Debt Service fund would need to be approved as follows: the Series 2012A requires $3,865.76 from General and $7,500.00 from both Water and Sewer; Series 2013A requires $5,768.77 from General and $3,995.00 from Water and Sewer; Series 2015A requires $102,889.00 from General fund. Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to approve the transfers. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
CD Withdrawal and Sewer Fund Transfer to Water Fund
The City Treasurer recommended the withdrawal of CDs totaling $75,000.00 from the General fund as well as the CD in the amount of $60,000.00 from the Sewer fund and allowing a transfer of $20,000.00 of that to the Water fund to assist in funding the Highway 50 Water Main Project. Motion by Huddleston seconded by Evertz-Garcia to approve the withdrawals and transfer. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Adjournment - Motion by Luhring seconded by Evertz-Garcia to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter