The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Jerry Huddleston, Victor Anderson, and Kati Evertz-Garcia. Council Member David Luhring was absent. Also present was Chris Meyer, City Treasurer; 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 February 13, 2018 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Huddleston seconded by Evertz-Garcia to approve the February 13, 2018 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Anderson to approve the March disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Public Comment – Fran Arendt stated that he lived at 23201 Northfield Boulevard and wanted to address the sewage dumping. Arendt said that when the wind is coming from the right direction, the odor lingers between his and the neighboring homes and that he at one time could smell it coming up through his drains. Fran felt that at times, it smells like a gas leak and he shouldn’t have to tolerate an odor like that. Arendt thanked the Council for their time and requested something be done to fix the situation.
Petitions, Requests, and Communications -
Chris Meyer, City Treasurer discussed the 2017 Financial Statements and confirmed a yearend cash balance of $515,944.00 which included tax deposits. Meyer commented on a few highlights including the water operating fund showing a loss due to a depreciation of infrastructure, no additional bonding necessary as the water main project was paid for with available funds, and a sewer operating increase of $39,085.00. Chris also supplied details on current bond series and CDs held. The Deputy Sheriff mentioned that there had been some mail thefts in the area and cautioned residents on IRS phone scams.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees
Engineer Report – Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk provided an update on the abandoned well project and felt that closure was near as the work had been completed, wall restored, and the variance application had been submitted and was just waiting on the MDH official approval. Fisher said that he was just finishing up Bolton and Menk’s portion of the Comprehensive Plan update. Brad explained that Cory Bienfang had attended the pre-construction meeting in regards to the MnDOT Highway 50 Mill and Overlay Project which would be starting in April and had a completion date of August 17. Knetter requested updates on at what point Hampton would be affected with the replacement of the culvert within city limits. Huddleston inquired on closure dates and what options the city was looking at for replacing the flashing light and stop signs at the 47 and 50 intersection. Fisher said that Commissioner Slavik had checked with the State and as the current accident rates were not warranting any additional safety measures that they would not be assisting financially with any replacement but would pay the cost 100% if accidents increased without the lights. The Council felt strongly about the installation of a flasher and requested that Brad research any means of keeping the light. Knetter said that the City should remind MnDOT that they had recently accommodated them when working on the water main project. Fisher said that he would look into it and that LED stop signs were an option, but run about $2,000.00 a piece with the additional cost for a power source.
Water / Sewer Report – None.
Park Report – Evertz-Garcia commented on the weather improving and looked forward to resuming construction on the hockey rink. Huddleston commented on the dumping issue discussed earlier in the meeting and verified that there was only one company allowed as well as certain time restrictions in place. Knetter explained that Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent was working on collecting data to prepare for the installation of a power vent. Sam Radford felt that the neighboring residents should have had a say in the matter before the City allowed the dumping.
Street Report – Knetter mentioned some concerns regarding the plowing curb to curb as there was so much snow to deal with this year.
Unfinished Business – None.
New Business – Update on Naughty Pine Revisions
Greg Stotko provided the Council a revised site plan of the Naughty Pine and requested approval as the square footage and parking lot had been reduced to cut costs with the Johnson’s running into financial difficulties due to the appraisals coming back. Stotko inquired as to if the City planned to pave the adjoining alley at some point and if they would consider paving the parking lot at that time and perhaps assess the Naughty Pine’s property taxes to cover the cost. Evertz-Garcia felt that paving the lot would be setting a precedence. Knetter said that the revised site plan should be adequate and confirmed with the City Clerk that the City Planner had approved it. Knetter also mentioned that the alley improvements had been discussed in the past but was not sure on the tax assessment process. Huddleston suggested researching options as he would like to see a new business start up in the City. Stotko offered to collect quotes on the paving of the area. Motion by Knetter seconded by Huddleston to approve the revised site plan. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Adjournment - Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Huddleston to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter