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