Hampton City Council Special Meeting and Regular Meeting Minutes for August 4, 2020

The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at the Hampton City Hall for a special meeting and the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Victor Anderson, David Luhring, Anthony Verch, and Kati Evertz-Garcia. Also present was Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent; Judy O’Brien, City Treasurer; and Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk.

Special Meeting Called to Order - The purpose for the Special Meeting was to amend the current budget, if needed, and prepare the city budget for the year 2021. Mayor Knetter called the special meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.

Judy O’Brien, City Treasurer provided a budget worksheet for Council discussion and explained that the tax levy was estimated to increase 2.84% but was just informed that the local government aid would be increased to $123,305.00 so she would be incorporating that final number into the budget. O’Brien went over a few highlights that affected the budget changes from last year including the biannual rental fees collected and adjustments to the water and sewer maintenance fees and sewer dumping revenue to follow past trends. The City Treasurer explained that the changes to debt service revenue transfers were set by the scheduled bond payments and had confirmed with Marlin Reinardy that additional funds would be needed for sewer cleaning.

There were no public comments.

Knetter thanked O’Brien for the detailed information provided and all of the work that had went into it.

Adjournment - Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to adjourn the special meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 6:21 p.m.

Regular Meeting Called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present were Mayor Knetter; Council Members Victor Anderson, David Luhring, Anthony Verch, and Kati Evertz-Garcia.

Disclosure of Interest – None.

Approval of July 14, 2020 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Evertz-Garcia seconded by Anderson to approve the July 14, 2020 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.

Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Anderson to approve the August disbursements with any necessary amendments needed as the meeting was conducted on such an early date this month. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.

Public Comment – None.

Petitions, Requests, and Communications – Knetter mentioned the Governor’s mask mandate and that the City should follow the state guidelines.

Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees Engineer Report – None.

Water / Sewer Report - Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent said that he had been working on the sludge reduction process at the ponds and had a complaint of a strong odor by the lift station and found the cause to be a thick duckweed problem out in pond 1 so he had started all the aerators. Reinardy mentioned that Sauber would be working on the restoration of landscaping at City Hall as the grinders had been repaired and that he had fixed a couple of water shut off valves.

Park Report – Evertz-Garcia stated that there was a problem with two footings at the hockey rink and as the asphalt repair had not yet been completed, requested that the City Clerk reach out to the Contractor and also suggested ordering additional chips for the playground area at FESBA park. Evertz-Garcia mentioned that she would be looking at the trees by the dugout area to see what could be done to clean them up.

Street Report – Luhring explained that he was waiting for a quote to repair the alleys and asked the Clerk to set up another round of street sweeping at the Heights of Hampton as there was a lot of loose gravel due to the spray patching.

Unfinished Business –

Resignation of City Treasurer- Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to accept Chris Meyer’s resignation as City Treasurer with the understanding that he would stay on for training purposes through the financial cycle ending on March 31st of 2021. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. Knetter thanked Meyer for his commitment and time.

New Business –

Conduit Issuer for Augustana Regent – Kathy Youngquist, CFO of Augustana Regent addressed the Council and explained that they had decided to take advantage of the low rates and refinance the senior housing complex in Burnsville. Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk confirmed that the City could act as a conduit issuer for a standard fee of $25,000.00. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to move forward with the conduit process and hold a public hearing in September or October, dependent on Augustana’s schedule. 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 7:13 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter