The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor John Knetter; Council Members David Luhring and Anthony Verch. Also present was Marlin Reinardy, Water/Sewer Superintendent; 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 June 8, 2021 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to approve the June 8, 2021 regular scheduled meeting minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to approve the July disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0.
Public Comment – None.
2019 Internal Audit – Anthony Verch – Knetter asked Verch if he had anything to report. Verch responded that everything was correct and true and that it went very well.
2020 Internal Audit – David Luhring – Luhring stated that he had a similar report, that a complete audit was done and there were no deficiencies. Knetter thanked both Verch and Luhring for their participation in the Internal Audits.
Ordinances and Resolutions – Resolution 2021-06 – Accept Work of Muska Electric on Main Street Lift Station Generator Project – Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk mentioned that he reported last month that the work on the generator project was essentially complete, but that there were a few miscellaneous items that needed to be completed before the final paperwork and invoice submission from the contractor could be done. All paperwork has been completed, a certificate of final acceptance was issued to the contractor, and an invoice was submitted for payment in this month’s disbursements. Fisher asked that the resolution to accept the work done by Muska Electric on the project be approved. Knetter reported that he was present for the training and testing of the generator, that it works fine, and that he is satisfied with it. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to approve Resolution 2021-06. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0.
Marlin Reinardy, Water and Sewer Superintendent, suggested that the City should have a maintenance contract on the generator. Knetter stated that that was discussed on site during the training and testing, and he agrees that it is a good idea to contract with those who are experts on the maintenance of the generator. It was suggested that the company that supplied the generator, Interstate PowerSystems, Inc., be considered as a potential provider of the maintenance service contract. Discussion. Motion by Verch seconded by Knetter to pursue an annual maintenance contract for the generator. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 3:0.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees:
Engineer Report – Brad Fisher with Bolton and Menk stated that the resolution to accept the work on the generator project was all he had, and asked Councilors if they had any general engineering questions. Knetter thanked Fisher for his work on the generator project.
Water / Sewer Report - Marlin Reinardy, Water/Sewer Superintendent, began by stating that he contacted Peine Plumbing about the solenoid valve. Due to the fact that the valve is soldered in, the replacement will be difficult, but doable. Cost will be a little higher than anticipated. Reinardy also had asked Peine about inspecting the backflow preventers annually. A company needs to be certified in order to do the work, so Reinardy will need to find a company that is able to perform the inspections, as Peine is not.
For sewer-related items, Reinardy referred to documents that he prepared that were included in Councilor packets regarding the sludge reduction in pond #1. He feels that, because of the successful sludge reduction that was indicated by recent testing and because of recent discussions with Steve at State Industrial Supply, that the City can reduce the quantity of chemicals used for this process by 2/3 as now the chemicals will be needed for maintenance of the ponds rather than sludge reduction. Discussion ensued about the importance of keeping up with the preventative maintenance of the ponds.
Knetter acknowledged that a Dakota County Deputy had come in to the meeting during Reinardy’s report and asked if he had anything to report. He said he wanted to stop by to provide reminders regarding the importance of locking up vehicles to prevent theft. There had been a recent increase in vehicle break-in reports to law enforcement. Knetter informed the Deputy that the City had recently installed some No Parking signs near the ball park.
Park Report – Verch reported that he is still waiting for quotes for the tree removal by the ball field. Otherwise, not much to report, mainly due to weather conditions. Discussion ensued about options for tree replacements.
Street Report – Luhring stated that there is nothing to report.
Old Business – None.
Adjournment – Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed 3:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:22 pm. All voted in favor. None opposed.
Respectfully submitted, Judy O’Brien