Local Municipality Minutes

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Grey Eagle City • April 11, 2023

The regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joseph Arnzen at 7:00 p.m., on the 11th day of April 2023 in council chambers. Council members present were Brad Johnson, Roland Ahrendt, Brian Hollenkamp and Chris Browen. There were no council members absent. Also in attendance were John Call and Beth Ramacher, and guests: Bob Kutter, Sherry Kutter, Craig Johnson, Peter Rutherford, Tim Ainali, Barb Ainali, Wes David, Jen David, Bobby Pallansch Jr., Doug Evans and Alisha Sunderman.

A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the amended agenda. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the minutes of the March 14, 2023 meeting with the addition of the actual date of the Car Show-September 3, 2023. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

The Minnesota Historical Society has awarded a Minnesota Historical & Cultural Heritage Grant in the amount of $10,000 to the City of Grey Eagle. Bob Kutter presented information on the grant for the Grey Eagle Village Hall Conditions Assessment, as well as proposals from multiple vendors. The City Attorney will review.

Tim and Barb Ainali were present to discuss their water and sewer connection.

Wes and Jen David were present to discuss a possible future liquor license for their coffee/ ice cream shop. Wes will get back to the Council with the exact alcohol percentages of the items they wish to serve.

A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the Tobacco License Application for the new owner, Spencer Austing, of The Junction. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the quote from Terrain Aesthetics for weed control for the same services as the 2022 season. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the Right of Way Permit Application for Arvig to install fiberoptic in 2023. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

Discussion was held about the old International tractor with loader. Detailed information will be gathered and discussed at the May meeting.

Discussion was held on the pressure washer quotes. The motion stands from the March meeting and the City will order from Neville Hardware.

Discussion was held on the Kubota Lawn Mower. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Arnold’s in St. Martin to replace the plastic gear for the height adjustment for $200 as well as a complete inspection of the mower. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

Bobby Pallansch, Jr. and Doug Evans were in attendance to discuss the Car Show scheduled for Sunday, September 3, 2023. The Clerk will get quotes on the traffic signs needed.

A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to remove Lori Hellmann from the accounts at the Swanville First State Bank. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to have Joe Arnzen, Brad Johnson and Beth Ra- macher on the accounts at the Swanville First State Bank. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the Utility Billing Transaction History for the first quarter of 2023. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve the transfer from Sewer to Capital Project Fund for the 2021 and 2022 principal and interest payments totaling $40,282. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

Discussion was held regarding the two-way radio antenna on the top of the water tower for Herdering, Inc. Granite City Electric would do the work and Herdering would be responsible for all costs. A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve Herdering using the antenna again for a fee. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

Discussion was held on speed signs at the four roads coming into town. The City will contact the State of Minnesota and Todd County to see if they are willing to cover part of the costs for the signs and installation.

A motion was made by Brad Johnson to rent a lift to take down the Christmas lights and put up the summer banners. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

Discussion was held regarding the City Parks. A motion was made by Joe Arnzen to purchase 2 new nets for the tennis courts. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve payment of Claims #2698-2719, totaling $16,635.30 and include additional payments of the following: MN Power $2504.83, Long Prairie Sanitation $2541.50 and Herdering $4748.50. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Brad Johnson to adjourn the meeting at 8:08 p.m. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

The next regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 in Council Chambers.

Beth Ramacher, Clerk

Grey Eagle City • April 17, 2023

The emergency meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joseph Arnzen at 7:10 p.m., on the 17th day of April 2023 in council chambers. Council members present were Brad Johnson, Roland Ahrendt, Brian Hollenkamp and Chris Browen. There were no council members absent. Also in attendance was Beth Ramacher and guests: Bob Kutter, Craig Johnson and Mike Kutter.

A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve and submit the Village Hall Conditions Assessment Grant. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made by Brad Johnson to adjourn the meeting at 7:18 p.m. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.

Beth Ramacher, Clerk

Burtrum City • May 2, 2023

Present: Jenae Ulbricht, Irene Ehlert, Juli Scherping, Chad Landowski and Brooke Thieschafer. Others present: Steve Marty, Bobby Velkamp, Adam Ulbricht.

Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Ulbricht called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM.

Approval of Agenda: Motion by Irene Ehlert seconded by Juli Scherping. All in favor, motion carried.

Approval of the Minutes: Motion by Juli Scherping, seconded by Chad Landowski. All in favor, motion carried.

Approval of Bills: Total bills for the month were: $6,041.029. Deposits totaling: $411.00. Motion by Irene Ehlert seconded by Juli Scherping. All in favor, motion carried.

Old Business: Handicap Railings at Community Center: Mike Berscheit said the township of Burnhamville would be willing to chip in costs toward the handicap railings. Romie Gessell was absent from this meeting and will follow up at the next scheduled meeting.

City Phone Number/Wi-Fi Community Center: Mayor Ulbricht went over pricing and listing options. The Mayor had great examples of what each plan all entailed and price points. Mayor Ulbricht explained the permitting of the wi-fi, and changing the password monthly through an app on all different options. No discussion was made at this time until all board members are present.

City locks: Mayor Ulbricht went over three quotes. Most locks will require Wi-Fi. Will report back at the next meeting. No action needed at this time.

City Clean Up Bid: City Clean up day is scheduled for May 20th, 2023 from 9am-11am. Mike Berscheit from the township was present and went over pricing for items. No hazardous waste. The city clerk, Brooke Theischafer, will make flyers to post. Mayor Ulbricht asked if the township needed assistance from the council. Mike stated they have it covered. Chad Landowski made motion to approve, seconded by Irene Ehlert. All in favor, motion carried.

Quinlivan & Hughes (city attorney): No update.

City Sign/Logo: Mayor Ulbricht brought print outs of all the examples of logos submitted by the Central Lake College students. Those present at the meeting were able to review. The board discussed how we were going to vote on the logo. Eligible voters must be within the city or township limits. Discussed to see if the Grey Eagle/ Burtrum Lions would consider donating toward the sign. City Council picked the top 7 logos, and voters will choose only one from those 7. Mayor Ulbricht is donating $100 of her personal money toward the winner of the logo that is chosen.

New Business: Grants: Mayor Ulbricht stated we missed the Grant deadline for the year. She did discuss there are grants specifically for updating Community Centers. There also was a Memorial Grant, but that had a deadline of 5-1-23. There is also grants for smaller communities. A discussion was had with the board to see what peaked their interest. The city would look into hiring a grant writer who specializes in writing grants to help assist since there is very certain language and verbiage the grants need. Once the board decides on a grant, quotes would be needed and submitted with the grants. No final discussions were made at this time.

Office/Backroom: Mayor Ulbricht, Brooke Thieschafer, Sandy Prout and City Council Member Juli Scherping cleaned up and organized the office at the Community Center. Juli is going to look at pricing for a Rubbermaid storage container to purchase to store our cleaning supplies. Juli will have pricing at next month’s meeting. Look- ing for help to organize and clean up the back room as well.

Bean Bake Rental: Steve Hoppy was present and asked if the board had made a decision on pricing. Irene Elhert mentioned the popular weekends. Bean Bake used to happen during the week. Right now the city is looking at charging the Bean Bake group $150 to use the community center for 2-3 days. Discussion was had on all the prepping that takes place and how many days the group needs the center. Bean Bake group is looking at using the community center for 8-9 days potentially, most of those being weekends days. On average the money raised for this event is $2000 after funds are taken out for supplies. Mayor Ulbricht talked about an option of giving a certain percentage back to the community of the profits made. No discussion was made at this time.

Add to the Agenda: Building Permit: Budda is looking to build a 36x40 garage and is looking for approval and building permit. Chad Landowski made a motion to approve. Irene Elhart seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Open Floor: Bobby Velkamp asked what is the plan for the plow truck? Discussion was had on the maintenance of the truck and talked about options of purchasing a new one. Looking at the State of MN when they sell their trucks. Look at possible contracting the snow plowing out for the winter. No further decision was made at this time.

Mike Berscheit stated 331st Road was really bad. The township is willing to share the costs of inspections and repairs to the road to ensure safety and keep the water off. Will work on getting a quote. No further decision was made at this time.

Chad Landowski talked about repairs to the roads within the city limits, talked about the wide roads and dust control costs. Mayor Ulbricht has the city of docket.

Irene Elhert stated the speed sign was put on the wrong side of town. There was a grant for this sign. Would also like a speed sign on the other end of town as well. No further decision was made at this time.

Adam Ulbricht talked about who is in charge of the Memorial parade that takes place on Memorial Day. Bobby Velkamp stated his father is. The parade starts at 11am. Show up if you want to participate. Line-up for the parade starts by the school. A flyer will be made and posted on the City Page. The Mayor and City Clerk will work pull permitting with the county.

Announcements: Mayor Ulbricht acknowledges the following people: Bobby Veldkamp for plowing the snow. Brooke Thieschafer, Juli Scherping and Sandy Prout for helping with the office. Chad Landowski for taking care of the Christmas Lights.

Adjournment: Motion by Chad Landowski, seconded by Irene Elhert to adjourn meeting at 8:18 P.M. Motion carried.

Next City Council Meeting is scheduled for June 6th, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

Minutes not approved.

Brooke Thieschafer, City Clerk-Treasurer