MINUTES
OF THE ROLAND CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR
SESSION
MARCH
26, 2007
The Roland
City Council met in regular session on Monday, March 26, 2007, at 7:00 p.m., at
City Hall with Mayor Samuel Juhl presiding.
Council members present at roll call were Duane Canny, Roger Fritz, Bob
Hanson, John Lee (telephonically), and Jeri Neely. Also present were 7 visitors and members of
the community.
It was
motioned by Fritz, seconded by Canny to approve the consent agenda containing
the following items: agenda, minutes
from the March 12, 2007, as written, clerk/treasurer reports, and claims as
submitted. All were in favor.
There was no
public input at this time.
Department
Head Reports were as follows:
Street Department - Street Superintendent Harold
Hovick reported that the school is getting ready to start construction and they
have four trees in the right of way they need removed. He has looked at them and three of the four
are damaged. He has visited with his
committee members and they decided that the City is responsible for removing
the three damaged trees and the school will be responsible for the removal of
the fourth tree. He also reported that
the road to the brush pile is very soft.
He’s been spreading rock on it trying to get it firmed up.
Council
member Canny asked who cleans out the intakes.
Harold stated that he is the one that cleans them out. Canny stated that he tried to clean out the
intake at Park & Elm but it was packed too tight. Harold stated he will get it cleaned out as
soon as possible.
Council
member Fritz asked when the street sweeper was scheduled to come. Harold said he’d call them tomorrow to get it
set up.
Water/Wastewater Department –
Water/Wastewater Superintendent Dean Uitermark had nothing to report at this
time.
Council
member Neely asked how the water project on W Maple was coming. Dean reported that Hall’s have finished
boring under the creek and are back to the shoulder. Neely also asked about getting the ditch
filled in. Dean stated that Hall’s filled in the ditch this afternoon.
Council
member Lee asked how he was doing with the water line at Ed Cannon’s. Dean stated that they will be putting in a
new water line this summer after the new fiscal year starts.
Council
member Hanson stated that it is getting time for the birds to start coming
back. He’d like to be proactive and
place four more owls on the top railing of the water tower. Hanson asked Dean if he thought the owls were
expensive. Dean stated he didn’t think the
owls were expensive, but it’d be expensive to put them up. The tower people will be here later this
summer to fix the insulation on the stand pipe and he will talk to them about
putting them up. Hanson stated he didn’t
want to wait that long. He’d like to get
them up as soon as possible. Consensus
of the council was to proceed with the purchase of four more owls and have them
put up as soon as possible.
City Clerk - City Clerk Deneen Frost reported
that she is trying to update the City letterhead and asked the council to make
any necessary changes to the sample copy.
Mike
& Jodi Fagerland were present to ask for reimbursement for damage done to
their property along the alley. Jodi
read the letter that she had provided to the Mayor and most of the council
members ahead of time and passed out pictures of the property that was
damaged. In the letter, Jodi explains
that they noticed the damage to their property after the snow melted and that
she came to City Hall right away to discuss the issue. She found out that City Clerk Frost Deneen
Frost didn’t know anything about the damage.
When she confronted Harold, he did not deny doing it on purpose and said
it was because of complaints. Jodi asked
Deneen if there had been any complaints and she responded that the only
complaint was last year regarding the fence.
The letter also addressed the issue of perceived lot lines versus actual
lot lines. She has picture evidence that
shows fences to the edge of the alley in many places. The letter also states that there is no other
conclusion to be made except Harold decided to do this on his own. Unfortunately, he did it on City time and in
the City truck which makes the City responsible for the damage. Jodi presented an estimate of $900.00 from
Early May to replace the hollyhocks and the dogwoods and to have them
replanted. In conclusion, the letter
states that she feels that unless the City forces everyone to get a survey and
conform to the survey they shouldn’t be singled out. The alley is either as it is perceived or as
it is determined by a survey. Whichever
the City chooses to enforce, it should apply to all without exception. Everything that was done on their property
along the alley was done in the late 1990’s and they feel they should be
“grandfathered” in, as well as everyone else along their alley.
Council
member Fritz asked if the information could be kept at City Hall for further
review. He didn’t have a chance to look
at the pictures as he was listening to what she was saying. Jodi stated that would be fine. Fritz also said that he disagrees with Jodi
on the fact that what other people do on their property makes no difference and
it is irrelevant in her instance.
Council
member Hanson left at 7:25 p.m.
Council
member Neely asked if it was ok to get back with her. Council member Fritz stated that he’d like to
have it on the April 9, 2007 agenda for further discussion.
Jodi
said that she would be here on Monday, but will be going out of state on
Tuesday. She stated that they can plant
through April. She would also like to
know the reason why the council voted one way or the other when they make their
decision.
Council
member Fritz asked Harold if he had any comments. Harold stated that he did not remove any
dirt. The height of the alley was too
low, so he graded the alley and add several loads of millings to bring the
alley back up to normal grade.
Council
member Lee motioned to turn the issue over to the City Attorney. Council member Fritz stated that he is opposed
to that at this time. He’d like to find
out what happened first. He may wish to
do so later. Council member Canny stated
that he’d like to wait. He hasn’t seen
the damage and would like to look at it first.
The motion failed for lack of a second.
Council
member Neely asked Jodi when she planted the flowers. Jodi stated it was somewhere between 1994 and
1996.
Council
member Canny asked Harold when he resurfaced the alley. Harold stated it was in November 2006.
It
was motioned by Fritz, seconded by Neely to revisit this issue at the April 9,
2007 council meeting for a formal decision.
AYE: Canny, Fritz, Neely;
ABSTAIN: Lee.
There were no
Council/Mayor comments at this time
There was no
public input at this time.
With no
further business at this time, Fritz moved adjournment of the meeting at 7:33
p.m., seconded by Canny. All were in
favor. The next regular council meeting
will be Monday, April 9, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
|
|
MARCH CLAIMS |
|
|
|
GENERAL FUND |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fire Dept. |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
523.87 |
|
|
Total Fire
Dept. |
$
523.87 |
|
|
|
|
|
Street Lights |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
1,619.06 |
|
|
Total Street
Lights |
$
1,619.06 |
|
|
|
|
|
Library |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
649.49 |
|
Auld,
Kimberly |
mileage |
$
110.58 |
|
Business
Card (Platinum Plus) |
prog-off
supplies/dvd's/audio/postage |
$
429.87 |
|
Wal-Mart |
prog-off
supplies/dvd's |
$ 83.11 |
|
City
Employees |
wages |
$
1,370.53 |
|
|
Total
Library |
$
2,643.58 |
|
|
|
|
|
Museum |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
14.13 |
|
|
|
$
14.13 |
|
|
|
|
|
Park |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
45.43 |
|
Van Wall
Equipment |
2007 mower
trade-in |
$
8,521.74 |
|
|
|
$
8,567.17 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cemetery |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
20.14 |
|
|
|
$
20.14 |
|
|
|
|
|
Swimming Pool |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
13.26 |
|
|
Total
Swimming Pool |
$
13.26 |
|
|
|
|
|
Policy & Administration |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
econ dev
workshop |
$
25.00 |
|
Business
Card (Platinum Plus) |
virus
software renewal |
$
54.94 |
|
Wellmark
Blue Cross Blue Shield |
April 2007
premium |
$
560.06 |
|
City
Employees |
wages |
$
1,029.84 |
|
|
Total Policy
& Admin. |
$
1,669.84 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL GENERAL |
$
15,071.05 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ROAD USE |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
350.83 |
|
Jacobson,
Bob |
snow removal
at |
$
100.00 |
|
Wellmark
Blue Cross Blue Shield |
Hovick
family premium (April - June) |
$
1,032.90 |
|
Wellmark
Blue Cross Blue Shield |
April 2007
premium |
$
560.06 |
|
City
Employees |
wages |
$
1,219.97 |
|
|
TOTAL ROAD USE |
$
3,263.76 |
|
|
|
|
|
METER DEPOSIT |
|
|
|
City of |
md used on
acct - Chris Haywood |
$
100.00 |
|
|
TOTAL METER DEPOSIT |
$
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
WATER |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
1,378.58 |
|
IAMU |
membership
dues |
$
421.15 |
|
|
TOTAL WATER |
$
1,799.73 |
|
|
|
|
|
SEWER |
|
|
|
Alliant
Energy |
gas &
electric |
$
523.39 |
|
|
vol
collection system certification renewal |
$
20.00 |
|
Wellmark
Blue Cross Blue Shield |
April 2007
premium |
$
560.06 |
|
City
Employees |
wages |
$
1,400.91 |
|
|
|
$
2,504.36 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GRAND TOTAL |
$
22,738.90 |
|
|
|
|
_____________________________________ __________________________________________
Samuel Juhl, Mayor Deneen Frost, City Clerk