Adopts ordinance establishing rates, fee, administrative fines
THE MOUNTAIN LAKE City Council. Seated front, from left, Council Member Dana Kass, Mayor Mike Nelson and Council Member Darla Kruser. Standing back, Council Member Andrew Ysker, left and Council Member David Savage, right.
After Mountain Lake Mayor and Council Members David Savage and Darla Kruser took their respective Oaths of Office at the Mountain Lake City Council’s Tuesday, January 3 meeting, following their November re-election to the positions, the entire city governmental body got down to the business on the agenda.
The 2017 list of designations and appointments was reviewed and amended. A resolution was approved, as presented by Maryellen Suhrhoff, Mountain Lake City Attorney, to appoint Muske, Muske and Suhrhoff as the city’s attrney. The move was necessary to allow the law firm to be able to electrically access court records and documents through secure state websites.
Following is the complete list:
Elected Officials
Mayor Mike Nelson – Term expires 12/31/18
Council Member David Savage – Term expires 12/31/20
Council Member Darla Kruser – Term expires 12/31/20
Council Member Andrew Ysker – Term expires 12/31/18
Council Member Dana Kass – Term expires 12/31/18
Annual Designations and Appointments
* Reappointment
** New appointment
+ Street Department – *Mike Nelson
+ Acting Mayor – *David Savage
+ Official Legal Publication – *Observer/Advocate
+ City Attorney – *Muske, Muske & Suhrhoff, Ltd.
+ City Forester and Weed Inspector – *Rick Oeltjenbruns
+ Emergency Management Director – *Douglas Bristol
+ Fire Chief – **Tim Coners
+ Ambulance Corps Director – *David Watkins
+ HIPAA Privacy Officer – *Wendy Meyer
+ Data Practices Compliance Officer – *Wendy Meyer
+ City Assessor – *Cottonwood County
+ Salary Negotiations – *Council
+ Official City Depository – *United Prairie Bank and *Northland Securities
Boards and Commissions
+ Library Board (5 members 3-year term)
*Diane Englin – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
*Vicki Krueger – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
Dennis Chords – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Marci Hernandez – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
Barrie Wright – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
*Darla Kruser, City Council Liaison
+ Utilities Commission (5 members, 3-year term)
*Mike Johnson – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
Mark Langland – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Brett Lohrenz – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
Todd Johnson – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
John Carrison – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
*David Savage, City Council Liaison
+ Planning and Zoning Commission (7 members, 3-year term)
*Bryan Bargen – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
**Open Seat – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
Tim Swoboda – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Nik Strom – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Sharron Hanson – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
Douglas Regehr – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
Dean Janzen – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
*Steve Carson, Building Inspector
*Dana Kass, Ex Officio
+ Housing and Redevelopment Authority (5 members, 5-year term)
*Clara Johnson – 1/1/17-12/31/21
James Crawford – 1/1/13 to 12/31/17
Stan Schroeder – 1/1/14 to 12/31/18
Merv Rempel – 1/1/15 to 12/31/19
Yvonne Hildebrandt – 1/1/16 to 12/31/20
+ Economic Development Authority (7 members; appointed members, 6-year term and council representatives, 2-year term)
*Darla Kruser, Council – 1/1/17 to 12/31/18
*Mike Nelson, Council – 1/1/17 to 12/31/18
*Mark Hanson – 1/1/17 to 12/31/22
Brian Harder – 1/1/13 to 12/31/18
Steve Syverson – 1/1/14 to 12/31/19
Vern Peterson – 1/1/15 to 12/31/20
Jerry Haberman – 1/1/15 to 12/31/20
*Clara Johnson, Advisory
*Brad Hanson, Advsory
*Dean Janzen, Advisory
+ Lake Commission (7 members, 3-year term)
*Jean Haberman – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
*Heather Funk – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
**Vincent Voelker – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Jim Peterson – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
*Open Seat – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
Jason Kruser – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
Mike James – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
David Bucklin – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
*Lester Rupp, Advisory
*Tim Klassen, Advisory
*Christine Bennett, Advisory
*Mike Nelson, City Council Liaison
+ Police Commission (5 members, 3-year term)
*Susan Garloff – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
**Open Seat – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
Garret Wall – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Charles Witt – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Norm Kunkel – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
*Andrew Ysker, City Council Liaison
+ Tree Commission (5 members, 3-year term)
**Steve Harder – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
**Open Seat – 1/1/17 to 12/31/19
David Bucklin – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Jerry Logue – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
Gary Hildebrandt – 1/1/16 to 12/31/18
*Mike Nelson, City Council Liaison
*Rick Oeltjenbruns, Advisory
*Judy Harder, Advisory
+ Fire Department
*Tim Coners, Chief
*Patrick Oja, Assistant Chief
*David Watkins, President
**Tim Janzen, Treasurer
*Jason Kruser, Secretary
*Daron Friesen, Grass Rig Maintenance
*Tim Janzen, New Pumper Maintenance
**Jordan Brugman, Tanker Maintenance
*Patrick Oja, Rescue Vehicle Maintenance
*Andrew Ysker, Old Pumper Maintenance
**Andrew Ysker, Air Pack Maintenance
**Taylor Nesmoe, 2015 Chevrolet Pick-Up Maintenance
*Robert Gohr and *Patrick Oja, Training Officers
+ Ambulance Service
*David Watkins, Captain
**Emily Adrian, Assistant Captain
*Tim Janzen, Secretary/Treasurer
*Paula Barnes and *Mark Warner, Training Officers
*Neal Wenner, Maintenance
Rates, fees, administrative fines established
Council members reviewed, amended and adopted the City Code ordinance that establishes rates, fees and administrative fines, with the changes from 2016 noted.
The complete listing can be seen at Mountain Lake City Hall.
In other business
+ Reviewed and adopted the investment policy with no changes made.
+ Reviewed and adopted a resolution concerning minimum general fund balance and assignment of general funds.
+ Reviewed and discussed the meeting schedule adopted at the December 20 meeting, the finalized 2017 budget and levy, an individual to represent Cottonwood County municipalities on the Southwest Regional Development Commission, the Fire Relief Investment Report Card and a “Thank You” for the city’s tree program.
+ Closed the open meeting and opened a closed meeting, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 179.01-179A.25, to prepare union contract offers and counter-offers for Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) . Following discussion, the closed meeting was closed and the open meeting reopened. In the reopened open meeting, the Council accepted LELS’ fourth proposal, dated December 21, 2016, contingent on receiving and reviewing the final contract.
Tentative 2017 meeting schedule
The tentative 2017 meeting schedule of the council places the January, February, March, April and December meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of those months (rather than the first and third Mondays).
The remainder of the calendar of council meetings will be held on the traditional first and third Mondays of the month – with the exception of the second meeting n June, which has been rescheduled to Monday, June 22 due to the annual Pow Wow celebration and the first meeting in September, which was moved to Tuesday, September 8 because of the Monday, September 7 Labor Day observance.
City of Mountain Lake Meeting Dates
+ Mountain Lake City Council meets the first and third Mondays of every month at 6:30 p.m.
+ Utilities Commission meets the second and fourth Thursdays of every month at 7 a.m.
+ Economic Development Authority (EDA) meets the second Friday of every month at 12 noon.
+ Lake Commission meets the second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
+ Library Board meets the second Wednesday of every month at 4:45 p.m.
+ Police Commission meets the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
+ Planning and Zoning meets the last Monday of the month, if needed.
+ Tree Commission meets quarterly – January, April, July and October – at 7:45 p.m.
