Move forward on fire equipment loan, Transitional Business District Zone
A pair of public hearings dominated the Tuesday, September 5 meeting of the Mountain Lake City Council.
Public Hearing on USDA-RD Fire Equipment Loan
The first hearing concerned the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (USDA-RD) Fire Equipment Loan, with Kevin Friesen of Willmar on hand to represent the USDA-RD.
No member of the public present had questions or comments concerning the loan.
Friesen reviewed the Letter of Conditions. The city is purchasing a pumper truck for the Mountain Lake Fire Department at an approximate cost of $325,000. The fire department will use reserves and a $125,000, 3.25%, 15-year loan from USDA-RD to purchase the pumper.
After the hearing was closed and the meeting reopened, council members agreed to the conditions of the loan and authorized Mayor Mike Nelson and Mountain Lake Clerk/Administrator Wendy Meyer to sign the required forms.
Public Hearing on ordinance establishing Transitional Business District Zone
The second hearing of the meeting dealt with the establishment of a Transitional Business District Zone.
No member of the public present had questions or comments on the topic of the hearing.
After the public hearing was closed and the regular meeting reopened, the council adopted the ordinance.
In other business
+ Reviewed the Preliminary Draft Budget that features a 9.56% increase over 2017. The council discussed ways to reduce the increase to an acceptable percentage. Cuts totaling $34,000 were made. In addition, departments were directed to reduce budgets by 0.5%. With these reductions, the 2018 budget will have a 3% increase over 2017. An updated draft will be reviewed at the next council meeting.
+ Briefly discussed the Mountain Lake Commercial Park project schedule.
+ Discussed nuisance property at 805 Basinger Memorial Drive. The owner of the property has voluntarily agreed to allow the city to demolish the property. A local contractor has contacted Mayor Nelson expressing an interest in purchasing the property. The benefits and drawbacks of moving ahead with the demolition and/or giving the contractor time to purchase the property were the topics of discussion. In the end, council members called for bids to demolish due before the next council meeting, and to notify the contractor that he needs to move quickly if he intends to purchase the property. The bids and the contractor’s attempts to purchase the property will be raised, and a decision made, at the Monday, September 18 council meeting.
+ Finalized legal services for the city with Muske, Muske & Suhrhoff, LTD. The contract approved at the Monday, August 21 council meeting was presented for signature and signed.
+ Reviewed and approved the October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018 contract with Minnesota Municipal Power Association for safety training and management services.
+ Approved the Active Living Committee’s recommendation to apply for a grant request of $2,150 to Community Wellness Partners (CWP) for the services of a planner to help facilitate committee meetings and provide other assistance.
+ Reviewed and authorized partial payment estimate #3 (final Cottonwood County State Aid Highway #1 water/sewer replacement of $9,642.07 to Holtmeier Construction of Lake Crystal.
+ Reviewed and approved partial payment estimate #2 for $148,500 to Farabee Mechanical of Hickman, Nebraska, for a portion of the new sub-station project.
+ Reviewed and approved the 2017 Capital Improvement Plan as presented.
+ Reviewed 2017 health insurance rates. The budget has been adjusted to reflect hte increase.
+ The next city council meeting will be Monday, September 18, 7 p.m., in the Mountain Lake City Council Chambers.
2017 meeting schedule
Council meetings will be held on the traditional first and third Mondays of the month – with the exception of:
- The second meeting in June had been rescheduled to Thursday, June 22 due to the annual Pow Wow celebration.
- Both July meetings were rescheduled to the Fourth of July on Tuesday, July 4. The first meeting of the month will be Monday, July 10 and the second, July 24.
- The first meeting in September has been shifted to Tuesday, September 5 due to the observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 4.
- New dates have been scheduled for both meetings in December due to local school holiday events. The first meeting of the month will be on Tuesday, December 5 and the second on Tuesday, December 19.
- Meeting start times are 7 p.m.
City of Mountain Lake Meeting Dates
+ Mountain Lake City Council meets the first and third Mondays of every month at 7 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.
