The Mountain Lake City Council reorganized under a new mayor – Mike Nelson – and with a new face as council member – Dana Kass – at their first meeting of 2015 on Tuesday, January 6. Nelson and Kass, along with re-elected Council Member Andrew Ysker, all took the Oath of Office prior to the meeting’s Call to Order. The trio join Council Member David Savage and Council Member Darla Kruser, who was installed in November following her selection in the general election to fill the remaining two years of the term of former Council Member Audi Nickel, as the City of Mountain Lake’s governing body.
Also prior to the convening of the meeting, Cottonwood County Emergency Management Director Kim Hall gathered the information necessary to issue Council identification badges.
The main items on the agenda were the 2015 designations and appointments, council meeting schedule and a review of the City’s Investment Policy.
In the list of designations and appointments, two open seats remain on the Planning and Zoning Commission, one open seat on the Lake Commission, two open seats on the Police Commission, one open seat on the Tree Board and one opening on the Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
Following is that list of designations and appointments:
Elected Officials
Mayor Mike Nelson – Term expires 12/31/16
Council Member David Savage – Term expires 12/31/16
Council Member Darla Kruser – Term expires 12/31/16
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 – *Brian Janzen
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)
Marci Hernandez – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Barrie Wright – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Diane Englin – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
Vicki Krueger – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
**Dennis Chords – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
**Darla Kruser, City Council Liaison
Utilities Commission (5 members, 3-year term)
Brett Lohrenz – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
**Todd Johnson – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
John Carrison – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Mike Johnson – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
*Mark Langland – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
*David Savage, City Council Liaison
Planning and Zoning Commission (7 members, 3-year term)
Travis Smith – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Douglas Regehr – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
**Dean Janzen – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Nathan Harder – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
**Bryan Bargen – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
**Tim Swoboda – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
*Erland Braun – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
*Steve Carson, Building Inspector
*Dana Kass, Ex Officio
Housing and Redevelopment Authority (5 members, 5-year term)
Yvonne Hildebrandt – 1/1/11 to 12/31/15
Clara Johnson – 1/1/12 to 12/31/16
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
Economic Development Authority (7 members; appointed members, 6-year term and council representatives, 2-year term)
**Darla Kruser, Council – 1/1/15 to 12/31/16
**Mike Nelson, Council – 1/1/15 to 12/31/16
Mark Hanson – 1/1/11 to 12/31/16
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
Lake Commission (7 members, 3-year term)
Matt Anderson – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Jay Schied – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
David Bucklin – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Jean Haberman – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
Heather Funk – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
*Jim Peterson – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
**John Oeltjenbruns – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
*Lester Rupp, Advisory
*Tim Klassen, Advisory
*Christine Bennett, Advisory
**Mike Nelson, City Council Liaison
Police Commission (5 members, 3-year term)
Norm Kunkel – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
*Susan Garloff – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
**Christopher Boldt – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
Garret Wall – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
**Charles Witt – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
*Brian Lunz, Advisory
*Andrew Ysker, City Council Liaison
Tree Board (5 members, 3-year term)
**Dean Janzen – 1/1/13 to 12/31/15
Steve Harder – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
Sonja Buller – 1/1/14 to 12/31/16
*David Bucklin – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
*Jerry Logue – 1/1/15 to 12/31/17
**Mike Nelson, City Council Liaison
*Rick Oeltjenbruns, Advisory
*Judy Harder, Advisory
Fire Department
*Brian Janzen, Chief
*Tim Coners, Assistant Chief
*David Watkins, President
*Steve Peters, Treasurer
*Jason Kruser, Secretary
*Daron Friesen, Grass Rig Maintenance
*Tim Janzen, New Pumper Maintenance
*Rick Oeltjenbruns, Tanker Maintenance
*Patrick Oja and *Robert Gohr, Rescue Vehicle Maintenance
*Andrew Ysker, Old Pumper Maintenance
*Ken Classen, *Robert Gohr and *Patrick Oja, Training Officers
Ambulance Service
*David Watkins, Captain
*Dennis Siebert, Assistant Captain
*Tim Janzen, Secretary/Treasurer
**Paula Barnes and *Mark Warner, Training Officers
*Neal Wenner, Maintenance
Tentative 2015 meeting schedule
The tentative 2015 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.
In other business
* No changes were made to the City’s Investment Policy following its review by the council.
* Council approved a $.50 per hour 2015 salary increase for all non-union employees, and the individual salary adjustments approved at the Monday, December 22, 2014 council meeting. As per union contract, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) members will also receive a $.50 an hour wage increase.
* Adopted the City Ordinance establishing rates, fees and administrative fines. There are changes to water and sewer rates, the Conservation Improvement Plan (CIP) surcharge, rental rates for street and utility equipment, cost for legal fireworks permits and in the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) mileage reimbursement. A summary of the changes will be published.
* Reviewed and adopted a resolution related to a minimum general fund balance and the assignment of general funds.
* Declared the Mountain Lake Fire Department’s 1950s-era vintage Dodge pumper as surplus equipment, and donated it to Heritage Village of Mountain Lake.
* Approved the resignation of Charles Wolle from the Mountain Lake Fire Department, effective 12/31/14.
* Accepted a $30,000 gift from the Mountain Lake Fire Relief Association.
* Reviewed the Public Water Supply Inventory Report, Seniority List and the 2014 Building Permit Summary. No action was taken.
* The open public meeting was closed per attorney/client privilege, at 7:03 p.m. to discuss the on-going Mountain Lake Trail litigation and was reopened at 8:15 p.m. No action was taken.
