Council Present: Mayor Robert Herron, and Councilmembers Scott Mortimer, Karl Hinze, Jerrod Johnson, Raymond Kelby, and Debbie Moore. Staff Present: Kaci Anderson.

Regular Council Meeting – 6:00 pm

  1. Open Meeting: Mayor Robert Herron called the meeting to order at 6:01 pm and led with the Pledge of Allegiance.
  2. Oaths of Office: Mayor Herron administered the oath of office to the four reelected councilmembers, Karl Hinze (position 1), Jerrod Johnson (position 3), Scott Mortimer (position 3), and Raymond Kelby (position 5).
  3. Approval of Minutes: Motion made by J. Johnson, seconded by S. Mortimer, and carried to approve the minutes for the regular meeting on December 9, 2021.
  4. Public Comment: None.
  5. Council Concerns and Issues:
    1. Councilmember Johnson requested an update on the current status and ETA on final codification project. K. Anderson stated she recently sent over some of the last of the clarification requests to the team working on the codification. She will ask for a more specific timeline to update council at the next regular meeting.
    2. Councilmember Moore expressed concern about the housekeeping/custodial job position.
    3. Councilmember Mortimer supplied the following verbal list of ongoing issues, presented for possible further discussion:
      1. Status of snow removal equipment; suggested the possible reactivation of the Town’s relationship with the Department of Enterprise Services to regain eligibility of state surplus purchases
      2. Corps of Engineers/FEMA/flood plain
      3. Fire hydrants not draining
      4. Potential of Town mowing some fire district parcels if the district is unable to replace stolen mower
      5. Concern about improper and illegal burning in town
      6. Code enforcement and long-term RV residency, for which executive sessions may be required at a later meeting
  6. Reports
    1. Mayor’s Address: Mayor Herron combined the Mayor’s Address with Maintenance/Public Works Report as many topics overlap. Mayor Herron discussed the following:
      1. The month started out with a snow storm and broken snow plow. Roger Blackman of Wilson Creek Machine spent 10 hours working on repairs to the plow to make it operational again. The plow isn’t ideal and he would like to find something that would better fit the Town’s needs, i.e. a 1-ton pickup with a plow, and is open to suggestions.
      2. Mayor Herron repaired the leaking check valve at the well with spare parts already on hand.
      3. The second septic tank at the RV dump was pumped today. When the snow clears and in warmer weather, the line between the dump port and tanks needs to be flushed out and checked to see if it’s working properly before opening up the dump to the public.
      4. The snowblower needs some work. Mayor Herron took this opportunity to thank Councilmember Johnson for helping with town sidewalks during the previous week’s snow storm. Council discussed use of ethanol-free fuel on the smaller engines; it may be beneficial to keep a small amount on hand.
      5. The 240-volt heater isn’t working at the back-up well. Mayor Herron will likely purchase a heater in Moses Lake to keep things from freezing. He also noted that extra winterization is needed in the well houses – the ventilation is needed in the summer but the areas should be insulated in the winter. Either he or L. Komarek will take care of that.
      6. The shelter on the walking path is in need of some quick repairs that either Mayor Herron or L. Komarek will look into when the snow clears.
    2. Maintenance/Public Works Report: See previous.

      Councilmember Moore lost connection to the remote meeting at 6:24 pm and was unable to reconnect due to technical difficulties.
    3. Clerk/Treasurer Report:
      1. Bills, Checks & Electronic Withdrawal: Motion made by S. Mortimer, seconded by R. Kelby, and carried to approve the Town’s current fiscal status and pay the January 2022 bills as follows:
        Accounts Payable                                                                                                          
        PAYROLL: Check numbers 10834 – 10842 ……………..  $      1,642.27         
        CLAIMS: Check numbers 10843 – 10856 ………………..  $   12,501.26         
        EFT payments ………………………………………………………………..  $   14,231.89         
        TOTAL ………………………………………………………………………………  $   28,375.42

        Bank Account Balances 12/31/21
        U.S. Bank ……………….. $ 291,508.80
        Grant County ……….. $ 112,681.38
        TOTAL …………………… $ 404,190.18
  7. Old Business:
    1. Council Rules of Procedure: No action was taken. Councilmember Hinze will meet with K. Anderson prior to the next regular meeting to go over suggested amendments to the current document.
    2. Council further discussed the following:
      1. RV dump: Discussed the possible need for the RV dump to be inspected prior to opening and potential ways to block large items from entering the lines that would cause problems. Also discussed potential fees and other regulations for use. Councilmembers were asked to give this specific topic some thought to discuss in the future.
      2. Hunting/camping at the park. Discussed issues that have arisen in recent years and potential need for regulations on camping at the park.
  8. New Business: None.
  9. Adjournment: Motion made by J. Johnson, seconded by S. Mortimer, and carried to adjourn the meeting at 6:48 pm. The next regular council meeting is Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 6:00 pm.
2022-01-13-minutesDownload
Filed under: Council Meeting Minutes