OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF HERREID, SOUTH DAKOTA
JANUARY 4, 2017
6:30 p.m.
The Herreid City Council met in regular session Wed., Jan. 4, 2017 at City Hall at 6:30 p.m.
Mayor David Kary called the meeting to order with the following members present: Adrienne Dupper, Troy Fuehrer, James Haak, Abbie McNeil, Eugene Quaschnick and Gary Weismantel. Also present: Tina Kary, finance officer and Dale Weisbeck, maintenance.
Approved the agenda. Moved by Weismantel, second by Dupper. All ayes, motion carried.
Approved Dec. 5th & Dec. 29th minutes. Moved by McNeil, second by Fuehrer. All ayes, motion carried.
Discussed snow removal, and the mayor just asked that people moving snow refrain from piling it in the intersections, as it is a safety concern for drivers and pedestrians. Weisbeck noted that if people need a location to pile their snow, they can contact him to make arrangements. Council members noted the icy intersections and inquired about salt/sand. Weisbeck said the temp has to be at least 25 degrees for the salt to work, and the sand makes quite a mess and people aren’t happy when it’s dragged into their garages. Council advised it’s a safety issue, and sand should be put down now until it warms up enough for the salt.
Discussed winter burials at the cemetery. Mayor noted the amount of snow out there, and wondered what would happen if Weisbeck needed to spend a day opening the cemetery, but the streets in town also needed plowing. He added that some cities delay burials until spring, while others charge extra fees to open the cemetery in the winter, and wondered what the council’s thoughts were on the matter. Weisbeck said the City has not had to postpone burials due to snow as people with equipment better suited for snow removal in the cemetery will come in and help so it’s not a problem. The finance officer added that the City has never added extra fees for snow removal, but noted that caution has to be taken to avoid hitting or damaging any headstones.
Heard from the finance officer that Cam Wal was willing to take a look at the City’s Main St. lights, but they don’t have a truck that can reach our 50 foot poles. Council members noted that the height of those poles has really become an issue for the City. T. Kary explained that originally, there was a cost share on the lights/poles, and when plans were first put together, the City opted to go with taller, but fewer light poles to save money. The highway project was delayed so many times, and by the time she got word in December of 2008 that the project would actually happen in 2009, the City was no longer required to pay any part of the lights. She contacted the State about the possibility of going back to the shorter poles and more lights, but everything was happening so fast, they wouldn’t allow the City to change their original plans. Mayor noted he would still like to get some cost estimates to switch to LED lights, which would greatly reduce the number of service calls. Tabled the matter until the spring and may invite the original contractor to address the issues.
Approved Plats for Lots 1 through 3, HEDC 1st Addition, and Lots 4 through 11, HEDC 2nd Addition to Herreid, Elm St. Extensions. Moved by Weismantel, second by Fuehrer. All ayes, motion carried. It was noted that the plats will now need county approval to move forward.
Reviewed payloader info. The mayor, Fuehrer, Weisbeck and T. Kary met with an RDO rep (John Deere) to discuss options, financing, etc. The buyout price is $146,000 and they presented 3-yr and 5-yr lease options. The committee also requested, but has yet to receive, cost info on an angle blade attachment that is put down when going past driveways to prevent filling them in. RDO is bringing in a machine for Weisbeck to demo (no cost) RDO will take an oil sample of the City’s payloader before they can give a trade-in value, but the City could still opt to sell it outright or keep it for the time being. Council members advised FO to also get prices from Titan on Case models. The mayor noted that just because they are looking at equipment, doesn’t mean they are purchasing it, but just starting the conversation. He reminded council members that if they ever considered a lease with a buyout option, budget money can be set aside for up to 5 years, so by the time the balloon payment is due, the money would be available.
Learned the following terms expire in 2017: Alderman, Ward I: 2-yr. term; Alderman, Ward II: 2-yr. term; Alderman, Ward III: 2-yr. term; Mayor, 2-yr. term. Agreed to combine the election with the school on April 11th, and set pay at $150 per election worker. Moved by Weismantel, second by Dupper. All ayes, motion carried.
Approved a disaster declaration for the recent blizzard that knocked out power for nearly two full days. Moved by Fuehrer, second by McNeil. All ayes, motion carried. T. Kary advised that she met with county emergency manager Lawrence Goehring this afternoon, and he cautioned that it’s unlikely the City will be eligible for any funds as all snow removal costs are excluded.
Met with County Commissioner Bob Shadwell to discuss the county’s emergency plan in retrospect of the power outage, and he noted that each city in the county may have to look at having a volunteer serve as a local point of contact. T. Kary asked about county funding to pay Goehring, and Shadwell advised that money comes through War Hawk, but very unlikely that funds would be available to the cities.
In discussing other emergency procedures, the mayor noted it’s essential for the Community Center to be equipped with a generator, so he has a company coming in next week to give the City a free assessment of the building, and a cost estimate. The FO noted that Goehring had just advised that he would be applying for a grant for a generator hookup/switch (?) but not an actual generator. McNeil noted she spoke to Goehring last week and he advised her that there are funds available for generators, and he was working on that for the City. Advised FO to verify with Goehring as to what the grant would actually cover, but noted the discussion for a generator at the Community Center started many years ago, and that waiting around for grant money is no longer a good option. In regards to the recent power outage, the mayor noted with spotty cell service and land lines going down, it was difficult to reach Goehring (or anyone) but once he confirmed with MDU Monday morning that power would be off for at least another day, possibly two, he started working on a call-out to residents through Valley Telco. The battery backup for the land lines seemed to vary greatly, and some people got the message, but many did not as their phones had already died. He advised the FO to put together a master phone list and provide it to VTC for future reference. Other items discussed included the possibility of the City keeping gas on hand, the confusion surrounding the whereabouts of cots/blankets the county was believed to have, and other emergency procedures. Weisbeck said WEB was aware on Monday that the water tower could be empty around mid-morning Tuesday, but they were busy hauling their generators to the various communities to get their booster pumps going, and there was only so much they could do. Mayor noted it was great to see everyone work together and help out where they could, and he appreciated the efforts of everyone in the community. Dupper and McNeil volunteered to work on an emergency plan for the City. Council thanked Shadwell for meeting with them.
Approved an amendment to the personnel policy addressing administrative leave in the event of weather or other emergency, as declared by the mayor/council. Moved by Dupper to approve it, retroactive to Dec. 2016, second by Fuehrer. All ayes, motion carried.
Approved a County Law Agreement at the cost of $1,914.38 per month, an increase of $64.31. Moved by Haak, second by McNeil. All ayes, motion carried. Some council members noted it would be nice to have more evening/weekend patrols. Mayor will contact sheriff’s dept.
Learned that Municipal Gov. Day at the Legislature is Wed., Feb. 8th if anyone is interested.
Agreed to the Water Hole’s request to be open Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. Moved by Dupper, second by Fuehrer. All ayes, motion carried.
Signed an agreement with Dakota Pump & Control for an inspection of the lift station pump at a cost of $560.00. Moved by Weismantel, second by Haak. All ayes, motion carried.
Set the next regular meeting for Monday, Feb. 6th @ 6:30 p.m.
Went into executive session at 7:42 p.m. to discuss personnel pursuant to 1-25-2. Moved by Haak, second by Weismantel. All ayes, motion carried. Mayor declared them out of executive session at 8:20 p.m. Approved 2017 Payroll Resolution, pursuant to SDCL 6-1-10
RESOLUTION
2017-02
PAYROLL PUBLICATION: WHERE AS SDCL 6-1-10 provides that the governing board of each municipality shall publish with the minutes of the first meeting following the beginning of the fiscal year a complete list of salaries of all officers and employees and thereafter shall publish once any salary paid to any officer or employee who has been added or whose salary has been changed. The governing board shall publish, in their minutes, at least monthly, a total of payroll by department.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the entire wage schedule for the City of Herreid for the year 2017 be published as follows: Mayor: David Kary - $600 per year (increase of $100) plus $60 per meeting fee (no increase); Council Members: Adrienne Dupper, Troy Fuehrer, James Haak, Abbie McNeil, Eugene Quaschnick and Gary Weismantel - $500 per year (increase of $100) plus $50 per meeting fee (no increase); Dale Weisbeck, $19.50/hour (increase of $1.00); Tina Kary, $19.50/hour (increase of $1.00); Darlene Bates, $11.00/hour (no increase); Helen Thullner, $9.75/hour (no increase); Willis Van Heukelom, cemetery, $12.00/hour (increase of $1.00) and $14.00/hour, maintenance (increase of $1.00); Rick Quaschnick, $13.00/hour (increase of $1.00); Asst. Pool Manager, $11.00/hour; Lifeguards, $9.00 for first 100 hours worked; $10.00/hour for 101-200 hours worked; $11/hour for all hours worked over 200. (No increases, but pool wages will be reviewed in March) Additional help will be hired by the council, at a rate determined by the council. The mayor and council will be paid quarterly, while all other employees will be paid monthly. Moved by Fuehrer to adopt payroll resolution, second by McNeil. All ayes, motion carried.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:33 p.m.
______
David Kary, Mayor
ATTEST: ______
Tina Kary, Finance Officer