Call to order:
The regular Randolph City Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Marie Jacob.
Roll Call:
Present:
Mayor Marie Jacob
Council Members Jacob Friedrich, Todd D Carlock, and Tony Price
Treasurer Sandy Nicolai and Clerk Mary Haro
Also, in attendance was Bolton & Menk engineer, Matt Blazer.
Approval of Agenda:
Motion to approve the agenda was made by Friedrich, seconded by Haro. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Public Comments:
A citizen asked about taking care of the weeds by the road on the property where the holdings ponds are since we now own it. Matt will talk to the contractor about it. Also the property across the street since that is in city limits which is owned by Progressive Rail which is industrial property the weeds are bad by the road.
Prior Meeting Minutes
A motion to approve the August 14, 2024, regular council meeting minutes was made by Friedrich, seconded by Jacob. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Treasurer's Report and Payment of Bills:
Sandy noted a check to O'Rourke has not cleared and she prepared a duplicate check but will hold it for another month to see if they receive the first check. The check for Braun Intertec will be cancelled as that invoice was included in the Bolton & Menk invoice. We need to double check to see if we paid Braun before as we will need a refund. Matt will check and get back to Sandy and Mary.
Motion to approve the payment of bills was made by Friedrich and seconded by Carlock. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Old Business
Greta sent us a memorandum regarding the holding pond fence and it was her "recommendation that the City opt for the installation of gates or some other minor modification to aid in maintenance, mowing, etc." and did "not recommend removing a portion or all of the fence unless the City wants to take on the task of selling the fence for fair market value and remitting it to the Dakota County CDA."
The gates are on the west end by the swail so it's not convenient to enter there. We need to check to see if there is a gate on the east end. It was noted that we do own property 4 feet outside of the fence.
Friedrich suggested that we do some research for entry to the area that would not allow dirt bikes to get through but open it up for recreational use such as a walking path or walking dogs.
It was noted that the public hearing on vacating the alley from Dickman to Danel will be held during our October 2024 meeting.
New Business
Fire Department – Safety Money
Chief Whitson discussed that the firemen had physicals done on August 29th. They were $99 or $129 for a more extensive exam for a total amount of approximately $3100 for 28 members. These will be done every other year as they are required.
He also discussed that Tom Gergen talked to Charlie Willie from Frandrup Masonry about extending the back wall of the fire department for an addition so they can put their lockers and gear and washer and dryer and maybe a water softener in that area. They also plan to take out the cabinets and carpet in the back office. It was noted we could add this to our agenda for our special meeting to be held on September 18th if they can get a bid together. Chief asked that we do add this to the agenda for the special meeting.
Election Judges Pay
Clerk Haro checked with our legal counsel regarding if we can increase the judges pay and she indicated that yes we can increase it. Clerk Haro asked several other cities and townships what they are currently paying and most pay at least $20 an hour or more.
Fredrich made a motion to approve Resolution No. 24-10 increasing election judges pay to $20 an hour, seconded by Jacob. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 4:0. Clerk Haro abstained from the vote.
Sewer Inspection Fees
The building inspector contacted Clerk Haro regarding the inspection fees for the sewer inspections that he will need to do. There are some residents who are getting their sewer lines put in now but just not hooked up until the system is ready and since we haven't established the inspection fee Mark has not been able to charge them for their permit. He does not know how much to charge but indicated several other cities in the area charge $350.00. Also he said they should be able to include the fee in the grant process that people can submit to Dakota County. We will have to add this to our ordinance so we will table this until next month's meeting so we can do some research. Matt indicated that most people with go beyond the $10,000 available for the grant so this may not matter.
Bolton & Menk Sewer Update
Sewer is completed on the West side of the city. They are starting to build the road past Cooper. They will be laying storm sewer between Danel and Curtis. They started on Dawson but shifted back to County Road 88 to get that completed. They are already to Duncan and need to complete the storm sewer on that stretch. They are still waiting on retaining walls so they can complete the sidewalks along 292nd Street. They may sod late Fall.
At some point they need to do a city wide water shut down to connect near the water tower. They are looking at MEA weekend so the school is not affected – approximately 4 – 6 hours – for just one day. They are looking at doing it Thursday, October 17th. The purpose of this is they are making a new line so they don't have to shut down the water again when they work on Danel. We need to notify citizens of this asap As soon as it is confirmed they will send out a notice.
Chief Whitson asked how long before we get to use County Road 88 because of the traffic on 56 and 86 and the accidents that have been happening. County Road 88 should be completed by mid-November.
He also noted that the company may try to work on Dawson during MEA weekend.
They are still looking at bringing in another crew to try to get as much done as possible this year.
Council Member Reports
Tony made a suggestion that we work on our actuals – such as take expenses and break them into more manageable items and the monthly report broken out so we know what we have spent to date so we are more prepared for our budget. He will put together an excel spreadsheet and it will take some work at the beginning but it will help for our budget.
Todd mentioned that Bryce was interested in putting a bid together for the restrooms but have not received anything from him yet. It was noted that we should replace the floors in the bathroom, hallway and kitchen area. Mayor Jacob will check with Bryce.
We are still having problems with people speeding through town. There was a 20 mph speed limit on Danel but the sign is gone.
It was asked about signage and Matt indicated the county is replacing all new signs along the county roads and as for the city roads we are salvaging them because of costs.
It was asked if anything has been discussed regarding the concerns of the intersections and the turning of larger vehicles to widen the intersections. Matt indicated that Dawson, Davisson and 290th streets are being looked at.
Chief Whitson indicated that it is a challenge to back in their vehicles into the fire department and indicated it would help to have no parking on the east side of the driveway.
Matt noted that around the railroad it was designed because it is a safety measure so vehicles will not be able to drive around the arms that will be put into place.
We should put a dead end sign at the end of Cynthia Path by Curtis Lane because there are several vehicles that come down the road and have to turn around because they can't see it is a dead end. Matt will contact the signage contractor and get the cost and submit it as a change order. We should have a sign on Dickman that indicates there is no exit on the west end of 88.
With the upcoming elections, it was noted that you can go the Minnesota Secretary of State website to see who is running for office.
Larry Wachendorf called to indicate they are going to do some repair and staining to the Welcome to Randolph sign and just wanted us to be aware that they were planning to do this. They make ask some FFA members to assist with this project. .
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting made by Carlock, seconded by Friedrich, the meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m. All voting in favor, none opposed, motion passed 5:0.
Commentaires