President Carlsrud called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM.
Members present: President Carlsrud, Commissioner Bishop, Commissioner Erickson, and Commissioner Gulmon, Commissioner Magnuson
Others City Administrator Crawford, City Attorney Martineck, Finance Director Richter, Administrative Assistant Johnson, Fire Chief Magnuson, Police Chief Hatcher, City Engineer Chad Petersen
Pledge of Allegiance
Approval of Agenda
Remove Consent Agenda B.c.
Approval of Minutes
Commissioner Bishop moved to approve the minutes from the December 7th, 2021 commission meeting, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Consent Agenda
Approve 2022 License to Sell L.P. Gas for
- Dakota Plains Ag
- Petro Serve USA #071
- CBF Oil Inc dba Vining Oil & Propane
And authorize the Auditor’s Office to issue licenses for applicants who meet all licensing requirements before December 30th, 2021.
Approve 2022 Mobile Home Park License Renewals for
- Rockwater LLC
- Richard Plecity Trailer Court
And authorize the Auditor’s Office to issue licenses for applicants who meet all licensing requirements before December 30th, 2021.
Approve 2022 Tree Trimming and Removal Service License for Pine Country Nursery.
Approve Raffle Permit for Sharp Shooter Showdown on February 5, 2022 at the Eagles.
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING
PH1. Open Public Hearing regarding changes to the official Zoning Map of the City.
President Carlsrud declared the public hearing open.
No comments were received.
Commissioner Bishop moved to close the public hearing, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Second and Final Reading of Ordinance 1091, an Ordinance approving changes to the official Zoning Map of the City.
City Attorney Martineck stated notices were sent out to property owners within 250 ft. of the small lot north of the tourist park and no comments were received. The proposal today is for that to be zoned as a B2. Lowell Spitzer, the property owner, was in agreement with the change.
Commissioner Magnuson moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Gulmon. Motion passed unanimously.
Ordinance
Approve First Reading of Ordinance 1093, an Ordinance Amending and Reenacting Chapter 20-06 of the Valley City Municipal Code re City Lodging Tax.
City Attorney Martineck stated there have been several changes to the lodging tax. There are no changes on the tax itself, we are making changes for the wording to be consistent with Century Code and removing the Visitor’s Committee from deciding how the funding will be spent.
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve First Reading of Ordinance 1094, an Ordinance to Amend and Enact Section 15-01-16.2 of the Valley City Municipal Code regarding Surface Drainage and Storm Sewer System Cleaning and Maintenance Fee.
City Attorney Martineck stated previously this section said the fee for this service was set at $1. There was language in the ordinance allowing us to amend this fee by resolution which is on the agenda tonight. For clarity taking out the language in the ordinance where the fee is set at $1.
Commissioner Bishop moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Resolution
Approve Resolution 2328, a Resolution Establishing Electrical Rates.
PW Manager Jacobson stated as they were going through the budget it was determined a rate increase was needed in a couple areas. Jacobson reported the areas that will be increased on the electrical rates.
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Resolution 2329, a Resolution Establishing Rates and Fees for Solid Waste Services.
PW Manager Jacobson stated he estimated with a loss this year of about $28,000 so we definitely need an increase. The proposed increases would bring back a profit margin of 2.9%.
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Bishop. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Resolution 2330, a Resolution Establishing Rates for Surface Draining and Storm Sewer Cleaning and Maintenance Fee.
PW Manger Jacobson stated this is the final area that needs increases. The ordinance discussed earlier was created in 2001 where $1 was to be collected from each resident. That fee has not changed since but the cost in doing this maintenance has. We’re asking to change that from $1 to $2.50 which would increase our revenues by $62,500.
Commissioner Bishop moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Gulmon. Motion passed unanimously.
New Business
Approve Final Copy of the 2022 Employee Policy & Procedure Manual.
City Attorney Martineck stated it has been a couple years since any major changes have taken place to the Policy Manual and gave a brief overview of the changes taking place.
Commissioner Bishop moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Service Agreement with Valley City Parks and Recreation and Valley City Convention and Visitors Bureau for Administration of City Lodging Tax.
City Attorney Martineck stated this is directly related to ordinance 1093. The funds that are collected through the lodging tax will go to the VCPR to manage the day to day operations. The CVB has been the recipient of those funds since the 80’s and will still be involved but they don’t have the capacity to be involved with the day to day operations.
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Bishop. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Request for Funds from VCBCDC for Resource Development Specialist (3 years).
Jennifer Feist stated this is to approve 3 years to support the Resource Development Specialist position.
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Request for Funds from VCBCDC for Small Projects (2022).
Commissioner Gulmon moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Magnuson. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Public Works Capital and Operating Budgets for FY22.
PW Manager Jacobson provided a brief summary of the proposed budget.
Commissioner Magnuson moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Gulmon. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Gaming Site Authorization Renewal for ND Chapters of Delta Waterfowl Inc.
Commissioner Magnuson moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Bishop, Motion passed unanimously.
Approve Moving forward with NDDOT Maintenance Contract along I-94 Frontage Road from 12th Ave e to Exit 294.
City Administrator Crawford stated this is the area with Nextera. The cost of the easement we need went up. We talked to the NDDOT about transferring ownership however their executive office is not in agreement with this. We came to an agreement and one of the pieces to that agreement is that we take over the maintenance.
Tracey Eslinger added that they have offered to add this to the Urban Roads program.
Commissioner Bishop moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Gulmon. Motion passed unanimously.
Approve the NDDOT Urban Roads Project Submittal List for Fiscal Year 2023-2026.
Chad Petersen covered the planned projects for the Urban Roads projects.
Commissioner Magnuson moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Gulmon. Motion passed unanimously.
City Administrator’s Report
City Administrator Crawford stated they met regarding CLOMR. It looks like we can do everything in the immediate areas we targeted and stay within city limits to do it.
The Little Dam is the Barnes County Water Resource District’s however there are pieces that do affect us. We have been added the County Commission meeting in January to discuss.
Some of the nodes are going bad that we need to do water readings. They are under warranty so will be replaced but there is a large lag time. So for awhile people may need to manually read and submit their readings.
City Updates & Commission Reports
City Assessor Hansen stated we have sent out the exemptions for properties that need to apply every year such as the churches. The Homestead Credit applications for 2022 will go out the week after Christmas.
Fire Chief Magnuson stated to make sure your carbon monoxide detectors work. Merry Christmas and Happy and Safe New Year.
Commissioner Gulmon thanked all the employees and our engineers for their hard work they did this year and wished everyone a Merry Christmas.
Commissioner Erickson wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Commissioner Bishop wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and is looking forward to a great year next year.
Commissioner Magnuson stated it looks beautiful with the snowfall that just came down. We’ve also received some complements on the speaker system now that we have the volumes set. Kudos to all of our employees, commissioners and staff, Merry Christmas.
President Carlsrud stated some of his family that hadn’t been here for a few years and they were amazed at how beautiful the community is and what a nice job everybody has done. As we are getting closer to the holidays there have been several team building activities throughout our group which has been an opportunity to learn and have fun at the same time. Thank you to all that were involved. It seems like every time people get off work, we do something stupid and end up calling fire and rescue. Those people are volunteers and have family they like to spend time with to. Remember to be safe and think before doing something that could be injury. Merry Christmas to all and a blessed New Year.
Adjourn
Meeting was adjourned at 5:54 P.M.