MINUTES
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Redwood Falls City Council was called to order in the Municipal Chambers on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at 5:00 p.m.
Roll call indicated Mayor Tom Quackenbush and Council Members Matt Smith, Larry Arentson, Jim Sandgren, John T. Buckley, and Denise Kerkhoff were present constituting a quorum.
Also present were City Administrator Keith Muetzel, Director of Finance & Administrative Services Melissa Meyer, Public Works Project Coordinator Jim Doering, City Attorney Amy Busse and Council Secretary Caitlin Kodet.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve the agenda. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to
approve the January 7, 2020, minutes as presented. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda.
1. Approve Assistance for Celebrate Redwood Falls – Fire & Ice Festival
2. Park Commission Appointment
Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Mayor Quackenbush opened a public hearing at 5:02 p.m. to discuss the Small Cities Development Program Grant Application.
Jeff Gladis from United Community Action Partnership was present to provide an overview of the proposed application.
Mr. Gladis stated the State of MN Department of Employment and Economic Development administers the Small Cities Development Program (SCDP). The SCDP provides cities and counties with funding for housing, public infrastructure, and commercial rehabilitation projects. For a project to qualify for funding, it must benefit people of low and moderate incomes, eliminate slum and blight conditions, or eliminate an urgent threat to public health or safety. A public hearing soliciting comments on the proposed application is a requirement of the application process.
Mr. Gladis stated the City sent surveys to selected target areas in order to gather citizen input on identifying community development and housing needs within the community. The proposed SCDP activities include: roofing, foundations, siding, windows, doors, heating, electrical, plumbing, energy efficiency, lead hazards, health and safety, and accessibility issues. The benefiting locations include the north and northwest blocks as well as the downtown area. The benefiting areas were determined based on the responses received from the surveys.
Mr. Gladis stated the SCDP cost per unit for residential owner rehab is $24,000 with zero percent deferred loans for 80%-100% of the rehabilitation provided to qualified homeowners. The loan would carry no
interest and would be forgiven 10% per year for 10 years if the property does not change ownership. If the household income is in the range of 51%-80% Area Median Income the proposed grant would be an 80%/20% split. 80% of the costs are a 0% deferred loan and will be forgiven 1/10th each year the owner is in compliance with the grant up to 10 years. 20% of the costs will be the homeowner’s match. The SCDP cost per unit for commercial rehab is $36,000 with a 70% grant and 30% owner match. Deferred funds would be forgiven over a seven (7) year timeframe.
Mr. Gladis stated the timeline for implementation of the Redwood Falls SCDP, if approved, would begin with environmental clearance in August 2020, a town meeting in September 2020 when the first applications would be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and inspections would start. Applicants that completed a survey would have the first chance to access the grant funds for a period of 60 days at grant startup. The bidding process would start in October 2020, and the projected finish would be December 2022. Staff would close out all projects by February 2023.
Mr. Gladis further stated he is in his 31st year with the company and United Community Action has many experienced inspectors and staff members that will be working on this project. Based on staff’s experience and review of the target areas there doesn’t appear to be any historic buildings in the north and northwest block target areas but there are potential historic buildings in the downtown project area. Staff will work with applicants to comply with all federal regulations governing historic properties.
No one was present for the public hearing to voice any concerns.
Mayor Quackenbush closed the public hearing at 5:23 p.m.
City Administrator Muetzel introduced Resolution No. 4 of 2020 – Resolution Approving Grant Application and Resolution No. 5 of 2020 – Resolution Declaring Slum and Blighted Area.
A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Arentson to waive the reading of Resolution No. 4 of 2020 – Resolution Approving Grant Application. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve Resolution No. 4 of 2020 – Resolution Approving Grant Application. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Buckley to waive the reading of Resolution No. 5 of 2020 – Resolution Declaring Slum and Blighted Area. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Smith to approve Resolution No. 5 of 2020 – Resolution Declaring Slum and Blighted Area. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
City Administrator Muetzel introduced Ordinance No. 67, Fourth Series – An Ordinance Enacting and Adopting a Supplement to the Code of Ordinances for the City of Redwood Falls.
Mr. Muetzel stated the proposed Ordinance was introduced at the January 7, 2020, Council meeting. As part of the Supplement Service Plan with American Legal Publishing Corporation for the City’s Codification Services Agreement, staff received the Tenth Supplement to the Code of Ordinances. The Ordinances that were passed by the City Council in 2019 along with amendments are now incorporated into the code and are ready for Council adoption.
A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve Ordinance No. 67, Fourth Series – An Ordinance Enacting and Adopting a Supplement to the Code of Ordinances for the City of Redwood Falls. Motion passed by the following roll call vote.
AYE: Council Members Buckley, Kerkhoff, Smith, Arentson, and Sandgren,
NO: None
Chief of Police Jason Cotner was present to introduce the Installation of Stop Sign on Sunrise
Boulevard.
Chief Cotner stated last year the Redwood Falls Police Commission took up the issue of uncontrolled intersections within the City. The Commission focused on uncontrolled intersections that, due to their location or traffic conditions, create a hazard to vehicle or pedestrian traffic. In addition to safety concerns, the Commission weighed the need for traffic to flow as freely as possible without excessive stops along any particular route. On December 3, 2019, the matter was brought to Council for consideration and Council approved the installation of the signage as recommended by the Commission. Signs were installed per the Commission’s recommendations.
Chief Cotner further stated among the locations identified, was the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard near Wooddale Nursing Home. Based on staff analysis, one stop sign was installed for eastbound traffic on Sunrise at the short intersection that connects to Broadway. Since the installation of a stop sign at that location, residents in that neighborhood reported a need for a stop sign for westbound traffic. According to the information received, Sunrise Boulevard is a commonly used route for drivers that want to avoid the Dekalb Street intersection with Broadway. This route experiences more traffic than just local residents. The same reasoning that was used to install the stop sign for eastbound traffic is now being used to justify a stop sign for westbound traffic. After hearing these concerns from citizens and studying the issue further, staff recommends approval of a stop sign for the westbound traffic at that intersection.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve
the Installation of Stop Sign on Sunrise Boulevard. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Deer Hunt Coordinator Paul Parson was present to discuss the 2019 Archery Deer Hunt Report. Mr. Parson summarized the 2019 deer hunt as follows: the season coincided with the full Minnesota DNR archery season from September 14, 2019, to December 31, 2019, the hunt is limited to 20 participants and 30 applications were submitted, a total of 16 deer were harvested with 499 deer being spotted, and hunters spent a total of 592 hours in the stand with an average of 29.5 hours per hunter.
Public Works Project Coordinator Doering stated staff is recommending the deer hunt committee reconvene to further review the results of the hunt, what was learned and what to change in order to determine if future hunts are warranted. Results of the committee meeting along with a 2020 recommendation will be presented to Council prior to submission to the MN DNR to conduct a 2020 Archery Deer Hunt.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve
the 2019 Archery Deer Hunt Report as presented. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Public Works Project Coordinator Doering introduced Resolution No. 6 of 2020 – Authorization to
Execute Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement for the Reconstruction of CSAH 101 “Dekalb Street” from TH 19/71 to County Ditch 52.
Mr. Doering stated Redwood County is requesting approval of a Cooperative Agreement for the DeKalb Street Reconstruction Project. The agreement addresses the City and County responsibilities relating to project costs. In addition, the agreement assigns responsibility for sidewalk snow removal to the City. In exchange for the City providing snow removal services, the County will reduce the City’s contribution to the project by $35,000.
Mr. Doering further stated since action was taken to table the agreement at the January 7, 2020, regular Council meeting, staff reviewed and worked with the County to make necessary revisions. Staff is in support of the revised agreement as presented. Some amounts listed in the agreement are subject to change based upon final project amounts at the close of the project.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Smith to waive the reading of Resolution No. 6 of 2020 – Authorization to Execute Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement for the Reconstruction of CSAH 101 “Dekalb Street” from TH 19/71 to County Ditch 52. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Buckley to
approve Resolution No. 6 of 2020 – Authorization to Execute Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement for the Reconstruction of CSAH 101 “Dekalb Street” from TH 19/71 to County Ditch 52. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Director of Finance & Administrative Services Meyer introduced the proposal to Replace a Copy Machine for City Hall and Declare Old Hardware Surplus.
Ms. Meyer stated the current copy machine for City Hall was purchased in early 2014 at a price of
$15,908. The price for the service and supply contract for the old machine is 0.012643 per monoprint and 0.084812 per color print. The cost of the new machine is $13,216. The price for the service and supply contract for the new machine is 0.0071 per monoprint and 0.0459 per color print. The pricing provided is from the NJPA Government Contract. Therefore, there are no other quotes provided or required.
Ms. Meyer further stated hardware at the Police Department and Library will also be upgraded. Council approval is not needed for these machines per the City Purchasing Policy. Staff requests approval to dispose of 2 Canon copy machines, 1 Konica copy machine, 7 HP printers, and 1 Brother fax machine, detailed below. Marco will scrub all hard drives and dispose of equipment.
1. City Hall Konica Copier – Serial Number A5AY011005073
2. Library Canon Copier – Serial Number QFM00527
3. Library Brother Fax Machine – Model Number 4100E
4. Library Printer (Public) – Serial Number VNB8JELKRN
5. PD Canon Copier – Serial Number QGF00603
6. PD HP Printer (Abby) – Serial Number CNBJB33088
7. PD HP Printer (Jason) – Serial Number PHB8J88LPH
8. PD HP Printer (Steve) – Serial Number PHB8J88LM0
9. PD HP Printer (Squad Room West) – Serial Number PHB8J88KGM
10. PD HP Printer (Amber) – Serial Number CND8F3V85S
11. PD HP Printer (Squad Room East) – Serial Number CNGS407273
A motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve the proposal to Replace a Copy Machine for City Hall in the amount of $13,216 and Declare Old Hardware Surplus. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Public Works Project Coordinator Doering introduced the Final Pay Application No. 2 for the 2019 RACC Roof Top Unit Replacements in the amount of $13,923.15.
Mr. Doering stated the final contract price totals $147,807.45. There is a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty along with a supplied 5-year warranty on the compressors and a 10-year warranty on the heat exchangers. Any material deficiencies observed during the warranty period must be brought to the attention of the Contractor, in writing, before the expiration date.
A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve the Final Pay Application No. 2 for the 2019 RACC Roof Top Unit Replacements in the amount of $13,923.15. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Bills and Claims were presented to Council for informational purposes. No questions, comments or concerns were raised.
There being no further business, a motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Smith to adjourn the meeting at 6:08 p.m. Motion passed by unanimous vote.