City Council Meeting – March 5, 2019

MINUTES
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

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, March 5, 2019, 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 Kerkhoff to approve the agenda. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve the February 19, 2019, minutes as presented. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve the following item on the Consent Agenda.

1. Declare Police Department Equipment Surplus Property

Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Ordinance No. 63, Fourth Series – An Ordinance Enacting and Adopting a Supplement to the Code of Ordinances for the City of Redwood Falls.

Mayor Quackenbush stated the proposed Ordinance was introduced at the February 19, 2019, Council meeting.

A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Smith to approve Ordinance No. 63, 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 Arentson, Sandgren, Smith, Buckley, and Kerkhoff
NO: None

Public Works Project Coordinator Doering discussed the 2019 City Archery Deer Hunt program.

Mr. Doering stated the 2019 Archery Deer Hunt Committee met on February 28, 2019, to review the 2018 results and identified proposed changes to the program.

A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve the submittal of the 2019 Archery Deer Hunt application to the Department of Natural Resources; implement
the 2019 fees at $20.00 for the application fee and $40.00 for the hunting fee with 20 participants selected by a
minimum proficiency test and lottery draw with a 20 hour minimum in-stand expectation to qualify to participate in 2020; Double Earn A Buck, 20 hunters with a maximum bag limit of 40; season to coincide with the full archery season September 14 – December 31; and continue with Hunt Coordinator, Paul Parsons. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

City Administrator Muetzel stated Governor Walz signed a new version of the Minnesota bonding bill. This version of the bonding bill negates the funds that were restricted due to a pending lawsuit. Funding for the Lake Redwood Project was included in the funding package that was previously restricted by the lawsuit. The new bill that was signed by Governor Walz provides funding for all the projects that were affected by the lawsuit.

Mr. Muetzel stated he received information from Senator Dahms that the funding for the Lake Redwood Project will be available and was told to move forward with plans to work with the Redwood-Cottonwood River Control Area.

City Administrator Muetzel informed the Council that staff received notice of retirement from Bob Pohlen and Russ Baumann from the Public Works Department. Mr. Pohlen’s last day will be April 12, 2019 and Mr. Baumann’s last day will be April 30, 2019. The City posted the vacancies for Street Maintenance Workers.

City Administrator Muetzel reminded Council the Housing Committee will be meeting Thursday, March 7 at 8:00 a.m. to begin discussions on a housing study.

Director of Finance & Administrative Services Meyer stated the City received a credit opinion from Moody’s Investors Service. They upgraded the City of Redwood Falls’ general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) rating to A1 from A3. The upgrade to A1 from A3 reflects a credit positive transfer of the city’s hospital enterprise to a private provider. This eliminated the associated contingent liability risk from the city-owned hospital which had operations that were very large relative to governmental activities. The transfer also reduced the city’s debt burden and significantly improved liquidity in the city’s capital projects fund. The A1 rating also reflects a small tax base with below-average resident income, strong finances, and notable concentration among the top 10 taxpayers.

Ms. Meyer stated the upgrade also cited a strong institutional framework and a strong fund balance policy as factors for the rating increase. This includes strong financial management and strong Council oversight.

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 Smith and seconded by Council Member Buckley to adjourn the meeting at 5:28 p.m. Motion passed by unanimous vote

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