MINUTES
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
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, November 2, 2021, at 5:00 p.m.
Roll call indicated Mayor Tom Quackenbush and Council Members Jim Sandgren, John T. Buckley, Matt Smith, Larry Arentson, and Denise Kerkhoff were present constituting a quorum.
Also present were City Administrator Keith Muetzel, Finance Director Kari Klages, City Attorney Trenton Dammann, Public Works Project Coordinator Jim Doering, and IT/AP/Payroll Coordinator Rachel Viergutz..
A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve the agenda. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Buckley to approve the October 19, 2021, minutes as presented. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda.
1. Taxi License – Red's Rides Cab Shuttle and Delivery, LLC. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Parks & Recreation Director Ross Nachreiner introduced Resolution No. 57 of 2021 – Authorization to Execute Fitness Passport Service Agreement with OptumHealth Care Solutions, LLC.
Mr. Nachreiner stated UCare and Medica insurance carriers notified the Parks & Recreation staff that they would be dropping the Silver Sneaker Fitness Program. OptumHealth Care Solutions recently partnered with UCare and Medica insurance for their Medicare program and will be providing Renew Active starting January 1, 2022, replacing the Silver Sneakers Program.
Mr. Nachreiner stated the Optum Fitness Passport Network Program would reimburse the City a pre- determined amount each calendar month for each participating member. Optum will also pay the City a one- time signing bonus of $5,000.00 which will be paid within sixty calendar days of the fully executed agreement. In addition, Optum will pay a guaranteed reimbursement rate of $500.00 for the first three months of the partnership.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Buckley to waive the reading of Resolution No. 57 of 2021 – Authorization to Execute Fitness Passport Service Agreement with OptumHealth Care Solutions, LLC. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve Resolution No. 57 of 2021 – Authorization to Execute Fitness Passport Service Agreement with OptumHealth Care Solutions, LLC. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Parks & Recreation Director Nachreiner introduced the Westside Park Bleacher Replacement request.
Mr. Nachreiner stated Lifestyle Landscape submitted a quote for $65,000.00 to replace the old wood retaining wall seating and posts with paver blocks similar to Johnson Park. Plans include installing pavers on the bottom and top sections of the dugouts. The seating will be approximately 50 feet from each stairway towards the center of the bleachers. The middle section will be sloped, and grass will be planted, allowing for additional spectator seating.
Mr. Nachreiner stated attempts to obtain additional bids from Doug's Lawn and Landscaping and Perennial Lawn & Landscaping were unsuccessful.
A motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve the Westside Park bleacher replacement quote from Lifestyle Landscape in the amount of $65,000.00. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Finance Director Klages introduced the Redwood Falls Firefighters Relief Association Bylaw Amendment.
Ms. Klages stated in September, staff was contacted by the Firefighters Relief Association indicating a desire to discuss raising the annual benefit level for their lump sum pension plan. An initial meeting took place between staff and the Fire Relief Treasurer to understand the Relief Association's proposed changes. It was noted that it had been three years since the last benefit increase. Staff reviewed the financial position of the Relief Association, comparing benefits to those of similar cities analyzing the impact an increase may have on the required City contribution.
Ms. Klages stated in October, a meeting with the Fire Relief Association Board of Trustees, members of the Relief Association and appointed City representatives was held. A consensus by the board was reached to propose an increase to the annual benefit amount of $200.00. The increase would move each firefighter's current annual pension benefit from $3,100.00 to $3,300.00 per year of service. The change is projected to maintain a surplus of assets over liabilities and will not require a City contribution in 2022.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Smith approving the Redwood Falls Firefighters Relief Association Bylaw Amendment as presented. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Finance Director Klages introduced Resolution No. 58 of 2021 – Authorization to Execute Upgrade and Purchase of Software and Service from Tyler Technologies.
Ms. Klages stated staff requests approval to enter into a contract with Tyler Technologies to migrate to InCode 10, the new and enhanced version of the current financial software. In addition, staff is requesting approval to switch to Tyler Technologies Time and Attendance platform ExecuTime.
Ms. Klages stated the City is currently using InCode 9 software. The software is used for all financial transactions, including utility billing, permitting, licensing and document management. In January of 2021, the Council approved a contract with Tyler to move to SaaS to host the City's financial software. Now that the transition is complete, the next step is to migrate to Tyler's new and enhanced version of InCode. The upgraded software will provide many additional features to increase operational efficiency and organizational effectiveness throughout the departments. A few of the new software's features include additional workflow capabilities, role-based dashboards, automated routine functions, enhanced query capacities, and improved reporting functions. One of the biggest time-saving benefits of the enhanced system is extracting information directly into excel.
Ms. Klages stated the City currently uses Attendance on Demand for time and attendance tracking. The platform is not owned by Tyler and has many limitations. The move to ExecuTime would allow better integration with financial software and add additional features that are not currently unavailable. This will be beneficial for departments with more complicated scheduling demands, such as the Police Department.
Ms. Klages stated the upgrade to InCode 10 was included in the Capital Projects fund of the 2021 budget. The switch to ExecuTime has been included in the 2022 budget. The full conversion could take up to twelve months and staff is requesting approval of the quotes. Fees will be billed as progress on the implementation is made and any unused 2021 budgeted funds will be carried over to cover the remaining charges in 2022.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Buckley to waive the reading of Resolution No. 58 of 2021 – Authorization to Execute Upgrade and Purchase of Software and Service from Tyler Technologies. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Smith to approve No. 58 of 2021 – Authorization to Execute Upgrade and Purchase of Software and Service from Tyler Technologies. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Mayor Quackenbush mentioned a recent visit to the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery located in Preston, Minnesota and recommended anyone to visit the facility to see what is to come with the Veterans Cemetery being constructed in Redwood County.
Public Works Project Coordinator Doering updated Council on the Inflow & Infiltration (I & I) inspections. Area seven consists of approximately 400 accounts. The inspections are focused south of Broadway Street, which has 47 connections. Fourteen accounts have set up a time for inspections. The accounts that have not set up an inspection will receive an informative letter stating they need to schedule an inspection immediately. Otherwise, a $50.00 monthly surcharge will be assessed until the inspection is complete.
City Administrator Muetzel followed up on the meeting two weeks ago regarding the Small Cities Commercial and Residential Grant Program. On the commercial side, the goal is to fund seven projects. There are seven projects in the pipeline, two have been authorized to proceed and the other five are currently out for bids. On the residential side, there is only one project authorized to proceed with a total of two applications. A press release was prepared encouraging eligible homeowners to pursue the program.
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 Arentson to adjourn the meeting at 5:42 p.m. Motion passed by unanimous vote.