City Council Meeting – September 5, 2023

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, September 5, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

Roll call indicated Mayor Tom Quackenbush and Council Members Matt Smith, Denise Kerkhoff, Jim Sandgren, Larry Arentson, and John T. Buckley 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 Deputy City Clerk Caitlin Kodet.

A motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve the agenda.  Motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Sandgren to approve the August 15, 2023, minutes as presented.  Motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

1. Approve Tobacco License – Kwik Trip
2. Approve 3.2 Off-Sale Malt Liquor License- Kwik Trip
3. Approve Women’s Rural Advocacy Program (WRAP) Display at Ramsey Falls Overlook
4. Declare Street Department Equipment as Surplus Property

Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Finance Director Klages introduced Resolution No. 43 of 2023 – A Resolution Accepting a Donation to the City.

Ms. Klages stated Minnesota Statute §465.03 gives the city authority to receive donations and requires them to be formally accepted by resolution, adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Council. Resolution No. 43 is to accept the donation of a trailer from the Redwood Falls Fire Relief Association. The donation is to be used by the Redwood Falls Fire Department to house grain bin rescue equipment.

A motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Smith to waive the reading of Resolution No. 43 of 2023 – A Resolution Accepting a Donation to the City. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve Resolution No. 43 of 2023 – A Resolution Accepting a Donation to the City. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Police Chief Jason Cotner was present to introduce the Police Department Squad Car Equipment Purchase.

Chief Cotner stated at the August 15, 2023, Council meeting, approval was given to purchase a 2023 Ford Explorer squad which had been located by Weelborg Ford. That squad was purchased from Weelborg Ford on August 17, 2023, at a cost of $53,565.00. Northern Safety Technology (NST) has built RFPD’s last four squad cars and they quoted a price of $16,695.28 to build the 2023 squad. A total of $64,000 of Redwood Falls’ Public Safety Aid funds was originally allocated for the new squad, however, the League of Minnesota Cities later clarified that Public Safety Aid funds cannot be used to reimburse expenses made prior to the date of receiving the funds. Therefore, the Capital Project Fund will be used to cover the purchase and build of the squad. A transfer from the general fund of $64,000 will be built into the 2024 budget to reimburse the Capital Project Fund with the remaining expenses covered by Capital Project Fund reserves.

A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve the Police Department Squad Car Equipment Purchase and Installation in the amount of $16,695.28. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Police Chief Jason Cotner introduced the Opioid Settlement Grant Funding Application.

Chief Cotner stated over the last several years the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has been a party to settlement agreements involving multiple opioid distributors and manufacturers. These settlements have resulted in several hundred million dollars being allocated to the State of Minnesota to combat the opioid crisis. The Minnesota Attorney General’s office has worked with Minnesota cities and counties to reach agreements on how to allocate and distribute these funds. Over the next 18 years, Southwest Health and Human Services (SWHHS) will receive and distribute approximately $2.6 million dollars to areas they serve, including Redwood Falls and Redwood County.  SWHHS has received the first installment of $175,000 and is accepting requests for use of these funds. These funds may be utilized for any number of opioid-related causes including prevention, harm reduction, criminal justice, and treatment and recovery.

Chief Cotner stated in order to request funding, SWHHS requires agencies to submit a Work Plan outlining how the requested funds are to be used.  In accordance with City of Redwood Falls protocol, City Council must review and approve any outside funding requests. At this time, RFPD is requesting approval to submit a Work Plan for two items. The first request is for funds for overtime wages related to any investigative or enforcement activities of RFPD staff. RFPD currently has one Liaison Officer assigned to the Brown/Lyon/Redwood/Renville Drug Task Force (BLRR/DTF) who has, and continues to, initiate drug cases in the City of Redwood Falls.  These cases have, and will likely continue, to have a nexus to opioid-related distribution and use.

Chief Cotner stated the second request is for funds to assist in the development of a K-9 program at RFPD. The start-up costs of a law enforcement K-9 program are estimated to be over $50,000. These costs include the purchase of the dog, training for the dog and officer (to include hotel, meals, mileage, etc.), requisite specialized equipment for a squad car, and first-year care and maintenance of the dog. Staff is requesting authorization to submit a work plan to SWHHS for funding to initiate a K-9 program. The funds would offset the start-up costs with RFPD’s contribution being the retrofit of an existing squad car to K-9 use, officer wages during the three-month training period, and the care and maintenance of the dog. The requested funds would be used to purchase the dog along with the officer’s travel and training costs for the three months of training. It is important to note, if SWHHS declines RFPD’s request for funds in the submitted work plan, the K-9 program will not be initiated.

A motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Sandgren to approve the Opioid Settlement Grant Funding Application. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Sheila Stage, HR Coordinator was present to introduce Resolution No. 44 of 2023 – Authorization to Execute Agreement for Professional Services.

Ms. Stage stated Resolution No. 44 of 2023 is presented to the Council to approve the agreement for professional services provided by David Drown & Associates for the Compensation Study in 2024. On July 11, 2023, City Staff sought quotes for a Compensation Study in which costs will be built into the 2024 budget. It has been at least eighteen years since a Compensation Study has been done for the City. Staff feels a Compensation Study is necessary to remain competitive in the marketplace to ensure we can retain employees and continue to hire skilled employees. The study will help to analyze the market value of each job, benchmark salary ranges, and ensure internal equity between positions.

Ms. Stage stated Staff received three proposals for a Classification and Compensation Study for the City. The first to submit their proposal was from Abdo Services, with a total cost of $27,100.  The second was from David Drown & Associates, total cost of $25,425 and the third was from Bjorklund Compensation Consulting, total cost of $5,000.

Ms. Stage further stated after careful review, Staff is recommending that the City select David Drown & Associates to perform the Compensation Study in 2024. While Abdo was able to offer all required services, David Drown & Associates came in with a slightly more competitive fee schedule and Staff feels they also have the most experience working with public sector clients and will be able to give us the expertise we are looking for in this project. Abdo’s proposal was more expensive and had more costs associated with items that were included in the DDA proposal.  Staff ended up disqualifying Bjorklund Compensation Consulting’s proposal since their proposal did not meet the minimum needs of the project.

A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Buckley to waive the reading of Resolution No. 44 of 2023 – Authorization to Execute Agreement for Professional Services. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Smith to approve Resolution No. 44 of 2023 – Authorization to Execute Agreement for Professional Services. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

City Administrator Muetzel introduced the Utility Line Worker Position.

Mr. Muetzel stated in the fall of 2022 one of the Utility Line Worker positions became vacant and due to workload uncertainty, staff postponed the decision to fill the position.  In May of 2023, Hunter Taylor was hired as a 1,000-hour Temporary Utility Worker position to assist with this summer’s utility work. At this time staff would like to promote Hunter to a full-time position effective September 18, 2023, starting at Pay Grade EW8, Step 2 of IBEW Agreement.  This action will return the department to normal staff levels.

A motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve the Utility Line Worker Position offer to Hunter Taylor. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

City Administrator Muetzel introduced the Tax Forfeited Land Sale.

Mr. Muetzel stated on September 13, 2023, Redwood County will be selling tax-forfeited parcels in Redwood Falls. There are two parcels that are available for auction that Staff is recommending for purchase. The first is Parcel #88-422-2360 located at 120 E Wyoming Street and is currently a vacant lot.  Formerly, there was a single-family home located on the lot that was declared to be a hazardous structure and demolished. Staff recommends acquiring the property as a potential location for the future development of a small single-family home. The minimum bid for this parcel is $1,000 and the parcel is subject to $19,478 in City assessments.

Mr. Muetzel stated the second is Parcel #88-868-0040, a wooded lot without a physical street address. The property is adjacent to Ramsey Park and Staff recommends acquiring the property for park purposes. The minimum bid for this parcel is $1,500 and there are no outstanding assessments. Being the sale is conducted as a public auction, staff is unable to provide an actual sale price for either parcel.

A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve the purchase of the requested parcels at the Tax Forfeited Land Sale. Motion passed by unanimous vote.

Public Works Project Coordinator Doering stated there is no update on the fishing pier for Lake Redwood. The fishing pier is still waiting for the floats to be completed before the pier can be fully assembled and placed. If the pier is completed and delivered this year, it will not be installed until next spring 2024.

Mayor Quackenbush will be hosting an informational housing booth at the Fall Festival in downtown Redwood Falls, on Saturday, September 23, 2023. Residents can stop and get information on available new housing options.

Public Works Project Coordinator Doering gave an update regarding the removal of the Post Office center median drop boxes. The boxes were removed from the center median in preparation for the street reconstruction taking place on Fourth Street. The Post Office is in favor of the removal because of safety concerns for staff and the deterioration of the concrete median causing damage to vehicles. The new boxes have been placed in the alley behind the building. In the next few weeks, the boxes will be moved further west, directly behind the building. Residents need to enter the alley from South Washington Street and exit onto South Jefferson Street.

Bills and Claims were presented to the Council for informational purposes.  No questions, comments or concerns were raised.

There being no further business, a motion was made by Council Member Buckley and seconded by Council Member Arentson to adjourn the meeting at 5:57 p.m. Motion passed by unanimous vote.