The Paullina City Council met in regular session on April 3, 2023 in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 127 S Main St, Paullina, Iowa. Mayor Brenda Ebel Kruse called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call. Council Members present: Steve Heeren, Jay Jones, Jean Unrau, Carol Honkomp, Lexy Murphy. Mayor Ebel Kruse declared a quorum.
Also present: Clerk/Administrator Scott Wise, Superintendent of Utilities Kelly Top & Police Chief Nathan Bremer.
Guests: Whitney Engelke, Glenda Heithus, Marlin Sjaarda, Shawn Strubbe. Press: Radtke.
Motion by Unrau; second by Honkomp to approve agenda. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Honkomp; second by Unrau to approve minutes from 3/20/23 regular meeting. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Jones; second by Unrau to approve payment of claims. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Unrau; second by Jones to approve Class C Retail Alcohol License renewal for Junior’s pending dramshop review. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Murphy; second by Honkomp to approve Class C Retail Alcohol License for Paullina Golf Club. All ayes. Motion carried.
Motion by Jones; second by Honkomp to approve hiring of Randy Riedemann at $15/hr as summer 2023 help for mowing & equipment maintenance. Heeren wants budget done before approval. Jones revises motion to delay start date until after budget approval. Honkomp seconds revision. Ayes: Honkomp, Jones, Murphy, Unrau. Nays: Heeren. Motion carried.
Motion by Honkomp; second by Jones to approve installation of South O’Brien 2023 graduate banners on city light poles. Discussion asking if Primghar or Sutherland City crews could assist. Ayes: Honkomp, Jones, Unrau. Nays: Murphy. Motion carried.
Resolution by Unrau; second by Jones set the time and place for the City’s FY24 Budget Public Hearing as Monday, April 24, 2023 at 5:30pm in City Hall Council Chambers. Roll call vote. Ayes: Heeren, Honkomp, Jones, Murphy, Unrau. Nays: None. Motion carried.
Motion by Murphy; second by Jones to accept the resignation of Scott Wise as City Clerk/Administrator effective 4/3/23. All ayes. Motion carried. Personnel discussion on hiring an assistant deputy clerk while Michelle Wilson gets training to step into Clerk role. Primghar’s clerk will continue to assist/aid as needed.
Discussion on FY24 budget for utilities, projects & other proposals. Must deal with tree trimming/removals as well as street repairs & light pole fixes in addition to switchgear update, lagoon aeration, etc. Start saving for major refresh of Main Street.
Set date for workshop to discuss City properties development as April 24, 2023 after FY24 Budget Hearing. Discussion on Maple Street lots, East Broadway property, old Iowa State Bank building, dog park idea, etc.
Approve appointment of special committees for library, website & first impressions. Library (Honkomp & Unrau) to assist new Director with the transition to City fund accounting. Website (Jones, Wilson & Murphy) to continue exploring effective solutions & ensuring content is included in new design. First Impressions (Murphy & Heeren) will focus on how the City is perceived by new residents & visitors by making some suggestions to improve/update facilities, signage, etc.
Mayor Ebel Kruse offered options for designing & hosting a new City website with quotes from Spireworks of Spirit Lake & Pinnacle Marketing of Bemidji, MN. Example sites were highlighted. City’s former website was not legal per Iowa Code & was consistently outdated. Hosting is paid through April although site is out of date. Marcus News then offered another proposal in addition to their earlier one. Questions & comments about experience & concerns over ownership of the site & its content. Other two experienced municipal web design companies allow City to keep full control; Marcus News insists on maintaining all control with added fees as changes/fixes/updates are made. Heeren moves to table the decision; Honkomp seconds. All ayes. Motion carried.
Mayor Ebel Kruse reported the bills were mailed out with a newsletter, water quality report & other helpful info. Unfortunately, the billing adjustment related to the delayed season rate switch wasn’t able to happen on this month’s bill because of its time-consuming data entry required. Should be able to adjust all accounts to reflect the credit by next bill. IDOT will start the Hwy 10 bridge replacement project west of town soon. Engineers have offered a speed-feedback sign to be placed along S Maple for extra detoured traffic.
Top reported about clean-up & maintenance tasks for the transition between seasons. Patched many potholes along Groesbeck & ordered more cold mix to fill in others as weather allows. Flushed hydrants, seeded the S Maple lot. Added discussion on renting equipment from AgriVision, the local John Deere dealership. Will ask Rich Frerk to speak at next meeting.
Wise reported that the nuisance abatement process is underway on several resident properties. Several ordinances outline expectations & procedures for junk/spare vehicles, pets/waste, yards, sidewalks, trees, etc. Building permits will need someone new to approve for the interim. Council agreed to assist & approve/deny permits at regular meetings going forward.
Council comments: Honkomp shared a discussion with Williams & Co regarding our annual examination. Another visit will be later this month with a complete report expected sometime in May.
Open opportunity to address the Council: Glenda Heithus spoke again about speeding on South Maple, asking Police Chief Bremer how many tickets had been written over the past year. Some discussion over violations, including jake brakes, that are not being addressed. No one else present asked to speak.
Motion by Murphy; second by Heeren to adjourn at 7:07pm. All ayes. Motion carried.
Brenda Ebel Kruse, Mayor
ATTEST:
Michelle Wilson, Deputy City Clerk
Published in O’Brien County’s Bell-Times-Courier April 13, 2023