BE officially sets its levy hike at 5.2%
Council member Mike McNerney surprised with Chamber news
The Blue Earth City Council attended to many end-of-year housekeeping matters at a lengthy meeting held on Monday, Dec. 18.
But first, the council received an unexpected visit from several past Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award winners.
“(The award recipient) is chosen by members of a committee of people that have been previous Community Service Award recipients,” Chuck Hunt, last year’s award recipient, explained. “We have chosen somebody to give it to, and they happen to be in this room.”
Hunt then presented council member Mike McNerney with a ‘preview’ Community Service Award, much to his surprise.
“It’s because of his hard work with the city, and with Riverside Golf Course, and with the Giant Days Committee, and a whole host of other things,” Hunt said. “It was a unanimous decision by our group of past recipients.”
McNerney will officially receive his award at the 2024 Chamber of Commerce Banquet, which will be held on Jan. 29.
Following the fanfare, the council got back to business, which included approving the $1,967,000 2024 property tax levy. It represents a 5.2 percent increase over last year’s levy.
During a 4:30 p.m. budget work session, city administrator Mary Kennedy summarized, “It’s a decrease to the operating fund and an increase to the debt service.”
Mayor Rick Scholtes observed that 15 years of street projects have contributed to the city’s increased debt service payments.
“We’ve got two years to go before we hit our max debt payments,” he said. “We’re within about five years of having 90 percent of the town done.”
He added, “Most of the years, we’ve been around a 3.5 percent increase in the levy. We’re at about 5.2 percent, which is a little higher. But, to be able to keep doing the streets, we don’t have any options. Infrastructure is something you can’t live without.”
In other business, the Blue Earth City Council:
• Scheduled a second reading and public hearing of an amended ordinance regulating Dangerous and Potentially Dangerous Dogs for Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Frundt explained that State Statute allows a Potentially Dangerous Dog designation to be removed after one year. The council has been following that practice, but it was not officially stated in the ordinance.
The council clarified it would remove the Potentially Dangerous designation following a hearing and careful review of the dog’s behavior over the past year.
• Heard additional public comment about the city’s dog park.
Members of the public informed the council that, recently, injuries have been incurred at the dog park when dogs collided with owners, knocking them to the ground. They requested that a table be installed at the dog park so owners can sit while their dogs play.
Ava Tvedten, owner of Paws for Cause, informed the council she is willing to help fund and facilitate the installation of a table.
Scholtes advised that the project will need to be tabled until the spring, at which point Kennedy and Tvedten can work on the project together.
• Discussed the Senior Center’s meal program.
In the past, the meals, which are provided by St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center, cost $4.25, and were offered to Senior Center patrons for $3 with the additional costs subsidized by Senior Center fundraisers and by the city, if necessary.
The meals’ cost will increase to $6 next year, and by 50 cents each year thereafter. To offset the rising costs, the council and Senior Center Board decided to offer in-person meals for $4, and to-go meals for $6.50.
The meals’ remaining cost will be subsidized by the Senior Center’s reserve funds for the next six months, after which time the council and Senior Center will revisit the matter to see if additional action is needed to adequately fund the meal program.
• Directed Frundt to draft documentation concerning how and when a Pteranodon fossil which was donated to the city will be returned to local fossil collector Jim Pollard and a newly formed fossil museum group.
Pollard explained that moving the Pteranodon is costly and time-consuming, and he would like to avoid moving it more than once. As such, the documentation will state that the city will return the Pteranodon to Pollard once a permanent location is secured for its display.
• Reviewed and approved several changes to the city’s Personnel Policy, many of which are being implemented to ensure the city’s compliance with Minnesota’s new Earned Sick and Safe Time law, or per recommendation by the League of Minnesota Cities.
• Approved a new Police Department Retention Program to be sent to the union for approval.
The program would offer newly-hired Blue Earth police officers a $5,000 incentive, a portion of which would be paid back to the department in the event that the officer resigned before staying with the department for a certain number of years.
The program would be financed entirely by state funding, as the police department was awarded funding following the state’s last legislative session.
• Approved a proposal from the Blue Earth Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) to reduce the price of the lots for sale at the Prairie View Subdivision to $5,000 in the first part of 2024.
The offer would stand through the end of June, contingent on potential buyers signing an 18-month development contract.
• Approved changes to the Blue Earth Fire Department’s By-Laws.
“This is to combine the Fire Department’s by-laws document with the Fire Department by-laws the city has been using,” Kennedy explained.
• Scheduled an abatement hearing on Jan. 2 for a property on E. 14th Street.
• Approved the city’s fees and rates for 2024.
• Reviewed four proposals for new accounting systems at City Hall, and selected Software Solutions and Tyler Technologies as the final two candidates to provide services.
Kennedy and deputy city clerk Echo Roggenkamp will request updated pricing from both companies.
• Approved the 2024 Personal/Professional Service Agreement with Frundt, Lundquist & Gustafson for legal services to the city.
The only change presented in this year’s contract is a $5 increase to the hourly rate for services completed outside of the yearly retainer.
• Approved Dustin Lane’s hire as a part-time liquor store employee.
• Approved a travel request from Blue Earth police officer Andrew Thorson.