The meeting was called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. All Council members were present, along with Jill Wolf, Police Chief Langseth, Megan Vortherms and Rita Boltjes by Zoom.
Representatives from the Nobles County Historical Society made a presentation to the Council, explaining the restoration of the Armory in Worthington and ask the Council to consider a 5 year pledge towards the venture. They are also in search of Adrian Postcards. If you have any, or know of anyone who does, please get in touch with the NCHS.
Dave Edwards attended an open house for the Eastern & Ellis Railroad. They are planning a 49 mile, $43 million rehabbing of the railroad from Brandon, SD to Org, MN. The rehab will take approximately 4 years to complete and will be done in sections to allow for use of the railroad during that time.
Permits and Licenses-Zoning permits were granted to Mitchell Reker for a garage; Travis Schettler-egress windows; Ath Vongphachan-addition to garage. Demolition permits were granted to Trevor Fluit for Cesar Morales to demolish the home on East 6th Street, and Dale Klosterman- a garage. A permit to put two modular homes on one property was denied to Cesar Morales. Golf Cart permits were granted to Tim Honermann and Doug Berning.
A discussion was held again on how permits/licenses are given. The Council will begin work to redo and update the cities statutes and how to enforce them to be put into effect at the first of the year.
Staff Reports:
Public Works Department- Adam Henning resigned as the Public Utilities Superintendent. Quotes were presented on the purchase of a 2019 Skid Loader and the trade in of a 2018 Kubota. After the trade in, the price of the skid loader was $21,000.00. The purchase of the newer skid loader was approved.
Police-Chief Langseth presented his report for the month of September. He also indicated that the squad car was again in being repaired. He is looking into a state contract for the purchase of a smaller SUV.
Community Development- Jill Wolf informed the Council that 25 businesses in Adrian had applied for CARES Act Funding. The paper work has been presented to the County for approval of the 2:1 match. The County has money left to spend and will be re-evaluating it’s qualifications. There may be more money to disburse.
The Age-Friend Grant was discussed. The funds must be spent December 1, 2020. Upon the resignation of Tory Bohlke, Deb Kroon was hired to take over as the Intergenerational Coordinator. The grant funds will be used to purchase items and supplies for the Senior Center for continued activities once COVID allows participation, and to fund programs, such as iPhone classes and computer classes. Other ideas are a virtual 5K walk, water aerobic classes in the summer, possible classes for on-line banking and fraud.
The Senior Dining Center was discussed. LSS will continue to serve Adrian, but has cut the Coordinator’s salary. After discussion and direction from the Council, Wolf will look into other possibilities for meals and funding.
Kendal Kane and Ben Suedkamp have accepted positions with the Public Works Department. Kane begins employment on October 5th and Suedkamp on October 12th.
Due to COVID19, and social distancing requirements, there will be a need for extra judges for the upcoming election. Wolf has reached out to Government Instructor Sean Kallevig about offering credit for any student in his class that is 18 and interested in helping. With the new polling pads and electronic ballots, the students would be a big help.
There was discussion on the request/concerns from Guy Hoiland on an issue with his garage in the alley between 3rd Street and 2nd Street. Police Chief Langseth will talk to Guy. Also brought up for more discussion was his request for the sidewalks of Adrian to be handicap accessible. As the cost is prohibitive, other options were discussed and will be followed up with professional advice.
The Council passed the 2020/21 safety program services agreement with the MN Municipal Utilities Association. The cost of the program went up $87.
The Preliminary Budget was discussed. There were no changes made in the budget that was presented in August as far as levy income or in expenditures that affected the general fund. The levy will remain at $506,999 which is the same as for years 2019 and 2020.
Since camping fees were raised in 2020, the Park Board did not recommend an increase in 2021.
The Public Input Meeting (Truth and Taxation) for input on the levy is scheduled for December 21, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
A personnel committee was established to review employee COL and merit increases. It is comprised of Traci Kunkel (council member), Jared Henriksen (PUC member) and Administrator Jill Wolf.
A discussion was held on Health Insurance for 2021. Heidebrink and Associates will be asked to attend the October meeting to explain the projected numbers for 2021.
