Claremont City Council Meeting - January 3, 2023

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CITY OF CLAREMONT

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2023

7:00 P.M.

A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Claremont, Minnesota was held on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at Claremont City Hall.

Members present: Mayor Tasha Dahl, City Council Members Deb Ellis, Jacob Klejeski, Hunter McGovern, and Krystal Sultze. Council Members absent: None.

City staff and others present: Clerk/Treasurer Elizabeth Sorg, Maintenance Director Brian Styndl, First Responder Director Casey Dahl, and via Zoom Interim City Administrator Jim Brimeyer.

AGENDA

Motion by McGovern to approve the agenda with the additions of Approval of Fire Officers and Resolution No. 23-03: Resolution Authorizing Signature Authority for City Accounts, second by Klejeski. Motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC INPUT

None

CONSENT AGENDA

The Consent Agenda included: Minutes of the December 6, 2022, Emergency City Council Meeting, Minutes of the December 6, 2022, Regular City Council Meeting, and the 2023 Assessment Agreement. Motion by Klejeski to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

Nothing at this time.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Motion by Ellis to approve the financial reports, second by McGovern. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Ellis to approve the amended list of bills to be paid, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE

Interim Administrator Brimeyer was going to meet with the Fire Chief and a couple members of the fire department to go over the Standard Operating Procedures today but due to the weather it was postponed until Tuesday, January 10. Members of the fire department will have a chance to review it too if they would like.

The fire department members voted on officers for 2023. They elected Casey Dahl for Fire Chief, Jacob Klejeski as Assistant Fire Chief and Tim Kruckeberg as Training Officer. Motion by McGovern to approve the appointments of the fire officers, second by Ellis. Ayes: McGovern, Ellis, Sultze, and Dahl. Nay: None. Abstain: Klejeski. Motion carried.

PLANNING & ZONING COMMITTEE

Nothing at this time.

EDA

SEMMCHRA just sent a news release stating the City of Claremont and West Concord have received $594,550 in Small Cities Development Program funding. This funding can assist owner-occupied residential homes who meet established income limits with projects including new roofs, windows, siding, furnaces, etc. and is a first come, first serve basis.

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

Nothing at this time.

PARKS COMMITTEE

A chamber member had asked Clerk Sorg the status of the new ball field. Mayor Dahl replied to that person that the city is waiting for the letter the Chamber was going to draft requesting donations for the ball field.

PEOPLESERVICE

Their reports were in the packet.

CITY ENGINEER

Nothing at this time.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT

The proposed 2023 budget included a 5% payroll increase as a cost of living/inflation adjustment. Motion by McGovern to approve a 5% increase for the 2 employees effective January 9, second by Ellis. Motion carried unanimously.

The council will hold interviews Monday, January 23 starting at 6 p.m. for the part-time office position. Three applications have been received so far.

The wing plow on the snowplow is worn out so it has been vibrating and eventually fell off. Maintenance Director Styndl has taken the parts to a machine shop to modify and completely repair that piece. It should be done by the end of the week. The Service Center will fix the hydraulic hoses that aren’t quite correct. It seems the snowplow is bigger than what the city actually needs, and council might want to consider other options in the future.

CITY ATTORNEY

City Attorney Mark Rahrick was not present due to a scheduling conflict.

OLD BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

Council Member Sultze would like to attend the League of MN Cities 2023 Elected Leaders Institute February 10 and 11 in Mankato at the cost of $350. Motion by Ellis to approve Sultze to attend the LMC Conference, second by McGovern. Motion carried unanimously.

Mayor Dahl made the following appointments for Resolution No. 23-01: Resolution Stating Annual Designations for 2023. Dahl appointed Jacob Klejeski as Acting Mayor in the absence of the Mayor. The 2023 committees will be:

Budget and Finance: Dahl and Sultze

Public Health and Safety: Ellis and McGovern

Planning: McGovern and Ellis

Parks: Klejeski and Dahl

EDA: Mayor and Council Members

Personnel: Klejeski and Sultze

Dahl will be the alternate member.

The official newspaper will be the Dodge County Independent. The primary depository of city funds shall be Equity Bank. The City Attorney will be Mark Rahrick. Motion by Sultze to approve Resolution No. 23-01: Resolution Stating Annual Designations, second by Klejeski. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Klejeski to approve Resolution No. 23-02: Resolution of 2023 Fees, second by McGovern. Motion carried unanimously.

The council approved signature authority for city accounts. All checks require 2 signatures which will be the Mayor, or if the Mayor is unavailable the Vice-Mayor, and also the Clerk, or if the Clerk is unavailable Council Member Ellis. All other accounts such as savings, certificates of deposits, etc. Clerk Sorg or Mayor Dahl have the authority to make changes. Motion by Ellis to approve Resolution No. 23-03: Resolution Authorizing Signature Authority for City Accounts, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by McGovern to adjourn the meeting at 7:41 p.m., second by Ellis. Motion carried unanimously.

ATTEST:

________________________________ ____________________________________

Elizabeth Sorg, City Clerk/Treasurer Tasha Dahl, Mayor