May 14, 2007
The Warba city
council meeting was called to order by Mayor Don Hawk at 6:30 pm. The pledge of allegiance was said. Council members Pat Gilsvik, Jordan
Richardson and Cheri Dombrovski were present as well as Clerk, Niki Mistelske,
and Treasurer, Tami Elich. Minutes were reviewed. A motion was made by Pat,
seconded by Jordan to accept. Approved 5-0. Treasurer’s report was read.
A motion by Niki, seconded by Don
to accept. Approved 5-0. Bills were read. A motion by Jordan, seconded by Cheri to pay the bills. Approved 5-0.
OPEN DISCUSSION: Kraig Dibb, Chair of Northern Lights
Charter School, was present to update the City on the schools progress to
purchase the NLCS building and the adjacent City lots. Craig stated a holding company, Northern
Lights Building Company, has been formed and has made an offer to Ms.
Berghammer to purchase the NLCS
building. Closing is set for July 15,
2007. Amy Marrier presented an offer to
the City of Warba from Northern Lights Building Company to purchase the city
lots (1.74 acres) adjacent to NLCS for the amount of $30,000 – the City would
receive $27,756 after selling costs. A
motion was made by Pat, seconded by Niki to accept the offer as stated for the
sale of the City lots to Northern Lights Building Company. Approved 5-0. The closing was set to coincide with the closing for the school
building, July 15, 2007
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Utility: Ken said he was contacted by the company
contracted to clean the water tower, but there is still no set date for tower cleaning. The sink hole by the quanset was the result
of sewer line problems at the Fire Department.
The sewer line problem has been fixed, but Ken is not sure that is the
only problem … there may be a water line leak as well and if that’s the case
the line should be replaced right to the curb stop. Don will get an infrared thermometer to test for a leak. Mowing is now in full swing and various City
areas are being mowed every other week, the Community Center is being mowed as
needed. The letter from the MPCA
regarding additional permits was reviewed and it was determined it did not
apply to the City of Warba. Congratulations
were extended to Ken for successfully completing the MN waste water course and
testing to become certified.
Community Center: Pat discussed the vegetarian cooking classes
to be held May 16 & 23. She also
mentioned Ron Martin has volunteered to strip, wax and buff the floor of the
Community Center. He will check into
the cost of the necessary materials/equipment the City would need to purchase. Discussion was held regarding the
sale/serving of food during Music Night and the need for a Special Event Food
License. The Council was in agreement
that no Special Event Food License was to be used for the sale of food during
Music Night and the event was to remain open to the public with no at-the-door
charge. Don noted the Warba Food Shelf
housed in the Community Center is still open and is operated by Bethel Lutheran Church. Since only six families are currently using the service, further
discussions will be held to discuss the future of the food shelf and other
options available to those in need.
Recreation: Cheri
had nothing new to report. Tami
commented that the toilets in the recreation area are a mess with bird
droppings. Craig said he would talk to
others at the school and perhaps NLCS students could install screening to keep
the birds out and paint the facilities.
He will let us know if the school approves it.
Fire: Jordan attended the April meeting. There was considerable discussion on money –
how to raise it, where it comes from, etc.
Jordan expressed concern about the method used to determine costs for
fire protection for Fire Department owners.
An idea that has been discussed on and off for a number of years is Cost
Based on Tax Valuation. Jordan and Don
will put together information regarding this idea. The Fire Department has also expressed interest in renting the
quanset from the City. It was agreed to
table a decision until all council members have had a chance to look at the
building and available space.
Cemetery: Tami attended the April meeting. The committee did a walk through inspection,
reviewed finances and, since there are only 3 or 4 available plots, discussed
expansion possibilities.
Other: Dana Marrier presented Marrier Estates plans
for expansion and requested the City utility maps be released to SEH for use in
Marrier Estate expansion site preparation.
Don made a motion, seconded by Jordan to release City utility maps to
SEH for Marrier Estate expansion site preparation.
Correspondence: Received an
invitation from the League of MN Cities inviting Council members to run for LMC
office positions, a copy of the City’s insurance policy through LMC, an
announcement from the MN Historical Society regarding a Preserve MN workshop to
be held in St. Paul and a brochure on pipeline safety.
Old Business: A drive through assessment of the City’s
roads was completed and it was estimated 10-12 loads of gravel, at a cost of
approximately $120/load, would be needed to complete road improvements. Don and Ken will get several estimates
before Council action is taken. Further
discussion was held regarding the City’s finances. Tami and Don had investigated checking account interest
rates. Grand Rapids State Bank
currently pays .494-.941% on the City’s checking accounts. Affinity offers 2.0-2.25% on checking
accounts. Tami also recommended moving
some of the money in checking to CD’s with a higher yielding interest
rate. There is currently $86,000 in
checking. Financial decisions were made
as follows: 1) the water tower fund
will be moved from general government funds to the enterprise fund but remain
earmarked for water tower expenditures 2) Tami will call LMC to find out if the
general fund and the enterprise fund can use the same checks. If so, that change will be made to the City
accounting system. 3) Don made a
motion, seconded by Pat to transfer $20,000 from the tower fund checking to a
CD at Infinity. Approved 5-0. 4) Don made a motion, seconded by Jordan to
move the City’s checking account to Affinity and to start the change over
process by moving enough money from Grand Rapids State Bank to Affinity to
cover the City’s June expenditures.
Approved 5-0. 5) Jordan made a
motion, seconded by Niki to reinvest the $10,000 Enterprise fund CD in a growth
fund at Edward Jones. Approved 5-0.
6) Jordan made a
motion, seconded by Don to transfer $10,000 from the General Fund checking
account to a CD at the institution offering the highest rate. Approved 5-0.
New Business: None.
Announcements: None.
A motion was made
by Jordan to adjourn the meeting. Seconded
by Pat. Approved 5-0.