The January Canton City Council meeting was short and sweet as we roll into the new year. Mayor Johnson was absent and will be gone for a few of the earlier meetings of the year. In her place during this time will be Cindy Shanks.
First thing at the meeting were the public comments. One citizen expressed concern for the speed sign grant. The main discussion with the resident and the council was if the sign would actually help slow traffic down or not. Another part of the conversation was about how it is taxpayer money going into this sign. City Clerk Brock Bergey explained how the grant, so far, has not been accepted nor denied. The council agreed it does show people, who may not realize they are speeding, how fast they are going. Another resident asked about the building permit policy. The policy, as of now, is vague and does not go into detail about what kind of construction requires a building permit.
After the public comments, Bergey shared a couple of reports. First report was ZZTap’s inspection for off-sale liquor. The inspection took place on the January 7; Bergey reported that they should have the green light to sell off-sale liquor here in 2020. Bergey also had a meeting scheduled for January 10 with the website developer. The website domain will be cantonmn.com.
In legal matters, Joel Torgerson has chosen a jury trial in relation to the nuisance property ordinance violation. If Torgerson and the county attorney’s office cannot decide on an arrangement on February 10, there will be a trial on February 12 and 13. The nuisance property case against Danny Whalen has a settlement conference on February 5. If an agreement cannot be reached, a jury trial is set for February 12 and 13 for the violation. Former Canton city clerk/treasurer, Lolly Melander, is set to return to court on January 27 for an omnibus hearing, where she is expected to enter a plea to the charges against her.
After the clerk’s report, Public Works had time to share that they have found tires for their snow truck through Decorah Ford. The tires currently on the truck now are very worn down. The total cost will be $2,400.
There were no reports from the fire, police, or zoning departments.
Since there was no unfinished business, the council moved onto the 2020 appointments and 2020 fee schedule. Both are the same as last year.
The 2020 appointments set include: Acting mayor, Cindy Shanks; Official newspaper, News Leader; Official depository, First Southeast Bank; City attorney, Nethercut Schieber; City auditor, Hawkins & Ash; Authorized signatures, Brock Bergey, Donivee Johnson, Cindy Shanks, and Charlie Warner; Fire chief, Ryan Lange; Assistant fire chief, Bill Richardson; Meeting nights, second Wednesday of the month; Official posting place: Canton City Hall, 106 N Main St.; Zoning Administrator, Carl Ernst; Zoning Committee, Jim Davis, Carl Ernst, George Hafner, Mike Shanks; Animal control, Carl Ernst.
The 2020 fee schedule is as follows: Town Hall rent/deposit, $200.00/day, $150.00 deposit; Parking citation, $25.00; Dog/cat license, $6.00; Golf cart/ UTV registration, $10.00; On-sale/Sunday liquor, $610.00; Off-sale liquor license, $100.00; Administration charge, $25.00; New water meter, $200.00; Water monthly charge, $12.50 residential, $14.50 commercial; Sewer monthly charge, $33.00 residential, $38.00 commercial; Water rate per gallon, $0.003 ($3/1000 gallons); Sewer rate per gallon, $0.0024 ($2.40/1000 gallons); Monthly garbage charge, $10.49 small tote, $11.97 medium tote, $13.44 large tote; Monthly recycling charge, $3.85; Water reconnection, $75.00; Sidewalk snow removal, $65.00/hour; Land Use Permit, $7.50/ 100 sq. ft. of living space, $5.00 sq. ft. for other structures, $400 penalty for starting project without permit.
The next city council meeting will be held February 12, at 6 p.m.
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