At the October 13 meeting, the Rushford Council discussed just three items of new business. Garnering the most discussion was the current animal control officer pay.
The city has long utilized the services of area resident Robert Brand for animal control, as do several other municipalities. According to City Administrator Hayden Stensgard, Brand recently requested an increase in the monthly retainer fee in order to offset his rising insurance premiums. Brand currently receives a $250-per-month wage, in order to remain on-call for the cities he serves, regardless of whether or not there are any actual calls. Additionally, he receives a $35 fee every time he captures and relocates nuisance animals. Dogs at large picked up are housed by Brand until claimed by the owner and, according to Stensgard, the dog’s owner pays the housing fee. Brand is requesting a monthly increase of $50 per month.
When asked how many calls there have been from the city, City Clerk Tiffany Jacobson noted while she’s been on the job, the city has called Brand every couple of months and he’s been out for approximately four captures.
“It’s a service we need,” said Councilor Jim O’Donnell.
“It does seem like quite a bit per month,” stated Mayor Leigh Volkman.
“It could be the case that maybe people don’t know who to call and when if there is an animal nuisance or something like that. Maybe it’s just a matter of getting the word out there that people know that there’s services available for residents to utilize,” suggested Stensgard.
The council also authorized the purchase of a new John Deere tractor for the replacement of a Public Works tractor. The current tractor, a dual-season unit purchased in 2019, is almost up on it’s 1,500-hour lifespan. The particular model has had issues including a defect. The city has been servicing it through Midwest Machine and has a current $14,000 maintenance bill.
The cost of the new John Deere 1570 tractor is $27,000. The current trade-in value of the existing tractor is just $9,000. If purchasing a new tractor, Midwest Machine has offered to forego what would be the outstanding balance of $5,000. The new tractor includes warranty options for up to 1,000-1,200 hours, for an additional $1,000. Given the issues with the current model, Stensgard stated it was advantageous for the city to take the warranty.
“Although it’s not the best outcome for having a vehicle like this, it is certainly the best option at this point to trade it in and get a new one,” said Stensgard.
“How is this different than the lemon that we have?” asked O’Donnell.
Stensgard agreed adding that the model a year or two newer does not seem to have the same issues as the current model. Funding the expenditure will come out of the Capital Improvement Fund.
First, they approved authorizing the sale of the former Rushford Police Department 2021 Chevy Tahoe to Lewiston Auto. The sale nets the city $23,500. City Administrator Hayden Stensgard noted he and Chief Adam Eide sought purchase price bids from four different automotive sales companies. Three provided bids, while a fourth didn’t respond. Lewiston Auto was the high bid.
During reports, Stensgard provided an update to the recent complaints about the compost site and burning. The city has no issues setting up a notification program for Rushford Village residents adjacent to the site which would send out an email a day or two in advance of burning.
Another update included recent discussions about an apartment complex proposal for South Maple Street. Stensgard stated no advancement has been made on the permitting. CMS did inform the city the permit applicant is no longer pursuing the development, but Stensgard has not been able to confirm it. He stressed, that in regards to developments, if permit applicants meet all of the requirements of the zoning code and does not need a conditional use permit or variance, and the application process has been followed, there’s nothing beyond administrative approval that’s needed by the applicant.
“That is the outright right of the property owner that has that proposal in place,” said Stensgard.
Volkman added that if it is contested and the applicant does not have a survey, they cannot complete the application.
“That was a contingency of the permit. We wouldn’t have been able to approve it until we’d seen the proposed site plan on the survey that was provided to the applicant,” said Stensgard. “That would have been reviewed during the building permit process. He further added that the surveyor was led to believe the block was not surveyed since it had been originally platted in the 1880s.
Lastly, Star Energy is compiling suggestions for the city regarding an electric work plan, complete with a utility rate study and planning for identified projects within the work plan.
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