Discussions regarding the 2025 proposed budget continued from the last Caledonia City Council meeting, with Finance Officer Stephanie Mann explaining the changes at the September 23 city council meeting.
The board unanimously approved the proposed 12% increase which equals a total levy of $1,397,896. It was emphasized that the levy cannot be increased but it can be decreased at the end of the year before it is submitted to the county.
The mayor called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. and lead his colleagues, staff and visitors in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Members present were Robert “Bob” Klug, Amanda Ninneman, Mayor DeWayne “Tank” Schroeder, and David Fitzpatrick. Ryan Stenzel was absent.
Staff in attendance included City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson, Public Works/Zoning Director Casey Klug, and Finance Officer Stephanie Mann.
Guests in attendance included Bill Spitzer, director of transportation for Rolling Hills Transit, and Jeremy Leis.
The board approved the minutes from the city council meeting on September 9.
The approved consent agenda included the payments and disbursements, the hiring of Heather Gavin as the liquor store clerk, a zoning permit for 523 Enterprise Drive, and a sign permit for 121 Marshall.
There were no public comments.
Public Works/Zoning Director Casey Klug reported that the street department has been cleaning out catch basins due to the heavy rain on Saturday night. A contractor will be coming in to assess the cost of repairing the pipe. Klug mentioned that he spent Monday, September 23, inspecting all city property and checking roofs for damage from Saturday night’s storm. He said everything looks good.
Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson reported that the annual REV meeting is in Albert Lea.
Spitzer shared the following numbers for the bus program in Caledonia. Year-to-date ridership for 2024 is 3,317 passengers; ridership from January to December 2023 was 4,900 passengers, in 2019, it was 12,251 passengers. Spitzer is hopeful to bring back numbers in the next two to three years. In 2023, drivers drove 12,785 miles with an average of 22.75 rides per day, making Caledonia the second-busiest route. Additionally, service hours in 2023 total 3,840 hours.
Spitzer also shared the Rolling Hills Transit’s new rack card with the council, noting that it is in English on one side and Spanish on the other side. Fares in town are $2.00 each way and out-of-town fares are $4 each way within eight miles and outside of eight miles it is $6 each way.
The Caledonia route will be getting a “shiny new” bus in November. At this point in his presentation, he shared that buses have increased from $93,000 to $239,000 for one bus. The program is funded 80% by MnDOT and 20% by Rolling Hills Transit, so Rolling Hills Transit is responsible for 20% of the price of the new buses.
At the end of his presentation, Spitzer asked the council to consider funding the Rolling Hills Transit route in Caledonia. No action was taken on his request.
In other business, the board:
- Unanimously approved by roll call the renewal of the AcenTek cable franchise for an additional 10 years after the public hearing. There were no visitors in attendance to comment on the renewal.
- Approved the purchase of fencing material, paint, and material to replace the press box. The total cost is estimated at around $30,000 and will come out of the parks and recreation’s 2024 budget.
- Reviewed the overtime report for pay period from September 2-15.
A special meeting of the city council is scheduled for October 1 at 1 p.m. to discuss the situation at the treatment plant. Both sides will be present, along with their lawyers.
The meeting was adjournedat 7:28 p.m.
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