The City of Caledonia held a public meeting on Tuesday, November 12, during the regularly scheduled council meeting to certify the list of unpaid utility bills and special charges, as well as the results of the November 5 general election.
Mayor DeWayne (Tank) Schroeder led his colleagues and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. He announced that all members of the council were present, including Bob Klug, Amanda Ninneman, David Fitzpatrick and Ryan Stenzel.
The council unanimously approved the minutes from the October 28 regular city council meeting and the consent agenda, which included payments and disbursements totaling $147,265.39 and a 3-year agreement between TimeClock Plus and the ambulance department. According to the staff report, the purchase is for scheduling software, which is important to the efficient operations of the ambulance department. The total cost of the software is $3,552.24.
Councilmember Bob Klug made a motion to approve resolution 2024-7, authorizing the assessment of properties for unpaid utility bills and special charges. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Ryan Stenzel and passed unanimously. According to City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson, “The unpaid charges will go on the tax rolls and certified to the following properties and paid in 2025.”
The properties include Kirsten Davenport, 315 W. Grove Street, $964.84; Bonnie Konkel, 420 W. Caledonia Street, $726.36; Gran Properties LLC, 216 S. Winnebago Street, $714.97; All Seasons Property Management, 211 S. Kingston, $144; All Seasons Property Management, 207 S. Kingston Street #1, $173,28; Parsonage on Main LLC, 116 N. First Street, $67.42; Randy Bearbower, 1107 E. Main Street, $260.70; Donald Karels, 322 E. Jefferson Street, $1,130.11, and Kristen Davenport, 315 W. Grove Street, $45.
The council certified the results of the November 5, 2024, general election, Resolution 2024-8. The official tally of votes for mayor was Jeremy Leis with 805 votes and Pree Amin with 522 votes, with Leis elected as Caledonia’s new mayor. For the two council positions, Bob Klug received 1,081 votes, Amanda Nienneman received 916 votes, and there were 25 write-in votes. The mayor’s term is for two years, while both Klug and Nienneman will serve four-year terms.
Public Works/Zoning Director Casey Klug shared that fall cleanup continues with the dump remaining open as long as the weather permits. The ballpark fence project was completed last Friday afternoon. The stormwater sewer project near the sewer plant, behind the daycare and Brad’s Electric is almost done and should be completed in a day or two. Stump grinding and winterizing buildings are underway before the cold weather arrives. Wapasha Construction Company said that everything will be installed at the new wastewater facility by January 14 and ready for startup. Klug noted that they are wondering when to start up the new facility due to cold weather. He mentioned that they are pushing for everything to be installed in December, so there will be slightly better weather to begin operations at the new plant.
City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson announced that the city received $50,000 from the Taylor Family Farm Foundation toward the purchase of a fire truck. The newly formed planning commission is working on updating the city’s cannabis ordinance to include the 13 different zoning classifications. According to Dickson, the election went very smoothly, and they have a good crew. He didn’t have the exact numbers but there was about an 81% turnout for Caledonia and about a 90% turnout for Houston County.
In other business, the council:
- Unanimously approved a payment to Wapasha Construction Company in the amount of $517,148.41 for work performed at the city’s Wastewater Treatment Facility.
- Approved hiring Pal Tiangping as permanent part-time police officer. Officer Tiangping has served as a casual part-time police officer for the city. Dickson said that Tiangping is a “good addition to the department.”
- Reviewed the overtime report for the pay period September 30 to October 13.
- The mayor informed his colleagues that he will not be at the next council meeting, which will be the first or second meeting he has missed in 12 years.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:24 p.m.
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