Mayor Kristy Ziegler opened the February 11 meeting at 6 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. She then proposed that an item on the consent agenda – approval of a step pay increase for the deputy clerk – be removed for further discussion. The rest of the consent agenda was approved. Items included were the January minutes, February disbursements, and a $3,220 contribution towards the Mabel/Canton Summer Rec program.
Mayor Ziegler gave an update on the historic Mitson House. The home, built in 1882, was turned into a museum in the ‘70s. It has been maintained and operated by the Canton Historical Society. Unfortunately, the repairs and deferred maintenance needed on the 144-year-old structure had accumulated to the point that the Historical Society could no longer keep up. Items in the home were moved to the Historic Train Depot, and the home was torn down.
Clerk Anne Koliha reported that “its been a busy month” in her department. She has been attending design meetings and reviewing plans for the streets project. She also completed the city’s audit with the MN Dept of Revenue, which went well.
Public Works director Jon Nordsving has also been kept busy, with numerous water line breaks occurring during the recent cold snap. Two leaks occurred on mains, and the rest were on service lines. Director Nordsving explained why they were hiring out some of the excavation work, rather than using the city’s equipment. The city’s excavator bucket is wide, and cannot safely navigate the frozen soil and array of buried utility lines.
Several members of the Canton Fire Department were present to make a request from the council. They need to replace one of the department’s trucks. They estimate the cost to be $60,000, plus $15-20,000 for a skid unit to go on the back. They plan to cover some of this cost themselves with funds raised from their annual gun raffle, and other fundraisers. They requested approval from the council to add this expense to the budget. Clerk Kohila stated the department has “healthy” cash flow and would not have trouble servicing the loan. The council approved the expense, allowing the department to begin shopping around.
The council next addressed the 3% step pay increase for the deputy clerk. After some clarifications on the process for this increase, it was unanimously approved by the council.
New business included a few quick approvals: a loan resolution for the wastewater project, and a second resolution for the streets project. These resolutions are required for the process with USDA Rural Development, and essentially authorize the city to move forward with seeking financing.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:19.
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