At a relatively brief October 11 city council meeting, Mayor Russ Smith read and the council approved a resolution recognizing October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Councilor Paul Novotny was absent.
In 1988, then President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Minnesota Infants Remembered in Silence, Inc. (IRIS) requested that October 15 be recognized to honor thousands of children who die each year. IRIS is one of many nonprofit organizations that work with thousands of parents in Minnesota and across the United States who have experienced the death of a child during pregnancy or through early childhood.
A resolution for the Toward Zeros Death program was approved. The federal funds for law enforcement are for enhanced traffic enforcement. The Chatfield Police Department participates through the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office. The program was adopted by the state of Minnesota in 2003.
Other Business in Brief
Councilor Mike Urban reported on the Personnel/Budget committee and the Public Works committee. He said they are having a very preliminary discussion about the possible creation of a joint powers (city and school district) Grounds and Facility Maintenance position. Responsibilities would include the cleaning and maintenance of the ball fields, playground, other park buildings, and minor indoor maintenance/cleaning. The individual would work 32 to 40 hours in a dual role year round.
Other issues discussed regarding the Personnel/Budget committee included an updating of the Debt Management Policy, National Community Survey (105 responses so far), and use of American Recovery Plan funds.
Public Works committee had discussions regarding 2022 water project, development fees for apartment buildings, and the possible purchase of a grapple for the front-end loader. The 2022 water improvement project would ensure power to operate a pump station in the event that power to the city is interrupted. More detail will be brought back to a future meeting on each of these items.