On October 7, the Fountain City Council further discussed getting rid of its current city dump truck, putting it out for bids, and finding something more suitable. Councilor Jordan Kerns quickly brought up that it was his understanding the council was tabling the issue until the budget for 2027 is complete and the city can budget for the purchase.
“I don’t think it’s a smart decision,” said Kerns. When asked if he’d looked for any used trucks he again asked, “What’s the budget? What are we working with?”
City Clerk Mary Tjepkes indicated the city could afford to purchase a truck for $25,000-30,000. The city paid $10,000 for the current truck and Mayor Ron Reisner would like to sell it. However, Kerns countered that a $20,000 used truck isn’t gaining much of an upgrade. The truck is currently sitting unused. Both Reisner and Tjepkes noted that Public Works employee Jordan Amunrud isn’t comfortable driving the truck. Kerns pointed out that the issue was brought up in Amunrud’s interviews and that he was hired to drive it.
“We knew it. He knew it. Everybody knew he did not require a Class B license,” said Kerns. He agreed with many that he did not like making someone do something they weren’t comfortable with.
“I don’t think knee-jerk reactions on selling stuff to hope for the best that we can purchase something better is necessarily the most viable option either. That truck runs. We know it can work and maybe he can’t run it, but we’ll find someone who can,” added Kerns. “It’s a back uptruck. If we buy another 20-year-old truck, what are we getting? Let’s put pencil to paper, set a budget, and let’s spend $80,000 and buy a truck, get a new truck another 20 years versus $20,000 for a truck that’s going to last us five … and we’re constantly in the shop.”
“With other things that are in dire need to be fixed, I doubt we’re going to have $80,000 for a new truck,” responded Tjepkes.
“I don’t doubt that,” said Kerns. “We just need to know what the budget is. I don’t feel that $25,000-30,000 is going to be an upgrade.” The council took no action on the proposal to go out for bids on the current truck.
In other news, the council voted unanimously to approve a request by local business owner, Kylie Ramsey to have a $400 rental fee of the community center returned. Ramsey’s Beaver Bottoms Saloon rented the center for the evening of September 18 when their plans for a three-band outdoor concert were hampered by record rains.
According to Ramsey, rain water poured inside the building through a back garage and came through the walls, creating a constant water stream inside, among patrons. Due to equipment getting wet and for the safety of patrons, Ramsey made the decision to shut the concert down halfway through. She stated she was later informed that the building had water leaks prior and had she known, she would have set things up differently.
“I was unable to safely complete it due to an existing, known issue,” she said.
The city will join other municipalities in an emergency management meeting October 13 to determine if any funding is available to assist with water damage mitigation.
The council also voted unanimously to consolidate three parcels: 311 First Street, 315 First Street, and 100 Cedar Street, owned by Eric Luoma and Sandra Seha. The request was made by Luoma in order to receive one tax bill, rather than three. According to Tjepkes, Fillmore County approved the action and had no issues with it. It is now zoned as a residential property and as such, Kerns noted that all ordinances pertaining to residential zoning needs to be followed.
Another request for a return of a building permit for an addition was made by Ken Hollerman. According to Tjepkes, he’s decided not to move forward with the project. It was noted by Kerns that the city still incurred expenses for the permit. Tjepkes noted it’s listed as non-refundable in the application and permitting process.
Also present at the meeting was Emily Sable, project manager for Dakota Supply Group (DSG), of Plymouth, Minnesota. The company is a distributor of equipment, parts, and supplies related to the electrical, plumbing & refrigeration, HVAC, waterworks, utility, sewer and well industries. Sable was on hand to discuss water meters for the city. The city currently utilizes drive-by readings for their meters. DSG can provide the same or streamlined Advanced Metering Infrastructure fixed network systems. Sable noted additional features including ultrasonic meter technology and acoustic leak detection in the Kamstrup all-in-one design which she stated could capture extremes and potential issues, such as low or high flow, ambient temperature warnings, tampering, and more. The meter also encompasses READy Manager Software, allowing the city to easily analyze data and generate reports. The council took no official action on the presentation.
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