Mayor Adamson called the November 14 regularly scheduled meeting of the Eitzen City Council meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.
Councilmembers in attendance included Mayor Jeff Adamson, Emily Burrichter, Mitch Lange, and Doug Meyer. Mitch Luttchens was absent.
Burrichter moved to approve the minutes from the October 10 regular council meeting. Seconded by Meyer.
Lange moved to approve the October financial reports. Seconded by Burrichter. Motion carried.
Unfinished Business
Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Kahya Fox met with Mayor Adamson and Burrichter to discuss the Habitat for Humanity organization and how they do things. Burrichter reported that Fox confirmed that they have a family selected for the home in Eitzen and said that work on the house would move slower than normal because of the lack of volunteers in the Eitzen area. Plus, the organization is currently working on 11 homes in various stages. Habitat’s goal is to have the family in the home by March, but things don’t always go according to plans, and they do not have a firm timeline.
Burrichter mentioned that they are looking for volunteers, “You can go on the Habitat’s website and sign up to be a volunteer, and they have schedules. If a group or organization wants to get together, they can do that too.”
The mayor said they are trying to use local contractors and confirmed that the electricity is hooked up. He added, “Sewer and water and some windows in the basement, and they can start working on the inside.”
Councilman Meyer received two calls this week. One is regarding safety concerns, and the other was from a neighbor who said it looks like a “slum district around here with plastic flapping and insulation blowing in her yard.” Meyer called the construction director, Jeremy Reed, and told him that the openings in the basement must be sealed up.
New Business
Kevin Kruse contacted the city and requested that the pivot wheels on the city’s irrigation system for water/sewer be replaced with something with less impact. According to Darryl Meyer, Kruse has researched the Shark pivot wheel, “He would like to see it done fairly soon because he is going to rotate alfalfa next year, so he would like minimum tracks for the next six to eight years, whatever, rotation anyway.” The irrigation system has six wheels. The mayor asked Meyer to gather more information for December’s meeting.
No action was taken regarding the Local Board of Appeal & Equalization meeting.
The mayor and Darrel Meyer are attending the MiEnergy wholesale cities meeting on Tuesday, November 21.
No action was taken on the quote from Hoskins Electric regarding the water and sewer updates. Hoskins Electric will attend the December city council meeting to explain what the work entails. This will give the council an opportunity to ask questions.
City Clerk Steve Schuldt shared information he received from GovCard regarding their system that offers governments no-cost biller options, thus allowing the city to accept credit, debit, ACH, and recurring payments. Schuldt confirms that the city is responsible for paying for the equipment. It will be added to the December agenda after Schuldt gets a list of fees and finds out if the system can be tied in with MiEnergy. It was noted that residents do ask whether they can use a debit card to pay their utilities.
Schuldt received an email inviting Eitzen to quarterly meetings with area Chambers. Since Eitzen does not have a Chamber, Schuldt wonders if the Lions Club would want to get involved or if anyone on the board is interested in attending. Schuldt will look into it and get back to the council next month.
Councilman Meyer informed the council that the city would need a new snowplow within 10 years because many rust repairs were made on it: “Oil pan, transmission pan, power steering lines, shift shaft, all kind of stuff is completely rusted out.” It is time to “tuck away” some money, replied the mayor.
The last item of business before adjourning the meeting was to approve November’s claims. Since there were no questions or comments, Councilmember Burrichter moved to pay the bills. Seconded by Councilmember Meyer. Motion carried.
The mayor called to adjourn the meeting at 6:53 p.m.
The next regular meeting of the Eitzen City Council is Tuesday, December 12, at 6 p.m. The meeting is in city hall (next to the fire station) at 202 East Main Street, Eitzen, Minn. The public is invited to attend. Contact Steve Schuldt, City Clerk, at (507) 495-3017 or eitzen@acegroup.cc. Office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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