The February 8 Harmony City Council meeting began with a public forum at which six residents of Harmony spoke. None were in favor of a Dollar General store opening in town. “I think it goes against what I believe Harmony is,” Julie Little stated. Roxanne Johnson explained that many people see Harmony as a “Mayberry” type of town. “We do have lots of services to offer people, and I think it’s known for mom and pop businesses,” she said. Tim Little asked how the grocery store, pharmacy, etc., were supposed to compete with a national chain that can undersell them. “I don’t want to lose a single business here,” he said. Aaron Bishop agreed, stating, “We’re kind of gambling with the health and vitality of the town.” Bishop also noted that the money spent at local small businesses usually cycles back through the community, boosting its economy while money spent at a national chain would not do that. Michael Himlie commented that being asked to compete with a store like Dollar General could make people think twice before opening a small business in Harmony.
The consent agenda was approved and included the minutes of the regular and special January meetings, the claims and checks, cash balances, an ambulance subsidy contract, and a prosecution agreement, both with Fillmore County.
City Administrator Devin Swanberg informed the council that Governor Walz had just signed a state disaster bill for the December 15 storm, which means that the state will pay for 75% of the city’s public infrastructure damage from that storm. Swanberg estimated that the total damage costs will come to approximately $30,000-$40,000.
Swanberg has resubmitted the internet grant after taking Harmony Telephone’s name off of the application as having it on there prohibited the company from bidding on the project. He still has some more work to do on the grant proposal, but said that the city should be awarded the full amount.
A public hearing was opened for discussion of the Small City Block Grant. CEDA representative Allison Wagner was present to review details of the grant with the council. The grant is available through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development or DEED. Harmony has already gone through the survey phase and pre-application process and has been invited to submit the full application. The goal of the grant is to rehab 15 commercial properties and 15 owner occupied homes in Harmony on a first come, first served basis based on the order the surveys were received from Harmony residents and business owners. “It’s a great opportunity,” EDA Coordinator Chris Giesen said. Wagner noted that if some of the projects come in under budget, that money can be used to go beyond the original number of projects selected. Homeowners can receive up to $25,000 for exterior rehab such as replacing the roof, siding, doors, etc and for interior projects that focus on health and safety concerns. The amount is 100% forgiveable if the homeowners stay in the home for a certain number of years. Commercial properties can receive up to $40,000 and would have to put in 20% of the project cost as well, focusing on exterior rehab. They can also update things such as electrical or heating inside the building if it’s considered a hazard. Traditionally, the time frame for projects has been three months, but with supply chain issues and difficulties in finding contractors at the moment, DEED is asking to be notified if projects aren’t complete by the end of the three months. Resolution 22-04 allowing the city to apply for the grant was approved along with a Citizen Participation Plan and Conflict of Interest Disclosure.
The splash pad project is moving forward and the committee is still working on raising funds for it. A grant in the amount of $150,000 was received for the bathroom and picnic shelter building, which they are hoping to have complete by July 1, 2022.
The Harmony Public Library’s dropbox has been leaking water into it whenever it rains, which causes damage to library materials. The library received a quote for $1,116 for a new dropbox and asked the city to pay for it out of the Community Fund. Mayor Donney felt that the library should cover the cost with its budget. If future unexpected expenses come up that it doesn’t have the funding for, the library could then ask the city to help with costs. The rest of the council agreed.
On February 28 at 7 p.m., the library is hosting Sengalese musician Diali Cissokho at the JEM Theatre.
Fillmore Central High School student Maddy Bergey is the newest member of the Harmony Arts Board.
Donations were received for the Harmony Fire Department, Ambulance, and Community Chest from Greenfield Lutheran Church.
The EDA had previously recommended that Planning and Zoning consider a zoning code ordinance change that would implement conditional use permits for certain commercial purposes. Planning and Zoning discussed the matter at their February 8 meeting and recommended no changes to the zoning ordinance. The council voted 3 to 2 to schedule a public hearing on March 1 at 7 p.m. for continued discussion of the proposed ordinance change.
The next Harmony City Council meeting will be held on March 8 at 7 p.m.
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