Lisa Miller addressed the Harmony City Council at their July 12 meeting about her utility bills from the month of May. She owns six properties in Harmony and typically receives her bills via email and then a mailed late notice if they are not paid promptly. However, in May, she said that she did not receive any notifications at all about her bills. She didn’t realize it until June when she was informed that none of the utility bills had been paid. She was unable to find the May bills in her online account and showed the council printouts of her billing histories for each of her properties which went from April to June, skipping May. She asked if that had happened to anyone else in Harmony. City Administrator Devin Swanberg said that it had not. He agreed to look into the city’s payment service to see why her bills were not emailed like normal.
Gary Ehler asked the council to consider waiving a citation he got for blowing grass in the street while mowing, stating that several other area residents also blew grass into the street that same day, but they only received warnings. Ehler argued that he planned to blow the grass back into his yard when he was done mowing, but wasn’t given the chance to do so before receiving the citation. The council will take his complaint into consideration.
The consent agenda was approved and included the minutes of the June meeting, the claims, cash balances, compensation for city employee Corey Whalen’s wastewater treatment plant certification, and a resolution for election judges.
Council member Steve Sagen was approved as the new Mayor Pro Tempore and signee on behalf of Mayor Steve Donney in his absence, replacing former council member Tony Webber. The end of city employee Sam Grabau’s probationary period was approved.
The council reviewed a quote for a back-up snow plow truck from CrySteel Truck Equipment in the amount of $71,459. Swanberg noted that it would be good to start a schedule for trading in plow trucks to ensure that the city always has a working truck. The quote was approved. A quote from Hammell Equipment in the amount of $11,800 was also approved for a hydraulic blower for the skidloader as the current one is no longer working.
The EDA has started the foreclosure process on one of their loans. The Park Board is planning to repaint and seal the lines on the basketball court and tennis court next summer. The council approved a pay request for the park shelter which will be submitted to the state for the grant. The project is on schedule and should be completed by mid-August. The splash pad is delayed because the wrong manifold was sent and needed to be returned for the correct one.
Kay Himlie is retiring from the Harmony Public Library. “We want to thank her for her time working at the library,” Swanberg said. Steve Donney also retired from the Harmony Fire Department after 37 years of service.
Chamber of Commerce Director Melissa Vander Plas reported that 505 adult buttons and 133 children’s buttons were sold for the Fourth of July. The $501 in proceeds will be donated to the fire department.
The next Harmony Council meeting will be on August 9 at 7 p.m.
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