At the February 7 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Fire Chief Rob Wagner addressed the community’s concerns over siren failures during the December 15 severe weather event. The failure originated with Fillmore County who had the only control over the siren. Wagner spoke to the sheriff and the county’s emergency director and came up with the solution of installing a switch in Lanesboro to allow the sirens to be operated locally as well. “We are in the process of trying to get all that resolved and I feel confident that it will be going forward,” Wagner said. A meeting took place in early February to discuss Lanesboro’s emergency protocols. The discussion included the possibility of placing a lighted sign on Highway 16 to alert drivers when the firetrucks are coming or going from the new building as well as the installation of a possible weather station at the facility with a call station. The siren needs to be moved from the current emergency services building, but the fire department is trying to decide whether to put it on the new building or in a more central location in Lanesboro. Options for the best protocols for campers during severe weather or flooding were also reviewed and will continue to be discussed. Council member Mindy Albrecht-Benson said that she would have liked to have seen more communication from the city during the December 15th storm. City Administrator Michele Peterson agreed to check with Wagner next time for more clarification on what and when information should be shared with the public, but noted that that was a very unique event and they were unaware of how intense it would be until after it had passed. “Going forward, I’ll definitely work more with Michele on what we can do for community safety,” Wagner said.
The consent agenda was approved and included accounts payable, resolutions appointing members to the Heritage Preservation Commission and to the Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as the fire department officers. The pay equity report which is done every three years was also approved.
Pay request #14 for the wastewater treatment facility was approved and represents 50% of the cost of the project to date.
The council was updated on the progress of the new emergency services building. Overhead air lines will be installed and the fire department would like to move forward with installing vinyl planks in both bathrooms. The flagpole at the current location is scheduled to be moved and there are also some antennas that will need to be relocated.
During the regular end-of-year maintenance checks, some wear issues were found with the city’s street sweeper that need to be addressed. City Maintenance Director David Haugen reached out to the dealer for an estimate on the repairs and was given a quote of around $11,400 although he believes that it can be brought down to $10,000. Given that the street sweeper is a 2006 machine and has only 2,000 hours on it, Haugen felt that it would be best to repair it and keep it going rather than having to spend around $250,000 on a new one. The repairs were approved and the funds will come from the vehicle replacement fund.
The city’s annual contract with Fillmore County for the ambulance was tabled as city attorney Joseph O’Koren wanted to clarify one section with the county before the council approves it. Resolution 2022-17 transferring all assets of the Lanesboro Ambulance service to Preston was approved as well as Resolution 2022-18 transferring $50,000 from the Vehicle Replacement Fund to Preston as it had been set aside for a new ambulance. A lease agreement with the City of Preston to keep the ambulance in the Lanesboro emergency services building was approved. Albrecht-Benson asked why the proceeds from Lanesboro’s Round-Up program had been turned over to Preston when the two cities’ ambulance services combined. The funds had been collected for the purpose of helping to pay for the new emergency services facility which Lanesboro is currently building. She requested that Preston put a hold on the money until the issue can be straightened out. The matter was tabled.
The 2022 lodging licenses were reviewed and approved with the exception of one which is delinquent on lodging taxes. Peterson recently had a discussion with a state inspector who noted that the two whole-house rental properties in Lanesboro should also be licensed with the Department of Health, but are not and may not even be aware of that. Peterson will work with the two property owners to make sure they get licensed. A motion approving their lodging licenses was approved until the end of the year or until they are able to get an inspection. If they do not pass inspection, their lodging license will be revoked.
Council member Joe Goetzke noted that the council pay has not changed in at least 10 years. He recommended increasing the annual council member pay from $1,000 to $1,500 and the mayor pay from $1,600 to $2,500 starting in 2023. The amounts were approved.
A discussion on speed limits in town was tabled as was a nuisance violation on 206 Elmwood Street and the city’s street closure policy.
Peterson asked for permission to put out a bid for garbage service contracts. The council approved the posting and asked for truck sizes and options for organics recycling to be included in the bid.
For the last 18 months, Planning and Zoning has been in lengthy discussions about the city’s peddler ordinance and how it applies to food trucks. Mayor Resseman suggested that the council put a hold on issuing new permits until March 8th to allow Planning and Zoning time to amend the ordinance. The hold would not affect any current permits. The suggestion was approved.
Peterson noted that the council will need to have a plan for the American Recovery Funding by March. The council members agreed to schedule a special session to thoroughly discuss how to use the funds.
The next Lanesboro City Council meeting will be held on March 7th at 6 p.m.