Mabel Council Kicks Off 2024 with Ambitious Agenda and Collaborative Spirit

Mayor Adam Wilder called the January 10, 2024, meeting of the Mabel City Council to order at 6 p.m.
The council unanimously approved the meeting agenda, the December 13 minutes, accounts payable, and the financial reports as presented.
Council members in attendance included Mayor Wilder, Valerie Arnold, Kiersten Wyffels, Cory Wilson and Tina Bakke.
City employees in attendance included City Clerk Karen Larson and Public Works Director Robert (Bob) Mierau.
Old Business
Since there have ot been no comments regarding the siren, it will stay as it is. Wilson explained that he found out that the siren cannot be toned down for the new siren and left up for the other siren. It would have had to have been done when it was ordered. Mierau said that he called the man that put the siren in, “I just disconnected a couple of wires on the timer that just hit the contactor. There was no cost, no nothing. It has been off for a month.”
After comparing rates from five different banks, the Mabel Public Library transferred their two Certificate of Deposits (CDs) from BMO to Eitzen State Bank. One CD is $1,000 and is reinvested at 4% for five years and the $10,000 CD was reinvested at 4.1% for five years. Larson noted that the donor of the larger CD did not want them combined.
New Business
The council unanimously adopted the 2024 fee schedule. Larson explained that the only change is the community rental fees which were approved at last month’s city council meeting. Going forward the council will look at the fees in the fall.
Larson asked the council to approve Resolution 2024-01, Annual Appointments for 2024, noting that she updated the official depository bank to BMO. The second update, instead of listing a specific reimbursement rate for mileage, it is listed as the IRS standard mileage rate for 2024 in case it changes throughout the year. Councilman Wilson agreed to remain as acting mayor. The council approved the appointments for 2024.
Larson informed the council that Hacker Nelson & Co. from Decorah, Iowa, will be coming to town to perform the city’s audit on January 22 and 23. Thanks to the use of technology, Larson has been able to upload the required documents to a secure shared drive; thus, making the audit go much more smoothly.
Clerk Larson reminded the council that the ambulance director’s salary is looked at annually. The council approved increasing the ambulance director’s salary by 3% again this year. Mayor Wilder’s two-cents, “The job is not getting any easier.”
Mayor Wilder reminded the council that pet licenses are due the first of the year.
The council approved the law enforcement services agreement with the Fillmore County Sheriff’s office. “Nothing has really changed. Basically, they are changing how they run the contract,” said Larson. “There will be two different guys here during the day, Jason Harmening and Leif Erickson.”
The council did not make decisions on what to spend the public safety aid funds on. The city received $31,288 in December, which according to the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), “must be used to provide public safety.” LMC also noted that legislators expect “most of the funds to be used for police and fire expenses.”
The council accepted Mabel Library Director Lawrence Gifford’s resignation effective September 10, 2024. The city will begin advertising for his replacement in March on the city website and Facebook page, and in the newspaper. The interview committee is Larson, Arnold and Wyffels.
No action was required in regard to the MiEnergy letter the city received on January 5, 2024. “Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) made a requirement for emissions for emergency service generators,” said Mierau. “You are okay. You don’t need to do anything. Your generator at the sewer plant is just fine. You are ahead of the game.”
Mierau will spearhead the investigation into the sewer smell at the EMS Building and inspect the flooring and report back to the mayor and Wilson.
In other matters, the council:
• Approved publishing the 2024 budget statement as required.
• Approved the $6,300 contract with Generator Power Systems.
• Changed the start time of the February 14 regularly scheduled city council meeting from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Adjourned the meeting at 6:37 p.m.
The next regularly scheduled Mabel City Council meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14 at the Mabel Community Center, 201 South Main Street, Mabel. For questions, contact City Clerk Karen Larson at (507) 493-5299 or karen.larson@cityofmabel.com. The meeting is open to the public.