On Wednesday, February 8, the Mabel City Council held a public hearing before the regularly scheduled council meeting regarding the request from Lorna Horwich on behalf of the estate of Larry Benson to rezone the property at 108 West Fillmore Avenue, parcel number 02.0137.010 from a commercially zoned lot to a residentially zoned lot. The request was unanimously approved.
All council members were in attendance: Mayor Adam Wilder, Kirsten Wyffels, Tina Bakke, and Valerie Arnold. Cory Wilson called in.
Visitor Jessi Jablonski, Plant Lady Landscapes, Canton, appeared before the council to discuss the 2023 shade tree program and the steam engine flower garden at Highway 44 and Main Street intersection. Jablonski shared her plans and prices for the flower garden and submitted a proposal for the shade tree program. The council accepted the proposal for the shade tree program and a $2,160.00 quote for the steam engine flower garden. Orders for the shade trees will be taken until April 1, with homeowners and the city splitting the cost of the tree. The price includes planting, starter fertilizer, staking, mulching, and a water bag. Residents are asked to call City Clerk Karen Larson to place an order for a tree.
The council unanimously approved the minutes from the January 11 regular city council meeting. In addition, the board approved paying the bills totaling $34,322.44 and the balance sheet as presented.
The Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association 2022-2023 safety contract was approved. Public Works Director Bob Mierau explained, “We met with Mike Willis, the representative for MMUA, a couple of weeks ago. I think we got all the bugs worked out of the contract.” However, the contract cost increased from $5,900 to $5,985, an $85 increase. Mierau added, “The only thing that is going to change for us. In addition to the training we already get, we now have the open to travel to another city to do a little more training.”
Mierau updated the council on the electric meters. Last week, city staff and Councilor Wilson met with a company that has a program that will work with the city’s existing program. This system appears to be cheaper than the system that MiEnergy quoted. Mierau added that they are looking at another company’s program and are hoping to have something solid to bring to the council next month. Both systems will work with the city’s water system. Mierau confirmed that he and Dahl could install the system.
Mabel Ambulance received a $7,259.07 TCUP Foundation grant from the Mabel Cooperative Telephone Company. The funds will be used to purchase a life-size training mannequin. The conversation then switched to recruiting volunteers as they just lost two this year and expect to lose the high school volunteers when they head off to college. If anyone is interested in serving, they are asked to contact Mabel Ambulance Director Sarah Mengis.
In other business, the council:
•Approved two zoning permits. One permit is for Scott and Paula Hicks at 209 E. Prairie and Mitchell Aasum at 141 N. Main Street;
•Approved the annual ambulance subsidy contracts for 2023. The total cost is $4,500;
•Declined Viking Automatic Sprinkler Co. request for payment per the email received before last month’s city council meeting;
•Approved a rezoning fee of $150. The council approved adding it to the fee schedule approved at the January council meeting. The fee schedule will be published in the official newspaper;
•Approved a liquor license for Joe’s Pizza Palace & Pub, which is anticipated to open in April.
The next regularly scheduled Mabel City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8 at the Mabel Community Center, 201 South Main Street, Mabel. The meeting is open to the public.
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