Christine Hyrkas will be resigning from her position as Ostrander City Clerk, and Councilmember Erin Volkart is resigning her term at the end of the year. Their letters of resignation were shared during the regular council meeting on November 8. Members in attendance were Pam Kunert, Mayor Pat Nesler, Hyrkas, and DJ Start. Volkart joined the meeting already in progress, and Heidi Jones was absent.
In Hyrkas’s letter, she stated that, in part, “…for the best interest of my family, I have taken a full-time job… It has been a privilege to serve the citizens of Ostrander.” She has already started her new job, but since the clerk position has not yet been filled, she is continuing to help out, and hopes to be able to train the new clerk. Hrykas also stated that the city has recently received three new applications for the city clerk position. Council members stated that applications have already come in from as far away as Rochester, but that it’s doubtful someone would commute that far for the job. Mayor Nesler also said that Sue Henderson would not be able to fill the position.
Volkart’s letter states, “I regret to inform you that at the end of the year 2017 I will be resigning as city council member. It was a hard decision to make with the large project that has been in the works for the past five years I have been with the city. I have enjoyed working with everyone.” Council members said they’ll need to check into the necessity of holding a special election to fill her position on the council, since there would be three full years remaining in her term.
The council heard from Brian Malm, representing the engineering firm of Bolton & Menk. He spoke about the upcoming infrastructure project, and asked the council to consider approving an amendment to the previous agreement, which he said was for an additional $9,300 for street lighting design. He pointed out that the city’s first invoice to the county, to get the county to pay its share of the project, is for roughly $250,000. He said the bidding for the infrastructure project will probably happen next month, and also added, “The well and wellhouse is lagging a bit behind,” but said that’s not a concern.
Malm also suggested the city might want to pursue Local Road Improvement grant funding that is available. He said although it will be very competitive, the application process is short and simple, and if the city receives any grant funding, it would supplant money that was originally planned as part of a loan for the project. The council voted to pursue the grant funding application.
The council adopted the resolution regarding the Fillmore County All-Hazard Mitigation Plan, as it generally does annually. The plan outlines a variety of processes that would be implemented in case of disaster conditions.
The council considered bids for a new computer for the city clerk. Two bids were received, from Reburn Tech and On-Site Computers. DJ Start mentioned that in his experience, On-Site has been “outstanding to work with” regarding customer support. The council voted to accept the bid from On-Site.
A contract with KLM for the city’s new water tower was discussed. The council voted to approve the contract as submitted. Brian Malm suggested the city may want to check to be sure that a “sediment drainage system” is included, as that would make cleaning the tank much easier, and possibly less costly.
Approval was given for the city to include a note with water bills, reminding citizens not to park on city streets overnight during the winter months. The meeting adjourned about 6:55 p.m. The next regular meeting of the council will be Wednesday, December 13, at 6 p.m. The public is welcome.
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