By Zech Sindt
This month’s Ostrander city council meeting took place on September 3 with all members present, including Lyn Massey-Mills, Dan Hellerud, DJ Start, Vernon Thompson, Mayor Pam Kunert and City Clerk Wendy Brincks. The meeting was short with only a few topics on the agenda.
First on the list was the city maintenance department’s need for fuel for two generators. That fuel will be purchased from Baudoin Oil Company in Grand Meadow.
All was quiet at the fire department over the last month. The only call to the fire department was for a downed power line that was struck by lightning in last week’s storm.
Propane bids came back this month as well. Kruegels will provide up to 4,200 gallons of propane at $1.439 per gallon. They will also provide and maintain one 1,000-gallon tank, two 500-gallon tanks, and the gas line for the fire hall at no charge. Service will continue to be available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
The most important issue of this meeting was the budget for a new truck. Last month the council decided it is time to buy a new truck before this upcoming winter. At that time, the council budgeted $47,000 to cover the expenses of buying and maintaining the new truck. To help cover the cost, Brincks proposed that the city try to make use of grant money from the USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program. Ostrander has used the grants available through the USDA program in the past to help pay for things such as their tornado siren and fire truck. Since that meeting, Brincks learned there will be no grants available because the median family income in the area is at $73,000. This puts them over the cut-off line for available grants. Brincks proposed a new solution.
In 2023, the city was able to keep their expenses under budget by $32,187. Brincks suggested they use that money towards the new truck. There was some discussion about where to get the remaining $16,000 from. Brincks suggested they take it from the “kitty,” money left over from previous years, and then use interest earned from the 4M Investments Fund to replenish their kitty fund. Council members all agreed.
There was also some discussion about where the city’s budget for this year stands. Year to date, the city has brought in $204,750.99. They have spent $162,632.44. Council members approved the current levy of $192,291. $138,591 will be for general revenue, $23,700 will be for fireman protection, and $30,000 will be for the Go Bond Debt from 2019;
The final paperwork for the Phase 2 infrastructure improvements is now complete as well. Those improvements included a new water tower, lift station and road replacements. The work was physically completed a little over a year ago on August 9, 2023, but the final paperwork had not yet been approved and submitted. Now that it has been submitted, everything is officially complete. The council approved the final payment to Alcon Excavating for $107,615.72.
Overall, the council meeting was short and to the point, only about eight minutes long.
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