The city of Peterson will see a change in January with election results placing resident Christopher Grindland in one of two council seats up for grabs. Grindland will replace current Councilor Dave Colbenson who opted to vie for the mayoral seat, but lost to incumbent Mayor Tim Hallum in an 85 to 38 vote. Only 123 votes were cast for the mayoral race.
The second council seat was retained by incumbent Loren Rue, who lead the race with 74 of 228 total votes. Grindland was second with 69. Challengers Jake Sandeno, Donald (Lewie) Olson, and Charles William Baker had 41, 25, and 17 respectively. There were two write-in votes. The new council will be sworn in at the January meeting.
In an unrelated matter, a notice to media was sent November 16 stating that the city of Peterson will be holding a special meeting Monday, November 21 at 6 p.m., at city hall. The purpose of the meeting is the resignation of City Clerk Leanne Kasper. Kasper was hired in the position in April of this year, following the March resignation of former clerk Megan Boyum.
The Peterson council held a swift council meeting Wednesday, November 9 and discussion was held regarding the proposed 2017 budget. The council unanimously approved setting it at $82,253.18, a 2.5% increase over 2016. The additional funds will be put towards street improvement, while the rest of the budget remains largely the same.
The council also approved the Frozen Service Line Policy discussed at the October meeting. At that time, the council opted to change the policy to clarify responsibilities in the event of a frozen water and/or sanitary sewer service line. The proposed changes were then put in the city’s newsletter.
The policy states that water/sewer service lines are the responsibility of the resident/business owner from the property to the city main. The water shut-off box (curb stop) is owned by the city and is the city’s responsibility to maintain. In the event of a frozen line, property owners are asked to contact the city. The policy does dictate procedures used by the city for utility bill determination if a resident is running water to prevent frozen lines. Guidelines for running water are included in the policy. Additionally, the policy is clear that all responsibility and liability in hiring licensed services to thaw pipes and notifying the city that when the line is open.
The council also voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2016-10 certifying past due utility billings to the Fillmore County Auditor for collection with property taxes. A list of delinquent utility bill amounts was presented in September by Clerk Kasper. The issue was discussed again in October and the council agreed to move forward by mailing assessment letters to the property owners with past due amounts. Policy updates were approved to include that any bill not paid by or before the date would be subject to a late fee of 1% of the past due balance would be added to the current amount due. That one percent is removed from the past due amount once certified to the county. The assessments are at a rate of 4%.
The list was substantially larger prior to council discussion at the November meeting and only seven properties will see their delinquent utility bills certified to the county. Letters have been sent to these properties by certified mail. According to Kasper, two property owners came in to discuss the matter, while two other letters were returned. The city’s legal counsel has stated that even though the two letters were returned, it is proof that the city sent the letters and that due diligence was done in attempting to make contact and rectify the situation.
The properties with delinquent accounts can continue to pay down those amounts to the city. Prior to taxes being due in April, the city will make contact with the county assessor’s office to notify how much has been paid. While the full amount is assessed, amounts paid will be applied, and the property tax bill will show a reduction.
“There are only seven people on that list. It’s come down substantially,” noted Councilor Gail Boyum. “It worked.”
An ongoing resident dispute over a shed has now involved the city’s attorney, who has drafted letters to both parties. According to Councilor and Zoning Board member Loren Rue, the attorney has conditions that one party must agree to. A building permit will not be given until that party agrees to the conditions applied.
Councilor Dick Lee discussed the attorney statement regarding Ordinance 703 and setback recommendations. “I believe it’s quite clear,” said Lee. “It states it needs to be clear 10 feet to the side and rear. I called other municipalities, the only time it’s closer than ten feet is if it’s light or small enough that two people could pick it up and move it.”
“The attorney says he doesn’t think it’s covered right. I think it’s covered well,” continued Lee. The attorney’s office will be contacted to see how the recommendation was determined. “If we start to get lenient on our policy, we don’t have a leg to stand on.”
The council also approved modifying Public Works employee Rick Lee’s salary to meet a federal mandate. According to the mandate Lee needs to earn $47,476 or will need to be paid per hour for overtime. In the city’s case, making the changes amounts to a salary increase of $762.61 for Lee. The new salary is effective December 1.
“It’s a negligible amount of money,” added Councilor Boyum. “Now, he banks time. He couldn’t do that under the new guidelines.”
During the business portion of the meeting, Boyum asked if the council could hold a closed meeting to discuss what Boyum called, “personnel issues.” As the meeting agenda had been earlier approved, with no modifications or additions, Mayor Tim Hallum did not allow for the closed session.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Wednesday, December 14, at 6 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
Leave a Reply