The Rushford City Council has formally approved the final platting for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) on the east end of the Himlie Business Park. Developer Bluff Country LLC (Mike Sexhauer) brought forward final plats for Himlie Manor to the Planning Commission April 19 and they were approved. The area was previously rezoned and a Tax Increment Financing District established for the area.
Plans call for the construction of six duplex housing units. The area will meet a demand for moderately-priced single family homes identified in a housing study by Maxfield Research, Inc.
Derek Olinger, of Bolton & Menk, the city’s engineer, has reviewed the plats and all concerns have been addressed. While not all permits, including an Erosion Control Permit, are complete, a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan has been reviewed by Olinger. It was noted that some permitting, including through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, is the responsibility of the developer and not the city.
The development agreement and Himlie Manor Association By-Laws are in place and were also council approved. They specify that roadway maintenance within the PUD and Outlot 1 will be the responsibility of the Association. The roadway is not a city street, as it does not meet city standards. Per the agreement, the developer and association cannot come back to the city in the future to request it become a city street.
“It makes things very clear,” said City Administrator Tony Chladek, noting that City Clerk Kathy Zacher had suggested the addition of the verbiage in the agreement. “I like that sentence,” Chladek added. “I’ve worked in other communities that did not have that sentence and it was a pain.”
A study to determine the total electrical load will be conducted. The cost of any electrical upgrade is to be shared with the city and the developer. Details about the housing area is on the city website.
In other news, the council has reviewed and approved an annual Playground Inspection Form and Pot Hole Repair Policy. In regards to the first, the city already conducts annual playground inspections, via an in-house safety committee each spring, but the form ensures “best practices” are demonstrated.
In the latter, the policy indicates that work is done at Public Works’ discretion, based on time and road plans. The suggestions come following an annual loss control consultation with the League of Minnesota Cities.
The council also approved a Public Works recommendation to continue with the truck/trade-in program through Sugar Loaf Ford, in Winona. Last year, the council motioned to enter into the Ford Fleet Program, trading two of its vehicles in for new trucks. Utilizing state bid pricing, the city is able to trade in vehicles each year for new vehicles, paying only regular sales tax and registration as required. After the truck is traded back to the dealer, it is resold to non-municipal customers.
Using the program, the city is not responsible for any maintenance, including battery or tires. The only rule the city must abide by is keeping the mileage under 7,000. This is not a problem for the city, as the department is able to rotate trucks for long-distance travel and normal operations, keeping under the maximum mileage requirements.
The department had considered trading in the 2007 GMC 2500, that was acquired after the flood, but the threshold the city would like to see for a trade-in value was not met. The truck will not be traded at this time as continued use outweighs any cash trade in price.
A quote for a 2019 Ford 350 Supercab one-ton truck, with state bid pricing and no trade-in was also brought forth in the amount of $36,555. According to a summary from Public Works Director Roger Knutson, “Entering into the trade program for this truck will give us a brand new truck again in one year’s time at no cost; giving us years of free miles for as long as the program is available.”
There is sufficient funds in the truck budget to cover the trade-in costs and the new purchase. Funds allocated to the budget for future trucks will remain constant, used to build up funds to the eventual replacement of the more expensive city equipment.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Monday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
Leave a Reply