At the July 15 Harmony City Council meeting, Resolution 25-08 was approved, accepting council member Michael Himlie’s resignation effective in July. “I want to thank my fellow Harmony citizens who allowed me the opportunity to help make Harmony the welcoming and affable community that it is,” Himlie expressed in his resignation letter. “It has been my great joy to work with community and council members to present a strong Harmony to the rest of the world.” The rest of the council thanked him for his service. Letters of interest for Himlie’s seat on the council will be accepted until August 1 and his replacement will be voted on at the August 12 meeting.
The consent agenda was approved and included the minutes of the June 10 meeting, the claims and June checks, the investment report, cash balances, the budget year-to-date, and a letter of support for Dairyland’s application and award through the Empowering Rural America program.
Mike Bubany from David Drown and Associates gave an update on the sale of bonds for the proposed wastewater treatment plant UV project. He had some initial concerns that the city’s A+ rating would drop due to the some changes in the criteria for the rating system, but it did not change. A competitive sale for the bonds took place and Bubany was happy to report that the interest rate came in lower then he anticipated. Four bids were received, and it was noted that the payments were about $5,000 less than what Bubany had estimated they would be. Resolution 25-10 awarding the sale of bonds was adopted.
Resolution 25-09 approving a license for Julie Lewandowski to operate Mactabilis Souls was approved contingent on receiving written permission from neighboring properties.
The Personnel Committee recommended that the city’s finance clerk, Karen Apenhorst have her pay grade increased. The committee felt that she showed a strong willingness to learn and take on new responsibilities. The council approved the increase.
A temporary liquor license was granted for a dart tournament that Toni and Jay Mensink, owners of The Tipsy Side, are hosting as a fundraiser for the family of Christina and Robert Schmidt.
The council reviewed a revolving loan application from Jay Masters for an expansion of the Monster Bash building. The application guidelines state that the maximum amount for loans is $25,000, but Masters has applied for $50,000. However, as Masters has had several revolving loans in the past and has always shown excellent repayment ability, the Revolving Loan Fund Committee recommended approval of his application. Masters expects to be able to pay off the five-year loan in three years or less. The council approved the loan.
Lorena Reichert will be stepping down from the EDA board and Katrina Hurley will be replacing her as the Community & Business Development Specialist with CEDA. They will have an overlap of several months.
Vicky Tribon gave an update on the McMichael Elevator project. The proposed project start date is January 1, 2026 if all of the funding goes through. She presented a rough draft of the project costs which come to an estimated $397,796.38. The Harmony Area Historical Society is currently working to obtain a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society for around $266,000 of the cost. Katrina Hurley has been providing invaluable help with the grant process. The historical society requested $15,000 from the city for the project as well as in-kind donations of CEDA hours, allowing Hurley to continue working on the grant process. The council approved the request with the money coming from the Donald Wilken fund.
Building and Maintenance is planning to sell the old leaf vac now that a new one has been purchased. The council approved a motion to allow the committee to choose the sale method of their choice.
Two quotes were received for a check valve replacement at the wastewater treatment plant. A quote in the amount of $5,450 from Quality Flow Systems was approved.
Erica Thilges gave the Harmony Chamber of Commerce report. The first Back Alley Jam of the season took place last month with another one coming up soon. There were two ribbon cuttings for new businesses in June, and the Fourth of July celebration went very well. The Chamber will have a booth set up at the Fillmore County Fair.
The Park Board has been experiencing some mechanical issues with its UTV which is around 8-10 years old and would like to replace it with a 2024 Can-Am Defender. With the trade-in value of the current UTV, the total cost would be $17,100. The Park Board has the funds to cover it. The council approved the purchase.
The Harmony library board is in the process of hiring a new director. There has been a lot of interest in the position. The library employees have both stepped up to cover hours since Stephanie Morse’s retirement.
On behalf of the fire department, Jesse Grabau thanked everyone who donated to the fireworks and those who purchased raffle tickets to help fund the fireworks display. Thanks were also extended to retiring firefighter Keith McIntosh for his 35 years of service.