By Kaitlyn Longhauser
The Spring Grove City Council met Tuesday, December 20 from 6-8:04 p.m. at 168 West Main Street, in the Spring Grove Communications building. Council members present included Mayor Scott Solberg, Karen Folstad, Trent Turner, Chad Rohland, and Travis Torgerson. Also present were City Clerk/Adminstrator Jana Elton, City Attorney Greg Schieber, and Mark Davy from Davy Engineering.
The council approved the meeting agenda and the consent agenda, including the November 15 Canvassing Board meeting minutes and November 15 regular council meeting minutes.
Mayor Solberg offered a public apology to JC Nerstad on behalf of the Spring Grove City Council and the City of Spring Grove. Solberg apologized for the situation involving Nerstad and the junk vehicles ordinance being dragged out for as long as it did.
City Attorney Schieber spoke with the council on where to go next in the process of closing Spring Grove’s municipal liquor store. Items that held discussion included what to do with remaining store products, sale of establishment, and potential buyers being able to secure a liquor license upon grand opening.
Davy Engineering completed part 1 of the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Spring Grove and will now begin working on part 2 of the Plan. Mark Davy and his office manager will be taking management of the project going forward. Davy will offer a presentation and draft by February. For part 2, Davy Engineering will be working on the ordinance evaluation, and will offer recommendations of ordinances that may need rewording/updated to align with Spring Grove’s Comprehensive Plan.
The council addressed the issue on 213 Spring Grove houses not in compliance with ordinance in keeping an E911 sign in front of their place of residence. The council agreed to first reach out to citizens not in compliance and conduct a followup. Each E911 sign costs $25. E911 signs are of great importance to safety; they allow the ambulance and fire department to find one’s home if an emergency were to arise.
The council discussed updating city cameras to commercial cameras manufactured by Ring LLC. Ring products are cloud based with some products supporting solar powered ability. The city seeks cameras that are wireless. Clerk/Administrator Elton quoted 15 cameras; in turn the city would have a few extra cameras left over. The council decided to move this discussion to January’s agenda.
The council will decide what will come of the tennis court once the Ccomprehensive Plan is finished.
Spring Grove Public Library will receive an additional 2% increase in funding. Author Liz Hershberger will visit the library Thursday, March 9, 2023.
The fire committee is working to get a new fire truck for Spring Grove Fire Department.
The council bade Mayor Solberg and council member Torgerson farewell. Solberg stated, “It was an honor to be here the last eight years and a pleasure working with all of you. Thank you!” In January, Spring Grove will welcome Saundra Solberg as the city’s new mayor and Heather Edgington as the newest council member.
The Spring Grove City Council’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, January 17, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at 168 West Main Street in the Spring Grove Communications building, room 100. The public is invited to attend.
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