The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session on March 9, with all members present (Mayor Tony Archer, Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, John Dols, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). The council considered two requests for conditional use permits (CUPs) within the city.
The first request was from Holly Hutchens, to be allowed to run a ballet studio at 112 S. Washington Avenue. The second CUP request was from Brent Hagan, to operate a five-unit apartment complex at 300 W. Tracy Road (the former Olmsted Medical building). The council voted unanimously to approve each CUP request.
Jason Boynton, representing Smith Schafer & Associates LTD, gave the board the annual audit report on Spring Valley’s financial status. His report included an unmodified “clean” opinion of Spring Valley’s finances for the 2019 year, with no Minnesota legal compliance exceptions. He stated that Spring Valley has limited ability to segregate accounting duties, but said that is a very common situation in small cities, and generally, the cost of employing more staff to further segregate those duties would be prohibitive.
Boynton shared that for the city, the General Property Tax Levy represents 47% of the total governmental revenues, with tax collections totaling $1,445,784. Local Government Aid (LGA) was $887,681 and represented 29% of the city’s governmental revenues. The city’s Unassigned General Fund balance has risen to $1,540,479, which is 153% of Expenditures. The city has a Capital Improvement fund balance of $653,694 available for future capital needs. He also stated that revenues from the city’s five utilities are generally keeping pace with the related expenses.
Following Boynton’s audit presentation, Deb Zimmer asked the council to consider a fund transfer. She stated, “I would ask that you approve transferring $300,000 from the General Fund to the Capital Fund, and designate that money for street improvements. It may help in the future.” The board approved this transfer.
The board heard updates from department heads, including Park & Rec Director John Fenske. Fenske gave thanks to the 14 volunteers who have helped coach teams over the winter season. He also gave special thanks to Jim Edgar for making the hockey rink possible, and to Chad Hindt for cleaning of the rink regularly.
Chad Hindt said he had gone out to clear snow and ice off the trails, but some was not able to be easily removed yet. Sue Puffer reported on behalf of the ambulance crew, saying that February was a fairly busy month, with 44 calls. Fire Chief Troy Lange stated that February had been pretty quiet, and that he has an ad in the newspaper seeking more fire crew members.
Chris Danielson brought up an issue regarding law enforcement, asking about enforcement of the city’s laws for vehicles being parked on city streets. It was explained that the officers generally give some allowance at this time of year, for citizens who are unable to park their vehicles on the yard, due to the muddy conditions. Danielson said she was specifically concerned about trailers and snowmobiles being parked on the street. Mike Hadland replied, “That falls under a different category, and we can definitely talk to that individual.”
The board scheduled a public hearing to be held on Monday, April 17 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, regarding Tax Incremental Funding (TIF) District 1-15. Deb Zimmer informed the council that she received a permit request from the Sportsmen’s Club, to hold a raffle on April 24. The council unanimously approved the request. The next regular meeting of the council will be Monday, April 13. As always, the public is welcome.
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