The Spring Valley City Council held a regular council meeting on August 9, at city hall, with all members present (Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, Greg Brooks, John Dols and Mayor Tony Archer). Also attending was City Clerk/Administrator Deb Zimmer.
A citizen asked about the city’s noise ordinance, and in particular, the signs on the edges of town that inform truckers that Spring Valley does not allow “jake braking,” (also known as engine braking) which is a way that trucks can slow down without using their brake pads, but which creates a loud low rumble that citizens sometimes complain about. The citizen asked if the ordinance is being enforced, and he added that if six or so got ticketed, word would spread amongst the truckers who regularly travel through Spring Valley.
Greg Brooks shared that he knows of one trucker who was recently stopped for jake braking. Deb Zimmer said that she will mention this concern to the Sheriff’s Department, in hopes that more vigilance and enforcement can eliminate most of the problem.
The council discussed the 2017 Tahoe/Emergency Management vehicle. Mike Zimmer stressed the need for a vehicle to be available to pull the city’s Emergency Management trailer. Brooks asked about the most recent time the trailer’s been used, and Zimmer replied, “The trailer hasn’t been used because we haven’t had a way to pull it.” He said sometimes staff have used their own vehicles, but that’s not a good practice to continue, for liability reasons.
Brooks asked, “So, couldn’t we find a cheaper vehicle… four-door, three-quarter ton, half-ton truck that would do the same thing as a $27,000 vehicle?” John Dols replied, “As long as it’s road reliable.” Mike Zimmer pointed out that he never asked for the Tahoe, but explained it had been brought up during a work session. He added, “I’m perfectly happy with whatever we can get, as long as it’s road-ready, turn the key and go whenever we needed to go.”
Mike Zimmer also spoke about the need for more trainings and certifications by the Emergency Management team. “The thing of it is, some of us get to wear too many hats because it’s a small town.” He counted seven EMS members that are the “core group.”
Zimmer and Dols talked about the “best practice” of not borrowing fire department staff to use as temporary “storm spotters” because then the fire department has fewer staff available in town during that period. However, Dols pointed out that sometimes this practice happens out of necessity, due to the limited number of personnel available.
Council members pointed out that the budget is not yet completed, so it’s not known how much funding may be available for an Emergency Management vehicle. After lengthy discussion, the council voted to table the vehicle issue for now. The city will look for affordable and reliable vehicles to meet the Emergency Management need.
The council considered a letter from Spring Valley Public Utilities, requesting a lien on the property at 412 West High Street, for nonpayment of utility services. The property is owned by Dean Hamilton, and the total lien would be $612.50 (unpaid utilities of $562.50, plus a $50 filing fee). The council voted to approve the lien as requested.
Deb Zimmer said she’s awaiting more information to allow her to complete the initial draft of the city’s 2022 budget. She hopes/expects to have it for the council’s next meeting. Chris Danielson stated, “I just want everybody to have a great Ag Days, because we all know what we went through last year.”
The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, August 23 at 6 p.m., at city hall. The public is welcome.
Leave a Reply