On June 12, the Caledonia City Council accepted the recommendation from Police Chief Kurt Zehnder and Sergeant Jim Stemper to accept the insurance settlement of $22,150 and keep the damaged squad car as a backup.
According to the staff report, “In April a police department squad car received damage in a snow related crash, it was a single vehicle crash, and nobody was hurt. Insurance adjusters concluded that the repairs exceeded the actual cash value, and the vehicle was totaled.”
The report goes on to explain, “The police department recommends making some repairs to the vehicle and keeping it in service. If the city keeps the vehicle and makes repairs, the city receives $22,150. If the vehicle is forfeited the city receives $25,000. Staff believe the $2,850 difference is not worth losing a police department vehicle until the new squad is delivered sometime later this year. An undated estimate was received last month for partial repairs of $6,427.43. In order to be made whole, the city also needs to receive enough from the settlement to cover the trade-in value quoted in the squad car order placed last summer of roughly $8,000.”
Mayor DeWayne (Tank) Schroeder called the regularly scheduled meeting to order at 6 p.m. Schroeder led his fellow council members and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. The council approved the agenda as presented and the minutes from the May 22 regular city council meeting.
All five council members were in attendance: Robert (Bob) Klug, Amanda Ninneman, Mayor Schroeder, David Fitzpatrick and Ryan Stenzel.
In one unanimous vote the council approved the consent agenda including payments and disbursements, the EMS and Parks & Rec committee reports, a temporary liquor license for American Legion Post 191 for a fundraising benefit on Saturday, August 5, and a pay request from Wapasha Construction Company in the amount of $504,965.27 for work performed at the wastewater treatment facility.
In addition to presenting his own report, Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson updated the council on the public works department as Director Casey Klug was not present. Dickson noted that there will be more street closures in the next couple of weeks and even more once the county’s parking lot project starts on June 20, the sewer plant project continues to move forward, and a number of nuisance letters have been sent out. In addition, the city’s cannabis license ordinance goes into effect on August 1 and all insurance claims from the Spring Grove fire have been closed out. Dickson added that he is working on scheduling a planning committee meeting before the next city council meeting and that the city will be advertising for a part-time police officer.
The mayor thanked Dickson for an excellent job summarizing the 2023 legislative session. Highlights of legislative session that affect the city include the bonding bill in which the city’s one piece of legislation did not make it past committee, the new paid family medical leave, legalization of adult use cannabis, an increase in the annual Local Government Aid (LGA) from $1,085.572 to $1,204,544, funding for street aid in the amount of $22,662, and a one-time public safety aid payment of $124,320. It was noted in Dickson’s written report that these amounts are estimates only but drastic changes to the amounts are not anticipated.
The council entered closed session at 6:32 p.m. to perform the annual review of the city clerk/administrator. The coucil moved to advance Dickson to step 3 on the pay scale.
In other business, the council:
•Approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Operating Engineers Local 49. The MOU updates the list of holidays which now includes June 19, 2023. Juneteenth was declared a state holiday by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2023 session.
•Reviewed the overtime report for May 15 through May 29. No action is required.
•Adjourned the meeting at 6:58 p.m.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, June 26, at 6 p.m. at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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