At the June 3 meeting, the Rushford Council briefly discussed the resignation of Public Works Supervisor Trenten Chiglo, effective June 13. Chiglo presented the letter of resignation May 28 to City Clerk Mary Miner. The council received a second letter, with requests by Chiglo, ahead of the council meeting on June 3.
“I would like to see if we could table this resignation for tonight until we could get a little more information,” said Mayor Dennis Overland. “We can have the Personnel Committee bring information to Trenton as a counteroffer.”
“I can’t go along with what he gave us today,” added Councilor Rick Ruberg.
“I think it would be prudent to table until we could discuss it,” said Councilor Bob Hart, who is part of the Personnel Committee, along with Ruberg.
Chiglo was hired by the village January 19, 2021. In April 2022, Chiglo submitted a similar resignation after being offered a job elsewhere. At that time, the village was able to provide a counteroffer, including a step up in pay grade, which Chiglo was amenable to and he stayed on. The council had discussed how Chiglo had earned his Water Class D certification, gotten his Commercial Driver’s License, and was on track to get his sewer certification that fall. This past March, the council approved seeking an additional part-time Public Works employee for 10-20 hours per week for up to six weeks to help lessen the department load.
The council set a special meeting on Wednesday, June 11 at 7 p.m. to decide on the matter.
In other news, the village has set two public hearings for ordinance changes. The first, Liquor Ordinance #20, is set for July 1 at 6:40 p.m. The hearing for Gambling Ordinance #21 is set for the same night, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
City Attorney Joe O’Koren provided the council with a draft ordinance for each and the council unanimously approved the draft as presented.
Clerk Miner did ask for a few clarifications ahead of the approval. These included who would set the limit on the number of licenses the village could issue, the application form, how to handle the potential serving, but not sale of liquor at business events, insurance, and fees.
According to O’Koren, the state will set the maximum number of licenses granted by a formula based on village population. The village will issue and track the licenses until the maximum number is reached. The application form will be pulled from the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) available forms and be modified for Rushford Village needs. In regards to hospitality liquor service, businesses serving liquor at events will need to obtain a separate permit for consumption and display. Liquor being served at the Village Hall will still require notice on the rental application and additional insurance obtained by the renter from the LMC. At private functions, businesses would seek their own insurance coverage, but provide the village with proof of liability. The village may set whatever fees it wants for liquor licenses, but the intention is not to see revenue, but rather to cover administrative costs.
The gambling ordinance will see a similar set up.
“I don’t know if anyone has ever asked about this, but they go hand in hand,” said O’Koren.
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Director of Philanthropy Aaron Johnson was present at the meeting to discuss the organization’s work in Fillmore County. In the last three years, $463,764 has been invested in the county through grants, loans, and programming. Areas of improvement include early childhood learning and care, business support, and encouraging community vitality. For every $1 that is invested in SMIF, Johnson stated the $32 come back to Fillmore County communities in various ways. Examples included Semcac Early Start, the Rural Entrepreneurial Venture Program, and assistance to cities’ Economic Development Authority. Last year, SMIF provided roughly $12,000 to the village through the Taylor Rural Improvements Grant for upgrades to the park for safety and ADA-compliance.
“There’s a lot of good work that we’re doing here in the area,” said Johnson.
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