The Canton City Council heard an alternative proposal for the water meter replacement project at their regular meeting on November 9.
Canton resident Robroy Kelly was present at the meeting to ask the council to consider an alternative type of water meter when they replace the existing meters. He explained to the council that he had visited Stockton, Minn., a local town that has made the decision to use the type of meter he was proposing, and spoken with the city clerk who has done a lot of research for the project. He provided information sheets and bids, as well as a sample meter, to share with the council.
The water meter proposed by Kelly is a flowIQ® 2100 made by Kamstrup. He stated that they are extremely accurate and very low flow and that the cost is comparable to, if not lower than, the customary type of meter. He claimed that there would be many benefits, including long life span, flexibility in the way they can be set and a remote meter reader.
Kelly went on to say that he is able to get two of these meters and a reader if the city is interested in trying it. The council discussed and decided that they would be willing to install the sample meters to try it out through the winter. This will give the city time to firm up the numbers to see what it would actually cost and also give Public Works Manager Jon Nordsving time to look into it. The city plans to make a decision on which type of meter to use in time for the project to move forward in the spring.
2017 budget
Mayor Donivee Johnson and City Clerk Lolly Melander informed the council that they had been working on the budget and the increase was down to 4% with the numbers available at the time. Although there was a significant decrease, several additional expenses had been included in anticipation of next year’s needs.
The S10 pick up that Nordsving uses will need to be replaced in the near future, so $4,500 was added to the 2017 budget to help cover it. Also, since the city would be responsible if the fire department were to be unable to pay their bills, the amount of that obligation was included in the budget. If the fire department pays all their bills as expected, it will leave a little extra room in the budget.
The council approved a motion to increase the fringe benefits for the city’s employees and that cost was also included in the updated budget. The employees, Nordsving and Melander, are each paid $200 per month to offset the cost of health insurance, an amount that was set many years ago. The council increased the benefit to $300 per month for next year.
Since the budget increase was already cut in half from 8% last month, Councilmember Charlie Warner suggested moving it back up to 4.5%. It amounted to a little over $5,000 that could be put back into the budget and still leave the city in good shape. After discussing, the council agreed and allocated the additional funds to street repairs, which had previously been budgeted for $20,500. Bills are still coming in, so the budget will likely change again next month before being finalized for 2017.
Other business
Mayor Johnson reported that there has been some progress in the city’s attempt to obtain the grassy area next to city hall. She informed the council that she had spoken to County Commissioner Marc Prestby and he told her the board had set a price of $1,600 for the property. Johnson noted that she had looked up the property on the GIS (Geographic Information System) website and thought the price seemed high. The property is 25’ x 60’ and the property taxes are only about $50 -$100 per year. There was some question about debt or taxes owed on the property, but Johnson did not think it could be a very large amount considering the low property tax.
The council denied a request by Whitney and Connor Keene to refund the $200 they paid for the rental of town hall because they had food go bad. Mayor Johnson noted that they had created the problem when they filled a refrigerator with hot food and in any case, the rental contract indemnifies the council from any liability.
The council will hold a special public meeting to certify the election results on Wednesday, November 16, at 6 p.m. at the city hall.
The next regular meeting of the Canton City Council is on Wednesday, December 14, at 7 p.m. at Canton City Hall.
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