During its regularly scheduled monthly meeting, the Whalan City Council announced the newly elected city officials. In the two year, mayoral seat is Marlys Tuftin. New council members include Owen B. Lewis – four year term, Kim Berekvam – two year term and Wyatt Berekvam – two year term.
Motion by Johnson, second by Smith, to accept the results of the election. Motion carried.
Councilmembers who will be ending their service are Mayor Rory Berekvam and Councilmembers Margaret Chiglo, Johnny Halvorson and John Smith. Councilmember Everett Johnson continues his term as council member.
Minutes
Minutes from the October 10, 2016 meeting were read by City Clerk Lolly Melander. Motion by Johnson, second by Chiglo, to accept minutes as read. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report
Expenses for the month totaled $10,037.96 which included a bid for tree removal by Norby Tree Service of Mabel, Minn., in the amount of $4,500, as well as payment in the amount of $1,500 for work done by Norby Tree Service in 2015 which was not billed until now. Balance in checking after bills are paid is $67,949.24. Motion by Smith, second by Johnson, to accept treasurer’s report and bills due. Motion carried.
Visitor comments
Owen Lewis informed the council that he will be ordering grills for the park now to take advantage of off-season pricing. The grills will be placed in the park in the spring.
Old Business
City Attorney Terry Chiglo attended the meeting to discuss the city council’s options in regards to an ongoing issue with an unmaintained property. The property is considered a “junk yard” by the council in its current condition.
Chiglo has made numerous attempts to make contact with the homeowner by mail as well as in person by knocking on the door of the residence, which have all been unsuccessful.
The procedure is to see if there are things that appear to be a nuisance on the property. Chiglo states there appears to be “a lot of things” that seem to be unusable on the property in question.
A certified letter was sent to the homeowner on September 14, 2016, giving the homeowner 30 days to come into compliance. There has been no response to the letter.
The process now is the city will have to make a determination on what course the city would like Chiglo to take next. The council will provide Chiglo with a specific list of things that can be done to resolve the matter, which will be included with a certified letter.
The homeowner will be served notice of a public hearing to be held at 5 p.m. on December 12, 2016, which will be 30 minutes prior to the regular monthly meeting. The homeowner will be notified by certified mail and a notice will also be posted on the homeowners door.
The council will provide Chiglo with a specific list of things that can be done to resolve the matter, which will be included with the certified letter. During the hearing, the homeowner will have a chance to object to the council’s decision to move forward with legal proceedings and to create a schedule for the property to be cleaned up.
Chiglo informed the council that as this matter progresses he will be “taking a little trip” around Whalan to look at any other properties that may not be in compliance, as everyone must be treated equally.
The council discussed a building permit for Butch Culbertson to put up a fence. In order for the council to be clear on the placement of the fence in accordance with required set-backs, the council will meet on the Culbertson property on Tuesday, November 15 at 5:15 p.m. and open the public council meeting to discuss the subject of the building permit only and will then adjourn the meeting immediately.
New Business
The Whalan Taste of the Trail Committee has closed its account, with the city taking over the funding, and put $801.47 into the City of Whalan account to go towards the restoration of the town hall. The current balance in the account stands at $2,801.47.