During its regularly scheduled monthly council meeting at 5 p.m. on February 11, the Whalan City Council approved giving a donation of $100 to the Lanesboro Post Prom celebration.
Present at the meeting was Mayor Marlys Tuftin, along with Councilmembers Kim Berekvam, Everett Johnson, and Johnny Halvorson, and City Clerk/Treasurer Lolly Melander.
Absent from the council meeting was Councilmember Owen Lewis.
The council meeting was called to order at 5 p.m. by Tuftin. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was recited before the meeting got underway.
The minutes of the January 7 council meeting were read aloud by Melander. With no additions or corrections requested, minutes were accepted as read.
The Treasurer’s Report and Bills Due were read aloud by Melander. Following the addition of several bills that had come in, the treasurer’s report and bills due was approved.
There were no visitor comments at this February council meeting.
Old Business
With no new developments in regards to the Cindy Cresswell electric repair bill, as Cresswell is still awaiting a response from her insurance company as to whether the repair will be covered, the matter was tabled until the March 2019 council meeting. The necessary repair was due to a storm in 2018. The amount of the bill is $1,609.52.
Berekvam gave an update on the City Lodging Tax, which is an agreement between the City of Whalan and the City of Lanesboro. Berekvam requested information on how the lodging tax was spent last year. The information she received in return did not show in detail where the lodging tax went, only how much in total was paid each month in 2018.
Berekvam, who is a liaison between the Lanesboro Chamber of Commerce and the City of Whalan, planned to attend the Chamber of Commerce meeting on February 12, weather permitting, and will request the detailed information the Whalan City Council would like to review.
“Otherwise Whalan has no way of identifying how it benefited our community as far as getting the word out and promoting tourism,” stated Tuftin, adding, “it’s hard for us to evaluate just looking at numbers.”
An update on the city sander was given by Johnson. The repair of the auger and chain is complete, with a total cost of $745. A remote control for the snow plow, which controls the blade moving up and down and turning, was replaced, in the amount of $345.
Halvorson suggested that the snow plow have a flashing light on top of the cab for safety purposes. The council agreed this would be a very good decision. City maintenance worker Randy Berekvam will purchase a flashing light for the plow truck.
New Business
The Rural Fire Department Annual Meeting was held on February 11 at 7 p.m. at the Lanesboro Community Hall. Tuftin planned to attend the event to represent the City of Whalan as long as weather permitted.
The Board of Appeal and Equalization will be at the assessor’s office April 22-25 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. for those who have questions or issues regarding their property taxes. This information is also posted on the bulletin board located outside the Whalan City Hall.
The next regularly scheduled monthly Whalan City Council meeting will be held on March 11 at 5 p.m. at the Whalan City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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