Fire department bylaws were a main topic of discussion during the regular meeting of the Wykoff City Council held on December 11, with all members in attendance (Rocky Vreeman, Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett, and Richard Gleason).
Wade Baker, representing the fire department, said, “It’s been a pretty busy month. We’ve had six calls in 15 days.” He said thankfully there were no injuries. He added that at the most recent meeting, the crew held elections of officers and made a change to their constitution. Mayor Williams questioned whether these were done according to their bylaws, including posting proposed changes 30 days ahead, and having a vote by ballots (rather than by raising hands).
Baker said the proposed change was announced at the previous meeting. Williams replied, “I think it should be done the right way.” Baker said, “We can do that.” There was also significant discussion of the radius within which all Wykoff firefighters must live. The documentation showed a radius rule of two miles, but it had been amended (in pen) to five miles at some point. Council members pointed out that this is not the correct way for an amendment to happen. The council and Baker discussed the reasons for having such a radius rule, with Baker stating, “Chatfield just switched to no radius, none,” and he suggested that might be a better system, with each firefighter being evaluated on how quickly and how frequently they are able to respond to fire calls.
Rick Whitney (Peopleservices) gave an update on operations at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), saying it’s in compliance, and that the annual biosolids report has been submitted to MPCA. He also explained that he’s started emptying out the drying bin, but when one dumpster load was removed, at a cost of $1,000, he realized it would probably take three more dumpster loads to finish, so he is seeking a more cost-effective solution. He said often, a farmer will agree to have the material spread on a field, so the city would then only have to pay the cost of hauling it. He will continue working on finding the best solution to get rid of the material for the city.
Nadine Sportsman addressed the council, explaining for a few months she’d had an unknown water leak in a toilet, which gradually got worse and greatly increased her water and sewer bills. She asked if the council could forgive any portion of the increased cost. It was explained that in such cases, the city does not adjust the water cost, but possibly could adjust the sewer portion of the billing. After discussion, and following previous precedent, the council agreed to adjust the sewer bill to reflect average usage for that location.
Marty Walsh, new director of Fillmore County Economic Development, introduced himself to the council, stating, “My main priorities are to provide assistance either to communities that don’t have their own economic development director or their own EDA, and any project that benefits the county at large.” He added that, “As a CEDA employee, we are also the Small Business Administration representative for Fillmore and Houston counties.”
John Eickhoff spoke to the council, on behalf of the first responders. He reported that their current vehicle is 24 years old, and in need of replacement. He said Spring Valley has an ambulance vehicle that they are attempting to sell, but so far have had no offers, so they may donate it overseas if they cannot get a reasonable offer. Eickhoff said Wykoff could perhaps make an offer and pay it off over a period of five years, via a “lease to own” type of contract, and suggested it would be exactly what Wykoff needs, saying, “It’s almost a too good to be true deal.” The council agreed to look into this.
The council reviewed the proposed Employee Discipline form, which would be used for all corrective actions. It was approved for use, beginning January 1, 2018. The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, January 8 at 7 p.m. There will also be a public hearing on Wednesday, January 10 to discuss the proposed zoning map and Minnesota Handbook, which would standardize many of the city’s ordinances and processes.