A regular meeting of the Wykoff City Council was held on February 12. Members in attendance were Rocky Vreeman, Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, Deputy Clerk Luann Hare, and Richard Gleason. Mary Sackett and City Clerk Becky Schmidt were absent.
Donna Erdman spoke to the council, saying she was driving in the city on the evening of February 4, and got her car stuck in ice. She brought in the invoice she got for having her vehicle pulled out of the ice, and asked if the city could pay it. Council members said this was an area that was icy because of a water main breakage, near the intersection of Line and Carmona streets. She said no cones or warnings were posted at the time her car got stuck, but that cones were put up while she was stuck there. Council members stated that cones had been put up on Friday, February 2, but someone had apparently taken them away at some point over the weekend. Mayor Williams said he wished the city could help, but the responsibility ultimately falls on each driver. The council agreed that no payment could be offered by the city.
Fiona McClimon addressed the council, saying, “Last fall I moved my leather shop here into town, into my garage. Recently I made a sign and hung it out in front, on the tree in front of the house. And it came to my attention that it might not be to the city’s building rules… Right now the sign is three by two (feet) roughly.” It was pointed out that the city’s ordinance stipulates a maximum size of two feet by one foot. She asked if the council could give her permission to put the sign back up. After discussion, Mayor Williams suggested McClimon might be able to get a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) and should consider bringing her request to the next Zoning meeting on February 22.
Linda Jacobsen asked if the city could adjust her brother’s water/sewer bill, since he’d recently had a water leak on his property. The council agreed to adjust it according to previous precedent, by adjusting the sewer portion of the billing. Lyman Hare addressed the council to say that he feels the city crew has been doing a great job keeping snow cleared off the city streets.
Rick Whitney gave an update on operations at the wastewater treatment plant, saying it is still in compliance. Council members and Whitney discussed the drying bins, and plans to distribute the material that is removed. Whitney said he has a farmer lined up to accept all of the material, once the weather warms up enough that it can be tilled into the fields.
Richard Gleason updated the council on the community’s usage of the “gym walking” and open gym options. He said, “As far as the gym walking in the mornings…we’ve had great turnout.” He said open gym usage has been good as well, and he hopes that if usage continues to be strong, the supervisor positions might become paid positions next winter.
Wade Baker said the fire department currently has three position openings. Mayor Williams shared that the city is seeking a volunteer to help with shredding unneeded documents. After a citizen asked about confidentiality concerns, it was stated that no confidential documents would be handled by volunteers.
The council scheduled a “workshop” meeting on February 21 to continue working on the city’s plans for adopting the Minnesota Handbook. Rocky Vreeman pointed out that since Wykoff’s population is under 500, Wykoff could probably adopt a shorter and simpler “Livable City Code” instead of the code required for larger cities.
The council voted to accept the applications of Amanda Goodman and Randy Mensink to fill two openings on the Zoning Board. Vreeman was the only dissenting vote.
After discussion, the council approved Resolution 2018-2, A Resolution to Recommit Fund Balance. This resolution states in part, that it will recommit certain funds from a number of departments (Clerk & Office, Community Hall, Municipal Building, Street Equipment, Storm Sewer, Park & Boulevard, Athletic, Music, Economic Development, and Emergency Defend) which had been previously committed for various uses in previous years, to the 2018 Street project. Vreeman was the sole dissenting vote.
The council voted to approve staff (Becky Schmidt and Luann Hare) to attend the upcoming LCUA training. A special meeting will be held February 21 to consider adoption of the Minnesota Handbook. The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, March 12 at 7 p.m.