The Wykoff City Council met in regular session on June 14. All council members were in attendance (Lyle Morey, Richard Gleason, Mayor Al Williams, Ryan Breckenridge, and Barbara Fate). City Clerk Becky Schmidt and Deputy Clerk Luann Hare also attended. No citizens were signed up to address the council on any issues. The council noted that discussion about the proposed four-way stop (at the corner of Pearl and Main Streets) will be tabled for now, and will be on the agenda of the council’s July meeting.
Regarding the issue of delinquent water/sewer bills, Schmidt informed the council that effective August 8, the city will again be allowed to perform “shut offs” if citizens have delinquent accounts. She said Governor Walz’s pandemic emergency orders had previously tied the city’s hands on this issue. But, she predicted, “So come August 8, we’re going to have a lot of unhappy people, but we’ve given them every opportunity” to make arrangements or a payment plan.
Rich Gleason brought up an issue, saying that regarding the enforcement of various ordinances in town, “We have a law enforcement that we contract. If we have an ordinance why can we not contact these people (the sheriff’s department), have them take the pictures, give it to our attorney…?” Schmidt said she’s looked into the possibility of the city having another city attorney specifically to address civil issues, since Mr Corson has stated he simply doesn’t have enough time to pursue these civil matters.
Gleason shared his frustration that the sheriff’s department isn’t doing these investigations, saying, “I’d like some police presence in this town.” Becky Schmidt stated she feels the sheriff’s department has been responsive when the city voices issues. The council consensus was to have the city hire a second attorney for civil issues, and to have the city’s “junk ordinance” be the first issue handled.
Regarding the city’s emergency sirens, Becky Schmidt said she’s recently taken a tour around town with a representative from Ancom, to check the condition of the sirens. She said one of Wykoff’s sirens was recommended to “be in a museum,” and that upgrades were suggested. Schmidt said the city could opt for a new one-way siren controller, which would cost around $6,750 with installation. The other option Schmidt mentioned was for a 130 decibel rotating siren, with remote control, at a cost of roughly $25,500. She added that some CARES Act funding could be accessed to help pay for either option. The council took no action at this time.
The council voted to appoint John Eichoff as Director of the city’s First Responders unit. He then addressed the council, describing his plans to “revitalize, revamp and renew” the unit. When Barb Fate asked how many additional First Responders he’d like to add, Eichoff explained that depends on how available the new staff members would be, based on their other commitments and location.
It was pointed out that MiEnergy and/or New Age Tree Service will soon begin working on line clearance work. They will be trimming tree branches that are interfering with power lines. The work is expected to continue throughout the summer. The statement from MiEnergy included, “Only the pruning of trees will be performed unless the property owner authorizes their removal.”
The council discussed that work being done on the water tower, by Maguire Iron, may result in intermittent water pressure fluctuations. This is also the reason that some hydrants are being flushed currently. The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, July 12, at 7 p.m.
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