CITY OF CLAREMONT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
7:00 P.M.
A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Claremont, Minnesota was held on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at Claremont City Hall.
Members present: Mayor Tasha Dahl, City Council Members Jacob Klejeski, Krystal Sultze, and Deb Ellis. Council Members absent: Ryan Hedberg.
City staff and others present: City Administrator Elizabeth Sorg, Maintenance Director Casey Dahl, City Attorney Mark Rahrick, City Engineer Derek Olinger, Matt Durand, Bryon Wolf, Alec Vaughn, and Donna Gregory.
AGENDA
Motion by Klejeski to approve the agenda, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC INPUT
Alec Vaughn wanted to mention 3 things. His neighbor has a large mural on his fence that faces Vaughn’s house which he feels is directed to him and devalues his property. He requested the council review the ordinances. He also stated he has ruts in his yard and ditches from the houses being moved in and would like them repaired. His 3rd issue was the old electric poles in his yard. The company put new ones in but didn’t hook up the utilities to them yet and didn’t take the old poles out. Mayor Dahl stated council can’t make formal decisions on issues from public input, but she did say they are aware of the fence mural, the ruts will be looked into, and the poles are not city property. He can call the electric company about the poles, but someone thought that they are installing new poles currently and probably will be hooking them up then removing the old ones.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Consent Agenda consisted of: Minutes of the August 6, 2024, Regular City Council Meeting and Minutes of the August 26, 2024, Special City Council Meeting. Motion by Klejeski to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Ellis. Motion carried unanimously.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
Nothing at this time.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Motion by Klejeski to approve the financial reports, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Ellis to approve the amended list of bills to be paid, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.
PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE
Nothing at this time.
PLANNING & ZONING COMMITTEE
Nothing at this time.
EDA
Matt Durand with Arden Homes stated the 3 houses have been moved in. In September they will close on 2 of them. The Extension Agreement between him and the City expired August 31 and he is asking for an extension to get them finished. Motion by Ellis to approve a 3-month extension for Arden Homes, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously. Durand stated he would check on the ruts and see what he can do.
MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT
Nothing at this time.
PARKS COMMITTEE
A dedication ceremony for Harmer Park will be set up in the spring when the field will be ready to be used.
PEOPLESERVICE
Their monthly reports were in the packet.
CITY ENGINEER
The soil borings and sewer televising were completed. The purpose of the sewer televising was to check out the source of the larger, 8-inch sewer line into the East Street main on the north ditch of 3rd Street. Due to the pipe condition and thick sediment, they think the line was used temporarily during the 1995 sewer replacement project and should have been disconnected and sealed. During the street project they will excavate the line and once identified, disconnect and seal the line.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT
The council will hold a public hearing on the 2025 budget and levy on Tuesday, December 3 at 7:00 p.m.
The bricks are disintegrating, and the concrete is disappearing from an area on the outside wall of City Hall. Staff will contact the building official and get quotes to repair it.
CITY ATTORNEY
City Attorney Mark Rahrick drafted an Order to allow the city to abate the public nuisance at 300 E Front Street and remove the dilapidated garage because it is a public safety hazard. Once Mr. Stein has been served the Order, he can respond with a plan to take care of the issues, or the city will hire a company to take care of the violations and assess the cost to the property. Motion by Ellis to move forward with the Order for 300 E Front Street, second by Klejeski. Motion carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
Mayor Dahl and Administrator Sorg were present for another zoom meeting with the 4 cities regarding the DCA EMS Special Taxing District/Joint Powers Board. As drafted currently, the taxing district would allow 1 council member of each city to be on the board and have a vote. Kasson is insistent on having more than 1 member/1 vote on the board. Dodge Center would allow Kasson to have more than 1 vote, Mantorville had no input and Claremont City Council said equal votes for all cities. The cities will be meeting again on September 19th and hope to finalize the draft of the Joint Powers Board. After discussion, two council members are not in favor of any city getting more than 1 vote, two council members didn’t want to lose the ambulance service but also didn’t want any city to get more than 1 vote.
NEW BUSINESS
Bryon Wolf with Claremont Insurance Agency went over the city insurance policy renewal. The 2025 premium is $32,301. Motion by Sultze to approve the insurance renewal, second by Ellis. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Mayor Dahl to not waive the tort limit, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.
In July, an investment matured and was cashed in to make bond payments. Administrator Sorg recommended the city invest $225,000 into a 6-month money market account with Ameriprise Financial as they have the best interest rate available currently. Motion by Sultze to approve the investment, second by Ellis. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Klejeski to approve the 2025 Contract Between City and Council to Provide Law Enforcement Protection, second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.
Klejeski got prices for a new tractor and 12’ mower which was approximately $74,000. It would have been nice to have to get the mowing done faster but since a new maintenance worker will be starting next week another truck is needed first. Motion by Klejeski to have the Maintenance Director purchase another truck for no more than $30,000, second by Ellis. Klejeski amended the motion to have the Administrator approve the purchase also, second by Ellis. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Ellis to adjourn the meeting at 8:14 p.m., second by Sultze. Motion carried unanimously.
ATTEST:
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Elizabeth Sorg, City Administrator Tasha Dahl, Mayor
