Bellechester City Council Meeting Minutes
December 20, 2023 @ 6:00PM
Regular City Council Meeting was called to order by Mayor Jody Gordon at 6:03 p.m.
Pledge to the flag.
Roll call was taken: The council in attendance: Mayor Jody Gordon, Council people Rich Majerus, Kyle Blattner, Mark Gerken, Jered Buxengard as well as City Clerk Lisa Redepenning and Engineer Matt Mohs. Ross Lexvold from Xcel Energy as well as Jesse Fox were also present. Treasurer Kyle McKeown was absent.
Minutes of November 15, 2023 regular meeting minutes were reviewed and motion was made by Rich Majerus with a second by Kyle Blattner to approve the minutes. Motion carried.
Minutes of November 21, 2023 special meeting minutes were reviewed and motion was made by Rich Majerus with a second by Kyle Blattner to approve the minutes. Motion carried.
Bills were reviewed and a motion by Kyle Blattner with a second by Mark Gerken to approve and pay the bills as presented. Motion carried.
Motion was made by Rich Majerus with a 2nd by Kyle Blattner to close the regular council meeting. Motion carried.
Mayor Gordon closed the regular council meeting at 6:05.
Motion was made by Rich Majerus with a 2nd by Mark Gerken to open the public hearing on sanitary sewer project. Motion carried.
Mayor Gordon opened the public hearing at 6:05.
Open Public Hearing – Duplicate of June, 2021 Hearing about Sanitary Sewer Project - Matt explained the project and public hearing objective. Sewer goal is to line all the clay pipe mains and services to the right of ways as well as adjust some manholes to reduce infiltration and inflow. Water meters are also a part of this project. The sewer project plans are approved. The city is waiting on clearance to proceed with bidding the sewer lining project. With no residents in attendance, public hearing is completed.
Motion was made by Mark Gerken with a 2nd by Jered Buxengard to close public hearing. Motion carried.
Mayor Gordon closed the public hearing at 6:15.
Motion was made by Rich Majerus with a 2nd by Kyle Blattner to open regular council meeting Motion carried.
Mayor Gordon opened the regular city council meeting at 6:15.
Old Business:
• Sewer Project Update – plans and specs hope to be presented next month along with putting out a quote to start this project. Water meters finalization will be addressed too so we can move forward on this.
New business:
• Xcel Energy Franchise Agreement – discuss and approve. Maintenance of poles was brought up. An assessment of the utility poles is asked. 2020 a test was done on each pole by Xcel. 8 poles were replaced in 2021 due to this. We will get Ross an inventory of poles that should be addressed. Motion was made by Kyle Blattner and a 2nd by Rich Majerus to approve the 20 year agreement renewal that was presented by Xcel. Motion carried.
• Building Permit – Storage Unit – Jesse Fox. Building permit was presented to council for a placement of a temporary storage unit on a property. Per our city ordinance, it needs to have siding on it. Motion was made by Kyle Blattner with a 2nd by Rich Majerus to approve the storage unit on a temporary basis and owner has until 6/1/2024 to side or move it. Motion carried.
• 2024 Sewer Rate Increase – discuss. Other city rates were looked at and with our sewer project Council discussed a $2.00 rate per household increase for both water and sewer. Motion was made by Rich Majerus with a 2nd by Kyle Blattner to increase both water and sewer base rates by $2.00 each. Motion carried.
Engineer Report – See above
Clerk Report – Land Purchase from Wabasha County – I checked on Wabasha County Property site and we are listed as owner of the property, although I have not gotten confirmation from them yet that the transfer is complete. 2nd Half Property Taxes – both counties payments were received, Goodhue of $24,984.18 and Wabasha County $6424.28. 2022 Special Assessments have been also paid.
Nuvera – is charging us $6.95/month to have our email remain with them. I am checking with our website provider to see if we can get one that has the same ending as our website (@bellechestermn.com). 1st Quarter 2024 Utility Bills – will be sent last week of December.
Municipal Impact – (Our website provider) indicated that 2024 prices will increase from $605 to $665 per year – FYI. Election Training – FYI – I will be starting my training for the 2 counties in the 1st quarter of 2024. Galvanized Line Inventory – Matt indicated the following properties that have galvanized water service piping coming from floor/wall into the house: 508 1st Street, 108 Chester Avenue, 201 Chester Avenue, 207 Chester Avenue, 306 Chester Avenue, 307 1st Street, 308 Great Western Avenue, 505 2nd Street, 610 2nd Street & 215 Adam Avenue
Treasurer Report – None
Water/Wastewater/Facility Report – None
Mayor Concerns: None
Council Concerns: An offer was made to have our water results looked at to see if any adjustments can be made.
Adjourn
Motion was made by Rich Majerus with a second by Kyle Blattner to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 6:55. Motion carried.
Submitted by Lisa Redepenning – City Clerk
Goodhue County Board of Equalization meeting for 2024 will be held on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 4:30 pm at the Bellechester Community Center
