Draft-Minutes are not official until approved by council at the next regular meeting.

City of Effie December 10th, 2007 Minutes

In attendance: Mayor Matt David, Council Members: Liza Erickson, Lil Black, Bill Hastings, & T J Grady See attached for list of community members in attendance.

Motion by Grady to approve the minutes of the last meeting, seconded by Liza, MCU.

Sewer Project: The project is ahead of schedule. Grinder pumps are in. Matt is talking to Midwest Assistance for help with writing ordinances. Rural Development will help with obtaining an operator. On Thursday, the IRRRB will let the city know whether they have awarded a grant to cover individual hook-ups. Grady mentioned that his sewer line had been breached by the construction and asked what would happen if the line freezes and who he should call. Matt asked Lil whether the corner on Summit Ave had been fixed. She stated that it had.

Streetscape: Matt met with the county engineer who suggested writing a letter of interest to improve County Rd 5 from the city limits to the center of town. The improvement would include curbs, gutters, and street lights. Motion by Matt to write the letter of interest, seconded by Liza, MCU.

Hwy 38 Leadership Board: Tom Boland reported that the construction on Hwy 38 from Effie to Bigfork is scheduled for 2008. It’s possible that some other improvements might be made, but nothing has been promised. The road from Pughole to Marcell is the last stretch to be improved and is scheduled for 2030.

Water Plan: Tom also talked about the water plan. He said that the board was appointed by County Commissioners and meets once every 2 to 3 months. The board makes up plans for long range usage. He stated that Itasca County has 1000 lakes of its own and that Itasca County’s plan has been used as a template by the state for other cities. The water quality of this area is great and it is important to maintain that. The goal is to keep everyone satisfied and to keep the resources alive for future generations.

Old School: The windows have been boarded. A leak was found in the roof where water was running in. A piece of flashing was missing. Fred Wass repaired it for $225.

Dave Olson: Liza saw Dave a few weeks ago and told him about the need for him to insure the old church. She got his cell phone number. He told her that he is working on insuring it again. He wants to keep the property but is living and working in the cities. Motion by Grady to send a prorated insurance bill to Dave, seconded by Liza, MCU.

Biofuel: Matt read a letter written from Dean Sedgwick to the city, which read: “Dear Mr. David: Attached please find the news release sent to local papers re: cancellation of the Northome Biomass Plant project and the cover page of the MPCA Air Emissions permit for the project, available on the Minnesota Pollution Control web site. As you can see, the project was cancelled before the expiration date of the permit in February 2006. We would be happy to address any questions you or the council may have, and we would appreciate the opportunity to address these questions before statements are published. We can be reached by email at Sedgwick@itascapower.com or by telephone at (218) 659-2700. Thank you for your support.” He is planning to speak at the January council meeting.

Ordinances: Grady said that he would like to deal with a couple of ordinances. Matt stated that the issue of law enforcement was a problem. Bigfork’s council will be making a decision soon about what they are doing with their police department.

Sled Dog Races: The race is scheduled for January 11th-13th. They should be in Effie between 10 pm Saturday and 6 am Sunday. There will be 40 ten dog teams. 15 hay bales are needed. They are also requesting firewood for a bonfire. The next meeting is scheduled for December 20th in Marcell. It was asked if the American Legion would be opening the community center for the race. Matt said that the racers had said that they didn’t need the community center and that they preferred to stay near the ball park. The Effie Café and Effie Country Service will be open all night.

High Energy: Matt would like to buy compact florescent light bulbs from the REA for $1 each. This month the dollar would go to the food shelf. Motion by Matt to buy 10 bulbs, seconded by Bill, MCU. He stated that the bulbs save $30 for the life of the bulb. Next year he suggested looking into colored florescent bulbs for the Christmas decorations.

Budget: The council had set the preliminary tax levy at $22,000. Matt stated that after reviewing the budget, that in his opinion, a 5% increase from last year was all that was needed. This would raise the levy from $15,000 to $15,750. Motion by Grady to approve the 2008 budget and final tax levy, seconded by Liza, MCU. Tranette explained that the Community Fund obtained its income from the MS Society Pull Tab Tax and any donation/grants obtained. The possible income for this fund for 2008 is $2500. $1000 of this would go towards fireworks, which would leave $1500 for donations and no more.

Rose and Lil suggested a Christmas light contest for next year.

The Girl Scouts wrote a letter to the city thanking everyone for the use of the building.

Community Action Plan: Tom Boland said that the Discovery Center plans were looked at during the last meeting. He said that he and some others were pushing for efficient energy use.

Bills: Motion by Grady to pay the bills, seconded by Liza, MCU. Motion by Grady to approve the Claims Not Formally Approved, seconded by Matt, MCU.

Motion by Matt to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Liza, MCU.