DRAFT – These minutes are not official until approved at the next regular City Council meeting.

City of Effie Minutes from January 8th, 2007

Present: All Abesent: None

The newly elected council members and mayor signed their Oath’s of Office.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Motion by Liza to approve the minutes of the last meeting, seconded by Grady, MCU.

Old Business:

Sewer Project: The sewer committee met with Glen Sanders, the Liesch Engineer, before the council meeting to discuss the final design. The cost of the project came in $600,000 more than was projected. Glen came up with a way to save the city $200,000 by switching the 8” gravity feed to a 2” low pressure line. There will be 11 grinder pumps that will eliminate the need for quite a few manholes and a couple of lift stations. Chuck Almhjeld, the Bigfork Public Works superintendent, came to ask Glen a few questions about the system, as well. He is interested in possibly contracting with the City of Effie as an operator. Motion by Grady to approve the final design, seconded by Matt, MCU. The city is applying for a grant from DEED and is required to send out surveys to all households within the city limits. Surveys were mailed out along with a sewer update. The deadline for returning the surveys is January 22nd, as the city needs to turn in the application by February 1st. Also required for this application is a public hearing. Motion by Bill to hold the public hearing on January 29th at 7:00 pm, seconded by Liza, MCU. Glen Sanders as well as Chuck Almhjeld will be invited to attend. Bud Drewlow asked if anyone could speak at the public hearing. Matt replied yes. He again asked if the council would listen with open ears. He then went on to ask if the city had looked at any other systems. Matt replied that the committee had looked at seven different systems. He also asked if the city had thought about hooking up with Bigfork. Matt replied that a cost comparison had been done when the project was in its early stages and that the cost of hooking up with Bigfork would have been more than if Effie built its own system. The sewer committee recently looked at that option again, but after doing some research found that Bigfork would not be ready to increase the size of their ponds for quite awhile. Bigfork Council Member Dick Salmi stated that Bigfork has a failing mound system at the airport that needs to be replaced, and it would benefit both cities to link together. Matt stated that Effie could run the system to Bergquist for cheaper than the current design but it would be too much to run all the way to Bigfork and that Effie would not be able to assist with the cost of enlarging the ponds. Greta Drewlow complained about the lack of information being given to the citizens of Effie. She said that it feels as though the city is trying to hide things. Bud Drewlow said that Tranette had told Chuck Almhjeld not to talk about the system with anyone. She stated that this was true because Chuck had not yet met with the engineer or with the sewer committee and did not know what system the city was going with, as it was constantly changing and also because he is not an employee of the city or a representative for the council. The council talked about how the sewer system has been changing and how they could keep citizens up to date. Two options for updating citizens on the system are Linda Pigman’s web news and Tim Johnson’s Edge website. Bill will speak to Tim about a website. MN Rural Water offers a yearly membership. They will train people for the system, help with rate schedules and emergency response plans, and generally help small cities. The fee is $230. Motion by Grady to pay the membership fee, seconded by Liza. MCU.

Sled Dog Race: The race has been cancelled due to the lack of snow and too much ice. It will be the 2nd weekend in January next year. Liza volunteered to be the city’s representative.

Sale of Old Church: David Olson is asking the council if he can store his property in the Old Church prior to the closing date. Motion by Grady to allow this provided he signs a waiver stating that the city is not responsible for any damage or vandalism, seconded by Liza, MCU.

Rec Area Grant: Matt stated that the well at the Little Dipper went out at a cost of $3100 to the city. Because this well is used for the ball field and the ice rink, he would like this amount to be counted toward the $10,000 needed for the DNR matching grant. Repairs to the ice rink will also be counted toward the $10,000. Motion by Grady to approve, seconded by Liza, MCU. Tranette will let Pam Porter know.

New Business:

Annual Motions: Motion by Matt to use the Western Itasca Review as the city’s official paper, seconded by Grady, MCU. Motion by Matt to appoint Grady as Acting Mayor, seconded by Liza, MCU. Motion by Matt to approve Kent Nyberg as the City Attorney, seconded by Liza, MCU. Motion by Liza to approve Glorvigen, Theis, and Lind as the city’s auditor, seconded by Bill. Motion by Liza to leave the meeting time at 7:00 pm on the second Monday of the month, seconded by Bill. Motion by Matt to appoint Bill as the city’s representative to the NIJPB, with Matt as an alternate, seconded by Grady, MCU. Matt stated that he would like Tom Boland to represent the city at the Hwy 38 Leadership Board. Matt stated that he would be an alternate. Motion by Matt to appoint Liza to the sewer committee, seconded by Grady, MCU. Motion by Matt to appoint Lil and Bill to the ordinance committee, seconded by Liza.

Polling Times Resolution: Grady made a motion to approve the resolution to change the opening of the polls from 7:00 am to 10:00 am, seconded by Liza, MUC.

Other Business:

Horse Camp: Greta Drewlow said that the Saddle Club is very interested in helping with the horse camp. She said that they will be researching it further. It was asked if Tim Johnson would be able to help with writing a grant. Because of the Joint Powers Board shortfall, he may not be able to help. Bill will ask Tim. Greta also stated that the Saddle Club would not be able to provide the upkeep for the horse camp for free. Liza said that the plans are going forward for trails to connect Togo to Effie.

The Joint Powers Board had a shortfall for 2006 and is requesting $350 from the city in addition to the regular yearly fee. Motion by Liza to pay $350 to NIJPB, seconded by Bill, MCU.

Greta Drewlow asked if the city would salt or sand the entrance to the community center. Matt said that last year the city asked the county to salt the parking lot and received a bill for $600. Bill told Tranette to call the state and ask them to take care of it because it is in the right-of-way.

Motion by Liza to pay the bills, seconded by Grady, MCU.

Nuisance Ordinance: Bill asked if there had been anything done with the nuisance ordinance. Matt stated that the ordinance committee will be meeting to discuss ordinances that need updating. Tranette said she had a rough draft of a nuisance ordinance and would give a copy to Bill.

Tile Floor: There was no update on the floor.

Flags: Bill stated that Scott Baker was supposed to drop of the flag but hasn’t yet.

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