PELICAN RAPIDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES DECEMBER 10, 2024

Call to Order
Mayor Frazier called the regular City Council meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 in Council Chambers, City Hall.
Roll Call of Members
Clerk-Treasurer Danielle Harthun conducted a roll call verifying the presence of Council Members Steve Strand, Kevin Ballard, Curt Markgraf, Steve Foster and Mayor Brent E. Frazier.
Staff present: Administrator Lance Roisum, Clerk-Treasurer Danielle Harthun, Police Chief Todd Quaintance, and Street and Parks Superintendent Brian Olson.
General Attendance: Don Perrin, Shelley Gummeringer, Steve Nelson, Patrick Patterson, Lou Hoglund from the Pelican Press
Welcoming Remarks
Mayor Frazier welcomed everyone present and those joining via Zoom. He noted the meeting would be broadcast on the Pelican Rapids YouTube channel and on channel 14 on Wednesday evening.
Announcements
Mayor Frazier announced upcoming events and meetings.
Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Frazier led those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Citizen's Comments
Mayor Frazier asked if anyone was present for citizen's comments not on the agenda. Seeing none, he moved on.
Additions / Deletions to Agenda
Mayor Frazier proposed the following changes to the agenda:
• Delete item 4c: Staff reports (including financial report)
• Add item 4f: Outdoor sales lot, Jovanny Zavala Martinez
• Add bullet point "Notice of Decision" to item 9a
• Add item 16: Comp time payout
Foster moved to approve the agenda with the changes, seconded by Ballard. The motion carried unanimously.
Approval of Consent Agenda
Mayor Frazier read the items on the consent agenda:
• Approval of council minutes from November 26, 2024
• Approval of Accounts Payable Listings
• 2025 Board of Review and Equalization meeting set for April 10, 2025, at 2 PM
• Gambling permit for Pheasants Forever on February 15, 2025, at VFW
• 2025 licenses for Johnson Auto Connection Outdoor Sales, Shad Hanson, Mr. Plumber, and Giovanni Zavala Martinez outdoor sales lot
Ballard moved to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Foster. The motion carried unanimously.
Street Report
Street Superintendent Brian Olson thanked outgoing council members for their years of support. Streets are being scraped and sanded, and large amounts of sand have been used, especially for the horse parade. They await a MnDOT response on downtown crosswalk signs. The ice rink is being flooded for opening, and the pool, nearly complete, is winterized. They are advertising for an aquatics director and will soon seek lifeguards. Council members inquired about ice skating, downtown snow removal, and the Peteyville storage unit. Brian noted that ice skating is managed by the school; downtown snow removal is adjusting to challenges, and no updates on the storage unit.
Strand moved to approve the street report, seconded by Foster. The motion carried unanimously.
COLA Increase
City Clerk Danielle Harthun explained the proposed 3% cost of living increase for non-union employees in 2025, matching the police union contract.
Foster moved to grant the 3% increase, seconded by Ballard. The motion carried unanimously.
Street Vacation Resolution
City Administrator Lance Roisum presented Resolution 2024-20 regarding the vacation of 5th Avenue Southwest. Steve Nelson, a property owner, explained his request to vacate the street to provide guaranteed access for potential buyers of his back lot. Council members discussed concerns about ensuring continued access if the street is vacated.
Foster moved to adopt Resolution 2024-20 a Resolution Setting a Public Hearing on the Proposed Vacation of a Portion of Highland Avenue SW and a Portion of SW 5th Avenue. The public Hearing will be on January 28, 2025 at 4:30 pm. Seconded by Markgraf. The motion carried unanimously.
Leachate Contract
Lance Roisum presented the updated leachate contract with Clay County, noting a 5% increase in the price charged for leachate disposal, from $49.50 to $52.00 per 1,000 gallons. He explained this increase would help cover potential new costs related to PFAS testing regulations.
Markgraf moved to approve the new contract with the price increase, seconded by Foster. .The motion carried unanimously.
Administration of the Wetland Conservation Act Resolution
Lance Roisum presented Resolution 2024-21 to update the city's authority to administer the Wetland Conservation Act. He explained the need for this update due to recent wetland delineations in the city.
Ballard moved to adopt Resolution 2024-21 a Resolution Regarding the Administration of the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act, seconded by Foster. The motion carried unanimously.
Approve General Fund Budget
Lance then presented the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act notice of decision, summarizing the technical evaluation panel's findings on recent wetland delineations.
Markgraf moved to approve the notice of decision, seconded by Strand. The motion carried unanimously.
Library Report
Hire Library Director: Lance Roisum announced the recommendation to hire Marie Schwirian as the new Library Director at step 1 of the wage scale with the 3% COLA increase, starting at $30.20 per hour on January 2. He also recommended year 2 of the vacation schedule, granting 80 hours of vacation in the first year.
Foster moved to hire Marie Schwirian at step 1 with step 2 for the vacation schedule, seconded by Strand. The motion carried unanimously.
Administrative Contract with Otter Tail County HRA
Lance Roisum presented the Administrative Contract with Otter Tail County HRA for the Small Cities Development grant. He noted that of the $948,750 grant, up to $123,750 could be used for administrative costs.
Ballard moved to approve the contract with Otter Tail County HRA, seconded by Strand. The motion carried unanimously.
Administrator Report
Administrator Roisum reported that since the last city council meeting he has: worked with the Clerk and Mayor to set the agenda and prepped for the council meeting, met with Apex Engineering about the deck drains storm sewer pipe installation at the pool, met with the City Attorney about the Industrial Park lots and the Unique Addition street transfer, attended the Otter Tail County Community check in meeting, worked with Corey Bang from Clay County Solid Waste on the updated Leachate Contract, met with the Mayor and Foster to complete performance evaluation, met with the new Library Director, completed a few online training sessions about the Water Conservation Act, met with Steve Hofstad of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and worked on the needed paperwork for the wetland delineations, met with Arvig about the City’s phone system and the Library phone system, attended a leadership webinar hosted by the Department of Labor and Industry and met with Jordan, Brian, and Apex Engineering about the NW development area.
Mayor Report
Mayor Frazier reported that since the last city council meeting, he has; submitted weekly columns to the Pelican Press, visited with area businesses and non-profits, conducted the City Administrator’s annual performance evaluation on December 5 with Foster, received the NPDES/SDS Permit on December 5 which will expire on November 30, 2029, attended the Immigration Legal Assistance Seminar at the Library on December 6, met on December 9 with the Administrator to plan the agenda for this meeting and distributed toys on December 9 at Viking Elementary School with Landwehr Construction, Inc. employees.
Comp Time Payout
Danielle Harthun presented the comp time payout request for three employees: herself (72 hours), Sam Holmes (58 hours), and Jeff Stadum (63 hours). She explained the reasons for the high comp time accumulation, including staff shortages and training periods.
Markgraf moved to approve the comp time payout for the three employees, seconded by Strand. The motion carried unanimously.
TNT Public Hearing
Mayor Frazier opened the hearing at 6:00 p.m. and reminded the council that, per state statutes, no motions can be made during the hearing. Danielle Harthun reviewed the budget, noting a previous 16.07% increase was reduced to 9.68% by using $80,000 from reserves; however, this tactic might not be sustainable annually due to ongoing pool payments. The council assessed city reserves. Don Perrin inquired about the total annual budget, confirmed by Lance Roisum as $2,448,000. Patrick Patterson from Swan Circle raised concerns about rising property taxes over the last 12 years, contrasting with declining county taxes. Roisum attributed this year's increase mainly to the new swimming pool debt service and reiterated the planned use of $80,000 from surplus to lessen the tax hike. The council closed the hearing and reconvened to approve the 2025 general budget.
Approve General Fund Budget
Markgraf moved to use $80,000 from the general fund to reduce the tax increase, seconded by Ballard. This will set the Tax Levy for $938,216 and the Special Levy for $433,866 for a total 2024 levy of $1,372,102. The motion carried unanimously.
Adjourn
Strand moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:18 p.m., seconded by Markgraf. The motion carried unanimously.

Danielle Harthun, 
Clerk-Treasurer
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