January 3, 2023 City Council Minutes
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
January 3, 2023
Mayor Anderson called the City Council meeting to order at 6:30p.m. with the following members present: Councilor Ed Roskoski, Al Stanaway, Joe Prebeg Jr., Julie Buria and Mayor Peggy Anderson. Also present were: Craig Wainio, City Administrator; Tim Satrang, Public Works Director; Anna Amundson, Library Director/Special Events Coordinator; Amanda Inmon, Municipal Services Secretary; Alan Johnson, City Engineer; Mark Madden, Fire Department Chief; and SGT Grant Toma, Sheriff’s Department.
City Administrator administered the Oath of Office to Mr. Alan Stanaway City Council member.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Buria the consent agenda be approved as follows:
- Approve the minutes of the December 19, 2022 regular meeting as submitted.
- That the communications be accepted and placed on file and those requiring further action by the City Council be acted upon during their proper sequence on the agenda.
- To acknowledge the receipts for the period December 16-31, totaling $1,166,029.17 (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes),
- To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period December 16-31, totaling $485,788.26 (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried (Yes: Buria, Anderson, Prebeg, Stanaway; No: Roskoski)
Public Forum:
- Loretta Sanders, Downtown Mountain Iron resident, questioned the snow removal schedule for Mountain Iron, specifically around Marble Avenue, stated there is a large amount of slush and snow on the streets as well as several alleys and sidewalks, which still have yet to be removed
The Mayor reported on the following:
- No formal report
It was moved by Buria and seconded by Stanaway to approve the reorganization of the City and appoint Councilor Joe Prebeg, as Deputy Mayor for the 2023 year. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Buria to designate The Trenti Law Firm as the City’s Attorney for 2023 year. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Stanaway to designate Benchmark Engineering as the City’s Engineering Firm for 2023 year. The motion carried.
It was move by Stanaway and seconded by Buria to appoint the Hometown Focus as the official newspaper for the City of Mountain Iron for 2023 year. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski to amend the motion to also include the Mesabi Tribune as the official newspaper for the City for 2023 year. The amended motion failed due to lack of support.
It was moved by Buria and seconded by Roskoski to set the regular City Council meetings for the first and third Mondays of the month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in the Mountain Iron Room. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Stanaway to designate the City’s official depositories as the American Bank, Frandsen Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, US Bank, Twin City Federal, League of Minnesota Cities 4M Fund, Miller Johnson Steichen Kinnard, Inc., Morgan Stanley, Northland Securities, First National Bank of Buhl, and Federal Home Loan Bank, for 2023 year. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Prebeg to re-appoint Sue Tuomela to on the Utility Advisory Board for a 3-year term. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Buria to re-appoint Jon Loeffen to Park and Recreation Board for a 3-year term. The motion carried.
It was moved by Buria and seconded by Roskoski to re-appoint Barbara Fivecoate to the Economic Development Authority (EDA) for a 5-year term. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Stanaway to re-appoint Marcia Bergquist to the Library Board for a 3-year term. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by to contact Daniel Gunderson and Nicole Felten for possible interest in filling any board or commission vacancies. The motion failed due lack of support.
City Administrator:
- Nichols Town Hall insurance finalized, most plans already completed, near future hope is to have specs completed for potential bids
Director of Public Works:
- South Grove Rink open, weekday hours 4:00pm-8:00pm and weekend 1:00pm-8:00pm
- Snowiest December winter in a number years, big thank you to City Crew/Staff for their hard work
- Partnership with Environmental Services Dept. and St. Louis County for bio-solids disposal and extending the life of St. Louis County landfill
- Electrical Dept. developing 5-year plan
- City crew out with snow blower, moving snow in West Virginia and South Grove areas
Library Director/Special Events Coordinator:
- Winter Reading program
- January 4th – February 28th
Sheriff’s Department:
- No formal report
City Engineer:
- No formal report
Fire Department:
- Ended busiest year seen within tenure at Department, 510 calls received last year
- Fire Department having holiday meal as well as Officers business meeting scheduled January 16th
- reestablishing Auxiliary meeting
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by to accept the Fire Department report as presented. The motion failed due to lack of support.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Buria to approve the Surface Lease Agreement as presented with RGGS Land & Minerals, LTD, to extend the term an additional five years with an annual rental fee of $300. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by to publish the Mountain Iron City Council meeting minutes in the official City newspaper for a trial period of six months, and if money is an issue, then City Councilor Roskoski will pay $100 per month from his City Council pay towards the publication fee. The failed due to lack of support.
Discussion ensued regarding publication of minutes within newspapers
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Prebeg to publish the City Council minutes in the official City newspaper for a trial period of six months. The motion failed (Yes: Roskoski, No: Anderson, Prebeg, Buria, and Stanaway).
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Prebeg to have the City Administrator seek preliminary costs on average for a month, for the publication of City Council minutes in the paper. The motion (Yes: Prebeg, Roskoski, No: Anderson, Buria, Stanaway)
At 7:11p.m., it was moved by Buria and seconded by Prebeg that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried (No: Roskoski; Yes; Anderson, Buria, Prebeg, Stanaway).
Submitted by:
Amanda Inmon
Municipal Services Secretary
