Meeting Minutes for April 21, 2008
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
APRIL 21, 2008
Mayor Skalko called the City Council meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. with the following members present: Joe Prebeg, Jr., Tony Zupancich, Alan Stanaway, Ed Roskoski, and Mayor Gary Skalko. Also present were: Craig J. Wainio, City Administrator; Jill M. Anderson, Municipal Services Secretary; Don Kleinschmidt, Director of Public Works; Sam Aluni, City Attorney; John Backman, Sergeant; John Jokinen, Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County; and Rod Flannigan, City Engineering (entering at 6:35 p.m.)
At 6:31 p.m., it was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to recess the regular meeting and reconvene the Board of Review meeting from April 8, 2008. The motion carried.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Wayne Pohia’s property at 8754 Unity Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0070-01487 to $212,400 for a total property valuation of $235,700. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and make no change to the valuation of Mel Anderson’s property at 4971 Highway 7, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0071-03798 with the total valuation remaining at $200,900. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Skalko to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Mary Jo Miettunen’s property at 8739 Fairview Lane, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0055-01450 to $56,400 for a total property valuation of $73,700. The motion carried.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Zupancich to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and make no change to the valuation of Glen Avikainen’s property at 8750 Fairview Lane, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0055-00300 with the total valuation remaining at $75,500. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and make no change to the valuation of Matthew Kishel’s property at 5483 Bluebell Avenue, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0013-00170, with the total valuation remaining at $80,000. The motion carried with Roskoski voting no.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Skalko to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Crystal Yernatich’s property at 8750 Unity Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0070-01484 to $150,100 for a total property valuation of $173,300. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Stanaway to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Ryan Perpich’s property at 8367 Spruce Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0012-00210 to $151,400 for a total property valuation of $169,100. The motion carried with Roskoski voting no.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Skalko to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and make no change to the valuation of Harold McGregor’s property at 4860 Butler Road, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0071-05023 with the total valuation remaining at $157,700. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Skalko to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Ted Erchul’s property at 8762 Unity Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0070-01488 to $166,100 for a total property valuation of $189,400. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Stanaway to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Thomas Nikolanci’s property at 5482 Park Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0070-01325 to $198,900 for a total property valuation of $244,000. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Stanaway to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Getnet Aberra’s property at 5472 Park Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0055-02682 to $173,500 for a total property valuation of $191,200. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to accept the recommendation of the Residential Appraiser for Saint Louis County and lower the building valuation on Marcalene Lenka’s property on Park Drive, Mountain Iron, Parcel Code 175-0055-02705 to $24,600 for a total property valuation of $30,300. The motion carried.
At 6:44 p.m., it was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to adjourn the Board of Review meeting and reconvene the regular City Council meeting. The motion carried.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich that the consent agenda be approved as follows:
1. Add the following items to the agenda:
VI. F. Cable for County Road 7 and Voss Road
X. Approve Employment Agreement with Michael Downs
2. Approve the minutes of the April 7, 2008, City Council meeting as submitted.
3. Approve the minutes of the April 8, 2008, Board of Review meeting as submitted.
4. That the communications be accepted, placed on file, and those requiring further action by the City Council be acted upon during their proper sequence on the agenda.
5. To acknowledge the receipts for the period April 1-15, 2008, totaling $106,289.94, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
6. To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period April 1-15, 2008, totaling $286,766.33, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
No one spoke during the public forum.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to authorize a contribution to the Mountain Iron-Buhl Archery Team for $200 for Jordan Tawyea and Jared Schultz to attend the National Archery tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on May 10, 2008, with the funding expended from the Charitable Gambling Fund. The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich to authorize a $400 contribution to Iron Range Youth in Action to partner with them to go to New Orleans to help build homes for those who lost theirs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with the funding expended from the Charitable Gambling Fund. After further discussion, Skalko amended his motion to increase the donation to $1,000. Zupancich accepted the amendment. The amended motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
The Mayor asked Brianna Forseen, Iron Range Youth in Action Representative, to report back to the Council on the project after their trip.
The City Administrator reported to the Council that the new limit for contribution to cemeteries was increased to $10,000.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich to authorize the additional contribution of $500 to the Calvary Cemetery Association, making the total 2008 contribution $3,000. The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
The Mayor updated the Council on the following items:
– Planning and Zoning-Building Permit Letter. He said that the Planning and Zoning Commission is reviewing the ordinance for possible ordinance revisions to allow a little more flexibility for the residents with regard to the necessity of completing building permit applications.
– Board of Review. He advised the public that all property values in Mountain Iron were increased for 2009 by 6%.
– Recycling Center. He said that there has been problems in the recycling center. He said that there is a lot of garbage being placed at the Center. He advised the public that the Sheriff’s Department will be watching the area for violators. He also said that the City provides this recycling center as a service to the residents and if garbage is continually found there the City Council may close the center.
– SWOP Meetings. He said that the next meeting is May 6th at 5:30 p.m. at the Buhl Public Library. Councilor Prebeg volunteered to attend the next meeting.
– IRR Community Finance & Technical Resource Workshop. He suggested that Council and Staff try to attend the meeting on May 21, 2008. Mayor Skalko, Councilor Roskoski, Councilor Stanaway, and the City Administrator indicated that they would attend.
The City Administrator updated the Council on the following:
– Library Pictures. He said that he has e-mailed copies of the pictures to a couple of College Art Professors to see if there was any value in the pictures.
– Baseball programs. He said that applications to sign up for baseball and softball are available at the City Hall and at the Mountain Iron-Buhl School.
– West Two Rivers Campground. Will be opening before the Fishing opener. Call the City Hall for Campground reservations. The City is also taking applications for the caretaker position to work at the Campground.
– Archery Range. The range should be in place soon and the grant funding expires on June 30, 2008.
Councilor Roskoski questioned why a questionnaire was sent to all Mountain Iron Fire Fighters and the First Responders to respond how the organization is handled. He wondered who authorize the questionnaire to be sent out since the City Council never authorized. The Mayor advised Councilor Roskoski that he had authorized the questionnaire. Councilor Stanaway said that he spoke with the City Administrator regarding the questionnaire and it was completed to get feedback from the Fire Department and the First Responders Members. Councilor Prebeg said that he thought it was a really good idea.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to authorize City Staff to purchase one (1) front mount John Deere mower 1435 for use in the Recreation Department from Five Seasons Sports at the State discount price of $13,212.00. The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Prebeg, yes; Zupancich, yes; Stanaway, yes; Roskoski, no; and Skalko, yes.
The Council reviewed the Sheriff’s Department report for March 2008.
The Sergeant advised the Council that beginning in 2008, the forfeiture income would be returned to the Mountain Iron budget.
Councilor Prebeg questioned the Sergeant on the possible arson fire recently on Mud Lake Road. The Sergeant advised the Council that the matter was currently under investigation with the Fire Marshall.
Councilor Roskoski questioned the City Attorney regarding a previous contribution of two nights Campground for the YMCA Healthy Kids Auction. The City Attorney said that this is a basic bookkeeping transfer from the Charitable Gambling Fund.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Zupancich to authorize Change Order Number One (1) to Utility Systems of America Incorporated for the Unity Addition Phase II Residential Development in the amount of $14,870.00. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Roskoski to accept the recommendation of the Cable Commission and approve and execute the Franchise Agreement with Mediacom, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried.
The following reports were made during the Liaison Reports:
– Economic Development Authority. Councilor Zupancich said that the EDA is waiting for the development agreement from Lake Country Power.
– Personnel Committee. Councilor Prebeg updated the Council regarding the request from the Municipal Services Secretary to attend several conferences.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to accept the recommendation of the Personnel Committee and authorize the Municipal Services Secretary as follows:
– Authorize her to attend the IIMC conference from May 19-23, 2008, on City time.
– To allow the City Administrator to review the agenda’s for the six regional meetings and authorize her to attend on City time at his discretion.
The motion carried with Roskoski voting no.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich to have the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Park as the number one choice for the grant application for the IRR Program. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Skalko to have the South Grove Housing Project (Morgan Park) as the number two choice for the grant application in the amount of $200,000 from the IRR Program. The motion carried with Roskoski and Prebeg voting no.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Prebeg to accept the recommendation of the Director of Public Works and repair the spalling of the roof of the intake room and the fiberglass dome structure at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Stanaway to adopt Resolution Number 18-08, to accept the report and order a hearing for the proposed improvement of Unity Drive, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried with Roskoski abstaining.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Skalko to adopt Resolution Number 19-08, accepting bids for the South Grove Tennis Court Reconstruction Project, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Zupancich to approve the Mountain Iron Comprehensive Plan, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried.
The City Council thanked the Boards, Commissions and City Staff who worked on the Comprehensive Plan.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Skalko to forward the request for cable television access on County Road 7 and Voss Road to the Cable Commission for review and possible implementation. After further discussion, Councilor Roskoski amended the motion to include the Wolf area on County Highway 101 and Butler Road. Skalko supported the amendment. The amended motion carried.
During the open discussion the following items were discussed:
– City Equipment. Councilor Roskoski commented that the City’s snow removal equipment worked very well during the recent snow storm.
– Parkville School. Allen Nelson informed the Council about a passenger bus being parked in front of the Parkville School.
At 7:52 p.m., it was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Skalko to recess the regular meeting and go into a closed meeting to discuss the employment agreement with Michael Downs. The motion carried.
At 8:00 p.m., the closed meeting was convened with the following members present: Joe Prebeg, Jr., Tony Zupancich, Alan Stanaway, Ed Roskoski, and Mayor Gary Skalko. Also present were: Craig J. Wainio, City Administrator; and Don Kleinschmidt, Director of Public Works.
The Council discussed the proposed employment agreement for Michael Downs.
At 8:17 p.m., it was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Zupancich to adjourn the closed session and reconvene the regular meeting. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to offer the proposed employment agreement, as agreed to by the City Council, to Michael Downs. The motion carried with Councilor Roskoski voting no.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich that when the employment agreement with Michael Downs is accepted, that the additional compensation for the City Administrator and the Director of Public Works would cease. The motion carried.
At 8:21 p.m., it was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried.
Submitted by:
Jill M. Anderson, CMC/MMCA
Municipal Services Secretary
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