Meeting Minutes for March 07, 2011
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
MARCH 7, 2011
Mayor Skalko called the City Council meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. with the following members present: Joe Prebeg, Jr., Tony Zupancich, Susan Tuomela, 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; and Sam Aluni, City Attorney.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Tuomela that the consent agenda be approved as follows:
1. Add the following item to the agenda:
IV. A. 2. Personnel Committee to contact AFSCME Local Union #453 to begin Contract Negotiations.
2. Approve the minutes of the February 22, 2011, regular meeting as submitted.
3. Approve the minutes of the February 22, 2011, special 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 February 16-28, 2011, totaling $495,219.40, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
6. To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period February 16-28, 2011, totaling $240,086.14, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Prebeg, yes; Zupancich, yes; Tuomela, yes; Roskoski, no; and Skalko, yes.
No one spoke during the public forum.
The Mayor commented on the following items:
– County Road 102. He pointed out some inaccurate information that was published in the Mesabi Daily News regarding the relocation of County Road 102. He read a letter written to Commissioner Nelson on February 9, 2004, by the General Manager of United States Steel regarding not performing any mining activities south of County Road 102 in Parkville for the next 8-10 years.
– Mesabi Daily News 2011 Business and Professional Honor Roll. He pointed out the Mountain Iron businesses that have Virginia mailing address. The businesses were: Z-Tech, North Star Cycle, Northern Community Credit Union, Jim’s Cleaning & Home Maintenance, Cinema 8, Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, B. G.’s, Domino’s Pizza, Great Clips, Precision Testing Incorporated, Perkins Restaurant, L & M Supply, and Auto Value Parts Store.
– Mountain Iron Winter Carnival. He complimented Sally Peterangelo on the carnival that was conducted. He also thanked Dale and Mark Witzman, Steve Morrisette, Steve Johnson, the Mountain Iron Baseball Association, Terry Niska, Steve Heinrich and Terry Knuti for providing the music.
– Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) Dinner. He informed the Council that Governor Dayton would be presenting an award to the City of Mountain Iron and the Mountain Iron Economic Development Authority for the Silicon Energy Project on Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Coates Hotel in Virginia.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg to set a Labor/Management meeting for Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 2:00 p.m., with Councilor Tuomela attending with Councilor Roskoski would be the alternate. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to accept the recommendation of the Personnel Committee and contact AFSCME Local Union #453 to open contract negotiations for their contract that expires on April 30, 2011. The motion carried.
Councilor Roskoski questioned the Administrator if the Valspar Grant was submitted. The City Administrator said that he had applied and requested approximately 30 gallons of paint for the various City projects.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Roskoski to accept the recommendation of the Public Health and Safety Board and appoint Daniel Ronchetti as an EMS for the City of Mountain Iron. The motion carried.
It was moved by Tuomala and seconded by Zupancich to accept the recommendation of the Public Health and Safety Board and advertise in the Hometown Focus for the further recruitment of EMS Members. It was moved by Roskoski to amend the motion to also publish the advertisement in the Mesabi Daily News. The amendment failed for lack of a second. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Tuomela to accept the recommendation of the Public Health and Safety Board and authorize a leave of absence for Dan L’Allier for a period of six months due to an employment conflict with the City of Virginia. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to accept the recommendation of the Public Health and Safety Board and appoint Greg Chad as the Interim Director of the Mountain Iron EMS. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Tuomela to accept the recommendation of the Personnel Committee and forward employment offers to Mr. Curtis Schramm and Mr. Jesse Linder for the Maintenance Positions contingent on passing a background check and physical examination. The motion carried with Roskoski voting no.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Tuomela to adopt Resolution Number 03-11, Transferring Ownership of Lands in the SW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 15, Township 58 North, Range 17 West of the 4th Principal Meridian, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Zupancich to waive the building rental fees for the following:
– Care Partners and the Virginia Servicemen’s Club for April 13, 2011, at the Mountain Iron Community Center
– Spring Firearms Safety Training for Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 15, 2011 through April 7, 2011, at the Mountain Iron Library.
The motion carried with Tuomela abstaining.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Tuomela to authorize Jeff & Greg Properties, Inc. to use their on-sale liquor license to serve alcohol at the Mountain Iron Community Center on March 24, 2011, for the Humane Society Fundraiser. The motion carried.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Tuomela to authorize Jeff & Greg Properties, Inc. to use their on-sale liquor license to serve alcohol at the Mountain Iron Community Center on April 2, 2011, for the Nelimark wedding. The motion carried.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Roskoski to authorize a $500 contribution from the Charitable Gambling Fund to the Summer Work Outreach Project. The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Prebeg to waive the building rental fees for the Mountain Iron Community Center for the Third Annual Iron Range Earth Fest Earth Fest on April 9, 2011. The motion carried.
Councilor Roskoski reviewed the information that was discussed during the Press Conference recently held regarding the County Road 102 re-route with United States Steel Corporation.
During the liaison reports, Councilor Tuomela reviewed the Mountain Iron Library statistics for the months of December, 2010, January, 2011, and February, 2011.
At 7:10 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
Municipal Services Secretary
www.mtniron.com
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Summer Work Outreach Project, a request to partner with them in 2011.
2. Iron Range Earth Fest, a request to waive the building rental fees for the use of the Community Center on April 8th (setup) and 9th (event).
3. U. S. Steel Corporation, a letter (dated-February 2004) notifying the City that they do not anticipate performing any active mining south of County Road 102 in Parkville in the next 8-10 years.
