Meeting Minutes for September 20, 2010
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
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; John Backman, Sergeant ; Rod Flannigan, City Engineer; and Jerry D. Kujala, Zoning Administrator.
It was moved by Skalko and seconded by Prebeg that the consent agenda be approved as follows:
1. Approve the minutes of the September 7, 2010, regular meeting as submitted.
2. Approve the minutes of the September 7, 2010, Closed Committee-of-the-Whole meeting as submitted.
3. 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.
4. To acknowledge the receipts for the period September 1-15, 2010, totaling $139,766.51, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
5. To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period September 1-15, 2010, totaling $413,554.19, (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Prebeg, yes; Zupancich, yes; Stanaway, yes; Roskoski, no; and Skalko, yes.
During the public forum, Jerry D. Kujala, Zoning Administrator, was present and informed the Council that, during the summer, he had received several complaints from citizens regarding their neighbors changing the drainage patterns to adversely affect them. The City Attorney researched the statutes and said that this issue is between the affected parties and the City should not get involved with these issues.
Also during the public forum, Jerry Kujala addressed the Council regarding an issue in the West Virginia area where a fence was constructed on City property. The Zoning Administrator advised the residents that the fence would have to be taken off of City property and they asked if they could appeal the directive. The Council advised the Zoning Administrator to bring the issue back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation.
The Mayor updated the Council on the following:
– Mesabi Daily News Unsigned Onions: He said that he dislikes addressing the unsigned onions, but he does not like to have incorrect information printed in the newspaper. He said the City did not set the preliminary levy at the maximum amount of 19.5%, the Council voted to set the preliminary levy at 5% and the Council would strive to set the final levy with no levy increase, if possible.
– Matt Niskanen. Said that he is a 2005 Mountain Iron-Buhl graduate and he has signed a two year contract extension with the Dallas Stars. The Mayor wished him good luck during his forth year with the NHL.
– D. J. Winfield. Said that he is a 2006 Mountain Iron-Buhl graduate and is currently playing on the UMD Bulldogs Football team. The Mayor said that he was just named the Conference Player of the Week. The Mayor wished him luck during his third year with UMD.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Roskoski to appoint Harriet Scinto to serve as an Election Judge for the November 2, 2010, General Election. The motion carried.
The Administrator updated the City Council regarding the Community Development Block Grant applications. He said that the Downtown Mountain Iron alley project does not qualify for the grant because it is considered maintenance. He said that he submitted grant applications for Locomotive Park and the sidewalk by Raintree Apartments.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Stanaway to approve the monumental signage for Locomotive Park provided that the corrections, recommended by the Minnesota Historical Society, are made. After some discussion, Zupancich withdrew his motion and Stanaway withdrew his support.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Stanaway to accept the recommendation of the Safety Committee and approve the 2010-11 Safety Management program contract (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote.
Councilor Roskoski questioned the City Attorney regarding multiple Councilors attending other Board and Commission meetings. He asked the Attorney what procedure the City Council would need to complete to allow Councilors to speak when there is a quorum present at the board and commission meetings. The City Attorney stated that the Council would have to adopt a policy to post the meeting notices, if the Council decided to allow this.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Zupancich to authorize payment request number three to C & C Winger for the Locomotive Park Landscaping Project in the amount of $13,680. The motion carried on the following roll call vote: Stanaway, yes; Roskoski, no; Prebeg, yes; Zupancich, yes; and Skalko, yes.
It was moved by Zupancich and seconded by Roskoski to award the bid for the Energy Park Development, Phase III, to Hibbing Excavating Incorporated for their low bid of $177,013.80. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Skalko to authorize the City Engineer to call for bids on the Gravel Access Road Improvement Project to the rail yard on Canadian National property with the funding for this project coming from a grant and businesses. The motion carried.
It was moved by Prebeg and seconded by Skalko to waive the building rental fees for the use of the Mountain Iron Community Center for the Virginia Girls Swim Team, which also includes Mountain Iron members, on December 12, 2010. The motion carried.
At 7:12 p.m., it was moved by Skalko and seconded by Zupancich that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried.
Submitted by:
Jill M. Anderson, CMC
Municipal Services Secretary
www.mtniron.com
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Saint Louis County Assessor, forwarding a notice for training for the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, in Cotton.
