Main Street plans chug along, January city meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. The council reviewed the agenda and approved it with an added executive session and other item. Minutes were reviewed and approved.

Ashley Geigle was in attendance to give the council an update on the North Dam development meeting that was held on December 18, 2024. At the meeting, they discussed some more on camp sites. They had talked about hiring an engineer to survey the area for proper spacing of the campgrounds. They also discussed bathrooms and walking trails. A GFNP representative is helping with the project and is hoping to spray cat tails and reeds but needs city approval. Also discussed was where to possibly put a dump station for campers. They are hoping to use an honor system for monetary collections. Geigle is looking for approval from the council to move on with this project. Jon Esmay also briefed the council on other items talked about at the meeting such as possibly getting a fish cleaning station and another dock out to the dam. In general there is excitement around having campgrounds at the dam. Also discussed was adding a beach to the North Dam, but they have to identify a proper area to put a beach before can actually move forward with the process of getting a permit for one. This would also be expensive and not possible for quite some time. Council expressed appreciation for the update.

Next, vouchers were reviewed. Krysti briefed the council on a few items, including some membership dues. Vouchers were approved.

Jeff Sonder gave the public works report. He did some research on the price of crushed concrete around the area. $20-$21 a ton is the average price given from contractors in the area. He explained what the different sizes of concrete material can be used for. Lengthy discussion followed on how to charge customers who are buying the concrete, including scale costs and labor. Carrie Lolley suggested having a flat price that includes all.

Council then discussed the stop sign issue at the main intersection coming into town. It would be around $230-$240 for some more signage that warns of an incoming intersection. Sonder also asked a contractor about rumble strips, but is awaiting a price estimate. He mentioned that he needs to order a new stop sign for Railroad St., as it was destroyed during the grain bin incident, but wanted to know if the council would rather order all the signage together to save on shipping. Lolley asked if signs can be ordered through the state. Sonders described his experience with Pheasant Land, the company that the state orders from. Delivery with them was very slow and there were multiple complications, but the signs were typically cheaper than other suppliers. Though, this was years ago, and it might be worth it to try them again. The council wants to hear what the price of some rumble strips is before coming to a decision. Sonder will order a sign for Railroad St.

On another issue, a curb stop is not functioning. Sonder needs to turn off a water line due to an overdue water bill, but will need to dig out some concrete, curb, and gutter in order to get to the curb stop for repairs. It would be a much more expensive project than the overdue bill. Esmay asked if it would be possible to abandon the dysfunctional curb stop and add a new curb stop somewhere else on the line. Doing so would still require quite a bit of digging up. Either way, it will need to be addressed.

Next discussed was the Main Street project. Dana Forman and another engineer are working on Main Street’s design, the design is about 85% done at this time. Barnes briefed the council on some items featured in the design such as the curbs, materials, thickness, ramps, lights, new hydrants, etc. Main Street was pretty solid according to the core tests, just the top layer needs work. The council reviewed the plan booklet provided. Lolley asked about grants that were looked into, and Krysti Barnes spoke of the Community Access grant. It wouldn’t cover the Main Street project since they are using asphalt, not concrete, for the project. However, the grant would work for a different street such as 2nd or 5th. Some discussion followed on other areas of funding. Esmay asked if the traffic control and street sweeping portions of the plan were something the city could do themselves, rather than the engineers. The street sweeping may be possible.

The tear down of the property of Economic Development was briefly touched on. The public works was approved.

The finance report was given by Barnes. Council reviewed the budget, property tax, and sales tax. Sales tax income was good this past year. Next, Barnes explained CAPS, Community Area Projects. It is a piece of legislation that, if approved, can be utilized by the city to fund future projects. A project that falls under the category for this legislation is usually something that improves quality of life. Basically, 1% of sales tax is collected by the department of revenue and it is put into a fund for city projects. The city cannot keep the accumulated funds after the program period ends, so it must be used for city improvements. The projects are decided by a board made up of one city council member and four other citizens. However, this bill is still in the process of being written. The finance report was approved.

Old business was addressed. Council had a discussion on law enforcement. Council ultimately decided to advertise for hire until filled.

Next discussed was new business. Council reviewed the annual resolutions. Lolley asked about a resolution on meeting reimbursements for the finance officer and public works reporter. Discussion was had and it was thought to revisit this resolution for changes at a later date. The annual resolutions were approved.

Finally, Donna Fischer asked why the council meetings start at 7:30 p.m. It is because of an ordinance. It was discussed to revise the ordinance to allow choosing meeting times with a resolution or policy at a later time.

Council went into executive session at 9:25 p.m. and the meeting ended afterwards. 

Murdo city council meetings are recorded live on the Murdo Coyote Facebook page.