September Murdo city meeting; Talich resigns

The meeting was called to order at 7:30. Roll call was made, no declarations of conflict were raised. The agenda and last meeting’s minutes were approved with corrections.

The council then reviewed building permits. There were two permits, one for Terry Kumm for a carport in his driveway. Another for a building for LaTonya Erikson. The council discussed what they know of Erikson’s project. Wayne Esmay expressed that he felt there wasn’t enough information on the project to vote on this building permit. He listed the unknown factors. Discussion followed on the waterline for this project that was discussed in previous meetings. The council tabled both permit for next month due to missing information.

Bryer Kinsley, Senior Class President, was in attendance on behalf of the senior class to ask permission for whitewashing of the streets during Homecoming week. He described to the council what and where would be whitewashed, as well as participating students. They will be whitewashing on Monday, September 22, from 8:30 to 10:30. The council moved to grant permission. He was thanked for coming.

Bev Ball was in attendance to talk to the council about the swimming pool. She had gathered what had been done to the pool for the season and what will need to be done for next year, as she will not be coming back as a manager next year. She presented a list of repairs that will be needed. She suggested applying for the Gail Miller grant to fund some repairs and updates to the pool, and she had started a rough draft of a plan. She reviewed what items seemed to be a priority. She mentioned that enough funds were raised from the float party to possibly fund a new drinking fountain. The council thanked her for coming.

Ashley Geigle and Jeff Birkeland were in attendance on behalf of the Murdo Development Corp. Krysti Barnes briefed the council on the Dakota Resources Thriverr Gathering sponsorship. Geigle explained what the meeting would focus on, and listed some guest speakers. The Thriverr Gathering will be held at the new club house at the Murdo golf course on November 12-13. There will be many big leaders at the event and it would be a good opportunity for organizations to network and get in contact with these guests. The council motioned to be a Gathering sponsor.

Geigle then gave an update on the North Dam project. The North Dam group met the week before and had discussed the amount of campgrounds. They are still working on getting financial assistance for the project. They are hoping to get city approval for the project so that some grants can be applied for before the September deadlines. The group hopes to get some dirt work done and maybe a little bit of electrical before the ground freezes. There was a bit of discussion on electric box sizes and a water hydrant to fill tanks. Game Fish & Parks has been a tremendous help in the project and in helping the group get what information they need. The council gave their approval for a letter of support for the project. 

Then discussed was the industrial park project. Barnes had discussed with an attorney on how to sell the property, and was told that the city can basically set the terms since it is their land. They are able to sell it to the Murdo Development Corp (MDC). Both entities, the city and the development corp, need to meet together to set terms and conditions for the purchase. Geisler asked what the city’s role is in the industrial park after it is sold to the MDC. Birkeland explained the benefits of the site being in the hands of the MDC, much which was discussed at the previous meeting; better funding availability, and more ability to build upon it. The board held lengthy discussion on the possibilities of what could come of building up the industrial park.

David Geisler then asked about the Governor’s Homes. An appraisal for them will be done this week. That value is what the home will need to be sold at. The development corp can then ask for forgiveness for the remaining balance after subtracting the appraisal price from the cost of the homes. This money can then be used towards future MDC projects. Geisler thanked the MDC for their work in bringing in the Governor’s  Homes. Geigle and Birkeland gave a shout-out to Greg Miller for all his help with the homes.

Geigle then discussed an app called “Living Local,” which would provide an informational space for the Murdo area, including organizational information from entities such as churches, schools, and the city. Donna Fischer asked about how this would affect the school website, and Geigle had discussion about this with a few board members. They would have to compare the prices of their current app and this one. Esmay asked if it is something a newspaper could use. Geigle explained that there was an example shown to her of a newspaper on the app as well. There was no other discussion, and the council thanked the MDC for coming.

Ben Dolloff was in attendance to discuss his interest in expanding his business with the land out in the industrial park area. Both the council and MDC members discussed the possibilities with Ben for the property. The council thanked Ben for coming.

At this time, the council reviewed vouchers. Geisler asked for some clarity about getting reimbursement for the airport engineering bill. Lolley asked about the city tax reimbursement for the Murdo Chamber of commerce; whether it is a requirement to give the chamber that money. The council has been giving this reimbursement for years. Lolley explained that other towns don’t give as much money as Murdo, and gave the council some ideas on where else the city could use those funds. Geisler explained the idea behind giving these funds to the chamber; that the chamber puts the money into tourism advertising and the city in turn gains more tax revenue from increased tourism.

Lolley also expressed that she is not in favor of paying the street project bill until the patch repairs are done better. Fischer and Lolley both expressed their disappointment in how the asphalt patches were fixed. They were mostly unhappy that it was chip-sealed, and that it is uneven. The council also briefly discussed other chip-sealing that will need to be done around town very soon. Vouchers were approved.

Jon Esmay was not present to give the police report. Barnes presented the council with quotes for items that J. Esmay had asked for at the previous meeting. The council discussed selling the police explorer. They decided to sell the vehicle at a price around $15,000-$17,000.

Jeff Sonder gave the public works report. He reports that the engineering firm and workers on the street project are considering the project complete. He gave an update on the new pit which has now been mostly dug. Sonder explained how the hole is being dug to fulfill the state specifications. 

He then discussed a sign that was hit by a truck, the state said it was the city’s sign, but Sonder has found no evidence that it was the city’s sign. The sign had pointed out the intersection of I-90 and Hwy 83. At this time, it is unsure if insurance will cover the sign. Council discussed whether the sign is actually needed. Lolley complimented the new stop signs and the council discussed the sign visibility.

Sonder reviewed some water breaks that had happened at the golf course, 5th Street, and 1st Street. Esmay asked when the pool is to be drained. The pool was drained and winterized that morning. Lolley asked if the lines were drained. Sonder explained that the design of the lines are poorly done and could still cause issues in the future, even if the lines are drained properly. Council discussed why the pool paint possibly could have chipped so easily and quickly this year. There were no clear answers why the paint reacted the way it did this year. The public works report was approved.

The finance report was given by Barnes. The council set dates for the annual budget review and planning. The first meeting date will be September 29 at 7:00 p.m. The next regular city council meeting is October 6 at 7:30 p.m. The second budget meeting is set for October 8 at 7;00 p.m. The third budget meeting is set for October 15 at 7:00 p.m.

Barnes then presented two proposals for auditorium repairs from the school. The council had discussion on doors that were replaced in the past and the cost of the current two doors needing replaced. Deb Venard had informed Barnes that they will be sectioning a spot for buses to park in front of the elementary school in the mornings, especially in the winter time, so that the kids don’t need to be walked across the ice. The council approved to pay their half of the school auditorium bills.

Barnes next presented a comparison of what was budgeted and how the budget is actually going. They are pretty on track at this time. The finance report was approved.

Next discussed old business. Barnes presented quotes from two companies for the Erikson project. Barnes gave updates on a few other projects such as the Hullinger culvert and the water meter replacements.

Lolley announced that there is a petition going around for the council changing from alderman wards to at-large.  Don Hieb is circulating the petition. The council discussed position terms. Once the petition goes through, the council has a 50-day window from the date of filing to hold a public election. Within 10 days of filing, a date needs to be picked for the election.

New business was discussed. An agreement was presented by Barnes for the airport. The council motioned to accept the agreement. Next discussed was the hay shares. All the hay has been moved to the airport, and Christopher Nix has already taken his share. The city’s share of hay will be put up for bid and an advertisement for that will be posted in the newspaper.

Finally, a resignation letter from Kit Talich was read aloud by Barnes. Talich was presented with a career opportunity which requires him to leave Murdo. The council motioned to accept the resignation. The council passed a resolution to thank Talich for his time. Talich was council president, and so a new council president was to be elected. Carrie Lolley was nominated as the new council president.

Lolley presented to the council a letter that was published in the Murdo Coyote about a proposed speed limit change on Highway 83. The council lightly discussed this. Council then went into executive session for personnel reasons. The meeting was then adjourned.