Buffalo City Council Meeting, Apr 19th, 2021

00:06:04 - Start
00:06:26 - Announcements - Spring cleanup this Fri/Sat 8AM-2PM
00:07:30 - Liz Ardnt: Inquire as to Johnsonville #9 is on the agenda. It is.
00:08:11 - Sue and Terry - Community Center Updates
00:08:50 - Monday & Wednesday - Children/family only fishing times this year
00:09:50 - Congregant Dining Program
00:10:12 - Updates to the Community Center in progress
00:11:22 - Additions/Deletions - NONE
00:11:30 - Steve Downer - Would like to recognize the people who maintain the flower areas in town
00:12:15 - Fish Sunflowers are coming to Buffalo, garden
00:12:45 - Sunflower seeds are available at the Chamber of Commerce and at City Hall
00:13:27 - Visioning Meeting last Wednesday, will be meeting this Thursday
00:13:57 - Consent Agenda items. Motion to accept 5 YAY - 0 NAY
00:14:35 - Public Hearing: Past Due Accounts. No updates.
00:14:55 - Councilman Downer: There's a lot of federal money available, if you're delinquent, please call us.
00:15:30 - Motion to accept. 5 YAY - 0 NAY
00:15:56 - FLAG: appeal for Johnsonville penalties. This is not a public hearing.
00:16:25 - Sue Dege - This is only discussing the process.
00:16:50 - The city prefers to use the administrative process. Starts with a letter from the city.
00:17:20 - If the violation continues, Sue sends a letter detailing what's next
00:17:47 - If the violation continues, a fine is issued.
00:18:08 - We have a letter from the Johnsonville, LLC's Council
00:18:23 - Appeal is during city council meeting on May 17th at the City Council Meeting
00:19:30 - If either side opts out, a criminal citation will be issued. This can take a long time.
00:20:10 - Other option is to apply to the court to fix the issue. Don't typically do that until we've attempted to resolve the issue through other means.
00:21:00 - Liz Ardnt attempts to speak on the issue, but the Mayor says it's not a public hearing and therefore the public cannot speak.
00:22:10 - Councilman Downer - When does the administative process begin? Sue: it already has.
00:23:10 - Councilman Enter - When we turn an issue over to an attorney, are we as councilmembers done? Sue: I don't know what Johnsonville.
00:24:00 - Councilman O'Rourke - Do fines stack up until May? Sue: We're going to continue sending penalties.
00:24:45 - More members of the public attempt to speak, but the Mayor says it's not a public hearing.
00:26:15 - Mayor Lachermeier claims that Counsel has said not to speak on it. Apologizes, but says they're following the rules.
00:27:00 - Allison Matthees - Please call me about any issues at: 763-684-5406. I'll help you direct to wherever you need to go.
00:27:45 - Councilman Downer - Could this still be amicably resolved? Sue: Yes. We're working with Johnsonville's Attorney to resolve the issue.
00:28:25 - Councilman Downer - Sometimes a resolution can be found before court is reached. I'd be happy if that were the case.
00:29:00 - Property with Deceased Owner - Probate of 501 1st St NE
00:29:41 - Administrator Bodin - Heirs have come forward, we are looking to get this resolved
00:30:48 - Susan Dege - We're working to solve this issue with the heirs. Starting the process was the impetus to have the heirs come forwards
00:33:00 - Water Reclaimation Plant Improvements: Justin
00:38:39 - Councilman Enter - Coffee Grounds don't disintegrate and they clog up the system. The smell in the building is very bad.
00:37:45 - Administrator Bodin - Flushable wipes may go down the pipe, but cause havoc in the system. Justin: They require us to manually change the filters when the wipes clog up the system.
00:40:50 - Jeremiah Patrick - What kinds of materials will you use for replacement? Justin: Stainless steel is being considered, it's worth it usually. We're looking at it for right now and will probably pursue it.
00:46:45 - Mayor Lachermeier - Isn't there a special kind of HVAC unit which can be used for that kind of building? Justin: We're looking into it, but there are tradeoffs to everything.
00:48:50 - Mayor Lachermeier - Would the Phosphorous Analyzer be accessible via wifi and could it be used that way? John: Yes, there are security issues as well.
00:50:00 - Mayor Lachermeier - Would it continue to run if the wifi goes down? John: We've got a backup computer at the office which would always be accessible.
00:51:40 - Ray - We're having to keep up with Windows 10 software. We've got old equipment which doesn't interact very well with Windows 10 updates. The best way we've found is to go entirely through the wifi interface which removes that compatibility issue.
00:52:43 - Ray - Coffee Grounds, Eggshells, Swiffer Pads, etc are all hard things to deal with. We've lost many pumps (up to $18k for a single one) to these wipes. Please don't flush them.
00:55:35 - Question (didn't catch it)
00:56:20 - Jeremiah Patrick - BWIG replacement to the Wastewater plant? Joe: We're using the BWIG equipment to make a private network which will then hook into a fiber connection.
00:57:28 - Justin: Cost Summary - $1.8 - 2.3 million
00:58:30 - Mayor Lachermeier: Would we bond this? Administrator Bodin: Yes, as part of the budget process.
00:59:25 - Councilman Downer - What is the bulk of the cost of the tablets? John: It's a mix of paying for software and paying for the hardware.
01:00:00 - Councilman Anderson - What happens if the costs go to high (outside of range)? Justin: We can present bids to the council.
01:01:10 - Councilman Enter - With inflation being the way it is, $2.5 million is a likely number. We should be ready for that.
01:01:40 - Mayor Lachermeier - Will we run into material supply issues? Justin: Definitely a possibility. Bidding in fall and we'll attempt to have all materials on hand when we start.
01:02:55 - Mayor Lachermeier - Are we waiting for fall to start the work or the bids? Justin: We are waiting for fall for the bids.
01:03:33 - Ray - A lot of the stuff we get with the updates is European parts. They're hard to replace so I'm looking for American replacements. We can get replacement parts in under 6-8 months, unlike some European companies.
01:04:57 - Jennifer Nash - Planning Commission: Neighborhood was planned during the recession
01:06:00 - John Arthur Homes is looking to have a new neighborhood approved.
01:06:33 - Request rezoning from R-1 to R-2 for planning.
01:07:03 - Park Board is in favor of expanding the park.
01:07:10 - Planning Commission agreed unanimously to approve this
01:07:30 - Councilman Downer - Are we looking to get that service territory from the local utility? Admin Bodin: Yes, we're in talks.
01:08:29 - Motion to Approve: 5 YAY - 0 NAY
01:08:50 - Participation in the Wright County Economic Development Authority - Christine
01:11:05 - 5 Commissioners are on the board, as is Mayor Lachermeier and one other
01:12:00 - The Economic Development Authority (EDA) will be in control of redeveloping county owned properties
01:12:45 - EDA does not intend to enact its own levy, but if it does in future a city can opt-out
01:13:14 - EDA does not intend to lead development, except for county owned properties
01:13:49 - Under state law, county EDAs can only operate in cities and townships that elect to participate in the EDA
01:14:00 - Opting in will give the option to use financial tools offered by the state. Renew participation every 5 years
01:15:50 - We are asking developers what they want to do with the property and are getting proposals and ideas
01:17:00 - Mayor Lachermeier - It's a no-brainer to opt-in
01:20:25 - Christine - We're getting $26M in American Rescue Funds, we're looking on deploying broadband
01:21:30 - Mayor Lachermeier - Human Services Building - is there a reason why we're not addressing that building yet? Christine: It's not really development, the old Govt Center requires a lot more development.
01:22:30 - Mayor Lachermeier - What's the timeframe to move over? Christine: December/January we'll be entirely moved over
01:23:00 - Christine: On the Wright County Website, all the meetings are posted with agendas. There are links in the agendas. Meetings are on the second Thursday each month. All meetings are open to the public.
01:24:25 - Councilman Downer - How is the board set up? Does Buffalo have a permanent seat or how is it setup? Christine: It's a 3 year term. It could be anybody in the county.
01:25:30 - Councilman Downer - Are there Bylaws? Christine: Yes.
01:26:30 - Motion to City to adopt the resolution for the ERA. 4 YAY - 0 NAY, Councilman Enter is absent for this vote
01:27:52 - Chris - Great Aviation Gathering - May 21 & 22, $10 entry fee
01:31:30 - Ashley Hansen - Investment Policy Update; Updated yearly, we don't have state and local securities as an option. We would be able to invest in these if we open up our options
01:34:30 - Ashely Hansen - Bond Market is where the return is
01:35:20 - Motion to Approve Investment Policy Update: 5 YAY - 0 NAY
01:35:50 - Chief Pat Budke - We have a new therapy dog, Luna. Officer Ben is her trainer. She lives in the station.
01:40:40 - Chief Pat Budke - 2020 Annual Report
02:02:50 - Why are speed limits 30 mph in the neighborhoods? Chief Budke: A reduced speed limit is typically not effective in increasing safety. People who live in the area are the most likely to break the laws, so lowering the limits aren't typically useful.
02:04:50 - Sometimes it's perception. We can put up a speed sensor to look further into this if you have an area of concern.
02:08:45 - Chief Pat Budke - It's a challenging time, take a deep breath and understand that we're not all that different. Please take the time to hear people out. A 5-10 minute conversation can make all the difference.
02:12:30 - Fire Chief - Did siren testing last week
02:14:00 - Joe S - Tonight at midnight we're going to do maintenance on the Fiber-to-the-home network
02:14:29 - Joe S - Xcel Energy is looking to do some inspection with drones near the electrical substation
02:15:30 - Mayor Lachermeier - Sterling Drug is closing
02:15:50 - Jennifer Nash - The building is already up for sale, contact Jennifer Nash for information to learn more
02:16:00 - Alison Matthees - Flashvote Survey was recieved. Will discuss it on Thursday.
02:17:15 - Ashley Hansen - Audit went well
02:17:43 - Justin - Dague Ave discussions are already starting
02:18:46 - Ray - Nothing as of late
02:19:00 - Cara T - Hydrant flushing finishing up tonight, if there is still discolored water we'll reflush those areas. Thanks for contacting us so we can map the areas and fix the problem
02:20:30 - Motion to Adjourn to Visioning Session on Thursday 5 YAY - 0 NAY