The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor John Knetter; Council Members Jerry Huddleston, David Luhring, and Anthony Verch. Also present was Brad Fisher with Bolton & Menk.
Regular Meeting called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 6:59 p.m.
Disclosure of Interest – None
Approval of October 10, 2023 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to approve the October 10, 2023 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to approve the November disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Public Comments – None
Petitions, Requests, and Communications:
Lead/Copper Tap Water Monitoring Report, PWSID 1190010 – Minnesota Department of Health (Informational – No Action Required) – Mayor Knetter referred to correspondence and report in meeting packets. No discussion.
Mayor Knetter recognized two Dakota County Deputies in attendance and asked if they had anything to report. Deputy Webber stated that, with construction wrapping up on Highway 52, there are less problems with people speeding. Another issue law enforcement has been dealing with is dirt bikes on city streets that are traveling at high rates of speed. There have been extra patrols in the area to try to put a stop to this. Deputy Webber mentioned that dirt bikes are never allowed to travel on city streets. The last item mentioned is that there seem to be more traffic crashes on nice, sunny days than when the weather is bad. Deputy Webber stated that drivers need to be more cautious and slow down because speed is the main factor associated with fatal crashes.
Ordinances and Resolutions:
Ordinance 1132 Amending Section 152.336 of the Hampton Code of Ordinances Related to Conditional Use Permits - Mayor Knetter referred to the memo in Council meeting packets from Jenni Faulkner, City Planner. He stated that currently there is no sunset clause for Conditional Use Permits (CUP) in the Ordinance. The reason for the amendment at this time has to do with the CUP for the Dakota County Southern Fleet Maintenance Facility, and the County Board’s decision to put the project on hold indefinitely. This amendment requires that the property owner act on the CUP within a certain amount of time, or the CUP is void. This amendment gets the City of Hampton in line with CUP ordinances of other Minnesota cities. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to approve Ordinance 1132 amending Section 152.336 of the Hampton Code of Ordinances related to Conditional Use Permits. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees:
Engineer’s Report – Brad Fisher, of Bolton & Menk, mentioned to Council that training begins tomorrow for the Water St. lift station generator. He has a punch list for the project, which includes doing a little more seeding in the area. He stated that they may be able to close out the project in December.
Fisher referred to his report, included in Council meeting packets, which discusses the Water Tower Improvement Project. A sketch plat submittal went to the Planning Commission in October to begin the steps required to place a water tower at the desired location behind the Silver Bell Motel. Preliminary plans are being prepared for a resubmittal to SHPO to address their unanswered questions. The next steps will be to apply for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and a Preliminary Plat with the City in order to receive approval for the tower construction and property acquisition process.
Water / Sewer Report – Mayor Knetter reported that they are actively discharging and hydrants have been flushed.
Park Report – Councilor Russell stated that the trees at the ballfield have yet to be taken down.
Street Report – Councilor Luhring stated that street sweeping is complete and alleys have been repaired.
Unfinished Business - None
New Business:
MNSPECT Building Inspections Contract Amendment – Mayor Knetter mentioned that contract content is the same, with the exception of the percentage of the permit fee of 75%, that increased from 60% in the previous contract. Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to approve the contract amendment with MNSPECT. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Elections Clerk – Mayor Knetter stated that this position is necessary due to the current workload of the City Clerk after the change of going from 2 clerks to 1. Motion by Verch seconded by Huddleston to approve hiring an Elections Clerk. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Construction of a building on the vacant lot located at Water St. and Main St. (zoned C-CBD; legal description – Hampton Dakota County MN, Lot 7, Block 4) – Tom and Jackie Daley – Mayor Knetter stated that this item was discussed at the last Planning Commission meeting and the recommendation was made to deny this request because the building was to be used for storage, which is not an allowed used for the property, per ordinance. Discussion. Councilors felt that they didn’t have enough information to consider approving the request, and the Daley’s were not present at the meeting to provide additional information and answer questions. Motion by Huddleston seconded by Luhring to deny the request to construct a storage building on the property. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0.
Adjournment - Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy O’Brien
