The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor John Knetter; Council Members Cindy Flodeen, David Luhring, Anthony Verch, and Nick Russell. Also present was Marlin Reinardy, Water/Sewer Superintendent, Chris Meyer, Treasurer; and Brad Fisher with Bolton & Menk.
Regular Meeting called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Disclosure of Interest – None
Approval of the August 16, 2022 Special and Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes and September 6, 2022 Special Meeting Minutes – Motion by Russell seconded by Luhring to approve the August 16, 2022 special and regular scheduled meeting minutes and the September 6, 2022 special meeting minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Flodeen to approve the September disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Public Comment – None.
Petitions, Requests, and Communications:
Mayor Knetter mentioned that an item needed to be added to the agenda under New Business. The item is in regard to the Bryan Skillestad water bill. Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to add the request to the agenda under New Business. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Special Meeting for Final Approval of Levy - The Special Meeting for Final Approval of the 2022 Tax Levy to be collected in 2023 will begin at 6:30 p.m., prior to the Regular December City Council meeting on December 13th.
Mayor Knetter acknowledged a Dakota County deputy in attendance at the meeting, and asked him if he had anything to report. He stated that there is an ongoing problem with vehicle thefts. Also, there was a string of break-ins in Hastings where the perpetrator entered the buildings by breaking glass and then was in and out of the buildings in less than a minute. The deputy doesn’t feel that Hampton is at risk. Councilor Luhring asked about catalytic converter thefts. The deputy stated that it is still occurring, but not as much of a problem as it had been. Mayor Knetter informed the deputy that a street maintenance project is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Hampton 2022 Pavement Maintenance Postcard Mailing – Bolton & Menk – Brad Fisher of Bolton & Menk reported that the 2022 pavement maintenance project is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 19th. Postcards were mailed on Friday to residents who have property adjacent to the pavement maintenance project areas. Fisher further stated that concrete valley gutter work was done the previous week. It is anticipated that there is a one to two week timeframe for completion of the project, weather permitting. Signs will be erected in and near construction project areas.
Marlin Reinardy, Water/Sewer Superintendent, asked Fisher if the company doing the pavement maintenance project could also repair the driveway of the resident in the Heights of Hampton whose driveway needed to be dug up to fix a leaking water shut-off valve. Fisher said he could ask, but that might not be the best option for the repair. Discussion. Councilor Verch offered to contact Randy Peterson about the repair, as he is currently working in the area.
The other item that Fisher reported on was the Water St. lift station generator project. The electrical portion being designed is currently ongoing. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in the fall.
Ordinances and Resolutions:
Resolution 2022-__(12) – Approving the 2022 Tax Levy – Mayor Knetter asked for a motion to approve the 2022 tax levy. Judy O’Brien, City Clerk, stated that the amount that was budgeted for casualty/liability insurance expense when budget documents were reviewed at the August Council meeting was $10,000. Since then, she found out that annual premiums will be just under $12,000, so an additional $2,000 needs to be added to the insurance expense, and the levy amount will then increase from the $319,791 proposed at the August meeting, to $321,791. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to approve the 2022 tax levy, in the amount of $321,791. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees:
Engineer Report – Covered under Hampton 2022 Pavement Maintenance Postcard Mailing – Bolton & Menk.
Water / Sewer Report – Marlin Reinardy, Water/Sewer Superintendent, reported that he and Mayor Knetter recently attended the MRWA Expo as a training opportunity. He also recently completed an online training regarding water copper and lead pipes. In the training, he learned that the City needs to complete a survey of all lead pipes going into residences, and it must be completed by October 16, 2024. All lead pipes will need to be replaced. If during the survey lead pipes are found, the homeowner needs to be informed within 3 days, and the homeowner has 30 days to replace the pipe. There is grant funding available for 50% of the cost of the replacement. Additionally, low-interest loans are available for the other 50% of the cost. For homeowners, the loans are available at an interest rate of 1%, at a loan term of 20 years. For the City, if pipes need to be replaced, loan funding would have a 0% interest rate. Discussion about various locations throughout the City and whether or not homes would have lead water pipes. Brad Fisher interjected that if a home was built after 1980, the City can assume that the pipe is not lead. There was additional discussion about when the survey should be done and who would do it. Councilor Luhring suggested that the City might want to hire a contractor.
Mayor Knetter asked Fisher if pipes would have been replaced during street construction projects on Main St., Water St., and Park St., to which Fisher answered yes.
Reinardy continued his report with sewer topics. He told Council that he had learned of a new process for measuring sewer pond sludge levels. The way it works is through the use of a remote-control boat that is equipped with a sonar scanner. The scanner will scan the entire pond and will reveal the sludge levels and locations. Reinardy stated that he would prefer to use this service rather than purchasing the Sludge Judge that Council approved he purchase at the August Council meeting. The cost of the service is $1,200 per pond. Reinardy stated that, after the scan is complete, he will get a cost estimate to get the sludge down to a level where it just needs to be maintained. He feels that the annual cost will be around $3,000. Discussion. Mayor Knetter stated that he thinks the City should get a baseline measurement of the entire pond that maps the pond and produces a report of sludge levels at the various areas of the pond. Then the sonar scan should be done again in a few years to determine if the City is properly maintaining the pond sludge levels.
Park Report – Councilor Russell stated that he received cost estimates from Randy Peterson, of Shakopee, for hockey rink and basketball court improvements. Copies were distributed to Council members at the meeting. The cost for dirt/grass removal, application of tack coat primer and crack filling, installation of 2” 42a bitumen asphalt, and power rolling the asphalt at the hockey rink will be $35,000. The cost for dirt/grass removal, application of tack coat primer and crack filling, installation of 2” 42a bitumen asphalt, power rolling the asphalt, and installing court stripes at the basketball court will be $9,000. Discussion about other options and funding for the projects. There is $25,000 in this year’s budget for park improvement costs. City Treasurer, Chris Meyer, stated that $25,000 was also budgeted for in 2021 for park improvement. That funding was not spent last year, so that is available in the Diamond Money Market account to be used for park improvements if Council chooses to do that. Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to approve the proposed improvements to the hockey rink and the basketball court, and award the project to Randy Peterson. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Councilor Russell also pointed out that new wood chips and swings are needed in the parks.
Street Report – Councilor Luhring stated that the street sweeping contractor has been contacted regarding setting up the City’s fall street sweeping.
Unfinished Business: None
New Business:
Bryan Skillestad Water Bill – Marlin Reinardy, Water/Sewer Superintendent, explained that he has been in contact with James Burkhardt, the attorney that handled the closing for the sale of the 7-plex apartment building that was owned by Bryan Skillestad at the time of the water main break that occurred in April. Bryan Skillestad is disputing that he should be held responsible for the cost of the 6 shut-off valves with fittings, at a cost of $3,710, that did not fail that day. At the time of the repair, the contractor discussed replacing all 7 of the shut-off valves, as long as the location had been dug up in order to replace the valve that failed. In his discussion with the contractor that day, Reinardy agreed that it made sense to replace all 7 because simply digging up the area could cause some of the valves to shift and then break after they were again covered. Reinardy explained this to Mr. Burkhardt, who agreed that Mr. Skillestad should have to pay the bill. Burkhardt asked Reinardy to have Council act on this issue again prior to his discussion with Skillestad regarding payment of the invoices. Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to demand that Bryan Skillestad pay the Valley-Rich invoices in full. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Knetter further stated again that the same standards were applied in the case of the water main break at the Skillestad property as have been applied to other residents/business owners in the past with regard to responsibility for the repair costs. The City bears no responsibility for any of the costs and will not pay. Additionally, if there is any further delay in the payment of the Valley-Rich invoices by Bryan Skillestad, the City will be submitting an invoice to Skillestad for the Water/Sewer Superintendent and City Clerk time that has been spent dealing with this matter.
Adjournment – Motion by Luhring seconded by Verch to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:47 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy O’Brien
