Minutes Oct. 13, 2009

The City Council met in a regular session on the 12th day of October at 7:00 PM in the Council Room.

The Bar & Grill report was given. Overall sales continue to be slightly higher than last year.

The clerk presented the Council a quote of $240.27 from Southwest Chem-Dry to have the carpet cleaned in the City Office building. The council approved this expense.

The Council reviewed a quote from Dustin Knakmuhs to install volume control for the sound system in the community center that would allow the front speakers to have a separate volume control than the back speakers. The cost would be approximately $150. The Council approved this expense.

The City Clerk is working with neighboring cities to put together a local Safety Group for required training for city employees.

The Police Report was given by Chief Zeug. Isaac Wahl and Zeug completed the “Use of Force” training in September. Officer Wahl will begin working part time in Walnut Grove by the end October.

Discussion was held about the Walnut Grove Pet Ordinance. All pets must be licensed with the City by the time they are 3 months old. Any resident that does not license their pet is in violation and is subject to a fine. Currently, we only have 22 pets licensed in Walnut Grove.

The council will update their current animal ordinance at the November meeting to clarify that only 2 pets are allowed per residence. The current ordinance could be misinterpreted so will be updated so there is no question as to the intent. The council encouraged the Walnut Grove Police to continue to check for licenses when answering any animal complaints and to issue citations as warranted.

Chief Zeug discussed the animal complaints in Walnut Grove with the council. There seems to be more stray cats in town this year. The cost to take these strays to the Redwood Falls Animal Shelter would a minimum of $75 each. Residents should make sure they are not feeding these strays. In addition to this, any pet owner that has a pet is taken to the Animal Shelter will be subject to any expenses incurred for transporting the animal to the shelter plus the kennel fees. Barking dogs have also been the cause of many complaints. Residents should know that if their dog barks continuously for more than 5 minutes, they are in violation of the noise ordinance and could be subject to a fine. Residents are encouraged to be respectful to their neighbors and bring their pets inside if they are barking.

The Walnut Grove Area Jaycee’s have donated $1000 to the Walnut Grove Fire Department. Motion by Leonard McLaughlin, second by Todd Harrington to approve the Resolution accepting this donation. All voted in favor, motion carried.

Country View has issued a check to the City of Walnut Grove in the amount of $10307.50 to begin repaying the General fund for expenses paid by the City during the first year of operation. Country View will also pay $2000 per month back to the city as funds are available until the remaining $140,000 has been paid back.

A special City Council meeting will be held October 27, 2009 at 7PM in the City Council Room to discuss refinancing options for Country View and the other city loans.

Discussion was held on updating the City’s Personnel Policy. The clerk is using the personnel policy template from the League of Minnesota Cities as a template and will present this for approval at the December Council meeting.

The Council approved the purchasing of new jackets for the Walnut Grove Ambulance Service at a cost of approximately $90 each. Ten of the members have never received one. Discussion was held on purchasing a few jumpsuits for the EMT’s to use when responding to calls. The council will continue this discussion at a later meeting with the Ambulance Director.

Walnut Grove will hold a public hearing of the City Council for the Truth and Taxation meeting on December 14, 2009 at 7:00 PM in the City Council Room. Residents are invited to attend to express their opinions on the 2010 proposed budget and levy.

Notice of

Proposed Property Taxes

The Walnut Grove city council will hold a public hearing on its budget and on

the amount of property taxes it is proposing to collect to pay for the costs

of services the city will provide in 2010.

Attend the Public Hearing

All Walnut Grove city residents are invited to attend the public hearing of the

city council to express their opinions on the budget and on the proposed amount of 2010 property taxes. The hearing will be held on:

Monday, December 14, at 7:00 p.m.

Walnut Grove Community Center

311 6th Street

Walnut Grove

Motion by Todd Harrington, second by Leonard McLaughlin to approve the Land Use permit at 361 Wiggins Street to put up a fence. All voted in favor, motion carried.

Motion by Leonard McLaughlin, second by Todd Harrington to approve the Minutes for the September 14, 2009 regular meeting. All voted in favor, motion carried.

Motion by Leonard McLaughlin, second by Xiong Yang to approve Claims #30903 through 31000. All voted in favor, motion carried.

Motion by Todd Harrington, second by Leonard McLaughlin to adjourn. All voted in favor, motion carried.