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The Babbitt city council met on May 2 to conduct regular business.
Early in the meeting council member Paul Hoheisel questioned a listing in the overtime report where administration employees were listed as being paid overtime for council meetings.
“We discussed that council meetings that it would be a flex time thing and not an overtime thing,” said Hoheisel. “I don’t know if I have that wrong but we discussed this like a month or a month and a half ago and we’re trying to eliminate all the overtime and we thought that council meetings from all the department heads and everything should be on a flex time thing not an overtime thing.”
City clerk Robecca Jaeger was listed as having four overtime hours and Sara Powell had three.
“So if you guys are three hours here at a meeting anytime during the week you can flex it. Just let your other people in the office know what you’re doing,” said Hoheisel.
“Can we have the staff check that make sure that that’s the way we worded that. If it is different let us know the next council meeting. Perfect. Thank you,” said council member Glenn Anderson.
The council adopted two ordinances, number 262 and 263, at the meeting.
“Do we want to mention what that ordinance is just for the record here?” asked Mayor Duane Lossing.
Anderson said the ordinance adds canabis to the list of city businesses with specific zoning.
“It was posted in the paper,” said Anderson.
“Not in the paper,” said Jaeger. “It’s been posted on our website and on Facebook.”
“So I was reading in there we’re gonna require license for the city to do it and are we actually going to follow through with the compliance checks on it?” asked council member Joe White.
City police chief Troy Bissonette confirmed there will be compliance checks similar to tobacco checks.
Another ordinance had to do with winter storage fees and in-season storage fee at the campground.
“And a couple items from the ambulance department. Increasing the salary for the supervisor and the assistant supervisor. And then there was some miscellaneous fees that had to do with the pet ordinance and then the cannabis the cannabis fees for licensing so yeah just FYI on that,” said Lossing.
The council also approved an agreement with Bollig Engineering.
“This would be to have them do a assessment and a fund assessment on the city on buildings and things like that and that basically would be it,” said Jaeger.
“I think we need to have some sort of a study session if we’re going to use and determine what areas,” said White.
“They basically would look at everything within the city and then you can pick out and choose what you want to focus on after that but they would look at what the city needs are and then look at any funding that they would have to help with those needs and so they would bring an engineer in who would do this,” said Jaeger.
Anderson said there would be no cost to the city and that the city’s current engineer would charge for this service.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having this company come in and do this. We don’t have to go with them if we don’t want to but I think it’s an opportunity, a free opportunity, for them to go ahead and assess everything and go from there,” said Anderson.
“I think they’re going to tell us a lot of things we already know,” said council member Jim Lassi. He said he would go along with it and that it would include an update on the city’s housing needs.
The agreement is for five years. Jaeger asked for approval to have the county bill all residents for the solid waste fee.
White said the $27 charged by the city every quarter will then be put on the property tax statement.
The council approved the proposal which would take effect in 2025.
The council discussed a used fire truck from the DNR. The city would have to provide a chassis. Anderson said it would replace a 1977 truck.
“This would actually replace that and actually give them more firefighting capabilities,” said Anderson. “The tanker that we have just strictly loads water that’s all it does it has no pumping capabilities so this would replace that truck.”
Anderson said the truck would be used when the city contracts with the DNR or Forest Service for wildland fire.
Fire chief Tony Chamberlin is looking into grants for the purchase but there are monies in city funds for the purchase.
White said the DNR is prepping city departments to help with more wildland fires.
The council authorized Chamberlin to purchase a used Type 4 Chassis not to exceed $75,000. Chamberlin said the city made $99,000 from the Greenwood fire.
Lossing took time at the end of the council meeting to recognize things going on in the city including:
• The street department and the rec department and their effort have the docks in at the beach and the fishing piers and both side docks in.
• Brush being cut and areas cleaned up.
• The Rec Department hosting the circus and generating some revenue.
• Programs at the library including a calligraphy program.
• Volunteerism in the community.
Lossing said he would like to do that type of recognition at future council meeting.
In other business the council:
• Approved a resolution to accept donations to the Babbitt public library, highlighted by $8,000 from New Range Copper.
• Discussed replacing 16 outside lights on the Municipal Building and purchasing four extra. No decision was made.
• Discussed credit card usage and updating policies. White had suggested language on meals being reimbursed for ambulance and fire department personnel.
• Approved participating in a Minnesota Housing Partners summit on housing projects on May 22.
