City Commission Finance Meeting
Valley City, North Dakota
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
2:30 PM
Called to Order
President Carlsrud called the meeting to order at 2:30 PM.
Roll Call
Members present: President Carlsrud, Commissioner Magnuson, Commissioner Bishop, Commissioner Erickson, Commissioner Gulmon.
Others present: City Attorney Martineck, City Administrator Crawford, Finance Director Klein, Administrative Assistant Hintz
Business
Digital Signage
Commissioner Magnuson presented information on the Digital Signage for Public Works and City Hall. Commissioner Magnuson will check on pricing with the changes discussed.
Monthly Engineer Report
Finance Director Klein shared that the Contract amount is $87,000.00, through September we have used about 46% of the contract amount.
Special Assessing Tree Removal
Review a schedule for Special Assessing for Tree Removal Expenses. Discussion was had. Finance Director Klein will check into funding.
Waste Hauler Permit
Sanitation Supervisor Swart explained the North Dakota Department Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) is requiring anyone hauling waste to the Landfill, that is not their waste, will be required to obtain a Waste Hauler Permit. Homeowners & Tree Haulers are exempt. The Sanitation Department will start educating now & will require permits as of January 1, 2024. A letter will be made with all the instructions and requirements to be given to those coming out to the Landfill. There will be an Ordinance drawn up to cover the changes required by the NDDEQ.
KPH Liquidated Damages New Requests.
Administrator Crawford covered the reasons on the change order and the liquidated damages that were part of the Project. This change will still leave us with about $55,000.00 in LDs.
Department Reports
Sanitation Department
Sanitation Supervisor Swart reported that the Hook Truck is back in service. Swart was able to get some of the repairs and expenses covered under warranty and from the Dealer. The Automated Truck garbage pickup has been going well.
Water Department
Water Superintendent Hesch reported that the water usage is down in September. Devils Lake will be discontinuing the east end outlet but will still be discharging from the west end outlet. PFAS are a manufactured chemical that is resistant to heat, grease and water. The EPA is cracking down on PFAS but Valley City has tested our water, and they are not an issue here.
Electric Department
Electrical Superintendent Senf reported on the 3 outages last month. 3 Phase line to Northern Plains Equipment is built. The purple lighting around town will be replaced by about 200 fixtures at the shop. They were out of warranty, but Senf was still able to get them covered. There was also discussion on the trailer, truck & street light controller that was damaged in an accident over the weekend. The Electric Department received the 2023 WattStar Award at the MRES Conference for the Christmas Tree Lighting and Celebration in Valley City.
Fire Department
Fire Chief Magnuson reported on the Calls for Service. 22 calls for the month of September. October 8-14 is Fire Prevention Week. There are several tours set up and a few of the firemen will be visiting the schools. Reporting on the dangerous buildings around town. This is a new process for removing dangerous buildings and Attorney Martineck will be drawing up paperwork to assist with this process and what are the considerations that make a building dangerous. This is a long process to get these building taken care of.
Police Department
Lieutenant Rustebakke reported on a few changes happening at the Police Department. Finger Printing will now be done on Monday & Wednesday afternoons from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. The Department also received a Silver Status Rating from Lexipol for the Policy Manual. The Department was given the Silver Status based on how they handle their new and updated policies as well as training bulletins. Currently the Department is advertising for 2 open positions. The “Battle of the Badges” Blood Drive will be held October 10 and 11 at Stoudt/Miller.
Street Department
Operations Supervisor Klemisch reported on an outage with the Master Lift Station. Thanks to all the responding Departments, the outage was minimal. Discussion on the tear down of buyout houses. Salt /Sand has been mixed and is ready when needed. Some patching has been completed around town and now the Electric Department will check lighting needs. The Storm Sewer at 5 Ave NE will be budgeted for 2024. Dale Sather has been awarded the Outstanding Individual in Public Works from the American Public Works Association.
Administration
City Administrator Crawford discussed a pump at the reservoir that was replaced, and a structure was being built over the pump. This is on City property and an agreement will be drawn up to cover all involved. Bright Energy Solutions were discussed and how it may benefit many in the community.
David Wick reported that the excavation contractor can complete the installation in 2 – 3 weeks once all the supplies are available, currently waiting on steel culverts and making two additional concrete inlet structures.
Business
Review monthly bills/reports
Finance Director Klein reported expenditures in the amount of $1,862,579.66 for the month.
Fire Extinguisher Service Financial Report
Fire Chief Magnuson reported that the Fire Extinguisher process has been going well. Discussion on pricing and time frames was had. The Department is diligently working on getting around town and getting the inspections and updates taken care of.
Discuss Buyout of 446 8 Ave NE for $94,000.00.
Administrator Crawford pointed out that the amount is the assessed value plus 10%. This is the valuation that was shared with the homeowner to purchase. This will be voted on at the Commission meeting.
Codification of the Purchasing Policy
Attorney Martineck reported that there was legislation that added a provision to the state purchasing laws that now allows cities to use cooperative purchasing. It became clear that this policy needs to be put into code to have the force of law backing it. By putting our policy into code, it allows Valley City to continue to do what we are already doing.
Dupont Class Action Settlement
Attorney Martineck discussed the class action and that, on his recommendation, Valley City opt out of the current settlement.
Application for Transportation Alternatives Program Projects
Engineer Petersen reported on the Transportation Alternative Funds being used on the Winter Show Road Project. Valley City was awarded the funding for Phase 1. Now seeking approval to apply for funding for Phase 2 that will complete the project. Administrator Crawford recommended that the Commission approve to move forward with the application process.
Valley City Urban Limits Boundary Map Revision
Engineer Petersen discussed the maps that were discussed back in June. They are proposing a change to the Urban Limit Boundary due to planned projects and growth in the NW area. The NE area would then be moved closer to the current boundaries. The southern boundaries would remain as is due to the infrastructure that already is in that area. Sharing the maps today and will be asking for formal approval at the next meeting to send the Department of Transportation before the end of October.
Review Requested Electric Rate Increases
Public Works/Account Manager Jacobson discussed his recommendations for Electrical Rate increase proposal due to the transfer increases. Looking for approval to start the process for the rate increases that would be effective on February 1, 2024.
Review Change Orders for 2 Ave NE/3 St NE
Administrator Crawford discussed the change orders for this project. The first, electric utility manholes that needed to be replaced, these funds will come out of the Electrical budget. The second, was a no cost change order. The third, was for drainage modifications near the Police Department as the current drainage needed to be corrected and join into the storm sewer system. The remaining change orders were for the fabric and at no cost.
Review Proposed Urban Grant Project for 2 ST NW to 2 St N
Engineer Petersen shared a map with the proposed project as listed as a 2026 project. The ND DOT is asking for a plan ready date. If plans are ready in 2024 and the DOT is ready, we could possibly start building in 2025 instead of 2026.
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 4:47 PM.
