New mayor takes over in BP
The city of Blooming Prairie welcomed in a new mayor for the first time in 15 years on Jan. 14 at the city council meeting.
Mayor Curtis Esplan and incumbent council members Bill Newman and Brad Clark took the oath of office inside the council chambers just after 7 p.m.
Esplan received 469 votes or 54 percent of the vote while longtime Mayor Harold Peterson received 397 votes or 45 percent in last year’s election.
City Administrator Mike Jones congratulated the trio as they finished the oath of office.
“You’re in charge now,” Jones said with a handshake to Esplan. “[Acting Mayor] Bill [Newman], the pressure is off.”
Jones said he also received the signed contract for Andrew Langholz, the new city administrator.
Langholz attended Minnesota State University at Mankato and will begin his new position on Feb. 4. The 31-year-old previously worked as the City Clerk in Starbuck, Minn.
“It will be nice to have a new young person in here, who will hopefully bring some new ideas,” Jones said. “Some youth in the organization could help. The town needs to have that youth once in a while and needs to have an open-minded individual.”
The transition from Jones to Langholz is expected to take some time.
“The day that he says, ‘Thank you Mike, I think I have a handle on it,’ is the day that I will be gone,” Jones said.
In addition to being Langholz’s start date, Feb. 4 is also the Fire Department’s annual township meeting.
“They are asking for as many township members as possible to attend,” Jones said. “I give everyone a chance to see all the fire equipment and anything that is new.”
In other news, the council:
▪ Approved the following appointments for 2019: Farmers and Merchant State Bank of Blooming Prairie (Official Depository), council member Bill Newman (Acting Mayor), Henefield Iacovino Law Office LLC. (City Attorney), Steele County Times (Official Newspaper), Brett Grabau - Stanec (City Engineer), Steele County Building Inspectors (City Building Inspector), Nick Nelson and Dr. Vern Krebs (City Health Officers), Jake Peterson and Dan Peach (Emergency Manager and CAER Liaison), Mayor Curtis Esplan and City Administrator Mike Jones (Relief Association Liaison), Northland Securities and David Drown Associates (Public Finance Advisor), Abdo, Eick and Meyers (City Auditors), City Council (Board of Appeals), Amy Doerhoefer (Public Utilities Commission), Wally Mahnke and Esplan (Planning and Zoning Commission), Brian Betlach and council member Brad Clark (Ambulance Commission), Newman and Esplan (E.D.A. Commission), Ryan Heimerman, Fire Chief Dean Naatz and council member Mary Kittelson (Fire Commission) and Lois Nelson and council member Tara Gimbel (Police Commission).
▪ Approved the following appointments to the BP Fire Department for 2019: Dean Naatz (Fire Chief), Ryan Heimerman (First Assistant), Mike Ingvalson (Second Assistant), Wade Johnson (Rescue Captain), Bryce Schlichter (Assistance Resue), Joe Morgan (Fire Marshall), Justin Krell (Assistant Fire Marshall), Matt Kittelson (Training Offficer), Josh Toquam (Assistant Training) and Mike Hoffman (Secretary/Treasurer).
▪ Approved the following appointments to the BP Parks and Recreation Association Board for 2019: Jeremy Wangen (President), Mike Studer (Vice President), Chase Kelner (Treasurer), Mandy Lembke, Tony Schiller and Katie Winzenberg (Members) and Gina Hendrickson (Director).
▪ Approved the IRS rate of $.58 per mile for the city’s mileage reimbursement policy. The rate was set by the IRS Jan. 1, 2019 and is an increase of three and half cents per mile from 2018.
▪ Approved the following administrative fees: $0.15 per page for photocopies, $20 for copies of audit or budget report, $.50 per page for fax, $10 for assessment search, $50 for cigarette license, $2 for election filing, $500 plus actual engineer and attorney expenses for special meeting, $100 for off sale liquor license, $5 for off sale-malt, $2,000 for on sale, $50 for on sale-malt, $100 for club, $100 for on sale-wine, $10 for one-day license, liquor fines are $250 for first violation, $500 for second violation and $1,000 for third violation, $100 for peddlers fee, council chambers rental fees are $25 for city residents and $35 for non-residents and business use, $25 for park pavilion rental, $20 for golf cart fee and $10 for NSF/check return fee.
▪ Approved the following police fees: $20 per day for vehicle impound, no charge for dog license, $10 for parking ticket, $15 per day for animal control fee (boarding fee) and $25 for pickup fee and $50 for the repeat pickup fee (all veterinary fees including boarding fee will be paid before the animal is released to owner).
▪ Approved the following street fees: $175 for blacktop street openings and $75 for gravel street openings (base fee / four by nine-feet) $12 per square yard for openings on blacktop streets and $4 per square yard for gravel streets where the opening is larger than four by nine-feet, $12 per square yard for concrete street openings, $25 for curb cut, $50 for sanding fee, $50 per truck load for load of wood, $15 for barricades and $50 per hour with a minimum of one hour for weed and mowing fees.
▪ Approved the following planning and zoning fees: $25 for request change zoning class, $25 plus $1 per lot for planned development, no charge for sketch plan, $25 plus $1 per lot for preliminary plat, no charge for final play, $100 per lot with a minimum of $500 and maximum of $2,500 for administration fee, seven percent of development or $50 per lot or 10 percent of land value for open space, $250 plus all outside administrative, engineering and legal fees for annexation fees and detachment fees.
▪ Approved the following swimming pool fees: $50 for family membership, $25 for single membership, $1.50 for daily fee, $15 for swimming lessons for members and $20 for swimming lessons nonmembers.
▪ Approved the following utility fees: $15 for water base rate ($2.75/1,000 gallons for first 50,00 gallons and $2.25/1,000 gallons for excess gallons), $24.25 per month for non-metered water, $20 for sanitary sewer base rate ($2.60/1,000 gallons of water used and maximum sewer charge per month for residential is $50), $1,000 hookup fee for new development and $300 for old development, $14 for electric base rate ($.1130 per kWh), $21 for Commercial/City Service/School Service and Demand service rate, commercial energy rates of $.1130 per kWh for first 2,000 kWh and $.1030 per kWh for excess, city service energy rates of $.0920 all kWh and school service energy rates of $.1030 all kWh, $9.25 for demand KW charge, $4 for residential storm sewer base rate and $8 for commercial storm sewer base rate.
▪ Approved the following ambulance fees: $600 (residents) and $650 (nonresidents) for base rate, $12 per mile mileage and supplies and oxygen also billed.
▪ Approved the following fire department fees: $500 base rate for fire call, $250 base rate for CO call (additional fees charged after two hours), $50 an hour for each piece of equipment (pumpers and tankers) and $5 an hour for each firefighter (Additional fees charged for oxygen and foam.)
▪ Approved the following cemetery fees: $35 for staking fee and $250 for graves.
▪ Approved the summary for the employee evaluations closed session held at the city council meeting on Dec. 17. All employees received a 3 percent cost of living raise. The following employees will receive step increases for the year of 2019: Kisha Aguino (step one to step two, part-time library tech 1), Tony Motl (step six to step seven, public works director), Pat Wehner (step six to step seven, waste water treatment plant supervisor) and Dan Peach (step two to step three, police officer).
▪ Approved resolution to provide coverage, including the mayor and city council members, on the city’s works compensation insurance coverage through the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, effective March 1, 2019.
▪ Approved resolution to designating the Blooming Prairie Council Chambers located in the City Center at 138 Highway Avenue South as the polling place for the 2019 elections.
▪ Approved the adjustment to the city of Blooming Prairie Personnel Policies and Procedures.
▪ Discussed the purchase of used plow truck. The city is interested in Ellendale’s current plow truck. However, Ellendale does not plan on upgrading its equipment until next spring. “I told them we will wait and see, but don’t be surprised if all of sudden [Public Works Director] Tony [Motl] is bringing forth a desire to buy a plow truck.”
▪ Accepted donation of $270 from First Lutheran Church to be used for National Night Out.
▪ Approved the application of the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group to the State of Minnesota Gambling Control Board for the Gambling Permit to conduct a Designer Purse Bingo at the Blooming Prairie Serviceman’s Club on April 6, 2019.
▪ Approved the application of the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group to the State of Minnesota Gambling Control Board for the Gambling Permit to conduct a Ham Bingo at the Blooming Prairie Serviceman’s Club on March 7, 2019.