Glenwood City Council to withhold pay from those members missing meetings
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GLENWOOD CITY — Among several items on the agenda at Monday nights City Council meeting was withholding pay from members who missed regular meeting of the council.
Council member Jess Olson brought up the subject by saying, “If you are not at the meeting, you should not get paid.” But council members Austin Sandow countered with, “There is a lot of work outside of the meeting, we hardly get paid for the time we put in at this position.” He continued, “It’s not an issue, let’s not make it an issue until one comes up.”
The debate continued between Sandow and Olson until Olson made a motion to withhold pay of members not attending meetings. The motioned was seconded by Ben DeGross and included that the other members of the council will decide if being absent from meetings is justified, and what pay will be withheld.
The council voted four to two to penalize members for missing meetings.
Another matter that split the council in half was an item that was brought up by council member Kent Kletscher a month ago that was about the street intersection of Oak and First Street. This intersection has two state highways connecting with the City’s main street.
Kletscher has a business near that intersection and told other members of the council, “I see almost 10 accidents a day.” After last months meeting the city addressed the matter to the state Department of Transportation and they made a suggestion that a four-way stop be installed. At present there is only two stop signs at that crossing and traffic on Oak Street is not stopped.
After some discussion, Kletscher moved to allow to proceed with the four-way stop and that motion was seconded by DeGross. But the council voted three to three which meant that mayor Rob Unruh had to make the decision on what to do and he voted against the four-way stop.
In other action the council approved a bid from Clinton Rassbach to address the run off water at the new municipal building by cutting a couple of pieces of the sidewalk to allow piping under it to allow the water to run out into the lawn and not across the sidewalks into the parking lot. His bid was $4944. The city had one other bid and that was for $7220.
The council heard from City Public Works Director David Caress about replacing the gutters at the fire station and they had only one bid and will seek others.
The council approved an eighteen percent increase in the sewer rates. The council was informed that according to the loan agreement the city made to finance the improvements on the City’s Waste Water Treatment facility, it is required that income to support that loan be at 110 percent of the amount of the payment. The council was informed that at present the revenue is only at 71 percent.
According to City Clerk-Treasure Sharon Rosenow who informed the council that the city auditor had also recommend that the rates be increased.
The council had a discussion covering a complaint that they had received about shipping containers being used as storage sheds on residential property. Police Chief Joe Klatt indicated that current city ordnances do not address shipping containers. It was learned that in residential zoning, property owners can have one out building and a garage is limited in size to 30 by 32 feet.
Part of the council agenda was the consideration of creating a new city logo. At present the city is using a logo that is owned and trademarked by Carlton DeWitt. He has allowed the city to use it with limitations at no cost.
The logo is displayed on the new municipal building and city vehicles and employee clothing and on three signs along the highways entering into the community.
DeWitt had the logo created more than 30 years ago to be used in his printing business. The logo depicts the rising sun over the 57 hills with a city-farm feature.
City Clerk/Treasurer Rosenow told the council that those limitations keep her from printing it on some of the things that she creates like utility billings.
At last months meeting DeWitt was asked to come up with a price to sell the rights to the city. At Monday nights meeting, DeWitt offered to sell all the rights to the city for $5,000 or he would licenses its use to the city for an annual fee of $100, but the limitations would still be in effect. The council decided to look at cost of creating a new logo and replacing the current logo that would have to be removed from all city locations.
The council heard from Rochelle Karlson, the library director, that they have received a grant from St. Croix Electric in the amount of $1500.
The council approved an operator’s licenses to Shelby M. Miller.
