‘23 City levy approved, 8% increase

The snow plow has been fixed, residents with unpaid water bills have been sent letters, and the final tax levy was approved during the regular meeting of the Waldorf City Council, Monday, Dec. 12, 2023. 

Noting that Mayor Rob Wilkening is in the Philippines for two months working and visiting his wife, and commenting that he chose to be gone during the “hot season,” council member Kevin Lines has been filling in for him. Lines suggested the council approve the preliminary tax levy, including an 8% increase from the previous year. “Other towns are a lot higher. We’re fortunate it doesn’t take as much money to run our city as it does for larger ones.” 

The council approved the general and fire levies for 2023-24 in the amounts of (respectively) $118,389 and $31,492. 

Approval was given to a number of miscellaneous items which constituted the majority of the evening’s agenda: November’s meeting minutes; certificate of final approval for street project; account balances; fire and retention payments; and a liquor license for offsale and Sunday sales for Lonna Westphal-Klug at Papa Olie’s Bar and Grill. 

In conjunction with the miscellaneous approvals of the council, some more serious matters and general updates were touched on. 

Ron Fischer delivered the maintenance report and shared that the snow plow has been fixed. An extra cylinder has been purchased for $1,000 in the event of a future failure. Council members nodded their heads in approval. 

On a somber note, Xcel energy was contacted about putting in outlets on their poles in order to hang Christmas lights. Xcel informed the city that the poles they have are not to have anything hung on them because they are power poles with multiple lines running up them. The item was  as “officially tabled” as anything at these meetings can be, until the summer when the city can discuss putting up different light poles capable of accommodating Christmas lights. 

A new chlorine scale was installed at the water plant. 

More than $3,000 of water bills remain uncollected, which caused the longest discussion of the night. It was determined the best course of action was to send letters saying the past due balances must be paid by Dec. 22, 2022 or those costs will be sent to the Auditor to be assessed on their taxes. Several residents are applying for a program through Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC) which will cover their past due balances. This program is available to anyone with a past due utility bill and is a carryover from a post-covid program. A letter from MVAC stating residents have been accepted for said program will also suffice and allow the late payers to avoid a tax assessment. 

In the Water and Sewer report it was shared that arrangements for the new fluoride pumps are still in discussion. 

A change order for 500 tons of pavement which was accidentally billed to Waseca County instead of the City of Waldorf during its summer street project was approved in the amount of about $50,000. In the chaos of the hundreds of “pay tickets” received during the project, Lee Istvanovich of Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH), the city’s contracted engineers, entered the incorrect date into the spreadsheet. 

The final payment to Holtmeier Construction in the amount of $145,359 was approved, which included the above change order. 

The council approved another large payment, this time to SEH, for $45,000 for construction costs from the summer street repair project. A letter, read aloud, shared the details which explained that the funds paid to SEH were coming from their state grant. The project, in the end, came in about $37,000 under budget. 

The Water and Sewer report was approved. 

The Fire Department report was approved following the tabling of approval of fire department purchases. An audit from Clifton Larson Allen, which was completed and also approved at the night's meeting, found that because the city owns the fire department, the city council needs to approve any purchases. This was the discussion which was tabled until the mayor returns from the Philippines. 

Felt pads purchased for community center tables are missing, however, enough remain for all of the tables. Council members are unsure what happened to them. A brief discussion yielded no helpful information, but ultimately determined it was highly unlikely anyone had stolen them. More than likely, they were misplaced or already placed on said tables. 

The second-longest discussion of the night centered around the rental fees for the community center. In the end the council determined that having fewer rental options is best. Interested persons can rent the front half, including the kitchen, or simply the entire community center. This was in place of the previous setup, which included five different rental options. A small internal investigation also showed that 4-H renters who did scrapbooking, left a “disgusting mess.” Half of their rental deposit was retained and the council was urged to instruct users to show more respect for the community space. 

A “state of the city” address will be Feb. 6, 2023 followed by a public meeting to discuss redesignating a piece of property so that it is no longer considered an alley for Dave Bottin. Also to be discussed will be the option of allowing the construction of an apartment building and playground/picnic area on the city-owned football field. 

A somewhat heated discussion took place regarding what to do about residents who complicate snow removal by leaving their cars parked on city streets. Rapid-fire suggestions were offered that cars should be towed, ticketed, or warned. A look into the city ordinance will occur before any action is taken. 

Waste Management will no longer be providing “yellow bag” service beginning Feb. 1, 2023. The city has two options:

City contracted garbage services

Individual contracts for residents 

Both options have different strengths and weaknesses. Waste Management will present the city with a proposal for a city contract, which would, likely, provide considerably cheaper garbage rates for Waldorf residents, but, it would also mean the city would have to administer the program, meaning residents pay for the service regardless of whether they want it or not. Some people would prefer that residents take care of their own garbage instead of adding another city service. Having residents seek out their own waste collection service, though, raised the possibility that some might not acquire any service. The topic was tabled until a proposal is received from Waste Management. 

Deputy Mayor Lines announced the state department of transportation intends to resurface Highway 22 from Mapleton to Wells. He learned about this project the day of the meeting. No more specifics were shared. If the project happens, it would create more traffic on Highway 83 going by Waldorf. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m.