White, South Dakota

The regular meeting of the White City Council was called to order on Monday, April 4, 2016 in the McKnight Community Center at 7:00pm by Mayor Terry Wright. Roll Call was taken: present –Chris Wilts, Chris Willmott, Wayne Kelm, Deborah Hopfinger and Tammy Byers; Absent – Martha Brandt.

Motion was made by Byers, seconded by Wilts to approve the agenda; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

The regular meeting minutes were read from March 7^th and the special meeting minutes were read from March 21^st. Motion was made by Hopfinger, seconded by Wilts to approve the minutes as read; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

The following bills were presented for approval:

Motion was made by Kelm, seconded by Byers to approve all the bills as presented; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

At 7:05pm, the Council discussed the progress of the White Care Center, or what will be known as The Centre from here on. The Council was given a list of items that Randy Hanson’s investment group would like to keep with the purchase of the facility. This list was put together by Hanson and Mayor Wright. Items included: any and all cleaning supplies, maintenance items, common household furniture, tvs, refrigerators, all kitchen equipment and supplies, some shelving units, tables, chairs, BioDex therapy machine, washing machine, and file cabinets. Councilmember Willmott felt that Hanson was asking for a lot. Hanson stated that the items on the list would be used in the facility for the tenants to use. Finance Officer, Haber, asked about keeping a couple of the items that they previously had bids on such as the BioDex machine, washing machine and stainless steel sink. These 3 items totaled $700 in all and this would help the City regain some of their losses. The Council agreed that it would be nice to sell these items instead of give them to Hanson. The BioDex machine bid was from the Wilmott Care center. The washing machine bid was from Peggy Vostad. And the sink bid was from Chris Willmott. Motion was made by Wilts, seconded by Hopfinger to accept the bids for the these 3 items from their corresponding bidders and to remove from Hanson’s list; roll call vote taken as follows: Byers – Yes; Willmott – Abstain; Hopfinger – Yes; Kelm – Yes; Wilts – Yes; with a vote of 4-1, motion carried.

As for the other items still remaining in the facility, Wright stated that Haber will contact HME Exchange out of Sioux Falls first to see what medical equipment they would be willing to purchase. Then the Wilmot Care Center and Stoney Brook Suites would be next in line for any and all equipment and supplies. Once these 3 organizations have purchased everything they want, then the items would be opened up to the public in a rummage sale type format.

Haber asked the Council about the remaining lights that are on in the facility and if anymore electrical work should be done to reduce energy costs. Wright stated that the 10-15 lights that are currently still on can be shut off by simply removing the bulbs. DeYoung will do this right away.

The Council proceeded to review the Purchase Agreement that was submitted by the Dedicated Investment Group, LLC managed by Randy Hanson. The Council was also presented with an e-mail from city attorney, Jesse Ronning, expressing a handful of concerns that he had regarding the agreement. Councilmember Wilts stated that she agreed with Ronning’s suggestion of inserting a clause where the real estate taxes will be given on a graduated scale contingent upon Brookings County Equalization Board’s approval. The City can only recommend a discretionary formula for taxes whereas the final decision is actually made by the County Board. Ronning didn’t want the City to end up being responsible for the difference if the County did not approve of the tax formula. Councilmember Hopfinger asked about the verbiage regarding the earnest money where Ronning’s suggestion was that by September 30, 2016, when the IG is required to give notice to the Council whether or not they will proceed with their plans to remodel, the IG should be obligated to give a Yes or No answer to the Council. The way the agreement currently reads is that it allows for the IG to notify the Council that they may need more time before proceeding with construction. The Council would like to have a definite answer by this date. Another issue was discussed when Ronning found that the Dedicated Investment Group, LLC did not exist according to the SD Secretary of State’s office. Hanson stated that the paperwork must not have been processed at the time he checked, because the LLC has been officially formed and is legal. Motion was made by Byers, seconded by Hopfinger to correct the Purchase Agreement with these changes and to table the signing until further notice; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

Hanson also updated the Council on the progress of getting letters of intent from some restaurant and daycare owners. He stated that some of the plans for the building have changed slightly including reducing the restaurant size and increasing the fitness center’s size. They are also considering adding 1 more apartment to the facility to make a better overall design.

The Council moved on discussing hiring a part-time summer employee to help with the mowing and general maintenance around the town. The 4 applicants that applied for the position were Kobey Landmark, Kayla Ovall, Tracy Haaseth and Jill Pearson. After reviewing the applications, motion was made by Willmott, seconded by Hopfinger to set up interviews with Haaseth and Pearson; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried. Dan DeYoung and Wayne Kelm will be the supervisors for the position, so they will be conducting the interviews.

The Council also discussed hiring Alice Rennich to do the mowing and lawn maintenance over the summer for the White Care Center. For the past year, the City paid Rennich $400 per month for these services. Most of the Council felt that this job could be done by the part-time summer help that will be hired this year. Motion was made by Hopfinger, seconded by Wilts to roll this service into the part-time summer help job list and not to hire Rennich for her services; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

Mayor Wright asked the Council if they would like to start looking for a new lawn mower. In the past, the City has requested bids for the mower and has then reviewed and accepted the best fit. The City’s current mower is 8 years old and has over 1,400 hours on it. Wright stated that when requested bids, the City should ask for a trade-in value for the current mower. Councilmember Kelm will get a bid request written up and given to the Finance Office to advertise. Councilmember Wilts also asked about getting a warranty on the new mower. Kelm stated that some come with the option of purchasing an extended warranty.

Wright also notified the Council that there is a grant opportunity for a new mosquito sprayer that he gave to the Finance Office. The City has been talking about getting a new one for the past couple of years. The deadline to apply is June 1^st.

Deubrook Area Schools presented a Hold Harmless Agreement to allow the McKnight Community Center to be used as a safe house or temporary shelter for students during a school district determined emergency. Motion was made by Hopfinger, seconded by Byers to accept this agreement; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

                Dan DeYoung, City Maintenance Superintendent, stated that he will be turning on the water at the park and the ball field at the end of the month. Byers asked about getting the light fixed at the park that shines on the flag pole. Dan is checking into it but thinks it may need to be replaced. Wright also asked about grinding stumps this spring. He knows a guy that might do it for us. Dan stated that he only has about 6 or 8 stumps that need grinding, but by this summer he always has more. Byers asked about getting the door on the east side of the McKnight Hall fixed. This item will need to be put on the next month’s agenda in order to discuss repair costs and approval. There was also discussion about removing the old air conditioning units in the hall.

                Melanie Haber, Finance Officer, notified the Council that Bruce and Mary Norman had submitted a claim to the City’s insurance company for an incident that occurred in October of 2015 where the City’s water pipes broke causing water damage in their basement. The claim has been settled in the amount of $1,972.34 in property damage. Haber also asked the Council about starting a Farmer’s Market in town. She did some research and found that Tuesday’s from 3pm- 7pm would not compete with other surrounding town’s markets. The market will be held from June 7-Oct 4 on the east side of the McKnight Hall however if there would be bad weather, the sale could be brought in the hall. The Council agreed to these terms and suggested charging $50 for all vendors. It was later decided not to charge the vendors for the first year to see how it goes.

                Haber also notified the Council that she almost has the Park & Rec magazine complete and it should be able to go to print yet this month. She will let the Council know when it is complete to see how many copies we want to order and distribute. She also stated that May 13^th would be the spring clean-up day as long as there were no conflicts.

                Upcoming Meetings/Dates/Agenda Items included:

•          April 9, 2016 – Fireman’s Dance & Supper
•          April 11-15, 2016 – Deubrook Art Show in McKnight Hall
•          May 2, 2016 – Next Regular City Council Meeting, McKnight Hall, 7pm
•          May 13, 2016 – City Clean-up Day
•          May 20-21, 2016 – City Wide Rummage Sales

Old Business included:

•          The community digital sign is now up and working. Haber asked the Council about organizations approaching her about putting their own ads on the sign. The Council discussed charging these entities, but found it hard to draw the line. Haber will ask Deubrook Schools and First Bank & Trust how they feel about this, since they are part owners and see what they suggest. Any and all profits would need to be split 3 ways to make it even as well.

Public comments – Byers asked about the Boulevard Tree project as she was absent from the meeting where this was discussed. The information can still be found on the website under News and anyone who is interested in having a tree planted should contact Logan Zeisler at 605-553-2261.

Correspondence – None.

Nuisances – There have been a couple of complaints of dogs running lose through town.  Haber contacted the Brookings Animal Control and they stated that nothing can be done until the dog is caught. Wilts also asked about some rundown homes in town, unlicensed vehicles and tree branches.

Other topics discussed included:

•          At the March 21^st Local Board of Review meeting for tax equalization, the Council approved to request Mary Trewatha’s tax assessment be lowered from $103,600 to $76,400 however the Department of Equalization did not honor their request and will only consider an amount of $92,400. The City cannot do anything more about this, but the resident may go to the County board if he/she chooses.

The delinquent utility bill statement was presented to the Council with a total of 11 accounts being delinquent. Motion was made by Willmott, seconded by Kelm to approve of disconnecting all 11 accounts if not paid for by the 20^th of the month; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried.

The Financial Statements were presented to the Council. Motion was made by Willmott, seconded by Hopfinger to approve of the financial statements.

With no further business to come before the Council, motion made by Willmott, seconded by Kelm to adjourn; roll call vote taken with all present voting aye; motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.

Terry Wright, Mayor

Melanie Haber, Finance Officer