MINUTES – REGULAR MEETING
FREMONT CITY COUNCIL
Monday, February 20, 2006 – 7:00 PM
Mayor James Rynberg called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Councilmember Larry Breuker gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.
Present at Roll Call: Mayor James Rynberg and Councilmembers Larry Breuker, Dick Conley, Jane Drake and James Breinling
Staff Present: City Manager Chris Yonker, City Clerk/Finance Director Todd Blake and Director of N & ED Michel Ribant
Public Present: Deede Petz, Dale Johnson and Lindsay Hager
Motion by Councilmember Breinling, seconded by Councilmember Conley to approve the meeting agenda; motion approved.
Motion by Councilmember Breinling, seconded by Councilmember Breuker and carried to remove Items #3.4 “Downtown Rental Rehab Grant Agreement with MSHDA”, #3.5 “DT Rental Rehab Program: Third Party Administrator (TPA) Professional Services Agreement” and # 3.6 “Adjustments to Fremont Lake Park Camping Fees for 2006 Season” and approve the following remaining consent action items:
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Breinling to: 1) authorize the Mayor & City Clerk to sign the MSHDA Grant Agreement, as amended; 2) authorize the City Clerk & Director of Neighborhood & Economic Dev. to sign & submit all necessary reports & financial documents; and 3) amend the FY 05/06 City Operating Budget for receipt (101-000.000-545.000) and expense (101-727.000-801.000) of the MSHDA Grant; motion approved.
Director of Neighborhood & Economic Dev. Michele Ribant summarized the MSHDA grant administration process and recommended the City contract with the Center for Nonprofit Housing (CNH) as the Third-Party Administrator (TPA) for grant administration. She noted staff recommends the City retain 15% of the grant’s administrative funds to cover costs related to City staff’s grant administration and federal Single Audit Act requirements.
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Breinling to: 1) authorize the City Manager & Clerk to sign the TPA Agreement with CNH for 85% of the grant administration funds of $54,800 ($46,580) and an additional $1,000 per unit completed under the project; and 2) amend the FY 05/06 City Operating Budget to appropriate funds for grant administration through the TPA Agreement (101-727.000-801.000); motion approved.
City Clerk Blake reported that the City had not adjusted the Park’s camping rates since 2002 and recommended adjusting the monthly camping rates and seasonal storage & boat/pontoon space fees by $10. He also recommended the City annually adjust the rates to account for inflation.
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Breuker to approve as recommended the adjustments to the Fremont Lake Park Camping Fees for the 2006 Season and authorize annual inflationary adjustments for future seasons; motion approved.
Motion by Councilmember Conley, seconded by Councilmember Breuker to approve the accounts payable check register report dated February 16, 2006 totaling $46,788.69; motion approved.
Ms. Deede Petz and Mr. Dale Johnson, members of the N.C. Snowmobile Association, requested the City amend the City Code to permit limited use of snowmobiles within the City limits. They requested access to gas stations and restaurants by various routes from several directions.
Following lengthy discussion, motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Breuker and approved authorizing staff to work with the City Attorney to draft for City Council consideration, amendments to the appropriate City Ordinance(s) permitting the following limited snowmobile access routes into the City limits:
City Manager Yonker reported that Ron & Betty Mousel had submitted a written request for access to City services (sewer, water, storm & others) for their property on 48th Street in Dayton Township. The parcel is adjacent to the west side of the Phase 1 Growth Area as designated in the original December 2004 Act 425 Conditional Property Transfer Agreement between the City of Fremont and Dayton & Sheridan Townships.
Mr. Yonker stated that the Mousels had recently received favorable consideration from the Dayton Township Board to amend the Act 425 Agreement to include their property within the Phase 1 Growth Area. The Township Board felt that the remaining two parcels east of Green Avenue and North of 48th Street should also be contacted by the Township Supervisor to determine if they were interested in being a part of either the Phase 1 or Phase 2 Growth Areas.
In order to consider the amendment, all three jurisdictions that were parties to the original Agreement must hold a public hearing before considering and approving such a request. Motion by Councilmember Breinling, seconded by Councilmember Conley to authorize staff to coordinate with Dayton & Sheridan Townships to draft the necessary amendments to the Agreement and to set and publish a notice for the public hearing to receive input on the proposed map amendment to the Phase 1 Growth Area within the Act 425 Agreement; motion approved.
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Conley to authorize the City Manager & City Clerk to execute an amendment to the Residential Refuse & Recycling Services Contract with Allied Waste permitting single-day pickup on Tuesdays for all City residents effective March 13, 2006, contingent upon Allied Waste covering the cost of mailing notices to all residents on the current Monday route informing them of the change; motion approved.
City Clerk Blake submitted a memorandum addressing the sewer revenue decline over the last five years and the likelihood of a sewer rate increase in the near future to enable the City to expand the wastewater treatment facility. The facility is nearing its design capacity and revenue bonds would likely have to be sold to cover all or a portion of the expansion costs. Debt service on those bonds would be paid for through Sewer Fund revenues.
As a first step in adjusting the sewer rates, Mr. Blake recommended that the sewer rate structure be changed, basing it on the “actual water usage” each billing quarter instead of the current method of basing it on the “water usage for the winter” quarter. This would eliminate the subsidy that year-round residents provide to those who “winter” elsewhere and who use little or no water during the January-March quarter and pay only the minimum sewer charge each of the remaining three quarters. Those residents that irrigate or sprinkle their lawns would be able to install a separate water meter to their irrigation systems &/or outdoor water spigots and pay only for the water and paying no sewer charges. Many residents and commercial, industrial & institutional property owners have already installed irrigation meters over the last few years.
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Breinling authorizing staff to set a public hearing to receive public input on an amendment to the Sewer Ordinance to change the sanitary sewer billing process as recommended; motion approved.
Motion by Councilmember Breuker, seconded by Councilmember Drake to support Mayor Rynberg’s recommendation to appoint Mr. Gerry Rich to the DDA Board for a 3-year term ending June 30, 2006, replacing Mr. Kevin Conley who had resigned; motion approved.
City Manager Yonker reported Police Chief Deur recently hired Ms. Terri Wahl to replace Police Secretary Julie Herin, who will be retiring on March 3, 2006.
Mayor Rynberg announced that the Mayors Exchange Days with the City of Zeeland have been scheduled for May 24th in Fremont and May 31st in Zeeland.
Councilmember Drake requested staff draft a letter to residents who park their vehicles on their front lawns, requesting they restrict parking to their paved designated driveway areas.
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Conley to close the Regular Session at 10:00 PM and enter into a Closed Session to discuss possible land acquisitions; motion approved by unanimous roll call vote of:
Yeas: Rynberg, Conley, Drake, Breinling, Breuker
Nays: None
Absent: None
The Closed Session ended at 10:25 PM and the Regular Meeting reconvened.
Adjournment
Motion by Councilmember Drake, seconded by Councilmember Breinling to adjourn the meeting at 10:25 PM; motion approved.
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James M. Rynberg, Mayor
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Todd M. Blake, City Clerk