CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Brad Foss called to order a regular meeting of the City of St. Croix Falls Common Council on Monday, November 26, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. Roll call: Councilpersons Darrell Anderson, Lori Erickson, Brian Blesi and Arnie Carlson were present. Also present: Administrator Ed Emerson, Clerk Bonita Leggitt, Attorney Brian Nodolf, Jeff Nussbaum of Cedar Corp, the public and the press. All Present joined in the salute to the flag.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Darrell Anderson moved to approve the Minutes of the November 12, 2007 Council Meeting, second by Lori Erickson, voice vote, motion passed.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

Darrell Anderson: Cemetery Board met, finances are in good shape, and volunteers are trimming trees and cleaning up the cemetery.

Brian Blesi: Park & Rec is working with Rotary Club to install a sidewalk at the Skate Park.

Arnie Carlson: the Joint Planning Committee will be meeting on Thursday to continue work on Boundary Agreement.

APPROVAL OF CLAIMS

General Fund $11,201.30, Water $19,568.84, Sewer $16,954.59

Lori Erickson moved to approve claims, second by Arnie Carlson, roll call vote, 4 ayes, passed.

OLD BUSINESS

Update on City Projects and Discuss River Street Improvement Project Ideas

Jeff Nussbaum: Cedar Corp is working on Punch List and computing final quantities for Louisiana St Project, recommend holding retainer till spring. We will be needing Council input on design options for State St. Also working on Condo Plat for Holiday Foods building. Looked into combining removal of fluorescent lighting and other materials at same time as asbestos removal, recommend bidding out and awarding asbestos removal now and removal of other materials as part of building renovation.

Mayor Foss has been talking to neighboring property owners about development of the City owned property along River St, ideas put forth included additional parking and out door eating on roof top. West Cap is interested in developing a live/work project and will be seeking tax credits for the project. Arnie Carlson questioned if we could build a parking lot at street level over Indianhead Glass’s parking lot.

Warren White: Rotary Club proposes to install a sidewalk for the Wheel Park.

NEW BUSINESS

Consider Confirmation and Swearing in of Wade Sommer as Fire Chief

The Fire Department has elected Wade Sommer as Fire Chief for the St Croix Falls Fire and Rescue Department, Wade Sommer was sworn in.

Consider Pay Requests for Louisiana St, and Wilber Blvd Projects

Darrell Anderson moved to approve the Final Pay Request for the Wilberg Blvd and Washington St Project by McCabe Construction in the amount of $22,262.56 contingent upon receiving signed affidavit of compliance with prevailing wage rates, second by Arnie Carlson, roll call vote, 4 ayes, motion passed.

Consider Accepting BID District Special Assessment Amounts

The Business Improvement District has submitted their proposed Special Assessment for 2007 payable in 2008 at the same rates as last year for a total assessment of $9,996.36.

Arnie Carlson moved to approve the 2007 BID Assessments, second by Brian Blesi, roll call vote, 4 ayes, motion passed

Consider Donation to 2008 Governor’s Fishing Opener

The 2008 Governor’s Fishing Opener will be held in Polk County at Lake Wapogasset, the purpose of the 3 day event is to advance tourism in the region. Organizations that sponsor meals will be recognized and invited to the Governor’s Banquet. Gift bags with promotional items from around Polk Co. are provided for the attendees. Council determined that the event with the greatest attendance and thus best opportunity to get St Croix Falls noticed was the Friday night Governor’s Banquet.

Brian Blesi moved to sponsor the Friday night Governor’s Banquet at a cost of $1200 and to authorize $300 for a promotional item for inclusion in the gift bags, second by Darrell Anderson, roll call vote, 4 ayes, motion passed.

Consider a Resolution Setting a Community Referendum on the 2008 April Election Related to Establishment of a Resort Area Tax

The City Council has been discussing a ½% Resort Area Sales Tax to be used for property tax relief, the City does not currently meet the State requirements to qualify as a resort area, to qualify a certain percentage or our tax base has to be tourism related, 1/3 of the City’s land is non-taxable but tourism related, such as the National Park Service Headquarters, the Inter-State Park, Gandy Dancer Trail, and the Fish Hatchery, we have contacted the State for authorization to be designated a Resort Area. We propose to place a non-binding referendum question on the April ballot asking the residents if we should seek authorization from the State to get the ½% sales tax. Councilpersons discussed the need to get all the information out so that residents can make an informed decision on what is being proposed.

WI State Senator Sheila Harsdorf: resort area sales tax was not intended for property tax relief but as a way to pay for infrastructure to support tourism.

Polk County Supervisor Keith Rediske: you need to remember that the City of St Croix Falls is part of a larger community, you would telling your neighbors that they have to pay more to shop here, some neighbors already blame St Croix Falls for the demise of their downtowns.

Lori Erickson moved to put a Referendum for a Resort Area Tax on the April Ballot, second by Arnie Carlson, voice vote, motion passed.

Discuss Top Ten Water Users Summary and Explore conservation Ideas

In response to the question of who uses our water a list was compiled of the top ten water users in the third quarter, these users used nearly 40% of the water pumped during the quarter. It was noted that third quarter covered July, August, and September, and that the first two months were very dry. Current fee structure charges less for higher consumption, should we be looking at adjusting those rates for what is a scarce resource for us? Could garden center businesses pump water from holding ponds to water plants? How could we make use of grey water, could we reclaim or recycle water for some uses?

Review and Discuss First Draft of Condominium Declaration, Condominium Plat, and Condominium Development and Management Documents: Holiday Property – Library Project

City Attorney Brian Nodolf: Condominium Declaration, Plat, Development and Management documents for the Holiday property is being drawn up, building has been measured and there is more square footage than originally thought, proposed dividing wall will run along an existing roof beam, parking lot would be owned by City with an easement/use agreement with owner of other part of building. Final document should be ready for December meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Warren White: Xcel Energy didn’t get there line buried for the Overlook Park and Trail Improvements Project until August, was supposed to have been done in May, resulting in additional contractor costs of $3,600. Council will review and discuss responsibility for the additional charges at next meeting.

ADJOURNMENT

Brian Blesi moved to adjourn the meeting, second by Arnie Carlson, voice vote, motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 9:10 pm.

Brad Foss, Mayor Bonita Leggitt, City Clerk