2021.12.06 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for December 6, 2021 Page 5 of 7 Approve Sale of Brine Mixer to White Bear Township In 2012, the City purchased a brine (salt water) mixer and brine application equipment to be used during snow events in the winter months. The City was no longer applying brine to the road surface in advance of snow events, but was using brine to pre-wet road salt as it is being discharged from the salt spreaders on the rear of the plow trucks. The brine was stored in tanks mounted to the sides of the plow trucks and sprayed on the salt as it left the trucks. In 2014, the City of Hugo and the City of Centerville made arrangements for Centerville to store road salt in the City of Hugo salt storage building and for the City of Centerville to provide brine to the City of Hugo. This arrangement worked well for both cities, and the City of Hugo had not utilized its brine maker since 2014. The City of Hugo Public Works Department requested Council approval to sell the City’s brine mixer to White Bear Lake Township for $3,000. With the sale of the brine mixer, White Bear Township would agree to provide brine to the City of Hugo if there was ever a need to do so. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the sale of the brine mixer to White Bear Lake Township in the amount of $3,000. Approve Sale of Fire Department Hose Tester to Lino Lakes Fire Department The hose tester used by the Hugo Fire Department was purchased in 2009 with funds from the Relief Association. The tester was used to test hoses for leaks as required annually by OSHA. In 2022, the Fire Department began contracting with a service provider to test hoses on an annual basis. The Department requested Council approval to sell the hose tester to the Lino Lakes Fire Department for $1,000. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the sale of the Fire Department’s hose tester to the Lino Lakes Fire Department for $1,000. Approve Updated Employment Agreement for City Administrator Bryan Bear Bryan Bear had been employed with the City since May 3, 2004, and served as the Community Development Director until being appointed as the City Administrator on November 7, 2011. At that time, Bear entered into an employment agreement that had not been changed since. Under City Council direction, the City Attorney had drafted a new employment agreement with clarifications and amendments to personal leave, automobile expense, termination benefits, and salary, including a statement that Bear declined any payment for overtime. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the updated employment agreement for City Administrator Bryan Bear. Public Hearing on 2022 City Budget and Tax Levy State statutes required city council’s to hold public hearings on proposed city budgets and tax levies. Finance Director Anna Wobse presented the budget and tax levy to the Council prior to taking public comment. Wobse began by explaining the State distributed a total of $564,398,012 in Local Government Aid, and the City was one out of 101 Cities that did not receive funds. One of the key factors is because Hugo’s tax rate is considerably lower than the statewide average. She compared Hugo’s tax rate of 39.294% with all cities in Minnesota. On a median value home of $293,500, the difference of tax on that home in Hugo compared to the state average was $133.89 less.