New Richland City Council
By JESSICA LUTGENS
Staff Writer
New Richland is in need of a better system for enforcing city ordinances and following up on properties in violation of city ordinance.
This is the conclusion drawn by the New Richland City Council during its first meeting of the month on Monday, Aug. 8.
After months of discussion regarding 420 2nd St. SE, a property that has been in violation for years, the council approved citing the owner at the last meeting on July 25. The owner, Jeremy Wilmes, has attended three council meetings, the most recent July 11. Since, there has been no change to the property or response from Wilmes, whose deadline for cleanup of the lot was May 16.
Broadway Ave. also has had a building in violation for several months, to which no progress has been made.
“There are a lot of problem areas in town,” said council member John Hullopeter, who also mentioned that after inspecting the storm sewers in the south part of town, it was discovered that grass clippings are a major cause of the flooding issues with the sewer. Residents are asked to make sure grass clippings are swept back onto the sidewalk and off the street after lawn mowing, which will hopefully prevent further time and money being spent on sewer work.
The council agreed that the police department, maintenance and clerk’s office need to work together on these issues. A more specific plan will be discussed at the next meeting on August 22.
“Residents need to be aware of the problems,” said Mayor Christine Gislason. “We need to get the word out.”
A service line for the ice skating rink in town was approved at a cost of $1,800 for materials and up to $2,000 for installation. Although the rink hasn’t seen much use in the last two years, a considerable amount has already been invested in it, and the water line will make flooding and maintaining the rink easier.
A fly-over is being scheduled to update aerial photography of Waseca County. The county will pay for photography of the entire county at 6-inch resolution. Clerk Wayne Billing recommended the city upgrade to 4-inch resolution, which is significantly higher in quality, at a cost of $2,400, which the council approved.
It was also noted that so far the recycling drop site has been used appropriately.
Monica Schutrop presented the ambulance report, which included a request for two members to attend an upcoming conference at a cost of $95/person, approved. On Sept. 10, New Richland will host an EMS prep class at City Hall, which will consist of eight hours of pediatrics education. The report was approved.
The police report stated that the department responded to 93 calls for service and had 53 additional contacts/activities in July. Two felony thefts were reported—a vehicle and prescription medications. Ordinance violation letters and administrative citations have been delivered, and progress is being monitored. The report was approved.
Resolution 16-09, support of an accelerated implementation grant application for Waseca County, was approved. The meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m.