The Clear Lake City Council met Monday evening via teleconference and made quick work of the agenda, moving through its business in just 20 minutes.

Mayor Tim Goenner started by opening the public hearing for the truth in taxation meeting, giving residents the option to speak regarding the city’s proposed tax levy.  However, no one called in to speak on the matter so the meeting was closed and the regular council meeting was called to order.

Council quickly moved to approve the 2021 tax levy, as well as the proposed budget, as both carried unanimous agreement.

Next, the sheriff’s report was reviewed, as a total of 30 calls for service were reported in the last month.

Clerk Kari Mechtel then offered a pair of resolutions for council to consider, with the first one approving city hall as the polling place for the 2021 election.  The second resolution related to the final CARES Act expenditures, as the council had donated remaining funds to the Clear Lake Fire Dept.  Both resolutions received unanimous approval.

Speed Study

Mayor Goenner reported that he has been working with both MNDOT and Sherburne County to put together a speed study for the portion of Co. Rd. 6 that is located within the city.  Goenner presented a resolution that formally requested the speed limit study as there have been several traffic and speed concerns in the area.  With council approving the resolution, it will now move forward as a formal request to the county to consider looking at the traffic and speed patterns in the area.

Public Works

Public Works employee Dustin Luhning reported on progress made with the city water supply.  He reported that well number three is now online and pumping water even though there is some final work to be completed.  In addition, well number two is undergoing some telemetry updating so it can communicate via radio control within the city’s system.  Once the final panel upgrade is complete, it will be fully automated and integrated within the water supply.

Luhning credited City Engineer Keith Yapp of Stantec for his efforts in helping with the project.

In other department news, the new signs have also been installed around the city, as Luhning reported that project was moving along in fine fashion.

Yapp and Luhning are also planning to meet soon to see what progress can be made on the street assessment.  With the lack of snow, they both felt that they could make some progress on this instead of having to wait until spring.  Yapp further reported that he is looking at a grant project that the city might be able to participate in to help defray some of the street upgrade costs.

January Meeting

Although member Dale Powers was absent from the meeting, he had asked Mechtel to ask council to consider the format for the January meeting, which will be the first for new council member Stefany Janish.  After discussing their options, council decided to keep the January meeting as a virtual format and they will reassess the local COVID-19 situation and make a determination for February at a later time. 

Arnold Farewell

The final order of business was for Mayor Goenner and the other council members to praise the work of long-time member Bob Arnold.  After serving 32 years on the council, he chose not to seek re-election and will be moving out of town.  Because of COVID restrictions, no party was held but a celebration will be reassessed in late spring.

“I can’t say enough,” said Goenner.  “It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

Other council members joined Goenner in praising Arnold’s work and wished him well in his new endeavors (see related story in this week’s Patriot).

In a fitting tribute to his year’s of service, Arnold made his final motion to adjourn the meeting and his colleagues concurred unanimously.