Another lot is sold

By Jill Fennema –

Last week Wednesday the Edgerton City Council held the annual Truth in Taxation hearing. This yearly hearing typically happens during the last meeting of the year and is when the council sets the levy for the following year.

The 2022 levy was set at $650,000, roughly a 17 percent increase over last year’s levy. The city’s total operating budget was balanced at $1.5 million. Included in that budget was more funding for the Edgerton Public Library than was proposed last month.

When the budget committee prepared their preliminary budget, they included the amounts that employees contribute to their Health Savings Accounts (HSA). Those amounts should not have been included in the budget, so they were deducted leaving $10,600 additional money left to be allocated.

City councilwoman Kathy Baker motioned that the council raise the levy by 19.5 percent and give the library an additional $26,000 (the amount they requested this year), but her motion died due to lack of support.

Councilman Kevin Caspersen motioned that the council set the levy at a 17 percent increase, and give the additional monies found in the budget towards library funding.

That motion passed 3 to 1, with Baker dissenting. The passage of the budget brings the total city contribution to the library to $51,600. That is an additional $15,600 above 2021, when the city gave the library $39,999.

After the meeting, Library Director Dena Berghorst said, “We are very appreciative and grateful to be receiving additional funding for 2022. It will make a positive impact in the quality of materials we will be able to offer our community.”

“We did not receive the full amount requested, so we will have to go back next fall and again ask to simply be funded at an average level. But we are now getting closer to average, and that’s a good step forward,” she said. “I’d like to thank Councilwoman Kathy Baker for supporting the library, and for the tremendous amounts of encouragement we have received from so many community members.

The council also approved the 2022 law enforcement contract with the Pipestone County Sheriff’s office. The new contract costs $61.36 per capita, up from $59 per resident last year. The total cost to the City of Edgerton will be $72,957.

Councilwoman Kathy Baker commented that she thought the contract was too expensive and that the deputies do not enforce the city’s ordinances as much as she would like.

City Clerk Joel Farrington said that they are working on updating the city’s code to give their ordinances “more teeth,” so that there is more that can be done to enforce the ordinances. The council has been looking at proposed changes to the ordinance, including changes that would make it possible for city employees to issue citations when ordinances are not followed.

Arlie Van’t Hof came to talk about land that he has rented from the city for the last 30 years.

Last month, the clerk’s office asked Van’t Hof to increase the amount of rent he was paying for the 35 acres of land that he has been renting east of the city’s waste water ponds.

The city pays $250 an acre for land that they rent in wellhead protection. Van’t Hof has been paying $176 per acre for many years. He has rented the land since the time that the wastewater ponds were put in back in 1976.

When asked, he offered to pay $225 an acre, but the city advertised for bids to try to get a higher amount per acre.

Arlie said that he was disappointed that the land had been advertised for rent. “I certainly would like to keep renting it,” he added.

He reminded the council that there are sewer lines that run through the cropland and that it is not great land. He explained that the land needs to be tiled because in wet years he has had trouble getting good yields.

Councilman Kevin Caspersen commented during the council’s discussion of the matter later in the meeting that he would have liked to have seen the matter come before council before the rental opportunity was advertised.

Bids on renting the cropland are due to city hall by Wednesday, Dec. 29.

Another lot in the Northwest First Addition has been sold. Lloyd Zwart has purchased lot Lot 7 in Block 1. He put money down and will be closing probably by the time of this printing. He received the 50% discount.

There is still a lot that could be purchased at 40 percent off before the end of the year. Zwart has some concerns because of the disruptions in the supply chain. He is afraid there could be obstacles to completing a house by Dec. 31, 2022. He will need to come to a council meeting to ask the council if they would consider an extension to the program.

A member of the Edgerton Volunteer Ambulance Association donated their annual stipend of $750 to go to the Edgerton Public Library. The council accepted that donation.

The clerk’s office is working on a Minnesota Safe Routes to School grant to help pay for sidewalks along the north portion of 4th Avenue and Trosky Road. The grant would pay for 80 percent of the cost of sidewalks, with property owners only needing to pay 20 percent.

As part of the grant process, the city passed a resolution stating that they would require sidewalks in any new development in the future. The city already requires sidewalks in the Northwest First Addition.

The 2022 city fee schedule was approved. The schedule will be published in January in the Edgerton Enterprise.

The next city council meeting is Jan 12, 2022, at 7 p.m. at city hall.