By Anne Thom

Citizens of Stacy will see more deputy patrol in the year 2006. The city council, in adopting its budget for next year, has included an additional $15,346 for sheriff deputy services to respond to some public safety issues including traffic and increased calls to a local mobile home park.

Sheriff Todd Rivard and Deputy Shane Carol visited with the city council prior to last Tuesday night's meeting at a closed session, apparently on the subject of increased law enforcement needs.

Other enforcement issues came up that night. Under state law, parking is not allowed within 30 feet of a stop sign. For some time there have been complaints from Sherman Oaks Road of impassibility due to the fact that people are parking too close and on both sides of the narrow street. Councilman Mel Aslakson asked if there should be an ordinance on parking on that street. City Attorney Peter Grundhoefer said an ordinance would be safest. His rational : if someone could receive a citation for a violation, there should be an ordinance to back up the issuance of that citation.

The council is also concerned with ways to mark both pedestrian and bicycle crossings in the city. City maintenance will look into the cost of portable pedestrian crossing markers.

Grundhoefer said he has seen cities use these on a temporary and periodic basis to better alert motorists to a crossing which gets them into the habit of looking and slowing down at those sites.

Maintenance supervisor Tom Archibald asked that he be allowed to hire a professional to paint the crosswalks and curbs in order for the job to be done right.

A number of community interests are impacted by the councils actions surrounding the new liquor store. Brian Randt, of the Stacy Lions Club, asked for the old ice machine from the bar. This brought discussion between Councilmember John Walz, a key member of the liquor store committee and attorney Grundhoefer on the proper way to dispose of city property. Walz first asked Grundhoefer if these were considered city assets and wondered if the city had to have an auction to dispose of the property. Grundhoefer said in the case of the ice machine, it is a city to city transfer, meaning the non-profit Lions Club of Stacy would be a logical recipient of an item the city could no longer use. Grundhoefer then told the council they should make a list of things that can be sold to the public, publish and post notices and accept sealed bids.

In other liquor store discussions, Mayor Michael Carlson described the software that is being purchased, all state-of-the-art, to include touch screen, a back office computer server, kitchen software, a remote printer for the kitchen, bar tab table service and four cash drawers with four separate register systems. The bar staff will have one week of training on the new software.

Beverage products will likely be contracted out to Coca-Cola as there is a distributor in the area.

Larry Granberg from the Stacy-Lent Fire Department was there to negotiate the pull tab lease. Two or three booths will be installed depending upon the space at $442 a month rent. The money goes back into the Stacy-Lent community which is why the council would consider an expansion of pull tab operations.

In other business:

ï It was noted that storm sewers will be cleaned and fire hydrants will be flushed this week. Signs will be posted on those streets that are affected.

ï The Foxtail Woods 2nd Addition development was revisited by Dan Birdsall and Steve Rindahl who said there was a misunderstanding over the issue of streetlights. Birdsall had asked to be able to look at some alternatives to the current lighting which Xcel Energy is now charging $6,000 per unit. Mayor Carlson said the council had not heard from him as they had expected regarding alternatives, so they thought Birdsall was opting to go with the present lighting plan. Grundhoefer and Birdsall then went through the details of the letters of credit and how much security would be required. It was settled on 10 percent of the letter of credit, or $58,472.00. Birdsall promised to have full security in place by early November. He further noted that he had secured all the necessary permits for the development. The development will connect to the park trail system.

ï David Cook requested approval of a sign for Children of Peace Daycare. The design was approved.

ï A joint meeting with the Lent Town supervisors will be Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.

ï It was also noted that Councilman John Daher is in Louisiana working on the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

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