By Clark Natalie

The Harris City Council executed the necessary forms to put into place the Phosphorus Reduction Grant of $267,677 which will help offset costs associated with the new waste water treatment facility. The grant is through the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority and was established to help with the cost of dealing with new phosphorus levels that the State set.

One of the reasons Harris went with the mechanical system was because of the phosphorus requirement. The grant will be administered through Lakes and Pines and the process has been put into place.

Lakes Region EMS also made a presentation to the council, just to keep them informed of the services that they provide. Lakes Region EMS a non-profit corporation which was formed by the old Chisago Lakes Rescue Squad, North Branch Rescue Squad and the Rush City Ambulance Service.

By combining, the new entity could be managed better and provide services better. Lakes Region is not owned by a hospital or governmental agency, but has its own board of directors. No governmental funding goes to Lakes Region and all funding comes from services they have provided. Lakes Region EMS has three ambulances, and by stationing them throughout its service area, there is never an ambulance more than ten minutes from a potential patient.

The greatest threat to this service is financial. For many responses, the service has to operate on what Medicare will pay, which presently does not compare to actual operating costs, especially with the recent increase in fuel prices. Aarron Reinert, the executive director who made the presentation said that the first responders are critical in providing the service that they do.

The treasurer of the Fire Relief Association Fund brought to the council financial information to ask for an increase in the retirement that would be paid to fire department members. Tim Stancek is asking for the amount to be increased from $650 per year to $875. The financial information showed that according to the investment counselor the relief association has had for fourteen years shows that with what they have on hand, the relief association could actually increase the yearly amount to $1,100.

The investment counselor is with Wells Fargo. City treasurer Richard Hill reviewed the information provided before the meeting. Hill felt with the audit report and the review by the State Oversight Committee the association reports to, that an increase to $1,100 would be very reasonable.

The council agreed to increase the amount to $850, with the understanding that on an annual basis, the relief association will come back for smaller increases, making sure that funds are sufficient to justify them.

Henry Gregoire came before the council to ask for help and warn of a potential problem. A neighbor has built a cabin on 280 acres adjoining his property. The assessor classifies the property owned by Terry Smuder as a cabin/utility. It has a cabin with no basement with a porch and deck.

Gregoire said that during hunting season, approximately 20 vehicles a day use his driveway to gain access to the property. This puts wear and tear on his driveway as it is not constructed to handle that much traffic. Gregoire also pointed out that after using his driveway, they continue on through the woods to the cabin. This access is not of sufficient construction to provide access for emergency vehicles such as fire trucks.

Also, the building and property do not have an address for 911 to send emergency vehicles to. Should the property catch fire, or there is a medical emergency, there would not be an address to respond to. The only electricity the building has is provided by a generator, and there are gas lights and gas furnace.

Gregoire pointed out that when the owner is using the property, there generally is not problems. But when other guests or business users are present, the problems begin. Gregoire asked if the building had been properly inspected after completion and if it is safe for occupancy. The council deferred to city attorney Pete Grundhoefer for advice on how to proceed. Grundhoefer suggested the first step was to the access issues. Gregoire provide a copy of the access easement and Grundhoefer will review it. Grundhoefer also was concerned about occupancy without a certificate of occupancy that would be issued when the building was completed. Grundhoefer will put together a list of steps to make sure the property complies with access and occupancy requirements and meets safety standards. He will also determine what has to be done to get the property on the 911 grid.

Other property issues also came up during the public comment portion of the meeting. Robert Bloomquist questioned the fence and pole building of his neighbors. Bloomquist asked about a variance to place the fence on a road easement. Also, if there was ever a permit issued to allow the construction of the fence and pole building.

It was Bloomquist's understanding that if these items were constructed on the road easement or without the required permits or variances, the improvements must be taken down immediately. When constructing his own fence, he moved the poles farther away from the road to make sure he wasn't in the easement.

A number of neighbors of the ATV track on the Stai property spoke as well. The neighbors asked that the agreement that had been worked out last year be put into force because of excessive noise and dust. The majority of the problems are not with the owner's use of the track, but when non-resident users are present.

Stress on the neighbors is caused by the noise, dust, garbage that is left and having so many strangers in the neighborhood. A petition was presented to the council with 53 signatures. Additional residents would not sign the petition, but would like to attend any meeting held on the matter.

The ordinances indicate that ATV/snowmobiles must not be operated closer than 100 feet from a home or shelter. The track that is set up is closer to 20 feet from some of the property lines and a road. The neighbor's are asking that the track be closed until it complies with the ordinances on record.

Also in the public comment section, Richard Hanson expressed his opinion that the actions taken by the Mayor on voting for the annexation of the development on County Road 9 might have been a conflict of interest. By approving the annexation, property owned by Kurt Naumann would have city sewer and water made available to it. Naumann was Mayor Rick Smisson's campaign manager during the last election. Hanson informed the council that his concerns had been turned over to the Chisago County Attorney's office.

Council member Kathy Olson updated the council on the public works II position. The candidates had been interviewed by the personnel committee and two potential candidates were available to fill the position. Olson indicated that interviews had been conducted, which included city clerk Jennifer Wothe and maintenance supervisor Mike Kriz. The top candidate is Michael Piha and he was recommended for the position.

It was decided that the personnel committee, including the mayor, would make a conditional offer, based on acceptance, a background check, and a physical. When questioned about the qualifications Piha had, Kriz indicated that the candidate had 14 years experience and both a water and a sewer license. Kriz said Piha can come on board and hit the ground running.

Two public hearings will be set for the July 9 meeting. The first will be at 6 p.m. and deal with a change in ordinances to allow the fire department to bill for fire calls. Recent legislation requires a formal procedure set up to charge for calls. Unless put into place, some insurance companies will not pay for the calls under the policies in effect.

Following that public hearing, at 6:15, another hearing dealing with snowmobiles and ATV-recreational vehicles will be held. The draft of this ordinance will be available in about a week for the council members to review before the public hearing.