The Princeton City Council conducted the following business during the meeting on Thursday, June 13. Written by Chloe Smith.
Consent agenda
The Princeton City Council approved the following items on its consent agenda:
- The step increases for various city employees including Public Works Director Bob Gerold, Police Chief Todd Frederick, Wastewater Treatment Plant manager Chris Klinghagen, and Police Department secretary Karen Augilera.
- The authorization of a purchase of one set of extrication tools that are battery operated from MacQueen for Hurst Tools in the amount of $45,000. The tools will replace one set currently owned by the Princeton Fire and Rescue Department due to the old set’s battery life no longer being adequately functional.
- The rescheduling of the Princeton City Council July study session for Monday, July 1.
- The interior sale of fireworks at Coborn’s pending a background check.
- A temporary intoxicating liquor license for Christ Our Light Church for July 14 pending background check and payment.
- A permit application by the Mille Lacs County Historical Society to conduct bingo on July 4.
- The authorization of execution of a letter of support for a Princeton School District grant application for the school’s violence prevention program.
- The completion of Police Officer Tommy Dubbs’ one-year probationary period.
- The hiring of Steve Zumberge as the part-time Princeton Fire and Rescue Department fire chief pending background check and psychological evaluation. Additional information about the new fire chief will be in the Union-Times in the coming weeks.
Public hearing: Annexation request
The Princeton City Council held a public hearing for an annexation request made by Dan and Sharon Pontious and the property located off of 100th Avenue/County Road 31 near the Church of St. Edward Cemetery. Two individuals spoke during the hearing to voice their opposition to the annexation. Both shared similar opinions as to why the property should not be annexed. The main similarity was that the property does not abut the City of Princeton and is separated by other properties. This effectively would make the property not able to be annexed according to Minnesota State Statutes. The council voted to table the annexation request for further clarification.
Donation
The Princeton City Council approved a donation of labor with a value of $750 from West Branch Construction for their work grading the wood chips in Riebe Park’s Disc Golf Course.
Wine and spirit grants requests
The Princeton City Council reviewed and approved the following Wine and Spirits Grant requests:
- A request from the Princeton American Legion Post #216 for its annual Fourth of July display at the Mille Lacs County Fairgrounds. The amount granted to the Legion for the display was $2,000. The total cost of all the fireworks is approximately $13,000.
- A request from M Health Fairview Northland Medical Center for its annual Scrubby Bear Golf Tournament to be held on Saturday, Sept. 14. The council granted $150 to the hospital for the tournament.
Amendments to the Rural Taxing District ordinance
The Princeton City Council held and approved the first reading of amendments to its current Rural Taxing District ordinance. The amendments include language updates to clarify the ordinance and specifying that the rural taxing district is intended for properties that are rural in nature and not developed for commercial, industrial, or urban residential purposes.
Cannabinoid products ordinance amendment
The Princeton City Council introduced an amendment to its sale of cannabinoid products ordinance. The amendment, if approved in the final reading, would remove the language that prevents cannabinoid products from being sold in exclusive liquor stores. The reason for this change would be to allow the Princeton Wine and Spirits Liquor Store the ability to sell the products in store and compete with other liquor stores in neighboring cities.
Reimbursing expenses
The Princeton City Council approved a resolution issuing the reimbursement of expenses related to the north lift station and a fire truck bond. The city plans to reimburse itself for those two items in the amounts of $950,000 for the lift station and $950,000 for the purchase of a new fire truck. The city expects to pay for these items upfront and reimburse itself once it receives the proceeds from a bond or similar borrowing. The city expects $1.9 million to be the maximum principal amount of the bonds which will be issued to finance the project.
Issuing partial credit
The Princeton City Council approved the issuance of partial credit in the amount of $50 be paid to Laura Carlile for her cleaning of the Civic Center Sunday, May 26. A person who rented the Civic Center the day prior did not clean the facility after they left, leaving the mess for others to clean up.
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