BuffaloWatchdogs

Councilman O'Rourke is sick today and not present 00:01:54 - Start, Buffalo Days Announcement 00:03:23 - Concerts in the Park - July 1st 00:04:55 - Last two Concerts in the Park will be offsite due to work in Sturges Park 00:05:29 - Going to be tiering the hill in front of the bandshell 00:05:45 - Buffalo Triathalon was last weekend 00:07:45 - Kathy Lang - Made afgans for the victims of the Allina Clinic Shooting 00:09:20 - Corey Brown - Manager of Buffalo Bulldogs, town baseball team manager. Fox 9 is coming to Buffalo this Wednesday 00:12:35 - Young Girl (can't make out name) - Asking for Chickens to be allowed in Buffalo 00:14:05 - Petition on Change.Org to get chickens to be allowed 00:14:33 - City's Position is that they are allowed in Agricultural zones only. 00:15:07 - Jennifer Nash - Monticello has a fowl registration system. It's continually debated 00:17:44 - Jeremiah Patrick (Audio is muted) - In previous years, respondants to the city's polls were about 10-15%. In the last budget meeting, a FlashVote response was cited as a way to direct city found and financial choices. How will the city engage with people who do not engage online often? 00:19:20 - Mayor Lachemeier - There are a lot of people who don't use technology, I'd hope there's a way we can reach out to them 00:19:28 - Alison Matthees - FlashVote is a cool tool, but it's just a bonus this year 00:19:37 - We're not undoing any methods we've used in the past, we are still using other engagement methods 00:19:50 - Many cities don't have the financial resources to have a giant survey every year - those are rare things that happen once per 5-10 years 00:20:00 - We encourage residents to call in to city hall, engage with City Counselors and the Mayor 00:20:24 - FlashVote is not replacing or removing anything 00:21:23 - Jeremiah Patrick (Audio is muted) - The golf course has taken $7M from the utilities funds and it needs more money. Will that funding be open to a referendum? How will you inform the public on increasing taxes to support the golf course? 00:21:38 - Ashley Hansen - Over the course of 2021 we are exploring the feasibility of continuing to fund the golf course 00:22:10 - We have been looking into buisness plans, other use of the property 00:22:19 - At the current time we are under the assumption that the golf course will remain operational and planning the budget in accordance with that 00:22:35 - If the city council decides to do something different, we can take that into account 00:22:39 - We will be having another budget workshop in August where we present the preliminary budget and levy (taxes). It would be approved in September. These discussions are public 00:23:11 - Jeremiah Patrick (Audio is muted) - Smart grid/radio read water meters are being rolled out in the city. We've seen the Colonial Pipeline cyber attack, JBS attack, and the Biden Administration is saying that we should expect for this to be normal hereafter. Can we move away from a smart grid? 00:24:30 - Mayor Lachemeier - It's very labor intensive to have people go read the water meters, we would prefer to look at security to make sure that what we can provide to our citizens is safe. 00:24:55 - We have talked about this for many years, it'll loosen up a lot of things for the city in terms of labor-intensive work 00:25:16 - At this time we are moving forward with AMS because it's the right thing for our city, but being cognizant of security 00:25:31 - Administrator Lundeen - In the past we've taken great measures to train people on security, that's not new 00:25:57 - Councilman Downer - We're going to hire a new utilities director, that person's knowledge and opinions will be considered moving forward. 00:26:10 - I would say that AMI, Automated Metering Infrastructure is one of the city's top priorities. A lot of advantages to it 00:26:23 - Your point is well taken, it's a real concern 00:26:32 - Lakeland Florida's water system got hacked a few months ago. No damage 00:26:49 - We are well aware of it, there are other infrastructure that we have that I would be more concerned about than an individual house meter. Smart refrigerators and doorbells 00:27:20 - Ross Miller - My concerns were brought up here, people are discussing these issues outside of these walls. Golf Course, dumping of money into it 00:28:00 - Ross Miller - AMI, security issues with highly connected utilities 00:28:58 - Additions/Deletions - HR system software, Planning Commission Vacancy 00:29:25 - Reports/Recognition 00:29:50 - Councilman Downer - Library Board meets next week, Utilities Director recommendation next meeting 00:30:10 - Consent Agenda Items 00:30:22 - Motion to Accept Consent Agenda - PASS 00:30:42 - Approving findings for Johnsonville for Administrative Penalties 00:31:03 - Resolution 2021-24; Approves findings for Johsonville, LLC 00:32:16 - Motion to approve 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:32:26 - Hearing has been filed for injunctive relief re:Johsonville LLC 00:32:42 - Johnsonville will be cited $200/week until the flag issue is resolved 00:33:20 - If there are fines and he doesn't pay, assess the property or take other action 00:33:37 - Going through the courts, what would be procedure 00:33:50 - OLD BUISNESS: Agreement with Wright County for Roundabout Dague Ave/Hwy 35 00:34:33 - Justin Kannas - Agreement replaces memo from December, includes additional information 00:35:09 - City will pay for 1/3 of the roundabout, county will pay for rest 00:35:27 - Scheduled for Summer 2022 00:35:53 - Motion to Approve 00:36:10 - Property owner is asking about stakes placed in their yard 00:36:38 - Stakes are proposed right of way/easements 00:37:06 - Property owners who have stakes in their yard should have been contacted already. Please contact city hall if you haven't yet been 00:37:58 - Motion to Approve, 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:38:09 - Fire Chief John, Officer Appointments 00:38:42 - Recommendation to appoint officers (listed by Fire Chief) 00:39:45 - Councilman Anderson - How will staggering appointments work? 00:40:07 - Fire Chief - I'm not certain how the city wants it to work, we recommend if a place needs to be filled, get applications. Reappointment details 00:43:50 - Ordinance about being able to hit qualifications to be able to fill a position (Fire Captain/Lieutenant), reappoint every year 00:45:42 - Councilman Enter - Motion to Table 00:45:50 - Countilman Downer - I want to acknowledge appointments, and if we made a mistake review next year 00:46:50 - Mayor Lachermeier - Ordinances help us make decisions, we rely on staff to make good decisions 00:48:23 - Councilman Enter - I want to investigate this a bit, I'm an advocate of term limits, we don't want a good old boys club 00:49:40 - Fire Chief John - The police department doesn't have term limits, why should fire department? 00:49:50 - Councliman Enter - I withdraw my motion 00:50:10 - Motion to Approve appointments, 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:50:40 - Got a grant for additional equipment 00:50:50 - Fire station's roof should be coming up this week, 3 months behind 00:51:16 - Won't likely make open house this year 00:51:34 - NEW BUISNESS: Liquor Store Annual Report 00:52:59 - Overview of 2020 to today 00:55:20 - Record sales year over year 00:57:00 - Face Masks were the 3rd most sold item last year, accounted for 1.5% of total sales 00:58:05 - Now have an app for curbside delivery 00:59:40 - Updated HVAC of facilities 00:59:56 - Customer count is up 3.2% vs 2020 01:01:05 - Beer is biggest seller, Seltzers are a coming out, expecting growth 01:01:50 - Decline in whiskey, gin and tequila is up 01:02:10 - Wine down, possibly due to seltzer 01:03:40 - Market outlook - Coborn's being next will help bring in customers 01:04:31 - Further down the road, cannabis is coming, the city might want to get into it 01:05:00 - What about having a public restroom downtown, what about the liquor store? 01:05:16 - The restroom is limited to store hours, public is free to use the current one 01:06:04 - Improvements and future projects: Last year replaced roof 01:06:23 - Next year, upgrade surveillance and add shelving 01:06:38 - 2022, remodel, add beer cave downtown. 2023 e-commerce 01:07:12 - Buildings will have to be upgraded at some point, new Highway 55 store in 2023? 01:07:32 - Mayor Lachemeier - Employees from the stores have brought up issues about parking/traffic issues 01:08:24 - The second entrance, do we need it? 01:08:35 - Jason: I don't think so, but I'd prefer not to lose it 01:10:58 - Councilman Enter - Don't worry about things 01:11:13 - Councilman Downer - Staff issues? 01:11:22 - Yes, but we've filled those slots 01:12:20 - Ashley Hansen - Purchasing Card issues 01:12:44 - Currently, any purchase over $200 requires going through finance and admin approval 01:13:04 - No longer works with current environment, size of budget 01:13:21 - Policy was created to reconcile with reality 01:13:48 - Highlights - establishes levels of requirements 01:15:15 - Implement purchasing card program, currently work with checks and electronic orders 01:15:45 - Purchasing cards are a best practice, we'd give cards to dept heads 01:16:45 - Purchasing cards are different than credit cards - amount is due in full at end of cycle 01:17:15 - Mayor Lachemeier - Is this similar to gas cards? Ashley: Yes 01:17:55 - Gas cards will still be used, but P-cards would be used at places like Menards 01:19:17 - Motion to approve both Policies 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:19:30 - Alison Matthees - City Website Update 01:20:19 - CivicPlus was determined to be the best choice for Buffalo 01:20:50 - 6-8 month to get the site up and off the ground 01:21:44 - CivicPlus is a "cooler" platform, we might be able to get other websites (Wild Marsh, Liquor Store) onto this platform 01:22:25 - Councilman Downer - Staff will be able to make updates? 01:22:40 - Alison - CivicPlus is going to be training staff, should be the easiest to remember when it's time to update 01:23:45 - There is a cost (in thousands) for maintenance 01:24:20 - Motion to Approve 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:24:30 - ADDITION: HR Software - NeoGov 01:25:18 - Will streamline hiring process, planning to roll this out in 2022, purchase in 2021 01:25:50 - First year cost is $5500, $11k/year for maintenance costs 01:26:16 - Mayor Lachemeier - We have a lot of part time staff, Wild Marsh alone has 50 summer workers 01:27:03 - Motion to Accept NeoGov 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:27:20 - Planning Commission Appointment to fill hole 01:27:45 - Jennifer Nash - 2 applicants: Susan Mattson and Paul Olson 01:28:16 - Councilman Downer - It's my least favorite thing to do to pick one person, I choose Paul 01:28:50 - Councilman Anderson - I think it's the time for Sue Mattson to take the stage 01:29:14 - Sue is currently on our Library Advisory board, it's been practice to keep people on a single board 01:29:45 - Councilman Downer - Do you foresee having a heritage comission? Mayor: It's happening 01:30:10 - Councilman Downer - There's another opportunity there 01:30:24 - Councilman Enter - I've worked with Paul, I like his background and knowledge 01:30:50 - Motion to accept Paul Olson 3 AYE, 1 NAY 01:31:17 - Staff Updates 01:31:30 - Justin Kannas - Regarding security, Kara is working on Response plan & we are working on plans 01:32:17 - Jennifer Nash - There will be 8 items on the agenda for the next planning meeting 01:32:39 - Alison Matthees - Lee (Park and Rec Director) the civic center will be hosting the Lion's Craft and Rummage Sale 01:33:00 - Griffin Park Boat Rentals are open 01:33:32 - Alison Matthees - Second FlashVote of 2021 will roll out tomorrow 01:34:20 - We've got almost 600 people on FlashVote now 01:35:00 - Administrator Lundeen - After June 14th the emergency may end. Should that happen, Mayor/Council will be required to be here in person. 01:36:02 - We would like to phase out Zoom 01:36:15 - Councilman Downer - Zoom was useful, but in certain circumstances it was hard to get things done well 01:38:21 - Adjourn

00:01:08 - $53 million in spending/improvements 00:01:12 - Utilities is largest update 00:01:45 - Second largest is street upgrade (Dague Ave Roundabout) 00:02:10 - Hwy 25 Rebuild, update infrastructure underground 00:02:33 - Building Improvements (Civic Center) 00:02:58 - Liquor Store Update 00:03:24 - Regular Equipment Replacement Schedule 00:04:25 - Where will the money come from? 00:04:50 - 55% will come from new debt (loans/bonds) 00:05:35 - In 2025, taxes will drop. Therefore taxes can be raised again for equipment to be replaced 00:06:04 - Revenue Bonds will be used for utility 00:06:10 - Street reconstruction will be state grants and state aid 00:06:45 - There is a desired adoption of a gas and electric franchise fee - What is this? 00:07:14 - All cities do transfers in addition to franchise fee 00:07:30 - Franchise fee is a cost per meter (passed to user?) 00:08:30 - Franchise fee comes in quarterly 00:08:50 - Of the $30 million new debt, only 30% will impact the property tax levy. The others will come from the other funds 00:09:50 - Following the intended utility rates increase will allow us to stay on track 00:10:54 - Draft Capital Improvement Plan 00:11:53 - Councilman Downer - AMI cost for this year? 00:12:10 - With the retirement of the Utilities Director, we're looking at next year instead 00:12:58 - Councilman Enter - Money is cheap now, if we can afford to do it, let's do it. 00:13:25 - Water Reclaimation was in this year, going out for bids soon 00:14:15 - If we use the federal funds to help pay for the project, it'll help the most people and we'll only have to bond for 1 project. 00:15:00 - Administration, repurpose the old fire station. Don't have a plan yet, but money is there. 00:15:25 - Civic Center, talked about floor improvements. We think we can do that in 2023. We'd have to issue 700k in bonds. 00:15:56 - We'll have to plan the project so it affects the hockey season the least 00:16:18 - ???? 00:16:40 - Will we be expanding the parking lot? 00:17:07 - Mayor Lachemeier: Can you talk about the lift station update? 00:17:28 - A large amount for the lift station 00:18:01 - We won't have issues with holding off until 2025? Bolton and Menk don't think so. 00:18:30 - Lift station updates in the end of the capital improvement plan 00:19:06 - Timing is what was recommended by the city engineer 00:19:23 - Dague project - a large chunk will be state grant, then municipal state aid. Assessments against school and other property. 00:19:50 - They may intend to pay over 15 years, so we may have a little temporary debt 00:20:35 - We currently levy $500k, with the franchise fees we can fund it without debt 00:20:59 - Mayor: are we using the county fund at all? Do we have to petition for that? 00:21:15 - We may have to petition for it, but we should be in line for reconstruction 00:21:35 - 8th St NW was late 90s, but it's in dire need of repair 00:23:10 - Beginning in 2026 we have a placeholder for reconstruction 00:23:27 - We've asked Justin to look at it 00:24:00 - Parks - are tax abatement funding or voter approved 00:25:09 - Mayor Lachemeier: Is everything else pretty consistent? 00:25:23 - Yes. 3 Plow trucks for the next few years (some are over 15 years old). A lot of money is spent on maintenance. 00:25:50 - Mayor Lachemeier: What about the old Fire Station? 00:26:09 - Community Center 00:26:24 - City Admin: We're finding with our staffing situation, we need space badly 00:27:04 - What we'd like to do in '22 is do a facilities studies 00:28:00 - Toy shop people might be moved. Internally there's a lot of pressure for city center space 00:29:06 - Councilman Enter - Sooner or later we're going to have to look at the toy shop space 00:29:21 - City Admin: Can we look at that as part of our long term study? 00:29:49 - City Admin: We have more of a need to get our squads some garage space 00:30:14 - Mayor Lachemeier: What about a restroom in Sturges park? 00:30:47 - City Admin: We did include a restoom facility in downtown in '23 00:31:06 - In parks in '23 there's a Sturges park multipurpose facility, but it's basically a bathroom 00:31:45 - It's meant to replace that bathroom 00:32:19 - Councilman O'Rourke - How much do we pay for PortaJohns? A: Citywide maybe 3k/mo 00:32:52 - Mayor - Now that we use Wine and Spirits for the downtown public restrooms 00:33:26 - Councilman Downer - the Franchise fee is basically doubling, we'll be bringing in more. We'll be talking about this more. 00:34:05 - Mayor: Is this a working document? A: Yes 00:34:30 - Mayor: I like that you've worked in the streets. We need to stay strict on that. 00:35:28 - Organizational chart (almost unreadable due to quality) 00:36:12 - We want to change parks and req to include community center and golf course under parks 00:37:20 - It would reduce reports, add structure 00:38:10 - Lee is ready to take on the roles (moving Community Center and golf course under parks) 00:38:50 - Councilman Downer - Will it ruffle some feathers? A: I don't feel there would be people who would be upset with the change, but we want to take the right amount of time to get the right people 00:39:39 - Councilman Enter - Departments (the golf course, for example) needs to be ruffled from time to time 00:41:46 - These changes might give us greater efficiencies 00:42:04 - Mayor: Flat charts like this are rare, it would help more 00:43:03 - We want to start this 3rd/4th quarter 2021 so we're ready for 2022 00:44:05 - Lee's in the Civic center for a reason (it was a big ticket item we wanted him to keep an eye on it), perhaps we need to put him in the golf course to keep an eye on it? 00:45:29 - Councilman Enter - We want to empower employees, if we're looking over his shoulder all the time... 00:46:08 - Mayor Lachemeier: It's a staff decision, I wanted your inputs on it 00:46:23 - Councilman Downer: It might be a big enough change 00:47:55 - Mayor Lachemeier: Do you need some kind of formal? City Admin: No 00:48:12 - Councilman Downer: Is there a budget impact here? 00:48:22 - We budgeted a full time for Sue, she's part time now 00:48:45 - Only a part time increase? At this time, yes. 00:49:27 - Mayor: I think we've been running lean for a lot of years. This is something we've needed for a few years 00:50:45 - Administrative Staff tonight have grouped together to give you their annual report this evening 00:52:05 - Mayor: We've gotten huge gains in efficiencies by adding HR, City Clerk, etc 00:53:18 - Councilman O'Rourke - Will this change fundings for the golf course? A: No, but the reorganization will help to increase our efficiencies and reduce our costs 00:55:15 - Councilman Anderson - Will there be a director of public safety? Combining Fire Department and Police Department? You can combine office staff. 00:55:45 - Mayor: Would there be an issue wrt union? A: Probably not. HR has suggested this as well.

00:02:45 - Meeting Start - Councilman Anderson is not present today 00:03:40 - Planning Commission did not meet due to lack of quorm 00:04:05 - Farmer's Market is back 00:04:20 - Buffalo Days is on again. Carnival, Parade, Fishing Clinic, Beer Garden. June 13th - 20th 00:07:35 - Car show and Flying Breakfast will not be happening as part of Buffalo Days 00:07:50 - Concerts in the Park are back on as well 00:08:05 - How the Agenda will work 00:08:30 - Open Forum 00:08:50 - Liz Ardnt - Councilman O'Rourke's Comments from last meeting about Extremists 00:10:10 - Council Reports 00:10:30 - Councilman Enter - New Radar at the Airport 00:11:00 - Consent Agenda, Motion to Accept - 4 YAY 0 NAY 00:11:38 - Public Hearing - Past Due Accounts 00:12:10 - Motion to Accept Past Due Accounts - 4 YAY 0 NAY 00:12:45 - Johnsonville Appeal 00:13:00 - Susan Dege, City Attorney - Administative Appeal 00:13:50 - Background Information (powerpoint slide) 00:14:28 - Johnsonville LLC purchased these properties in 2013, city annexed the properties in 2016 00:15:50 - Properties is zoned as A-1 (Agricultural) 00:16:08 - Summary of Violations 00:18:12 - Presentation of correspondence 00:18:27 - Violation - Old Fence 00:19:48 - Recommendation - Dismiss penalty for fence 00:20:04 - Violation - New Fence 00:20:50 - Current Fence from Road 00:21:10 - Recommendation - Table New Fence issue to see if parties can negotiate 00:21:30 - Violation - Storage of Construction Materials/Equipment 00:22:24 - Recommendation - Site Inspection and possible negotiation 00:23:00 - Violation - Wood burning furnace 00:23:27 - Johnsonville severed connection, cost prohibitive to update, grandfathering? 00:23:45 - Recommendation - Tabling for mutual agreement 00:25:06 - Objectives of Sign code 00:26:20 - Specific City Code Provisions 00:27:10 - Why is a flag a sign? 00:27:50 - Permitted Unlicenced Signs 00:28:10 - Prohibited signs attached to equipment 00:28:36 - Permitted Signs in Agricultural (A-1) District 00:28:50 - Non-Commercial Speech may be subsituted for any permitted commercial speech on a buisness sign 00:29:20 - Picture of Flag 00:29:49 - Jay Johnson flag interview (WCCO) 00:31:05 - Rally Notification (notes flag size) 00:31:50 - Recommendation 00:32:15 - Chief Budke confirms that the presented pictures are accurate with regard to the size of the flag 00:33:06 - Mayor Lachermeier - Have you spoken to the property owner? Yes 00:33:35 - Chief Budke - Conversation about deadline with regard to flag 00:34:05 - Chief Budke - The flag was taken down that day, but the flag went back up 00:34:51 - End of Presentation by Susan Dege 00:35:10 - Recommendation - Flags are signs, violations are in force 00:35:41 - Douglas Chin - Attorney for Jay Johnson 00:36:03 - Right to private property, privacy 00:37:10 - No section of the code regulates flags. Flags aren't signs 00:37:40 - No violation of the code because flags aren't signs 00:37:55 - If you move forward, how will you apply that fairly to everyone in the city? 00:38:15 - Perkins American flag, other American flags 00:38:35 - We ask the city council rescind the fines with regards to the flag 00:38:50 - For other violations we are willing to table or negotiate 00:40:00 - Jay Johnson - We're going to give the city money for a new camera, the police need a better camera to take pictures of my property 00:40:30 - I'm a reasonable guy, but I'm willing to go to court over the flag 00:41:00 - I've resolved all issues that the city has been brought up 00:41:20 - The right of way issue is because of a zoning issue, I've been held hostage by the county on that 00:42:00 - Mayor Lachermeier stops Jay and asks him to focus on the flag 00:43:08 - Jay Johnson - You have the choice to back away or fight. I'll fight you in court. 00:44:15 - I'm not breaking the law, it's in your hands 00:44:49 - Councilman Downer - You said we're trying to punish his viewpoints. We're not doing that. There are other Trump signs in town which people have not complained about. 00:45:20 - I told Mr Johnson I wasn't interested in his sign, the flag was going too far 00:45:40 - I think if the flag gave a different message, we'd still be here trying to take the flag down 00:46:12 - Interruptions, Councilman Downer says that we will have order in this town 00:46:30 - Councilman Enter - Views are in the eyes of the beholder. All we can do is enforce our ordinances 00:47:00 - We ask for everyone in town to follow the same ordinances 00:47:50 - Jay Johnson - I haven't had any complaints. Councilman Downer says that he did 00:49:23 - Sue Johnson - 8 square feet is the ordinance for a sign without a permit 00:49:58 - I fly an American flag, 5x7. I don't have a permit. If you enforce this on one property owner, your code officer is going to have a lot of work to do. 00:50:53 - Anthony Grody - Section 13.06. There are more specific definitions of advertising signs and other signs as well 00:52:20 - How can a sign be commercial and non-commercial sign at the same time? 00:52:59 - Jesse Henderhoff(sp?) 00:53:18 - You claim that he's not a criminal, but the chief said if the flag didn't come down, it wasn't a crime. 00:53:50 - Susan Dege - Civil procedure means it's not being pursued in criminal court 00:54:15 - What about all the other flags in town? 00:54:42 - Susan Dege - Flags on city property, state and American flags are all allowed by state law 00:55:07 - Susan Dege - State law exempts State and American flags from city ordinances 00:55:46 - Shelly Held - I haven't seen so much anger in Buffalo in so long 00:56:26 - Was his property grandfathered in? 00:56:44 - Mayor - It's a rental property 00:57:23 - I'm trying to figure out, those sheds have always been there. What's changed? 00:57:37 - Mayor - There have been some infractions on our codes. We've issued warnings. 00:58:00 - Mayor - The last issue is with regard to the flag 00:58:48 - Administrator Bodin - Larger parcel was not annexed until 2017 00:59:30 - Mayor - There is no grandfathering on ordinances 00:59:45 - I don't understand what's happened to our freedoms. 01:00:10 - Mayor - We're in a city, we've got an ordinance about beautification 01:00:40 - I don't see a lot of beautification. I'm very sad. That flag doesn't bother me one bit. 01:01:30 - Freedom before safety 01:01:50 - Councilman Downer - We don't want disorder 01:02:10 - PEOPLE - What about the windows being shot out? 01:02:37 - Jeff 01:02:45 - I have 3 flags up. Do I need to get permits for the non-American flag? 01:03:04 - Mayor - We're not picking on you. We've not been asked to change the ordinance 01:03:45 - Councilman Downer - I've been on the planning commission. 01:04:15 - Councilman Downer - I'm not going to tell people to take down a POW/MIA flag 01:04:35 - Councilman Downer - This particular sign which dominates that section of town and is oppressive to many people. We're recieving a ton of complaints 01:05:10 - Administrator Bodin - We've gotten 200/250 emails about the email. Half were complains 01:06:06 - Councilman Downer - It's huge. Perhaps we need to look at our sign ordinance. It might be a foot here/there, 01:06:30 - Person - I'll put forth a motion that we take down all flags in the city 01:07:30 - Liz Ardnt - We brought forth a property 01:08:30 - Jesse Henderhoff - The area is zoned as Agricultural, was zoned as industrial by the county. CUP was issued 01:09:09 - I feel like the city of Buffalo doesn't want buisnesses 01:09:46 - Jay and I cleaned that property up from how it was 01:10:15 - Mayor - We're only talking about the flag right now 01:10:48 - Councilman Enter - Whenever a property changes hands, the expectation is that the property is brought into compliance with the ordinances 01:12:05 - Mayor - What are our options? 01:12:15 - Susan Dege - Recommendation: three penalties about the flag. $600 penalty 01:12:54 - Councilman Downer - Motion that Jay is in violation of the three notices about the sign. Councilman Downer seconds. 01:13:24 - 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:14:06 - Old Buisness - Federal COVID grant $13k - Approved 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:15:46 - New Buisness - Authorization for New Equipment in 2022 01:16:23 - 350k for general, 90k for electric fund. They're trucks with a high lead time. 01:17:38 - Motion to Approve 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:17:53 - Liquor Licence for new J's Down Under 01:18:35 - Want to open on June 1st, but no city council meeting before then. Recommend approval contingent on Food License from state and approval from Fire Chief 01:19:10 - Fire Chief John - They're doing a lot of work that they've said they would. I think they'll follow through with getting up to code 01:20:30 - Motion to Approve 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:21:00 - Jennifer - Jason Mix is resigning 01:21:24 - Mayor - Will you have a lack of quorum without him? No, last time was a rare occurance. 01:22:58 - Motion to Accept Resignation 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:23:27 - Resignation from Assistant Administrator Allison Matthees 01:24:00 - Councilman O'Rourke - Will you change your mind? Allison - No. 01:25:30 - Motion to Accept Resignation 4 AYE, 0 NAY 01:26:15 - Administrator Bodin - This is Utilities Director Joe's last meeting. He retires at the end of May 01:27:50 - Joe S - Speech 01:28:38 - Never underestimate your utility crews 01:30:10 - Mayor Lachermeier - Thanks to everyone. Difficult topics are hard to bring up before council, and staff works well with us. Freedom of speech is great, and I want everyone in this community to feel as though they can come up and speak to us before that podium. I never want anyone to feel that they can't. 01:31:40 - Motion to Adjourn 4 AYE, 0 NAY

00:01:00 - This is the first budget workshop. The budget will be approved in November 00:01:57 - 2020 Results 00:02:25 - 2020 General Fund status 00:03:20 - End of 2020, 216k surplus 00:03:41 - 50% Fund balance (Savings/Emergency Fund), only 30% can be used 00:04:10 - Are there any other funds inside this? No, this is just the general fund. Taxes go into the general fund. 00:04:57 - We are on target with State Auditor's unassigned fund balance 00:05:30 - Will this change? We get taxes twice per year, the fund balance will change through the year 00:06:00 - Is this the lowest it is through the year? Ending balance is more important. 00:06:40 - Special Revenue Funds: Fire, Library, Airport, Civic Center 00:07:00 - Fire and Library funds are healthy, won't need to issue debt until we get to a very large purchase 00:08:30 - Let's say we decide to purchase the parking lot near the Library. Could we use the Library fund for that? 00:08:50 - Yes, we could. 00:09:25 - Airport is a bit lower. We have to spend money first then get reimbursement. Looking good though. 00:09:48 - Civic Center Bonds and State Mandated closures hurt the Civic Center's bottom line 00:10:45 - Properitary funds. Should pay for themselves. 00:11:45 - The numbers for Electric and Water look good, but note that they don't account bonds payments 00:12:12 - Have you noticed an increase? The rates will be applied in 2021, you won't see them here. 00:12:40 - Downtown Liquor had a roof replacement, hence the decrease 00:13:00 - Golf Course 00:13:22 - Cities have to recognize our share of the pension liability 00:14:40 - This is all revenue all loss for the year, but this is after the removal of a pension liability (~147k) 00:15:20 - FlashVote Survey - 350 people respond, slide says 272 responders 00:17:15 - Short Term Goals 00:17:40 - We surveyed staff and council to find out what they think that the city cares about the most 00:18:50 - The first 4 are the highest priority from staff/council 00:19:15 - If we want to achieve those goals, we need to budget for them 00:19:45 - When you say infrastructure, I see utilities. But I'm not seeing roads? 00:20:00 - Pavement management plan is the roads 00:20:36 - We've already looked into automated metering. Why is it still here? 00:20:52 - We slated it for 2021, but with a new utility director and new technology we want to hold off 00:21:20 - We purchased the automated meters for residential water, but it takes time 00:25:19 - I'd like to see by a certain year that we're caught up (Roads, etc) 00:25:56 - We're going to address that in a minute 00:26:34 - Potential Budget Impacts 00:27:08 - A) Golf Course Funding: estimated $300k gap 00:27:45 - Avg loss of $331k/year 00:28:08 - Request of $75k for 2022 for repairs 00:28:26 - Traditionally Utility funds pay for the golf course, can't anymore 00:28:55 - If the Golf Course is paid for out of the general fund (governmental funding), it could jeopardize the bond rating 00:29:30 - If it's changed over to parks, it's still a governmental funding 00:29:50 - Recommended: Transfer from the liquor store to the golf course (Enterprise fund) 00:30:20 - We'd have to also increase the general levy for parks - $350k 00:30:53 - Will we be discussing this at the next meeting? 00:31:04 - We have a preliminary budget meeting in August. It would give us a month before we adopt the levy in August 00:31:30 - Assuming a 5% increase in tax capacity, about $65/house/year 00:32:20 - When you have money that leaves the bank, (taking money from water/wastewater) 00:33:40 - Our cash balance is about $7 million lower than what it should be due to loaning the money to the funds 00:34:09 - We have to address the funding for the golf course, and what the loan forgivness would look like 00:35:10 - Because we're a city, we have funds to afford a golf course 00:36:29 - We have an issue where we're spending more than we're saving. If we're intending to keep operating, we need to find the money 00:36:45 - I think we're doing things the right way now. 00:37:50 - If we pull from the liquor store, we're going to raise taxes less than we have to 00:38:32 - B) Pavement Management Funding 00:38:42 - 2021, funding $500k. No additional levy capacity until 2025 00:39:15 - Levy increase to about $160/year 00:39:41 - If we don't increase our budget, we'll stay at $500k/year 00:40:00 - If you don't want to increase the levy, wait until 2025. A large amount of taxes fall off then, you can then keep the taxes up without increasing taxes on an average citizen 00:40:43 - This is only talking about maintenance 00:40:58 - After we finish the repairs, we can reassess the value of all the properties in the city after the upgrades on all the roads 00:42:28 - Have we ever done a study to tell if it's beneficial to assess all properties? 00:42:56 - It does add value to the property owner's property 00:43:22 - In the past, owners paid 70%, city paid 30% for improvements 00:44:00 - The electric franchise I'm for. What's it based on? 00:44:40 - We have to treat everyone the same, the franchise fees would be more equal 00:45:15 - Utility rate changes starting 2021 00:46:10 - D) Election Budget - 2022 election 00:47:10 - We will hear from the end of May from the Superindendent if the school will be used for an election site 00:47:40 - What's our normal budget? Before 2020, it was about $20k. After absentee ballots it ballooned. 00:49:10 - We did almost 6000 people at Buffalo Covenant Church 00:49:45 - We have to consider parking. Setup/Takedown. It becomes a lot of check the boxes to do it. 00:50:00 - Would the fire station work? It's been done before, but it's not a good option. 00:51:10 - Citizens interfering with a school is a concern for hosting voting at a school. Posting an officer is considered intimidation 00:51:45 - We asked the superintendent to schedule a no-school day, but they've already planned the school 00:52:15 - E) Bentfield Mills Improvement 00:52:36 - F) Sanitation Contract with Randy's expires this year 00:52:50 - It's been 5 years, staff has been very pleased with Randy's 00:53:10 - We may come to you to request renegotiating with Randy's instead of putting out a Request for Proposals 00:54:20 - Randy's was purchased by Republic Sanitation 00:55:12 - G) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Funds 00:55:20 - Estimated $1.8M in 2 installments between 2021 and 2022 00:55:40 - Recommended to place it in Water/Sewer, reduces need to bond 00:56:20 - Will this save us anything? Instead of a $2.3M project, it would reduce it by the bonding amount. 00:58:06 - Staffing Assumptions 00:58:15 - Health Insurance anticipated increase, Workers Compensation Insurance anticipated increase, Police Union Pay Increase Adjustment, Compensation Study Results in July 00:59:20 - Structural Changes in Budget 00:59:34 - Parks Budget is separate, but accounted for in the general fund 01:00:46 - Eliminiate the general fund transfer for the Pavement management, allocate directly from general fund 01:01:30 - Next Steps: Meetings with departments, then put budget together 01:03:01 - We have 5 more FlashVote surveys in 2021 01:04:56 - The City of Buffalo has a Twitter. We don't know how many people actually know about our social media sources

Coucilman Enter is not present today 00:01:00 - Fish Sunflowers with field owners 00:03:22 - Sue Dege, Question about larger flag which has been put up 00:03:50 - Flag is on agenda for the 17th, can the City Council do anything? 00:04:06 - Sue: Currently in Administrative Process 00:04:28 - Can go into criminal, or can go ahead into civil court process (have court issue directive to take the signs down) 00:04:54 - I currently don't advise going into criminal process as administrative is going forward, but it may be time to go into civil 00:05:29 - Councilman Downer: A thought I had was that this is a willful and repeated violation of city ordinance, with a bigger flag we perhaps need a bigger penalty 00:06:12 - Councilman Downer: I'd like to reason our way out, but I can't see a way out 00:06:30 - Mayor Lachemeier: I'd like to have other options but I don't see any 00:06:57 - Mayor Lachemeier: I agree with larger flag, larger fines 00:07:30 - Councilman O'Rourke: I think we need to pursue this. It's pursuing extremist ideas. It might attract people not from Buffalo 00:08:00 - Councilman Anderson: I've had several emails, and that's something different. I know there's a hearing scheduled. I think it's a good option to pursue the civil. 00:08:45 - Councilman Anderson: People who live in the area, you notice how large it is when it's in their front yards. 00:09:34 - Sue Dege: I'd like a resolution please 00:09:45 - Councilman Downer: I'd like to make a motion to pursue a civil court process. 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:10:35 - Councilman Downer: Search for Utilities Director is ongoing 00:11:10 - Open Forum 00:11:21 - Additions/Deletions 00:11:25 - Laureen Bodin: Remove Ryan's Way discussion, we want to spend more time talking with owners 00:12:06 - Student Liaison Olivia: This is Teacher Appreciation week 00:12:40 - Councilman Anderson: Parks Board meeting attended, Park Bench Donation project 00:13:15 - Councilman Anderson: Capital Improvements Budget is being updated 00:13:46 - Councilman Anderson: Some talk on Ball Field advertising 00:14:00 - Councilman Anderson: Fast Pitch Softball 00:14:26 - Councilman Anderson: Arbor Day: 9AM-Noon Tree planting event 00:14:57 - Councilman Anderson: New Park in Greenbriar Hills - Swan Park 00:15:15 - Councilman Downer: Thank you all for your patience, getting ahold of us. We're working on it 00:15:30 - Mayor Lachermeier: Thanks to everyone for participating in the Vision Planning 00:16:32 - Consent Agenda Items: Motion to accept 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:17:10 - Old Buisness: Cleanup Day Recap, Alison Matthees 00:19:02 - Vision 2040 Presentation and Adoption 00:19:16 - Mike Lamb: Second year of going through this process 00:20:15 - Mike Lamb shares screen 00:20:27 - Mike Lamb, highlights 00:23:21 - Mike Lamb: the big idea is that it's all about the lake, the village on the lake 00:23:50 - Mike Lamb: Want to reinforce that this is a place to hangout, a good place to shop and live 00:24:20 - Mike Lamb: Rooftop cafe areas are good examples (Hayes Public House, Coffee House) 00:24:50 - Mike Lamb: County is looking at how to redevelop government center 00:25:23 - Mike Lamb: Focus on Incremental improvements 00:26:01 - Mike Lamb: It's all about how to tie everything together 00:26:50 - Mike Lamb: Mid term, looking at HRA sites (Government Center) being absorbed into Buffalo 00:27:35 - Councilman Downer: No questions, I appreciate Mike leading us through this. 00:27:55 - Councilman Downer: It's nice to have a plan. Plans don't always stick, but having one is great 00:28:48 - Mike Lamb: I'd like the council to accept this Vision document as an amendment to the 00:29:31 - Mayor Lachemier: All of these things go together into making our Comprehensive Plan 00:29:50 - Laureen Bodin: That's correct, staff is looking to get in and talk with Mike soon. 00:30:25 - Motion to Accept 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:30:41 - Lease Purchase Bids 00:32:04 - Motion to accept from Old National Bank - 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:32:20 - Sale of Street Department Equipment 00:32:28 - Administrator Bodin: Street Department has old equipment which is outdated, we want to sell them at auction 00:32:55 - Motion to accept - 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:33:15 - Amend IRS Resolution Authorizing City Adminstrator to Sign Declaration of Official Intent 00:34:10 - Motion to accept - 4 AYE, 0 NAY 00:34:38 - Procedure for Public Input 00:34:47 - Administrator Bodin: New specific process being requested to be used for future items. It will be placed on each agenda 00:35:32 - Mayor Lachemeier - How does the council feel about this? In past, the only time that the public could give input is during public hearings, this would open it up 00:36:15 - Councilman Downer - I like the Roberts Rules, I don't like item 4 00:36:30 - Mayor Lachemeier - Robert's Rules is that the public don't speak unless it's a public meeting 00:37:03 - Mayor Lachemeier - The public look at agendas, talk to staff, staff talk to council/mayor 00:37:33 - Councilman Downer - I give you credit (Mayor) for letting people speak, but we need to have order. 00:38:15 - Councilman Downer - We can try this, but I prefer the Robert's Rules 00:38:40 - Mayor Lachemeier - Everyone can talk to staff, but it's a little different with having Zoom. The podium is there, but you can't go into zoom. 00:39:24 - Councilman Anderson - We have the open forum, people should use it. Talk to us. I'm not in agreement with number 4. 00:40:04 - Councilman O'Rourke - Neutral on the idea. 00:40:40 - Student Liaison Olivia - It may seem tedious to open to the public, but public input is good. 00:42:00 - Mayor Lachemeier - I agree, but people need to review the agenda ahead of time. We must, and it keeps things efficient. 00:42:35 - Mayor Lachemeier - We have to have a process. Robert's Rules of Order are old, but they're good. 00:43:10 - Mayor Lachemeier - Our staff is willing to talk at any time, but we want to do it in the proper way 00:44:03 - Mayor Lachemeier - We want our staff to know what to do, if we do this, what is a public hearing? 00:44:30 - Mayor Lachemeier - Staff has been concerned about how things are going, want some direction 00:44:50 - Councilman Downer - I don't want anyone to ever think that we don't want to hear from them. But it's a matter of doing things in the proper way. 00:45:20 - Councilman Downer - I think you've (Mayor) bent over backwards to let people talk 00:45:41 - Councilman Downer - If someone wanted to, we could let someone talk forever. It would be disruptive. 00:46:16 - Meredith Johansen - I've been coming to council meetings for many years 00:47:02 - Meredith Johansen - Different commission meetings are sometimes run differently than council meetings 00:47:30 - Meredith Johansen - If you were coming into this new, you might find this offputting and it wouldn't help you build confidence in how this is done. 00:48:30 - Meredith Johansen - There have been very long and raucous meetings 00:45:48 - Meredith Johansen - We can find a compromise, we can take it off your shoulders 00:49:17 - Meredith Johansen - We understand you don't want to be here for hours 00:50:19 - Meredith Johansen - I think it would be damaging if people don't think that they can contact their leaders 00:51:33 - Meredith Johansen - Somehow we need a civics lesson for this city so we all know the rules 00:54:05 - Mayor Lachemeier - Maybe we trial it for a few months and use a time limit? 00:55:20 - Administrator Lundeen - Do you want to take resident questions now? 00:55:42 - Jeremiah Patrick - Can we have Robert's Rules of Order in the agendas? Can we have the agendas earlier? 00:56:51 - Administrator Lundeen - We post the agendas on Thursday or Friday. 00:57:14 - Administrator Lundeen - We could link to the Robert's Rules of Order 01:01:21 - Councilman Downer - This isn't the US Senate, we're not playing Parlimentary Orders 01:02:11 - Mayor Lachemeier - Staff, please put something on the agenda to say that we may or may not take public input on each issue 01:02:49 - Officer Josh - Polar Plunge 01:03:40 - Officer Josh - Nothing else to report 01:05:15 - Joe Steffel - Nothing to report 01:05:54 - Fire Chief Don - Building is coming along 01:06:33 - Fire Chief Don - Buffalo FD is looking to hire 5 new Fire Fighters. Contact me or the city. 01:06:57 - Fire Chief Don - Details coming up soon, we tell you what's all involved, requirements 01:07:32 - Alison Matthees - No updates 01:07:41 - Jennifer Nash - No updates 01:08:17 - Justin Kannas - Swan Park design is ongoing 01:08:43 - Justin Kannas - Reporting on behalf of the water department, Hydrant flushing is complete. Let us know if discolored water is still coming through. 01:09:17 - Ashley Hansen - No updates 01:09:29 - Administrator Bodin - No updates Meeting Adjourns to May 17th, Budget Meeting in the Council Chambers @ 5 PM

00:06:04 - Start 00:06:26 - Announcements - Spring cleanup this Fri/Sat 8AM-2PM 00:07:30 - Liz Ardnt: Inquire as to Johnsonville #9 is on the agenda. It is. 00:08:11 - Sue and Terry - Community Center Updates 00:08:50 - Monday & Wednesday - Children/family only fishing times this year 00:09:50 - Congregant Dining Program 00:10:12 - Updates to the Community Center in progress 00:11:22 - Additions/Deletions - NONE 00:11:30 - Steve Downer - Would like to recognize the people who maintain the flower areas in town 00:12:15 - Fish Sunflowers are coming to Buffalo, garden 00:12:45 - Sunflower seeds are available at the Chamber of Commerce and at City Hall 00:13:27 - Visioning Meeting last Wednesday, will be meeting this Thursday 00:13:57 - Consent Agenda items. Motion to accept 5 YAY - 0 NAY 00:14:35 - Public Hearing: Past Due Accounts. No updates. 00:14:55 - Councilman Downer: There's a lot of federal money available, if you're delinquent, please call us. 00:15:30 - Motion to accept. 5 YAY - 0 NAY 00:15:56 - FLAG: appeal for Johnsonville penalties. This is not a public hearing. 00:16:25 - Sue Dege - This is only discussing the process. 00:16:50 - The city prefers to use the administrative process. Starts with a letter from the city. 00:17:20 - If the violation continues, Sue sends a letter detailing what's next 00:17:47 - If the violation continues, a fine is issued. 00:18:08 - We have a letter from the Johnsonville, LLC's Council 00:18:23 - Appeal is during city council meeting on May 17th at the City Council Meeting 00:19:30 - If either side opts out, a criminal citation will be issued. This can take a long time. 00:20:10 - Other option is to apply to the court to fix the issue. Don't typically do that until we've attempted to resolve the issue through other means. 00:21:00 - Liz Ardnt attempts to speak on the issue, but the Mayor says it's not a public hearing and therefore the public cannot speak. 00:22:10 - Councilman Downer - When does the administative process begin? Sue: it already has. 00:23:10 - Councilman Enter - When we turn an issue over to an attorney, are we as councilmembers done? Sue: I don't know what Johnsonville. 00:24:00 - Councilman O'Rourke - Do fines stack up until May? Sue: We're going to continue sending penalties. 00:24:45 - More members of the public attempt to speak, but the Mayor says it's not a public hearing. 00:26:15 - Mayor Lachermeier claims that Counsel has said not to speak on it. Apologizes, but says they're following the rules. 00:27:00 - Allison Matthees - Please call me about any issues at: 763-684-5406. I'll help you direct to wherever you need to go. 00:27:45 - Councilman Downer - Could this still be amicably resolved? Sue: Yes. We're working with Johnsonville's Attorney to resolve the issue. 00:28:25 - Councilman Downer - Sometimes a resolution can be found before court is reached. I'd be happy if that were the case. 00:29:00 - Property with Deceased Owner - Probate of 501 1st St NE 00:29:41 - Administrator Bodin - Heirs have come forward, we are looking to get this resolved 00:30:48 - Susan Dege - We're working to solve this issue with the heirs. Starting the process was the impetus to have the heirs come forwards 00:33:00 - Water Reclaimation Plant Improvements: Justin 00:38:39 - Councilman Enter - Coffee Grounds don't disintegrate and they clog up the system. The smell in the building is very bad. 00:37:45 - Administrator Bodin - Flushable wipes may go down the pipe, but cause havoc in the system. Justin: They require us to manually change the filters when the wipes clog up the system. 00:40:50 - Jeremiah Patrick - What kinds of materials will you use for replacement? Justin: Stainless steel is being considered, it's worth it usually. We're looking at it for right now and will probably pursue it. 00:46:45 - Mayor Lachermeier - Isn't there a special kind of HVAC unit which can be used for that kind of building? Justin: We're looking into it, but there are tradeoffs to everything. 00:48:50 - Mayor Lachermeier - Would the Phosphorous Analyzer be accessible via wifi and could it be used that way? John: Yes, there are security issues as well. 00:50:00 - Mayor Lachermeier - Would it continue to run if the wifi goes down? John: We've got a backup computer at the office which would always be accessible. 00:51:40 - Ray - We're having to keep up with Windows 10 software. We've got old equipment which doesn't interact very well with Windows 10 updates. The best way we've found is to go entirely through the wifi interface which removes that compatibility issue. 00:52:43 - Ray - Coffee Grounds, Eggshells, Swiffer Pads, etc are all hard things to deal with. We've lost many pumps (up to $18k for a single one) to these wipes. Please don't flush them. 00:55:35 - Question (didn't catch it) 00:56:20 - Jeremiah Patrick - BWIG replacement to the Wastewater plant? Joe: We're using the BWIG equipment to make a private network which will then hook into a fiber connection. 00:57:28 - Justin: Cost Summary - $1.8 - 2.3 million 00:58:30 - Mayor Lachermeier: Would we bond this? Administrator Bodin: Yes, as part of the budget process. 00:59:25 - Councilman Downer - What is the bulk of the cost of the tablets? John: It's a mix of paying for software and paying for the hardware. 01:00:00 - Councilman Anderson - What happens if the costs go to high (outside of range)? Justin: We can present bids to the council. 01:01:10 - Councilman Enter - With inflation being the way it is, $2.5 million is a likely number. We should be ready for that. 01:01:40 - Mayor Lachermeier - Will we run into material supply issues? Justin: Definitely a possibility. Bidding in fall and we'll attempt to have all materials on hand when we start. 01:02:55 - Mayor Lachermeier - Are we waiting for fall to start the work or the bids? Justin: We are waiting for fall for the bids. 01:03:33 - Ray - A lot of the stuff we get with the updates is European parts. They're hard to replace so I'm looking for American replacements. We can get replacement parts in under 6-8 months, unlike some European companies. 01:04:57 - Jennifer Nash - Planning Commission: Neighborhood was planned during the recession 01:06:00 - John Arthur Homes is looking to have a new neighborhood approved. 01:06:33 - Request rezoning from R-1 to R-2 for planning. 01:07:03 - Park Board is in favor of expanding the park. 01:07:10 - Planning Commission agreed unanimously to approve this 01:07:30 - Councilman Downer - Are we looking to get that service territory from the local utility? Admin Bodin: Yes, we're in talks. 01:08:29 - Motion to Approve: 5 YAY - 0 NAY 01:08:50 - Participation in the Wright County Economic Development Authority - Christine 01:11:05 - 5 Commissioners are on the board, as is Mayor Lachermeier and one other 01:12:00 - The Economic Development Authority (EDA) will be in control of redeveloping county owned properties 01:12:45 - EDA does not intend to enact its own levy, but if it does in future a city can opt-out 01:13:14 - EDA does not intend to lead development, except for county owned properties 01:13:49 - Under state law, county EDAs can only operate in cities and townships that elect to participate in the EDA 01:14:00 - Opting in will give the option to use financial tools offered by the state. Renew participation every 5 years 01:15:50 - We are asking developers what they want to do with the property and are getting proposals and ideas 01:17:00 - Mayor Lachermeier - It's a no-brainer to opt-in 01:20:25 - Christine - We're getting $26M in American Rescue Funds, we're looking on deploying broadband 01:21:30 - Mayor Lachermeier - Human Services Building - is there a reason why we're not addressing that building yet? Christine: It's not really development, the old Govt Center requires a lot more development. 01:22:30 - Mayor Lachermeier - What's the timeframe to move over? Christine: December/January we'll be entirely moved over 01:23:00 - Christine: On the Wright County Website, all the meetings are posted with agendas. There are links in the agendas. Meetings are on the second Thursday each month. All meetings are open to the public. 01:24:25 - Councilman Downer - How is the board set up? Does Buffalo have a permanent seat or how is it setup? Christine: It's a 3 year term. It could be anybody in the county. 01:25:30 - Councilman Downer - Are there Bylaws? Christine: Yes. 01:26:30 - Motion to City to adopt the resolution for the ERA. 4 YAY - 0 NAY, Councilman Enter is absent for this vote 01:27:52 - Chris - Great Aviation Gathering - May 21 & 22, $10 entry fee 01:31:30 - Ashley Hansen - Investment Policy Update; Updated yearly, we don't have state and local securities as an option. We would be able to invest in these if we open up our options 01:34:30 - Ashely Hansen - Bond Market is where the return is 01:35:20 - Motion to Approve Investment Policy Update: 5 YAY - 0 NAY 01:35:50 - Chief Pat Budke - We have a new therapy dog, Luna. Officer Ben is her trainer. She lives in the station. 01:40:40 - Chief Pat Budke - 2020 Annual Report 02:02:50 - Why are speed limits 30 mph in the neighborhoods? Chief Budke: A reduced speed limit is typically not effective in increasing safety. People who live in the area are the most likely to break the laws, so lowering the limits aren't typically useful. 02:04:50 - Sometimes it's perception. We can put up a speed sensor to look further into this if you have an area of concern. 02:08:45 - Chief Pat Budke - It's a challenging time, take a deep breath and understand that we're not all that different. Please take the time to hear people out. A 5-10 minute conversation can make all the difference. 02:12:30 - Fire Chief - Did siren testing last week 02:14:00 - Joe S - Tonight at midnight we're going to do maintenance on the Fiber-to-the-home network 02:14:29 - Joe S - Xcel Energy is looking to do some inspection with drones near the electrical substation 02:15:30 - Mayor Lachermeier - Sterling Drug is closing 02:15:50 - Jennifer Nash - The building is already up for sale, contact Jennifer Nash for information to learn more 02:16:00 - Alison Matthees - Flashvote Survey was recieved. Will discuss it on Thursday. 02:17:15 - Ashley Hansen - Audit went well 02:17:43 - Justin - Dague Ave discussions are already starting 02:18:46 - Ray - Nothing as of late 02:19:00 - Cara T - Hydrant flushing finishing up tonight, if there is still discolored water we'll reflush those areas. Thanks for contacting us so we can map the areas and fix the problem 02:20:30 - Motion to Adjourn to Visioning Session on Thursday 5 YAY - 0 NAY

00:06:15 - Announcements 00:06:20 - Forget Me Not restaurant opening tomorrow 00:08:45 - Open Forum 00:09:00 - Agenda Additions/Deletions - None 00:09:20 - Recognition of Donating water to Montrose 00:09:55 - Consent Agenda 00:10:11 - Motion to Approve 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:10:28 - Public Hearing: Past Due Accounts 00:11:40 - Roll call 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:12:00 - Vacation of Drainage and Utility Easements - Jennifer Nash 00:14:20 - This shows the complications which arise when we deal with utilities 00:14:50 - Matter tabled for next meeting 00:15:15 - New Buisness: Whispering Winds 5th Addition Final Plat (Vier Partnes LLC) 00:15:49 - Rezoned in February 00:16:40 - Motion to Accept 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:17:15 - Rice Companies, Willems Way Retail Final Plat 00:17:45 - Planning Commission voted to approve 00:18:21 - Question about the Road inlets outlets Approved 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:20:05 - 62 Unit Apartment block next to the proposed Grocery Store 00:21:22 - Developer requests rezoning to PUD 00:22:20 - In future, PUD developments (Apartments, etc) will have a fee to pay for a pedestrian overpass 00:23:41 - Clean Up Days - April 23rd and 24th; only for Buffalo Residents 00:28:26 - Budget Process Review (2022) 00:29:10 - Budget Planning Calendar 00:29:30 - Budget Workshops will be had several times of year to cut down things into several chunks 00:32:04 - Draft Budget in August to be presented to the City Council 00:32:26 - Property Tax levy will be set in September + Public Hearing will be set 00:34:45 - Will the Resident Survey be only through FlashVote? Yes. 00:36:50 - City Code Recodification 00:37:10 - Reformatted codes to be easier to read, be in line with state statutes, remove duplicate or resolve conflicting codes. 00:38:13 - All new building codes from the will be automatically brought in to city code 00:38:46 - Next Step: 2 City Councilors + City Attorney will be part of the draft review 00:39:28 - Counselors Enter and Downer volunteered 00:40:11 - Staff Updates 00:40:20 - Police - No updates. Avoid IRS/Money scams 00:44:50 - Joe - This week, Utility and Fire crews are removing the BWig antennas from all over town 00:45:45 - Ashley - Nothing 00:45:58 - Brenda - Nothing 00:46:06 - Allison - FlashVote has 310 signups by Friday 00:47:18 - If the FlashVote numbers turn out to be less than 5% by the time of the Resident Survey, does that mean that only 5% of the residents will be asked? Yes. The only way the Survey will be sent out is via FlashVote. 00:48:00 - Allison - Dates (mid-April) - Public Meetings on Goal Setting Process 00:49:30 - Usual Response Rate to City Surveys is 10-15% 00:50:17 - Justin Kannas - Construction 00:51:20 - COVID funds are coming in, will reduce direct costs to some building projects 00:51:50 - Jennifer - Nothing 00:52:00 - Fire Chief John - Fire Station Construction Progress 00:53:10 - Laureen Bodin - Utility Director Position Solitictation details 00:55:05 - Question on Overpasses 00:58:17 - March 31st Workshops: Municipal Fiber 5:00-6:30 PM 01:00:11 - Motion to Adjourn to Workshop 5 Aye, 0 Nay

00:00:10 - Buffalo Strong 00:00:50 - Olivia Thomes - Student Liason - All students are back for full time learning 00:01:35 - Open Forum - Fred Nackermeier, Former Mayor representing Buffalo Food Shelf 00:02:30 - If you or someone you know is short of food, let the food shelf know 00:03:40 - Minnesota Foodshare month 00:07:37 - Is there a difference between donating to the food shelf or to the staff? No. 00:09:05 - Additions/Deletions - $4500 to United Way 00:09:20 - MNDOT Agreement - moved to approval 00:09:43 - Councilman Eric Anderson - Parks Advisory Board 00:09:55 - Arbor Meadows Development Dedication 00:11:00 - Rededication Fee Amounts 00:11:23 - Liquor Sales in the Parks 00:12:00 - Parks Department is looking into a yearly Arbor Day event 00:12:35 - Councilman Scott Enter - Blood Drives 00:13:15 - Recognition for Danny Palmer - Buffalo Strong Website 00:14:00 - Consent Agenda, moving one item to afterwards - 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:15:05 - Allison - Past Due Accounts 00:18:30 - There are $1200 TRACES grants for people who have fallen behind in utilities bills 00:19:10 - We are not charging Late/Disconnect fees until the public health emergency comes around 00:20:30 - Call for a hearing for accounts due - 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:21:20 - Amendment Uniform Fire Code 00:23:00 - Radio Coverage for bands 00:23:30 - $10-30k cost to businesses who are lacking 00:24:45 - Q: What band is this? A: 800MHz band for person to person communications 00:25:15 - Q: What kinds of buildings need to have repeaters? A: Steel buildings/concrete buildings with rebar 00:26:30 - Approve 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:27:15 - Justin - 2021 Airport Maintenance Bids, asphalt resurfacing of all surfaces 00:29:10 - Motion to Approve 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:29:45 - Dague Ave Project 00:30:10 - Fund swap between cities to support the project 00:31:25 - Q: Will this hamper us in years to come? A: No. 00:31:40 - Q: What about the roundabout for that intersection? A: We have just recieved $400k for that project from the federal government. 00:32:50 - Councilman Steve Downer - Thanks to the engineer and the staff for their work on this, Motion to Approve 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:33:45 - Nicholas Anhut - Series 2021A Refunding Bonds, Potential Refinancing Debut 00:35:40 - "Refunding Bonds" - Refinancing, lower annual payments 00:37:00 - Proposed Bond issue, $2.33M, Estimate Interest < 1.25%, 12.3% Net Present Value Savings 00:43:20 - Q: Are we extending payments on these bonds? A: No 00:44:05 - Q: These could be paid off in 2029? A: Yes, but the payments are scheduled out to 2032. 00:44:25 - Q: If the interest rates go higher, can we back away? A: We can back away, our bids will be presented on April 5th to the City Council. You will Accept/Reject these rates. 00:45:45 - Motion to Accept 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:46:40 - Award of Bid for 3 year generator contract 00:48:55 - Motion to Approve 8Gen for the generator contract 5 Aye, 0 Nay 00:49:35 - Annual Fire Report 01:00:40 - Mitigation strategies on construction side 01:12:00 - Allison - Community Engagement 01:12:30 - Buffalo will be partnering with Flash Vote 01:13:10 - 5 Question Surveys, you will have to sign up 01:17:25 - Demonstration of FlashVote - flashvote.com/buffalomn 01:22:00 - Q: Is there an age restriction? A: I don't know 01:23:45 - We have a target of 1500 01:24:00 - Councilman Downer - I'll take FlashVote with a grain of salt. Don't stop calling in and showing up. 01:26:05 - Laureen - Hiring of Utility Billing Specialist 01:27:25 - Motion to Approve Hiring of Amy Gregor 5 Aye, 0 Nay 01:28:25 - Retirement of Utilities Director Joe Steffel, End of May 01:35:50 - Motion to Accept Joe's Retirement 5 Aye, 0 Nay 01:37:00 - Justin - Surveying on West Side of Lake Pulaski, Sewer Relocation project, Bore Permit updated 01:38:05 - Planning Commission will be looking at 3 plats at the next commission meeting on March 8th 01:39:00 - Joe - Overhead construction along Hwy 25 will be starting 01:39:30 - Joe - We're starting to take down the BWig system (planned completely down by June 1st) 01:40:00 - Joe - Communication Hut equipment ordered Adjourned at 8:42 PM

00:35 - Congenital Heart Disease Proclaimation 03:20 - Kite Festival Announcement 03:50 - Steve Downer Announcements 04:30 - Additions/Deletions 05:13 - Open Forum 05:35 - City Council Reports 05:45 - Park Board Report 06:53 - Golf Course Update 07:25 - Consent Agenda : Approved 5-0 08:12 - Public Hearing, Dague Ave Reconstruction 22:00 - Approval of Dague Ave Reconstruction : Approved 5-0 23:00 - Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) Grant - Dague Ave : Approved 5-0 28:15 - LRIP Grant - 12th St NE : Approved 5-0 31:45 - Airport Runway Maintenance Project : Approved 5-0 34:00 - Agreement of Assessment for Water Service Replacement @ 504 1st Ave NE 36:45 - Alcohol Compliance Check Update 39:20 - Police Staff Update 40:30 - Joe Steffel - Installing a communication hut for Fiber Construction 41:30 - Planning Commission will have 3 items next week 42:15 - Zoom Meeting tomorrow at 4:30 on the Downtown Vision. Zoom invite is on the city website 43:00 - Airport Updates 46:20 - Fire station is progressing, Fire Department Webpage is continuing development, Fire Hydrants - keep them clean! 47:30 - Utility Specialist is being sought, App is being brought online for monitoring utility usage 49:00 - Motion to Adjourn Next City Council Meeting will be 2/16

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