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Sergeant Justin Hoffman, Chief of Police Jeremy Steinle, and Officer Edgar Ibarra.
Among their regular duties, the Slayton City Council members were witness to a special Swearing In Ceremony of Sergeant Jesse Hoffman and Officer Edgar Ibarra on Monday, April 17.
Slayton Police Chief Jeremy Steinle facilitated the process and explained why the family and friends of the two men were also present. “It’s a big deal, a big event,” Steinle said.
“They all know the sacrifice they’ll have to make.”
While missing family events and spending time with friends are oftentimes sacrifices police officers are asked to make, an emotional Steinle acknowledged that even their own lives are sometimes put on the line.
“One hundred and twenty-five miles,” he said. “That’s how close it was this time, so we’re going to acknowledge Pope County Deputy Josh Owens and the two other officers who were shot. Deputy Owens was killed. Last week, it was closer — 60 miles away in Granite Falls — when another officer was shot. These guys do know what they’re getting into.”
Hoffman and Ibarra individually recited the oath of office on his promotion to sergeant,” Steinle said. Ibarra joined the City in January.
Other new business then continued on, beginning with a presentation from Murray County Economic Development Authority Director Justine Wettschreck, who explained some of the EDA programs to the council. The first was the Murray County Childcare Development Forgivable Loan program, which can provide up to $5,000 ($10,000 for a center) for starting an in-home daycare or expanding an existing one. Wettschreck said licensing roadblocks can sometimes include building a firewall or putting a new window in, so the forgivable loan is meant to assist with those types of obstacles. An individual would get 50% up front and then receive the remaining 50% after presenting receipts. “As long as they stay in childcare for five years, this is something we want to do to promote it,” Wettschreck said.
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Council member Kate Harmsen asked if the program had been utilized yet. Wettschreck shared that it has been used one time and that they were working on processing a second one. The second program was the EDA’s Revolving Loan Fund, which offers a low interest rate on gap financing for a business startup or expansion of an existing one. Wettschreck said they set it at 4%, acknowledging that they don’t have to look so much at the return because it’s more about community needs. The third program, the Murray County Home Initiative, is new and encourages new home construction within the county. It comes with a fiveyear tax abatement for the improvement, with the approval of a resolution by the county commissioners. Wettschreck said the EDA is excited to potentially foster a little bit of growth in the county.
The Rental/Redevelopment program offers a six month deferred 2% loan for residential rental property owners to make improvements. It involves a 1:1 match. Wettschreck said the program is an attempt to maintain quality housing and there has been a lot of interest shown lately. It is a first come, first serve process. Some areas, such as appliances and landscaping do not qualify. The final highlight was the introduction of a new website — www.acresofopportunity. com — which can be utilized by people considering relocation to the area. The Murray County EDA prepared the website to include information about the cities, schools, churches, major businesses and so on within the county. Wettschreck said the website is still a work in progress and that feedback is encouraged. Mayor Miron Carney assured her that they will all be checking it out very soon.
Next, the council had an indepth discussion on proposed changes to ordinance No. 345, which encompasses a variety of licenses, permits, rates, rents and miscellaneous fees for the City of Slayton. Many of the fees went up slightly. After some indecision primarily regarding fees at the airport, City Administrator Josh Malchow suggested he get more information before they vote on that part of the ordinance. He then asked the board to call for the necessary public meeting regarding the proposed changes to the ordinance. A motion carried to call for the public meeting to coincide with the next council meeting at 7 p.m. (new time) on Monday, May 1.
Other new business included a review and approval of a compensation and classification study, which serves as a benchmark for the city employees comparable to a list of 22 others in the state which are similar in terms of size, service offerings and tax capacity. Another item, an addition to the agenda, was a resolution identifying “Slum and Blight” conditions in a targeted area within the city. The council approved the resolution, which basically clarified the correct location for the Small Cities Development Grant as some of the paperwork the city received back included an incorrect address. Two councilmen abstained from the vote.
The final item, also an addition to the agenda, was the approval of Catalis and Amilia for a city website upgrade with platform capabilities which will allow the city to collect registrations and payments online for high-traffic activities, such as swimming lessons and park and recreation participation. “Our park and rec and pool registration process is an outdated disaster,” Malchow said.
Malchow and Deputy Clerk Jackie Giesen said it was extremely time-consuming for both of them to accept, organize and follow up on those summer registrations in the past and that the benefit for everyone involved certainly offsets the cost. “We get many complaints about our website and our registration in general,” Malchow said. “Let’s move our operation into the 21st century and make it user-friendly for everyone.”
The cost is roughly $4,000 a year for the website upgrade. The implementation of Amilia is $500, with an annual fee of $99 plus a 1% transaction fee. Not only will people be able to register and pay all at once, but the plan is to integrate the system at the pool as well. Steinle asked if it was something that could be coordinated at the police department and learned that it was. “It sounds like it’s something that would make everyone’s lives a lot better,” Harmsen said.
At the beginning of the meeting, the council approved the agenda, as well as the minutes as presented and the claims. Council member Chris Jacobson was absent from the meeting.
