The 2022 audit presentation was among a dozen items of new business addressed by the Slayton City Council on Monday at City Hall.
After four items were added to the agenda, minutes were approved as printed and claims were also approved, CPA Katie Jacobson shared the preliminary results of the 2022 audit.
According to Jacobson, the city’s total expenditures budgeted for the year were $2,270,444, while the actual came in at $2,307,796, for a negative variance of $37,353.
Total revenues were budgeted at $2,509,349, while the actual came in at $2,753,511, for a positive variance of $244,162.
Jacobson then highlighted more specific details throughout the different funds, pointing out the reasons for the variances between the budgeted and actual amounts.
At the end, she recommended that the council address two points. The first was to decide what to do with the excess minimum fund balance of $286,000 in the general fund and the second was to approve the financials and allow submission of those to the state. The council approved both motions, choosing to transfer the $286,000 to the capital improvement fund.
The council then moved on to other new business items, approving resignations from two employees. Trish Grieme resigned from the library and Nate Holden resigned from the Slayton Police Department.
Mayor Miron Carney thanked each of them for their years of service.
The council also voted in favor of moving Officer McKenna Schreier back to full-time status. Police Chief Jeremy Steinle noted that the police department had posted an opening for a full-time officer internally and that he received a letter of interest from Schreier, who he said has been a fantastic officer for the city since her initial hire in January 2020. Since she was two months away from Step 3, Steinle recommended starting Schreier at that level.
The council agreed.
Nick Feit of the Murray County Sheriff’s Office applied for the part-time police officer position, and after being interviewed, was recommended for the job. The council approved Feit’s hiring pending a satisfactory psych evaluation and background check, which are a mandated requirement.
The council also approved the purchase of three police department radios, the total cost of which was well under the annual budget amount of $30,000.
The council then approved the FY 24/25 airport maintenance operations grant in the amount of $15,569 for each of the two years. Prior to the vote, councilman Blake Heronimus asked for clarification and questioned whether or not the city could The council looked over the two proposals for feasibility reports submitted — one from DGR for $9,800 and one from Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) for $21,063 — for potential mill and overlay work on Maple Avenue. Malchow explained that the feasibility report was something the city had to have. The council voted to go with the lowest proposal (DGR).
Malchow then shared that the sign for Gullord Park had blown over and that he’d tasked Deputy Clerk Jackie Giesen with investigating potential designs. “I really like this design (submitted by Ahlers Welding and Fabrication),” he said. “The cost was quite a bit lower than I was expecting, too.” After some discussion on the sign, which will roughly be 4-foot by 6-foot painted steel, as well as potential landscaping around it, the council approved a motion to have Ahlers make the sign.
Baseball umpire pay was the next item of business. Upon recommendations from those involved, the council voted to increase the pay to $90 for 13-and-under and to $100 for Legion games. “Historically, we’ve paid them $70 a game for the last few years,” Malchow said. “They haven’t increased in my time here.” Giesen said the new rates were still under what neighboring communities are paying.
The council also approved a motion to not waive the statutory tort liability limits, so an individual claimant could recover no more than $500,000 on any claim to which the statutory tort limits apply. “If we waive this, it means someone can get $2 million for a single occurrence,” Malchow said. “We do not want to do that.”
The final item of new business involved an issue of too much water accumulation near 25th Street. Malchow acknowledged that the area has historically flooded to the north of 25th Street and that the gravel road had been built up quite a few times during his tenure. “Now it’s keeping the water from coming out of the field but also holding the water in,” he said. Council members discussed several aspects of the issue, concluding that it isn’t likely that the city can do anything to alleviate the situation and that Malchow should try to get additional information from the county.
Regarding notice and communications, Malchow noted that Steinle had started working through the Police Chief’s Association in reference to the new marijuana legislation that is coming down. “We want to get ahead of that and make sure we’ve able to handle it,” Malchow said. “Cities will be able to permit it, but they won’t be able to exclude it other than distance requirements from schools, daycares and churches.”
Malchow also shared that there was a “speedbump” in the road regarding the broadband project, adding that artifacts had been found at two different sites. Malchow said he believes it’ll be an easy fix as the broadband can go on the other side of the road but that if state preservation officials get involved, it could result in further delays.
The next council meeting is slated for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20.
