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The Wyoming city council is going to hit the New Year running-- having laid plans last week to move ahead on the Fallbrook road project feasibility study. City Engineer Mark Erichson will report back with the project's needed engineering analysis. An initial hearing is scheduled for the January 17 council meeting. Affected property owners will be mailed information and informal meetings can also be scheduled if needed.

Erichson said the project has various funding possibilities. The work will be done next summer if the project moves ahead. There will be storm sewer improvements, ditch work, roadbed construction and municipal sanitary sewer (pipe is 12 inch now and is proposed to be 18-inch) done within the work zone (see graphic.)

The city has sufficient right-of-way along the route, Erichson told council in response to a question about using condemnation.

In other business: the council approved the hire of Samantha Roeder as a part time officer. She replaces a Wyoming officer who took a fulltime post with Forest Lake. Wyoming has a total of two part time officers on its roster.

On motion by Council member Steven Zerwas the city will renew its Forest Lake Chamber of Commerce membership, which has not been effective for a while.

Colleen Eddy, Chamber Director, spoke with council about the $300 membership (annually) benefits. The appointment of a city liaison to the Chamber of Commerce will be an item on the next council meeting agenda.

There was an addition to the city's wellhead protection plan budget. WSB engineering is overseeing the mandated porous groundwater flow model required in this public health-related report. WSB has contracted with Barr Engineering for the geo-hydrological analysis and new, updated modeling work has increased costs in the original proposal to write the report.

On a 5-0 vote council okayed the $6,000 change to the contract, which was originally supposed to cost $19,825. Funding is coming out of the city's water utility fund.

A new general accounting standards board or "GASB" system of accounting has been phased into all financial practices of cities, school districts and most public entities over the last several years, under the mandate to be fully implemented by the end of this fiscal year (for some governing units the fiscal year runs June 30 to July 1 and for Wyoming a fiscal year is a calendar year ending Dec. 31).

Council last week approved several fund closures and transfers to clean-up the ledgers and comply with GASB and adopted a fund balance policy to set better direction regarding cash flow and money available as a cushion.

Basically the account that was specifically funding the city celebration (Stagecoach Day) was rolled into general fund, along with an emergency management fund and shortages (red ink) must be covered out of contingency monies remaining from 2011.

City Administrator Craig Mattson explained the revolving loan fund is being rolled into EDA accounts.

Council also approved "committing" $500,000 earmarked to next year's newly created road work endowment.

The agenda action had referred to this line as "assigned" but council wanted future elected officials to understand these monies are committed to defray expenses of repair and maintenance.

Engineer Erichson reported the certificate of mileage for this year was filed with the state aid division and Wyoming contains 67 miles of municipal road.

Council concluded last week's meeting going into closed session to consult with Mark Vierling, city attorney, on litigation having to do with the contractor who provided the sanitary sewerline extension project to connect to the Chisago Lakes Joint Sewer Commission's system a few years ago.

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