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Taylors Falls City Council was full strength this week for the first time in a few meetings, and everybody applauded the mayor’s choice for the Stewardship Award and Grand Marshal for this summer’s Wannigan Days— Fay Caneday.  She stepped forward and put in hundreds of hours addressing a number of tasks that were piling up in the wake of staffing turmoil. 

Mayor Brandon Weiberg declared he was trying to keep the awardee a secret but his disguise in wording the agenda item worked a little too well, and Caneday was not attending Monday night.

He added she is the embodiment of what small towns thrive on as a selfless generous volunteer. 

The 2023 city audit report was the main item to be taken up in Monday’s three-plus hour session.  

The in person presenter for the public financing and audit firm, Abdo, walked the council through findings.  He assured the city the issues encountered in prior audits concerning overdue and unpaid invoices and general practices that needed some attention, are beginning to clear.  Council member Tim Grote observed this audit summary contained fewer non-compliance concerns and that is a good thing to see.

The  fund of  concern is the water fund, which as a stand alone enterprise account may require some increases in revenues (rates.)  Council has asked for proposals for a utility rate study, which are due from interested engineering consultants in the near future.

The packet included a report that the $38,508 that was illegally taken from city accounts has been fully recovered. (Press story March 21, 2024.  Fraudulent charges (15) came to the city’s attention in January and February as cash transactions and payments for goods and services.

Possibly related— but council was closed lipped about— was a three year contract adopted with Easy IT Guys, of St Croix Falls.  The city’s cyber security situation was the subject of a confidential closed session recently.

The three year contract will take Taylors Falls to the early days of the next elected terms, and, as Council member Troy Aanonsen noted,  if any new council members want to adjust or drop the services that would be a good timeframe in which to act.  Special “public safety’ funding was dispersed by the State of MN at the end of December 2023 from surplus budget amounts, and Taylors Falls will pay for the IT contract expense with this money.

On another fiscal matter, the Payment in Lieu of Taxes, of PILT revenue has been a topic of Council member Aanonsen’s repeated declarations that the county is perhaps not dispersing the city’s fair share.

County Commissioner Rick Greene was recognized from the audience to explain to the council there is federal and state PILT funding and the county administers the PILT monies but has “no control”  over the formula based on acres and population, that distributes the money.  No municipalities, including Taylors Falls, receive state PILT.  And, there’s less than three acres  of federal land in the city (wild and scenic riverway)which would be where any city revenue in PILT comes from. 

Commissioner Greene said state lawmakers would be the only ones who can revise the system regulated by payments in lieu of tax statutes.

PILT was designed to alleviate the impacts of loss of revenue when lands are conserved and become exempt, but local government still has costs associated with providing services.

~ Council reviewed analysis by Kevin Gruber, Public Works, and authorized getting quotes for various needed projects.  This phase of work would commence after Wannigan Days this July.  Clay sewer lines need to be replaced with PVC and an estimated 10,000 square feet of street surface restored on Ravine and Government Streets between Bench and First.

There is a public informational meeting scheduled on a proposal to extend city services along Briar and Locust Lane.  The engineering firm Bolton & Menk will facilitate a meeting April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.

Meanwhile, SealTech Inc. of Cambridge MN got the manhole and culvert/patch work and the community center mill and overlay.

Gruber also said the inventory work on the extent of lead-containing water service

lines are starting in earnest to meet a deadline for the state.  Cities have to submit a report by October.  The effort will involve an estimated 433 underground city connections, but it is eligible for reimbursement.  Gruber is working with technology providers on developing a GIS for the service line locations.

The citywide Clean Up Day is May 18, from 8 a.m. to noon.  This is the ideal time to dispose of recyclables, waste items like old grills, scrap metals and many other items.  There will be an informational flier included in city mailings soon.  Disposal  is set up at the lower parking lot at the fire hall/city hall.

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