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Center City Council met March 6  for a regular meeting. Council member Lloyd Vetter and council member Ryan Pease were absent. 

The meeting began with resident Barry Moe asking the council their plan about dispensaries.  Moe who said he was not applying to be a dispensary, asked the council what their protocol was for giving the public fair warning and hosting a public meeting. Mayor Jill Behnke said the city has not received a single inquiry about a dispensary opening in Center City.  Council member Mark Wolcott added he thought it was 2025 before the state would allow businesses to operate.  Moe disagreed and said it could come any time.  The discussion ended with  council assuring Moe there would be ample time for a public hearing if a dispensary were to file paperwork for doing business in town.

The council then discussed the Hursh Iron Works building.  Currently the building has no city water or sewer hook up.  Owner Joel Hursh told the council they have applied at the City of Taylors Falls to build a new building and would move as soon as approved when the new construction is completed.  Hursh will remain owner of the Center City property and  is looking into a temporary hook up to city sewer.  City water runs by the building and hook up would be simple. Permanent hook up to city sewer would require accessing the sewer pipes under the County’s public works facility’s driveway.  Hursh said they received a quote from Olson Sewer for $20,000 for water hook up and between $250,000 and $300,000 for sewer.  Hursh said that cost is not feasible and was asking the council for a conditional use permit to hook up temporarily thus reducing the costs.  Hursh said once city sewer is eventually run nearby the property for neighborhood additions, they would pay for a regular hook up.  

The council agreed to table the discussion so city attorney Ted Alliegro could look into the matter more.

The council then discussed a new website.  City clerk Dana Miron presented the council with a quote from Well Optimized Web Design.  The quote for a new city website is $3,900 with an annual hosting fee of $180 and a monthly maintenance fee of $100. Miron told the council she was given a walk-thru of the website and was confident she could handle the updating in a few months.  The council agreed the contract seemed good but tabled action until they found out when the current contract expires.

The council then passed a resolution passing a variance  that would reduce the required 20 foot front yard setback to 10 feet.  The variance would be for a new construction along First Street by the Government Center.  Council member Wolcott pointed out the plans show the distance to the garage door from the center of the road is 60 feet and 40 feet to the front door.  The variance passed 3-0.

The council then passed a variance for the same property allowing to exceed the maximum impervious surface coverage from 25 percent to 31.5 percent. The variance passed with the condition the homeowner or builder would install a rain garden that would be approved by Chisago County Soil and Water Conservation District staff.

The council then granted Tony’s Bar (formerly Al’s Saloon) a two day public gathering permit.  Tony’s Bar along with Jake’s on the Lakes and Pizza Pub are planning on hosting a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with a beer tent and food.  The event will be fenced in and only for 21 and up.  Customers will purchase a $5 wristband and all of the wristband sales will go to improving the docks on North Center Lake which all of the businesses benefit from.

The council then heard from city engineer Marcus Johnson told the council the Minnesota Department of Health has awarded Center City a grant to create a website specifically for GIS mapping.  The new website would house all information such as curb stops, sewer and water locations, fire hydrant location and much more.  The city would have to pay the original $1,247 and once paid submit the paid bill to the Department of Health to be reimbursed fully. Council passed the agreement for a website 3-0. The variance is for one new house.

Public works director Eric Garner then told the council he has installed three more new water meters and is up to 25 newly installed.  He told the council they are waiting for the shipment from Mueller Water before more can be installed.

Council adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

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