Thank you. Did you help him? You were doing Mr. Steinberg >> here. >> Mrs. Rooric >> here. >> Mr. White >> here. >> Mr. Lewis >> here. >> Mayor Whittington >> here.
>> Um I don't think we have any public hearing here. It's okay. Look for um a motion to approve the agenda. >> First, >> I'll second. We have a second. All in favor? >> I
>> I. >> All opposed. All right. Approval of the last minute meeting minutes. >> I'll make a motion. >> We got a first. >> I'll second. >> Okay. >> First and second. All in favor?
>> I. >> All oppose. All right. Consent agenda. Anybody want to pull out anything from the consent agenda to have more discussion around? If not, I'd look for approval of the consent agenda. >> Motion.
>> Second. >> First and second. All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed. All right. First presentation, >> Jill, I think you're >> just Did I send you? What did I send you? I
don't even remember. It's been a busy week, everyone. The link to the campaign video. Yeah. Okay, perfect. I'll show that at the end. Um, so first and foremost, I'm Jill Cusk with Greater Mano Area United Way and I'm proud to be here with you
tonight as a representative of that organization, but also um an Eagle Lake resident. So proud to um have moved back here with my family in um July and proud to um be here and uh share some updates
with you. um grateful for uh Jennifer's invitation and um she has served on our women with heart um committee and also uh a big supporter of ours and helps us stay connected to Eagle Lake summer sounds um where we've been able to be a
part of and present um to spread awareness for what we're doing and our mission um and to share also what we're doing here in the great um city of Eagle Lake. And also um I'd be remiss to not mention uh our current board member, Mr.
Garrett Steinberg. So grateful for um your support and um all the things you do including Christmas in the sky and uh music and lending your talents to support our mission. So um always willing to uh support us as you can and
I welcome everyone else to do the same. Uh this opportunity is uh big for us because although we are based in Mano, our headquarters is in Mano, we are the greater Mano area United Way. So we support four counties including all of
Blue Earth, Nicollet, Lassour, and Wasika counties. And in that we're supporting over 65,000 people annually, including of course all of the folks here in Eagle Lake. So, I wanted to um come here and share some of those numbers and um showcase that impact
that's going on right here for us. Um our mission, if you're unaware, is to unite the community much like we're doing here today to secure resources that we can then invest in programs that save and improve lives. Um and we do that through our nonprofit partner
organizations, uh which is a record number for the year. So, we do that through an annual campaign process. Right now, we are very close to reaching our goal of 2.45 million. And that will support a record number of programs and important
initiatives in our 4count region. And you have in front of you some impact charts as well as um our our pledge form. And on the back of the pledge form, that pink side is what I would love for you to focus on because that really is outlining what our plan is for
uh the coming year. and you will see all of the partner agencies and programs and key initiatives listed out there and the new ones are marked with an asterct. So, we're at 75 programs. This is up 10 more than last year. And we only are able to
do this through our beautiful donors um and their hard-earned dollars that they entrust in United Way and through inind support, sponsorships um and our great um collaborative efforts with all of our nonprofit
partners to make it possible. So, I wanted to outline the new programs for 2026, which include uh many that you might be familiar with, but that would include a fresh start, Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, the child and family services program,
Connections Ministry or Connection Shelter, Five Sparrows Foster Closet, Foster Care Emergency Bags in the Mano Area Public Schools, the Hope Squad is a new program. Um, if you're not familiar, it is teen or peer suicide prevention.
That is very, very important. Um, the training that those teens go through is very extensive and expensive. So, United Way steps in to ensure that that training is covered and that that can continue. Um, another one within the Mano Area Public Schools that's not new,
but I'd like to highlight is the youth mental health navigators. Um there's four positions in our four county region and they cover all 13 school districts including uh Tara who works with um the Eagle Lake Elementary School students here and their focus is K through 8 and
um helping those youth at a very young age to handle um mental health issues and to also connect them with outside mental health resources when they need it outside of the school. Uh then we have packed ministries food for all
serve Minnesota the Minnesota math corps south central service cooperative their youth mental health program the sudinis help organization was seea public schools their hope squad over there um and those are the new ones for this year and um wanted to highlight those
we stand on three pillars uh that keep us strong and balanced in our community. So this form here um outlines those three pillars which are basic needs, health and education. And the reason for that is because we know if we were to focus on one area say food insecurity or
housing insecurity or just mental health or education um then our community falters. When we partner with these nonprofits that ensure that all of the needs are met and they link arms together, we know that nobody's falling through the cracks and that all of those
needs can continue to be met um through these programs. Uh so they help to ensure, for example, children are ready for school, families can access basic necessities in times of need, community members of all ages can find the support
they need to live healthy lives. So a part of that um process for us includes our fully vetting process of the nonprofit. So each spring 90 volunteers come together and they form
impact teams and those impact teams are reviewing all of the applications for funding and they are the ones that do site visits and they are the ones ultimately allocating the dollars that go to the nonprofits. So it's not United Way making that decision. It's the
beautiful community members that come together to determine where those funds will be spent and how that will go. And we can also say because of that process that we know all donor dollars are used wisely and to the most good and where they're needed the most. Um so we're
grateful for those volunteers that um help us to amplify uh the impact. So last year we did raise 2.35 million and that was um our goal and we were able to meet and exceed that goal. When
we exceed our goal, which is what we're hoping to do again this year, we're able to go back to the nonprofits and give additional one-time funding and typically it comes to them at a time when it's needed the most. So we're working diligently for that. Um the numbers I'm sharing now would be the
numbers from 2024. the numbers from 2025 being it's just now February are still coming in and being reported to us. So I'd love to come back and share those with you when I have them. Um but 60 over 63,000 flowed into Eagle Lake through United Way
and that was uh through basic needs health and education through those beautiful programs that you see listed there. So I'm going to give some specific examples of the impact right here in Eagle Lake. Um and again these numbers are from 2024. So, Books for Kids, which is the program that delivers
books to kids age birth to age five about until they enter kindergarten, 160 Eagle Lake kiddos received books eight out of the 12 months of the year and those are mailed delivered to the home. So, if you have littles or grandkids at home, you might uh have be a recipient
of those and it's usually really joyous and that helps to elevate our literacy initiative. And we have the kindness booth book which goes to every single first grader in our 4ount region. 36 Eagle Lake kiddos received a copy of that book to keep. Um and that's um in
part thanks to our partnership um with Capstone. I can actually pass that around so you can see it. You might have a copy. So that was written by our COO Laura Murray and it's all about kindness and spreading kindness. And um it has a little um activity
program that goes with it. So the first grade teachers that have us in to deliver these into the classroom actually kind of do that um program along with the book which is beautiful. Uh where the sidewalk ends. So you might have copies of this at your house as well. So all of our fourth graders
receive copies of this book in part thanks to the Ols family foundation. 46 Eagle Lake kids received that book. Um and we'll continue to do that. Uh some more examples of the mostused nonprofit partner programs here in uh Eagle Lake for Eagle Lake residents would include
Mano Area Public Schools Preschool which uh supports 32 kiddos from Eagle Lake. The American Red Cross Disaster Relief assisted 44 Eagle Lake residents. Vine Faith and Action supports 65 Eagle Lake
residents. Scouting of America, the Twin Valley Council supports 84 Eagle Lake kiddos for their youth development scholarship, which is huge. And all this funding is flowing through United Way and made possible um by your United Way. Open
North Health Center, 134 Eagle Lake residents. So those are beautiful numbers. Uh great impact for the people of Eagle Lake. Um, and we continue to uh work to support these nonprofits so we can continue to um
assist those that need it the most. Um, we work continuously with um many volunteers, over 1,800 to be exact, annually. So, we're always looking for volunteers and we're grateful um to those that step forward and choose to
partner with us and walk alongside our mission um to carry out uh all of that beautiful support for those nonprofits. Uh a few of the other things that I wanted to touch on are various engagement groups um that we foster within our organization and that
includes our always united group which is for individuals who are retired and perhaps um uh in the senior stage of life and they aren't perhaps attached to an employer anymore that keeps them connected to United Way and our employee campaign rallies that we host each year.
So, that group has been wonderful and they volunteer and stay active in the community through United Way, which is great. Our engaged leaders united group is uh individuals under the age of 50 who donate at a level of $250 or more by
themselves or 500 um or more annually with a spouse. And they are exactly what they say. They are engaged leaders. So, they actually step up and volunteer and participate in our events um at a higher rate than some of the other groups. and we're grateful for their support and
they're usually eager to be the first to sign up. So, we tend to send them kind of that first line of volunteer opportunities. Grow United uh which is expanding that is for our rural and egg communities and our farm families that might not otherwise be connected to the
services um that flow through our organization or ways that they can support. Um, and then Youth United, which I'm very excited about, um, and would love to partner more with Eagle Lake, um, and the kids and get them active here, uh, within their support
opportunities, uh, and volunteer opportunities to be connected to to United Way. Um, Youth United started last January and it's for K through 12 students in the Mano area under the age of 18 and that want to give, advocate,
and volunteer with United Way. So, it's a beautiful group and they're very active. They meet once a month and um they do a committee meeting and then they have a volunteer outing each month. So, it's great to have them on board. Um some upcoming events that I wanted to
mention. I know we talked about the puzzle um event, but that is coming up. The third annual pieces together puzzle and pizza party is Thursday, March 12th. Teams of four is $125. All proceeds go to benefit Greater Mano
Area United Way in our programs and initiatives. Um there's limited VIP team spots available and um you can register now on our website mano uhunitedaway.org. And we recently this past weekend radio
mano partnered with us um for SIP city social. So if any of you were there know that your ticket purchase went to support our mission as well. Grateful for that. Thank you. Um, we have a beautiful spring porch pot make and take coming up with Drummers Garden Center on Saturday, March 12th. Again, all
proceeds will benefit uh Greater Mano Area United Way and registration for that will be open soon. Uh we will be doing book deliveries for the fourth graders coming up here in March and April. So, if you'd like to be a part of that right here in Eagle Lake, um that would be kind of fun. And uh we would
love to have you be a part of that. the first grade books have been um delivered already just this month um in January. So um thank you for listening to um this little update on United Way and some of the numbers and the impact and how we
are proud to support um all of the residents of Eagle Lake from the birth to the very aging and we will continue to do so. And um I I would love to also continue to be open to meeting with you and hearing from you and what the needs
are for the uh residents of Eagle Lake so we can continue to partner and make that measurable difference for our families in our neighborhoods um here in Eagle Lake. And I'll close by um we can showcase the 2026 campaign video which has a beautiful message from our
campaign chairperson and that's Tanya Hobby um from Bolton and Mink. Each year we are um grateful to get a uh campaign chairperson to help champion our mission and bring light um and resources to that so that we're able to carry that out.
So, thank you so much for all of your time today. provide food to our figured out. My husband was getting work. Our son was thriving in school. My mom was happy and healthy. Everything
was going our way until my husband Suddenly, we lost an income. It's hard to get food on our table, to afford a doctor's visit. Our life was scattered, broken, and we needed help picking up
the pieces. People need food, so they come to the food today and next week and the week after that. The United Way funds give us the
to be able to consistently provide food to our community. When we're able to help community members get the resources that they need that gives joy and purpose
here to help bring the pieces together and care to those who might otherwise go without everyone in the community in the care of the indiv that we serve. Whether we have patients who are referred to us for
reference development, I think one of the greatest gifts that we're given in doing this work is we see people with variety of different needs and We have such a strong partnership in our area. We're able to make those connections so that we can do a referral or a soft hand or
even people sometimes the program so that they know they are cared about and people who have raised their support and services they need to make sure is fantastic in this region. The
support of United Way helps doortodoor transportation program which helps people get to medical appointments and out for errands when driving is no longer an option. And we learn a lot more about that individual. what do we offer that might be able to help them stay independent longer and we also
connect them with a lot of different resources within the community for things that we don't offer. For example, we'll connect a person with a disability or some kind of assisted technology. This work is so important because it
keeps our people in the communities that they want to live in the lives and our communities. It's important that we can all stay as independent and We need our voices to be heard. We need a steady stream of funds. We need
community engagement. We need acceptance. We need to be a goodunting adults who are just learning. We need your help. We need you >> across our county region
area organizations connecting the many pieces of basic needs and individual programs empowers your support element. beyond a single serving.
>> As we come together, it takes all of us. From personal experience, I've learned that you never know when you might need that missing puzzle piece to help you through a difficult phase in life. This
region is truly blessed to have our local United Way, an organization committed to bringing these missing pieces together to serve our community. Your support helps our programs and initiatives provide essential services
and bring hope to those in need. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that our community remains a safe and vibrant place for everyone invested way. Invest in our community. Invest in
our united So, moving on. Uh Tom Hunter representing Eagle Lake Lutheran Church. If uh that sounds like a new name, it's because it is a new name. We had been a daughter congregation of Peace Lutheran
up in North Mano and uh we've grown enough that we're able to begin steps to become our own and we've incorporated and so the state recognizes us now as our own entity. We continue to meet here. Lovely facility.
We absolutely appreciate the opportunity to be in here. It's worked out well for us. I hope that it's working out well for you. And so what we would like to do is kind of a win-win scenario. We have four
newer mothers in our uh congregation and another one will be due in or is due March 1st. And it's one of our deputies uh wives and uh uh my wife tapped me on the
shoulder and said they changed diapers on the bench out there. uh because there are no uh changing tables in the uh restrooms. Our church council talked about that and said maybe we could donate uh changing tables to city hall.
So if you're willing to receive a donation, we're willing to uh purchase two changing tables uh one for the women's and one for the men's. I have to be honest, I've never used one. You know, they weren't a thing when my kids
were growing, but um you have those little pictures. Everybody has seen them. Uh it's very simple, uh uh thing to put up. A little bit more difficult here because
of the tile on the walls. Um they have to be a certain height up and above the tile would be way too high. Um but uh still I think could be done. >> Well, thank you. Um any questions or
>> Well, with the the tile, um who's going to be installing them? Are are we going to or or what's what's your plan on with that? Yeah, the the plan that I have, if you want us to do it, I'm looking for a
um licensed contractor who would be able to come in and do it and do it the right way. Um Jennifer contacted public works who said, "Yeah, no, we're not going to mess with that." And I understand that. Um I
don't know if you did get any quotes, Jennifer. So I talked to Marilla. No, I think this would be a great addition. You know, back in my day, too, these weren't a thing as well. So, well, um,
so I'm not sure what our next step should be. You know, I would think that we'd take a a vote to accept the the donation. Um, and then, you know, if you're willing to do the install, that would be great as well. Um, and that way
it's done right and and things like that. We don't have any babies falling off the wall. That wouldn't be a good thing. >> Um, so, >> and could I just coordinate that with with Jennifer and >> Sure. >> Yep. So, I'd look for a motion to accept the
>> motion and a second. >> I'll second accept the donation. >> We have a first and second. Any other discussion? >> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed? >> Right. No. Thank you very much. I think this will be a great addition.
>> Yeah. Appreciate it. Thank you. >> Thank you. And it's not an indication that we plan to stay here forever. We are looking for land and and building committees. >> We're excited that you've been incorporated and and you have the new name that represents, you know, the city and I look forward to kind of working
with you as you find a a place in the city to to land and grow your your congregation. >> Great. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thanks, Tom. >> All right. Um, new business, Jennifer.
All right, two good speakers tonight. That was that was great information. Thank you guys. All right, on to new business. All right. Uh first item is we've received a request from another Eagle Lake resident, Amanda uh
Rutder, and she is the director of the nonprofit organization called Lasting Imprint. and she is requesting that the excuse me that the city declare February 7th through the 14th as congenital heart defect awareness week. A little
background about lasting imprint. They support families and individuals affected by congenital and acquired heart defects and they work to raise awareness of these conditions which are the leading cause of death among infants with birth defects. The request includes a draft proclamation for council
consideration and that is on page 67 of your packet. Another thing I want to note before we go on to the proclamation um is that Lasting Imprint has um secured the funds to donate an AED for the city park and
then they'd like to train five to six uh city personnel on that equipment. So, we'll get more information on that whether that's um fire department staff or public work staff or city staff. I'm not sure. We'll get more details on that. Um, and I think if I remember
correctly, they talked about doing it down at the park and opening it to the public to be able to come and learn about that, which I think would be great. So, with that, uh, we would need a motion to declare, uh, February 7th through the 14th as congenital heart
defect awareness week. >> Second. >> First and second. All in favor? >> I. All posts. All right. Water meters. Yeah. So, um, in your packet you will
see a quote from I got to get down there. Um, from meter and technology solutions. Um, this is for 48 water meters. Um I think we ordered about that around this
time last year. Um and we're due again. Um and this is just the normal like residential meters. Um it's not the inch and a half or 2 inch that some of these
buildings are requiring for um fire sprinkler systems. Um so and and we have been getting into the life
expectancy of our meters that are installed within the city. Um so each month we've been replacing probably four on average, three to four. um just due to, you know, their
batteries are going dead and not reading anymore. Um they have like a 15-year life expectancy. Um and I think we're pushing the 20 year mark on them. So, they're starting to drop.
>> When you need to replace them, is that at a cost to the homeowner or is that a city? >> Would you replace them? >> I think it's Yeah, a cost to the city. But if it's a new build, then it's the cost of the homeowner. >> Correct. Yep. And
>> this number is about a year's worth of meters kind of thing. >> Hopefully. >> Hopefully. >> Yeah. >> Um just depends, you know, it might be longer. You know, it depends on how much they start developing. >> This last year we burned through quite a bit with all Fox Meadows, the you know,
aplexes and >> things like that. You know, if those start to slow down a little bit, we won't go through as many. I'll make a motion to get >> first and second. All in favor? >> I >> I opposed
agender the national. >> All right. Uh mayor and city council, uh we are seeking your approval this evening to send uh Mayor John Whittington, Council Member Beth Rorich, and myself to attend the National League of Cities Conference. Uh it'll be this
March 16th through the 18th in Washington. Um the purpose of the conference is to uh bring together city leaders from across the country. Uh learn about um important policy issues impacting local governments. Uh learn ways to better advocate for ourel and
then most importantly um learn how to um lobby our federal legislators. So, this will be uh this would be my third time attending and uh it has been a wonderful experience and there's so much that we can do for our our community by getting out there and letting them know who we
are. Um we recently received um notification that uh we received $1,50,000. And so, uh, I've already reached out to Congressman Fininsaid staff and we're going to be going back out there with your approval this evening, um, have a meeting set up to, um, talk about
submitting another request because obviously we need more than the million dollars. We need a lot more than that. But, um, so we are going to continue those conversations and we'll be likely seeing some changes um, on the Senate side. So, um, very important to keep
those uh, lines of communication open. Um, let's see. The estimated cost per attendee, uh, we've got about $98 for conference registration. Uh, hotel accommodations, probably about 1,400 a person. I've looked up airfare, it's I'd
say between 450 500. Um, so we're looking at about 2,800 per person. Um, again, I just want to reiterate, I think it's very important that, uh, the city has representation.
um at the federal level. And I also think that something that Mayor Whittington and I talked about last year um is that I think as long as the city has projects on the uh dockets such as the water treatment plant till we get that project over the finish line and
we've got Highway 14 needs coming up. Um we've got future fire hall needs. I think that every year we should have uh a council person take a turn and come to this this conference. I think it's just super educational, informative, and
really from a overall city um you know, going to conferences and education. I don't think our city has done much in the past. So, I think it's time that we start making small steps and getting more involved. So, with that, I will turn over to the council if you have any questions. Um, also with it there is um,
this is going to change because they don't give you all the details right now, but this just basically on page 73 has a basic um, outline of the uh, conference and the activities each day, but it gets a lot more detailed as we get closer. So, with that, I'll turn
back to the council for discussion and need a motion. >> You know, I went last year. I was a little skeptical, but there were several sessions that were really good. There's a couple on housing, those kind of things that uh that I found very informative. And also, we're able to
meet with, you know, two of our three um federal legislators. Um Tina Smith, we weren't able to meet with her. She was in session or in a meeting at at that point. But what was kind of nice is we walked in and Senator Clolobashar knew who we were already. So, you know, just
having, you know, that in front of us like Jennifer was talking about, you know, we've got probably another 20 million 20 to, you know, and that doesn't account the Highway 14 piece um that we're going to be needing to kind of in the next couple years. So,
I was skeptical going in, but I really found it was was pretty educational last year. Any questions for Jennifer or myself from last year? Wasn't fun. The flight wasn't
fun, but other than that, it was good. If there's no other question, I look for a motion to approve. >> Motion second. >> First and second. All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed? Thank you.
Uh number four, the lobbying agreement. >> All right. Uh next, mayor and city council. Um you have in your packet a lobbyist agreement. And this is just to be clear, this is for state funding, not federal funding. I think it gets confusing uh
for folks that aren't directly involved in the process. So just want to make it clear that we do not have a lobbyist on the federal level, but on the state level, um this would be going on our third year that we would be engaging a lobbyist. Um we uh so we yeah we started in 2024
um and then last year we spent $20,000 um to engage Capitol Hill Associates um to uh do that again. This year they said um the cost would be $18,000. We've we've already had um a couple calls with
our head lobbyist Rob Ecklund. He actually messaged me today again too. They're he's working on getting uh meetings set up with legislators. But um you know we started the process. I think we need to finish the process and we can't be up in St. Paul all the time and these guys um they know the ins and outs
of how this process works and they've definitely helped to get us some good meetings and uh staying kind of on the forefront of legislators minds. So, we've had a rough couple of years with just the way things have been going at the state level and bonding bills and
they did pass one at the end of the session last year, but it was so small and none of these types of projects were included. So, in talking with Representative Frederick and also Senator France reached out to me actually a couple weeks ago when he saw the article um in the free press that
highlight that we got the federal funding. He said hopefully that he's looking forward to meeting with us and this will help you know springboard hopefully at the state level getting funding. So, um, we've got a meeting set up with, uh, FR's office and now we're just working on getting one with
Frederick and, um, just keep pushing ahead to to get what we need. And just to, I want to also mention so our project and I am working with Bolmic to get an updated proposal because it's been a couple years now. We all know what inflation looks like. And so, uh,
we're looking about $14 million now. um they're going to be working on getting the most updated numbers, but um so we had initially asked the state for 7,77,000. We asked 5 million from the federal government. We only got the 1 million, 50,000 from the federal government. So
we're going back to ask for more. Um then on the state side here, you know, it's very unlikely that we're going to get the 7 million right away, but we're going to have to keep asking for um for money until we get what we need. But um the other thing that we they put more of a higher priority on manganesees and
scoring. So this coming cycle here, not to do with the bonding bill or the legislative session, but we've heard that there should be some uh monies available through the emerging contaminant grant and I think the maximum grant is about $5 million that
you can per um applicant. So hopefully we'll get some of that money as well. So, it's definitely going to be um you know, a lot of hard work and hands all hands on deck here to get this thing done and across the finish line. But anyways, a lot of information. I just wanted to kind of give a little more
background on on what we're looking at. So, with that, if if we wish to go ahead, we've got the agreement here. We just need to have a motion to approve that. And then also, I do want to mention one other thing on page 78. Um after Mayor Whittington and I had a call with our
head lobbyist Rob, he did put together a little strategy on the page 78 just kind of outline um some of the things we're going to be doing. So >> I think last year I think the biggest push that they helped us with was they were able to help us get it written, get
it jacketed, get it um they're able to get bipartisan signature. So, we had both the Democrats and Republicans signed onto our bill. Um, >> and of which Mayor Winningington deserves a lot of credit, too, because you've helped us with that working both sides of the aisle.
>> So, and then, you know, we were able to testify a couple times in front of the the committees and things like that. So, that's really it's helping us kind of keep that visibility, which I think is important as we go through this begging
stage as as we call it. Um so >> and it does seem it is a lot of money. It's a lot of money for a community like Eagle Lake, but at the end of the day when you can get, you know, um the money we need it, in the grand scheme of things, it's worth it because at first I
it took some convincing for me back in 2024 that from a staff perspective, we really need a lobbyist. And now I can say yes, we do need a lobbyist. Um it will pay off >> and I think it kind of has already. So,
um, so look for a motion to approve. >> A motion, >> a second. >> We have a first and second. All in favor? >> I. >> All oppose. >> Next one. Five. Charges for collection. >> All right. uh mayor and city council, we
uh were contacted by um a guardian of a resident in town who um had an issue with um a leaking uh water shut off valve and um they contacted dirt merchant to make that repair. The
guardian contacted the city to express concern with that bill being paid and and just asked if the city would be willing to certify it for collection with property taxes. And I I said we have done that in cases in the past. So um with that we would charge 4% interest
and it would be collected with the property taxes payable next year. Anyone have any questions or concerns about that? >> I'll make a motion to certify the charges. So >> first I'll second and second.
>> All in favor? I >> I >> opposed. >> Proposal for auditing service. >> Uh mayor and city council, we uh put out a request for proposal for auditing services. Um it was sent also to um the
League of Minnesota cities. They posted on their classified ads page and then also the city's website. We've received three proposals. One from ABDO, one from Creative Planning, and one from ID Bailey, our current auditor. Um
the uh the lowest proposal came in from creative planning. Um the second one came from ABDO and the third um the highest came from ID Bailey. Um I did meet with both uh creative planning and ABDO and talked over kind of our needs,
what we're looking for. Um, and I I feel that from my interview with him that I that I think ABDO would do the best job for the city of Eagle Lake. Um, they aren't the lowest, but I think just in on that initial year, um, there's a
creative plan was at 32,600. ABDO was at 35,500. Um, but I think that, uh, they understand our needs and will do a really good job. and they're located right out of Mano and come over here and and help us. Uh just for comparison
purposes, I wanted to show you the actual cost of our audit for the year ending 2024 and that was $40,189.51. Um we did have some additional charge for bank reconciliation services. Um this is a little bit higher, but just to
give you um comparison point. And then included with the packet, you'll see the actual proposes proposals, excuse me um in there. So if there's any questions, I'll do my best to answer them, but staff's recommendation after interviewing the uh
firms would be to go with ABDO. >> Any other questions for Jennifer or staff? >> And I should also note, I think you saw us in the packet, it's a three-year audit, so we'd have those prices locked in for three years. I kind of like this. You know, we've been working with Abdo for the last couple months with some the
reconciliation piece. And the feedback I'm getting from staff is that uh they're they're very competent and they're learning our our systems and our process. So, they'll be able to hit the ground running and they'll probably end up coming out of this reconciliation
with some some recommendations even before we get to the audit. I'd make a motion to um use Abdo for our auditing services for the next three years. >> We have a first. >> I'll second. >> First and second. Any discussion?
>> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed? Right. Very favor. Um, mayor, city council, we have um an agreement and it's called an escro agreement in the packet. It is with
Verizon. Um, they have, you guys probably all know this, they have equipment on our wireless communications equipment on top of our water tower and they would like to make some upgrades to that equipment. Uh, doing so does um pose some concerns
for the city um are, you know, maintaining the integrity of the water tower. Um, and then just um, it's a little more complicated than it sounds. Just they're going to get up there and make some modifications. We have to use Bolt Lim ink and they have a special division that works with this stuff to
do all the engineering and making sure everything like the weight and everything's secured fastly of their equipment. Long story short, this should have probably happened what, two years ago on Verizon's end. It didn't. Um, and so now they want to get up there and
they're kind of eager to get going and we um have been Andrew and I have been communicating back and forth with them in Bolden Bank and um we need to get money put into an escro account just to make sure that we get paid because the last time they did some changes to their
equipment was I don't know 2018 2019. We had a heck of a time getting the bills paid. So that's why we discussed um between Bolton Mink and the city we need to have an escro. We need to have money. we're not going to be dealing with having unpaid bills and we did collect on them, but it's just not something that we need to be spending our time on.
Um, and so city attorney Chris Kennedy, he drafted the escro agreement. Um, Verizon had included in here, they sent a a copy back and they put 10,000 in there. And so I had reached back out um to Bolt Bank and asked if uh 10,000 is
sufficient. and they came back with pretty detailed um explanations for why 20,000 is what they feel would be a better number. So, I would just ask for approval this evening for staff to end to enter into the agreement on behalf of the city contingent upon the city. You
know, the term being $20,000 to be deposit in escrow agreement and that they do not do work until we get that escrow. We did actually get a check uh they overnight a check for $10,000 because they want to get started, but we need another 10,000. So that would be my
recommendation just because you know trying to chase down people that pay these bills isn't our job. So with that if you have any questions let us know. Otherwise if you have questions for public works director Hartman and kind of how it impacts the
water tower and you know his his side things. Um you know maybe Andrew you want to give him a little background on what you expect. >> Yeah. So, as of right now, there's not going to be any impact. Um, they're what they're
doing is they'll place a new handrail on the top of the tower um outside of the existing one and weld that in place. Um, they'll do some of the touch-up work on the outside when they do it, but obviously it's too cold to properly
paint and do all that. So, in the spring, we'll end up draining the tower. Um, so we'll drain the tower. They'll have to prep their welds on the inside and outside. Um, then they have to
there's like a three coat um paint ritual that they do, so to speak. Um, so that'll probably be about a week or so that we'll have the tower down and run off a relief valve. So,
um, that'd be the only impact is, you know, running wells 247 and not having the tower to support the city. >> Yeah. Um like Jennifer said, we kind of came up with the ballpark number that um
Verizon has to pay for those, you know, the water loss cost and um city staff time and things like that. >> Any other questions? I don't have any problem to 20,000. Um,
I think that that's appropriate after writing a $10,000 check back. That's even better. Um, so >> I should clarify too. I did get an email back from the Verizon rep and she said um she just is asking so we're they're
not refusing to um agree to our um requirement. They just said they're looking for more information from both the make as a budget to the remaining task. So, >> and you've received that from them, right? They're going to work on getting a more detailed thing to them, but when they've got time.
>> And and like right now, right now, you know, the the reason why or part of the reason why the cost is more is because they're sitting about 3 months behind on where they should
have been um when they were originally going to start work. Um they had a few extra trips. Bolton and Mink had a few extra trips because some of their stuff wasn't right in welding and prep and stuff. So,
there's legitimate reasons why it's overcost and you know, now with more meetings and more, you know, hey, how are we getting this? When are we going to get to this? You know, it just the cost keeps adding up for them.
>> Okay. Look for a motion to approve that with the adjustment to $20,000. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> Second. Any other discussion? >> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed.
>> All right. Preventative maintenance proposal. uh mayor and city council, this is a follow-up to the January 5th city council meeting um where we had pricing for a new pump for the uh kitchen area here at city hall. Um at that time it was it was suggested that
we obtain an updated um preventative maintenance proposal. Uh so we did reach out to Skogan Mechanical and they did provide uh update proposal and that is on page 133 in the packet. Uh, so they would be looking at charging us $950 annually and that would include two
inspections. Uh, right now we are getting charged $1,568 for two inspections with Schwickerts, excuse me. Um, and I just wanted to note um, you know, city staff, we have no problem going with Skogan Mechanical. And I just thought out of fairness to Schwickerts, it's not that they haven't
had good service, it's, you know, at this point it's just coming down to uh, what's, you know, the best use of our dollars here. So, um, with that, uh, if there's any questions, uh, we would need a motion to enter into agreement with Skogan Mechanical. And I I should clarify, too, that would take effect
when our other agreement terminates, which we just have to, um, follow the terms of the agreement. So, this would go into place once that um, is no longer um, effective. There is, let's see, I can find read the fine print here.
the anniversary date. So we the anniversary date is July 27th and so that would be um when that would expire then. So we'd enter into a new one at that point. >> I don't know a lot about geothermal but
um so inspections versus preventive maintenance. I guess I'm hanging up on those kind of terms. um inspection, you know, preventative and maintenance, you know, would be changing filters, you know, >> moving bearings, anything like that. I
don't know if that's is that what they're talking about, you know. >> So, um >> the inspections, I guess. >> Yes. So, they do the inspections for that preventative maintenance and then during the process, we have to change filters. We think, uh Deputy City Clerk Carrie can help me with this. I think we have our own filters right now that they
you they but I'm not sure how it'll work with Skogan Mechanical but um so they do the inspections, take a look at everything, see if things are functioning. If it's not, then we still have to pay the cost of whatever needs to be done. Just basically getting somebody who knows what they're doing in to take a
look at the the setup. And they also help us like with the thermostats and um just different ways make sure we're being efficient. Do we have because I see this is at city hall only. Is there needs at public
works in the fire hall? >> I I mean they don't have geo thermal. I don't know how their systems are >> utility type things that are needing >> preventative maintenance. >> Our ours is like just a household furnace. Um
>> so you guys just take care of that. >> Yep. >> Yep. And then, you know, as needed, if we need, you know, somebody to come look at the air conditioning and stuff like that, we do that. But, and we do our filters down there and everything probably more frequent than
anywhere else just because of the environment down there, >> right? >> You know, and that's a good question. Maybe I I couldn't tell you what the fire department does, but that's a great question. Maybe we should talk to them, find out if they want to be added or who's doing that on Do you know, Andrew? I don't Well, I mean otherwise if it's like a household thing, making sure that
it again would assume it's being done, but is it >> Y? >> We'll check into that. That's a good question. >> All right, with that, I'd look for a motion approve moving to the the new organization for preventative
maintenance. Is it Scogan? Is that >> we have a first? >> No. Second. >> First and second. All in favor? >> I. >> All oppose. >> Child care for forgivable loans.
>> It's a lot to say. >> Uh, mayor and city council, the EDA reviewed a draft announcement and program guidelines for uh what's called a child care forgivable loan program uh at its meeting on January 22nd and they recommend approval and moving forward
with um releasing the announcement and encouraging providers to apply. just give you a little background. Um with the uh EDA and the RCC IP program, uh we talked about um taking advantage of a Taylor Family Farms Foundation grant
opportunity. Uh so uh the group worked to put together an application, submitted it, received $10,000, which we've gotten the 10,000 um with a required $10,000 match from the EDA. So, the funds will be used to establish a forgivable child care loan program or
basically a grant as long as they comply with all the requirements. Um, and it's it's not like we're reinventing the wheel. We're basically modeling this exactly after the uh same concept when Blue Earth County um launched their
forgivable loan program in 2018. So, it worked well and um so that's what we're going to use. In your packet on page 137, there's a draft announcement. And we had talked at the RCCIP level about being a childcare provider is hard
enough. We don't want to just send out this complicated, overwhelming application. Let's give them a one-page this is what it's about. If you're interested, let us know and we'll help walk you through the process. So, I put together a draft announcement. We'll push that out once we get approval tonight. And then after that, we'll um
when we get interest back, then we'll have a couple people from our RCCIP and a couple people from the EDA to sit down and work together with the applicant on filling out um the application and, you know, answer any questions they have. So, we don't want this to be an overwhelming, burdensome process. We
want to try to exhaust all the $20,000 we have available to meet the purpose, and that's to help our existing childcare providers and if there's a new one that's interested. So, with that, um, I will try to answer any questions
and just ask for a motion to go ahead and and push this out. >> Any questions? >> Does preschool fall under this? >> Yes, absolutely. Yep. >> Any other questions?
Look for a motion to to move forward. I'll make the motion. >> I'll second. >> First and second. Any other discussion? >> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed. >> All right. The next one, bill listing included in the council packet.
>> All right. Uh, mayor and city council, we have uh talked at the finance committee level and I apologize. I need to get a summary of our um of our discussion. It was council member Lewis and council member Rooric and um W city clerk Roush and myself. I thought we had
a great conversation. I think we pushed u an hour 15, hour and a half almost. We could have kept talking I think longer, but it was really good. I'm glad that you went ahead and did a a subcommittee because I think it was a we had a good conversation and just brainstorming lots
of different ideas on things we could um do better and just talking about our existing environment with, you know, fraud and how it's becoming more and more prevalent. And one of the things that came up was um you know the bills list and whether or not that should be on the website. We want to be
transparent. It's public information and just kind of talked about are there ways that we could have it at city hall so that if our community members want it or if they email us and they want a copy of it, we could give it to them rather than putting it out on the website where you get some bad actors that might be scoping out who the city is using as
their vendors. Um things of that nature. So, I mean, it's I don't know how other cities are handling that. We could do a little bit more research, but something that we talked about, let's bring up at the meeting. Um, you know, we could have a placeholder in the packet that says,
um, if somebody wants them that, you know, they request them, they could come. And, you know what, I'm going to take back what I said before about emailing. Now, it should be available for public inspection at city hall. Um, because you just don't want want it getting into the wrong hands. But so
something uh we are um you know talking about just trying to find different measures and uh we'll be working with our local banker too and talking about different ways that we can you know change our processes try to
stay current with the most up-to-date recommendations on what we can do to you know be diligent with the city's funds and protect against fraud. So, uh, if there's any questions, uh, let me know. Otherwise, you don't have to take action tonight. It's just
something we thought we could be a easy quick step to implement. >> Yeah, I'm I'm in favor of this just because, you know, we got the balancing of making sure everybody, you know, it's it's fully transparent. But what we're seeing a lot is it's just a huge
security vector that if they know who you're doing business with, then all of a sudden you get a pretty lifelike invoice from a vendor that you've been working with. Um that's uh isn't a true, you know, or they, you know, kind of
sneak in between, you know, and oh, here's our new routing number, right? So here, you know, next time you get an invoice, you know, route to this, you know, this bank account instead of the one that you've pres previously been remitting to. So having that kind of not
totally out in public, you know, makes more sense, but knowing that, you know, we have that balance. So Jennifer, you know, the finance committee came up with that, you know, having it available, but it's not available for just anybody, you know, searching the web knowing that we
work with these 10 vendors and oh, by the way, we get an invoice every month from this vendor for this amount. So those kind of things, it's just, you know, there's just so much fraud happening that, you know, we need to
kind of step back and And I absolutely will um uh confirm with a city attorney and making sure if there's if we have to put it out there that we just redact the information. You know, what can we legally do? We have to comply with data practices requests and
and we have to be transparent. Um but what can we do to protect the city in the same on the other hand too? >> You know, what can we put in the packet for the public? You know, obviously I think that you know, we need to say that you know, we paid these, you know, 17 invoices worth, you know, you know,
$150,000 this month, that kind of thing. At least that amount of information. But yeah, just having that balance without kind of opening the door to those kind of potential frauds.
I I will say even from a I I wouldn't say I was I mean I was one of them that brought some of this up, but over this last month of different frauds that's been happening and coming out even personally from our business this last week had a vendor that sent me an email
and it was a legit invoice and saying like final remittance and I and I started a separate whole new email thread, everything new um asking if it was legit. He responded saying yep it's legit. clicked on it, it wasn't, but it had all of the same stuff that matched
up with our system. So, it reiterated to me that day that like >> they're able to get in and find things. >> Um, and this is one more way to make it easier is all they have to do is click on all of our packets and find whichever one is consistent and easy and they'll
do what they need to do, right? um they'll answer the phone because the phone number went right to the you know like everything just played out without me actually sending the money. >> Um so I I would be in favor of finding out from legal
>> what can we do but still be transparent that we're not trying to hide anything but just trying to to make sure we're keeping it tight as well so that it's safe for the city. anything more on that? >> Um maybe just uh I think probably what
would be good is just a motion directing staff to consult with legal counsel and um find out you know what information we're required to provide and then you know what information um can be redacted just to protect the city.
I'll make the motion for uh city staff to uh check into financial security with uh legal counsel. >> I'll second and second. >> All in favor? >> I opposed.
>> All right, we're moving right through the new business tonight. Um so, mayor and city council, we do this exercise each year. Um, as of the end of the year, our pre- audit ending fund balance for capital outlay was $2,340,244.39
cents. Um, our current auditor, ID Bailey, recommends that we formally designate the amount as committed as a committed fund balance for capital outlay purposes and then it's reflected as such in our audit. Uh, this is an important step in the year- end financial process and is um needs to be
completed prior to the city's annual audit. So, um, basically this step just makes sure that, uh, by committing the fund balance that the funds are earmarked for capital projects and, um, you know, if there'd ever be a change in
council and the council just wanted to take that money and do something else with it by having it in the audit like this, it protects it for those that purpose. With that, we just need a motion to designate the total fund balance of $2,340,244.39 as a committed fund balance for Capital
Outlay. >> I look for a motion to make that commitment. >> I'll make the motion. >> First, I'll second >> first and second. >> All in favor? >> All opposed.
Number 12, proposal for accounting services. All right. Uh, mayor and city council, I have included in the packet a proposal from Abdo Financial Solutions for additional accounting services as needed. The contract would be from
January 1st, 2026 through the end of the year, excuse me, sorry, through December 31st, not January 31st, December 31st of 2026. Basically uh the scope of services would be to include responding to questions from city staff related to bank
reconciliations, month end close activities and journal entries. Um we wouldn't they put in a number of 7500 as an estimate but we wouldn't be build 7500 unless we use it and hopefully we wouldn't need to but we just have that there so that if we have a question we've already got an agreement in place
and city staff can reach out and get some assistance. and we would set it up the same way we do with um you know other um professional services that city staff would have to contact me and I'd have to review it and approve it before we'd incur additional fees. So
um there would be funds available in um a professional services uh line item for this purpose um in the budget. So if you have any questions, there's just a a real kind of basic scope of services
estimated fee from ABDO. >> So basically, it's just a proposal. If we don't use it, we don't pay. >> Yep. >> Yep. >> Any other questions about that? Look for a motion to approve the
proposal. So move. >> We have a first. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Have a first and second. Any other questions? >> All opposed or all in favor? >> I.
>> All opposed. I was just seeing if you guys were still awake. >> Is there any I think that's end of new business. Now we got the administrator report. >> All right. So, finally I was able to get you the year-end pre- audit. Um, but I'm
sure you guys haven't had a chance to look at it because I just got it out today because we were waiting for ABDO working on the bank reconciliation project to take out something they had in there as a placeholder. Anyway, so this will show you our um I just highlighted the general fund revenues
and expenditures and just kind of made a couple notes on some of the different line items, but basically in summary, our expenditures are within what was budgeted and our revenues um in are in excess of what we had
forecasted. So, all good news, granted, is pre- audit and there's always adjusting entries, but um it looks looks okay. I don't see any major red flags. So, um once you do have time to look through it, if you have any questions, just let me know and I can give more
detail. I just tried to highlight some of the big things. And um one thing that I guess I should pull out too. So, like on our expenditures on page 175, we had the building that the public works lane that got hit. So, we,
you know, are severely over budget in that line item. Um, but that's covered by insurance, less our deductible, and we're still waiting on that payment from insurance. When we get that, that will help. And then we also had the roof project, which we weren't planning to do. And then some,
you know, unexpected leak repairs. Um, so with that, that's, you know, so far no red flags. So, let me know if any questions. Uh, next item we've got our employee leave balance report. It's kind of becoming a standard report here on our agenda. If you have any questions,
let me know. I did uh want to give an update on our accounting and bank reconciliation project with ABDO. Um, their contracted end contract ended um at the end of January. And so, um, there
was one training with staff and we're going to, um, you know, just have to kind of keep working through that process. They ended up spending more time than they had anticipated, um, on trying to get things, uh, cleaned up and bringing it in-house to um, in
the system and getting really digging into some issues with the the cash. But everything is is good. And now it's just um making sure staff feels comfortable in the new processes and you know keeping
that up because um when cash balances and all this stuff is cleaned up everything else smooth runs a lot smoother. So next item MS4 descertification update. Um,
city staff did consult with ISG on our the MS4 descertification process and, you know, kind of after digging into it a little bit more, we definitely have a lot of work to do and kind before the construction season starts, if you will, and deciding what we need to change in our ordinance. Um, and then in our
application packet for building permit, basically the long and short of it is the city no longer has enforcement authority. However, the contractors still have the same rules and responsibilities, you know, through the PCA. So, that hasn't changed. The only thing that's changed is that we're not
the the um any enforcement um authority. So, we learned from ISG that city staff should continue to stay um up to date on our certifications because we want our guys um to be out if they see something to, you know, bring it to that person's
attention. we we aren't going to be the one that's going to be sending them a letter saying you have to comply with this or else we're going to do this. But hopefully we can help kind of keep an eye on things. And a lot of good things did come out of the MS4 program and just getting people to not let dirt get
trapped into the street or you know not having proper erosion control measures. So we're going to keep up with that stuff and more information will be coming. So ISG will be coming probably to the March meeting to give an update on how this is going to look and how we move forward. And there's always a small chance that we're we could get brought
back into the MS4. So, you know, we just want to be be prepared. Um, let's see. Next, I have um Oh, I already gave you guys an update on this. We received a notification of the federal funding. So I am going to work
on getting a communication to push out to residents and um you know letting people know that the money you know we got and we still have a long ways to go but it's a step in the right direction. Childcare provider appreciation initiative something that we are working
on as the RCCIP core team initiative is to find ways to show appreciation to childcare providers. uh Council Member Boric, myself, and uh Stephanie with First Children's Finance. And no, it wasn't Stephanie with First Children's Finance. It was um
one of our members from Lutheran Social Services with the crisis nursery, Kate. So we um we got donations and then we packed the donations and we delivered them and we got to talk to most of the providers, not all of them, but um out of seven
surveys, I got five back on information because we really the purpose too was to show appreciation then get some information. What can we do to better help support you? Um so we'll be reviewing that at our upcoming meeting. And then we're also working with Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. We're going to put on um
childcare provider appreciation event and it won't cost the city anything. They've got funds to do that. So, we're working to do that this spring. Um next we've got the garbage and recycling RFP. So, a couple months ago I'd asked the council to authorize staff to
release an RFP. And then after looking into it more, I'm like we really need to have more time than like a month or two months to review. this is kind of a more in-depth um process than just reviewing um like as as a comparable to like the
audit and getting proposals for that. So um we definitely have another hauler that's interested, West Central Sanitation. Um and they've been emailing me asking me what the process mean. I just want to give you an update that at this point our agreement would end um
it's February of 2026 through February 2027. So I think right now we start the process and then we have plenty of time to vet whoever we want if we're going to make any changes and it would take effect February 2027. And plus after thinking about it a little bit more I
think council member Ro brought this up. I think it was you at the last meeting with some of the other changes at the county level with the solid wastes and those changes. It might be wise for us just to kind of see how that plays out if there's any has any bearing on
um you know how that impacts us in our community. So anyway, so I just want to give you an update on that. uh we had a five-year agreement um and that uh set was set to expire here February 2026 and
that's just on a yeartoyear basis. So and then I think that might be everything got here. I think that's all I've got. So thank you. All right, council member reports. We'll
start it together. Garrett, >> uh, I don't have anything to report. >> Perfect. Thank you. >> I also do not have anything to report. >> Um, minor, but something good or something that everybody needs to keep in mind too is uh, we had community and
wreck meeting um, last week and they had an ACES update. Um so at the beginning of the meeting they always give a presentation about what that program is which I I'm sure all of you are well aware what ACES is. Um and then at the end uh I can't go into detail because they haven't launched it but they the
advisory committee makes a recommendation on the rates um which as we all know rates are going to always increase slightly. Um but then they also notified everybody on um the what last year looked like
compared to the year after and things like that. Unfortunately, I could not be in person, so I was virtual and my mic wasn't working to ask questions. Um but we do know that Eagle Lake Aces will not have summer aces this year because the building will be under con construction, which we can hopefully align that with
our road construction. Um two years ago they had three summer sites. last year they only had two summer sites. I don't know if that's going to continue and that was one of the questions I had. Um they are at capacity from what I understood. So just making sure that
they do bring we've been told but being told and it happening are always you know unknown and and a little uncertainty. Um but making sure that that it does come back in the summer of 2027 and hopefully they keep at least Eagle Lake as a site if not even continue going back to three sites. um
as it showed beneficial. But um that would be the key update. There is some good things with the long summer. Um we're out midMay. So there's two or three extra weeks in there that um are getting tacked on to the summer ACES
staff um which can be challenging when school is still in or there's still that transition period, but they um got creative and doing some things that will help parents. Um, again, I can't publicly say it until they launch it, but um, they're they're doing what they can to help parents out in, um, a summer
that could be financially burdening to a lot. So, um, it's kind of the update from the ACES portion. >> Perfect. Thank you. Uh, next city council meetings March 2nd at 6. The next EDA is February 26 at 6:45. Park
board on the 12th. Um and then planning commission on the 23rd. So I think that's I'd look for a motion to adjurnn. >> A motion. All right, we're journ