Month: August 2018

08/20/2018-II A Voice From the Gallery

Mayor Tom Glas called the August 20, 2018, special meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. with Councilman David Larsen, Councilman Dan Haeder, Councilwoman Darla Reppe, Councilwoman Melissa Kay, Councilwoman Linda Talbott and Councilman Lance Johnson present.  Not present was Alcester City Attorney Sam Nelson.

After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, the council approved the agenda which included Seven agenda items.  Generally a special council meeting is called to take care of emergency business, you be the judge.

Agenda Item #4 CBDG Loan for Dan Waag.  Councilman David Larsen moved to go into executive session per FO Pat Jurren’s agenda and under SDCL 1-25-2-4 Contracts.  SDCL 1-25-2-4 says,

“1-25-2.   Executive or closed meetings–Purposes–Authorization–Violation as misdemeanor. Executive or closed meetings may be held for the sole purposes of:

             (1)      Discussing the qualifications, competence, performance, character or fitness of any public officer or employee or prospective public officer or employee. The term “employee” does not include any independent contractor;

             (2)      Discussing the expulsion, suspension, discipline, assignment of or the educational program of a student or the eligibility of a student to participate in interscholastic activities provided by the South Dakota High School Activities Association;

             (3)      Consulting with legal counsel or reviewing communications from legal counsel about proposed or pending litigation or contractual matters;

             (4)      Preparing for contract negotiations or negotiating with employees or employee representatives;

             (5)      Discussing marketing or pricing strategies by a board or commission of a business owned by the state or any of its political subdivisions, when public discussion may be harmful to the competitive position of the business.
However, any official action concerning such matters shall be made at an open official meeting. An executive or closed meeting shall be held only upon a majority vote of the members of such body present and voting, and discussion during the closed meeting is restricted to the purpose specified in the closure motion. Nothing in § 1-25-1 or this section may be construed to prevent an executive or closed meeting if the federal or state Constitution or the federal or state statutes require or permit it. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.”

Folks the action of CBDG loan does not fit the purpose of Contract executive session but Finance Office Pat Jurrens practices, “what the council doesn’t know keeps me (Pat Jurrens) in power”.  Follow the action on the video.  Councilwoman Melissa Kay made the second and with a unanimous aye vote the council entered into closed session at 7:20 p.m.  At 7:30 p.m. the council came out of executive session with the statement we need a motion to approve the CBDG Loan to Dan Waag.  Councilman Lance Johnson made the motion to approve the loan, NO AMOUNT, NO INTEREST AND NO TIME FRAME was included in Councilman Johnson’s aberrant motion.  Councilwoman Linda Talbott seconded the motion, and with NO PUBLIC DISCUSSION, the council voted unanimously to approve the Loan.  Folks I had to ask for the amount of the loan, the interest on the loan and the duration of the loan.  The loan was for $5000 at 2% interest and is to run for 5 years.  Again, folks the history of the CBDG loans in Alcester has been the CBDG loan was a second to a primary loan through a financial institution.  It was suggested in the past that the CBDG loans were to be no more than 10% of the primary loan to protect the city funding position.  Apparently Mayor Glas and Finance Officer Jurrens feel the risk of loan failure is an acceptable risk to city moneys. Finance Office Jurrens made the comment she would see that a promissory note would be presented to Mr. Waag.

Agenda Item #5 CBDG Loan to offset interest on Police Truck to the tune of $4500 projected by Alcester Finance Officer Pat Jurrens.  This financial wizardry was the brainchild of FO Pat and not that of the Alcester police department personnel.  Please take note in the video of Councilman Lance Johnson’s opinion to the effect that no discussion was necessary cause he didn’t care what the tax payers thought ;cause it was going to save $4500 over the life of the loan.

Agenda Item #6-Executive Session if needed.  Yeah, that would be a NO.

Agenda Item #7 -Adjourn at 7:40 p.m.

I asked the question while the council was still seated and after adjournment, if Alcester City Attorney Sam Nelson was going to craft the promissory note for Mr. Waag.  I was immediately queried by Finance Officer Pat Jurrens, WHY?  I replied, ‘I was curious if Mayor Glas and Finance Officer Pat Jurrens were going to use the work product of another lawyer.  Seems to be a temptation of the finance office to use previous attorney’s work product as templates for Finance Office DIY legal document!

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08/20/2018 A Voice From the Gallery

08/20/2018 A Voice From the Gallery

From last August 6, 2018, city council meeting Mayor ranted and raved about property maintenance and threatened with fines!

NON-AGENDA ITEM– Mayor Half-Glas’d whizzed on property maintenance, not stiff enough penalties and he wants to HIT offenders hard with still fines. Mayor Half-Glas’d says he feels like he is living in a slum! (01:09:48) 

Mayor Half-Glas’d, I suggest sir, put your money and ‘mayoral (?) skills’ where your mouth is.  If residents are required to abide by the ordinances, so is the city.  That would be you, Mayor Glas.  YOU and your minion FO have a problem, check out the photos:

Photo #108-20-2018 XI CITY POOL INSIDE FENCE WEED VIOLATIONS CITY POOL WEED VIOLATION

Photo #2 08-20-2018 X CITY POOL INSIDE FENCE WEEDS VIOLATION CITY POOL WEED VIOLATION

Photo #3 08-20-2018I CITY PARK-NORTH HORSE SHOE PIT CITY PARK HORSESHOE PIT

Photo #4 08-20-2018III CITY PARK ALLEY SOUTH OF SRTS LOOKING SO DEPOT ALLEY

 Photo #5 08-20-2018VI CITY PARK ALLEY SOUTH DOWN STREAM FLOOD CAUSE LOOKING NORTH DEPOT ALLEY

  Photo #6 08-20-2018V CITY PARK BACK STOP WEEDS CITY PARK BACKSTOP WEEDS

 Photo #7 08-20-2018IV CITY PARK BASEBALL BACK STOP WEEDS CITY PARK BACKSTOP WEEDS

Photo #8 08-20-2018VII CITY PARK TREE OVERHANG VIOLATION LESS THAN 8 FOOT ABOVE SIDEWALK CITY PARK TREE VIOLATION

  Photo #9 08-20-2018IX CITY PARK TREE OVERHAND VIOLATION LESS THAN 8 FOOT CLEARANCE OVER SIDE WALK CITY PARK TREE VIOLATION

 According to last meeting chit-chat Mayor, you and a couple of the boys had been inspecting the alley, the SRTS fiasco and scratching your collective heads other than to tell the residents experiencing SRTS down-stream flooding was their problem. Boys the city IS NOT IMMUNE to it’s own ordinances and that Councilman Lance Johnson IS YOUR PROBLEM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

08/06/2018 A Voice from the Gallery

The regular meeting of the Alcester City Council was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Tom Glas with the following present:  Councilman Dan Haeder, Councilwoman Linda Talbott, Councilwoman Darla Reppe, Councilwoman Melissa Kay, Councilman David Larsen, Councilman Lance Johnson and City Attorney Sam Nelson, Alcester Police Chief Jeff Christie, Alcester Police Officer Austin Schuller and residents Terry and Jessica Christenson, Kathy Behnke and Vickie Larsen in attendance.

The agenda was approve as posted with eighteen (18) agenda items listed.  Folks, this is important to note.*

The meeting minutes from the July 10th meeting were approved without amendments.

Pool Updates were not presented as neither Brianna Walth nor Sam Jensen were present.

Agenda Item #6 – Kathy Behnke (corrected spelling from agenda)  Ms. Behnke requested a variance from ordinance to use a modified fireworks kit for a gender reveal party in the park.  Council gave permission for the fireworks.

Agenda Item #7- Mayor’s comments Mayor Glas commenced whining about the July 10th meeting was s-o-o-o long (00:03:56).  Well Mayor Glas, you’re the dude allegedly in charge.  Advice- Lose the one and three quarters hour personnel executive session and the quarter hour last minute personnel executive session you took in the July meeting.  Mayor Glas your ad-nauseum, substance-abuse-like-addiction to excessive executive sessions for personnel wastes time and in my opinion violates the purpose of executive session.  Perhaps Mayor Glas you should have an interpreter (Sam Nelson) school you on the proper use of executive session.  Perhaps you could lose all those reminiscences’ of your alleged concrete days, too!

Agenda Item #8 – Input   I responded to public input regarding the light installed on the roof of the auditorium for the purpose of lighting the flag after dark violates the quiet enjoyment of those homes down-light-range of the revolving light.  I do believe there is an ordinance which deals with excessive light noise and sound affecting down-range homes.  I also let Councilwoman Darla Reppe (Union County Fair Board Representative) know the document I placed upon the table in front of her seat was for the Fair Board regarding the willful trespass of two vehicles; a dark grey Peterbilt Semi-Tractor South Dakota P/R license 17608 and a Ford 250 crew-cab Super Duty King Ranch Truck with South Dakota license plate WGJ 95 on my business property.

Jessica Christenson and Terry Christenson were present to re-address the flooding, erosion and divots created by the city alteration of the alleyway on the west side of their property (00:03:56).  Mayor Glas and Councilman Lance Johnson are dragging their heels in remedying this hydro-mud offensive result of the poor design of the SRTS project.  Mayor Glas came up with a jewel of a remedy that is guaranteed to add insult to mud-misery.  Please note the conversation (00:08:40) and in particular Alcester City Councilman Lance Johnson’s pontifical soliloquy on historical water issues.  Pardon me—-Councilman Lance Johnson you are all of a four-going-on-five year transplant from the farm to the city under your belt, (00:11:08) whose main claim to advanced studies seems to be a Masters of Philosophy in Bovine Fecal Output and most notably lacking even a 4H white ribbon in hydrology and you come to the window-rattling, knee-jerk opinion the flooding from the poor SRTS design is the problem of the Christenson’s!  Au contraire Councilman Lance, it is Your problem! (00:11:28)  Mayor Half-Glas’s and et. al. idea to throw more cubic yards of dirt (from the landfill?), more culverts, screw with the horseshoe pit and oh yes,  remove the fire hydrant (doesn’t that sound safe for the neighborhood–folks contact your councilperson)

Agenda items #9 Street updates, #10 Wastewater updates, #11 Police Department Updates, and #12 Golf Course Updates were all swiftly dealt with.  One exception held a bit of interest and that was the 4′ X 4′ sign for the police department and the Tiny Tots-like chalk/paint easel to be placed on the corner of Union and Second street to point the way to the city offices.

One item of interest during the discussion of the sign was the removal of the storm shelter sign to a different position, gophers only know where that will be.  The concern I have is that upon the finance office hasty exit at 5:00 p.m. weekdays, the building is locked up.  SO, what happens in an after business hours storm?  Anyone think about that?  Think about folks climbing into their cars and racing down to the auditorium in a tornado alert only to find the doors locked and sorry Dorothy you ain’t in Kansas.  Do we have a procedure, who unlocks the door.  Finance Officer Pat?  Really, most folks have trouble finding her there during business hours!

Agenda item #13-Finance Office – Most important action taken was on Agenda item #13, (b) SRTS payment.  Councilman Dan Haeder moved to hold up $20K payment and sign off until all questions were answered and the Christenson water-run-off was solved, no action was taken.  (00:38:35)

Agenda item #13 (c) – Shoshannah Avery re-designation of job description to include: meter reading, maintenance and general office which was approved by unanimous vote.

Agenda Item #15 – HRC Update  It was announced the city is upside-down on the four-plex and there was a question on Shane Hill’s progress on selling the open lots.  I do believe that at least one lot a year had to be peddled just to make the interest payment!  Don’t take my observation, Ask your council person!  Do we get to pay for that, too Mayor Glas?

Agenda Item #16 – Community Building blue prints need to be adjusted ’cause the concession stand in the AAB is not viable and the lower level golf cart storage is a no go due to cost.  Mayor Glas thinks a pole building at roughly $13/foot is more appropriate than the approximate $100/ foot for the lower level building storage.

 Agenda Item #17 – Update volunteer roster. Nothing!

Agenda Item #18 – Adjournment   OH WAIT, WAIT, MAYOR GLAS HAS MORE TO SAY!

*NON-AGENDA ITEM- FEMA    Mayor Half-Glas’d doesn’t think FEMA is worthwhile (01:08:25) NO EMERGENCY!

*NON-AGENDA ITEM– Mayor Half-Glas’d whizzed on property maintenance, not stiff enough penalties and he wants to HIT offenders hard with still fines. (01:09:48) Mayor Half-Glas’d says he feels like he is living in a slum! (01:09:48)  NEW FEES AND FINES  LOSE YOUR HOUSE FOR AN 8 INCH WEED AND FINANCE OFFICER PAT THINKS YOUR TREE ENCROACHES HER STREET.  LET EM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS!  NO EMERGENCY!

*NON-AGENDA ITEM– STILL NO CITY WEBSITE – DISCUSSION-NO EMERGENCY!

MAYOR HALF-GLAS’D

YOU HAVE VIOLATED OPEN MEETING BY ADDING TO THE PUBLISHED AGENDA AND WHAT YOU ADDED TO THE AGENDA WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY!