* council meeting in auditorium- acoustics are terrible and it is increasingly hard to hear because the mayor mumbles and is inaudible from the distance we are required to sit. The council needs to add at least three microphones, one each at the east side council table, the south side council table and the west side council table, so the gallery can accurately hear our council members.  Note I added captions to help identify some of the agenda items.

Mayor Glas called the May 4, 2020, Alcester City Council meeting to order (kind-of) at 6:00 p.m. with the following council members present: David Larsen, Melissa Kay, Linda Talbott, Darla Reppe, Dan Haeder and City Attorney Sam Nelson reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The group approved the agenda, no discussion and a unanimous vote of five ayes approving the agenda. Then they went on to approve the minutes of April 4, 2020, and April 15, 2020, again with no discussion and a unanimous vote of five ayes to approve the minutes without change.

The Beck Drive gas line issue was addressed and voted to pay the $4750.00 bill to run gas line to Mike Burke’s newly purchased lot. Again a little discussion but with a unanimous vote of five ayes passing the issue.

Warrants were called (the bills of the city) with a motion, a second, no discussion and a unanimous vote of five ayes passing the payment of warrants as listed by Bookkeeper Pat Jurrens.

The council adjourned the old council at 6:05 p.m. with a motion, a second, no discussion and a unanimous vote of five ayes to adjourn.

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Mayor Glas opened the new meeting.

Agenda Item #2 Ward II vacancy interview of candidate Austin Schuller. The motion was made and seconded to go into Executive session to conduct the interview, Finance Officer Patricia Jurrens was asked to leave the meeting prior to the commencement of the interview. There was no discussion and the group voted unanimously five ayes to go into Executive Session at 6:07 p.m. The council was declared back into session at 6:18 p.m. No motions were made, no decision made and no business was conducted with reference to Mr. Schuller’s request for council seating in the vacant council seat in Ward II.

Agenda Item #3 The election of Council President and Vice President of the city council. The Council President takes over when the mayor is incapacitated, absent or resigns with the Vice President in stand by position. Dan Haeder moved to appoint David Larsen as council president, second, no discussion and the vote was 4 ayes and Councilman Larsen abstained from the vote. The vote affirmed the appointment of Councilman David Larsen as President of the Alcester City Council.

David Larsen moved to appoint Dan Haeder as Vice-President of the Alcester City Council, seconded, no discussion, with 4 ayes and Councilman Dan Haeder abstained from the vote. The vote affirmed the appointment of Councilman Dan Haeder as Vice-President of the Alcester City Council.

Agenda Item #4 Mayor presents Committee assignments. Mayor Glas handed out his/FO Pat’s (overstep by FO)committee assignments of the city council members. Councilwoman Melissa Kay took issue with the logic and implementation of the committee assignments. Mayor Glas appears to have used the lottery system of assigning committee memberships, you know where the little cubes with councilmember’s names are shaken up and the first three names that roll out are on that particular committee.

Mayor Glas was irritated that his logic was flawed and he started to pout.  A-w-w!

Agenda Item #5 ROC Transport – No show, evidently they do not want our business!

Agenda Item #6-AMKO-No show. Finance Officer Pat ‘explained’

Agenda Item #7-Public Input-I had public input. The Contract Variance of Lance Johnson, former councilman. I presented the council with a Variance Case #20107, Don Hamerly v The City of Lennox. Mr. Hamerly was represented by Larry A. Nelson of Frieberg, Rudolph & Nelson. Gee I understand that is the father of our City Attorney Sam Nelson. This where the court agreed with Mr. Nelson’s argument and found for Mr. Hamerly. So with that precedent why did our city council allow the contract variance of Councilman Lance Johnson?

     I also presented the council with Headlines of a case which happened in Alcester with regard to re-call of the mayor. I explained to the council the first Headline section dealt with the signed petition for the recall of Alcester Mayor Kim Shefte, the second Headline section involved the news our petition was kicked out because it was not specific enough and finally the third Headline section dealt with the fact where we (the petitioners) edited the petition so that it was specific…collected signatures and re-presented our petition to the council when Mayor Kim Shefte resigned. I was asked the question is this a threat and my answer was no- a promise.

Agenda Item #10 Garbage Collection- Loren Fischer wanted to permanently continue the one-side pick-up. This is a problem for our less agile population and just a pain in the neck for the rest of us. If nothing else, we could have a central dumpster and toss our own garbage into the dumpsters. FO Pat responded that those from outside the city would be dumping into those dumpsters, I responded they already are. Council voted to do the one-sided pick-up just during the spring soft street months.

Agenda Item #23 ADJOURN

                   Council adjourned at 8:42 p.m.