Shannon Dahl asked Kimball City Council to approve a rezoning request at its last meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 2. Dahl owns 6.6 acres of land on 135th Street behind Playland Ballroom, next to the new Greely Edition. He asked the council if the land could be rezoned as industrial. He wanted to build storage sheds on this property. “I see this as a great business opportunity,” Dahl said. After much debate, the council unanimously voted against the rezoning. “This is not the place for it,” Councilmember Andy Maus said. “This land is buildable (residential).” The council talked about how the land could expand the city and become a nice addition. Local resident Janet Robinson agreed. She said her concern was how a business could take away from the beauty of the new residential area. “I think that it would be nice to have homes there,” Robinson said. The council also discussed how the land could be used if it were rezoned. According to city ordinances, city industrial zones permit businesses specializing in roofing, welding, fencing, and manufacturing of products, to name a few. Other council members added that once the land is rezoned, it cannot be changed back. They discussed how someone new could purchase this land from Dahl and build anything they desired. With that said, Mayor Karla Davis closed the public hearing and moved on with the meeting. In other actions, the council: • Approved an agreement with the Great River Regional Library to have a branch located next to the city hall chambers. • Praised the police department for their efforts on the safe and sober campaign. Maus said, “I would like to compliment the police department on their hard work for the radar.” • Heard from Richard Janski about renewing his lease on irrigated land. The council wanted to look into this matter further and said it would have an answer next meeting. • Listened to Councilmember DuWayne Orbeck’s concerns about the rental fees charged for the Willow Creek Park shelter. “Some people have come to me and said that if we are renting the building to them, we should also provide garbage disposal.” Mayor Davis proposed giving the renters a tag for an additional cost to leave their garbage at the park. Fischer said he thought that this would cause problems, especially if multiple parties use the facility in one weekend. “The garbages that sits there from Friday until Sunday gets pretty ripe,” Fischer said. Dianne Robinson, city clerk/ treasurer/administrator said she would ask the public works department to look into this for options. On the same order of business, the council agreed not to charge rental rates for families and organizations who are scheduled to use the shelter in the month of September. The council voted make fees effective Oct. 1. • Agreed to write a letter to Waste Management for its willingness to work with the city throughout the Hazel Avenue Project and collect garbage. • Decided to have public works employees wear uniforms. The council decided each employee would get a specific article of clothing and they would somehow be marked with “City of Kimball.” The council also revised the employee handbook regarding this matter. • Authorized a change order on the Hazel Avenue Project. This change provided temporary latex striping to mark lane division and turning lanes. It will be paid for by Stearns County. This striping will be used until the permanent lines can be painted next spring. • Heard a preliminary evaluation of the city’s budget for next year. The council will adopt the budget at a special meeting Monday, Sept. 8. • Adjourned at 9:24 p.m.
