The meeting began with newly elected (or re-elected) officers taking the oath of office: mayor Brent Bengtson, and council members Anne Fischhaber and Michael Klaven. They also made all the usual appointments for the year, including committee assignments, and legal and banking representatives.
Police chief Evan Borscheid is ready to begin interviewing for a new full-time police officer. The council approved the personnel policy requiring the new hire to live close enough to Eden Valley to be able to respond within 30 minutes to a call while off-duty. (By comparison, Fire and Rescue members need to be able to respond within 10-15 minutes, and Public Works within 30 minutes.)
The council is considering adoption of the Minnesota state building codes, as many cities have done. They will continue this discussion in February.
Public Works had ordered a new pickup last year, with funds already set aside for the purchase. With supply chain problems, that order was not picked up by Chevy so the city now has to start all over, making a new order for the Public Works pickup and box.
Chief Borscheid reported that he and Chase (the city’s K9) had recently made a traffic stop that turned into a big drug bust.
The council discussed the many sidewalks in the city that are not being cleared. “Either enforce the ordinance, or get rid of it,” is their sentiment.
The next regular meeting of the Eden Valley city council will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, with a workshop scheduled for Jan. 18, and a Township Fire Board and council meeting scheduled at the Fire Hall on Feb. 15. Meetings are usually recorded, and available for viewing later on the city’s YouTube channel.