Barb Liedman came to the City Council meeting with a petition signed by 38 area residents Monday, July 7. This group of petitioners want to raise the speed limit on Willow Creek Road/ County Road 150. “On one side of the road the speed limit is 40 mph and it’s 30 mph on the other side,” Liedman said. Liedman contacted the Stearns County Highway Engineer about this issue. He told her that he wasn’t sure why the speed limit was inconsistent. He recommended she bring the issue before city council and have them write a letter on behalf of the city stating they wanted the speed limit changed. Liedman noted that everyone she talked to about the issue wanted the speed limit changed, but didn’t take the time to find out how to do this. The council passed a motion to write and send a letter on behalf of the city. A copy of the petition was kept for reference. In other business, the city council: • Swore in Steve Edwards as the newest councilmember. Edwards filled the seat vacated by Wayne Mackereth. His term will run through Dec. 31, 2004. • Heard a report from Chris Jeppesen about Kimball Days. Jeppesen told the council “As of today, we have $1800 [in donations for Kimball Days].” This money was earmarked for fireworks. The council decided that more donations received will be put into a fund for next year’s celebration. • Discussed the city’s insurance policies for Kimball Days. The council determined to put a wavier on next year’s brochures saying the city is not responsible for accidents happening during the events. It hoped that this would make things easier for businesses who do not have the required insurance but want to participate in Kimball events, as well as take away some of the confusion. • Tabled a discussion on paying city workers for their time during Kimball Days. The council wanted an estimated amount of hours for each worker to get a better feel for what this would cost the city. Jeppesen said she would look into this and bring it to the next meeting. • Heard from Don Stein, who would like to annex 40 acres of his land to the city of Kimball. Since Stein’s property is currently in Maine Prairie township, the partners need to work together on changing this land. Maine Prairie Township representatives were at the meeting. They agreed to set a date with the council to further discuss this issue and find out the legal way to handle the situation. • Discussed the Historical Society’s proposal to put money into city hall restorations. The council decided they didn’t think it would be a good investment to put money into the current building. • Went through the annual audit report with Paul Harvego of Fawcett, Young & Assoc. • Was briefed by Jeremy Kuechle on the baseball field. Kuechle told the council that the Legion was possibly interested in making donations to the field from their gambling revenue. He asked the council to put this donation in the ball field fund. The council passed a motion to send a letter to the Legion saying any donations made would be set aside for the field. • Was asked by Kuechle if it would want to donate a flag pole to the field. The council wasn’t sure of expense but thought it could find someone to donate the pole so money wouldn’t have to be taken from the already sparse city budget. • Passed a motion to allow Mayor Davis to attend the Minnesota Mayor’s Conference. • Adjourned the meeting at 10:33 p.m. City council meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of every month at city hall in downtown Kimball. Their meetings are open to the public.
