By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The New York Mills City Council will step into an increase for its seasonal snow removal in the business district. 

During its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night, the city council had a lengthy discussion about the history of having city staff removing snow in the business district and the benefit of ensuring snow is removed in the downtown area. In the end, the city council agreed to increase the cost from $1.50 per linear foot to $5 a linear foot in two years to cover future maintenance costs and staff time to provide the service. The cost for removing snow next year will be $2.50 per linear foot with an additional increase during the 2025-26 winter where it will increase to $5 per linear foot.

Part of the discussion revolved around the best way to increase revenue for the program that is reportedly losing money due to labor shortages and necessary maintenance on equipment, and yet not have businesses opt out of the program in favor of other snow removal options. 

“It’s a great thing for the businesses in the downtown district. It makes things more passable, but the amount of money we have lost over the years has to be made up by the other taxpayers in the city,” said utilities supervisor Kyle Mattson. “It’s not a whole lot of money if you look at it large scale, but it is still a benefit that these businesses are getting that our street department is going upside down on.”

Mattson said another concern for his department is a current lack of staffing which makes removing snow on the roads and sidewalks a bit of a challenge. He said the staff focuses on getting the roads done first before turning their attention to the sidewalks, which means in some cases the snow from the sidewalks isn’t always removed until after some businesses open at 5-6 a.m. He said there have been occasions where businesses have been upset the snow wasn’t removed before they opened their doors for the day.

Another concern is the machine itself, which has underground a number of repairs over the years and is in need of being replaced in the near future.

“The machine we are using is coming to the end of its life. We have stuffed thousands of dollars into this thing every year just to keep it going,” said Mattson. “We are getting to the point now where we can’t hold it together with any more bailer wire and chewing gum. Regardless, we are still going to replace that machine down the road where increasing the linear footage rate will help to offset that cost, and not only that cost, but the loaded labor rate.”

While most businesses participate in the sidewalk sweeping program, which mayor Marsha Maki said does help with the aesthetics of the community in ensuring the snow is removed in a timely manner, the concern was raised about what would happen if a number of businesses opted out of the program due to the increase in cost. Several city council members and city staff said they have received complaints from businesses who said they already pay quite a bit of money to have the snow removal option available. 

If a business does not participate in the program the snow must be removed within 24 hours of a snowfall. If the snow is not removed the business could be subject to a fine under city ordinances, similar to the fine that could be imposed should a residential property owner not remove the snow from their sidewalk. This could be done by the business owner or a private contractor.

It was reported during the meeting that the city’s snow removal ordinance has not been enforced on a regular basis and that may need to change moving forward for both the business and residential area.

Ultimately, the city council agreed to step into the increased $5 per linear foot charge for the snow removal over the course of the next two years. The program will be reexamined at that time to ensure there are enough participants to make the program financially viable moving forward.

In other news

• Heard the Mills Liquors report for the month of January which showed that combined gross sales for the month were up 16 percent from the previous year, while the combined cost of good sold were down 5.41 percent as a percentage of sales. Net revenues for the month were up 13.22 percent as a percentage of sales from the previous, but part of their increase over last year was due to the time of the audit.

• Heard the monthly fire department report which showed 15 calls for the month of January, nine of which were medical calls. 

• Approved the purchase of a 2024 pumper truck at a cost of $118,019. The fire department currently has a savings of $68,838 and a CD that will cover the cost of the purchase. While the CD will not mature until May, the fire department will receive a discount of $4,510 if it prepays the remaining balance. The city council approved utilizing general fund dollars to cover the shortfall until the CD matures in May. 

• Heard the monthly call report from the police department which showed 165 calls for service for the month, including two citations, 41 parking citations and 19 warnings. The city council also heard that police officer Landyn Saewert submitted his resignation effective Jan. 8.

• Heard the utilities department received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health to conduct an inventory of the water service lines in the community. The grant will allow the city to hire Apex Engineering to assist with the remainder of the work.

• Heard of two concerns from Robert Kempenich concerning two dogs on South Walker and a ticket he received concerning the new calendar parking ordinance. He asked that in the future that the city does more outreach to ask people to move their vehicles during the winter months. He said there was no snow when he received a parking ticket concerning the calendar parking. He also asked if the city would reconsider his ticket given the lack of snow and no snow plowing when a vehicle was parked on the street.

• Acknowledged a donation of $250 from the New York Mills Lions Club for the NY Mills Fire Department and $500 from the NY Mills VFW for $500 for the NY Mils Fire Department. 

• Closed the city council meeting to discuss seeking bids on a pair of lots located at 103 and 105 South Main Ave. The minimum bid will be set at the taxable market value of the two lots.