2022 08-16 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

City of Gem Lake City Council Meeting Minutes August 16, 2022 2 | Page time period, local governments must pay interest on the unpaid obligations at the rate of 1.5 percent per month or part of a month. One of twenty-five disbursements tested was not paid within the statutory time limit. o Minnesota Statutes require where a claim for money due on goods or services furnished can be itemized in the ordinary course of business, the person claiming payment, or the claimant’s agent, shall prepare the claim in written items. One of twenty-eight disbursements tested did not have a claim in writing to support the payment made. As a part of MMKR’s audit of the City’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, MMKR performed procedures to follow-up on the findings and recommendations that resulted from the prior year audit. The prior auditor reported the following findings that are no longer findings in the current year audit of the City: • Minnesota Statutes require the governing body of the City to annually delegate the authority to make electronic funds transfers to a designated business administrator or chief financial officer or the officer’s designee. The City did not complete this delegation for the year ended December 31, 2020. This is not a finding in the current year. • Minnesota Statutes require payroll time sheet approval for employees. The prior year audit reported the time sheet for the City’s one employee did not contain a declaration indicating that the facts recited on the payroll are correct to the best of the employee’s information and belief. This is not a finding in the current year. • Minnesota Statutes require unclaimed property held for more than three years (or one year for unpaid compensation) to be reported and paid or delivered to the state Commissioner of Commerce each year. This requirement was not met by the City for the prior audit year. This is not a finding in the current year. Councilmember Lindner introduced a motion to accept the 2021 audit, seconded by Councilmember Cacioppo. Voice vote taken, all voted yes, motion passes, 2021 audit accepted. Gem Lake Infrastructure Issues Well and Municipal Water Update Mayor Artig-Swomley has had several long conversations with Tim Grape at the MPCA. The MPCA is planning to conduct follow-up sampling for residential wells that were previously impacted and/or wells that are adjacent to locations that previously had detections above the health risk limit (properties currently supplied with bottled water). They anticipate this work taking place in the coming months. At this time the MPCA is 95% sure that the contamination is not from Water Gremlin and they are still investigating the possible source. The City Council Workshop that took place on August 8, 2022 to plan for the Water Summit in September went well. A plan on how to approach the issue and explain it to the residents has been developed. The MPCA will be joining the Water Summit to help answer any question that the Council or residents may have. Gem Lake Trail Update The foundation for the bench has been put in along the trail. Mayor Artig-Swomley has had several long conversations with Kim Anderson Uzpen on a plan for the public land around the Gem Lake Trail. Ms. Uzpen is searching for wooden signs that can be placed in the wildflowers along the trail. At this time the Washington Ramsey Watershed is still holding on to money from Hanson’s Builders, the Villas developer, and will not release it until reseeding has happened. Ms. Uzpen suggests that the reseeding should take place next year, as the area was over seeded. There are several dead trees located along the trail and along the North side of house 50 that are not Tree Trust trees. Mayor Artig-Swomley suggested that the City use some of the money in the Parks and Trails fund to replant six (6) of the dead trees. She suggested that we reach out to White Bear Township Public Works to request a proposal from the contractor that they use to replace trees in the Township, which is Rum River Tree Farm.