Draft of handbook for Little Falls public officials complete

“I think with the upcoming election, the timing is really good to have this completed so that by the time the filing period rolls around in August, we would have this as a document to share with any potential candidates for office for the city council,” Radermacher said.

He added he and other city staff members worked to get the draft that was given to council members completed prior to Tuesday’s meeting. The reasoning behind that timing was so they could read through the document and provide any feedback before the Council’s July 18 meeting.

This was done in lieu of spending a significant amount of time during a work session to go over the first draft of the document in-depth. Radermacher said he and City Clerk Wendy Zylka are taking the lead on the project.

Ultimately, he hopes to have any feedback he receives compiled prior to the next meeting so he can bring a finished draft forward for discussion and approval.

“I think that will be good to have,” said Council President Brad Hircock.

The entire document can be viewed on pages 26 - 36 of the July 5, City Council meeting packet, which can be accessed on the city’s website.

Also on the docket for the meeting, July 18, will be a discussion about a potential needs assessment on city facilities, such as City Hall, the Little Falls Police Department and the main fire hall.

Radermacher said, in meeting with the Council and department heads last month, it was discussed what directions the city could take in going about having a needs assessment done. He told the Council, Tuesday, that he did have “a few proposals,” one of which he followed up on.

That organization was able to confirm that the original proposal it provided would still be valid.

“I consulted with the department heads on the various firms that we had received proposals from and it was consensus to work with this one,” he said. “I will be bringing that forward with a formal proposal at the next meeting to talk about how that process could work and what we should be expecting in terms of a timeline for that needs assessment, as well as, what to do with the facilities in terms of construction moving forward.”

Little Falls City Council Briefs:

In other business Tuesday, the Little Falls City Council:

• Heard from City Administrator Jon Radermacher that staff at the wastewater treatment plant have been engaged in discussions about how to save money on the facility’s electricity costs;

• Approved a gambling permit for the Little Falls American Legion Auxiliary Unit 46 to host Bingo, July 21 - 23, at the Morrison County Fair;

• Accepted the interview committee’s recommendation and appointed Henry Moore as a seasonal cook at the Little Falls Golf Course;

• Approved a temporary liquor license for Oasis Central Minnesota to serve alcohol Sept. 22 - 24 during a Church Ladies Dinner Theatre Fundraiser at St. Francis Convent;

• Accepted the interview committee’s recommendation and appointed Brent Ambuehl as an assistant chief with the Little Falls Fire Department;

• Authorized the execution of a permanent public utility easement with Matthew Anderson and Samantha Swanstrom-Anderson for $3,000, which will be applied to their assessment on the public improvement project on Circle Drive; and

• Approved a master partnership agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

The next meeting of the Little Falls City Council is at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 18, at Little Falls City Hall.