Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
“Lack of reliable childcare is the top concern for this community,” noted Amanda Hegland, Executive Director for the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC), when she approached the New Rockford City Commission about daycare at their August 6 meeting.
Hegland said an informal survey revealed that 10 families were in immediate need and that dozens of other families travel to other communities to access childcare. Through research, the NRABC determined that the most successful examples of daycare relief efforts in other communities include providing incentives to potential providers such a physical space and a year of free utilities.
Officials estimate that it will cost anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000 to purchase or build a space and outfit it for daycare use. Commissioner Stu Richter reported that the NRABC has space in mind and has talked to a company that is willing to provide management and operations oversight. The NRABC requested up to $50,000 in matching funds from the city as well as a year of free utilities, including water, sewer and sanitation. The request was tabled until a later date.
Plans are underway to rebuild the airport hangar that was destroyed in the July 8 severe storm. The Airport Authority held a special meeting this past month with Jared Wingo from the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, Doug Larson with GLC Architects and Matt Johnson of Wold Engineering, who the city worked with to complete the 2005 runway rebuild project. The gentlemen named above were called by Airport Authority President Erling Rolfson to assist in drawing up plans for a new hangar that involve building it north of the destroyed one for better drainage. Rolfson is also pursuing matching grant funds through the state aeronautics commission to help pay for the new hangar. The insurance settlement totaled $285,000. The work is expected to be completed next year, at which time the taxiway, runway and apron will also be repaired.
Sheriff Paul Lies and Eddy County Commissioner Neal Rud attended the meeting to request an update of the Joint Powers Agreement for police service between the city and the county. The county has requested an 8 percent increase from the City of New Rockford for 2019, citing that more than 80 percent of the law enforcement calls and stops occur within the city limits. The city had only budgeted for a 3 percent increase so will need to make adjustments in order to fulfill the request.
New Rockford Park District President Kristi Swenson introduced Dennis Nybo, their new manager. Nybo has 33 years of experience in parks and recreation, including 28 years in Bismarck and most recently three years in Devils Lake.
Susie Sharp, librarian at the Eddy-New Rockford Public Library, presented her annual report to the commission. The library added 51 new patrons this past year, for a total of 1,499. Overdrive use, a program patrons use for online checkout of e-books and audiobooks, accounted for more than one-third of all checkouts and surpassed 2,000 for the first time.
Sharp was recently one of two people statewide chosen to represent public libraries, as she was appointed by Governor Burgum to serve a second term on the North Dakota Library Coordinating Council. The Coordinating Council assists in planning, coordinating and evaluating the services and programs of North Dakota libraries. Sharp was also elected as section chair for the North Dakota Library Association. This appointment begins in September and includes the responsibility of purchasing adult fiction selections for the entire 27 library North Dakota digital consortium.
The city plans to increase its overall general fund budget by $28,000 in 2019, as per the preliminary budget presented to commissioners at the meeting. Auditor George Ritzke said that although state aid and highway tax revenue are estimated to be flat, officials expect to see sales tax collections increase, considering the new retail outlets in the community and the Supreme Court decision to allow state and local governments to collect tax from remote sellers.
Among the highlights on the expense side, Ritzke penciled in an 11 percent increase for employee health insurance, increased support for the Park District Manager position from $5,000 to $10,000, and added $50,000 to replace windows and doors at the water plant. The preliminary budget is due to the county by Aug. 10, but the final budget will not be approved until the Oct. 1 meeting.
City Attorney Travis Peterson reviewed the Planning and Zoning ordinance and recommended via a letter to commissioners that they appoint five members to serve on the commission. The volunteers would attend meetings on an as-needed basis to respond to requests as presented, such as a petition to vacate streets or a petition to request change of zoning for a particular property. The commission would be responsible for reviewing such requests and making a recommendation to the city commission regarding whether or not to approve them. Anyone interested in serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission should contact a city commissioner.
Two gentlemen have expressed interest in filling the vacancy on the city commission: Justin Ystaas and Frank Walker. President Calvin Packard requested that the vacancy be filled at the September meeting and asked that commissioners come prepared to choose which candidate they wish to appoint.
Nuisance letters will be sent out to six property owners who have not removed downed trees from the July 8 storm. Ritzke said some are commercial properties with absentee owners. The property owners will be given 30 days to complete the clean up before the city takes further action.
Commissioners approved the first reading for two ordinance revisions. The first, in Chapter 2-01-07, is a language change aimed at reducing the number of city offenses classified as “misdemeanors,” effectively removing jail as a potential penalty.
The second ordinance change relates to building permits, as discussed at the July meeting. City officials propose to change one word in Chapter 6-02-03, which would allow the city to assess an additional $100 fee on any property owner who does not fill out a building permit application before he or she “begins” construction. The current language does not allow the additional fee to be collected unless the property owner “completes” the work before applying for a permit. The second reading and official adoption of both ordinance changes will be taken up at the September meeting, which will be held Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
