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HARTINGTON — The Hartington City Council approved some new policies to help streamline their meetings and listened to presentations on insurance during its Oct. 15 meeting.
Mayor Mark Becker said the policies are based on the policies other municipalities use to help ensure their meetings stay civil.
The meeting once again drew a large crowd of local residents, several of which expressed displeasure at their inability to express their opinions at the meetings.
This marks the third meeting in a row the Council meeting room featured a standing-room-only audience. The high attendance was initially prompted by the Council’s decision to move and renovate the Skylon Ballroom so it could be turned into a city-owned community center.
The Council passed a resolution requiring that anyone who wants to be placed on the City Council agenda must fill out a request form, which must be submitted on the Wednesday prior to the city's regularly scheduled Monday meeting. Those requests will then be reviewed by the Mayor and City Council to be approved or denied.
The Council also passed a resolution establishing meeting rules of decorum.
The new policy states that anyone who wishes to address the City Couneil at a public hearing or during the public comments portion of the meeting, must adhere to the following 'Rules of Decorum:' - Be recognized by the presiding officer.
- State their full name and address. - Speak from a designated location in a civil, non-argumentative and respectful manner.
- Comments shall be limited to three minutes in length. Such time limit may be otherwise amended at the sole discretion of the presiding officer.
- Each speaker shall only speak once unless clarification is requested by the City Council.
- All remarks should be directed to the City Council as a body rather than to any particular Council member or any member of the staff or audience and should be refer to by title and/or department.
- If the speaker has documents they wish to share with the Council to support their comments, they must provide adequate copies for each member of the City Council and the City Clerk.
- Speakers will refrain from profanity, language likely to incite violence or outbursts from the audience, language that is disruptive to the orderly process of the meeting; engaging in conversations with individual Couneil members; making comments of a personal nature regarding others; shouting, yelling or screaming.
- Other than asking for clarification by the presiding officer or a Council member, discussion is limited to among the members of the City Council after a motion has been made.
- The presiding officer is responsible for maintaining order and decorum and will not allow the speaker to make personal attacks or inflamatory comments and can ask the speaker to be quiet and sit down.
If the individual does not comply with the presiding officer’s request, they may be asked to leave, or if necessary, be escorted from the meeting.
* Anyone wishing to be in attendance in the audience of a City Council meeting shall adhere to the above “Rules of Decorum” and shall refrain from: * Commenting, clapping, shouting, booing, or other inappropriate and/or disruptive behavior; * Private conversations during meetings. The Council also approved a resolution to bring its public records request policy in line with state statute. There is no charge for public records for local residents if the request takes less than eight hours to complete. There is a fee for out of state requests, however.
In other action at the Tuesday meeting, the Council approved a $50,000 grant from the LB 840 Revolving Loan fund for Roger Wortmann. The grant is to help defray costs of moving the Skylon Ballroom.
The Council also agreed Tuesday to notify the 13 property owners that have still not trimmed trees to comply with city ordinances requiring that branches are trimmed so they are at least eight feet above the sidewalk and 14 feet above the street. If the property owners don’t take action, the city agreed to have the trees trimmed and assess the property owners for the service.
Council members also reviewed two different proposals for the city’s insurance.
The city has utilized the services of Hartington- based Anderson and Anderson Insurance for several decades, now.
The Council heard a proposal from Peg Anderson and a proposal from Clint Simmons with League Association of Risk Management.
The Anderson and Anderson proposal would cost the city $198,330 and features a $10,000 deductible per site for wind and hail damages.
The LARM proposal would cost the city $159,033 if they signed a three-year agreement.
The LARM proposal also carries a $2,500 deductible per occurrence.
In other action, the Council approved three seperate building permits for sheds.
Rollie Becker plans to build a shed on his property at 404 E. Franklin Street. Ed Bottolfsen plans to build a garden shed at his home at 104 S Summit Street. Bruce Wieseler will build a shed on his property at 203 E Main Street.
The Council also approved a sign permit for Family First Dental at their new Highway 57 location.
The Council also approved a special designated liquor license for Cedar Catholic High School for its annual Fall Blitz event in November.
A resignation letter from EMT Tammy Leise was also read and accepted by the Council.
Council members also received a report from the Cedar County Sheriff’s office concerning their activities in Hartington during September.
The Sheriff’s office put in 287.5 patrol hours in Hartington during the month. An additional two hours was spent specifically on school traffic.
Officers handled one report of theft and took three disturbance calls. Law enforcement made four traffic stops in September and handed out two written warnings, one verbal warning and one citation.
The next City Council meeting will be Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. at City Hall.
