Mantorville sets levy at three percent

At their last scheduled meeting for the year Monday night, the Mantorville city council members unanimously approved a three per cent increase to the city property tax levy for 2017. Council members also learned the estimated market value of property in the city increased by 6.15 per cent. 

The final budget levy is $440,118. The group also approved the water and sewer budgets for 2017. 

The water budget is $139,200 and the sewer budget is $284,773. The sewer budget is higher than previous years because of the increase in costs affiliated with completing the force main to Kasson that will carry Mantorville’s wastewater to Kasson for treatment. That project is slated for completion next year.

In other business, the members decided against refunding the water and sewer connection fees to a resident who asked for the refund for the winter months. At the last meeting, the council members discussed the refund but did not vote on it. Most appeared to agree to the refund but in preparing the minutes, City Clerk/Treasurer Cami Reber noted that a council member had asked for a vote and that was not taken.

At this meeting, after discussion, all members voted against refunding the $2,639 for the sewer fee and $614 for the water fee for land across the street from Riverside Park.

The project has not been abandoned and the owner apparently still plans to haul in fill dirt this winter so the building permit is still active.

Member Don Hofstad said as a contractor, he’d never seen this type of request before. 

Council member Henry Blair agreed. If someone pays their fees in March, he said, and then it rains in April and they can’t get their project done until September, the city doesn’t refund the fees in the interim. 

In what case would we refund the fees, asked Mayor Chuck Bradford and said if a project does not go through as planned, those fees could be refunded but there are still some costs charged to the owner.

The members discussed the fact that they could set an unwise precedent by returning the fees for a short time. 

Council member Sherry Roth said she could understand refunding the fees if the city had somehow contributed to the delay but it hasn’t. 

There has not been a justifiable reason for the refund displayed, she said. 

During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Dan Trapp asked the city to investigate items being stored outside of a building on neighboring land. He handed out pictures of the items taken from his deck to council members. In the conditional use permit for the neighboring business, the condition was included that no items related to the business would be stored outside. Mayor Bradford directed Public Works Supervisor Scott Larson to investigate further to ascertain if the materials are for the building project onsite or for another project.

After a public hearing, council members approved an assessment of almost $4,000 to the address of 408 West St. The assessment is to pay for the city’s costs (attorney fees) in the “removal of hazardous