Street construction to resume next week

There are only two seasons in North Dakota, some say – winter and road construction. That will certainly be true for New Rockford yet again this year. New Rockford city commissioners learned Monday that Bituminous Paving will return on May 15 to finish the street project. They have nine spots of rehabilitation to do, per Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert, as well as more paving and chip seal throughout. The company will be assessed a $1,500 per day penalty for liquidated damages, as the work was expected to be complete last fall.

Trash totes will continue to be picked up in the streets for a while yet. When asked by Commissioner Kelly McKnight, Hirchert noted it isn’t worth switching to alley pick up considering the street crew will be working on alleys when they return. There are also trees that need to be trimmed in the alleys, Hirchert noted.

New Rockford’s Spring Clean-Up Week has been postponed to June, due to the wet conditions at the landfill. Hirchert reported that Clean-Up Week is set for June 12-16, with the first free landfill day on Saturday, June 17 from 9 am. – 2 p.m. See page 1 of this week’s County Extra for a list of all the free landfill dates on the schedule this season. More details about Clean-Up Week will be published here in early June.

City to take action on

substandard properties

The commission budgeted $25,000 to address substandard and blighted structures in city limits this year. Ordinance changes passed last year clear the way for the city commission to act as the board of health, and gives them the authority to issue notices to owners of such properties.

“Very rarely have we ever gotten to the point of issuing an order for disposition,” City Attorney Travis Peterson said of past actions. An order of disposition provides written notice that a structure is considered substandard or blighted. It also lays out what the property owner needs to do to address the issue and a timeline for doing so, otherwise the city will complete the work and assess it to the property.

For the purposes of this ordinance, a “substandard” property has any number of poor conditions that must be corrected.

A “blighted” structure is considered no longer habitable or suitable for its intended use, and the only likely remedy is demolition.

Commissioners were given a list of 20 structures to review and make recommendations. Letters will be prepared and sent soon, and the property owners receiving notice will have the opportunity to request a hearing if they disagree with the commission’s determination.

Nuisance vehicle notices will also be sent out soon, commissioners noted.

The lodging tax cleared its last hurdle. The second reading of the ordinance, which establishes a 1 percent lodging tax on all overnight stays of 30 consecutive days or less in the city, was approved unanimously.

New local taxes and changes to existing local taxes become effective on the first day of a calendar quarter. Therefore, the earliest the city will begin collecting the new lodging tax is July 1.

Work to clear the water system of unsavory water will resume this month. A crew will be coming to clean clear well Monday, May 8. The process will take about a half day, Hirchert said. Then flushing will resume.

Ordinance changes that would have increased the late fees for unpaid city utility bills hit a standstill. After reviewing the ordinance, commissioners found more language that they want to clean up, namely to remove all specific references to actual rates and fees charged.

The intent is to change the ordinances so that increases can be made by resolution rather than through ordinance change. Resolutions only require one reading, while ordinance changes must have two readings.

Commissioners directed Peterson to go through the ordinances in question and provide a marked up copy of all the recommended changes for review and action. He will also have appropriate resolutions that reflect the current usage rates and proposed late fee increase.

In other business, the commission took action on the following items:

• Approved two building permits, one for repairs to First Congregational Church and another for Ron and Mary Schaefer, who are building a new home.

• Clarified their policy on assessment of minimum utility fees for empty lots. Commissioners concluded that empty lots with an active connection, even if used only for part of the year, are subject to the minimum fees. On the other hand, lots that have not had services activated or lack the infrastructure to connect to city services will not be subject to fees.

• Approved a gaming site authorization for the New Rockford Lions Club.