Agenda (click to open)(opens in new tab)
Note: The agenda now contains links to each item. To see the item click on the left portion of the link.
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Current Events
- Elections... If you or people in your area or HOA want to meet and discuss current/future topics related to the city, reach out to me to set up a time to visit. (email, phone call, or in person)
- The new water treatment facility is UP AND RUNNING! If you're on the north central water system you should no longer see discolored, sulfur smelling water. Though... for those of you not using a water softener, you'll still want to look into getting one.
- Many of you are familiar with the phrase "rural look and feel" or "rural character." Dayton residents have said this is important to them and I agree. It's even in our mission statement. We've had a couple work sessions on the topic and I believe it'll result in a list of ideas we will be prioritizing for the future. If you have ideas, please let me know.
Work Session (Engineering RFP)
A few months back, the council decided to get bids for our engineering services to make sure we were still in the ballpark of the market with their costs. This was to discuss the results of those bids, and the bottom line is we are consistent. There were some details the council asked staff for but from my standpoint our current firm is inline with the market.
Item J (Final Plat Vinyard Meadows)
This is a non-sewered (and no city water) development in the northwest part of the city. It’s using the new A3 zoning which allows large lots. There is another similar development going in on North Diamond Lake Road just west of Xanthus. This item was to approve the final plat and the Developers Agreement. The Developer’s Agreement seemed to need some areas cleaned up so it was pulled out. The final plat was approved 4-0.
Item K (Condition Use Permit Accessory Building)
This was to approve the CUP needed for the Stephens Park stage roof. It was approved 4-0.
Item L (Stephens Park Bid Award)
This bid was to install the stage roof, create a dance floor, and move the sidewalk leading down to the stage area. The only concerns were how to handle rebuilding the first row of seats. I’ve made it clear over the years that I thought we paid a ridiculous amount for the Limestone blocks ($800 each) and would have been better off with almost any other solution. Those blocks (which were supposed to be quarried) are now showing signs they were manufactured and are falling apart. The low bid was accepted 4-0.
Item M (Resignation of Council Member Henderson)
This was to accept the resignation and set up a process to appoint a replacement. After some discussion it was decided we would take applications until sometime before the Oct 8th meeting and choose at that meeting. Contrary to a lot of incorrect “facts” put out on Facebook (imagine that), this appointment will last until the regular election in 2028. While the state statute requires a “special” election if the seat to be filled has more than 2 years left, it also backs that date up to the normal filing period for the municipality, which in our case is the May filing period. The process and the resignation were approved 4-0.
Item N (Public Facilities Study)
For many reasons I’ve grown very suspicious of most of the studies we do as a city. Either they take tens of thousands of dollars to show something obvious, or they justify something with sketchy reasoning. On this one I’m a little worried it’s the latter, but we’ll see. This was to approve a study on Dayton’s public facilities to make sure they will meet the city’s needs in the future. As an example, we do know that city hall is maxed out, and this will tell us if it makes more sense to build a new one or add on to the current one. It was approved 3-1.
Item O (Council Pay)
Apparently for over a decade the council's pay has not been reviewed to see it was keeping up. Staff compared some of the cities around us and set the pay for the mayor and council. If you’re curious about the numbers, it’s in the packet. The pay as of January of next year will be $7,875 for Mayor and $6,188 for Council. It was approved 4-0.
Item P (Approval of Preliminary Tax Levy for 2027)
This was to approve the preliminary tax levy for 2027. The final approval will be in December, and it cannot increase the levy from this number. And for that reason, staff always pushes for a higher number than the council would like in December since those 3 months allow more reasons to come in to keep it up there.
If you’re curious about how the levy increase will impact THE CITY PORTION of your taxes, I do have a thorough explanation on my website HERE(opens in new tab).
The bottom line is that if the Levy goes up by 10%, and the value of all the property in the city (capacity) goes up 10%, the tax rate will stay the same. If the tax rate stays the same and your property value stays the same, you will pay the same amount as last year.
Most of that capacity is new developments (residential and commercial), but some (about 2%) is due to the value of current properties going up. And that’s the part I’m always wary of spending since that will result in a bigger city tax for your property. In addition to that I’m seeing some dollars that are going to “possible expenses” which leads me to think there’s fat scattered around in the budget.
What we agreed to was a slightly lower amount than the capacity which should mean a reduction in the tax rate... but come December I’ll be pushing to remove all spending that consumes the value increase.
It was approved 3-1 (I voted to approve).
Item Q (Closed Session Regarding Employee Termination)
Item R (Termination of Employee)
This was to terminate a part-time employee. It was approved 4-0.
As always contact me with questions / concerns.