On Tuesday night, the second reading of the ordinance was heard and the legislation passed 5-2 with Vice Mayor Christina McElfresh and council member Tom Hagedorn voting no.
McElfresh said she didn’t feel comfortable voting on the legislation until it had been through a committee.
Mayor Keith Funk said when council heard the first reading at its last meeting he “didn’t hear any opposition.”
McElfresh countered: “We kicked the can. That’s what I think.”
Lester said the fee is needed to cover the cost of filing the paperwork, and correspondences regarding property damage in the city like crashes involving guardrails, street signs, etc.
Lester has said if there was an insurance claim, city staff would have “significant time” invested along with the time field personnel would spend clearing the scene or making repairs to the damages.
He said this fee aims to recover costs associated with collecting, processing and preparing invoice documentation through phone calls and emails.
The administrative fee would be calculated as 15% of the base invoice amount, be added to the total amount due, be non-refundable unless the underlying invoice is canceled due to city error and apply uniformly across all city departments that issue invoices requiring documentation processing, according to city documents.
It addresses the city’s need to recoup administrative expenses through an “appropriate fee structure,” according to documents.
City agrees to lease property
Council approved an emergency ordinance authoring Lester to enter into a lease agreement for the real property known as the Baker Sports Complex.
The city received one bid from Oakland Farms for $156 per acre for the 33 acres, or an annual amount of $5,148. The legislation was an emergency because the existing agreement expires on April 12, according to city documents.
Council heard the first reading on an ordinance to allow Lester to enter into a lease agreement for the property known as the Clark Boulevard Property.
Majors Farms submitted the only bid for $50 an acre for the 30 areas, or an annual amount of $1,500.
The second reading will be held at the next meeting on April 22.
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