Princeton City Council briefs: meeting April 25

The Princeton City Council conducted the following business during the meeting on Thursday, April 25. Written by Chloe Smith.

Mille Lacs County Board of Appeal and Equalization

The Mille Lacs County Board of Appeal and Equalization alongside the owner of Princeton’s new Maytag Laundromat Gage Keegan presented the City Council with a request to revalue the property of the laundromat and the empty lots surrounding it. The laundromat is located next to the Princeton Walmart on 19th Avenue North in Rivertown Crossing. Keegan said that he believes the lots located in that area are overvalued, which has deterred people from purchasing them. Keegan shared that before he purchased the lot to build the laundromat, it had sat on the market for almost 1,000 days with no offers at approximately $250,000. When he purchased the lot, he offered $150,000 for it which was accepted. The Mille Lacs County Board of Appeal and Equalization representative said that all of the lots in that area are valued based on the existing formulas, and adjusting the value of the lots would require around six years of data related to purchases, which is currently not available. The Princeton City Council voted not to change the value of the laundromat lot. However, Keegan can still take the issue to the county for reevaluation.

Consent agenda

The Princeton City Council approved the following items on the consent agenda:

- Step increases for Public Works general maintenance II Kris Macko and Police secretary Kathy Lewis.

- The hiring of Emma Flaten as a marketing intern effective May 6.

- The hiring of Abby Benson as a splash park intern effective May 15.

- A fireworks display by Minnesota Pyrotechnics for the Dirty Rotten Bikers event on May 4.

- A fireworks display for J&M Displays on July 4.

- A gambling permit for a Princeton Lions raffle on June 9.

- A SCDP Loan Application from Andrea Provo and Wayne Cornelius in the amount of $25,000. This program allows for commercial or residential rehabilitation of existing structures. Provo and Cornelius applied for commercial rehabilitation.

- A letter of support for the GNRT funding application for the Park Board.

- The authorization to apply for the MN DNR Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant Program.

- A resolution authorizing the assignment of a TIF 9-4 agreement and note for Princeton Residential Suites.

- The swearing in of firefighter Alexa Wirre.

Park dedication fees for Princeton Residential Suites

The Princeton City Council voted to reopen a discussion on park dedication fees for phases 3 and 4 of the construction of Princeton Residential Suites with developer Patt Briggs. When the project was originally planned, the park dedication fees were set at $264,600 totaling $1,800 per unit. Since that time, the fees increased and the new total for the park dedication fees was $298,800. Briggs then requested a reduction in the fees, and the park board as well as the council approved a reduction of $34,200, which returned the fees to the original amount.

At the council meeting on April 25, Mayor Thom Walker and Briggs requested a further reduction of the park dedication fees for Phase 3 only to $900 per unit while Phase 4 would remain at the $1,800 per unit. This request would reduce the total to $239,400. Briggs requested the further reduction as his lender of the funds for the project could not increase his loan more than they already had, and without the decrease, the project would not be able to move forward with construction. The Princeton City Council voted to approve the reduction with Mayor Walker abstaining from the vote.

Purchase of a thermal imaging camera

The Princeton Fire and Rescue Department currently owns and operates two thermal imaging cameras. However, one of those cameras does not hold a change for more than two minutes and new batteries can no longer be obtained. The Fire Executive Board decided to pursue a grant application through East Central Energy’s Operation Round Up for the cost of a new camera. The fire department received $3,000 for the purchase. The total cost of the camera is $8,000, and the fire department requested that the council authorize an amendment to the CIP for the remainder of the costs. The council approved the donation and the purchase.