Minutes - Council - 01/13/2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Gamec replied that he would like to see the fence moved by July 1, 2004. Councihnember Kurak stated that when the ordinance was changed in 2002, it was written to require chain link or wood, but they also recognized that Ramsey is a growing community so they had to allow for flexibility because there is a lot of rural areas where it would not be reasonable to require a wood or chain link fence on ten acres. They even discussed the issue of barbed wire and left that open as an option because there may be some circumstances where it may be necessary. Councilmember Elvig stated that he agreed with what was being proposed because he believes that was the essence of the initial agreement. Councihnember Kurak stated that she would support what the Mayor proposed also. Councilmember Strommen noted that she would support that as well. City Attorney Goodrich explained that staff would draft findings of fact based on the discussion and bring it back at the next City Council meeting for formal action. Mr. Konzak stated that the reason he and his wife decided to place the fence around the entire parcel was because of all the encroachment that was happening on his property from the surrounding property owners. He has asked all of them to remove their stuff from his property, but to date none of them have done so. Mayor Gamec replied that he realized that has been a problem, but that should stop. He encouraged them all to be good neighbors. Mr. Konzak inquired if the City Council was asking for the fence to be moved and that the surrounding property owners remove the stuff from his property. Mayor Gmnec replied that the clean up of the property is a completely separate issue. Staff noted that the issue would be placed on the January 27th City Council agenda for final approval. Case #5: Consider Change in City Hall Office Hours Assistant City Administrator Nelson stated that currently, City Hall Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. City staff was requesting Council consideration to change City Hall office hours to 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a number of reasons. Given the current hours, City Hall is open for nine hours every day. This creates a significant challenge in providing reception and departmental coverage from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., given that non-exempt employees work an eight-hour day with ½ hour un-paid lunch break. The City ofRamsey AFSCME bargaining unit contract requires that overtime or compensatory time be paid to the employee for hours worked in excess of eight per day. Given the current office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., staff members that are required to provide coverage from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. take a one-hour lunch break to limit their hours worked to eight. Providing a one-hour lunch break for each employee creates challenges in providing coverage for a full hour for each employee. In addition, the City Council/January 13, 2004 Page 15 of 24