Council approves big blue tank mixer

Aldermen approved an installation of a mixer for the big blue water tower. The contract was awarded to Maguire for $35,000. Public works director Justin Asher explained the options to Hill City Common Council members at the Sept. 8 meeting. 

“I need to put something in it” to keep it from freezing, Asher said, explaining his desire to move away from a variable drive motor. He presented two quotes for a mixer, but said the Pax Water Technologies solution was “a bigger version of what we have now and I’m trying to get away from that.”

Asher said Maguire has cleaned and maintained the city water towers. 

“They already know our system,” said Asher. “He’s been up on that tower multiple times.”

The Pax quote, despite being slightly lower, did not include extras like setting a motor, a concrete slab pad and a heated building. 

The Maguire quote does not require “a pad or anything down on the ground that we have to build heat or set up,” Asher said. 

Asher said currently he is hand mixing the water and has been doing so for the last six months.

City administrator Nate Anderson said mixing does two things—mixing for chemistry and avoiding freezing.

The city is flushing hydrants now, and Asher expects hydrant flushing to continue until the middle of fall or “when we get them done.”

The city has used about 12 percent less water this year than last year. Anderson said that is likely due to a more rainy year, and the school using an untreated well to water Ranger Field. However, less water use also means less water billing, which means less money in the city enterprise fund for both water and sewer. For fiscal year 2025, aldermen passed Resolution 2025-15, moving  $93,316.51 of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) fund money to the sewer fund.

The town sales tax and Bed, Board and Booze tax is also currently down, although that may change as numbers from the state and businesses get reported. Finance office Stacia Tallon says those numbers include the first half of August.

The council also passed an ordinance that effectively moves the budget process from July to November.

“Stacia (Tallon) should have better numbers the longer we wait,” council president Lori Miner explained.

Aldermen approved a three percent wage increase for Hill City utility clerk Betsy Brose as she assumed more duties after the city opted to contract its planning and zoning to Benesch. Anderson listed Brose’s extra duties, which include answering phone questions, receiving applications, looking at files and digitizing those files as needed. Brose is also the lead contact to the county and RapidMap. Anderson said he wanted to “highlight how much she’s taken on.”

Tallon concurred, saying, “We want to make sure she is recognized because  we cannot lose her.” 

Tallon added that Brose is taking the bulk of the additional duties. Miner says Brose has “far exceeded the challenge.”

Anderson gave an infrastructure water update, saying the city will get recommendations soon from AE2S about possible tower locations. The city has “burned seven percent of the loan so far on engineering studies and fees,” said Anderson. 

Miner wanted specific information on arsenic in city wells. Asher said wells get tested once or twice a year. Anderson said the limits of acceptable levels have changed and that AE2S had two proposals on how to address the issue. One would be a treatment plant at Memorial Park, with ongoing filter costs while the second would be the blending of two systems which would require rock blasting. This was a discussion only and no action was taken. 

Miner asked for reports from the park board on how it is spending its money. 

“I would like to make sure we have a good handle on upcoming expenditures,” Miner said.

Anserson said the high school shop class is working on dug outs for Memorial Park and that the city would pay for material. He said the park board is also “still trying to move forward with the ice pavilion at Ponderosa Park.” 

Mayor Tana Nichols said the city should look at its lease with the Boys and Girls Club to make it is a little more self-sufficient by winter. 

Nichols also said merchants want to borrow lights from the former lane of lights to decorate for Christmas. 

“We just wanted folks to know we’re doing what we can to make it a festive December,” Nichols said. 

The Hill City Common Council meets again Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m.