Huron commission approves bids, contractor payment and ordinance readings; sets street‑work bid and advances three ordinances

Huron — Jan. 27, 2025 — The Huron City Commission on Monday approved several administrative and capital items, including bids, a contractor progress payment and ordinance readings.

The commission authorized staff to solicit bids for leasing city haylands and set a bid opening for Feb. 11, 2025, for the lease package identified in the agenda. City Engineer Runge described the lease as a five‑year term covering multiple parcels including areas near the wastewater treatment plant, the west landfill and Gibbs Park.

The commission set the 2025 street milling and overlay project for bid with a scheduled bid opening on Feb. 18, 2025. Public works staff said the project’s total budget is $1,270,000 and that the work typically follows water‑main improvements; the project includes a separate schedule to repave 40 Third Avenue between Dakota Provisions and Daypro. “The total budget for the project is 1,270,000. So we’d recommend proceeding with bid,” a staff member said.

Pay request number 8 for the 2024 sewer main lining project with HK Solutions, in the amount of $273,432.74, was approved as a progress payment; staff said the contractor is roughly halfway finished and work slowed during a recent cold spell.

The commission also approved an agreement with Banner & Associates to update the city’s water and wastewater rate study. Planner and utility staff said Banner completed the original study in February 2020 and the update includes a cost‑of‑service analysis tied to the city’s new sequencing batch reactors at the wastewater treatment plant. In the meeting packet staff described the update as carrying the rate recommendations through a future date stated in the agreement; staff discussed the study’s role in allocating treatment costs and surcharge rates to users.

On ordinances, the commission adopted on second reading Ordinance No. 2268‑24‑11, which amends lot frontage requirements for cul‑de‑sac lots, reducing the front‑foot requirement from 100 feet to 65 feet for lots in cul‑de‑sac bulbs. The commission also approved first readings of two ordinances: one clarifying yard/fence requirements for churches that border residential properties and a draft flood‑damage prevention ordinance intended to align local code with updated state and FEMA guidance; staff said a second reading for the yard ordinance is scheduled Feb. 10, 2025, and the flood‑damage ordinance’s second reading was set for Feb. 3, 2025.

Consent‑agenda items passed as a single action and included city personnel actions (a retirement, internal postings and a lateral transfer in the police department), routine minutes and payment of bills.

Votes on specific items were taken by roll call and recorded in the meeting minutes.