Ortonville council approves routine expenditures, Red Cross agreement; public comment on utility billing referred to committee

At its June 1 meeting the Ortonville City Council approved several routine financial and administrative items, heard a public commenter about utility billing, and recorded other agenda items for future action.

Public comment: Artie Arndt told the council he recently received a utility bill and said the council's March decision to bill parcels with water and sewer connections requires customers to pay service charges even if the connections are not in use. Arndt petitioned the council to designate the portion of his property in the ravine as non-buildable and to waive ongoing monthly city water and sewer charges for that portion. The council referred Arndt to the Street-Utility committee meeting on June 15 at 4:00 P.M. for a recommendation.

Agreements and permits: The council approved a Red Cross agreement for recertification licenses after a motion by Councilmember Dwyer, seconded by Councilmember Melton, that passed upon city attorney approval. A gambling permit request from the Big Stone Healthcare Foundation for Sept. 12, 2026, appeared on the agenda (item noted in the minutes); the minutes do not specify the outcome of that permit request.

Expenditures: The council adopted Resolution 26-71 endorsing an expenditure of $607.00, Resolution 26-72 endorsing an expenditure of $2,171.52, and Resolution 26-73 approving expenditures of $122,664.70. The minutes record roll call Aye votes by Melton, Dwyer, Stattelman, Hausauer, Powell and Karels and No votes: none.

What's next: Arndt's petition is slated for the Street-Utility committee on June 15 for further consideration. The minutes do not provide dollar figures for the Braun Intertec contract or funding sources for larger projects; staff follow-up is implied for those items.