Eight percent levy increase approved

Every seat in the Waldorf community center was full for the September 12 city council meeting, the last one at which retiring city clerk DeeAnn Britton would be providing input and support. 

Mayor Rob Wilkening began the meeting by reminding all persons in attendance that they could comment any time, or stop him if he was going through any agenda items too quickly. 

After explaining that he had spoken with the city administrator for every town in the surrounding area and learned that their communities’ proposed tax levy increases were all around 10%, Wilkening asked if the council would like to go ahead with a 6% or 8% preliminary budget increase. An 8% increase was quickly approved, a percentage which would see Waldorf residents paying, on average, roughly $111 more than this year on their 2023 city property taxes. 

An upset, but very respectful Waldorf resident raised concerns over the recent street repair project. This resident believed the engineers should have informed her that her drainage pipes were broken prior to completing repairs on city drains. Council members explained that the drainage pipes on the residential side are the resident’s responsibility, not the city’s. After about 45 minutes, and a lot of input, Wilkening said it was time to move on from the subject. 

Approved during the meeting were a laundry list of regular items including the previous meeting’s minutes, the night’s agenda, a payment to Holtmeier construction, all of the night’s regular reports, and various account balances. Impactful for Waldorf residents was a decision to increase the rental fee for using the city’s community building, which went up $25. A motion was also approved to increase the fee for city-provided mowing of unruly yards from $50 to $100. 

Many other items were discussed throughout the meeting including Christmas light decoration, the success of the Burger Corn Feed which drew more than 300 people, and what can be done to make next year’s Waldorf Days All School reunion even better. 

An insurance claim of $3,500 was submitted to reimburse the city for the band which didn’t perform because of the rain during the All School reunion. 

The annual city audit should be done and submitted by the end of September. Mayor Wilkening complimented Britton’s excellent bookkeeping. 

The community center’s roof appears to be fixed, and if there are no leaks, the ceiling tiles will go in next. Also at the community center, the cleaning lady resigned, so the city is looking to fill that position. 

A resident voiced concerns over the four-way stop in town and the council agreed to look into posting reduced speed ahead signs on Highways 3 and 74. 

In the Mayor’s minute report, Wilkening said the city plans to hold a special meeting in October to discuss special funding opportunities to increase housing in the city of Waldorf. “We want to capture this money before other, bigger cities find out about it,” he said. 

A zoning issue regarding a council member’s business will require a public meeting to officially resolve via a conditional use permit next month. Property owners were notified by mail.

Under new business, a resident suggested the city purchase the school building in town and provided a long list of potential benefits if the city were to acquire ownership. 

In ordinances, beginning January 1, 2023, rental property owners will have stricter guidelines. “You’re here to maintain your properties, not just to make money,” Wilkening stated. “I heard some horror stories out there I couldn’t believe.” 

Regarding city addresses, the mayor shared a story of a helicopter landing to provide emergency medical attention, and emergency workers being unable to locate the property. The city is working on a plan to clarify and make new addresses within the city official. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m.