The Perham City Council was called to order at 5:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10:
Amy Baldwin, Community Development Director for Otter Tail County, gave a short presentation on the county’s tax rebate program, also known as the Big Build project , to help to qualifying families throughout Otter Tail County to revitalize or build new year-round homes. Baldwin mentioned that this rebate program is based on programs that already exist in nearly half a dozen counties in Minnesota. The county program is already active in Perham. Baldwin asked the council to consider for the City of Perham to take part in the city rebate program.
Concerned citizen Kelli Wegscheid made an appeal to the council to consider adding traffic control in the spring. The traffic control was requested in the form of stop signs on the uncontrolled intersections between: Third, Fourth and Fifth Avenue Southwest and between Third Street Southwest and Eighth Street Southwest. The reason for the request is increased traffic in that neighborhood due to the schools, Boys and Girls Club, and afterschool activities.
Citizen Curt Osterfeld asked that the council table discussions and approval on the proposed plans and specification and ordering advertisement for bids for the Industrial park Improvement Project until the next council meeting so that more citizens could be present. The City Council chose to proceed with the discussion and approved the item. The current proposal’s main purpose was to approve the advertisement of bids for the proposed project. Advertising and looking at bids for the project the city will be able to have a clearer idea of the cost of the Industrial Park Improvement Project, and does not lock the city into an agreement with the bidders. The council will have the option in March to decided if they will be moving forward with the project after the estimated cost from the bids are available to them. There will be more public hearings on the project over the course of the year.
City Offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 17, for President’s Day.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, a Special Council Meeting and Committee of the Whole Meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
The 2020 Perham Hospital District Annual meeting is at the Cactus, also on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Supper will be served at 6 p.m. and the meeting will follow.
The next Regular Council Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 9, at 5:15 p.m.
