News

City Council approves annexations and zones

By Scott Wagar

02/12/2013

On Feb. 5, the Bottineau City Council held its monthly meeting and looked at a variety of items, which included annexation and rezoning, electrical bids, the town’s game cleaning station, news on a building inspector and an alderman who resigned from the council.

When it came to development of the city, Fred Kainz stated the planning committee had made a flow chart which will assist developers with a step by step instruction chart through the development process, which was approved by the council.

Kainz then moved to hold a protest hearing on March 3 regarding an annexation and rezoning of Kersten’s Eighth Addition for Gene Kersten and Clyde Kersten. The addition is located in the northeast section of town and the Kerstens want it zoned from agriculture to R-2, because they have sold three of the four lots for a housing project in that area. The council passed the request.

Kainz made second requests for Kersten to conduct a protest hearing for the annexation and rezoning of additional land in the area. The council also passed this request.

Kainz then requested a third protest hearing. This time it was for MGD rentals who want to annex and rezone Lot 1 Block 1, Sunrise Second Addition from agriculture to R-2 to construct a four-plex.

The council carried the motion.

During the meeting, Kainz also stated that Roland Township turned down an offer by the city to share a building inspector. With Roland Township not interested in sharing a building inspector, Kainz stated that the planning committee members recommended that the city hire a part-time building inspector, and asked that their request be transferred over to the employment committee to be studied. The council passed the request.

The city council opened two bids for outlet work in the City Armory. The first bid was received from Electrical Solution for $1,061. The second bid came from Home and Electrical Solutions for $800. The council accepted the second bid.

The finance committee made the recommendation to grant $8,984 to Bottineau’s Chamber of Commerce for funding a new grinder at the game cleaning station and assisting it with supplies for the volunteers who clean the facility. The council passed the motion. The money will come from the VPCC fund.

In the final business of the evening, Mayor Ben Aufforth stated that council member Steve Brandt handed in a letter of resignation to him, stating personal reasoning.

With Brandt’s seat vacant, residents in Bottineau now have 15 days to file a petition for a special election to fill his seat. After the 15 days, the city can hold its own election, leave it vacant until Brandt’s term ends (which will be June of 2014) or appoint a local resident city wide to the seat.