News

Councils holds December meeting

By Scott Wagar

12/10/2013

The Bottineau City Council held its December meeting this past Monday where the councilmen discussed a number of issues, which included the sewer expansion project, the city election in June, bids for a new garbage truck and its cans and a building permit that was denied for a local couple in town who feel they were treated unfairly in the permit process.

BUILDING PERMIT
 
Jamie and Lori Pladson were present to discuss a building permit which concerned a garage they moved on to a lot they own in the community. The issue concerning the building permit came after Bottineau’s building inspector, Clayton Parrill, gave them verbal permission to move the garage on to their property before the planning commission and council granted them a building permit. City ordinance also states that no secondary building (like a garage) can be erected prior to a residential house being constructed on the lot.

Once permission was given to the Pladsons by Parrill, they moved a garage on to the lot.

However, the Pladsons were informed by the city a short time later they had to move the building off the lot because they did not have a building permit granted to them by the council; and, they had not yet built their future home on the property.

Parrill also told the city that he never gave verbal permission to the Pladsons to move the garage on the lot.

There were other issues like zoning that caused conflict for the Pladsons and their garage being moved on site.  

Since that time, the Pladsons have moved the garage off their property, but feel they were mistreated by the council and building inspector.

The Pladsons also applied for a building permit recently to place the garage on the property, but the planning commission rejected the bid due to the city’s ordinance.

This past Monday evening, the Pladsons attended the council meeting and Lori Pladson made a statement before the council about the building permit, Alderman Fred Kainz and Parrill.

“We would first like to talk about the building permit we applied for and was denied after Clayton (Parrill) gave us verbal permission to move it. The planning commission gave us three different excuses about why we couldn’t have the permit. One, being it is not about what Clayton said or itdidn’t say. Two, it is not about verbiage in the ordinance. And three, it’s about what the planning committee feels is the right thing.

Well, this is about what Clayton said. And, it is about the words in the ordinance because it clearly states erect and we are not erecting a building, we are moving something in. You cannot change things to suit your needs.

The planning committee gave us an option to rezone but that goes against the consistent and acceptable building practices they are trying to enforce. If that is the case, then how did Fred (Fred Kainz, city council member) get his residential lot rezoned and was able to put up a pole barn? Who signed his permit and was this brought before the council for a vote?

Fred is a local contractor, and with him being on the planning commission that is a conflict of interest and he needs to be removed as he did not use consistent and acceptable practices for his own use.

As for the building inspector, Clayton is running his son’s construction company who happens to live in Arizona. Who’s inspecting his jobs? Is he doing it himself? And, if he is, would that not be a conflict of interest?

We feel that the only wrong doing on our part is taking Clayton’s word. The planning committee has done nothing but jerk us around from the start and we should be granted our permit as there has been much wrong doing from this committee and the building inspector.”

Kainz spoke first and told the Pladsons that his building on north Sinclair went through similar issues they are currently facing when getting his edifice constructed. Kainz added that he went through a number of meetings, and at times, was voted down, until he met all the city ordinances.

Parrill did not attend the meeting, so the Pladson received no information about Parrill’s verbal agreement with them. However, the council did state that Parrill’s son was moving from Arizona to Bottineau and would be living in the community by Jan. 1.

Council member Greg Bernstein made attempts to see if he could grant the Pladsons the building permit they wanted. Bernstein stated the council should consider what happened to the Pladson and grant the permit.

However, at that time, Mayor Ben Aufforth asked the city’s attorney, Swain Benson, what the city legally could do in this incident. Benson stated that it was the council’s responsibility to follow the law of the ordinance.

With that, the council members made the pronouncement to support the planning committee’s decision on the Pladson’s request.

TRUCK AND CAN BIDS

In other city news, bids for a new garbage truck and the cans which will be used with the new truck were opened.

The truck bids were opened first. Peterbilt’s bid was $242,425 while Mack’s bid was $246,070. Sanderson made the motion to accept the Peterbilt’s bid because Peterbilt was located in Minot. The council voted in favor Peterbilt’s bid.

The can bids were opened next with the flowing bids:

Sanitation Products

96 gallon can - $62.96 each
48 gallon can - $54.39 each
One time die charge for stamp (the cans will be stamped with a number and the City of Bottineau) - $300
Freight - $5,809.39

300 gallon bin - $300 each
One time die charge for the stamp - $500
Freight - $3,500

Nodak Supply:

96 gallon - $75.14 each
48 gallon - $56.21 each
300 gallon - $416.37
No charge for die stamp and shipping

Although Nodak Supply’s overall total bid was higher by approximately $2,000 higher, Sanderson moved to give the bid to Nodak because the business is local. The council voted in favor of Nodak’s bid.

SEWER EASEMENT

Matt Johnson from Wold Engineering discussed the sewer expansion project with the council and stated that the project was behind a little due to the fact the contractor had broken the city’s waterline on Dec. 3. Johnson added that the project is estimated to be completed this week.

CITY ELECTION FOR 2014

The location of the June 2014 city election was approved with the council voting to have the polling place at the Bottineau County Courthouse.

The first day to circulate petitions is Jan. 1. Petitions can be picked up at the city office in the Bottineau Armory.

The seats of Jeff Hall, Diane Lorenz, Gary Mortensen and one current open seat will be on the election ballot, along with Aufforth’s mayor seat.

During the council meeting, the mayor and the council members who seats are up, didn’t state whether or not they will re-run for their seats.