Britton Council Talks Road Encroachments, Airport
The Britton City Council meeting on Monday started with a discussion about an easement/ street encroachment. Members of the Cheryl Impecoven trust were present. They noted that several years ago, between the Impecoven property and Ron Tchida’s property, 60 feet of an 80 foot easement was vacated. They now hope to correct a road encroachment. The family requested that the property be surveyed, and the road and each side of it be declared separate lots. The council agreed to move forward with that.
The council also talked about correcting a road encroachment northwest of Wheatcrest Hills on property owned by Jay Marx. Fredrickson said, “We need to figure this out so he’s not paying taxes on a city road.” They discussed the city purchasing the lot. They decided to order a title search to better understand the property.
In budget matters, though the city will not approve the full budget until November, they have to announce to the tax levy. The levy for the next fiscal year will be $534,553. That is how much the city will raise in property tax.
Mike Schmidt, with Helms & Associates, consultant for airport projects, spoke to the council. He presented an agreement for a fuel system design, where the Britton Airport would have selfserve pumps for both 100 low lead and jet A fuel. Schmidt explained that his could be a good revenue source for the city. Mayor Clyde Fredrickson reminded the council that Dakota Ag no longer sells fuel at the airport. He added that Horton will contract to buy fuel. The cost for the project is about $80,000 which includes $32,000 for an environmental review. Schmidt and Fredrickson also noted that that money will not come from taxpayers as the FAA pays a large portion and there are other funds available for it.
The group discussed the Horton Water/ Sewer improvement project. The city had already scaled down the project and were hoping they could do it for less than $100,000 to avoid having to bid out the project. The only estimate however was for over $200,000 so they will end up going through the bid process after all.
The council discussed adding a 4-way stop sign on the corner of 7th street and 8th Avenue near the library to slow down traffic.
There will be a special meeting on Monday, September 26 to review bids for the Horton Water Sewer Improvement project and discuss the budget.