The City Council of the City of Marion, South Dakota met in regular session on Monday, March 1, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the meeting room of the City Building with the following council members present: Mike Ellefson, Dee Herlyn, Jeff Jeno, Bill Konda and Dave Viet, together with the Mayor Ron Globke and Finance Officer Kari Muller. Also attending the meeting was City Superintendent Larry Hopf and City Maintenance employee Dustin Sulzle. City Engineer Jon Fischer was present from 7:05 p.m. – 7:50 p.m. Turner County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Rebelein was present from 7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Absent: none.

Ione Hadican and Elaine VanLoh, representing the Marion Senior Citizens Center, were present and requested the appropriation of $1000.00 for the Center’s operating expenses. Motion was made by Herlyn, seconded by Konda to release the funds in the amount of $1000.00 from the 2010 appropriation to the Marion Senior Citizens Center. Motion carried.

Discussion was held on the sanitary sewer improvements project, with City Engineer Jon Fischer present. Continuing further south with the work to utilize all funds procured was addressed, with information distributed by Fischer on the different options requested by the city. Following review of and discussion on the options, the decision was made to have Fischer design plans in consideration of replacing the sewer along Park Avenue from Hieb Street to the south.

Turner County Sheriff’s Deputy Rebelein was present and a monthly law enforcement report for February was distributed and reviewed.

A complaint received regarding visibility concerns at an intersection due to a woodpile was addressed. Following discussion on the matter, the decision was made to have Deputy Rebelein review the property/intersection and report back to the Council.

Discussion was held on pitching machines, with information presented and reviewed on different options. Motion was made by Viet, seconded by Herlyn to purchase two portable, mechanical pitching machines at a cost of approximately $250.00 each and a quantity of baseballs/softballs. Motion carried.

Applications received for the Swimming Pool manager and lifeguards positions were reviewed. Motion was made by Jeno, seconded by Ellefson to hire the following individuals for the 2010 season: Linda Luke, Pool Manager; Cara Schardin, Lifeguard; Allison Luke, Lifeguard; Seth York, Lifeguard; Dustin Saarie, Lifeguard. Motion carried. Wages will be established at the regular April meeting.

It was advised new diving boards are needed for the swimming pool. City Superintendent Hopf advised of an approximate cost of $900.00 plus freight per board. Council approval was given for the purchase of two boards.

Follow up discussion was held on the matter of land at the City’s rubble site to be leased by Central Farmers Cooperative. A preliminary draft of the lease was presented and reviewed. It was advised the mayor will continue to work with Central Farmers and the city attorney on the matter.

An application received for the Summer Help position was reviewed. Motion was made by Jeno, seconded by Ellefson to hire Brady Viet for the Summer Help position. Voting aye: Konda, Ellefson, Herlyn, Jeno. Abstaining: Viet. Motion carried. The wage will be established at the regular April meeting.

Discussion was held on a law enforcement patrolling concern, with the decision made to have the mayor follow up on the matter.

The council will meet as the Local Equalization Board on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. and if needed, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Information was provided on the Annual District 3 Meeting to be held on April 8^th in North Sioux City.

It was advised a community center committee will be formed, to be chaired by Ryan Wieman. The committee will report to the City Council.

Discussion was held on an ongoing property upkeep/animal matter, with the decision made to have City Superintendent Hopf follow up on the matter.

Motion to adjourn by Viet, seconded by Ellefson at 9:20 p.m.

Pursuant to the call and the notice thereof, the School Board of the Marion School District #60-3, Marion, Turner County, SD met in special session on the first day of March, 2010 at 7:00 pm.

Members Present: Bartscher, Koehn, Nelson, and Preheim. Absent: Langerock.

Officers Present: Denise Fox, Superintendent; Adam Shaw, Secondary Principal; and Aaron Thompson, Business Manager. Absent: None.

Guests Present: Dean Christensen – Deuel Superintendent, and several community members in a Public Forum setting.

Call to order was made by School Board President Peter Preheim at 7:00 pm.

Action 09/10-89: Agenda – On motion by Bartscher, second by Koehn to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

School Board President Peter Preheim introduced Dean Christiansen for a presentation on four-day school weeks.

Dean Christiansen gave a PowerPoint presentation informing the public of his experience and research on four-day school weeks.

School Board President Peter Preheim gave the public an opportunity to ask questions regarding a four-day week.

Action 09/10-90: Adjourn – On motion by Bartscher, second by Nelson to adjourn the School Board Meeting at 9:04 pm. Motion carried.

Pursuant to the call and the notice thereof, the School Board of the Marion School District #60-3, Marion, Turner County, SD met in special session on the eighth day of March, 2010 at 6:00 pm.

Members Present: Bartscher, Koehn, Langerock, Nelson, and Preheim. Absent: None.

Officers Present: None. Absent: Denise Fox, Superintendent; Adam Shaw, Secondary Principal; and Aaron Thompson, Business Manager.

Guests Present: None

Call to order was made by School Board President Peter Preheim at 6:00 pm.

Action 09/10-91: Agenda – On motion by Bartscher, second by Langerock to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-92: Personnel – On motion by Bartscher, second by Koehn to go into executive session for the purpose of Personnel (Superintendent Applicants) at 6:01 pm. Motion carried. School Board President Peter Preheim declared out of executive session at 6:55 pm.

Action 09/10-93: Adjourn – On motion by Nelson, second by Langerock to adjourn the School Board Meeting at 6:55 pm. Motion carried.

Pursuant to the call and the notice thereof, the School Board of the Marion School District 60-3, Marion, Turner County, SD met in regular session on the eighth day of March, 2010 at 7:00 pm.

Members Present: Bartscher, Koehn, Langerock, Nelson, and Preheim. Absent: None.

Officers Present: Denise Fox, Superintendent; Adam Shaw, Secondary Principal; and Aaron Thompson, Business Manager. Absent: None.

Guests Present: Farrell Anderson – from Tremco, Inc.; Bryan Luke; Shannon Luke; Sara Kettwig; Becky Mohr; Karri Wieman; Keith Engbrecht; Diane Engbrecht; Cassie Engbrecht; Deann Schmidt; Tami Miller; Cynda Miller; Mara Rentschler; and Courtney Harris

Call to order was made by President of the School Board, Peter Preheim, at 7:00 pm.

Action 09/10-94: Agenda – On motion by Langerock, second by Bartscher to amend the agenda to the following: 16 – Board Matters (Executive Session), 17 – Personnel (Executive Session), 18 – Resignation, 19 – Adjourn; then to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-95: Minutes – On motion by Koehn, second by Langerock to approve the previous month’s minutes, and to acknowledge receipt of the Cornbelt Educational Cooperative minutes. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-96: Financial Reports – On motion by Nelson, second by Bartscher to approve the financial reports of the District as shown in Table 1 (to be published in paper). Motion carried.

Action 09/10-97: Bills for Consideration – On motion by Koehn, second by Langerock to approve the following claims against the District for the month of March, and then to approve checks to be issued in their payment. Motion carried. (Bills to be published in paper)

Farrell Anderson from Tremco, Inc. came before the Board to discuss roof repair options for the Marion School.

Action 09/10-98: Roof Repairs – On motion by Koehn, second by Langerock to seek bids for proposal on roof replacement with single-ply TPA reinforced membrane mechanically attached (White-Energy Star Rated) for the old gym area and section C, and metal coping cap on sections A & B of the Marion School. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-99: Delegations / Personnel – On motion by Bartscher, second by Nelson to go into executive session for the purpose of Personnel Matters at 7:36 pm. Motion carried. President of the School Board, Peter Preheim, declared out of executive session at 7:47 pm.

Sara Kettwig came before the Board to ask that the teachers/staff meet with the Board and Administration to discuss comments, questions, and concerns on the four-day school week. Becky Mohr informed the Board that Senior Experience Projects will take place at the end of March.

School Board President Peter Preheim informed the Board that a representative will be needed for the Board of Equalization meeting this month. Rick Nelson will represent the School Board for the Marion meeting, and Danny Koehn will be the representative for the Monroe meeting. Legislation issues were also discussed.

Aaron Thompson gave the Business Manager report. He informed the Board on the food service request for proposal, the School Board election will be held at the School on April 13, and on 2010/2011 fiscal year budget preparations.

Adam Shaw gave the Secondary Principal report. He informed the Board on Students of the Month, Dakota STEP testing, Prom, junior high & high school Quiz Bowl, Senior Experience projects, athletic equipment purchases, and 25% participation at the spring parent/teacher conference.

Denise Fox gave the Superintendent report. She informed the Board on the 96% participation at the elementary parent/teacher conference, American Legion essays, student assemblies, Band trip to St. Louis, updates on the AC project and crack in gym wall, enrollment numbers, District tournaments, and legislative updates. Mrs. Fox also wanted to congratulate Carmen, Casey, and Christina Raville for being selected to sing the national anthem at the Girls’ State B Basketball Tournament on March 13, 2010.

The Board discussed the 2010/2011 school calendar, and decided to keep the five-day week for the 2010/2011 school year, while continuing to research and survey on a four-day week for future school years.

The Board discussed the Online Course Policy.

Action 09/10-100: Approve Nurse Contract – On motion by Koehn, second by Bartscher to approve the School Nurse contract from the County Nurse through PMHHS for the 2010/2011 fiscal school year. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-101: Board Matters – On motion by Langerock, second by Bartscher to go into executive session for the purpose of Board Matters at 8:40 pm. Motion carried. President of the School Board, Peter Preheim, declared out of executive session at 8:55 pm.

Action 09/10-102: Personnel – On motion by Bartscher, second by Langerock to go into executive session for the purpose of Personnel Matters at 8:55 pm. Motion carried. President of the School Board, Peter Preheim, declared out of executive session at 9:12 pm.

Action 09/10-103: Resignation – On motion by Bartscher, second by Nelson to accept the resignation of Ron Nelson as Secondary Ag/Science/FFA Teacher for the end of the 2009/2010 school year, and to thank him for his years of service teaching at the Marion School. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-104: Adjourn – On motion by Langerock, second by Bartscher to adjourn the school board meeting at 9:15 pm. Motion carried.

The Marion Business & Professional Organization met on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. at the Tieszen Memorial Home with 13 members in attendance. Businesses present were: Al’s Studio, Central Farmers, City Economic Development Coordinator, Donlan’s Foodland, Farmers State Bank, Postmaster Diane Schoenwald, Rapp Chevrolet, Rex’s Plumbing, Schmidt Country, Southeastern Electric, Tieszen Chiropractic Clinic, Tieszen Memorial Home, Wieman Land and Auction.

Kari Muller, Secretary/Treasurer, distributed the February 11^th meeting minutes and a financial report, with both approved as presented.

Discussion was held on the promotional drawing for the month of April. The decision was made to hold a drawing for an Easter ham, as donated by Rapp Chevrolet. The drawing will be held on April 1^st.

Discussion was held on the Free Bingo event that has been hosted by the organization on the Saturday of the Summer Celebration, with the decision made to host the event this year.

Follow-up discussion was held on renewed interest in the possibility of constructing a community center in Marion. Ryan Wieman addressed the group, advising he is chairing a community center committee. It was advised that anyone interested in serving on the committee should contact Ryan. Various aspects were addressed, including land availability, building size & cost, and parking issues.

Additional information was presented and discussion was held on Marion’s involvement as a pass-through community in the 2010 Argus Leader Tour de Kota. Discussion was held on various, related aspects, including the need for multiple-entity involvement, food/meals, and signage.

The monthly Southeast Enterprise Facilitation Project facilitator report was distributed.

The next meeting will be at 12:00 p.m. on April 8, 2010 at the Tieszen Memorial Home.

Pursuant to the call and the notice thereof, the School Board of the Marion School District #60-3, Marion, Turner County, SD met in special session on the twelfth day of March, 2010 at 7:00 pm.

Members Present: Bartscher, Koehn, Nelson, and Preheim. Absent: Langerock.

Officers Present: Adam Shaw, Secondary Principal. Absent: Denise Fox, Superintendent; and Aaron Thompson, Business Manager.

Guests Present: None.

Call to order was made by School Board President Peter Preheim at 7:00 pm.

Action 09/10-105: Agenda – On motion by Koehn, second by Nelson to approve the agenda. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-106: Personnel – On motion by Bartscher, second by Koehn to go into executive session for the purpose of Personnel (Superintendent Interview) at 7:01 pm. Motion carried. School Board President Peter Preheim declared out of executive session at 8:55 pm.

Action 09/10-107: Offer Contract – On motion by Bartscher, second by Koehn to offer Adam Shaw a CEO/Superintendent & Elementary Principal contract for the 2010/2011 fiscal school year. Motion carried.

Action 09/10-108: Adjourn – On motion by Nelson, second by Koehn to adjourn the School Board Meeting at 9:04 pm. Motion carried.

The City Council of the City of Marion, South Dakota met in special session on Monday, March 15, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the City Building with the following council members present: Mike Ellefson, Dee Herlyn, Jeff Jeno, Bill Konda and Dave Viet, together with the Mayor Ron Globke and Finance Officer Kari Muller. Absent: none. Rick Nelson, representing the Marion School Board, was also in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to convene as the Local Board of Equalization.

Tim Luke was present and asking the right to appeal the assessment of his home at 404 S. Broadway Avenue. Luke provided a 2/19/2010 appraisal of his home completed by Kevin Wieman, state registered appraiser. The assessor’s level total for Luke’s property is $44,320.00. Motion was made by Ellefson, seconded by Jeno to lower the assessed value to $29,050.00. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote.

Verle VanLoh was present and asking the right to appeal the assessment of his home at 707 N. Broadway Avenue due to its location. VanLoh addressed dust, traffic and noise issues, as well as the condition and selling price of a neighboring property. The assessor’s level total for VanLoh’s property is $46,725.00. No change was made to the assessor’s value.

Nora Ballweg was present and asking the right to appeal the assessment of her property at 203 E. 2^nd Street. Ballweg advised her house, which is over 100 years old, does not have an attached garage, has not had a structure change since 1979 and the basement has rocks in concrete for walls. The assessor’s level total for Ballweg’s property is $52,605.00. Motion was made by Ellefson, seconded by Viet to lower the assessed value to $44,800.00. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote.

Josh Luke was present and asking the right to appeal the assessment of his home at 605 S. Main Avenue. Luke provided both assessed values and selling prices of multiple, comparable properties. The assessor’s level total for Luke’s property is $211,565.00. Motion was made by Ellefson, seconded by Jeno to lower the assessed value to $190,678.00. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote. Luke also presented an appeal on the assessment of his lot with the legal address as follows: S250’ OF W100’ OF LOT A OF OL62 EXC S150’ OF W50’ OF LOT A OF OL62. Motion was made by Viet, seconded by Konda to request a re-evaluation of the lot. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote.

Sheldon Jensen was present and asking the right to appeal the assessment of his home at 304 E. 2^nd Street. Jensen advised the house does not have a full or finished basement. Assessments of comparable properties were reviewed. The assessor’s level total for Jensen’s property is $50,410.00. Motion was made by Ellefson, seconded by Viet to lower the assessed value to $44,000.00. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote.

Chuck and Linda Luke were present and asking the right to appeal the assessment of their home at 209 E. Center Street. It was advised the house was built in the early 1900’s and has had very little done for major improvements. The assessor’s level total for the Luke’s property is $42,655.00. Motion was made by Viet, seconded by Konda to lower the assessed value to $40,522.00. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote.

The City Council addressed the 5% citywide increase Marion received on residential properties. It was advised the reason for the increase was due to sales in Marion in 2009, specifically those that met the 150% rule (property sold at 150% or more above the assessed value). Of the seventeen sales for Marion, four sales met the 150% rule. Of those four sales, one was bare land (no home/building) and two were homes/buildings valued at less than $7000.00 each. The council advised they believe implementing a citywide increase based off this essentially removes the ‘equalization’ aspect of the process. Motion was made by Herlyn, seconded by Viet to remove the 5% citywide increase and lower all residential assessed values accordingly. Motion unanimously carried upon roll call vote.

No other written appeals were received at the City Office.

Motion was made by Ellefson, seconded by Viet to adjourn at 8:23 p.m. Motion carried.