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City plans new fines

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont City Council is implementing an administrative method of enforcing certain City Code violations.

On Monday, the council adopted a schedule of fines for various infractions such as animals running at large, noise violations, failure to register rental property and open burning and approved seven local attorneys to serve as officers on any appeals.

A public hearing on the amended code is set for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in council chambers at City Hall.

“To make it consistent with the plan we’re going to implement, one part of our code said that a person, after the administrative appeal hearing, they could appeal to the council,” said Mike Humpal, city administrator. “Staff’s thinking is that once they appeal to the administrative hearing, their next option should be district court and not the council. We’re trying to do this to streamline things.”

The process for administrative citations has been in place since 1996 but had never been implemented.

The fine schedule, which was developed from data from other communities, has escalating amounts after the first offense. For example, an animal running at large would bring a $50 fine for a first offense, but that fine would increase to $75 on the second offense and $100 on the third.

Individuals receiving citations can appeal to an administrative hearing officer. These officers include Michael Edman, Brandon Edmundson, Sara Edmundson, Kim Schaffer and Michael Tow, all of Fairmont; and Daniel Lindquist and Bruce Sellers, both of Blue Earth. The officers will be paid at a rate of $165 per hour.

In other business, the council:

o Approved demolition assistance of 50 percent of the actual cost, up to $5,000, for Mark Atkinson to tear down an uninhabitable house at 217 S. Main St.

o Approved an event permit for Soccer Fest for high school boys and girls scrimmages on Saturday at the soccer complex.

o Set a public hearing for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 on the vacation of 13th Street that runs under the former Lincoln School property. Southern Plains Education Cooperative is in the process of purchasing the school, and the County Recorder’s Office was unable to locate documentation that the street has been vacated.

o Renewed an on-sale wine license and on-sale 3.2 beer license for David Hanson for the Deep Freeze.

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