BLUE EARTH — Dangerous dogs and potentially dangerous dogs are an issue on the rise in Blue Earth, but Blue Earth City Council are on top of the issue.

During their meeting on Sept. 4, a hearing for two potentially dangerous dogs was held. Todd Schmidtke, on behalf of his daughter Jenna and son TJ, whose dogs were both involved in a recent incident after aggressively chasing a mail carrier, met with the council regarding the two dogs.

According to a police report, the mail carrier went to the Schmidtke property where both an English spaniel and a golden retriever/lab mix showed their teeth and chased the carrier off the property. Neither of the two dogs were leashed, according to the report. The two dogs were not licensed at the time, but are now.

Council member Glenn Gaylord asked Schmidtke why the council should overturn the issue of the dogs. Schmidtke’s response was that the dogs were super friendly and are usually spooked by mailmen. He also stated his daughter’s partner, Tanner Nawrocki, was in charge of the dogs at the time.

“I think we are going to need some assurance that this won’t happen again,” said Gaylord to Schmidtke. “What’s your plan to ensure this won’t happen again?”

The council brought up thoughts of fencing around the property of the house where the dogs reside, as well as speaking with insurance regarding both dogs’ potentially dangerous status.

Schmidtke, who is not the owner of either dog, stated he would bring the information back to the dog owners. It was then that the council decided to postpone the hearing until both dog owners were present.

In other topics, the Blue Earth City Council also had a hearing regarding a tax increment financing (TIF) plan for Blue Earth’s Three Sisters buildings.

City administrator Tim Ibisch informed the council the TIF’s lifespan of 26 years would meet the criteria of the three Main Street buildings. Ibisch explained the TIF plan would be controlled by the city.

The tenants on the TIF plan would pay their taxes normally, however the increment value collected over the next and future tax years would be collected by the city at the end of the 26-year period. Ibisch stated this plan would be beneficial to the community in the long run.

The Council also:

q Approved the purchase of four more dumpsters for the city’s dumpster use program, increasing the trash removal fee from $1 per household to $2.

q Discussed and later approved a recycling increase of 55 cents, raising the rates from $3.80 per household to $4.35.