By Patrick Shea
SOUTH FORK — On Tuesday, Jan. 22, Trustee Tyler Schmidt was flying solo at Two Rivers BBQ when he shut down his grill, rushed to the South Fork Town Board meeting to conduct government business and returned to cook more food.
With Trustees Lucas Slade, Sarah Stephens and Jim Patterson unavailable, South Fork Town Administrator Dan Hicks made a call to Schmidt to create a quorum for an abbreviated meeting targeting six resolutions. All resolutions passed, and other issues will be addressed in future meetings.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Hicks provided an overview of each resolution, and Town Attorney Gene Farish read them aloud. Mayor Rodney Reed moderated detailed discussions to clarify resolution wording.
Resolution 19-01 (Designation of Official Status for Calendar Year 2019) specified banks for making deposits and managing money. The resolution also identified notice locations for special meetings and other announcements. In addition to the South Fork Tines and Valley Courier, notices are also posted on the Town of South Fork website and at the post office. Also, Resolution 19-01 recorded appointments for multiple positions in town departments.
Next, trustees approved Resolution 19-02 (Authorizing Signatures). Resolution 19-02 identifies who has signing authority for town business through the institutions determined in Resolution 19-01. Most purchases require two signatures, most often Mayor Rodney Reed and the South Fork finance manager.
Resolution 19-03 included wording for renewing existing certificates of deposits with Del Norte Bank. As Trustee Vicky Phillips said after the board discussed dollar figures, “This seems like a good deal.”
With no financial penalty for making the change, Resolution 19-03 consolidated funds to purchase one certificate of deposit with a higher rate of return. Administrator Hicks recalled moving roughly $150,000 two years ago to purchase separate certificates of deposit. They were scheduled to mature at different times this year, but with a scant annual return of 0.5 percent. The consolidation approved by the board matures in 18 months after purchase with no penalty for withdrawal, earning 2.42 percent per year.
Resolution 19-04 also described a process for consolidating money. Three funds totaling almost $19,000 had not been accessed in recent fiscal cycles, originally created for recreation, baseball and police vehicle repairs. The transfer makes it easier for tracking purposes and does not require fees for the change. The finance manager authorized the transfer between banks, and the board approved the consolidation.
Resolution 19-05 officially created a Logger Days Fund, starting with revenues from the successful event in 2018. After covering expenses, this moves approximately $7,000 from the Silver Thread Fund to a Logger Days Event account.
The final vote, Resolution 19-06, designated moving $10,000 from the General Fund into a Water Enterprise Fund. Established in 2007, the Water Enterprise Fund will become more active as more water systems become part of the town’s expanding system. As Hicks explained, the long-term objective is to operate the Water Enterprise Fund on a cash-neutral basis. Resolution 19-06 boosts the balance for conducting business activities and is designed to streamline tracking.
All resolutions passed, and Trustee Schmidt returned to Two Rivers BBQ to reopen for the night.