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Pine Island’s three new councilmen recited the oath of office at the Jan. 15 council meeting and then hastened to rock the boat. In their upheaval, the rookie trio, Nick Novak, Erik Diskerud and Randy Bates, scuttled the position of city administrator, then jettisoned City Administrator Abraham Algadi.

It started with Novak’s motion to add an item – to consider eliminating the city administrator job – to the agenda. When the motion passed, new Mayor Rod Steele added the item to the end of the agenda. Evidently Novak didn’t want to wait; he launched immediately into a spiel in favor of doing away with the administrator post.

A reminder from Steele that agenda items are taken in order did manage to quiet the new councilman. Steele, who had served as a councilman, was elected mayor in November and like the new council members, had been sworn into office at the meeting.

Time for department heads to get their feet off their desks

When the council arrived at Novak’s agenda item, he moved to eliminate the job of Pine Island city administrator.

The purge would leave a 40-hour-a-week workload without a worker. When asked who would pick up the administrator’s duties, Novak volunteered the mayor and city department heads. He’d already talked with department directors, he said, and was confident they can do the job.

Then contradicting his kudos, Novak added, “It’s time for department heads to get their feet off the desk.”

You can’t do it this way

You can’t just instantly eliminate the position, said City Attorney Bob Vose. You must first revise the city code, which allocates department heads’ duties. Those duties would need to be reallocated.

Novak changed his motion to: eliminate the position of city administrator and amend the city code to reflect the change.

“You have to have code language in front of you,” Vose said, “before you can amend.”

It’s about saving money

Mayor Steele counseled caution. “I’m not excited about the timing. We’ve got a new council and a new mayor and now we’re going to renovate the system.”

Councilman Jerry Vettel agreed about not being hasty, but Novak urged immediate action. Getting rid of the job will save tax dollars, Novak said. “We need to make cuts in spending.”

Doing away with the job would save approximately $100,000 a year in salary and benefits.

It’s about saving money, Novak said, not about Algadi. “This would not be a disciplinary action.”

“It’s going to be difficult to have Abraham do his job,” new councilman Bates said. “Is Abraham going to be able to do his job with this hanging over his head?”

“Try me,” Algadi said. “I will be more than happy to work with you on the transition. It may surprise you that I do care about this city, perhaps more than you do.”

Elk Run business

development

Before the council voted, Bates said he’d like to hear comments from the crowd. The crowd obliged. Several expressed frustration over the high price and slow pace of Elk Run development. One man said since Elk Run’s start, his taxes have gone up 500 percent.

Elk Run, officially called The Biobusiness Park at Elk Run, began several years ago before the economy flopped. A daring and visionary venture, it appeared to promise to bring an economic boom to Pine Island – high-tech businesses and high-tech jobs. No jobs have arrived yet, nor any businesses, nor even any buildings, but access road construction is ongoing, as is optimism among Elk Run advocates that the project will soon thrive.

Algadi has been a strong proponent of Elk Run. Mayor Steele and councilman Vettel also support the development, and Steele said he thinks the council’s new members do, too.

And besides Elk Run . . .

Elk Run’s troubles weren’t the only concerns among the meeting’s attendees. Someone wondered how eager the department heads would be to take on more duties for no more money?

Somebody pointed out that during the campaign, amid rumors that Novak was out to dump Algadi, Novak had vowed that wasn’t so. It still wasn’t so, Novak countered. He liked Algadi, he said. This decision was aimed at saving money.

“Why pick on the city administrator?” asked former councilmen Dean Weis. “Why not the EDA or the finance director?”

Because the administrator’s salary is largest, said Novak.

When the vote came, the new triumvirate prevailed, with Steele and Vettel dissenting.

Violation of open

meeting laws?

Then Novak moved to terminate Algadi’s contract, effective immediately.

When a crowd member suggested first allocating Algadi’s duties, Novak said, “I have talked to these people [city department heads]. I am not thrusting this down their throats.”

Vettel wondered if these discussions Novak has been holding violate open meeting laws. They do not, Novak said, because he hadn’t been sworn in yet.

Then Vettel asked, “What if after a year, we decide we want a city administrator after all?”

“I won’t,” Novak replied. “Only if Elk Run becomes profitable.”

The vote to oust Algadi was 3-2, with Steele and Vettel the dissenters.

A dark vein of intolerance

After his ousting Algadi told the council, “I am prepared to assist you in every way I can. But I do sense a sinister, dark vein of intolerance.”

He didn’t elaborate.

But Weis had something more to say. “To the thousand people who voted for this new regime: You’ve started a good step toward the ruination of this town.”

Weis’ prediction upset Novak, who turned to Steele and pleaded, “How can you let this happen?”

“This is public input,” Weis snapped. “Public input!”

Before he adjourned the meeting, Steele announced, “I took this job with the understanding my task was to bring the town together. When we’re together, it’s a dynamic town. We have to get by this divisiveness.”

Afterwards Steele talked more about the contentious session. “It was a money-saving thing,” he said. “We have a lot of expenses coming up. I think people are upset about things, including Elk Run.”

A longtime Pine Island city employee, Algadi had served as administrator since 2006. Before that he was executive director of the Pine Island Economic Development Authority.

Other business

•In a unanimous vote, the council ordered plans and specifications for the County Road 11 frontage road project. A to-be-determined combination of TIF financing, Rochester sales tax money, MnDOT money, the utility fund and special assessments will pay $2.2 million cost.

The EDA, said its executive director, Karen Doll, considers construction of the road critical to the city’s economic development.

•Councilman Diskerud introduced a motion to decrease the refuse hauler license fee from $5,000 to $400 per year to bring the city’s fee into line with the lower amounts charged by other communities. When councilman Bates asked, “Do we need to drop it that drastically?” Diskerud upped the $400 to $1,500, and the council approved, 5-0.

•The council, without dissent, extended Pine Island’s fee holiday through 2013. This means the city will continue to waive standard charges for zoning and for water and sewer connections. The exemption, which will save homebuilders $1,600 to $1,700 per house, applies to construction of new single-family homes on existing lots.