Hugo Bits & Pieces
Update On Hugo Relief Fund
The Hugo Relief Fund contains $442,838,04 and has already paid out $14,776.08 to residents in need, Long Term Recovery Coordinator Nate Ehalt told council during a presentation at the August 4 council meeting.
Contributions to the relief fund have come from varied sources: local schools and businesses, area church groups, and relief organizations have sent money to benefit residents who were devastated in the May 25 tornado (see photo, right).
Money is distributed from the relief fund to residents by the Hugo Long Term Recovery Services Committee, which includes 15 voting members, including churches, non-profits, community and governmental organizations, and volunteer organizations.
Caseworkers work directly with residents affected by the storm. Ehalt told council that there were 47 cases open as of August 4, with five new cases opened that very day.
Out of the money already paid out, Ehalt said that funds were earmarked for essential cooking utensils, time-sensitive bills that couldn’t be paid because of lost wages, and assistance with completing insurance forms and other paperwork.
Although Ehalt’s tenure with the city is slated to come to an end at the end of the month, council indicated that they’re interested in keeping him on staff for a longer period of time and praised him for his work.
“I can’t imagine how our long term recovery would have gone without Nate being here,” said Mayor Fran Miron.
City Approves 2007 Audit Council formally accepted the 2007 city audit, as presented by Jason Miller from the independent accounting firm of Smith Schafer & Associates.
Miller recommended that the city expand the Finance Department so that there is a better segregation of duties, but acknowledged that achieving segregation is difficult for medium-sized communities, and praised the department for the work they do. The Finance Department currently consists of just Finance Director Ron Otkin and a billing clerk.
In other action, the council:
• Received a check for $2,794.00 from Meisters Bar and Grill for the Hugo Relief Fund, following a fundraiser held by the restaurant earlier in the summer.
• Approved a resolution appointing election judges for the city’s primary and general elections this year.
• Approved a temporary 3.2 beer license for Wilson Tool’s annual employee picnic, to be held August 9 at Lions Park.
• Approved the annual performance reviews of Public Works Department employee Mike Loeffler, Public Works Department mechanic Dave Greeder, and Senior Engineering Technician Scott Anderson.
• Approved the sixth pay request from Arnt Construction for work completed on the Rice Lake Soccer Complex for an amount of $131,752.54.
• Approved the eighth pay request from EnComm Midwest, Inc. for work completed on the city’s Well House No. 5 for an amount of $39,089.50.
• Rescheduled a public hearing to discuss the recodification of city code to September 15.
• Scheduled an open house to discuss the Hugo Elementary School street construction project for August 28 at City Hall.
• Rescheduled the September 1 City Council meeting to September 2 because of the Labor Day holiday.
• Approved an application for an outdoor benefit for Brandon Perry, who was badly injured in a car accident on July 9. The benefit will be held on September 6 at the Blacksmith Lounge.
Comments on our coverage? E-mail: Editor@ReadTheCitizen.com and let us know.