The Monday, Nov. 17 Hastings City Council meeting had council members discussing how best to certify outstanding utility balances at the end of the year and clearing the way for a new church in the city.

Utility balances
City councilors certified outstanding utility rates of more than $50.01 to Dakota County for collection.
Currently, the city has $101,773.19 in outstanding utility bills. Annually, the city will certify these outstanding bills to Dakota County for collections.
That being said, this process incurs a $50 fee to each account regardless of the outstanding balance. These balances range from thousands of dollars down to $0.75. Similar small fees were more like “clerical errors” than purposefully avoiding water bills, said Councilor Lisa Leifeld.
Rather than stamp a $50 fee onto such small outstanding account, councilors set the cutoff at $50 which keeps those accounts within the city’s billing system with the outstanding amount but avoids the new fee.
“It’s not writing them off, it’s keeping them in the standard billing system,” said City Administrator Dan Wietecha.
Wietecha called the city’s utility billing system “robust” in making efforts at collecting outstanding water balances but that the city isn’t “looking to shut off water.”
The change was unanimously approved.

Churches in ag zones
Hastings Economic Development Director John Hinzman spoke to a new ordinance change for the city which would allow churches to be built in agriculturally zoned areas within the city.
According to Hinzman, this request came from Paris Pasch of The Journey Church, which had intended on coming to Hastings but was having difficulty finding a location in town.
If any church attempts to create a church in an agriculturally zoned area, it will require city council approval and public notices will be sent out to property owners within 350 feet of the area.