City approves CUP for in-home daycare

The Tea City Council met Oct. 19.

Vicki Pick with the Community Hall asked the council for an update on construction at the old police station for the museum and meeting room during public comment. Councilman Aaron Otten said that demolition is done in the old police station and should be completed in about a month.

The council held a public hearing for a conditional use permit for an in-home daycare at 500 S. Poplar Ave. Community development director Albert Schmidt said they plan to have 7-12 children in their care.

 The property has a fenced backyard and has up to three space for drop-off and pickup. Speaking on behalf of the applicant, Jeannean Holmlund, her husband said she has been looking at opening an in-home daycare in their home for a while and does not plan to be licensed by the state. The council approved the CUP.

Schmidt provided the second reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 94, Health and Sanitation; Nuisances Noxious Weeds, Grasses and Vegetation Sections 94.50 to 94.99 of the municipal ordinances of Tea. 

The amendments allows the mayor to have the authority to appoint someone to regulate and control nuisance trees and other woody plants upon private property only when an action is demonstrably necessary for public safety or to prevent the spread of disease or insects to the public trees and places. The occupant, person in charge or owner of any land in the city shall keep the property free of nuisance trees and other woody plants by treating or removing as approved by the city. After no public comment the council approved the second reading.

The council approved the resolution for the drainage fee at $0.00017333767516399 which would generate about $112,000. They also approved the resolution for the annual street maintenance assessment at $1.35 per front foot. That is an increase of 10 cents per front foot from last year and will generate about $500,000.

Schmidt provided information about the 2027 valuation rate. He looked at information from Box Elder, Rapid City, Brandon, Harrisburg, Sioux Falls, Watertown and Mitchell for market comparisons. The last time the city looked at this was 2022. He provided five proposals. The general consensus of the council was to go to the middle of the road with option 3 that would add a breakdown for foundation and slabs so that permits for only those improvements can be calculated instead of using contractor’s estimate and for full house permits the foundation is added to the costs for any section of house with a basement and the slab is added for anything on slab. This option has an increase of 30 percent in valuation rates. No action was taken at this meeting.

Schmidt provided market comparisons for the same cities on building permit fee schedules. He noted building permit fee structures have not been modified since at least 2012. He provided three options for residential and three options for commercial property. The commercial property suggested change Schmidt recommends includes increasing the base fee, rates left very similar for lowest levels and increase the highest two tiers to 33 percent and 50 percent. The residential property suggested change includes increasing rate to cover high inspection cost for smaller projects like decks with a goal of recouping the cost of inspections, rates lowered for lowest levels, raised for mid-levels and kept the same for higher rates but increase the threshold from $200,000 to $1 million. No action was taken.

Schmidt provided draft changes to the commercial zoning districts. He proposes changing it from central business district to centralized business district. He said the biggest difference for general business is the setback. The goal is to add more space between a residence and a taller building. He proposed a 15-foot setback for parking lots and add pedestrian access. No action was taken.

The council continued their 2027 budget review. Police chief Jessica Quigley is considering phasing them encrypted radios. The council was ok with putting money in the budget for radios. Otten asked if they could consider a hybrid on paying firefighters. He asked for a couple of council members to sit down with the fire department to come together on a number that is tolerable. They also talked about irrigation on the south field at the ballpark. 

The council went into executive session at 7:30 a.m.