Royal City appoints council member, increases utility rates

ROYAL CITY — Royal City City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday evening at Royal City City Hall featured the appointment of Stanton Fanning as council member position 1. The previous December council meeting also saw council vote to approve a 2% increase in utility rates. 

Fanning wrote a letter in his application to the position that was read out loud at the meeting.

“I heard that council position 1 is currently available. I would be willing to accept the position if possible to gain the opportunity to serve my community and learn and grow from the individuals that I would be working with on the council,” Fanning said. “I would enjoy doing something for the town in this matter.”

Fanning ran for Royal City City Council in November but lost in a close race with incumbent council member Ryan Piercy for position 4. 

“I love our community and our small town of Royal City. As a member of Royal City, I have formed many relationships throughout the town in my daily work. I have grown to have a fondness for this town, and now I do not see myself leaving this community any time soon,” he said in the letter. “I enjoy the degree of familiarity that we have here. I believe that this is something that makes our town special.”

Position 1 was left vacant after former position 1 council member Michael Christensen took over as Mayor following former Mayor Kent Andersen’s resignation.

“An important reason why I think this position would be a good fit for me and why I think it is something worth volunteering my time to is that in my job as a retail store worker, I learned to enjoy serving this community through customers who I see almost daily, and I derive a feeling of satisfaction from being able to resolve a problem presented by a customer,” Fanning said. “I also would like to be part of a team of individuals who care about things happening in Royal City.”

The council unanimously appointed Fanning before swearing him in at the meeting. Finance Director Janice Flynn said Fanning was the only applicant. 

During the previous council meeting, the council also approved increases to the city’s sewer and water utility rates, increasing both by 2% percent, according to Flynn. 

At Tuesday’s meeting the council also unanimously approved the Water Use Efficiency Program after holding a public hearing with no public comments. 

Planning agency Anderson Perry & Associates Vice President Jake Hollopeter introduced the program and its intention.

“We are working to complete your next water system planning document, which is kind of the roadmap for your water system, both in identifying future needs, documenting what's in your system, how to potentially finance some of those future needs, etc, etc.,” Hollopeter said. “One of the required elements of the plan is there's a section here on water use efficiency. Really the state wants you to promote efficiency within your water system to conserve resources.”

Hollopeter went over the goals, which he said are the same as in the previous plan for the program. 

“On the demand side, the goal is to reduce usage by 2% per residential unit over the next six years. So that's one goal. The other goal is to continue to maintain what's called distribution system leakage, so where water is leaking out of your water system unintentionally, keeping that water distribution system leakage to less than 10%. 10% is kind of the threshold that the state has.”

Hollopeter said the system in Royal City has succeeded in its goals in the past.

“The system's working for your city,” Hollopeter said. “There really isn't a reason to (do anything) more extreme and spend a bunch of money on a more extravagant educational system or things of that nature.”

After approving the water use goals, the council also unanimously approved the final 2024 budget for the city, as well as a 3.88% increase to city staff wages for 2024, which matches Grant County’s wage increase for 2024. 

“I think we need to match the county, personally. I think that would be a smart way to go. The town is running quite well,” Council member Rick Kannely said. “Our employees are doing a great job, and if we could go to 3.88%, I think that would be a good thing.”

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    Planning agency Anderson Perry & Associates Vice President Jake Hollopeter introduces the Water Use Efficiency Program during Tuesday’s Royal City City Council meeting.