Mayor Brian Holmer has declared May 19-25 as Emergency Services Week in Thief River Falls. He is pictured with Kali Muchow from Thief River Falls Area Ambulance. TRFAA will host an emergency services event Wednesday, May 22, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the parking lot of the Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center.

by April Scheinoha
Reporter

The job is now officially hers. Angie Philipp is the new city administrator for the city of Thief River Falls. The Thief River Falls City Council approved her promotion at its meeting Tuesday, May 7.

Philipp has served as the city’s finance director for the past five years. She has also served as the interim city administrator since Rod Otterness’ retirement Jan. 29. Philipp previously served as interim city administrator for five months between the tenures of Otterness and former City Administrator Larry Kruse in 2016.

Philipp will be paid an annual salary of $108,428 for three months dating back to April 1. On July 1, that amount will increase to $114,135, and on Jan. 1, that amount will increase to $116,989 annually.

Three council members, Curt Howe, Rachel Prudhomme and Mike Lorenson, raised concerns about Philipp’s promotion. Noting it wasn’t personal, Howe and Prudhomme said community members were concerned that Philipp didn’t have as much experience as Otterness. Lorenson was worried about Philipp’s stress level.

Mayor Brian Holmer noted that Philipp will have more responsibilities than Otterness. He essentially described the position as a combination city administrator and finance director position. For example, Philipp will still handle city budgets and elections as well as oversee the city audit. Those responsibilities were a part of her former position.

Council members Jerald Brown and Steve Narverud voiced their support for Philipp. Brown said he wanted the city to look for homegrown talent and not hire someone who is waiting for retirement or to build his or her resume. In the past, the city utilized a firm that oversaw the hiring process on the city’s behalf. “They run an unemployment office for fired city administrators,” Brown said.

In a related, separate matter, the council approved the job description banding/grading for the position of accountant and opening the position for filling. The Teamsters job will be opened to the Teamsters union for 10 days and then, if no one from the Teamsters union applies, it will be opened to the public. The top wage for the position is $30.14 per hour.

While discussing Philipp’s promotion from finance director to city administrator, city leaders decided to eliminate her former position and create the new position of accountant. The accountant position is a lower banded/graded position. The position will report to the city administrator. The change is expected to save the city $25,000 annually.

The council learned the city has received a $600,000 Minnesota Small Cities Development Program grant. As part of its 2019 Street and Utilities Improvement Project, the city plans to improve lighting in an area bordered by and including First Street, Fourth Street, Knight Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. In an interview with The Times, Public Works Director Mark Borseth said, depending on bids, the grant is expected to cover 60 to 75 percent of the lighting.

Lou Tasa and Holly Kostrzewski from the Toward Zero Deaths Coalition appeared before the council. Among other things, they spoke about the importance of wearing seat belts.

Most of the traffic deaths in this area occur when a vehicle travels off of the road and the motorist is thrown from the vehicle, Tasa said.

“That’s how I lost my son,” Holmer replied.

To further illustrate the point, Tasa and Kostrzewski showed pictures from fatal accidents involving individuals thrown from their vehicles.

“The cars are now designed with a cage,” said Tasa, who noted that vehicle occupants greatly increase their chances of survival if they wear a seat belt and therefore stay in the cage.

The council approved advertising for bids to replace a 20-foot wastewater force main.

The city plans to replace the force main for Lift Station 9 near Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village. Installed in the early 1970s, the current force main has experienced major corrosion. The project is estimated to cost $2.7 million. Bonds will be sold for this project. Wastewater funds will cover the cost of the bonds.

Water Systems Superintendent Wayne Johnson said this project had initially been slated for 2020; however, the Digi-Key construction project and the West Side Flood Damage Reduction Project led the city to move the wastewater force main project up a year.

Holmer signed a proclamation declaring May 19-25 as Emergency Services Week in Thief River Falls. The proclamation noted “the emergency medical services system consists of first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police officers, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, trained members of the public, and other out-of-hospital medical care providers.”

The proclamation further stated “the members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their lifesaving skills.”

Kali Muchow, representing Thief River Falls Area Ambulance, provided information about TRFAA’s emergency services event Wednesday, May 22, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the parking lot of the Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center. The public will be able to see emergency vehicles from the TRFAA, Thief River Falls Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol and AirMed. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served.

City Council approved a premises permit gambling application for Confidence Learning Center at The Puck on Third. Confidence Learning Center provides camps for developmentally disabled adults and children as well as those who are deaf and/or hard-of-hearing.

The next council meeting is scheduled Tuesday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.