Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Rash of forged, stolen checks reported in Carver County



The Jan. 7 New Germany City Council meeting began with
City Clerk Shelly Quaas administering the oath of office to incoming Mayor
Franklin Schoenke, and to Steven Van Lith and Paul Roepke, who were reelected
to the council.

The council then passed a motion to approve the agenda.
This change was suggested by Schoenke, and should help keep the meetings
focussed. Space will be included in future agendas for any new business.

Larry Wittsack of the Carver County Sheriff’s Department
provided the sheriff’s report.

Wittsack said that, apart from the numerous accidents that
resulted from icy road conditions last Saturday, things have been relatively
quiet.

Wittsack reported that there has been “a rash of forged
and made-up checks” in the area.

The fraud begins with the theft of checks from mailboxes.
The perpetrators then use the information on the checks to create new checks
on a computer, altering the last three digits of the driver’s license number.

They then create false temporary driver’s licenses using
the same information and back this up with fake identification cards, similar
to those issued by some businesses.

The culprits then use these items to purchase as much merchandise
or gift certificates as they can.

According to Wittsack, the losses in some cases in Chanhassen
have ranged from $1,000 to $5,000. Wittsack and the council discussed notifying
local businesses and possibly hosting a presentation at city hall to educate
people about the crimes.

Jim Borka reported that, although the Bobcat was brought
to the shop twice last summer to resolve the problem with the bucket rising
on its own, the problem still has not been corrected.

Borka said that the city has three options ­ live with
it as it is, spend an estimated $1,000 to $2,500 to try to fix the problem,
or replace the Bobcat.

The council moved to table the discussion until the February
meeting.

Council member and fire chief Steven Van Lith presented
a list of donations made by the New Germany Fire Department Relief Association
Gambling Fund in 2002.

The list included items, such as scholarships, playground
equipment, and the fire department truck and building fund.

The total for all contributions was $32,832.40.

The council discussed changes to the New Germany Planning
Commission. A motion was passed to amend the ordinance so that the commission
will consist of five members, including one member of the council, or the
mayor and four members appointed by, but not part of, the council.

The appointed members will serve two-year terms.

Council member Shirley Jaeger will remain on the planning
commission for the remainder of her term.

Robert Roepke and Jim Pawelk are serving terms that will
expire Dec. 31, 2003.

The council passed a motion to approve a resolution appointing
Paul Engelhart and Aldan Roepke to the remaining positions.

An ordinance establishing rates and regulations concerning
water and sewer services in the city was tabled until the next meeting to
give council members time to review it.

The new ordinance is the product of discussions from previous
meetings.

The council briefly considered a quote from Jilek Insurance
for open meeting law coverage, but decided not to add the coverage at this
time.

Motions were passed to approve several resolutions. These
included adopting the year 2003 budget for the city, adopting the year 2002
levy for collection in 2003, accepting the appointments and organization
for the city, approval of the fire department officers for 2003, and setting
the fee schedule for 2003.

Two soft drink licenses were approved ­ one for Steve’s
Auto Repair, and one joint license for the City of New Germany, the New
Germany Fire Department, and the New Germany Commercial Club.

A 2.3 malt liquor and set-up license was also approved
for this group.

February will mark water and sewer superintendent Robert
Roepke’s 22nd anniversary of service to the city. He received his certification
in 1980 and began working for the city in 1981.

Roepke recommended the city purchase a lockable tool box
to store some of the tools that were purchased in December. This would provide
secure storage for the tools and would allow them to be organized so that
they would be easier to find and use.

He also recommended the purchase of some socket and wrench
holders to help keep things organized.

The original purchase was under budget, which left funds
available for this purpose. The council passed a motion to authorize Roepke
to pick up the needed items.

Roepke also reported that he and Mark Unglaub, with help
from Quaas, had done some cleaning above the rest rooms at the city hall.

Some old benches were moved to the city shed. Roepke recommended
construction of a stud wall to create a record storage room at the city
hall.

This room could include shelving so that boxes of records
could be organized. The council passed a motion to authorize these improvements.

Quaas reported that Norwood Electric has installed emergency
lights in the city hall.

She also reported that she had received a complaint from
a resident who said that a Waste Management truck was seen driving down
the road and losing garbage along the way. Quaas will pass on this complaint
to Waste Management.

Schoenke closed his first meeting as mayor by thanking
the council for the way they have conducted themselves at meetings.

He stated that he appreciated their contributions and thoughtful
discussion.

He said that he appreciated “the way that they had
kept things moving along,” and noted that “council meetings can
be fun.”

He repeated these last two points, which may indicate his
intention to establish this as the tone for meetings during his term of
office ­ meetings that stay focussed on the agenda and keep moving,
but in a relaxed, and even fun, atmosphere.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.