Property sale approved by Royal council

A residential parcel in Royal is poised to go back on the property tax rolls.

Laef Lundbeck was the only interested bidder to appear at the city council meeting on Sept. 18. He offered $3,000 for the parcel located at 110 Long Street. That amount was the minimum the council would accept.

The city acquired the lot in June of 2023 from Marilyn and Ken Means, and has removed the house. The lot is adjacent to Lundbeck’s property.

Lundbeck asked if the city would agree to remove a tree on the property. As part of the motion to accept Lundbeck’s bid, the council agreed to remove the tree, and pay for continuation of the abstract of title and the property taxes currently owed.

“It’s good to see that lot moving forward,” Mayor Josh Toft said. “Even if you leave it bare, it will be better than it was.”

• Roofing bids

Two bids were received for reroofing the community building and city shop. The roofs were damaged in the May hailstorm. The proposals call for installation of a metal roof on the shop and upgrading insulation.

“There’s not a lot of insulation value in the insulation that’s there,” said Maintenance Superintendent Sherman Nielsen. “It’s 45 years old.”

The council hopes to award contracts for the roofing work next month.

The city has also enrolled with FEMA for disaster assistance related to the May hailstorm and June flooding. Although the city did not suffer any direct losses during the latter event, Royal could be eligible for assistance to cover deductibles for hail damage repairs.

• Street construction, other projects

Sod and dirt have been removed at the site of the new street access to the Royalty Addition, and 40 loads of milled asphalt have been spread for the road surface. Curbing was scheduled to be ground out last week.

A number of other projects have also been completed. Those include pouring of additional sidewalk and removal of the crow’s nest at Memorial Park; installation of an aluminum ramp and other improvements at the Royal Historical Society; and pouring a concrete base at the bottom of the city tree dump.

“It’s been a really good month and a lot of people have stepped up,” Nielsen said.

• Dead tree removal discussion

Determining when a dead or diseased tree is a hazard has become an issue. According to discussion, some trees are dropping limbs in public rights-of-way.

“The ordinance allows [dead trees] unless they are causing damage,” Nielsen said.

Toft suggested limiting how many times the city has to remove limbs from those areas.

“If you have to pick up limbs from a tree in the street or the parking more than two times a month, it is a hazard,” he said.

In other business, the council discussed paying off a drainage assessment owed by the city. Those assessments carry a 5 percent interest rate on balances not paid.

“I’m always cautious. Pay what we have to pay and then we have six months to sort it out,” said Council Member Sara Ricke.

Council Member Jeff Van Westen added, “See if we’re comfortable with everything in six months and go from there.”