EYES on Nerstrand

10/12/2021

I have been unable to update this paper as there has been an unexpected and tragic death in my family and I have also been suffering with symptoms of long COVID for a few weeks now. I am unable to continue this mission at this time.

08/12/2021

Here are more of the documents sent to us. Here you will find 2 checks written out of the general fund for playground equipment totaling $31,000 we were told was put in last year, late spring/early summer 2020. These checks were written on 6/10/2020. You will then find a withdrawal from the park fund on 8/7/2020, totaling $31,142.24. And lastly, you will find a deposit into the general fund on 8/11/2020, totaling $31,142.24. We are told that there were no receipts for playground equipment or installation nor any copies of a cashiers check or any other related records of any kind with any of the banking records. We are also told that the clerk stated when asked that she did not know where the money was between the time it was withdrawn from the park fund account and deposited into the general fund, 2 months after checks were written; and told that the clerk acknowledged that she is the one to do the banking. We have to wonder why so much time passed in between those transactions. Why wouldn’t the funds have been put in the general fund immediately after being withdrawn from another bank and why wouldn’t there be a record of a cashiers check for such a large amount? There are several questions here for sure.

08/12/2021

It has come to our attention that the city of Nerstrand plans to sell another city building. This building is apparently being used for storage of maintenance/water tools and supplies and your city council meetings. A city has rules they must follow before they can sell real property and a city may not sell a building that is for public use, they may only sell real property that the city no longer needs. One of the residents who sent us this information also had this to say:
“The council wants to sell the Schiels building but we are told there is no other adequate space for our council meetings. Steve already moved his equipment from the storage garage for it to be sold into the Schiels building and also said he has a lot also stored in the “office”, which would be city hall. So they already sold a building they still needed. Now they want to spend more money to either build a new maintenance shed or purchase a large metal shipping container to be used as the maintenance storage garage. Something about that entire deal stinks. Monica seems to think that council doesn’t have to obey any of the laws and can just do as they please and without notifying the people. There are state statutes on the sale of real property for a city/town and I am sending the link with this message. I brought to the meeting the statutes that would apply to this issue and gave them to council while informing them that there is a legal process they must follow before they can sell the building, which they cannot sell according to the statutes because it is for public use. I think it’s important for the people to be aware of what the statutes are since the council here likes to have closed meetings and do backdoor deals to sell property to their friends. In the link I am sending you will also find that it is illegal for council to sell themselves and certain city employees any real property, which has apparently been done before here.”

08/10/2021

Here is another of the documents we were sent regarding the Bell Tower and some funds raised by the local youth in Nerstrand.

“Last year on September 4th the kids in town held a pop up bake sale to benefit the historic bell tower, that is supposed to be on top of city hall, and gave the $505 they raised the following week to the head of the bell tower committee to be donated to the city specifically. The clerk told the woman who chaired the bell tower committee that she herself had to open a bank account for those funds. The bank very much disagreed and told the chair of the bell tower committee that the city was the responsibility authority to handle putting the donations into the proper bank account. After several weeks of neither myself nor the woman chairing the bell tower committee knowing where the money went, and the kids asking about their donation and what comes next, I asked the clerk at the council meeting on 11-10-2020 where the money the kids raised and donated went. The clerk stated in that open meeting that the money was “in the bank”. As you can clearly see, that money wasn’t deposited until 6 days after that meeting on 11-16-2020. The clerk lied on the record apparently. But the greater question is where was that cash for more than 2 months?”

08/07/2021

Remedies and Penalties for violations of Data Practices Act

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.08

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.085

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.09

Notwithstanding section 466.03, a responsible authority or government entity which violates any provision of this chapter is liable to a person or representative of a decedent who suffers any damage as a result of the violation, and the person damaged or a representative in the case of private data....

08/07/2021

Minnesota Statute 13.05 Subd. 12 Identification and Justification

Collection and storage of all data on individuals and the use and dissemination of private and confidential data on individuals shall be limited to that necessary for the administration and management of programs specifically authorized by the legislature or local governing body or mandated by the f...

08/07/2021

Access to government data

All government data collected, created, received, maintained or disseminated by a government entity shall be public unless classified by statute, or temporary classification pursuant to section 13.06, or federal law, as nonpublic or protected nonpublic, or with respect to data on individuals, as pri...

08/06/2021

https://www.facebook.com/102856111976441/posts/126993262896059/?d=n

*This repost is due to information in the post below.

08/06/2021

We are still sorting through Vesta’s documents that she has been sending us and much more will follow.
This post will be followed by a reposting of the July 2nd post containing the documents mentioned.
Eyes Admin

“This is the speech I opened the community meeting with along with some of my notes from July while at city hall viewing documents. I included these notes because at the community meeting council woman Schwab stated that the 2 bank accounts with the missing statements for January and February of this year were closed and reopened because I had sent the documents into your page to be posted. How could this be when the clerk stated that the accounts were closed and reopened in March and I didn’t see the documents until July 2nd? It is also important to note that while I was viewing those bank statements and asking about the missing statements councilwoman Valek was present and I asked about them more than once and took notes of the responses from the clerk just so I was absolutely clear on her verbal statements as to the missing statements. I took photos of those records while I was at city hall, directly from the ledger book. The brown table in the background of the photos that I sent of those documents that was posted later that same day, July 2nd, are the table inside of city hall where I was viewing the documents. Schwab also stated that all of the necessary documentation to accompany the bank records were in that same bank ledger book at the community meeting. You can clearly see the black binder the documents are in and there were zero accompanying receipts or other documents that should have been attached for those banking records. I will be continuing to send you the documents I was able to obtain until I have sent them all. I apologize for the barrage of messages and documents, there is quite a bit. I would like you to post it all. Thanks!”

08/06/2021

This is a link to the accounting manual by the Minnesota office of the state auditor. If you cannot open the link from here please try copying and pasting to your browser.

08/06/2021

This is a link to the list of state required document retention and forms associated with accounting practices. If you cannot access the link from here please try copying and pasting to your browser.

08/05/2021

Perhaps a little after dinner reading with the highlights from the 2020 audit report. Or maybe it’s dessert. You choose. Contact us for full audit reports. Please note in the unaudited section that 2020 payroll is on that list. We now have the printout for the 2020 payroll in our possession. You will be seeing those documents soon.