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•The council authorized the fire department to advertise for bids for a tanker truck. The cab and chassis together should cost around $150,000, and there is $134,945 in the truck fund right now, with $30,000 more coming to it in a budgeted transfer at the end of the month.

A new truck will replace a truck made of parts from a 1960 and a 1966 truck from which the department will likely remove anything it can still use, before selling it for salvage.

•The council approved a list of election judges for the primary election, to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12. City administrator Renee Eckerly was authorized to add to or eliminate judges from the list as necessary to meet election law. Any judges submitted by parties must be included, but the city does not yet have a list of those names. Approved judges are: Lorraine Adams, Eckerly, Sheryl Fuchs, Pete Hoppe, Christine Lundgren, Ken Ramthun, Carolyn Swyter, and Janice Zumwalde.

•The council approved a concept plan to plat property containing Paynesville Apartments and Motel (formerly the Black Saucer) and the H & R Block buildings. Pat and Joan Eisenschenk want to split the parcel, giving each facility its own lot, but it first needed to be platted.

•The council accepted a bid from Joseph Furman of Cold Spring in the amount of $6,220 for a 1997 Lincoln Town Car that the city had declared as surplus property. Two other bids were received.

•The council heard an update on the Highway 23 project. A preliminary final design has been received from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which will be formally received on Tuesday, Aug. 22, to be brought to the next council meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 23.

At that point, the municipal consent process will begin, with the city having 15 days to set a hearing and 60 days to consider giving its consent. Public works director Ron Mergen is putting together a synopsis of changes for the council to review, so that it is prepared to discuss the design at its next meeting.

•The council was updated on the 2006 street project, which is nearing completion. Pedestrian ramps at the corners, one sidewalk, and seeding remain to be finished.

•The council gave an update on labor negotiations with the city employee's union. The first meeting was held on Tuesday, Aug. 8, in which half of the proposal was covered. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 6.

•The council approved the following budgeted general fund transfers: $32,966 from the general fund street and alleys to the street and sidewalk capital improvement fund for street equipment; $30,000 from the general fund to the fire reserve fund for equipment depreciation; $29,750 from the general fund municipal parks to the park capital improvement fund; $25,000 from the general fund street and alleys to the street and sidewalk capital improvement fund for street construction; $16,462 from the general fund to the fire department capital improvement fund; $10,000 from the general fund to the police capital improvement fund; $10,000 from the general fund airport to the airport capital improvement fund; $5,000 from the general fund fire to the fire reserve fund for building depreciation; $3,000 from the general fund to the emergency services capital improvement fund; and $500 from the general fund to the general fund capital improvement fund for the 2008 community celebration

•The council approved the attendance of Mergen at the 2006 AirTAP Fall Forum in mid-October. The forum - which is for personnel overseeing public-use airports - costs $140 and accomodations will be an additional $69.