Mandan fines cheese company over failure to submit documents

MANDAN (AP) — The city of Mandan is fining a cheese company $5,700 for the 114 days it failed to submit reports about its wastewater, but the company can get the money back to make improvements.

Dakota Country Cheese submitted the required documents Tuesday, a half hour before the City Commission meeting, wastewater plant manager Steve Himmelspach said. He proposed refunding the fine so the company can work on upgrading its plant.

“They would have to agree to stay in compliance,” Himmelspach said. “They could use the money for additional upgrades, because there are definitely additional items that have to be addressed.”

The city is not required to rebate the fine, City Attorney Malcolm Brown told commissioners. If Dakota Country is unable to pay the fine, the city could turn off the plant’s water, he said.

The commissioners decided to give the company seven days to pay the fine or risk having its water turned off, and they directed Himmelspach and Brown to work on a structured rebate plan based on improvements made to the cheese plant.

Dakota Cheese owner Mark Johnson was not available for comment, said a woman who answered the phone at the plant Wednesday.

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