Caledonia Police Chief Kurt Zehnder shared an in-depth picture of his department’s activities in 2025 during the March 9 regular meeting of the Caledonia City Council.
The Caledonia Police Department has five full-time officers with a combined total of just over 100 years in law enforcement.
In 2025, the department responded to 2,011 total calls for service, down from 2,223 calls in 2024. Chief Zehnder broke down the incidents into several categories: 809 public assists, 265 traffic stops, 196 agency assists, 168 medicals, 19 funeral escorts, 17 civil standbys, 15 thefts, three burglaries, six assaults, 30 domestics that resulted in arrests, 27 criminal damaged properties, 12 criminal sexual conduct cases, three missing people, two suicides, four fires, one hospice death, 211 mental health calls, and 65 juvenile cases.
Zehnder said, “We’re down in overall numbers, but we’re up on the ones that I don’t really want to be up on. I’d rather be up on our community policing numbers.”
Investigator Mike Rasmussen is working on six criminal sexual conduct cases involving kids, which is half of what he had in 2025, and it is only March.
Zehnder said, “That’s disturbing, and they’re bad cases.”
The Caledonia City Council meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. in the City Hall council chambers, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present included Bob Klug, Amanda Ninneman, David Fitzpatrick, John Rauk, and Mayor Jeremy Leis.
The minutes from the February 23 regularly scheduled City Council meeting were unanimously approved.
The consent agenda was approved in one unanimous motion. The four items on the consent agenda were payments and disbursements, the CohnReznick audit engagement letter, park and memorial benches, and the lift station pump maintenance agreement.
Public Works/Zoning Director Casey Klug reported that the public works staff will attend their annual MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) training on Wednesday. Director Klug explained that anyone who pulls into any kind of quarry or pit and exits their vehicle must complete the training.
The city also received two letters of warning from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The first letter was related to discharge violations between October 1, 2023, and February 5, 2026, when the city was still running the old wastewater treatment plant. The second letter concerned required calibrations for the city’s effluent meters which did not happen. In response letters, the city explained that it is now operating out of the new facility.
Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson announced that the city received another $200,000 for the Warrior Avenue extension project. The city has also applied for another state grant and is hoping to get $700,000 to $800,000. Grant awards are expected to be announced by March 30. If awarded, approximately three-quarters of the road project would be paid for.
New Business
The council unanimously approved a request from the Houston County Agricultural Society to replace an existing building at the fairgrounds in Caledonia. The new building will include two bathrooms, and the milking parlor will be moved into this facility.
Dickson explained that no action was needed for the zoning application because the organization is exempt under state statute. The council also unanimously agreed to waive the sewer connection requirements to allow a sewage holding tank.
No action was required on the Winnebago reconstruction sidewalk project. The council discussed installing sidewalks on both sides of Winnebago Street, since it is “amongst the three busiest streets in the community and intersects with many side streets and neighborhoods on both sides of S. Winnebago St., from Main St. to the southern limits of Caledonia,” according to the staff report.
Dickson emphasized that this may be the only opportunity for the next 50 years to construct sidewalks on both sides during a reconstruction project while receiving county assistance to pay for all of the pedestrian ramps.
The cost is estimated at $110,000 per side, and funds in the general street fund have been building the reserve for this project to cover the sidewalks according to the staff report. The Safe Routes to School program supports a sidewalk/trail along this street, as does the city’s comprehensive plan.
Because Winnebago is a county road, the county would cover the cost of installing pedestrian ramps at the intersections, while the city would cover the cost of the straight sidewalk section as explained in the staff report.
After reviewing the overtime report for the pay period ending March 1, the meeting was adjourned at 6:33 p.m.
Leave a Reply