At the November 4 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Philanthropy Director of SMIF Aaron Johnson reviewed what SMIF does for Southern Minnesota with the council, noting that $14 million has been invested in Fillmore County so far. SMIF supports entrepreneurs, early childhood development, and community vitality. Johnson thanked the city of Lanesboro for its support over the years and said that he hopes to continue the partnership.
During the public comment portion of meeting, Peter Torkelson noted that the state statute regarding the governance of public libraries requires either an ordinance or a resolution. He questioned if, in the past, the city may have already passed a resolution, thereby negating the need for an ordinance to be created now. Anna Loney thanked the council for setting up a mediated meeting between the city and the library board. She showed the council a copy of the Minnesota Public Libraries Trustee Handbook and commented that there were over 100 instances in it in which the Minnesota state statute was cited which would answer many of the questions about how to apply the statute to the library.
The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, the 2024 Holiday Dinner Dance temporary liquor license, and a parking closure request from High Court Pub for Turkey Bowling.
Councilor Mindy Albrecht-Benson gave reports on Public Utilities and the Heritage Preservation Commission. The test results from the new wastewater treatment plant have been improving over the lat few months. The HPC is looking into the feasibility of conducting improvements to the cabin in Sylvan Park that was built in 1926.
Lanesboro Library Director Tara Johnson reported that the door count and circulation numbers have been rising over the last three month and are working their way back up to pre-covid rates.
Mike Bubany from David Drown Associates reviewed temporary financing options with the council for the proposed TH250 reconstruction project. He noted that the bonds could be structured in a number of ways, but that a public sale would work better than a bank sale. Resolution 2024-34 approving the issuance of general obligation bonds was accepted. The council will adopt a formal sales resolution at the next meeting.
The council reviewed a Request for Proposals draft for a new comprehensive plan and approved it with a December 20 deadline.
The final pay request for the 2022 street and utility project was approved in the amount of $76,240.11. This will close out and finalize the construction contract. There is a two-year correction period for the work completed.
City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge presented a proposal to upgrade the city phones to Voice Over Internet Protocol through AcenTek. Doing so would improve efficiency and save money over time as the monthly phone bill would decrease significantly. The council approved the upgrade.
The council approved the publishing of any board and commission seats that will be vacant in 2025. They also approved an updated and clarified application for individuals seeking to fill any of those seats.
A letter was received from a Lanesboro resident requesting that the civil defense siren be relocated due to health risks to immediate area residents. He cited a chart from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health showing that noise levels as high as the siren can be damaging to a person’s hearing after just one second. Walbridge is looking into the original reasons why that location was chosen, noting that a sound study had been done at that time which found the location to be the ideal one. He is also in communication with the company that installed the siren.
The annual Truth in Taxation meeting will take place during the council’s December 2 meeting.