At the April 1 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Anna Loney spoke on behalf of the Lanesboro Library. She reviewed some of the recent programs presented free of charge to the public as well as a number of upcoming ones. “There are lots of opportunities right here at our Lanesboro Library,” she said. “There is a profound return on investment, so we thank you for your aid in all of that.” Library employee Eliza Mitchell also spoke and invited the council members to visit the library sometime.
Planning and Zoning Commission member Jeff Lepper spoke about the concern of losing retail space to Airbnb and VRBO short-term rentals. He urged the council to consider a moratorium on issuing lodging licenses until an ordinance could be put in place.
Mayor Jason Resseman read a proclamation declaring April 26, 2024, as Arbor Day in Lanesboro. The proclamation encouraged residents to support efforts to protect trees and woodlands.
The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, Resolution 2024-17 accepting donations to the city, Resolution 2024-18 accepting a donation to the Lanesboro Library, and Resolution 2024-19 appointing John Prinzing to the Lanesboro Fire Department. It also included five temporary liquor licenses for Lanesboro Arts for the dates of April 6, April 27, June 8, June 15, and July 13 this year. Temporary liquor licenses for the Lanesboro Area Community Foundation for April 7 and the Lanesboro Fire Fighters Relief Association for August 2-4 were also approved. Claire Cambray and Hannah Wingert were both hired as library substitutes.
City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge gave the administration report. Smith and Schafer recently audited the city and will present their report at the May meeting. Lanesboro residents can now register their utility accounts on the city website and pay their bills online. Walbridge recently met with the emergency management coordinator from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Department. He and Deputy Clerk Darla Taylor are currently working on updating the city’s emergency procedures.
Council member Kathryn Wade reported that the Park Board poured the concrete for the bathhouse floor, but was unable to complete the depot floor as the budget did not allow for that. They are looking into options to do those repairs as well. A survey will be sent out to the community with four options for the tennis court space.
City Engineer Brian Malm presented change order #2 for the Wastewater Treatment Plant project in the amount of $65,712.91. There is still money in the project’s contingency fund to cover the change order. A letter will be sent to the contractor notifying them that they are past the completion date and asking them to set a date for final completion, which will have to be approved by the city. The council approved the change order request.
MnDOT has completed the final scoping study for the Highway 250 project. The total cost for the project is estimated to be $13.1 million with MnDOT contributing $6 million. The remaining cost will be covered by the city of Lanesboro. The next step in the project is for the city to approve the letter of intent received from MnDOT. A motion to table the decision until the letter can be reviewed further was approved.
The city was made aware of a Airbnb/VRBO violation in the R1 district. A motion was passed allowing the property owner to be sent a letter informing them of the violation.
At their March 27 meeting, Planning and Zoning began the initial steps of revising an ordinance to protect main floor retail spaces from being turned into short-term rentals. Currently, the ordinance states that an apartment cannot be put on the first floor of a downtown building, but does not address short-term rentals such as Airbnbs or VRBOs. The commission asked the council to consider putting a moratorium or interim ordinance on issuing lodging licenses until the matter can be handled. The council tabled the request until more research can be completed with Walbridge and City Attorney Joseph O’Koren to find out what needs to be done to enact an interim ordinance.
A city committee met with the library board personnel committee to discuss the former employee grievance letter. They are currently working to formulate a recommendation that will be presented to the council at the May meeting.
The next Lanesboro City Council meeting will be held on May 6 at 6 p.m.
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