The Lanesboro City Council met for their regular meeting on March 4. Mayor Jason Resseman was absent. The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, Resolution 2024-15 accepting donations from Chill-Inn Lanesboro, the resignation of Jerod Wagner from the Lanesboro Fire Department, and a lodging license for Lanesboro House. A number of permits for Buffalo Bill Days were also approved, including a temporary liquor permit, a gambling permit, a fireworks permit, and a parade permit.
Police Chief Blaise Sass and Fire Chief Rob Wagner were both present at the meeting to discuss the disbursement of public safety funding. The funding is a one-time aid package for Minnesota cities to be used for public safety purposes. Lanesboro received $31,639. Chief Sass presented a list of items included radar units, squad cameras, portable radios, and squad computers that are in need of updates for a total of $54,000. All of the items fall under the guidelines for using the funds. As the department serves Lanesboro, Fountain and Preston, he has presented each city with the same list. Sass noted that Fountain has committed to contributing $5,000 and Preston is waiting to see what Lanesboro decides to do. Fire Chief Wagner also presented two projects to the council to consider for funding for a total of $40,361. One of the projects would be to install warning lights on Highway 16 to warn traffic coming into Lanesboro when the fire trucks are pulling out. He noted that Fillmore County has strongly suggested the lights be installed for safety. The other project would be the installation of a new siren to notify the community of weather watches and fire calls. Council member Mindy Albrecht-Benson said that she wasn’t sure the purchase of a siren was a good use of the funds, pointing out that the ambulance crew does not utilize a siren to warn people when they are on their way to the ambulance to respond to a call. Bakke noted that that wasn’t the fire department’s idea as it was suggested by community members. A motion to split the $31,639 in funding between the Preston Police Department and the Lanesboro Fire Department was approved.
Council member Chase Bakke reported that the Lanesboro Fire Department went on 26 calls during 2023 and has gone on six calls so far this year. The department will be hosting the Tri-County Golf Tournament again this spring. Jerod Wagner has retired from the department after 20 years of service. “I would like to thank him for his service to the community,” Bakke said.
Police Chief Blaise Sass gave the police report. Inflation is rising faster than the vehicle replacement funds can keep up with, which has delayed a purchase. A new full-time officer was hired in September and the department is still looking for several part-time officers.
Ambulance Director Deb Ristua reported that there are currently 24 EMTs and 20 first responders serving on the crew. There were 11,649 on-call hours served for Lanesboro in 2023. So far this year, there have been over 80 runs already with a projected number of over 4,000 by the end of the year. The overall response time for the ambulance is seven minutes.
Council member Joe Goetzke gave a report from EDA Director Cathy Enerson. The Chill-Inn Lanesboro grant has been completed with all funds being used. The EDA has a board that will be working on strategic planning for Lanesboro. An open house was held at the former Methodist church which is being turned into apartments. The project should be completed soon. The livability page on the city’s website is being updated monthly. The Fillmore County Ag Summit will be held on March 14 at Eagle Bluff Enivronmental Learning Center.
The council reviewed the Downtown Commercial District Lane Use ordinance regarding the use and purpose of parcels and buildings in the downtown area. The council had concerns about the ordinance as written and passed a motion to obtain input from the Heritage Preservation Commission and Planning and Zoning about the ordinance.
The next Lanesboro city council meeting will be held on April 1 at 6 p.m.
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