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At the July 1 meeting, Lanesboro resident Bonita Underbakke addressed the council to consider a proposed expansion of the minimum lot size. Underbakke felt that it would make building in Lanesboro less affordable.
The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, a donation to the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, a city office closure on July 5, a permit for the Buffalo Bill Days fireworks, and a street closure request for the firemen’s dance during Buffalo Bill Days. Resolution 2024-22 appointing the election judges for the August 13 primary election and November 5 general election was approved.
City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge gave a report on recent activity in the city offices. He sent letters to local and state politicians requesting funding for the Highway 250 project and has heard back from two so far. The 2025 budget cycle is kicking off with budget reviews with the various city department heads. The preliminary budget will be presented to the council in September. The filing period for the mayor seat and two council seats will open on July 31. The Lanesboro Fire Department received a $2,000 grant from POET which will go towards the warning light project. A $20,000 Small Communities and Rural Placemaking grant was received for redoing the city’s comprehensive plan.
The groundwork is being laid for the 2025 street projects. The backhoe replacement has been ordered.
Council member Kathryn Wade gave the park report. The new shelter in the park that was built by the high school students has been completed. The invasive buckthorn removal will begin soon.
The interim ordinance for downtown commercial land use was tabled.
The council reviewed the updated Highway 250 project letter of intent. It had previously been sent back to MnDOT for revisions to areas of concern to the council. MnDOT had made all of the proposed changes, and city attorney Joseph O’Koren noted that he was comfortable with the letter as written. The council approved the letter of intent and the next step will be the partnership agreement with MnDOT.
The street project has been completed with the exception of a few school signs that still need to be installed. The final pay request should be available at the August council meeting.
A proposed policy regarding donations of public art, memorials and monuments was reviewed by the council. The policy provides guidance on what donations can be accepted and the guidelines for doing so. A public hearing will be held at the next meeting.
Amendments to ordinance 130.02 regarding the discharging of firearms in city limits were discussed. Council member Chase Bakke said that he felt the section banning bows and arrows should be removed from the ordinance as some people in Lanesboro have yards big enough to practice with targets. Mayor Jason Resseman asked if he would be amenable to noting what type of points are allowed on arrows. “I don’t think it would be necessary to limit the types of arrows used,” Bakke stated. Council member Kathryn Wade said that while she understood that families typically would shoot bows and arrows together, that didn’t necessarily mean that children wouldn’t use them outside of parental control. The council agreed to hold a public hearing for the matter at the August meeting.
Melissa Wagner with the Department of Natural Resources addressed the council about the Sylvan Park Pond shoreline project. Funding has become available from the Game and Fish state department that would help fund the project. The plan is to complete it in the fall when the area is not as busy. To move forward with the project, a cooperative agreement between the DNR and the city is required as the city is the property owner. Mayor Resseman noted that he had previously spoken with Wagner about the project and is comfortable with the proposal. The council approved the agreement.
The council reviewed the first reading for an amendment to ordinance chapter 151 regarding land use in Lanesboro. Mayor Resseman noted that the primary objectives of the amendment are to protect main floor retail space in commercial districts as well as to protect the residential district from being overrun by short-term vacation rentals. The discussion was tabled to give the council time to review the proposed amendments more in depth. They also tabled the first reading of ordinance chapter 120 regarding the differences between different types of lodging.
The city fee schedule amendments were reviewed. Some fees had been updated and others had been added. The council tabled the matter to have more time to review it.
The lease amendments and provisions from AT&T were reviewed. The council approved a motion to keep the current rate for the monthly rental fee and to increase the rate by 3% every five years.
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