At the June 1 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Mayor Alicia Pearson noted that she had seen some conversations online about the Root River Restoration Project. She noted that while it looks distressing to see so many trees go down, the project plans include replanting. She encouraged community members to read previous council meeting minutes to see what the plans include.
The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, an Arbor Day proclamation, a gambling permit for the Lanesboro Booster Club, resolution 2026-35 accepting donations to the Lanesboro Fire Department, and a street closure request from the Firemen’s Relief Association for a street dance on July 31. The hire of Jaden Dahl as a seasonal park employee was ratified.
The meeting was closed to allow the council to discuss litigation strategies with the city attorney regarding a contract dispute with Sparrow Valley Properties, LLC.
When the meeting was reopened, City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge gave an administration report. He thanked the council for approving his attendance at the MCFOA Clerks Institute in early May, at which he was able to obtain 40 hours of continuing education. Walbridge also gave an update on the 2026 Legislative Session and how it affects the city of Lanesboro. The city’s local sales tax proposal was not approved. The Highway 250 project is moving along as federal funding continues to be pursued. The city is working on obtaining the construction easements and has established a communications team for the project. Other projects that city staff have been working on include management of the campground reservation system, the electric grid resiliency project, preparing for the primary and mid-term elections, the 2027 budget, and reviewing ordinances and policies for potential updates.
Bluff Country Church is planning a Family Day event at Sylvan Park on June 14 and asked the city to consider waiving the mobile food unit license for a food truck, Sugar Sharks, that day. Attorney Joseph O’Koren recommended not providing the waiver as it could open the door for similar requests from other organizations. The council agreed that the event was fine, but that proper licensing will be required. A motion declining the waiver was approved.
The north water tower is due for rehabilitation which includes the interior and exterior coating. A work order from Bolten & Menk to plan the project and obtain quotes was approved as recommended by the Public Utility Commission.
An estimate was reviewed and approved from Durst Outdoor Services for a patch in the Legion alley that needs repair.
An agreement with the Driftless Goat Company was reviewed for the hillside in Sylvan Park. The goats would graze in a specified work area to remove invasive plants such as buckthorn at a cost of $2,550. Two fences, of which the inner would be electric, would be used to block off the work area to ensure the goats stay put and make people aware of the boundary.
A revolving loan fund application was received from Bluff County Amish Tours. Owners Eric and Shayla Gehrke requested a $22,000 loan for business improvements. The council approved the application as recommended by the Lanesboro EDA.
The city has been using the Minnesota records retention schedule, but Administrator Walbridge was unable to find a record of formal adoption of the schedule as required by the statute. The council approved the adoption.
Administrator Walbridge presented several quotes for cybersecurity services to the council. He noted that there are ever increasing risks of hackers both in and out of the country and noted examples of some cities that have lost access to all of their accounts and computers until they pay a ransom. Councilor Mindy Albrecht-Benson pointed out that while the quotes were expensive, they were still cheaper than hiring an IT employee. The matter was tabled to wait for another bid and to allow for more information to be gathered.
The city’s website needs to be updated in order to be ADA compliant. Administrator Walbridge presented several bids for the project, noting that improvements could also be made to the website to include communications about the Highway 250 project. The council approved a motion to approve option 2 for the website project.
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