The June 5 Lanesboro City Council meeting opened with a public hearing discussing ordinance 35.02 regarding Rural Service District and ordinance 150.06 regarding Historic Preservation. One Lanesboro resident addressed the council about her thoughts on the proposed change to the rural service district ordinance. She felt that it wasn’t fair that residents who own more land qualify for lower tax rates under the rural service district as some of them still have access to the same city services that other residents have.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, letters were read from two Little Norway residents regarding the recent closure of the walking bridge. At the previous meeting, council member Chase Bakke had suggested an alternate route into town that would avoid the danger of walking on County 8, but it was pointed out by both residents that the suggested route goes through private property, making it an nonviable option. It was suggested that a biker/pedestrian sign be installed on County 8, making it safer to walk there. Both residents were willing to work with the city to find a solution to the issue.
The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, resolution 2023-21 accepting a donation to the city, the approval of a street closure application from the Lanesboro Fire Department, a local option sales tax agreement, and the approval of a request for the city to be the fiscal agent for the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce.
City Engineer Brian Malm joined the meeting via Zoom to present two pay requests to the council. The first was pay request #29 for the wastewater treatment facility. He noted that there is about a month or so left of work plus some punch work items before the project is completely finished. He also reviewed pay request #7 for the street and utility improvements from Generation X Construction. The council approved both requests.
Bakke reported that the fire department has responded to seven calls this year and completed three controlled burns. The recent open house at the new emergency services building was a big success with approximately 250 people attending. The department would like to extend the parking area at the back of the building, blacktop the gravel, and redo the existing blacktop at some point. Those items will need to be added to the capital outlay plan and will probably be done in stages.
Council member Joe Goetzke gave the EDA report. An informational card about the EDA has been designed, printed, and is now available at various locations around town. A grant was received to work with the Chill-Inn Initiative, and an RFP will be conducted with those funds. Cathy Enerson is currently working with three individuals who would like to start businesses in Lanesboro.
Library Director Tara Johnson reported that the Summer Reading Program was beginning, and summer storytimes will be offered on Friday mornings. twenty people have participated in the seed library. She is planning some food preservation and seed saving programs for the fall.
Mayor Jason Resseman said that it was encouraging to hear that the Little Norway residents wanted to work with the city to find a solution to the bridge closure. He recommended that they set up a committee for that purpose. City Administrator Michele Peterson noted that the council would need to pass resolution 2023-20 in order to receive funds to hire a grant writer who could write a grant to fix the bridge. Council member Mindy Albrecht-Benson shared pictures with the rest of the council of a bridge kit for under $20,000 that she had found online. “Why are we rushing into passing a resolution to get a grant writer when it needs to be fixed now?” she asked. “We haven’t looked at options for solving the problem in the first place.” Malm asked Albrecht-Benson to share the information on the bridge kit with him so he could review its feasibility and noted that the price wasn’t out of line for materials, but didn’t include a contractor to install the bridge, replacement of the abutments, or erosion protection, all of which would add significantly to the cost. Albrecht-Benson pointed out that the quote he had presented to the council at last month’s meeting was $75,000 for a prefabricated bridge, but Malm said that that cost would include the bridge installation. She asked if a floating dock option had been considered and Malm said that it had and it was still a possibility, but that it probably wouldn’t be ADA compliant. Peterson thanked Albrecht-Benson for her input and agreed that the city should continue to look into possible options. Mayor Resseman agreed to speak to the county this week about installing a sign on County 8 to make it safer for pedestrians. Resolution 2023-20 was approved.
The council reviewed amended ordinance 35.02 regarding the rural service district. The only change was an increase from 35% to 40% for the portion of taxes homeowners living in that district would pay. Benson-Albrecht noted that she felt that inclusion in the district
should be based on a combination of services and acreage, not just acreage. Ordinance 35.02 was approved.
Ordinance 150.06 regarding the obligation to have a council member sit on the county’s historic board was amended to remove that requirement.
The council revisited the possibility of adding a sidewalk to Beacon Street into the street improvement project. The cement contractor is scheduled to come in July so funds will be evaluated at that time to see if there is enough in the project funds to include the sidewalk.
The fire department asked the council’s permission to sell a 2004 fire truck that is being replaced by a new one. The council approved the sale.
The next Lanesboro City Council meeting was moved from July 3 to July 11 at 6 p.m. due to the holiday.
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