During the public comment portion of the November 3 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Jon Buggs noted that Tara Johnson recently celebrated 15 years as library director of the Lanesboro Public Library. Peter and Vicki Torkelson both spoke about the lack of proper procedure taken at the October council meeting to appoint the newest library board member. Vicki also noted her support for Sandy Webb’s application for that seat.
The consent agenda was approved and included the accounts payable, Resolution 2025-47 accepting $600 in donations to the Lanesboro Public Library, and temporary on-sale liquor licenses for the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce and the Root River Game Protective League.
City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge’s performance evaluation was reviewed by the council. Based on the result of that evaluation, Walbridge was increased a step in his pay scale.
At the October meeting, the council had approved a motion to spend up to $20,000 for mold remediation services from ServPro. The original plan had been for city staff to do some of the mold clean-up to keep costs down. ServPro highly advised not to have the staff do any of the work due to safety issues so the costs will be higher than anticipated, at $28,978. Walbridge has applied for a $10,000 grant fro OSHA which would offset part of the cost. A motion was approved to authorize ServPro to complete the mold remediation.
At last month’s meeting, the council appointed Gwen Harmon to the Lanesboro Public Library board, but the proper process was not followed, so it was brought back to the council for discussion. Mayor Alicia Pearson had reviewed both applications further and made a motion to appoint Sandy Webb to the board as she felt that, while both applicants were very well qualified, Sandy Webb would be a better fit. Councilor Joe Cullen agreed that both would be a good choice and felt that the council should stick with Gwen as she was chosen at last month’s meeting. Councilor Mindy Albrecht-Benson agreed with Cullen and didn’t think it would look very good for the council to change the decision. Mayor Pearson rescinded her motion for Sandy Webb and made a new motion for Gwen Harmon to be appointed to the Lanesboro library board. The motion passed unanimously.
An interim use permit application was received from Brooke and Joel Pfeffer for their apartment building on Parkway Avenue. Due to losing money on unpaid and late rent each month, they would like change six of the 10 units to short-term rentals. A public hearing was held at the Planning and Zoning meeting with multiple residents speaking out with concerns about the proposed conversion. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of an interim use permit contingent on specific conditions being met. The council also reviewed five findings to determine eligibility. Council member Chase Bakke said that the Pfeffers had already done short-term rentals without getting permission first. Walbridge noted that they had requested six short-term units, but the interim use permit would only allow them to operate three. The council approved the interim use permit with Chase Bakke voting against.
A street/parking closure application was received from 5th Sun Gardens to close two parking spots in front of the business to allow a food truck to park there through December. Owner Luis Hummel asked the council to consider his application to allow a food truck to park there. He noted that the request met the requirements listed in the ordinance and that the late night food offerings would add a layer of safety to customers who would be consuming alcohol or cannabis before driving.Albrecht-Benson expressed concerns that allowing the closure would set a precedent for other businesses. Bakke noted that the brewery has a food truck, but they also have a much better location for that. A motion to decline the application was approved unanimously.
Robin Caufman and Sarah Swedburg from Bolten & Menk were present at the meeting via Zoom to discuss the amendments to the comprehensive land use plan. The first phase of the plan was to obtain public input and update the data which was completed this spring. The second phase was to draft the plan and update the chapters and maps as well as seeking more feedback from the public. The final phase is currently underway and includes finalizing the plan and defining its goals and strategies. The key themes of the comprehensive plan based on public input were to maintain city roads, attract more essential businesses, protect natural resources, promote growth, and build more starter homes. The council approved Resolution 2025-50 adopting the amendments to the Lanesboro comprehensive land use plan.
The council reviewed the 2026 proposed budget. Walbridge noted that the budget had an overall 7.7% increase. The consensus among the council was to set the levy between 3-5%. Walbridge reviewed the city departments with the council as they looked for places where the budget could possibly be cut. A motion was approved allowing Walbridge to schedule a budget workshop.
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