At the April 27 Lanesboro City Council meeting (which had been moved from May 4), the consent agenda was approved and included accounts payable, seven temporary on-sale liquor licenses on various dates for Lanesboro Arts, the acceptance of grants from the Lanesboro Area Community Foundation, and Resolution 2026-33 regarding the counting of write-in votes in compliance with Minnesota Statute 204B.09, subd. 3.
At the April 6 meeting, the council had reviewed a purchase and sharing agreement with Chatfield and Stewartville for a DuraPatcher to repair potholes. The council had tabled the agreement until some of the language in it could be updated to reflect the three-part ownership. City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge met with representatives from both of the other cities and was able to clarify details. The council approved the updated agreement.
An application was received from Rick and Cheryl Lamon asking for a simple lot split on their parcel. The council approved the application contingent upon receipts from the easements once their sale is conducted.
Michelle Leon and Steve Neuharth of River’s Retreat, LLC submitted an application for a conditional use permit. They own a duplex in Lanesboro and have a long-term rental on one side with short-term on the other per city ordinance that requires short-term rentals to have someone living on-site and be a multi-family unit. They would like to convert the duplex to a single family unit for short-term rentals and asked for a conditional use permit to do so, citing examples of other short-term rentals around Lanesboro that do the same. The council denied the application based on the fact that the examples given were properties that were grandfathered in before the ordinance changed. “It’s important to understand why the ordinance was put in place. It’s to keep the whole town from being Airbnbs,” council member Mindy Albrecht-Benson said. Mayor Alicia Pearson said she understood the frustration on the part of the homeowners, but that the current ordinance must be followed.
The public works truck is scheduled for replacement. The council approved a bid of $18,870 to purchase a new truck with another $5,652 for additional equipment with which the truck will need to be outfitted.
A donation request from Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation was reviewed, and a $500 donation was approved. “They’re doing a lot of good for our community,” Mayor Pearson noted.
Walbridge asked the council to consider changing the process for property tax appeals from the currently used local board of appeal and equalization to an open book meeting format. Doing so would allow homeowners to schedule one-on-one meetings with the county assessor and resolve concerns early in the process rather than having to wait for the board of appeals. The property owners would retain rights to appeal to the county board. As a decision isn’t needed until the end of the year, the council tabled it for the time being.
An EMS summer picnic is being planned to familiarize the communities with the members of the Lanesboro and Preston EMS crews. The ambulance service would like to have the Stumpy’s Concessions food truck at the picnic, and requested that the council waive the license requirement for Stumpy’s as they don’t currently carry licensing for such an event. The council approved the request.
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