Photo by Charlene Corson Selbee
City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson announced at the September 8 Caledonia City Council meeting that he received word earlier in the day that Mayo Clinic Health System will be closing its Caledonia clinic on December 10.
Dickson commented that he wasn’t given a specific reason but was told the closure is mostly due to staffing issues. “It surely will not be good for us. A lot of people rely on that clinic. A lot of people can’t make it to La Crosse. And obviously, it’s not good for the ambulance no calls out there. It’s a black mark for a lot of reasons.” He then asked the council whether they would like a representative from Mayo to attend an upcoming council meeting. Mayor Jeremy Leis agreed and asked Dickson to schedule the visit.
The meeting was called by Mayor Leis at 6 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present were council members Bob Klug, Amanda Ninneman, David Fitzpatrick, John Rauk, and Mayor Leis.
The council approved the minutes from the August 25 regular city council meeting, following a motion by Rauk and a second from Fitpatrick. The motion carried unanimously.
The consent agenda was also approved unanimously. It included one item: routine payments totaling $186,007.02. Klug moved to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Ninneman.
Public Comment
Chuck Schulte and Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson met with State Senator Jeremy Miller regarding a new library. Miller agreed to carry a bill through the bonding bill at the end of next year. They also talked about the grant mentioned at the previous council meeting which is expected to open up around November. Dickson believes the city has a “very good shot at it.”
Schulte has talked with the property owner about hazards on the property noting that he is fully informed and what it means to him.
Schulte also said that eight or nine individuals who have expressed interest in the library will meet within the week to discuss their vision for the library. The plan is to see architectural designs completed by the end of the year. He emphasized the importance of communication and said that he will attend council meetings periodically to provide updates.
Caledonia resident Evan Klug addressed the city council to explain issues stemming from a home remodel completed a few years ago. He described several deficiencies in the contractor’s work and noted that multiple inspections have since been conducted, with the most recent revealing several code violations. He emphasized that one identified violation is a fire code violation.
The issue the Klugs are struggling with is that Caledonia does not require code enforcement or inspections. He noted, “There’s no enforcement in place.”
Klug provided the council with supporting documentation and requested that they look it over and discuss the matter. He stated that he plans to return to either the next city council meetings or the following one with the hope that the council will have an answer.
Klug is urging the city to enforce its fire code and building code.
New Business
- The council approved pay applications number 38 and 29 for work completed on the wastewater treatment plant, totaling $494,515, payable to Wapasha Construction Company. Work continues, with completion expected this fall.
- The council approved the two Winnebago Street Reconstruction Design agreements with SEH Inc., totaling $120,555.
Finance Officer Stephanie Mann presented the revised 2026 capital budget. The preliminary levy will be set at the September 22 city council meeting. Mann reminded the council members that the levy can be lower after it is set, but it cannot be increased. At this point in the process, changes would be made to the departments’ capital requests.
After reviewing the latest overtime report, the council went into closed session at 7:09 p.m., in accordance with MN §13D.05, to consider offers for the purchase of real property, Parcel Number 211296000.
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