The Ostrander City Council met July 7 with Mayor DJ Start presiding. Council members Jimmie Dean, Lyn Massey-Mills, Dan Hellerud, and Brodi Nesler were present, along with City Clerk Wendy Brincks, Maintenance Supervisor Jeremy Runkle, Fire Chief Jason Rice, and insurance representative Ann Keim.
The council approved the city’s annual insurance renewal after hearing a review from Keim, who noted few changes to the policy this year. Keim mentioned the city recently acquired a property where the house is scheduled for demolition, allowing the vacant lot to be sold. Separately, she noted the city has ordered a backup generator for the wastewater treatment plant; once installed, it will be added to the insurance policy.
The primary discussion centered on whether the city should continue waiving Minnesota’s statutory tort liability limits. Keim explained that state law limits municipal liability to $500,000 per person and $1.5 million per occurrence unless a city chooses to waive those limits. Because Ostrander carries $2 million in liability coverage through the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, continuing the waiver allows the city to provide $2 million if found liable in a claim.
“Five hundred thousand sounds like a lot of money, but unfortunately it’s not anymore if you have a major medical experience,” Keim noted. She added that the additional coverage increases the premium only slightly, and insurance rates have remained relatively flat over the past year.
The council unanimously approved renewing the policy and continuing to waive the statutory tort limits.
Rice reported the fire department responded to two calls during June, both involving traffic control. One was for a crash on U.S. Highway 63, although firefighters were canceled before arriving on scene. The second call occurred the previous week. Rice also reminded the council that the annual Mud Bogs event is scheduled for July 25.
According to Runkle’s maintenance report, city staff completed routine daily, weekly, and monthly inspections, collected all required water and wastewater samples, and submitted monthly reports to the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The report also noted the city received 3.28 inches of precipitation during June.
The Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office reported deputies logged 34.83 patrol hours in Ostrander during June. Deputies responded to two ambulance assists, one traffic complaint, one fraud or scam report, one theft, one animal complaint, one civil matter, one MAARC response, and five ordinance or code violations. Brincks noted that the ordinance violations primarily involved reminding residents to properly license vehicles parked within the city.
Brincks reminded residents that candidate filing for the November 3 election opens July 14 and closes July 28 at 5 p.m. Two four-year council seats currently held by Massey-Mills and Nesler, along with the two-year mayoral seat currently held by Start, will appear on the ballot. Candidates must submit a $2 filing fee with their paperwork.
The city is also seeking election judges for the August 11 primary election and the November 3 general election. Anyone interested in serving should contact city hall.
The council also received its first look at the 2026 budget. Brincks said the figures remain preliminary because several capital improvement projects have not yet been billed. The city has already paid half of the down payment for the Second Street reconstruction project, which is expected to begin in late July or early August. Street seal coating is expected to take place around the same time, while work on Hammersmith Drive is anticipated within the next month.
Looking ahead to 2027, Brincks said the city is considering additional improvements to South Street near the church and Minnesota Street. Council members also discussed coordinating future street work with neighboring property owners and reviewing this year’s project results before selecting contractors for next season. Trinity Street could also be considered for future improvements, depending on available funding and project priorities.
With no further business before the council, the meeting adjourned.
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