City Council - Regular Meeting

Council of Fergus Falls, April the 20th. And uh we call upon uh Joey Kalin from Crossroads Church for the invocation followed by the pledge of allegiance. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for the blessing that it is to live in this country with the many, many freedoms that we have. Lord, we ask that you would empower us to use those freedoms to love one another and our neighbors well. Lord, we ask for your forgiveness when we use them for our own selfish gain. Lord, we pray for our leaders at every level. We pray for the leaders in this room, the leaders in our state and the leaders in our country. Lord, we pray for wisdom and grace as they lead all of us and serve each of us. Lord, we pray for this city. We pray that you would bless this city. Help it to thrive. Help it to flourish. Lord, we ask that we would honor and glorify you with all that we do and bless tonight's meeting. that we would have uh wisdom and foresight uh to do things that bless this city and this community. God, we love you and we thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [clears throat] and call this meeting to order. Uh, roll call, please. Here

we have a quorum. The first item on the agenda is an open forum. Uh, time to address items of city business that are not on this evening's agenda. Does anybody wish to say anything? Please state your name and the city in which you live.

Lori Mullen, uh 2840 Liquid Drive. Um I guess I heard some information at our meeting here in regards to Summerfest that was really kind of disturbing. Summerfest has been a partner of the city of Fergus for 50 years. I've been on that committee 27. I've served on the downtown council over the river, have brought in the cruise night and we talk about events that are going to promote Fergus and give people a reason to come here. I heard the mayor say um an hour ago that gosh um someone that's gotten a contribution from the city of Fergus for 50 years shouldn't just assume that they're getting that. Well, I would say that there is a absence of communication there. Um, we book those fireworks for Summerfest in November, which has been something that the city of Fergus has always contributed to. [snorts] We find out through a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend that had overheard someone talking from the task or the um, levy committee that they weren't funding it this year. We are in the middle of April and we have not gotten any correspondents from the city of Fergus. How dare you treat your volunteers like that. Shame on you.

So, I guess I would like this addressed. We have received $3,500 from the city in the past. That's not a huge amount. not in the overall scope of what we do. This is a signature event. We are barely able to pull that event off every year. And it's disturbing to know that we didn't get more in the regards to an email, a text, a letter stating that you weren't going to consider us in last year's budget. You as a council say we need to be doing more events in Fergus, which we do and we knew we need it for economic development. We need it for expansion of the city of Fergus, but this is the way you treated the event, the people that sponsor the event. We don't have but six weeks and now we're supposed to go out and do fundraising of $4,000 to make that happen. Shame on you.

Thank you. Anybody else wish to speak?

Thank you. Uh my name is Lee Smolt. I'm a Fergus Falls resident. I'm also uh vice chair of the public arts commission here for the city of uh Fergus Falls. Uh as part of uh one of our quarterly initiatives is we rotate the artwork that's up here in the city council chambers. and I recently updated the artwork here. Um, I chose a local Fergus Falls resident, uh, Nancy Valentine. She currently serves as the executive director of Cat's Gallery. Um, she recently started a family. She's also a an established artist and has been working as an artist here in the community for quite some time. Uh, she moved here in 1992 and has basically been raised here in the Fergus Falls area. Um she's self-taught in watercolor gaus um Chinese ink brush work um and draws heavily on her background in Chinese calligraphy. Um her work definitely centers around that uh that Chinese identity that her family comes from because they immigrated in 1992. Um in 2017 she got a career development grant through Lake Region Art Council and that was kind of the beginning of her career development in the arts. Um, and now here we are in 2026 as executive director and she's put out a vast body of work. Um, the library was kind enough to let us check this stuff out and really appreciate their help and support in making this happen.

Thank you. Right. The um, next item is the approval of the agenda. I think we have one item to add uh which is a surplus declaring a vehicle surplus and authorize its disposal 1991 international force 4700 single axle truck which you'd like to put on the consent agenda. Um it's just surplus put on consent. Um so Jim, thank you. Jim is making their motion. Is would somebody care to second it? I'll second.

Thank you Scott. Was there any other If not, um, roll call. Just all those in favor say I. I.

All those against same sign. Hearing none. The agenda is approved. There are no public hearings. There are no awards to bid. Um the next item on the agenda is petitions and communications. A proclamation declaring April 24 as Arbday um official pro proclamation. Whereas in 1872, the Nebraska Board of Agriculture established a special day to be set aside for the planting of trees. And whereas this holiday called Arbor Day was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. And whereas Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and world. And whereas trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion and our precious top soil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing life, giving oxygen, and providing habitat for wildlife. And whereas trees are renewable resource, giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and countless other wood products. And whereas trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas and beautifification of our community. And whereas trees wherever they are planted are a source of source of joy and spiritual renewal. Now therefore, I, Anthony Hicks, mayor of the city of Fergus Falls, do hereby proclaim April 24th, 2026 as Arbor Day in the city of Fergus Falls. And I urge all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands. And further, I urge all citizens to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations. Dated this 20th day, April 2026. Anthony Hicks. I would add as well to that, seeing as we're talking trees, um you've probably seen on the boulevards a lot of white pegs

that have been placed, which is the future home for a a young tree. Um once obviously all the uh underground um is cleared. Um but if you do get a new tree planted in your yard, looks like potentially it could be a a warm dry summer. uh young trees especially like a lot of water. So if you if you are fortunate that you get a tree planted in the boulevard, we would assist or look for assistance in giving that tree water to bring along life. So with that, thank you. Uh the next item on the agenda is the consent agenda. Obviously, the declaration of the surplus truck, a motion approving the open and closed minutes from the April 6, 2026 city council meeting. A [clears throat] motion approving licenses. A resolution setting a final cost hearing for PI6082, the 2025 sidewalk and driveway improvements for May 18, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers. Motion moving the final hearing date for PI5966, the Cavore Avenue project from May 4th to May 18 at 5:30. A motion moving the final hearing date for PI5964, the Cleveland Avenue Improvement Project from May 4 to May 18 at 5:30 p.m. A motion moving the final hearing date for PI5967. [laughter] The Douglas Avenue Improvement Project from May 4 to May 18 at 5:30. All of them are in the council chambers. Would somebody care to make that resolution, please? Thank you, Al. Would somebody care to second it?

Second. Thank you, Jim. Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. The consent agenda items are approved. The next item on the agenda is ordinance and resolutions. Um the first reading ordinance 79 8 series reszoning 1397 South Tower Road and we're just looking for somebody to enter that. So would somebody care to enter that? I'll enter that.

Thank you, Scott. The next item on the agenda is a resolution approving a water mane hydrant and sanitary easement agreement with Quicktrip, Inc. Yes. Thank you, Kyle.

Sorry, Scott. Scott made the resolution. Alan, Scott, Al, Al and Scott. Alan, Scott. Rachel's over to Kyle. Uh just quickly uh th this easement is a easement on the what we'll call the quick trip property where we have uh sanitary sewer and water man that stubs into the north side of the property which is what they'll use to get their uh water and sewer from. Uh but they're giving us a easement around those utilities so that we have the the right to maintain that and take care of it in future. Anybody got any questions of Kyle?

I'll offer it. We've got it already. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Al and Scott were on Johnny on the spot tonight with that. Just I guess [laughter] Scott, you had a question. Typically these kinds of things are along the roadway where the easement already exists, but in this case it's set in from the property of distance and so that's why this was needed. Correct. Correct. This comes from the property from the north through the private property. So typically, you're you're absolutely right. It's normally in the right ofway. This one isn't. So we want to make sure that we have the proper easement that we have the right to maintain it in the future. With that, roll call, please. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. The resolution is approved. The next item on the agenda is alle a a resolution approving a land sale for a portion of the city owned property on North Tower Road Parcel 710 0399 1 153800 0 to Northwoods Industrial Services LLC in the amount of $48,000. Would somebody care to make that resolution? I'll offer that. Thank you, Laurel. Would somebody care to second it? I'll second. Thank you, Jim. No questions. Roll call, please.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Fish. Yes. Yes. Yes. The resolution is approved. The next item is the sale of the other half of that property. A resolution approving a land sale for a portion of the city owned property on North Tower Road. parcel 7100399153800 0 to Durkman Family Real Estate in the amount of 48,000. Would somebody care to make that resolution for that? Thank you, Jim. Would somebody Thank you, Laurel.

Your honor, I just going to make a comment before we vote. Uh I think this is just a place where um as a council member, I want to thank uh you uh honorable Mr. Hicks for your work with this. I know this was a trying matter to get to this and it was great for your ability to work with local businesses to get this done. I also want to thank our economic development uh director uh Mr. Leman for the amount of work that he did with this as well. This is not only going to be a purchase of some land, but this will lead to possible further development of two uh long-standing businesses in the community and that's exactly what the community needs to drive that uh for them uh and for the residents of the city. So I commend uh the both of you for the work that you did on that um in this process. Thank you. Um roll call please.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Rachel. Yes. Yes. Fish. Yes. Joey. Yes. Yes. The next item the resolution is approved. The next item on the agenda is a resolution adopting a professional service agreement with Visit Fergus Falls. If somebody would care to make the resolution and second it, then we can have discussion. I'll make that motion, but I'd like to change it for one year till May 1. Is that it's till it's two years now, isn't it? It's technically what's written is to expire December 31st of 2027. I asked a question to Ralph.

Yeah. Uh the term of the agreement commences on May 1st, 2026. It ends on December 31st, 2026, unless it's terminated sooner. So, I mean, if you would like to just have it from one year uh beginning and commencing on May 1st to 2026 and ending on May 1st, 2027, you certainly can make that change. Okay. Then I was I was I thought it was two-year deal, but I it will automatically renew under [clears throat] its terms unless it's unless it's terminated, though, right? Okay. So, thank you. I'll offer a second. I'll I'll sec I'll sec I'll offer that with exactly what I was said. Sorry. as written as presented as as presented. Okay. Thank you. And Scott, second.

I'll second it, but then I wanted to add to what Scott was. I think the direction you were headed, Scott, is probably helpful in that having it end at the end of this year, I believe, is too short of a window of time. It ought to be 2027, not 2026. So, if you were willing to amend the motion to 2027, December 31st, 2027, then I would second. That is the motion. That is the motion. That and that's yeah unless we the way I understood it just now is that it would expire 2026. December 2026 no 27 2027 the option to end it if we don't so I think we're good. December 31st 2027 I'm up for that.

Oh no you're right. Um I think there's a typo. It meant it's supposed to be 2027. Well, actually, your honor, [clears throat] Ralph, um it originally was presented December 31st, 2027, and at the committee of the whole, the direction of the council a couple committees ago was to go through the end of 26 only. So, what's in your packet is that updated contract, but you guys can do whatever you'd like to do. So, you could you could go through 27, you could go for a calendar year from May 1st, or you could end it at the end of 26. I think that's what I wanted to say in the first place. May 1st7. Sorry. Please. So you you're amending your I'll amend it to May 1st. That's what I want to do in the first place. Okay. Thank you. That's fine. We'll change that.

Okay. I thought we were going to December, but I'll go along with me. All right. Okay. So, we have a resolution on the floor now. We can have discussion. Anybody care to add anything? Bring her to the

Y Mike. Yeah, your honor. I uh I appreciate it. Uh and I I appreciate uh council member uh uh Rachel's u look at it with one year. Um we just had a for the community that doesn't know, we just had a great meeting with uh visit Fergus Falls and and I say that truthfully. Uh it was a board members of 78. Uh they were engaged. Um they were dedicated. Uh they were committed. Um I think they answered a lot of hard questions. So I think it it a testament to who's there at this point and what they're doing. Uh the reason I can't vote for this today is when I look at the board process and I had said this in the committee of the whole is that to have a board process I think is a real hindrance to the speed and the agility of what we could work with this type of a of a entity. And so I'm going to vote against it tonight because of that matter. One of the things that concerns me about a board uh and one of the disadvantages of a tourism board is you lose that individual approach of one individual that can make a decision quick. All of these decisions have to go back from the executive director back to the board not sure that they will get through the board and then come back to him. And so that's a process that I just can't I just can't go with. Along with that, there's uh sometimes potential political infighting. boards can pri prioritize other broader marketing over local needs. Um, and one of the other things that that kind of bothered me a little bit was the basis of the board and the board context was it had to have hotel operators as part of their board. And sometimes when you're bringing in amount of money from that type of entity that comes in, I get concerned for a conflict of interest between board members may be restricted in their ability to conduct business in

a certain way. No, that might not be the case, but if we have an entity like the Bigwood Event Center that needs to be filled and other individuals are in the hotel industry, it it can be that way. when you look at billboards, if I was to fill all the billboards and I'm on a board that that does that, it it just gives me some pause. And so, one of the things that that I'm concerned about was that, and I'll be short, uh, your honor, in what I'm going to say.

I think hiring somebody else that's a more individual individual to run this type of a a setting, I think, would be a great approach. And one of the things I'm concerned about the most is we seated a great group of individuals today, but do we know if they are the best group of individuals to do this? Um, and I'm not sure. They may be, they may not. But one of the things that I think will short the city is if we didn't do a process of looking at two, three, five, or 10 other individuals to possibly take on this type of a uh process for the city. I think one other individual would have a much greater partnership uh with Mrs. Beck, with Mr. Lehman, with Honorable Hicks, with Mr. Bth, our city administrator. And I think the cohesiveness of that should have at least been looked at in this process. And so for those reasons, I I think I will vote against it and I would have hoped that we would have went with more of an application process like we were talking about in the beginning. We were going to pass this through, but we were still going to do a process of looking at other individuals for it, and I I would have liked that. So, that's where I'm at, your honor. I appreciate your time.

Thank you. Anybody else? I have a question. So, when I think I was the one that made the motion to say, "Let's do a subcommittee to look at this to look at the options like Mr. Mortonson talked about." That passed along with doing this till the end of the year. Obviously, we're not going forward with this through the end of 26. Does that mean there's still going to be a subcommittee that is going to look at options for the future or does that mean that's a mute point at this point? I think it depends on whether it gets approved or not.

Okay. Your honor, I uh [clears throat] I cannot go with this myself. The budget's up $100,000 a year and they're spending 20 on the Big Wood. um as a nonprofit, uh they're spending more in staff and occupancy than they are in really marketing. Um I'm old enough to know that what makes money is uh that when the till rings and I think the uh motel owners know that as well. But the big wood uh I can't count on just clicks. I need this thing booked. They got a budget of $275,000. Uh if we would reappropriate that to a individual who could market Fergus Falls, uh that's a lot of money. Uh secondly, I I think there's a lot of re repeat of efforts. Um, you know, Minnesota's got visit Minnesota and every motel has a various website and uh in addition to that um I know you can skin a duck and it may taste like a chicken but the regulations say that this has to be for convention and visitors had nothing to do with the road being closed I94. Uh, I believe that's way outside the responsibilities of the city. Um, I don't know, maybe Bill could help us with that. Uh, so, uh, I I believe they've operated well. They're engaged. I believe that, uh, having that money left over, uh, if you will, a reserve not being spent is is

wonderful. Uh, they haven't wasted the money. They haven't just spurred the money. So I have a little bit of a difference with opinion on that. So I cannot I I cannot uh I cannot vote in favor of this tonight. Uh I I would hope that the uh remaining council would understand that uh this budget is in excess of uh what it would take to run a an individual group and increase it 100 grand and only spend 20 on Bigwood. I'm not there. Thank you. Anybody else? If not, roll call, please.

Just a point of order just to make sure. Um, I want to make sure that council member Kild's her her original statement from committee the whole is that part of this motion today? No, it's not.

No, it's approving this contract that's presented with the amendment to change it to April or May May 27 as being the expiration. But this there's still obviously the ability within the contract to terminate it. Al would just like to make a comment too as far as hiring an individual. I know this is we talked about this before. you know, it seemed to work real well with our economic person that we have and uh you know, there was a lot of people involved with Greater Furs right now with our economic director. We see a real bright future. It streamlined everything. A lot of these things we wouldn't even be talking about. It would be already be done. So, I'm a firm believer in streamlining any type of government. That's just my comment. Thank you.

Thank you. Is that real cool? No. No. No. Rachel, yes. Yes. Fish, yes. Joel, yes. Yes. The resolution is approved. Moving on. um the presentation of claims in the amount of $988,32489. If somebody would care to make that resolution. I'll offer the resolution to pay the bills. Thank you, Jim. Would somebody care to second it? Nobody. I'll second that. That's Laura. Perfect. I got her name right.

Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

The resolution is approved. The there is no old business, unfinished business. There is no new business. There are a number of announcements to be made. Um, on uh, April 23rd at the American Inn between 5 and I think it's 7, there will be a presentation by Mindot regarding junction 54 closure and and uh, I'm assuming they will have their contractors there uh, which will also go over the timeline uh, for those um, closing of the ramps etc etc. Um adding to that, Otter Express is going to look at um doing a circular bus route uh during the construction period. Uh so there'll be more details on that to help residents um for a $1 fee uh travel um circular around Fergus Falls from places like uh the clinic, service food, and out to some of the fast food places um and Walmart um on the west side of town. Uh, April 26, uh, 7:30 a.m. to 100 p.m. is a firefighters association pancake feast. Uh, April 28th at 400 p.m. it will be D Lagoon Campground open house. Uh, April 29, 7 a.m. committee of the whole. Uh, April 30th at 9:30, uh, board of equalization for Fergus Falls residents at the county offices. um May 4th, 5:30 p.m. city council meeting in the chambers. And uh also on that day, May 4th at 4:30, the senior citizen center will be starting their spaghetti dinner. With that,

thank you. I have one thing. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, honor. Uh we had the precon today for the Cleveland and Cavor projects and we learned from the contractor Keeley Underground that on Thursday they begin or they plan to begin uh signage and tree removal on Cleveland's. We just put out information the tail end of last week that said they would start uh the 27th which is a week from today. They're actually moving that up. So as soon as uh this Thursday there's going to be activity happening up on Cleveland Avenue. And I just have one thing. Um, mayor, is it possible for you I I think it's important for the people here and for citizens to know there's going to be communication with Summerfest on a plan. Is that accurate? Yep. For fireworks.

Yep. I mean, we can now, right? So, with that, we are adjourned. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. special fires for a few