City Council - Regular Meeting

All right. Good evening, everyone. Hello. Good evening, everyone. I am Mayor Shelley Carlson. Good evening everyone. I am Morehead Mayor Shelley Carlson. It is December 8th, 2025 at 5:31 p.m. The Morehead City Council welcomes public input on issues listed on the agenda or of general community interest, time and council permitting. Speakers would be limited will be limited to 3 minutes each. If you would like to address the council during our meeting, please fill out a form provided by our city clerk and we will call you up during the citizens to address a council item on the agenda. You'll need to state your name and if you are a Morehead resident. If comments were submitted to the clerk prior to the meeting via email or phone, those comments will be entered into the record. For more information on participation, please visit the council meetings page on the city of Morhead website at moreheadmn.gov. We, the Morhead city council, collectively and with gratitude acknowledge the sacred land the city of Morhead is built upon. We acknowledge the people who have resided here for generations and recognize that the spirit of the Dakota, Ajiway, Mati, and all indigenous communities permeate this land. With that, could I get a roll call, please?

Ryan Nelson, here. Nicole Matson here. Heather Nissmeer here. Emily Moore here. Deb White here. Lisa Borggan here. Sebastian McDougall here. Chuck Hendrickson. Mayor Shelley Carlson here. And for those who are able, please stand for the pledge of allegiance. nationisible. [cough] Right. Um and city manager Molly, do we have any agenda amendments?

Good to see everybody here tonight. And there are no amendments to the agenda, mayor. Okay. Um moving on to the consent agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So moved. Second. Motion and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none. Roll call vote, please. Nelson, I. Matson, yes. Nissa Meyer, yes. Moore, yes. White, yes. Borggan, yes. McDougall,

I motion carries. U, moving on to recognitions and presentations. First on the agenda is our Morehead Human Rights Awards. And I believe, okay, I'm going to turn it over to our representatives from our human rights commission. Good morning. My name is Evette Ellis. I am the one of the Morhead human rights commissioners and I'll be presenting the first two awards. Uh, first I'd like to uh congratulate Arian Faucet from the education category. Arian is the coordinator of gender and sexuality at Minnesota State University Morehead's diversity and inclusion office. From Arian's nomination, Arian is a mentor of mine that I met through the Rainbow Dragon Center and Women's Center at MSUM. Arian has spearheaded the growth of the MSUM Women's Center and Rainbow Dragon Center and increased attendance at ODI programs. She has partnered with several student organizations to build and maintain these communities at MSUM. [applause]

[applause]

She is. [clears throat] Next we have in the nonprofit category, Pastor Michelle Weber. Michelle is a pastor at the First Congregational United Church of Christ from Michelle's nomination. Michelle supports those in need every day through her support of her church food pantry and fostering the community meals program at her church. Michelle offers support and services to the LGBTQ community to include those in North Dakota who have been under attack. Servicing compassion is what she offers every day in all of her actions. She is truly a human rights advocate of the highest and best and best kind. Michelle Weber [applause]

[applause]

It is humbling to accept an award that I feel like I do not deserve. I was nominated by a woman who has made a bigger impact in human rights in her life than I ever will in mine. And while I have spent my adult life learning how to be a better ally to people whose rights have been violated, what I do in this community that that brought this nomination is not stuff that I do. It's stuff that I do on behalf of my faith community or actions that I take to support other people who are doing real work. When I work with youth in the youth stewards program, it's because my church is a part of that program. If 87% of those youth are BIPO, it's because of our partners, not because of me. When I work with people experiencing homelessness or people who are food insecure, it's because my church has a heart for those things. When I'm active in the LGBT community as an ally and an advocate, it is because my church has had that passion for a very long time and because I'm the parent of a transgender person. Fortunately, I've had great education that has put me in a place where I have the skills to do this work. But all of that is also not because of me. My church requires me to have anti-racism work by annually and they pay for it. I truly do not deserve this. My church deserves this. Lynn, Dr. Pinnick deserves this. I'm simply someone who uses whatever privilege I have and whatever resources I have access to to center the voices and improve the lives of people closest to the pain. Thank you. [applause] Good evening. Jennifer Ronda, human rights commissioner.

Tonight, we honor someone whose daily work quietly but powerfully reshapes the culture of Minnesota State Community and Technical College. In the education category, our human rights award nominee, Tyler Strand, serves as a college social worker on the Morehead and Fergus Falls campuses. Tyler brings human rights to life through action. Every day he works directly with students facing barriers that threaten their ability to learn, persist, and succeed. He oversees the campus cupboards that provide thousands of pounds of food and essential supplies to students across all four Mstate campuses. continued the retail rescue program that brings in between 500 and 750 lbs of assorted frozen meats, bread, pastry items, and produce, 9,000 pounds of perishable, non-p perishable food that goes to all of Mate's campuses. He coordinates grants that support pregnant and parenting students, ensuring they have child care assistance, diapers, laptops, and the dignity of knowing their needs matter. He has helped award more than 28,000 in child care support, distributed nearly 2,000 diapers, provided emergency funds to stabilize housing, transportation, and medical needs, and facilitated access to educational funds for students who would otherwise go without through initiatives like the Supporting Parents Pregnant Student Initiative, the We Thrive Grant, and the Beam Emergency Assistant Grant. Tyler has removed barriers, expanded opportunity, and promoted educational equity for some of our most v vulnerable

learners. His work actively protects human rights by ensuring that every student, regardless of circumstances, has access to food, to housing stability, to education, safety, and the resources needed to thrive. Vice President Elise Sturdivant wanted to share that Tyler Strand is highly respected and regarded for his creative and unique approach to engage and support students. His advocacy and genuine dedication to serve the community and ongoing efforts to strategize how to best support students on a continuous basis is a huge asset to MState. Tyler's leadership has shaped MState's culture into one that is more compassionate, more inclusive, and more just. His colleagues describe him as someone who takes personal risks, who alleviates human who elevates human dignity in every interaction and who embodies the values he champions. His recent efforts toward securing hunger-free campaign designation demonstrates not only vision, but the persistence required to build systems that outlast any one person. As someone who has had the honor to work with Tyler, I've witnessed his passion, his commitment, and his unwavering belief that every student deserves a fair chance. His work is not just social work. It is human rights in action. This also includes his authenticity and intentionality in recognizing all of our interdependency. When discussing this award, he wanted to expand the circle to recognize that, and I quote, "I work with several awesome people to support this work. Like my other social worker counterpart, our student services department, faculty for

referrals, financial aid department, business office and facilities crew, it truly takes a village. Please help me in congratulating Tyler Strand on his human rights award. [applause] [applause] Hello, I'm Anna Rajesh and I serve on the Human Rights Commission and I am honored to present this award to Kavita Kundara for for the human rights award in recognition of her exceptional commitment to housing equity, community service and refugee support in the Fargo Morehead area. Since 2010, Kavita has been a steadfast advocate for refugee families and elders, guiding them through resettlement, helping them access essential programs, and ensuring their cultural needs are respected and understood. For more than a decade, she has dedicated her career to affordable housing across lowincome housing tax credit properties, permanent supportive housing, and public housing programs. At Cooper House, she supported chronically homeless individuals in stabilizing their lives through integrated services. Her work with Fargo Housing and Klay County Housing strengthened families through section 8 public housing and family self-sufficiency programs. In her current role with Jeremiah program, a national organization focused on disrupting the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children. She oversees housing operations, empowers mothers with pathways towards long-term stability.

Gavvata's service also extends far beyond her professional roles. For 15 years, she has led Nata alongside a group of women providing home-cooked meals to local shelters. She also co-founded Cooking with Purpose, donating meals to support nonprofit fundraising efforts. Gova Gundala's lifelong dedication to dignity, equity, and community service makes her a truly deserving recipient of this human rights award. Can we please get a round of applause for Kavita Gundala? [applause] Thank you. I wrote a speech. I'm going to I'm going to prepare myself. So, thank you, Anna. Thank you for the Human Right Commission for this uh for choosing me for this award. I'm truly blessed and honored to receive this recognization. In the early stages of my career, I worked with refugee resettlement and that experience opened my eyes to human rights challenges as well as their incredible res resilience people carry with them. Their strength shaped my understanding and inspired me to stay committed to this work. For the past 12 years, I have dedicated myself to the affordable housing, supporting chronically homeless individuals and families in finding stability. Today, I'm proud to be part of Jeremiah program, a nation, a nationwide program whose whose mission is disturb the poverty cycle of uh single moms and their children, two generations at a time. It is the work that continues to motivate and humble me every day. I have been blessed with amazing mentors. Dari Ashe, I hope she's here somewhere. Um, friends and family who have guided and encouraged me along the way. And most importantly, I want to acknowledge my

husband and my two boys. I know I'm I'm getting emotional. And my friends, without their support, I wouldn't I would not be doing this work. As you can see, my family and friends are there here today to cheer me on. And that means world to me. The word is the award is just not a recognization for me right now today. It is a reminder that I continue to work hard to lift the voice of those who are go unheard and to keep advocating for fairness, dignity and human rights for all. Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity. [applause] [applause]

Well, thank you to the Human Rights Commission. Um, every year I'm always just so impressed with the people in our community who do such amazing behind-the-scenes work and I love the fact that we have an opportunity to honor them and and shed a spotlight on the great work that is um been happening. So to Arian, Michelle, Kavitha, and Tyler um and Ellen, make sure I got everybody. I miss him. Um, just congratulations and from the bottom of our hearts um, in the city of Morehead, thank you for all the work you've done. So, I think I think they all deserve another round of applause. [applause] [applause]

Right. Our next um actually if this kind of goes with um the Morhead human rights award if we want to take let's see what is it 18K request from council members White and Matson to pro uh approve a resolution. Um can move down jump down to that item on the agenda and I'll turn it over to council members White and Matson. Thank you, mayor. I wasn't ready for that. Um, so like many of you, uh, I've been very concerned about things that we're seeing and hearing lately that have disparaged our immigrant and refugee communities and called them and caused them to live in fear. I've been thinking a lot about the Probesfield Elementary School class that I visited this fall. There were kids there whose families were from all over the world and who chose to make Morehead their home. Those families are vital parts of what makes Morehead a growing and vibrant community. As an elected leader, I wanted to instill in those kids a sense of pride and value in our government and our democratic process and the important role that they'll play as American citizens when they grow up. And I think about those kids a lot now in this last week or so and how they're impacted when the president of the United States, the highest ranking elected official in our country, says that they and their families are garbage and that they are not welcome here. I think about children who have to worry about whether or not their mom or dad will be home when they get there after school or whether it's safe for them to go out and play on the playground. It's

truly heartbreaking. So, Council Member Matson contacted me last Wednesday and we started talking about what we could do to show support for our local immigrant and refugee communities. Nicole mentioned a resolution of support and I knew that that was something this council had done in the past. Um, in 2017 after the white supremacist rally and violence in Charlottesville, the council unanimously passed a resolution drafted by council member Mary Daly denouncing hate groups and promoting inclusiveness. I really appreciated the statements on Thursday from the mayor, our chief of police, and members of the human rights commission. And I'm very grateful to the community members who came here tonight to speak up and stand up for their friends and neighbors and to show what a great community Morehead truly is. So this resolution was just meant as another opportunity for we as elected leaders to stand together with our community to show support for our all of our immigrant and refugee communities during this very challenging time. So the resolution states as follows. Whereas the city and residents of Morehead affirm that our community is inclusive, welcomes contributions of all people, and celebrates our diversity. And whereas our community's strength is woven from the diverse experiences and backgrounds of those who have chosen to build their lives here. And whereas the Somali community along with other immigrant and refugee communities is an integral part of the vibrant tapestry that makes Morehead and Minnesota exceptional places to live and work and raise families. And whereas as elected representatives of the citizens of Morehead, we have a responsibility to recognize and uphold the rights and freedoms of the families and individuals we serve. Now therefore, it be resolved

that we, the city council and mayor of the city of Morehead, stand in solidarity with our immigrant and refugee neighbors who call Morehead home. We recognize and uphold the rights of all individuals to be treated fairly and to live their lives free from discrimination or targeting based on faith, race, or national origin. and we remain committed to ensuring that every Morehead resident, regardless of where they were born, is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. Uh so I guess in order to open the discussion, I'll make a motion um that the council support this resolution.

Okay. So there's a motion and a second by council member Nisser. Motion and a second. Any discussion? And I do know that there were citizens that wanted to speak on the motion. Okay. Um, and we are in the middle of the motion. So, we'll do the discussion and take the vote and then we'll call those folks up. I'll resend my u motion then if we can have the opportunity for citizens who wanted to speak. Did you do you want to resend the motion? Yeah, I can. I'll wait on it to Can I do that? Uh, just so that we can give citizens the opportunity to speak. I just know there were folks who asked to speak in support.

Um, council member Matson, is that okay? Um yes it is except for it was council member niece Mayer that seconded the motion and yes I will resend my second so um community members can speak.

Okay thank you. All right the motion has been rescended and see I need to look through these to see who is wanting to speak on the item. Okay the first one um that I see is Amelia. Amelia Stur Sturvenson, I'm not sure how to say your name. If you can come to the podium and we have a number of people who um are wanting to speak tonight um and I'll just explain how this works. We have this handy dandy little contraption here. When the button is green um that means you have your time to speak. We allow three minutes per person to speak. When it's red, you'll need to wrap up your comments. We'll need to have you state your name um your full name for the record and if you are a resident of the city of Morehead and once you start speaking the clerk will start the the time on the clock.

My name is Amelia Sterlesen. I am a resident of Dworth and I am speaking on behalf of the Democratic Socialists of the United States of America. We as members of the Red River Valley DSA stand in solidarity with our friends, our neighbors, and co-workers in the Somali community and proudly support the resolution in support of Morehead immigrant and refugee communities. President Trump's hateful slander of Somalia, our Somali community, and denial of their contributions to our state is yet another escalation in his xenophobia and white supremacy. From the family separation policy to the bone chilling images of Secretary Noom posting posing for photos in front of Salvadorian concentration camps, Donald Trump and his allies have broadcasted through the world that fascism and cruelty are the official policy of the United States of America. Their repeated claims that immigrants poison the blood of nations are direct intentional references to eugenics and Nazism. We as members of the Red River Valley DSA refuse to be silent and stand proud in opposition to fascism and xenophobia. We deny that any human is illegal and reject the assertion that ICE is or has ever existed to protect our communities from crime. ICE is functioning as intended to other surveil and abuse our neighbors and communities. ICE is not welcome here and neither our nationalism nor white supremacy. We as members of the DSA know it is our responsibility to speak up and act before it is too late. And that is why we call upon the Morehead City Council to support this resolution. Fascism relies upon fear and silence. And the more of us who speak up and stand alongside our neighbors, the easier it will become. In the coming decades, the people of Fargo Morehead will be and the country at large will be forced to answer to future generations about what we did today. We call upon you to create

to do the correct decision. Thank you. Thank [applause] you. All right. The the next individual um who is on the stack uh Garrett Mower. And Garrett, same thing. uh three minutes on the clock and then state your name and if you're a resident of Morhead, please.

Uh good evening, Garrett Mau, a resident of Morehead, Minnesota, and I come to you as a concerned citizen. It is with what I hope is an unfounded concern that I stand before all of you. Uh Resolution 18K should pass with unanimous support. Given the community outreach I've received recently, I'm concerned it won't. Please prove my concern wrong. Immigrants and refugees have been targeted in many unfair ways throughout our country, but they should not need to live in fear here. These people are humans and our neighbors and a welcome part of our community. My life, the lives of my family and children and all the people around us are more fulfilled by the presence and engagement of these diverse groups of people. Their perspective and lived experiences is a boon to us all. They make our community better. It saddens me to think this resolution is even a question. Our neighbors deserve to know that even in this small way, we support them. We must stand by them. The adoption or rejection of this resolution speaks far more to the character of our leaders and we as community members than it does to the people this resolution is intended to represent. Words matter. Our actions matter. Where we show up matters. And the world is watching. Neighbors not impacted, people we call friends, our children. They deserve to know where our values are. That is why I implore our elected officials to pass this resolution. Thank you.

Thank you. [applause] [applause] Next is Lynn Dr. Pinnick. Three minutes and name and if you're resident Morehead.

Good evening. I am Lynn Dr. Pinnick, a resident of Morehead. I appreciate the chance to also stand and speak in support of this resolution. In light of the outstanding individuals that tonight were honored for the human rights awards and listening to the kinds of things that they've done, it's only fitting that the council stand unified tonight in supporting item 18K on the agenda. The resolution that we heard Councilwoman White Reed and that council members White and Manson are proposing. I speak in support of the resolution condemning what is happening to our immigrant neighbors and stand not only in support of the proposed resolution but against the hate that is too prevalent in our nation. Hate should have no home here in Morehead or our country. But sadly fueled by negative rhetoric from the very top and the administration's resulting actions, it does. We must stand in support of all of our immigrant neighbors. Hate cannot be welcomed here. This is a time of great economic uncertainty for many people in our community. Despite promises made to the contrary by many politicians, grocery prices and health care costs are dramatically rising. Thanks to the big beautiful bill, resources for the most vulnerable amongst us are dwindling while the richest benefit. We must be ready to stand for all of those who cannot, including using local resources. We must be ready to show love and compassion for our immigrant neighbors and take care of all of our neighbors. I urge unanimous approval of this resolution. Thank you. [applause] And the next person to call up is Abdi Shakur Muhammad if Abdi Kusher Muhammad wants to come and speak. and Abdi if you want to state your name

and you'll have three minutes and if you're a resident more ahead

Abdi Shakur Muhammed Morehead her minor and council members thank you for giving me a moment more is the first place in America that ever believed in me I arrive in this city with an accent dream and a hope that this place would give me a fair chance this community opened its doors to me it shaped my life. It gave me my first job, my first business, and last year it honored me with a more hair heart award. Tonight, I stand here because Moore did not just welcome me, it lifted me. And right now, many of our neighbors are leaving with fear they did not create. They hear hateful language about Somalis. They see other cities raided. They feel the pressure of being asked for favors in their own hometown. They even worry when they have done everything right. They worry even when they are citizens and legal residences. Community cannot drive when it is people are afraid to go to work, are afraid to take their children to school, are afraid to answer their own door. And this is why this resolution matters. It's more than a wars. It's a promise. A promise that Morehead will protect the dignity of every person who calls this city home. A promise that safety will never come at the cost of humanity. A promise that we raise together, not divided, not targeted, not afraid. And for all these reasons, I fully support this resolution. And when Bball feel safe, they build, they work, they pay tax, they innovate, they serve public life, they support our stronger, they make our schools stronger, and they lift the whole city. I'm proud to be one of those people, a young immigrant who came this city looking for a chance and found a

community that give him a purpose. I ask you all to join me tonight by sending a simple message to every family watching that they belong that you are valued. You are safe here and together we will keep building and more that it stands stronger when in moments of fear and it stands together in moments of choice. Thank you and I hope you all support. [applause] The other individual that we have here um is let's see here. I want to make sure that the other two individuals um has are wanting to speak on something different. So we will have them under seven under our citizens addressing the council item on the agenda. So um with that uh council member White, did you want to

Thank you, mayor. I move that the uh council support the resolution. Second, Matson. Now you're going to throw me off. [laughter] So, Council Member White with the motion. Council member Matson, now I almost said Nisser with the second. Um, any further discussion? Seeing none, roll call vote, please. Matson, yes. Nissa Meyer, yes. Moore, yes. White, yes. Borggan, yes. McDougall, I. Hendrickson, yes. Nelson, I

Right. Thank you. And that motion passes. [applause] The next item on the agenda is our swearing in and badge pinning for our Morhead police officers. And I will turn this over to Chief Chris Hemlick.

All right. Good evening, mayor and council members. Uh it's my honor tonight to introduce the five newest police officers joining our department as they are officially sworn in. Uh each of these officers has been patiently waiting for their opportunity to serve as we've worked through getting other officers graduated from our field training program. Uh their commitment and readiness has been unwavering during that time. And we're proud tonight to bring them into active service. uh their next step will be moving into their field training phase for the next 16 weeks. Uh before we do that, I wanted to also take a moment to introduce our new public safety communications specialist, uh Katie Edish, who joined us back on October 29th. Uh her role is new to the city, and she will serve both the police department and the fire department in her her position. Uh she brings a strong skill set and is extremely dedicated to enhancing the communication and outreach of both departments. Uh we've definitely been keeping her busy here the last few weeks, but uh we're excited to have her on the team. Um with tonight's additions, uh we've now, if my math is correct, we've actually sworn in 19 officers since August of this year. Um and when you do a little bit more math, uh that's about a third of our sworn staff in our department. Uh we are 63 strong and uh we've sworn in like I said about a third of that over the fall and into the winter here. Um that is not due to me that is due to our recruiting sergeant Joe Brandon who has been working tirelessly all year and has done a phenomenal job bringing in some fantastic recruits. And we're not done yet but uh right now we've got three additional openings. So, anyone who's looking to get on with our department, you better hurry up and get in because uh they're they're filling up fast. But, um we've got a couple retirements coming up in 2026, but even with that, we're very confident that this this trend is going to continue.

And uh again, that is really a testament to the work that he has done. Um, overall things are looking really good and I really couldn't be prouder of the new officers that we're bringing on board as well as the veteran officers who've really been resilient through the entire time of of staffing shortages that uh not just this year but in the last couple of years. So, uh my my hats off to all of them as well because they have definitely played a big role in this. So, with that uh let's get on with the swearing in. Uh what I'm going to do is I'll call up each officer one at a time and then they will have a friend or family member come up and pin their badge on uh before the mayor will administer the oath to to all of them. Uh first off we will have officer Mishak Adabla who will come up right and his badge will be pinned on by Cadet Jose Perez. No pressure, Jose. [applause] I just step over there. Okay, just a note, these two have been working together uh the last couple months as cadetses, and Jose is actually one that we hope to be having up here next summer

sometime. So, uh thanks for his work as well as one of our cadets. Uh next up, we'll have Officer Sam Larson and his mom Nicole will be pinning on his badge.

[applause]

All right. Next, we have Officer Martin Mlan Hayes and his wife, Eva.

[applause]

All right. Next, we have Officer Stephanie Nelasco and her sister Michelle.

[laughter] [applause] [applause] All right. And last, we have Officer Brock Wakefield. And you'll be pinned by Officer Lance Eldridge.

[applause]

All right, now comes the embarrassing part of this presentation. Because I am a transparent chief, I made a mistake here and I forgot to bring the oath cards. So, oh well, the mayor's got them. All right, fantastic. Saved again. So, we'll have all five come up here and uh the mayor will uh read you the oath. You won't have any cheat cards, but I have confidence in you. So, well, and I hope you meant cards. I just have my card. [laughter]

So, but um one of the things that I do before I swear in um officers with Mor Police Department, I really speak to and I it's always awkward because I there the people that I need to speak to are behind me, but um I also want to speak to you guys because there's a lot of job qualifications that people don't realize that officers need. Um and so I like to explain this to all the friends and family that come here to support you, too. A police officer has to be able to run miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes a health inspector wouldn't go into, all while wearing 20 plus pounds of equipment. An officer must be able to sit in a car during doing surveillance all day, cover a homicide scene that night, canvas a neighborhood for witnesses, and be able to show up in court the very next day to testify to testify about a year old case, remembering all of the details on little or no sleep. A police officer must be in top physical condition on black coffee, Mountain Dew, or energy drinks, and halfeaten meals frequently consumed in their squad car in less than five minutes. A police officer needs to have three pairs of eyes. Ones that three see through a bulge in a coat pocket before asking, "May I see what's in there?" already knowing what's in there and kind of wishing they would have taken that accounting job. A second pair of eyes on either side of their head to look out for his or her partner's safety and a third pair of eyes in front to be able to look reassuring at a bleeding victim and say, "You're going to be okay." Even when they know it's not true. A police officer must be able to talk a 250lb intoxicated and combative individual into a squad car without incident and raise a family on a civil service paycheck. The officer must be able to tell you the elements of a hundred different crimes. recite the Miranda warning in their sleep. Detain,

investigate, search, and arrest a criminal on a street in less time than it take fi than it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of that arrest and somehow keep a positive attitude and maintain a sense of a humor, no matter how odd the humor is with law enforcement. A police officer must have a must have phenomenal self-control, personal self-control. They must be able to deal with horrific graphic crime scenes, coax confessions from pedophiles, comfort a sexual assault victim, know the names, numbers, and services of dozens of community resources, and respond to chance interactions with the public with friendliness and a ready smile at all times. You each are member of an elite group of individuals who swear to honor, serve, and protect the citizens of Morehead. for all of these attributes and for your willingness to serve. On behalf of Morehead, I thank each and every one of you. The community thanks you. You are deeply appreciated and I'm grateful for each one of you. So, with that, you can raise your right hand and then say, "I state your name. Do solemnly swear

that I will support and comply with the Constitution of the United States of America, the Constitution and Laws of the State of Minnesota, the charter laws and ordinances of the city of Morehead, the policies and procedures of the Morhead Police Department. and the law enforcement code of ethics and that I will faithfully discharge the duties as police officer to the best of my ability. I further pledge that on my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold

my community and the agency I serve. Thank you and welcome to the Morhead Police Department in the city of Morhead. [applause]

[applause]

Thank you.

[clears throat]

All right. And again, congratulations to our newest officers, Wakefield, Larsson, Mlane, Hayes, Nolasco, and Abdala Adabla. Um, moving on to the next item on the agenda. This is our truth in taxation public comment opportunity opportunity after the presentation. So, with this, um, right, I'll call up our finance director, Jennica Flanigan. All right. Uh, good evening, uh, mayor and council members. Tonight, I'm here to present the city of Morehead's 2026 budget and tax levy, as well as the economic development authorities 2026 budget and tax levy. The EDA board reviewed and recommended approval of its final budget and tax levy on November 3rd. This evening's presentation will cover the following key topics. Um first, an overview of the city's general fund and park funds, including major revenue sources and expenditures for 2026. A discussion of the city's market value, taxbased growth, tax rate history, and the proposed tax rate for 2026. We'll also cover tax impact on residential and commercial properties and then finally a brief look at the city's capital improvement plan. Um each year as we prepare the budget there are four key principles really guiding the process. Um number one is

collaboration with city council or executive leadership team and the various city departments. Uh two community service ensuring the city delivers high quality services to its residents. uh three employee support uh fostering work life balance, employee engagement and well-being and finally fiscal responsibility developing a balanced budget to manage the city operations effectively. During the budget process, four main priorities emerged. Employee wages and benefits, the wastewater utility, community and economic development, and public safety staffing. We'll begin with the city's uh estimated market value growth. The estimated market total market value for taxes payable in 2026 is approximately 4.3 billion, reflecting a 5.04 increase over the prior year. Of the over $28 million increase in market value, approximately 36% is a result of new construction within the city. The taxful market values are then converted to tax capacity and this then allows us to have an understanding of how much additional tax property tax revenue the city would be able to generate due to the new construction and added value. The property tax revenue estimated to be generated from the growth in construction is about 1.34 million. The process for balancing the budget begins by estimating both the revenues and expenditures. Um if revenues and exceed the expenditures then the difference um must be must be discussed and talked through different funding sources to then fill that that funding gap. Uh the proposed revenue for the general fund and park fund for 2026 totals 46,336796.

Um there are four main categories of funding in these two funds. Uh property taxes, transfers from the utilities, local government aid, and then in other sources which includes such things as fees, intergovernmental revenue, franchise fees, and miscellaneous income. Property taxes, the transfers from utilities and local government aid make up about 83% of the total. Uh this year uh the property taxes will come in at about 20.5 million. Transfers from utilities at 9.7 million, local government aid at 8.3 million, and other sources um coming in at about 7.7 million. The proposed expenditures for the general and park funds also total at 46.3 million. Uh this includes funding for the following eight areas. Police 14.4 4 million fire 7.7 million administration 7.1 million public works 6 million parks and recreation 2.9 million engineering 3.9 million community de development 2.7 million and governmental affairs legal and prosecution 1.9 million. Um, a couple items to note. The the two uh public safety departments of police and fire make up about 47% of the general and park fund budgets. And then additionally, the employee wages and benefits account for approximately 71% of the total expenditures of these two funds. The 2026 budget is increasing by approximately $3.1 million from the prior year. Of that 3.1 million, 2.7 million or 87% is related to employee wages and benefits. This includes step increases for permanent employees, health insurance adjustments, the

addition of Minnesota paid leave, and a cost of living adjustment as outlined in union agreements. Additionally, three new firefighter positions are being funded in the 2026 budget. Other notable increases include uh $276,000 increase um in IT equipment and software subscriptions. Um about $78,000 going towards our the Red River Regional Dispatch Center operations and a little over $50,000 increase towards city fleet and equipment replacement. In order to fund the proposed expenditures, an increase in the city levy of $2,362763 is needed. This increase will cover about 15.9 million in funding for the general fund, 4.4 million for the park fund, 305,000 for the Make Morehead Home Rebate program, 1.2 million for the Morehead public library, and 4.8 million for debt service on the city's infrastructure bonds. The economic development authorities proposed levy is $789,857 uh which was approved by the EDA board in November. At the September 20 22nd uh council meeting, the preliminary budget approved included an estimated tax rate increase of 5.58%. Um, following council's direction and uh, various meetings, the direction given was to reduce that amount. Um, after several adjustments were made and as a result, the final budget presented for approval tonight reflects an estimated tax rate increase of 3.89%. Historically, from about 2019 uh, to 2025, the city has experienced an average tax rate increase of 3.24%.

Um, as noted, the proposed 2026 tax levy translate to an estimated tax rate increase of 3.89% for the commercial and industrial properties. Uh, border cities legislation actually caps the property tax obligation for those properties at 1.6% of taxable market value. So, these properties will only see a change in property tax if there's an increase or decrease in market value. Um, for residential properties, the median home valued in Morhead of 247,700 would see an estimated monthly increase of about $7.24. Uh, please note that this amount could also be impacted by any market value changes in those properties. The 2026 capital improvement budget for the city totals 89,332,872. There's a strong focus on essential infrastructure and capital equipment replacements. Uh notably, 93% of the capital budget is allocated across three key areas. There's 39.2 million dedicated to a range of infrastructure projects across the city that are led by our city engineering department. Uh 42 41.2 million for wastewater treatment facility and lift station improvement project and approximately 3.3 million for the replacement of vehicles and equipment. In summary, the proposed changes related to property taxes as well as uh utility rate adjustments of our four enterprise funds results in an estimated monthly cost increase of about $11.90 for a median home value. With that, I'd just like to express my thanks to the city council, the mayor, the executive leadership team, and of course, our finance department and all the other departments of the city for their work on this budget process. It is a long process uh spanning many months throughout the year. Um we really never stop the budget process here at the city. So just want to thank everybody uh

for the collaboration throughout this process. Happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Jennica. And thank you for your tireless work um in adjusting this budget multiple times. Um I know that the last five years I've been mayor, I don't think the finance department has to go back with pencil and paper as many times as you guys did this year. So thank you. um um for that and a lot of appreciation, gratitude. Um this is a public comment opportunity. After this presentation, if there's members of the public who wish to speak to the truth and taxation component of the budget and tax levy, this would now be the opportunity to do so. I believe we have one person who wanted to speak in regards to the budget. Chris Chris Pip Piper Chris Piper. Okay. All right. Um and do this the same way. You'll have the your three minutes. It'll be green. Um and if you can state your name and if you are a resident of Morehead, please.

Um good evening, Mayor Carlson, council members, and city administrators. My name is Chris Piper. I've been a Morehead resident for 17 years and I currently live with my wife in Ward 4. I'm here tonight to speak to the council in support of Morehead hiring three operations firefighters in 2020 in the 2026 budget and hiring three more operations firefighters in 2026 if the federal safer grant is awarded to Morehead. I'm here today as a Morehead resident, but I also have 25 years experience in a full-time fire department. I'd like to thank Morehead City Council members, Mayor Carlson, Finance Director Flanigan, and City Manager Molly on working together last week presenting a plan tonight that hires three operations firefighters in 2026 budget and three more operations firefighters in 2026 if Morehead is awarded the safe the federal safer grant. This is government working to support public safety and reduce the 2026 tax levy. To the Morehead firefighters, I say thank you. My wife thanks you. You have to understand something. These men will give their life for you. We owe it to these firefighters and their families to support them with the equipment and staffing to do their job as safely as possible. The personal protective equipment in the firetrs Morehead purchases meet NFPA standards. Why then would Morehead not work more closely to meet NFPA standard 1710, the standard on career fire departments? NFPA standard 1710 is an internationally recognized standard developed in cooperation between the International Association of Firefighters and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The standard is based in science research for how many firefighters are needed to quickly extinguish fires and rescue anyone trapped. Council member Moore, thank you for being vulnerable

and sharing the personal experience of Morehead firefighters saving your father's life during a medical emergency. Your story illustrates the value of Morehead firefighters arriving on scene quickly. As Morehead Fire As Morehead has grown, so has the call volume straining Morehead Fire Department's most valuable resources. its firefighters. Relying on calling back offduty Morehead firefighters, mutual aid responses from volunteer departments or a full-time department is not adequate staffing and deployment of resources. The National Fire Protection Agency is served by thousands of experts developing standards. The International Association of Firefighting using industry standards contained in NFPA standards 151710 provided a report to the city outlining the steps necessary to meet industry standards for staffing and deployment of resources. The NFPA are the experts on staffing and deployment of fire department resources. The IIAF report used geographic information systems, mapping software, and examined historical computer aided dispatch data. Performance and response capabilities were assessed based on industry standards contained in NFPA 1500 and 1710. NFPA standard 1710 is supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the IIAF. The report is clear. Morehead needs more firefighters to staff its current apparatus inventory, and Morehead needs a third fire station. City administrators need to develop and communicate the plan for a third staffed fire station in Morehead. Council members, all eight of you are on the record saying you support firefighters, agreeing that Morehead needs more firefighters. Show your support for firefighters by voting unanimously to pass a 2026 budget that includes the hiring of three firefighters.

Thank you. Thank you. [applause]

And I was also told by our city clerk that there is another individual who wish to speak to the truth and taxation tax levy and budget. Is there another individual who wishes to speak? All right. Thank you. Want to come up? State your name if you're resident Warhead.

Hi. Um I'm a resident of Morehead and my name is Guadalupe Santoa. I uh had an incident about uh I would say four years ago and um my baby girl was choking and this is when I was living across the street from Park Christian school and uh all the first responders responded very quickly and was able to get to my baby girl um in time. And uh uh August of 28th uh last year uh I had a house fire and um my 12-year-old ended up jumping out from the second story and uh he's okay. He's good. He's uh doing phenomenal in school now. I'm so proud of him. Um, come to find out, uh, the first truck got out there 13 minutes and, uh, the second one got out there about 15 minutes. And [snorts] um, I know they're the response times should be within four to five minutes. And I just keep thinking to myself, what what what could I have what could I have what could have been saved? I don't have I don't have anything anymore. Um I'm I'm very grateful that my little one, my 12-year-old, made it. Very thankful. Um, but now I just I don't have any of my belongings, personals, uh, my wedding stuff, stuff that I had

from college. Um, I don't have it anymore. I lost it all. And it it I just find it very very important for these guys to get more staff and another building so that way no one experiences what I experienced. My wife took out took off a year to take care of a lot of the behind thescenes stuff. Some of my kids had to go into therapy because of our experience. And this is my hometown. I I graduated here. I remember um Horizon Middle School didn't look like anything it looks now. It's only expanding. Same thing with the high school. And um these guys should grow with it, too. You guys you guys should get them some more employees and some more fire stations.

[clears throat] I think it only makes sense for our community expanding because I don't wish this upon anybody. I feel like my life is still on pause until December 31st when I get to move back in. And um very grateful for all these guys over here. So, thank you so much for responding. [snorts] Um, even though I lost it all, it was just nice seeing firefighters out there putting it out and all the first responders to uh help out my 12-year-old boy. And um, yeah, that's all I got to say. Thank you.

Thank you. [applause] Thank you for um both of you for coming and speaking and specifically for you Guadalupe for sharing what I could tell was a very hard story for you to share. Um and I think uh Mr. Piper talked about the fact that um every single one of these council members and myself included have talked about that we do support to public safety. It is a very delicate balance. We would love to give um the firefighter the firefighter department all of the employees that they want. We'd like to get the police officers department that all they want. We heard from um our assistant uh our assistant city manager that we have members of our prosecution staff that go on vacation. They don't even put in for the vacation until they get back because oftentimes that they are having to call in and and work on their vacation time. Um, our public works staff needs more employees. Every single one of our departments need employees. Um, and we are working on a process um that is very similar to our capital improvement project that it's going to be a staffing um or capital improvement plan. It will be a staffing plan so that every department knows when staff will be coming on board for each of the departments. The challenge this year in particular has been um understanding what our community has also been going through. We just heard from several of the members of our human um rights award members who are doing all sorts of work on behalf of the public that is struggling this year. I was just at Slumberland this morning. They were giving out home um beds. Um it's a program that Slumberland does every single year, giving out beds to kids.

This year they gave out 63 beds. 42 of those beds were in Morehead for people who didn't have beds, kids who didn't have beds. And they said that this year they received more applications than they had any other year. We're constantly hearing from our homeless shelters that we need housing. We are constantly hearing from our food um food banks that they need more. That this year has been the worst ever. And we can't be tonedeaf to that. That there are members in our community that are struggling paycheck to paycheck and balancing putting a huge tax burden on them with hiring as many people as possible. It's a very very fine needle that um we had to thread. And um the years that I've been mayor, I will say that this year has been the hardest year to come to uh a budget um because balancing those needs and wants. You want to give departments everything that they want and desire, but you also have to be cognizant and not be tonedeaf to what is actually happening in our communities. So, um, thank you for everyone who has worked really, really, really hard and in particular our finance department who had to do a lot of extra work this year to go back and try to figure out what the budget could be if it's this percentage. What is it that prop percentage? That's how our governance structure is. We set what the tax rate is and it's the staff that do the operations as far as figuring out what needs to what you know how the money gets moved around. So, with that, um I I just appreciate everybody who is here. Um I will say again, this is also the first year that we've even really had anybody in the audience for our um budget meeting. Um so, moving on to 6A for the November 24th, 2025 meeting minutes. Do I have a motion to approve the meeting minutes?

So, moved. Hendendrickson. Second. A motion and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, uh roll call vote, please. Nelson. Hi. Nissa Meyer. Yes. Moore. Yes. White. McDougall. I. Oregon. Yes. Hendrickson. I. Matson. Yes.

Okay. That motion carries. We do not have any other citizens who wish to address the council at this time. Moving on to 8A. This is a resolution to approve mayoral appointments to committees, boards, and commissions. And I will turn this over to city manager Molly. Uh well, our ordinance requires when it's a mayoral appointment that we have a roll call vote and it must be unanimously approved. So with that, the information is in your packet. Okay. Is there a motion to approve the uh mayoral appointments to the committees, boards, and commissions? So moved. Second. Motion and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, uh roll call vote, please. White, yes. Borggan, yes. McDougall, I.

Hendrickson, I. Nelson. Hi. Matson. Yes. Nissa Meyer. Yes. Moore. Yes. And that motion passes as well. Okay. We are now down to 18A and 18B. So 18A is a resolution to approve the city of Mor 2026 tax levy budget and capital improvement plan. Is there a motion um to approve? So moved. Second. motion in a second. Any discussion? Council member White.

Thank you, Mayor. Uh, I also wanted to take a moment to thank our staff, but particularly I mean, we have the best staff um around, but particularly finance director Jennica Flanigan. Um, as the mayor mentioned, this has been a a difficult budget year and um she's put in so much hard work on this. um really working at getting something that um reflects the values um that we as a council have expressed and also what the citizens of Morehead have been asking for. Um all year we've been hearing from people who wanted to make sure that we were supporting our fire departments and I know you know we um have been hosting these conversations with council members events in the community and I think about the very first one that we had this year and the very first guy who got up you know who raised his hand to ask a question wanted to know what we were going to do to support our Morehead Fire Department. And um I haven't been on as long council as long as um council member Hendrickson um but I know we haven't added any positions since I've been on here. And I think he would say yeah it was it's even been quite a bit longer than that. And so um we know that our all of our city staff um runs a really tight ship and works on a very lean budget. Um, but I know our fire department has put their needs ahead of other other needs for a very long time and um, we heard from a lot of citizens that enough is enough. We really need to make sure that we are supporting our um, our public safety workers. At the same time, as the mention as the mayor mentioned, um, we also hear from people every day that are concerned about rising property tax burdens and the impact that it will have on their family. Um, so in the end it took a lot

of work, but our budget really reflects what we value and I feel as though we have been able to listen to our community and work on a budget that really reflects those values that we as a council have expressed and also that our citizens have expressed. So, um, I do support this. Um, I'm glad that we were able to get our property tax increase as low as possible, but not at the expense of our firefighters. And I want to thank the citizens who shared their input. Um, we hear you and I'm happy that we were able to come up with a budget that balances those concerns. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other council members? Council member Hendrickson. Uh, thank you, Mayor Carlson. Just want to echo what uh Council Member White said and thank you Jennica and Dan and Mike and the rest of the directors. Uh great job. I've been through some tough budget cycles in my life, but this is probably the top of them. So, and and we got it under 5% and that's what I was striving for and actually under four. So, just appreciate all the hard work and um thank you very much,

Council Member Nissmeer. Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, I too want to appreciate the hard work that went into this process. There was um a lot of information. There was a lot of number crunching but I also appreciate the uh communication um among uh leadership staff residents and it is um difficult to always sort of take in uh feedback and um it it's difficult because it's time consuming and it's difficult to balance but um I want to appreciate all of that um process that we went through. I think that we got to something that is good. I also want to mention um this budget although it was not I do not believe maybe I missed it in finance director Flanigan's presentation. It has been built in to our budget to have the safer grant. It is not guaranteed that in 2026 the city would apply for the safer grant, but it has been factored in so we have that uh cash balance allowance to pay for um safer grant additions of firefighters should that opportunity arise in 2026. There are a lot of things we don't know in the coming year of 2026, but I appreciate the work that was done. Oh, no, thank you. um appreciate the work that was done to um make that a possibility to not only have uh three professional firefighters added at the beginning of the year because we have a need, but also have that opportunity to excuse me apply for the safer grant should it be uh a possibility.

Your dog can be part of the council meeting too, you know. So, very cute. Uh any other council members who um contribute to the discussion? See none. If not, roll call vote, please. White, yes. Borggan, yes. McDougall, I. Hendrickson, hi. Nelson, I. Matson, yes. Nissmire, yes. Moore, yes. Oops. And that motion passes. So, moving on to 18B. This would be the resolution to approve the Morehead Economic Development Authority 2026 tax levy and budget. Do I have a motion to approve? So move. So move Ner. Oh, too many of us on the ball.

So I heard all three of you simultaneously. So I'm just going to go Hendrickson and Madson. And you were a second delayed there, Heather. So or Council Member and Nisser. So um Hendrickson with motion. Matson with a second. Any discussion? Seeing none. Uh, roll call vote, please. McDougall, I. Hendrickson, hi. Nelson, I. Nissamire, yes. Matson, yes. White, yes. Moore, yes. Borggan, yes.

All right. And that motion passes as well. Right. Moving on to mayor and council reports. Are there any council members who have reports from boards or commissions? Uh, council member Nelson or Nissa Mayer. Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, I would like to begin on reporting that Morehead Housing Agency. The Morehead Public Housing uh group met just a week ago and um the feedback from our audit for 2025 was successful. There were no issues. If people would like to hear the official audit report, they can attend our regularly scheduled meeting in Tuesday or in December on Tuesday um to get that full um uh report from our auditors um that we hire for that process. Also um there has been some residents at Riverview Heights um address 8002nd Avenue North trying to gather together household items. Um the those who are housed in our Morehead public housing units are the most difficult to house and seeing that residents themselves are stepping forward and asking for donations for household items um cleaning supplies, blankets, uh pillows, things that you may not notice. I know um Mayor Carlson just mentioned um a number of beds going to youth in our community. These are things that um those who get housing don't necessarily have. And so if you are in the giving mood this season, please consider dropping them by uh with Ashley, the re the resources staff um at the Riverview Heights High-Rise or um leave them with Helen and give her my apologies that I sent you there with this um opportunity. The um Solid Waste Advisory Council is um meeting on Thursday, December 18th, and I'd like to welcome everybody to visit. Um, we meet at the resource

recovery center and we will be going over um, as promised and I mentioned at our last council meeting, we got the C trash counts for our local trash count in Klay County. But what we do have in the uh, future is to get trash counts for what people are throwing away from our incinerator in PUM. And again, that uh incinerator is a fivecount collaborative for lakes and prairies that enable us to save um units in our um landfills by burning trash and burning them so hot that there is no POS or anything left but ash. Uh more on ash use uh next month. We also at the resource recovery center have the reuse room. Um if you are looking for items for gifts or a home, remember to stop by the reuse room. um that is open at the resource recovery center. You are limited to five items per day, but there are a lot of wonderful, beautiful pieces of furniture, games, puzzles, cook cooking gear, a lot of stuff that is saved from going in the landfill and put to reuse for any member of our community who's has need of them. Also, the Klay County Extension Committee is meeting this Friday, December 12th, at 8:15 a.m. in room 8. I encourage you to join us and learn about all of the wonderful work that the Klay County Extension Committee is doing. Also, um I would like to, as I mentioned at last meeting, we have openings for anybody who lives in Klay County to join us on the Klay County Extension Committee. So, please, if you would like to apply, uh we meet every other month um at 8:15 either Wednesdays or Fridays depending on schedules of folks. And so, we would love to have um people join us um on that committee. And if you are interested, please feel free to reach out to myself or Cecilia Amadu who's our executive director of Klay County Extension Services.

Um the Morehead Public Library, as I've mentioned it before, but just again since we tend to be in the giving mood and our weather is consistently getting colder because it's winter, um remember that the Morehead Public Library has a giving tree that is for hats, scarves, and mittens. They are particularly in need of adult-sized hats, mittens, and scarves. And so, if you are driving um around downtown and have some extras that you are willing to share, the staff at Morehead Public Library will gratefully um accept them or you can adorn the tree yourself. Um my appreciation um to the sworn officers and of course their friends and family who serve with them. Um I am delighted to hear that we have uh now a full force and we are looking to sign in more officers. Our public safety servants um serve not only themselves but with their friends and family as well. And I want to acknowledge that service um as it is uh meaningful and very important for our community. I also want to appreciate the community engagement that I have been able to enjoy in 2025. This is the last city council meeting of 2025 and I have had wonderful conversations about road construction, trees, vector control, budgets, resolutions, celebration days, so many things and I want to continue to welcome that. Um, I am always accessible via email, text or phone call. People find me even in the grocery store. And while I may not be dressed like a fancy city council member, I may be in my pajamas getting the last ingredients for pancakes. Um, I welcome any opportunity to engage with folks about concerns, issues, or ideas in the city of Morehead. Thank you, Madame Mayor.

Thank you, Council Member Nice Mayor. Other council members? No other council members have reports? Um, so for the mayor report, uh, since council meeting, I've attended 13 meetings andor events the last two weeks. Um, the holiday tree lighting was one of them that I attended and got a lot of great help from some kiddos that helped light up the Christmas tree. But thank you to um the global market was also going on that night. So, um just wanted to extend um gratitude to Inclusive Morehead Indigenous Association, the Historical um Society and Cultural Society of Klay County, Morehead Parks District, and I'm looking at uh Council Member White because I know I've forgotten one the last time when I was doing it. Indigenous and the Immigrant Development Center. Thank you. um they put on all those entities put together um a very very fun evening um and it was it was packed here at the Yum Center. Um also uh thank you to Mattbus um and the employees um of Matt Bus. They it took them about 4 hours to decorate the bus that we used in the holiday light parade on Saturday night. It was cold. It was probably the lightest crowd that I've seen when we've done the Holiday Light Parade. Um, and it was it was chilly out. Um, but we we bared the cold and council member Borggan and I and a few of the MAT bus employees were the only ones there, but uh the people that bared the cold and and uh came out, they got a lot of candy this year. Um, we actually had nine bags left, which we never have candy left. So, those people who they they got a lot and kids were excited. Um, and then last but not least, I mentioned earlier this morning, um, was part of the group at, uh, Slumberland Homes for the holidays.

This is their 31st year in doing this event. Um, over the 31 years that they've done this, they've given out 1,300 beds in the Fargo Morehead area. This year, they had 200 applications. Like I previously said, 63 were um, granted and 42 of those beds were for kids in Morehead. Um they were stunned and they said this is the most applications they'd ever have received. Um so thank you to uh not just Slumberland but to the Salvation Army um who help find the families, the Knights of Columbus who go and deliver the beds. Uh Walmart for providing the sheets. Pets Smart for providing a stuffed animal for each of the the kids. uh North Dakota Elite Cheer who they um they do like the tie-dye B blankets and then specifically Shirley Hill and Barb Hanniger who called a few years ago and said they wanted to help and so they make handmade quilts to go with every single bed. So, um, just a lot of gratitude going out today for those groups that are doing this to make sure that there are 63 kids that are in the Fargo Morehead area that now have a bed to sleep on tonight. So, that that's all I have.

Thank you, mayor. Uh, I'll just say, uh, during the holiday season, uh, city hall will be clo is closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and then on New Year's. But um as everyone uh here is well aware uh we do so much more than what happens at city hall across our city. So just a little gratitude um to the people that um boy we talked about firefighters tonight and the police department, people that plow snow um still pick up garbage through all those days and the like. So um uh just wishing everyone a happy holiday season and thanks for a great year and um looking forward to getting back to it. Our next council meeting is January 12th on Monday as we don't meet the week of uh Christmas. Thank you. I think that meeting would have been uh January or I mean December 22nd and so typically the second meeting in

in December of the council does not happen. Right. Right. Thank you, city manager Molly. Um we do have an executive session tonight. Um, so I would be looking for a motion to um enter into a closed executive session pursuant to Minnesota statute section 13D.05 subdivision 3A for the purpose of performing the city manager's annual performance evaluation. Do I have a motion to go into close session? So move Nelson. Second more. Thank uh I heard Nelson and Moore. I know people were talking over there. So Nelson and Moore um any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by or roll call vote, please. Nelson, I. Matson, yes.

Mismire, no. Moore, yes. White, no. Morgan, yes. McDougall, I. Hendrickson, yes. Okay. And that motion carries. So, we are we'll be going into exec session.

All right, we are back from exec session. It is 8:51 p.m. Do I have a motion to close the executive session? So moved. Second. A motion and a second. Um, uh, Borggan made the motion. McDougall made the second. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Executive session is closed. Um we don't have any new business. So we are now adjourned. Thanks Morhead.