The potentially largest matter of the session came up near the end of the meeting following the results of a closed session, a new business item only notable in the moment by the unanimous council response to second its motion to pass: a purchase and development agreement between the City of Two Harbors and Pulsar Helium MN, Inc., for a possible Rare Gas Hub in the city’s industrial district that could bring a possible economic boon to not only the City but the region as a whole. There was more to the relatively short meeting, however.
City Engineer Andy Brotzler provided an update on the Lighthouse Point Road project, which has fallen a couple of weeks behind schedule. The crew encountered unexpected sewer services, and material specification concerns have since become an issue, Brotzler explained, which will have to be resolved before paving can begin. Brotzler also confirmed a new date for the 2024- 2025 Street Improvement Project assessment hearing, which will now be held on November 2nd at 5:00 pm at a special council meeting.
The Council had an appearance regarding a fencing dispute between two neighbors with a fence directly on the property line. Cynthia L. Kosiak, Attorney at Law, spoke on behalf of her client, asking for the Council to weigh in on a matter going on since May and provide an appeal process regarding the City’s fencing ordinance either now or at a set future date. The Council offered no immediate response.
Reports began with Councilor Donna Heil regarding the Heritage Days Committee. They believe this year’s event went well but are looking for ways to improve for next year, including how to better handle trash during the event. A meeting on Winter Frolic went similarly, brainstorming improvements including possible new attractions. This session also included approval of a fireworks display on February 13th for the event.
Personnel is wrapping up the Administrator Annual Review, according to Councilor Ben Redden. Mayor Lew Conner covered Housing’s progress with Northshore Flats, which is starting excavation, and Bayview Terrace. THEDA, meanwhile, is keeping busy with the 2nd Avenue project, possible ideas for the 3M building, Golden Shovel’s ongoing assessment, and what to do with the former John A. Johnson school building. The Authority is also in discussion over possible opportunities to make better use of vacant buildings along 1st Avenue during the Highway 61 Project, which Councilor Robin Glaser commented “would be an added boost to our downtown businesses and our 7th Avenue businesses.”
Planning and Zoning’s main topic at the moment is blight, according to Councilor Todd Redmann, particularly the City’s blight ordinance and administrative citations for blight. Finance had several related matters on the agenda, Councilor Cathy Erickson recounted, such as the purchase of a sidewalk blower for $59,900 and approval of four new funds within the City of Two Harbors Chart of Accounts to “ensure proper accounting and financial reporting.” The John A. Johnson site came up at this committee as well, a hopeful sign of future progress for the lot. Also discussed were budgeting for an industrial site utility project, Public Arts, the Waterfront project, and the Capital Improvement Plan.
The meeting paused for an approximately 40-minute closed session at this point to discuss real estate transactions for the former liquor store and parking lot as well as the talks with Pulsar. On reopening, consent agenda items of note approved included: election judges for the election on November 3rd; payments for the Lighthouse Point Road Street & Utility Project, the 2025 Street Seal Coat Project, and the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project; a somewhat convoluted non-waiver regarding municipal tort liability; and added during the agenda was approving a quote from Tyler Technologies for ERP Pro’s customer relationship management suite at an annual cost of $1,929 and Tyler Notification Systems for a one-time fee of $1,410 and ongoing notifications at a rate of 10 cents per occurrence. This is an add-on to the City’s current utility billing software. City Administrator Patty Nordean explained this last item as a new way for the City to communicate with utility billing customers in the event of an emergency by sending out phone calls, emails, or text messages.
The Council additionally approved Health Equity Renewal for this coming year for both FSA and DCRA plans. Finally, another addition during the agenda meeting and approved involved amending the way write-in votes are counted: Write-in votes are now only to be tallied individually if the number of total write-in votes for the race is greater than or equal to the fewest number of votes cast for a filed candidate. This, Nordean explained, was in response to the typical election involving several “goofy” write-in votes. To sum up, all votes will still be counted; however, write-in votes will not be sorted by individual candidate unless there are enough votes for any write-in candidate to be an actual contender on the ballot.
