The Silver Bay City Council worked through a full agenda on Monday night. Several resolutions were approved to award contracts for the HVAC work planned at the Reunion Hall and for the installation of an equipment lift for the Street Department. The Council also approved a new Point Of Sale system for the Municipal Liquor Store. The new system (TOAST) is one of the retail industry’s most popular POS systems and is used by a number of restaurants in town. TOAST will provide Liquor Store management with greater efficiency in record keeping, inventory control and payroll.
The 2024 Audit has been performed by Creative Planning – BerganKDV. In short, the City Administration has done a good job on managing the City’s finances. The Auditor rendered an unmodified opinion which is the highest rating an auditor can give. The City’s revenues have exceeded expenditures for the year. Readers who are interested in the details of the audit should contact City Hall.
The Silver Bay Police Department has received a Public Safety Grant that will facilitate the installation of new cameras in city squad cars. Officers will also be carrying the new body camera system. Lenslock, a company that provides technology for law enforcement agencies, will be supplying the systems. Officers in Lake County and Two Harbors also use Lenslock systems. Council member Richard DeRosier pointed out that use of body and squad cameras are regulated by Minnesota State statutes and are not left to the discretion of individual police officers. Additionally, the release of camera footage to the public is regulated by the State and is not simply left to the discretion of individual police departments. A public hearing on the new body / squad cameras will be held on April 15th at 7:00 at City Hall. Interested residents are encouraged to attend.
The Council approved a notice to award work for the Library construction project to Nor- Son Construction. Grant funds have been secured to finance the lion’s share of the project. Grant funding is time sensitive and while there is some shortfall in funding for the project at present, it is important to move forward with construction so that the city does not lose the funds that have been acquired. Library Director Shannon Walz and her staff have been diligent in seeking funding sources for the Library expansion project and while they will continue to seek the needed funds to complete the project, a plan is in place to cover the existing shortfall.
In other business, the Council accepted a license agreement with Minnesota ATV for their Ride The Shore event which will be held from June 28th to 30th. Advertisement for the Neighborhood Revitalization mini-grants can be found in this edition of the Northshore Journal on page 2. Residents interested in taking advantage of the mini-grants can find more information within the ad.
The next Council meeting will be held on April 15th at 7:00.
