Two public comments started off the meeting, first with an invitation to Councilmembers to attend an informative event for community leaders by local non-profit Above & Beyond With U. The organization, headquartered in Two Harbors, provides disability advocacy and education. Second, the Council heard a request to trim back a larger portion of the plantings behind North Shore Area Partners’ building to allow for better visibility.
The Council also heard a communication on this year’s Breakfast for Heroes, an annual event to honor emergency responders in the region. It will be held on Monday, October 26th, at 8:00 am at the Superior Shores Resort in Two Harbors. The breakfast is free for emergency responders and $25 for other guests.
Councilor James FitzGerald attended a meeting with Lake County Ambulance Service to discuss the need for Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) in the region. At present, Silver Bay does not have enough staff available to provide coverage. “They can’t fully staff one or two ambulances sometimes,” FitzGerald explained, asking that anyone interested in becoming an EMR contact him or Randy Strohmeyer, Lake County Ambulance Service’s Executive Director. “There is training involved, but it’s good for the public; it’s good for Silver Bay,” FitzGerald said. “We need to have full coverage.” Lake County Ambulance Service is a nonprofit Emergency Response Service working alongside local governments and hospitals throughout northern Minnesota.
Mayor Wade LeBlanc also shared a positive update from Lake County HRA that there will be additional funding provided for SilverPointe II. The project is planned to be a 25-unit apartment building near the shopping center that will provide market-rate workforce housing.
Consent agenda items of note approved included additional training for two Water and Wastewater employees and third-party review by Crescent Security & Investigations to assess an employee incident.
The first of three larger matters approved by the council was committing to an agreement with the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA) for financing the City’s Water Treatment Plant Project and Watermain Improvement Project. This agreement, tied to the PFA’s Drinking Water Revolving Fund, involves several stipulations concerning the City’s water fund and underwent several iterations before landing on its final version before the Council at this meeting. City Administrator Lana Fralich ran through some of the changes, such as a smaller loan amount owed by Silver Bay and more money from the agreement’s grant. “All in all, it works out in our favor,” Fralich said. Next year, water base rates for residential and commercial use will be raised by 56%, which, while still an increase, is lower than originally planned. The City will also need to review its related revenues and expenditures on an annual basis. LeBlanc commended Fralich and City Engineer Josh Stier on their work since June turning the agreement into something overall beneficial to the City.
In connection with this agreement, the council further approved new water and sewer rates which are set to begin at the new year. Sanitary sewer will remain the same and not increase. Water rates, however, will be increasing by $20.14 a month, to a monthly base water charge of $56.11 for residents and businesses. Note that this final amount is significantly less than the $35 increase originally planned before changes to the agreement with PFA. For gallons used over 3,000, the flow charge for metered accounts will increase from .0120 to .0187. Stormwater rates were not included at this time as they are still under review.
The third issue approved was unrelated, authorizing a drainage and utility easement with the Trust Agreement of Steven Alan Clarke and Nancy Ann Clarke. This easement will involve construction of a concrete pad and installation of a bench upon completion of drainage and utility work.
Finally, Councilor Shane Hoff announced that Councilor Ben Bautch, absent during this meeting, would be applying to take over his position on the RAMS (Range Association of Municipalities and Schools) Board. This would follow Hoff’s term-limited departure from the City Council at the end of this year. The Council followed with an official recommendation of Bautch for nomination to the Board.
