Let's call to order. Brinard City Council, Monday, May 5th, 2025 in council chambers. Tony, please call the role. Chzach, yes. Johnson, here. Stunn here. Jagger, yep. Ericson, here. Beven here. OD here.
Bedau, here. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and
justice for all. All right. Up next we have approval of the agenda. Move approval. Johnson second. Was there any additional Oh yes. We have to add the uh under safety and public works the uh uh Ballard and uh planter near the
Holiday gas station on South Six for discussion and perhaps a change. Is that number seven? I'm not sure. Seven. Yes, I'll allow it. All right. Okay. With the motioner 77. Yes.
All right. All right. This is a voice vote. Any more discussion? All in favor? I. Against. Same sign. We have an agenda. Next, we have the consent calendar. This is a notice of public. All matters listed are considered routine by the council and
will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless good cause is shown prior to the time the council votes on the motion to be adopted by roll call. We have a motion to approve consent. Motion by Chzach. Second,
Jagger. Second by Jagger. Any discussion? Tony. Chzac. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Stunic. Yes. Jagger. Yep. Ericson. Yes. OD. Yes. Beans. Oh, sorry. Bevons. Yes.
All right. That motion passes. Next, we have number six. This is public forum. This is time allocated for citizens to bring matters not on the agenda to the attention of the council. Time limits may be imposed. Again, we're going to keep it to three minutes for everybody. Looks like we got a lot of people that want to talk tonight. So, whoever wants
to come up first and address the council, please come forward. Mr. President, yes. Could you ask that people give their address along with the city they live in? Yes. Thank you. Everyone hear that? We're asking for name and address and as well as the city
that you live in. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, city council staff, uh, residents, uh, John, I'm gonna get there. John Ward, uh, Brainer Property owner, um, at 1602 Southeast 13th Street.
Quote, "To change the world, we must be good to those who cannot repay us." Pope Francis said that recently. Um, I want to thank you for willingness to serve. Um being an
elected official is tough and your willingness to serve says a lot about you. Uh you will have and you will have and you have heard already lots of data and facts. I want to talk to you for about 3 minutes about u your heart versus your brain cuz I've been in your
shoes too. As elected official you are frequently faced with difficult decisions. These decisions put you at odds with some and as a hero to others. It's like being an umpire in a baseball game. Some folks think your call was great and correct and others are
wondering if you know what you're doing. I too have personally experienced that as an elected official. What do you do? You ask yourself questions. Is it a no-win situation? Are the facts correct? Should I believe the data? Will my constituents still trust me? Will they
like me? Am I learning what I need to learn to make the best decision with this issue? I want to pop I want to quote Pope Francis again. Pope Francis asked, "What is the most important lesson to learn in
life? It is to learn to love." End of quote. With Pope Francis, I have been in your shoes. I have had to make some really difficult decisions as well as an elected official. For me, it came down to listening to my heart and my conscience. You are all good people. I
know most all of you and you are good people and you're serving as public servants. I feel you are being the best public servants you can be. I know each of you are caring people with big hearts. However, I and many others believe that you made a wrong decision
regarding our homeless population. I've also done that. I made wrong decisions and had to rethink things and go back later and reverse my previous decision. I am asking all of you to do the same. Please allow the homeless shelter
to open for the summer and give them a three-year permit and do it tonight so that our homeless people don't have to spend any more nights out. In closing, let me quote Pope Francis one more time. One more time for Pope Francis.
The only time that quote the only time we are allowed to look down upon others is when we are offering to help them get back up. End of quote. Listen to your heart tonight and
down the road and please take care of our homeless folks. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Ward. Mr. President. Yes. Could we have people give their home address, please? Sure. Thank you. Name and holding address
including city. Uh Dan Hegstead, 523rd Avenue Northeast Brainard. Mr. Mayor, members of the council and staff. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. I want to address
two separate but similar issues. First, the zoning regarding phase 4 of the Creekide community by the My Neighbor to Love Coalition. I attended both the planning commission and council meetings and I still don't know all the
nuances of of the laws and um why you voted u why you did but I do note that neither vote was unanimous. We've all known people with passion for a cause and yet frequently most all they
do is say somebody ought to do something. Well, the people at the My Neighbor to Love coalition are really doing something. And uh rather than complain that nobody's doing anything, they did it. Uh they've raised substantial
amounts of money. They're making a difference. The Creekide community exists. They've got a proven record. I urge the council to revisit the issue and find a way to make it work. The issue of the year-round permit
for the bridge on South 7th should be revisited. Uh here's another organization doing the work and making a real difference in people's lives. They're not asking for money, only a permit. Why would you not grant
it? A good question. I think part of the reason is that the homeless or the unhoused are seen as different. They are not. They may have mental health or addiction issues, but the same can be said for people who have housing. The
difference is that when they interact with law enforcement, a check mark goes in a homeless box and then there is a statistic. There's a number. And while the number does reflect a real interaction, it leads us to wrong
conclusions. My wife volunteers at the bridge tells me that many of the uh guests have jobs but the pay not be may not be sufficient to pay rent, food and the other expenses. Further, if they have been evicted in a tight rental
market, most landlords would choose tenants who have not been evicted. What do you do then? I think it's likely that part of the issue is that we fear that if Brainer takes positive action, the homeless will flood in from around the
state. It's understandable, but I doubt that it's a significant uh as significant as we may fear. How about if we did the right thing? grant a long-term permit, allow the bridge to do what they do best, and then work to
educate other communities as to what works. If other communities act positively instead of out of fear, together we make some real progress and people get helped. They say you're either part of the problem. I'm very close, if I may. They say you're either
part of the problem or part of the solution. You have the opportunity, and I say responsibility, since you passed the camping ordinance, to be part of the solution. The My Neighbor to Love Coalition and the Bridge on South 7th are part of the solution, and I urge you
to join them. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Uh, Bill Wear, 5823, Leverne Circle, Baxter, Minnesota. uh here representing the bridge on 7th as the operations manager. Uh ever since uh April 7th, I've been asked multiple times by many
different people, what now? Where are the people that I serve going to go? And I only have one answer. I don't know. Uh with the passing of ordinance 1571 last year, there are no options during the summer. The only option you have is
hopefully having some family connections or friends in the area that will let you stay on your couch. If you're renting, that could potentially evict that person. Nobody wants to do that. Uh, ever since the passing of ordinance 1571
last year, I've been racking my brain of what can we do to make this work. Uh, so I decided to go back and listen to the council meeting last year uh, regarding this. And uh I would just like to remind some people of what was mentioned. Uh
Chief Davis had said that the encampment spread around June. June the shelter is no longer open. He also said the only way to regulate it for public safety purposes would be to enact an ordinance. Now I think that ordinance enacted along
with us being open all year round is the safest way to go for our public. He'd also said he'd double down to work with the homeless response team and some of the entities that work with this. Uh I would like to see where this doubling down and working with this entities is.
Uh Mr. Johnson, uh you had also said uh more we can there's more that we can do and you had asked if we have something uh concrete to bring to the city. Well, we have something concrete. We have a plan. We have a space. We have the staff. We have the money. We just don't
have the permission. All we're asking is for permission to continue doing what we do best, and that's serving the people of Brainard. Uh you guys make hard decisions every single day. Uh most of the time, you know, we don't see the fallout from that. I get to see the
fallout from this decision. I see it every single day. I take phone calls every day. I do not like telling people I don't know or saying the best option is to get out of town. I don't want to chase these people out of town. These are our residents. These are our brothers, sisters, neighbors, aunts,
uncles. They're all people. We are all people. Uh OD and Mr. OD, you said the last option uh for the or uh this would the ordinance would be the last option as long as people are working uh with
the system. Now, how are the homeless population in Brainer uh going to work with services when there are no services offered in the summer? So, I would just like to leave you guys with my philosophy on why I do what I do. One person might not be able to change the
world, but you can change the world for one person. Thank you, sir. sit down. Guys, we don't typically encourage clapping and and cheering and that kind of thing in either direction. Stand behind. So, if we could please refrain. Thank you. Hi, my name is Gail
Mueller and this is my husband Chuck and we live at 25108 Norway Lane in Nisa. We have served at the shelter together. Last year, I met a veteran who decided to share with me his experience in Vietnam and the fact he was dealing with PTSD,
post-traumatic stress disorder. He was managing it and looking forward to his future. As we know, a large number of people in our shelters are struggling with mental illnesses. I felt comfortable listening to him because I'm an advocate for those with mental illness. I joined the American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention as a volunteer 15 years ago. I had a brother who was almost unhoused back in 2010 during the Great Recession. He owned many businesses, including a resort in Valpryzo, Chile. But when the recession hit, no one had the money to buy his
real estate or purchase his businesses. He wasn't liquid, and he went bankrupt. None of us knew this, and he never asked for help. He never asked anyone for help. Stigma paralyzed him, and Glenn ended up taking his life.
Depression is very complex and accumulates over time. Going bankrupt was his tipping point he left behind his four young children. The reason I share this with you is to let you know that anyone can become unhoused. Anyone can experience unforeseen circumstances and
find themselves alone and in despair. These folks who come to the shelter, they are asking for help. They are humbling themselves and that is a very hard thing to do. And I am so proud of them and they have taken that step and they are trying to move forward and
I want to please ask you to open your heart to them. That's all I have. Thank you. Hi, my name is Pam Stock. I reside at 317 North 7th Street in Brainer. Mayor Bedau, members of the council and staff,
thank you for the opportunity. Um, I'm actually here on behalf of Bethlehem Lutheran Evangelical Church in 418th Avenue Northeast in Brainard. I serve as the director of the service of board the board of service and evangelism. I
understand that um, council members, you received a letter hopefully via email last week and I'm here to read the letter to everybody tonight. This was dated April 28th, 2025. Dear Brainer City Council members, on
behalf of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, we write to express our strong support for Bridges on Seventh Overnight Shelter and to respectfully request that the city council reopen the conversation regarding its year-round operation and reinstating the three-year permit. At
our recent congregational meeting, a motion was made from the floor to offer our support for Bridges on Seventh Shelter. The motion passed with a unanimous vote and I might add there were 70 people in attendance at that meeting. A reflection of the deep and
shared commitment among our members to care for our neighbors in need was evidenced that day. As a faith community, our call to love and serve our neighbors compels us to advocate for those who are most vulnerable. Since the shelter's inception, many of our
members, who are also here tonight, have volunteered during its open season and have witnessed firsthand the critical role it plays in offering safety, dignity, and a path forward for those experiencing homelessness. I personally have also volunteered. The shelter's
outcomes reflect its success and responsible stewardship. More than 50 individuals have transitioned into permanent housing this season alone. I think you've heard that already. Approximately 70% of guests stayed for 2 weeks or less, demonstrating the shelter's focus on short-term
stabilization. And no negative complaints have been filed by neighboring businesses. I'm I think you heard that one, too. Of the9 total calls since August 2021, 36 were for emergency medical services and only four individuals were from outside the local
area. While Bridges on 7th was originally envisioned as a seasonal warming shelter, the needs of our community have evolved with the city's ordinance prohibiting sleeping outdoors. Individuals without shelter now have no legal or safe alternatives during the
warmer months. The need for shelter no longer corresponds only to the cold. It is a year-round necessity for the health, safety, and dignity of all who live in Brainard. We believe reopening the conversation around year-round operation is not only reasonable but necessary given these realities. It is
an opportunity to align city policies with the compassionate values that define our community and to work collaboratively toward the solutions that serve both public safety and human dignity. We appreciate your service to our city and your thoughtful
consideration of this request. This is signed by President Scott Parsons, Vice President Pamela Finch, myself, Pamela Stock, the director of board of service and evangelism, and our senior pastor, Mark Skinner. Thank you. Thank you.
Hi, my name is Brenda Beaver and I live at 812 Holly Street, Brainard. I have nothing written down as you can see, so I'm just going to go from the heart. I am a recovering addict of 14 years. I too once was homeless. And if it wasn't for Northern Pine stepping up to help
me, who knows where I'd be today. I also am the person who puts on um Christmas with the homeless every year. And these people, it's not where they want to be. And do you think by passing these ordinances that they're going to go away? It's not going to happen. They
have nothing. They have no place to go to, nobody to go to. They need the whole community to stand up and love them. I was a fortunate one, extremely fortunate. Many of these will not be. And by you passing all these ordinances, first off, can't stay outside in the
summertime. Okay. If they go to jail, who's paying for that? The taxpayers are correct. Of course, it is. And in the summertime, they can't stay outside, but they can have a a head safe place for them to put their head. What do you think is going to happen? How do you
think crime starts? When people become desperate, that's when they become they start doing more crimes. I guess that's all I have to say and I really hope that you change your minds on this. Thank you. And Nelson Fiser, 517 North 5th Street
in Brainard. I also am here to support the bridge on seven's uh conditional use permit for three years and for the idea of having it op operate over um the throughout the full year. I am putting away my notes because others have said
in better ways um what I wanted to say as well. But I did want you to think about the fact that um you've asked all of us uh rightly so to state our name and address. And I'd like you to think about um having an address and how many
things how many things you do throughout the day um require you to have an address and how difficult life is without one. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Jacqueline Nornis. I live at
21613 Irene Avenue in Ironton, Minnesota. I um dear council members and staff, uh I am here too to make an appeal to you to reconsider your stance in your
vote on the bridges on seventh shelter. I'm asking you to extend their permit to include the year- round shelter and for a three-year lease. Same as the others have said, I've been a part of this faith community in Brainard for over 30
years. I have um I have volunteered and worked with the interfaith hospitality network when it was existing the new pathways and then I've been a part of the volunteer at bridges on 7th since its inception. I have done morning and
evening shifts. I just want to explain that the shelter provides sustenance for living for a many people. The people who use the shelter, they don't come because it's like a great place to stay for
free. They come as a means to be nourished in body with rest. That's it. That is all they ask. They can use a clean bathroom with a sink, a clean cotle leg bed, a chair to sit on on around a small table, and if they're
lucky, coffee, water, cocoa, and some basic treats. Bridges on 7th is safe, clean, and welcoming. It provides warmth from the cold or coolness from the summer heat. They can be provided with donated
clothing and toiletries, but that's it. It's not a lot, but it's something. Something that can sustain their life for another day. I also believe that when they can stay there, as much as I don't think that I mean I
know they don't want to, they feel validated that their community values them and their life. Bridges on 7th is not a home as the lady stated. It's not an address for most. It is a means to an end for which they are
grateful. So I'd urge you to reconsider this situation. God bless. Thank you for letting me speak. Thank you. Hello. My name is Pam Bolio. Uh 2540 130th Street Southwest Pillager.
So, the reason I'm I'm here is to give a a couple of sort of personal things. I've been a volunteer on the crisis line for 32 years. And in that time when I first started and somebody would call that was homeless, we used to tell them to get a hold of the police, okay? And then what the police would do would take
you over to Salvation Army and if they had enough money, they would actually get you a room for one night at a hotel and then the next morning they would get you a bus ticket to St. Cloud to the shelter down there. So my question is this, why was it okay for us to send our
homeless people to St. Cloud and be done with them kind of and not take care of our own people? So now I'm going to tell you a personal story about a night that I volunteered over at the bridge on 7th. Um, so I got there and one of the first things you do when you get there is you
make some coffee, set out some snacks, and as the guests come in, you ask if they need anything. Sometimes they want a blanket, sometimes they want a pillow, sometimes they want a towel and stuff to clean up with. Okay, great. You get him those things. And then about 8:00, I noticed one guy was going back to go to
bed already. So I said to the staff, I'm like, cuz they were kind of shushing everybody. And I'm like, what? You know, it's like 8:00. I mean, nobody goes to bed at 8:00. Oh, he does cuz he has to get up early. I said, really? So what time does he get up? Well, we get him up at 5:30. I said, why? Well, because he
has a job and he works over at one of the fast food I'm not going to say the names, fast food places over by the mall over there. And because he doesn't have a car, he has to walk. Now, just think about the times of the year that the shelter is open. Okay? He had to walk over there. I said, "Wow." And then they
said, "The other thing that he does is he takes his second uniform with him because when he gets done with that job, because it's not full-time, he changes into a second uniform and he goes to his second job to work because he can't get full-time work." I said, "Wow." But they
said, "You know what we do for him is that when he comes here, he gives us both of those uniforms and we wash them for him overnight so that the next morning he has a clean uniform to wear to both of those jobs." Now, where is that going to happen anywhere else? You can't even go to the laundromat for less
than like eight bucks to wash anything. And he needed sleep to work those jobs. and he was working two jobs and paying taxes on those jobs, the money he made. I just beg you, beg you to reconsider.
This is not how we want to be known as a community that we send our people to St. Cloud or we just don't even take care of them at all in the summer. This the it needs to be open year round and it needs to be accessible. There are not problems
there. I have volunteered there a lot and it is an amazing place. So, my other thing is, um, I have this little thing I copied off and I have a friend with me. Could I give you a gift? 5 seconds left. It's really short. Can But can I give you a gift? Each one, would that be
okay? Um, can't accept gifts. We can't accept gifts. Huh? We can't accept gifts from anybody. If I just lay them up on the counter and then take them when I go. You can show us something if you'd like to show us something. And then we'll just put them up on the counter cuz it goes along with this. And I know
everybody knows this story. Okay. Okay, please try to wrap it up. We got I will real quick. So, a man was walking along a beach and sees a boy picking up a starfish and throwing them back into the ocean. The man asks the boy what he's doing, and the boy explains that the starfish will die if they left if they're left on the beach. The man
argues that there are too many starfish to save, and the boy's efforts are insignificant. The boy picks up another starfish, throws it back, and replies, "I made a difference to that one, and that's what I'm asking you to do." And so, I'm going to set a little
starfish in front of each of your places there. Thank you. Thank you. Beth Bernard, 8:19 Second Avenue Northeast in Brainer. I live actually over by where one of the encampments was by the river. Never had any issues with
any of those people down there. Barely even knew they were there aside from seeing a tarp when we would walk in the cemetery cuz we spent a lot of time out there. It's a beautiful area. So, I was listening to the April 21st meeting that there were several people that also talked for the bridge on 7th. That is
also why I'm here. I found it very hard to believe that it wasn't approved. It's they were said to take things to heart. So I would say do that. Take things to heart and actually take this back to the table. Reconsider giving
them the summer months and let them run year round to be able to do what they do. If the police chief is able to resend that if they have issues, why would you not approve it? They're not asking for money. They're just giving people a a safe
place to sleep. Public safety was mentioned as a concern. To that, I would ask, does public safety only apply to those of us lucky enough to have a roof over our head? I don't think so. I highly doubt they feel very safe right now as they're out there trying to figure out where
they're going to sleep every night because they have nowhere to go. They can't get out of the elements. It said, uh, this time of year isn't considered critical. And I would ask there, not critical to whom? Maybe not critical to you. You have a place to go. They don't
they have nowhere to go. So, everybody deserves a safe place to sleep and some dignity. It's not like they want to do that. They don't want to be there. And if anyone thinks it's too easy to be homeless, I would highly suggest they go try it for a few nights and see what they think after that. I really hope the
council will reconsider their decision on this. Thank you. Thank you. And I'm Chuck Benson. I live at 324 North 7th Street. And I was quite moved by the woman that said her uh brother had died. Uh my son was an ER physician
at the Brainer State Hospital. He had a guy come in and he did a medical checkup and he said, "Well, you got to go. There's nothing really wrong with you." And he says, "You mean there's no place for me to go?" And he said, "Uh, uh,
well, I have a place for you. I got a car, pick you up, take you South 7th." And the guy said, "I was going to kill myself when I left." And I think, uh, it kind of broke me up when she said that because
uh, these are real life things that are happening here. And that's all I got to say. Thank you, sir. Um, council Rick Scogan is my name. I live in 20841 Donaldson Road in un
unorganized territory. I'm a part-time volunteer at this place. I didn't know anything about it. Church that I go to said, Rick, would you like to volunteer? And I did. And I thought, gee whiz, guys, the the folks that I talked
to, I keep reminding myself, Rick, if I'd have moved one direction or another throughout my life, I you know where I live, Kevin did my house. I did okay in my directions. I
did, Kevin. You know me. Uh, but it wouldn't have taken that much, guys, for me to go a different way. And it wouldn't take any of us to go a different way. And I thought about that. I
thought that could be me. And then when I heard it wasn't open in the summertime, I thought that's weird. Where do they go? Do you know where they go? I don't. I talked to these guys, they don't they weren't sure where they were going to
go, mostly guys. So, I guess it's just reasonable to me to let it open up in the summer for 3 years, see if it works. If it somehow doesn't
work, police chief will shut you down. Give it a try. That's all I have to say. Thanks, guys. Thank you. Hi, I'm Erikica Nilson, 13956 Grand Oaks Drive in Baxter. Thanks for the opportunity to hear all of these stories
and to listen and to hopefully have um hearts that are open to being changed. Uh I'm a pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter. I've been a pastor there since uh 2001. So I've been a part of this community for a long time and have always delighted in being a part of
this community. I served on the bridges of hope hope board for six years was delighted to serve in that capacity and saw the exceptional work that they did in all that they did. Um this past April 7th was a sad day in Brainer's history
and in the history of this community um when you voted to minimize the permit to a one-year permit and not um extend to summer months for the shelter. So, a a quick story from the scriptures.
So, in the book of Acts, chapter 3, there's a story of a lame man who was who was born lame. And um he has friends and family that bring him to the temple every single day to beg for money. And one day, Peter and John, two of Jesus' disciples, walk up and see him. And he
asks them for money. And they say, "Neither silver nor gold do we have, but we will do for you what we can. we'll give you what we have. And then they said, "In the name of Jesus, stand and walk." And the man stands and he walks away. And actually, he goes into the
temple walking and leaping and praising God. There's a whole bunch about that story that I love. The thing that I think is important for us to think about tonight is that they gave him what they could. They gave him what they could.
There are a host of issues in this city. There are a host of issues that folks who are homeless struggle with. We can't maybe answer all of those questions, cure all of those things, work for all of that healing. Though there are people in this community uh that are gifted and
talented and passionate about all of that. But you can do what you can. You can offer what is in your power to offer, which is to bring this issue back to the table, to discuss it, to be
compassionate about it, to be open to doing your part, which is to simply say yes to the Bridge on 7th being open throughout the summer months to the Bridge on 7th having a three-year permit
so they don't have to be desperately rethinking um how this is going to go year after year after year. In a recent um study by an organization called Community Solutions about 15 seconds. Okay. They're a nonprofit organization that works to achieve and end the
lasting effects of homelessness that says due to a combination of factors, people experiencing homelessness experience elevated rates of dangerous health conditions, injury, violent victimization, and increased mortality.
We're not asking you to solve all of those things. We're asking you to do what you can, which is provide a place for them to have some stability and stable housing so that all of those things, those dire
effects that we would not want anyone we love to be impacted by would have less of effect on them. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Emily and my throat is very dry. I reside currently at 1120 Norwood Street
in Briner, Minnesota, and I'm here to implore that you reopen the discussion for the bridges on 7th site. I don't have data and facts, but I do have a little bit about my personal story that I want to share with you guys.
So, in the spring and summer months of 2014, I found myself unhoused. Um, working a full-time job was great with a spouse who was doing the same. But once we split, I found myself not being able to make ends meet. And very
quickly, um, my two children and I were without a place to go. I was also pregnant at the time, so as you can imagine, being pregnant in the summer is already a bother. But when you have to be outside quite a bit, it's very not
nice. Um, I just want to share that I was blessed when I was unhoused because of New Pathways. It's no longer here. And I'm really passionate about serving the underserved. For the past 10 years, I've done a lot of volunteer work
with Head Start and Early Head Start, TCC, the Minnesota Head Start Association. Um, volunteered as a soup kitchen. And while I was at New Pathways, I got the opportunity to help people who were unhoused like I was because I was the only one with a car
when I was there. So, I got to drive my fellow unhoused people to appointments, to interviews, for jobs. And while I was there, I met a couple of gals who still reside in the Briner area and are currently nurses working in the health
field. And I just wanted to say that those women and myself would not have had the opportunities to serve that they have without that hand up in a time of need. So I'm looking around and I'm seeing we have a lot of willing folks to
help out. We have the resources we need. Like many have said, we need a yes from you guys. But I think more than a challenge, it offers us an opportunity to be a shining beacon in the Brainer Lakes area. So people can look at us and
see, hey, it's working in Brainer. We should do something similar. And that goodness can spread out rather than the homeless populations moving here like some worry about. I would see people taking our Q and creating a similar
thing there in their homes. So with that, I just want to thank you guys for being here. I know it's a lot of hard work you are doing and a lot of folks have spoken. I just wanted to thank you for like giving me the opportunity to speak and again I implore you to reconsider your statements. Thank you.
Thank you. Anyone else? Hi members of the council. My name is Richard Gregory Neita. I was born on June 24th, 1965. And at the time of my death on November 5th, 2017, I was 54 years old. And I was a hidden unhoused
resident here in Minnesota. There I did not have a regular address to stay at and there were no low barrier shelters available to me the night that I froze to death. I am survived by my family who is here to speak for me today. My name is also Emma
Nem. I live at 10171 13th Avenue Northeast in Briner, Minnesota. I'm be here on behalf of my uncle and my family and I urge you to reopen the conversation regarding the permit for the bridge on 7th and their shelter both to permit it for another three years and to allow it to operate year round.
Closing the shelter does not make homelessness disappear. It simply makes the neighboring it makes it the neighboring community's problem. Our city is the county seat and any folks in Crowing County needing support must come here for help and there is no place for
them to stay. If their case takes more than one day, where are they going to go? But honestly, my biggest concern is maybe something that you will be more interested in discussing, and that's money. My biggest concern is the fiscal responsibility in this matter. Ordinance
1571 was passed with very little financial consideration. It costs this city and the county money to prosecute people. Bridges of Hope shelter is a cost-saving measure to this community. For that reason, arresting and jailing unhoused residents creates additional
costs to our police force and stress. And creating probationary cases and more to prosecute defenseless individuals to is creates a fiscal responsibility to this city that is not required. if they allow the bridge on 7th, the needed permits to do their job, which is caring
for our unhoused citizens. I'd also like to remind you that part of your job is to remember that all people in the community are your constituents. And by requiring an address to speak today, you have silenced those who do not have
one. Running them out of town is not going to solve our problems. And it will cost this city money. And as a resident of Brainard, I would prefer that you reopen this conversation and consider other measures that do not come out of my pocket and harm people that I care
about. Thank you. Amen. Thank you. Anyone else? President O. Yes, Mr. Chz. Invite people who don't have an address to come and speak. Yeah, you anyone without an address can come and speak. You just say you don't have an address, that's
totally fine. I have an address, actually. So, thank you. Justin Goel, 1140 122nd Street, Southwest Brainer. Um, all these stories are heartwarming and everything, but I think these are the minority of the people and I think
the majority of people are just too scared to say anything against it. And I think when you call the chief of police a liar and go down that road, it's just opening it up for terrible things. But I support the chief of police and the police department and the city council.
You guys are doing great work and I say keep it up. Thank you, sir. Uh, Eric Hol 21471 Paradise Drive, Nisa. Numbers are statistics and names are people. Logan, Mikey, Eric, Brandon,
William, Anna Marie, John P. Daryl, Tony, Dan, Brandy, Tim, Tyler, Joseph, Tim, Emerson, Jacob, Johanna, Greyber,
Hal, Phil, Zach, Robert, Timmy, Johnson, Dave, Dylan, Roy, Derek, Eda, Derek, Bryce, Emily, Marie, Tim, Celeste, Danielle, Nick,
Mark, Earl, Nick, Lauren, Ben, Regina, Rob, Dave, Chris, Alyssa, Nick, Mike, Kelly, Cole, Connie, Jeff,
Travis, Neva, Clint, Mason, Ashley, Jordan, Christian, Andy, David, Ray, Jamie, Jared, Evan,
JJ, Scott, Derek, Audrey, Dale, Brooke, Kelsey, Jared, Joe, Jensen, Samantha, Kay, Cindy, Becca,
Drew, Damon, Archie, Bridget, Matt, Shawn, Taylor, Sarah. I actually have two more pages because this is only half the people that have stayed at the bridge, but I only have three minutes. These are all names of real people.
These are not numbers and statistics. These are human beings, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. Some are husbands and wives. Some are moms and dads. Some are
grandmas and grandpas. If these people were your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your son, or your daughter? Would you not want to allow
someone to provide them with a safe place that is dry for them to sleep for the night? I'm not sure what each of you believe about God's activity in creation, but I believe each person is created in the image of God and worthy of dignity, care, and respect. We're a
country that claims to be founded on the belief that all people are created equal and are endowed with inaliable rights. Why are these people not worth our care? Why are these people not worth our love? Why are these people not worth
having the chance to sleep in a dry, safe place? I don't want to be right. I want to get it right. What do you want? Thank you. Anyone else?
Good evening, counselors. I'm Scott Hoffman, 11405 East Steamroll Bay Road and East Skull Lake. Go to church three blocks down the road at Communas. Now, I feel like I'm somewhat part of this downtown community. Uh, I just wanted to
say I agree with what's been mostly said here tonight. I'm also on the city council where I live. So, I understand all you guys are here to try to do the right thing. And, uh, I I I think that you've been moved probably by the
stories as all of us have. And I'm just uh asking and and hoping you do the right thing. Thank you. Thank you. Dell Eggert and Carly, my daughter. Um, we're at 20859 North Sorenson Lake Trail,
Marfield. Um, and the last time I was here, I'm horrible at speaking, just, you know, but I believe in speaking from the heart. And last time I was here was three years ago um when we were looking to open Bridge on 7th um as a solution
to the homeless um situation in the area in our community. Um I know Mayor Bedau, you also slept outside as many people did to help raise money in support of the homeless shelter. And um it was an awful night. The two nights I stayed
out. The biggest thing for me was um I was scared. I was scared. Even though I had my best friend who was a retired police officer right next to me, I was deathly afraid for my safety and just scared. Um but mostly I just want to put humanity to it. Um and uh Carly wanted
to actually share a story from when we volunteered at the soup kitchen just this winter. Um hello, I'm Carly. Um, I would just like to share a personal story that I've experienced and I'd like to speak on behalf of those who can't speak for themselves because I've been raised to
stand up for other people. Um, one night I was volunteering at the soup kitchen with my mom and some family members. And I met this um elderly woman named Ed. She was very nice, very sweet. She's probably 70, 80 years old. Um, I sat
down, got to know her, talked with her. She had a normal life. She had kids, she has grandkids. Um, all of a sudden something happened that was devastating and she no longer could afford things and she ended up um being homeless. Well, that night um she stayed
afterwards to help me clean up the kitchen or mop the floors and we gave her we ended up giving her a ride over to the homeless shelter. It was like5° that night. It was snowing. It
was raining. It was sleeping. It was just disgusting outside. Um I couldn't imagine seeing her every day like what she does every other day to walk from the soup kitchen just to get a meal to somewhere safe to stay, especially as a
woman. That's that's horrifying. Um I feel like the main impact I got from this was that anyone can be homeless. Um, she had a family
and I feel like it could happen to anyone at any moment. And I feel like it's very important that we um we stand up for people because that could have been your grandma, that could have been your mom, that could be your children, your children's children. It
could happen to anyone. And I feel like we need to help them. We need to help where we can and when we can. and we need a solution and I think you guys could get us to that solution. Thank you. Thank you.
Anyone else that wishes to address the council? Is there anyone online that would like to address the council? Please press star three if you are online and would like to address the council.
Otherwise, I'll ask one more time if there's anyone in here that would like to come up. Seeing nobody, we'll now close the public forum. It is 8:19 and that will be the end of public forum. Uh the rest
of our business tonight, everybody is welcome to stay. Um maybe some of it's not as entertaining. Um, but I thank you all for your testimony tonight. And if you are staying, like I said, you're welcome to stay. If if not,
we'll give you a minute to gather your stuff. And what's up? That's data center. Well, if you're on the Eastco Lake City Council, you're passionate about what is
building. We are the only seven months of dealing with just so she can I have a story that goes with what they said, but I'm keeping my mouth shut tonight. Personal story. All right, moving on.
This is number seven, we have council committee reports. Uh, first up 7A is personnel and finance committee. We have committee chairman Gabe Johnson. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm kind of waiting for that door to shut. I don't like background noise. All right. Thank you,
Mr. President. We have two items. Uh my committee members will try to keep the um aorious applause after my motions to a minimum tonight. The first motion is about our bonding request for the state of Minnesota. And the motion is to adopt
the attached resolution authorizing the city administrator to file with the state our priorities for state bonding. The first priority is the water treatment plant improvements. The second is the pedestrian bridge over 210 and the third is the Cailluna Lakes Trail
extension east segment. And I so move second motion by Johnson, second by Stunic. Any more discussion? Hearing none. Anybody else? Looks like none. It is a resolution. This is a resolution. So Tony, please call the RO. Chzac, yes. Johnson, yep.
Stunn. Yes. Jerger, yep. Ericson, yes. Beans, yes. OD. Yes, that resolution passes. Uh, Chairman Johnson. Thank you, Mr. President. Our second and final item is to approve the 25 through 27 contract terms wage resolution with the United
Steel Workers International Local 9230, unit 09, the hydro union. We have three motions on this. The first one is I move to approve the attached 2025 through 27 tenative agreement summary between the
city and USW local 9230 unit 9 representing our hydro operator and ISO move. Second motion by Johnson, second by Bevans. Now is this a resolution? This is not the second one will be a resolution. Okay, thank you uh Johnson.
Yeah, thank you Mr. President. So this you'll see the uh across the board increases on January and July 1st and then January 1st of 26 and 27. Those are the same amounts we have settled with all of the other unions we have settled for those dates.
All right. Thank you. Any more discussion? Seeing none, let's go to a vote. All in favor? Against? Same sign. Motion passes. Chairman Johnson. Okay. Next up, I move to adopt the attached resolution setting
the USW local 9230 unit 9 union wages for 2025 through 27. And I move motion by Johnson, second by Stunnick. Any more discussion on that? Tony Chzac, yes. Johnson, yes. Stunn,
yes. Jerger, yes. Ericson, yes. Beans, yes. OD, yes. That resolution passes. Chairman Johnson. Okay. And the third action is I move to approve the attached memorandum of understanding allowing IBEDW union members to temporarily work
at the hydro facility that expires 123127 further to authorize the signature of city administrator Broyals on saidou and ISO move. Second motion by Johnson second by Bevans. More discussion Johnson. Yeah, the United
Steel Workers Union currently has a lone member in it. So, it's just one guy. So, we need anou to have some of our IBW workers going over there like we have for years. We're extending theou to go all the way through the term of the contract through 27. So, that's a good
move. Thank you, Chairman Johnson. Any more discussion? Seeing none, let's go to a vote. All in favor? I against same sign. Motion passes. Chairman Johnson, end of report. Thank you. Next up, we have 7B. This is safety and public's work, public works committee committee
chairman Tad Ericson. Thank you, Mr. President. We have seven items on our agenda. The first of which is award proposal improvement 2525 large patching project. The motion coming out of committee is to award the proposal uh from Anderson Brothers in
the amount of 49,940 for improvement 25502 2025 large patching project and I so move second motion by Ericson second by Chzach. Any more discussion? Yeah, just just to mention that this is our our typical
annual uh roughly $50,000 uh for large patching projects that staff identifies on various roadways. Um there's a list of roadways in the packet um and on the screen. I won't of course go through those, but they were all included in the staff recommendation and motion. Mr.
President. Yeah, Mr. Chzac. Um in committee, the motion included um having staff come back with any future large patching projects to bring before the safety and public works so we're aware of them before they go off for bids. Um I don't know if you friendly amendment to the motion. Yeah, thank you. that was
included in the discussion and in the motion coming out of committee that staff would bring the streets to us in advance so we could we could take action on what streets are included in the future. Okay. So that you're amending your motion then is that amended as
discussed. Second to that. Thank you. Any more discussion? See none. Let's go to a vote. All in favor I against same sign. Motion passes. Chairman Ericson. Thank you. Our second item is to award contracts material testing for construction
projects. Motion coming out of committee is to award the proposals for construction materials testing for 2025 construction projects as follows. Uh there's a variety of projects for uh two vendors Bronn Intertech for
79,166 and ITT for the amount 14,720. And I so move second motion by Ericson, second by Chzach. Chairman Ericson. Yeah. Thank you, Mr. President. So the projects included in this are right and 10th Street Beach Oakidge
South Brainer Resurfacing Project, Hawkins Ronald Joseph Resurfacing, Southeast Brainard Reconstruction Project, and uh we typically do uh our own testing as well um um as well as the um um the vendors
we use to do the construction. And so this just gives an additional um verification of of the materials testing. All right. Thank you. Any more discussion? None. Let's go to a vote. All in favor? I against. Same sign.
Motion passes. Chairman Ericson. All right. Our third item uh direction requested on additional scope of work items. This is for improvement 2408 M Street Outfall repair project. The motion coming out of committee is to uh reinstate the fence segment um
including um uh sorry some filling grading corrections will be necessary to provide the uh ability for appropriate concrete footings as were in place prior and I so move second motion by Ericson second by Chzach. Mr. Chairman
Ericson. Yeah. So thank you. So, this was uh just uh west of M Street. We have um a a pipe that goes through for some uh drainage. It doesn't quite make it through. There's kind of a swale. It's hard to see on the map there. Um but it created
some outwash that damaged the adjacent property owner's fence. And so we currently have a project that's uh fixing the extending the pipe further towards the river that will alleviate the the the problem. Um however, the
damage to the fence is what the motion is to correct. Okay. There's also a pipe that was exposed. Is that currently? I believe that's part of the current project that's being so there's an
approved project that we are fixing that. And so then this motion is to fix the fence. Okay. Thank you for that. The problem. All right. Any more discussion or just table talk?
You good? You good? Good. You guys good? All right. Hearing no more discussion. Let's go to a vote. All in favor? I against. Same sign. Motion passes. Chairman Ericen. All right. Our fourth item, approve final payment and project acceptance, police department HVAC
replacement. Uh motion coming out of committee is to approve the final payment uh in the amount of 17,400 bringing the total uh cost of the project u to 348,000 which was the original bid amount. Um and IO move
second motion by Ericson, second by Chzach Eric. More discussion. Yeah. Yeah. So again, this is just the simply the final payment uh of this um improvement project and um the the vendor of course was the Heating.
Excellent. Any more discussion? Let's go to a vote. All in favor? I against. Same sign. Motion passes. Chairman Ericson. All right. Our fifth item, direction requested on the annual MS4 public meeting. Um this is a
requirement that we have um not only this public meeting but our MS4 permit and uh staff uh brought this to our attention that uh Baxter also has the same requirement and uh that we could work in tandem with Baxter and have a joint public meeting with them. We
typically have this um uh this meeting uh at our regular council meeting, but the motion coming out of committee is to direct staff to hold a a shared MS4 annual public meeting um with the city of Baxter. And I so move second motion by Ericson, second by Chzach. Any more
discussion on that? I kind of described it already, so I'll uh sure leave off additional discussion. Discussing this with staff. This does or does not require a quorum from the council or any council to be present? No, it does not.
We do this Mano does this with their five uh local areas and we it's open to the public for those areas. Exactly. And Baxter would have to agree with this there. The Baxter city council will have to agree with this also for us to work jointly. And is there is it supposed to
be here or there or is there We're actually going to be proposing that we do it at a local park or the arborand to do a a meeting outside where people can see the storm drains and get more involved with those. Thank you. So if
you if you don't want to miss out on that MS4 presentation that we get to watch every year, you can still go. Yes. Uh Mr. Johnson. Okay. I'm just going to reverify what you just verified. If I vote yes, we're holding an additional meeting, but it is a meeting I am not
required, expected, even wanted me to be at. But you can correct, but I can go as a member of the public if I'm interested in the MS4 permit, which I am, but I don't know if I'm that interested. So, okay. Thank you. I just want to be clear that I'm not needed. Mr. Chz, Mr. President, I I need more clarification.
We're conducting a public hearing, correct? At that is that correct? It's a public meeting for individuals to find out more about MS4 uh projects. And then every year we do this, do we not
get some sort of approval by the council after this public hearing? We we do because it's been at the council chambers, but we do not need the council's technical approval to have these meetings.
We have to have the states MS4 requirements to have this meeting, but we do not need city council approval to conduct these meetings. We have in the past because we have had it at the council chambers. But I think he's asking the the public
hearing part number two in this in this is that is at the council meeting. Correct. Right. That's if you choose to continue to have it here. We were doing that by choice. Right. Okay. Yes. Gotcha. All right. Is that And just to clarify,
this is not an additional meeting. This is just the one meeting that will be held with Baxter as a joint meeting. But again, Baxter needs to agree with this also. So m Mr. President, so literally they can call this a public meeting. Um
but when we have it, it's a public hearing. Um that way people can speak. But will they be able to speak at this particular meeting? Yes. Okay. But yet, literally nobody could show up for this and they conduct a public hearing or a public meeting and yet they're going to give a presentation. It could literally
have nobody there. Um so I don't know if I'm secondguessing this decision to have a joint meeting. Um I I assumed it was going to be a requirement that the boards or councils would be in attendance. Um it it doesn't make a lot
of sense to me to have this if there's no need for us to be there. But again, that's just my out. I I mean, I believe what you say. It just seems odd. So, it's all I have. You have something to add to that, Mr. Havar? Yeah. Just also, we will be
we will be uh having a slides slideshow presentation that will be recorded and we'll have it on the our website for individuals to view if they didn't not attend. Thank you, Mr. Brov. Thank you, Mr. President. I just had a
question for our city attorney. Um, can we have a public meeting that um, elected officials are not required to attend? Well, of course, if if staff wants to hold a public meeting somewhere to
provide information to the public, it doesn't have to be a formal public hearing by the council. Yeah, you can do that anytime you want. Thank you, sir. Okay. Does that clear everything for everyone? Not at all. Clear as mud. Okay. All right. Any more
discussion? Hearing none. Let's go to a vote. All in favor? Against? Same sign. I. That motion passes. Chairman Ericson. All right. Our sixth item is direction on active code enforcement. We have two properties. 907
Fur Street. Uh with um uh the motion coming out of committee is to recommend an administrative search warrant and abate the junk and debris. The second property is 113 Washington Street. And the motion coming out of committee is to
issue a $100 per working day citation and until the building is no longer occupied and all outdoor storage issues related to residential occupancy are resolved. And I so move second motion by Ericson, second by Chzach. more discussion. Yeah. So, both these
properties, uh, the 907 First Street, uh, pretty clear junk and debris. Um, we'd handle that as as, uh, staff normally does. The 113 Washington Street, we talked about this at our last meeting. The, uh, issue has persisted.
Um, it's a commercial use and it's being used as a residential uh, property. Um, and that's been verified uh, through the police department. And there's actually additional individuals living there. So, thank you, Mr. Lang. Yeah, C, Mr.
President and Council, just so you know, we're in the process of serving this individual right now with a declaratory judgment action in in district court to get a a court order to have him cease what you're just talking about here, using that property as a residence. Just
so you're aware, that's also going on. Okay, Mr. Ericson. And we can, you know, I think staff's recommendation, the motion coming out of committee is to continue issuing the 100 day $100 per day in kind of parallel to that. So there's no conflict there, but we can
still do the $100 per working day. Hopefully it gets resolved before it we have to take further action. Okay, more discussion hearing? None. Let's go to a vote. All in favor? I I against same sign. I motion passes. Thank you. Our
seventh item, the one that was uh added when we approved the agenda is uh going back to Norwood Street between fifth and sixth. That item we talked about at our last meeting uh putting up the planters. Uh there was discussion about whether we should do uh ballards and I think staff
was going to maybe talk describe that and so Mr. President could I there was no recommendation coming out of committee and so wanted to have staff kind of this up. Okay, Mr. H. Thank you, Mr. President. Yes. So the direction was to put a planter there and then later on
in that discussion actually a ballard to have something more permanent, something that would uh be on both sides and not take away from the planter from downtown. Talking with staff, we could definitely do that and we have the means to get that done. We're just going to
versus, you know, drilling a hole and and and placing it in the ground, we're actually just going to be b uh putting a plate on that and bolting it to the sidewalk. So, our recommendation is versus having do the work twice, put a planter there, and then later when we get time, put a ballard or the ballard
there. We're just uh going to find the time and get it done once so we don't have to do the work twice. This is year round. Yes, it will be a permanent uh the planter was only going to be for the summer, correct? Correct. Okay. Yeah. Just that, you know, we did take action uh directing staff to put up the
planters and so the recommendation you we did discuss the seasonality of that. So, their recommendation is to kind of reverse our action, but go with the ballards instead, which would be more of a a permanent year- round solution. Okay. And we're looking to do that with with or without a motion.
We didn't make a a recommendation coming out of committee. So, we move uh this is staff's recommend. I'll move that we follow staff's recommendation to do the Ballard in lie of the planter. Is that correct? Yes. Second. Motion by Chzok, second by Ericson. Mr. Johnson, I I
support the motion. I'm glad we're back talking ballards instead of planters over there. I'm a little disappointed to hear we're not digging a hole. It's more like a fake ballard. Almost a fallard, if you will, but I think it's a good start. If a car knocks one over, let's uh dig a hole and and put in something
more substantial substantial there. Thank you. Anyone else? None. Let's go to a vote. All in favor? I against. Same sign. Motion passes. Uh Chairman Ericson. Uh thank you. End of report. Thank you. Moving on to number eight, we
have unfinished business 8A. We have a call for applicants, first by our mayor. And we will move things right along. The following committees have uh seats available. The charter commission, two
terms expiring 2025, two terms expiring 2026. Housing red development, let's try that again. Housing redevelopment authority, one term expiring 2027. Library Board, one term expiring 2027. Public Utilities Commission, one term expiring 2028. Transportation Advisory
Committee, two terms expiring 2025 and one term expiring 2026. Thank you. And as council president, I do have two open seats for the water tower committee. Uh no expiration on those seats. You can be on that committee
forever. All right. Moving on. 8B we have final reasoning of reading of uh proposed ordinance 1581 to consider data center and I believe this is Mr. Kravic. Yes, thank you Mr. President. So the city council conducted the first reading at the April 21st meeting. The public
hearing was conducted by the planning commission. Any new data center or data center expansion will be required to obtain a conditional use permit if it is the primary use uh or if it is an accessory use that takes up more than 10% of the building. Uh the ordinance will require proposed data centers to to
produce a sound study prior to approval of the conditional use permit and after operation. If the council has concerns about sound at a later date, uh the operator upon council discretion would be required to provide an additional study. Uh so with that, staff recommends to conduct the final reading of proposed
ordinance 1581 and dispense with the actual reading and then also to adopt proposed ordinance 1581 and I can answer any questions. Thank you, Mr. Kravik. Does anybody have any questions for staff? Anybody? No. I do. Mr. Beavens, Mr.
Kravick, I I just heard what you just said. You have to perform a sound study before you can crypto mine. So, how would like a company like Blockmetrics satisfy that
being that there's nothing there? So you what you do is off. Yeah. So what you do is a baseline study of that area first to kind of get what your baseline readings are based on traffic around any other types of noises and then they'd be hiring a third party sound engineer to
produce a sound report off of the baseline study and then also what's projected. Um projected. Thank you. Okay. Any other questions? See none. We're looking for a motion. This this first motion will be to conduct the final reading of proposed
ordinance 1581 and dispense with the actual reading. As a reminder, that has to be a unanimous vote. I so move. Motion by Chzach. We have a second. Second, Johnson. Second by
Johnson. Any discussion on the motion? See none. Let's go to a vote. All in favor? I against same sign. That motion passes. Number two, now we're looking to adopt the proposed ordinance 1581.
Do we have a motion? So move to adopt. Motion by Chzach. Johnson. Second by Johnson. Any discussion? Seeing none, let's go to a vote. All in favor? So close. Is this a resolution? It
doesn't say it on the paper. Wow. I am not guilty on this one. Wow. Okay, I believe this. Chzach, yes. Johnson, yes. Stunic, yes. Jagger, yep. Ericson, yes. Beven, yes. OD, yes. Good job. That ordinance passes.
All right, moving on to 8 C. We have a final reading of proposed ordinance 1582 on ordinance amending section 1110 of the Brainard City Code pertaining to cannabis, hemp, and related
businesses. And this one is sounds like it's Connie on this one or James to James and Connie. Thank you, Mr. President. So, proposed ordinance 1582 allows for registration on a first come, first- serve basis. The city
allows for two registrations total for micro businesses with retail, meso businesses with retail and cannabis retail. Uh the first available licenses from the state are for micro businesses with retail endorsements. Uh currently our city code does not allow for
registrations until cannabis businesses have received their licenses from the state. Uh businesses cannot receive their licenses from the state until their facility has been inspected by the state. And then as written in state statute, businesses have to u uh invest
in significant capital in the facility without assurances that there would receive a registration from the city of Brainard as we only have two like many other municipalities restricting those registrations. Uh staff did send out a clarification from the off office of cannabis management that we received um
after the packet went out uh that contradicts information in the packet. Um so from the OCM to address the tensions that exist here with the only available option being to issue after full lensure OCM proposed a change in the law to that would allow a local
government to issue local retail registrations to applicants with preliminary license approval. This change would provide a local unit of government to have the option to certify zoning and issue local retail registrations prior to full licensing from the state easing the tensions of
the current law. Uh so the staff did provide an alternative ordinance uh that uh currently would not abide by state statute unless changed during the current legislative session. Uh, so staff has provided options for council and based on the new information, staff
recommends either conducting the first reading of the alternative ordinance and dispensing with the actual reading, then directing staff to bring it back if state statute allows for this ordinance and then andor direct staff to draft an ordinance that removes cap restrictions for micro businesses with retail
endorsements. And I can answer any questions. Thank you, Mr. Kramvic. Does anyone have questions for staff? Yeah. How do you keep this all straight? Well, things have changed a little bit since our last meeting, right? But this
was our main concern that came up somewhere in between. But go ahead and answer Chzach's question. Yeah, certainly things are changing um quite fast. New information is coming out from OCM, you know, pretty much daily um on some of these items. Um, if I had to,
uh, I know, uh, Attorney Langel wrote up, uh, some recommendations based on state statutes and pre-approvals. Um, staff believes that's probably in reference to some of the equity pre-approvals that they were looking at that state the state ended up striking down, most likely left in the state statute without cleaning that up. So,
um, OCM did send this out for clarification. Thank you. Is that all, Mr. Chzac? So far. Okay. Anyone else have questions for staff? So, we're trying to decide right now if we want to just simply change the
language. We have to go back to a first reading instead of having this as the final reading or do we want to hold off or change something else like the cap? Do we want to just hold off and see wait until the state gets through all this so we don't have to come back and change
this or are we very comfortable with this language change moving forward? I would say we hold off. I know you would. Well, the state's going to change it anyway. It seems that way, but we're still on the hook to issue licenses as of Did they back off on that?
So, if somebody were to be approved by the state again, they would have to have their facility completely inspected, which means assume all of that stuff's done. When do we have to start issuing registration? If they get their business license from the state of Minnesota, we would have to um license them starting
or we would have to register them as soon as they get started yesterday. The I believe so. Yes. Okay. But if we were to add this language come back in say two weeks, that's the second reading and
then it goes into effect about 10 days after that then we would be accepting preapprovals at that point. instead of just full licenses. Correct. And that's so yes, that that's correct. Um obviously a first reading
was done um just indicating first come first serve. So city council is another option. Um certainly could um conduct the final reading of the originally presented proposed ordinance to institute the first come first- serve basis and we could come back at a later
date to amend it based on state statute. So, it's not any harder or easier one way or another, but Mr. Johnson, I support changing the language to to reserve the permits or issue the permits on a pre-registration. I mean, if we
can, because, as James pointed out, there's substantial investment that goes into starting an operation like this. If you're a if you're a micro, you're a little smaller. If you're a mezo, you're you can go about twice as big. But a micro facility can grow like 15,000
square feet indoor canopy. So after a pre-approval of a license, they'll need to build a building or acquire a building and get it ready for growing of 15,000 up to 15,000 square feet of a growing surface, get all the sprinklers, get everything, invest all of that
money, and hope they can get to the city and get that license. And maybe they won't, maybe they will. I think it would be easier to work with the businesses when they get that pre-approval and they're starting to they have a little assurance before they move forward with the large capital expenditure to
actually get the facility up and running. So, I would like to change the language for the pre-approval, right? That does put people in a tough spot if we don't do that way. They could just grow any other type of vegetable, but they probably tomatoes are
profitable. How about flowers? Leaf lettuce. All right. Um I guess we're just waiting for a motion on the direction. Which way to go here? I'd move Well, one last question. Staff's recommendation is to change the language. Yeah. So, it does
appear that council seems interested um in conducting the first reading of the alternative ordinance provided by staff and dispensing with the actual reading, then directing staff to bring it back if state allows for the ordinance. So, that's number one.
Yeah. Yep. I move number one. Second. Motion by Johnson, second by Bevans. So, it's not necessarily coming back in two weeks. We're waiting until whether or not it goes through at the state level first and then we'll see it again. Yes, we'd be waiting for approval from the
legislature. Okay. I have a question, Mr. Chza. So, on that, there's no requirement after we approve the first reading to come back at a certain date. We can withhold hold off as indefinitely. That's part of the motion. Yeah, I guess it is. But according to any legal
requirements on ordinance, maybe Joe. Yeah, you the city council would just not would choose not to have the second reading. I mean, you have you guys have to pass the motion to have a second reading. If you if for whatever reason you decided that it
wasn't going to work, then you just not do it or you could move not to have it. If you want to have an affirmative vote in the in the record, I think the timing is probably going to work out. The legislative session ends the day of your next meeting. So, if if they get this changed and the governor signs it, this
may all just fall into place. Okay. We'll see. Thank you. I trust the state on this issue. Oh, yeah. Everyone does. Anyone else? Mr. Joerger. Yes. Just real quickly, um my assumption
is is that if people haven't already, we will be receiving u citizens who are coming forward wanting to kind of pursue this. My question is is would it be possible that we could just reach out to them and just kind of let them know kind of what's happening and the steps so that we don't have people that are uh
hoping to to go down this path and then feeling like, oh, we didn't know, we didn't hear. This is complicated I think just for us let alone somebody who's coming in and doesn't isn't listening to these meetings. So would it be is that pos a fair ask that staff just reach back out to the people who have pinged
us and say this is what's happening. These are the steps. Yep. That's correct. And staff has been doing that. Okay. Very good. Thank you. Thank you. That's all. Thank you Mr. Crown. I just wanted to to make clarification. Um obviously number one was to consider it. um may want to conduct the first
reading, dispense with the altrual reading of the alternative ordinance. Okay. Would you like to amend that motion? I I would love to amend my motion. Friendly amendment. I'm I'm in. It was It was easier to grow it when it was illegal.
Seems that way. Speaking from experience. Yeah, you would know. All right. So, that motion has been amended. Secer has agreed. Any more discussion? All right. Thank you. So, you know, just a reminder, this has to be unanimous if
we don't don't want to hear all that language. All right. I'm I'm this way. Uh, all those in favor? I against same sign. Thank you. You were holding your breath,
weren't you? I was waiting for you. I think that's it for that one. Correct, James? For now. That's correct for now. Okay. Thank you. Moving on. We have number nine and that would be 9A adopting a resolution to award a bid
for improvement 1712 right and 10th Street reconstruction project and I believe this is Mike Alor. Yes, thank you Mr. President. This is the fifth and last time that you will see this project um versus seeing the construction being
done. So it's gone through all the different uh scoping uh aspects. The consultant has done all the assessment and we are now final. We have a bid and the low bidder is to Land War Construction um for a dollar amount of
3,237 $3027. This is under our engineers estimated uh estimate and we are seeing a lot of that within our our project. So we are recommending adopting this resolution that accepts this bid and for the total dollar amount as that I just
indicated and that with that I can take any questions just to sorry I didn't indicate that uh this just project is going to be including the storm drain curb and gutter water man and pavement. Thank you Mr. Habigor. Does anyone have questions for staff? How are you going
to get the UPS trucks out of the way? We have been in contact with the UPS. I was just showing James an email today from them and they are working diligently with that. They have just asked me to to meet with them again and as they are also concerned about our
roundabout construction projects. So we are engaged with them and they are reaching out. So it's it's good to see that. Thank you. Thank you. Any more questions for staff? If not, we're looking for a motion to adopt the attached resolution in which
accepts the bid and awards the contract to Landware Construction Inc. in the total contract amount of 3,237,03027 and authorized proper signatures on the agreement documents. So moved. Second. Motion by Bevon,
second by Jagger. Any more discussion? Seeing none. Tony Chzac, yes. Johnson, yes. Stunn, yes. Jagger, yes. Erikson, yes. Bevven, yes. Odic, yes. That resolution passes. Moving on to 9B, we have a first reading
on proposed ordinance 1583 ending future rural service district properties. And again, this is uh community development director James Cranvic. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh so staff have attached proposed ordinance 1583 that would not allow future properties to be added to
the rural service district but does allow properties to remain in the district if eligible. Uh staff reached out to Crowing County and were provided a list of properties currently in the rural service district. Uh the community development director as well as the city engineer reviewed the list and found 11 properties that should be removed from
the rural service district because of the availability of sewer and or water services. Uh so with that staff did provide aerial photos of each one of those properties. Some of them are city properties themselves. Uh so with that staff is recommending uh the city council review that list and approve the
list uh recommending properties from removal from the rural service district uh in proposed 1583 or potentially make any changes prior to conducting the first reading. Number two, conduct the first reading of proposed ordinance 1583 and dispense with the actual reading. And then finally direct staff to hold a
public hearing at the June 2nd city council meeting. and notify the affected property owners and I can answer any questions. Thank you, Mr. Cranic. Mr. Chzac, yes. I'm interested as to how did we obtain the aerial photos? Um, aerial
photos were from Crowing County GIS. Okay. Thank you. Any more questions for staff? Seeing none, we're looking for a motion to approve the list of properties recommended by staff for
removal from the rural rural service district and proposed ordinance 1583 or makeup make changes prior to the conducting the first reading. Are you looking for a motion for all three? I would say a motion that there's a
consensus from the city council that you're good with the list from staff. Okay. I'd move to approve the list provided by staff to be removed from the rural service district. Second. Motion by Johnson, second by Stunic. Any more discussion?
Yes. I want to thank PNF for taking this on. I appreciate it. That's is something I think was needed for a long time. Thank you. Anyone else? Seeing none, do we need a roll call? We're just going to do it anyway.
Go ahead, Tony. Chesock, yes. Johnson, yes. Stunic, yes. Jagger, yes. Ericson, yes. Beans, yes. OD, yes, that passes. He's covering himself. Yep. I'm just going to do it on everyone from now on. All right. Two
more things. Got two more things. I'd move to conduct the first reading of proposed ordinance 1583 and dispense with the actual reading. Entire thing. Second. All right. We got a motion by Johnson, second by Bevans. Johnson. Yeah. In the spirit of the thankfulness that Jeff had
for our committee, I'd like to just pass that directly on to staff and thank you for taking this on because the rural service district has long frustrated me and I'm glad we're able to move forward and I think do it better than it was done in the past. So, thanks for all the work you put in on it. The sheer doctor.
Anyone else? Nobody. Tony, please call the role. Chzac, yes. Johnson, yes. Stun. Jagger. Yes. Ericson, yes. Evans, I wasn't. That passes unanimously. Now, we're looking for number three for staff
to hold a public hearing at the June 2nd city council meeting and notify affected property owners. So, move Johnson. Motion by Johnson. Second, second by Bevans. Discussion. Seeing none, we'll go back to a vote. Boys vote. This one is roll
call. Whoa. It's like it's like kind of walking on a moving boat. I'm just kidding. All right. All in favor say I. I. Against. Same sign. That motion passes. Now we're moving on to staff
reports. Tony Gage. Chief Holmes, nothing to add. Thank you. Chief Davis, Sean Strong, nothing to add. Connie Helman, nothing to add. Mike Abigor, thank you, Mr. President, the only report is just our transit uh consultant
review is still uh going on. I've been informing uh Councilman Jezach and SPW just on a bi-weekly basis after our meetings and um again in June you'll feel you'll hear our full report. Thank you, James Cranic. Yep. Just one update
on Country Manor. Um Country Manor has submitted all of their building permits. Um all approvals have been um done by the state of Minnesota. So, that's kind of a big hurdle to get through. And then, uh, that permit should be ready for issue in sometime in the next couple days here. And they're expecting
construction probably sometime early June. Thank you, Mr. Kravik. Joel Angel. Nothing for me. Thank you, Chris Schubert. Nothing. All right. Oh, actually, uh, Eric Sharper, we have you online. Yes, Mr. President.
Just a quick update. uh working and hopefully working with city staff to talk about uh the greater Minnesota housing infrastructure grant program that we're hoping to bring in front of council in a couple of weeks. Uh that would be in support of uh some future
development of some twin homes out in the Brainer Oaks uh neighborhood that uh we're hoping to work with the city and hopefully have you guys approve us uh submitting that grant. So, more to come. Just wanted to get it on your radar and we will hopefully uh see you guys in a couple weeks to provide more information
on that. Thank you, Eric. Any updates on 805 Laurel? Uh I have reached out to the developer about a couple weeks ago. Have not heard a response yet. I'm going to continue to try to follow up. No news at this point uh at this point. Thank you,
Administrator Broyals. Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to thank the council for I think that workshop. up. I think that was a week ago today. It was very beneficial for staff. That's going to help us to um kind of gauge our direction and our how we allocate our resources. So, that's very beneficial. Thank you for that. La last week, I went
to the MCMA conference. I was there for three days. Um great conference. I will say that as I talked to a lot of my colleagues around the state, infrastructure came up time and time again as people are seeing huge price tags in the near future, whether it's
PAS, PO or just traditional infrastructure. These things are becoming so so so expensive. So um if it's any consolation, every I would say almost without exception, every town in the state is is struggling to find dollars for infrastructure. So it's going to be a challenge moving forward.
Um because I was at that workshop, um I didn't get a chance to completely integrate the uh the suspense tracker. I'm going to be working with Tony. We got that buttoned up now. So that'll we're going to start presenting that at the next council meeting. So I think that's going to be great. And as always,
provide feedback and we'll adjust as necessary. And just a reminder for the joint meeting this Thursday at 5:30. 5:30. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Broyals. Mayor Bedau. First of all, I want to start with the traditional
Minnesota greeting of Nas Reed for those of you that partake. Uh, second of all, it sounds like we need a tracker on the tracker. So, let's get that started. Let's get that started. And I also want to say that the This is a rare occasion, folks. The moon and the stars have
aligned over here. There's a gum from the 80s. Double chief right here. We got it. Doesn't happen often, but the double chief is here. Chief right there. Double chief. not one but two double chief. Uh lastly, just want to say super fast uh
tomorrow the park board is having a workshop very similar to what the city council did just to align our uh priorities. They are very excited to hear that number five on the council's heavy lifting priority list was the maintenance of parks. So that will align
very well with them and we just want to make sure that everybody's on the same page that we're heading in the same direction and it sounds like our parks are going to be the most beautiful of any area you've ever seen. And then lastly, just a reminder that Thursday I will be at the Bladec
uh annual meeting. Ask me to just speak briefly on a few things about the city. So if you have anything that you would love for me to champion, now is the time. Last call. got to get it to me because I'll forget. Better let me know. So again, that's Thursday morning blade.
I believe we're in Niswah. So they're making me get up bright and early. I'm not very happy about that, but that's okay. End of report. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Let's start with PNF. Chief Stunic. I have nothing. We have a triple chief. Triple chief. Triple chief. Triple chief. Bevans. I want to be a
chief. We can call you chief. Friday I went to the American Legion and had the prime rib special. It was fantastic. Always want to give a shout out to a local business that does a great job. It's a bargain and it's delicious. And
it cost me 25 bucks for the prime rib and about almost a hundred bucks for the meat raffle donated. You want a blue chip? Did you win? No, I won nothing. You won the prime rib. The set? No, I didn't get Well, yeah, you got I got the
$25 prime rib for 100 bucks. The other thing is I was uh I was uh at the uh Brainard Hydro Dam today with a group of Brainard citizens. Uh Trent Hawinson from our public utilities
gave an absolutely fantastic tour. Lots of great information, lots of great Brainer history, and uh that's a project that's that's it's just amaz it's just amazing every time I go in there. So, thank you to Trent Hawinson for the BPU.
End of report. Thank you, Mr. Bevvens. Chairman Johnson. Thank you, Mr. President. I've got three things. The uh work on the sewer line behind my house continues a pace. They they hooked us up to the new sewer line last week. They called me today and I think they're hooking us up to the water tomorrow. But I just want to give D Shantel a big
shout out and our street and uh BPU guys, too. But D Shantel has been fantastic in communicating with all the residents on the alley and calling us and keeping us up to date on when they're doing this, when they're doing that. and it's just it's been a pleasure having them work in the neighborhood. And on to our parks. Uh baseball season
is in full swing and I want to give a tip of the cap to our parks maintenance department and our parks guys for having all of our facilities open, our bathrooms open, our drinking fountains going. So while the nine-year-olds are out there playing baseball and
inevitably have to use the bathroom, they they have a nice place to go that isn't a tree. We actually had a had a double header over in Baxter this weekend. And I don't want to say anything bad about Baxter, but their park bathrooms are not open. They have one biffy has not been cleaned since the
mid80s at least. People were like loading kids up in their minivans to drive to the nearest gas station. So just good job keeping our parks open nice and clean and having the facilities be usable. Thank you for that. And and and finally, Nas Reed. All right. Shots
fired in the bathroom wars. Uh let's move over to safety and public works. Jeff Chzach. Yeah, bathroom gate. Here we come. Um yeah, public utility meeting. Um they were able to uh put that on
video. So if you haven't had a chance, you should watch that before our meeting on Thursday. It'll give you some background. That's very valuable. Um audio's audio is a little weak, but I think managed with a headset and um it's a lengthy meeting. It was over two hours
long. So, uh a lot to talk about. And again, uh Trent Trent added on a two-year rate increase every six months. I don't want to give you any percentages at this time. Uh we can get that later if you want. I don't have those numbers in front of me right now, but um this was something uh because of the revenue
needed u just it's important. So it was a recommendation I think for four or five years that they decide to just go with two years but uh a nice debate on that but other than that I don't have anything else. Thank you Mr. President. Thank you Mr. Trezach. Mr. Jagger. Yes.
Thank you. Uh we'll go uh we did have a airport meeting uh last Thursday. So we'll just briefly go through and believe it or not it kicks off with another bathroom related item. We had a robust discussion about the porta potty being removed from the hanger ramp and that's a pretty big deal out there. We'll be talking about that, but I just had to throw that in because that was
part of the discussion and it fit. So, um, the next item that came up before us was an AIG grant. This was, I guess, kind of what I call a mystery grant. It's a grant that just pops out of the nowhere that we don't really know what it's for. We didn't really see it. Didn't get a good uh um any advanced
warning to absorb this grant. So, after some uh spirited dialogue, we decided I I made the motion. It was seconded by Mr. Barrows who happens to be here that we will have a grant planning session that will begin uh in October of this year and we are going to plan out the grants that we are going to apply for
because we actually do know these grants before they come. They're not actually as dimly lit as we thought they were. Um that we we know what grants are going to be available in the next uh session. We are going to have a a a grant planning session in October that will uh align us for all of the grants we're going to apply for at the airport and then more
importantly tie those into our CIP for the entire year of 2026. It just seems like a no-brainer no-brainer. So, that's an exciting uh turn of events. If you'll remember, we had a uh discussion about the JPA. This is our joint powers agreement, the letter that was forwarded
out to uh our constituency, our group out there at the airport. Um it was my motion that we have the airport look at this first and uh after a little bit of review, very little dialogue, they offered us best regards and good luck uh to pass that along and and bring it back to us and to keep moving it down the
path. If you'll recall, that is our tech uh facilities, HR, uh finance and legal. And uh lastly, uh we had about a 30 minute um presentation by a company by the name of Steven Baldwin and Associates. What this company does, they're based out of New York City. Uh
what this company does is they help airports um align themselves for potential future uh authority situations. It also uh they also help airports look at their books. It looks it helps them look at how they're spending their money, how they're making their money, revenue generating, all of those types of
things. That's all this company does is helps airports uh run efficiently. Uh it's a big price tag. It's about 175 grand in consulting fees to have their company help us through that process, but it is a robust process. And quite honestly, I think the discussion will be
in front of us for a while as is this something that we should do. It's like a lot of consulting, you spend money to save money. Hopefully, that's the plan, but uh it's a big price tag and um we have many many other examples including St. cloud that worked with this company
and and speaks very highly of the process and its potential uh app application in the future. So uh with that we'll be uh that was it for the airport uh this this month and uh we'll see what next month brings. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Jagger. This this I'm
curious this consulting service is that supposed to help solve some of these issues between the city and the county that we've been it very well might be. Um so as a part of this joint powers agreement also just so you should you guys should know as well as I've also
asked city staff to look at the uh as uh Mr. Johnson pointed out I believe it was two meetings ago that a lot of the heavy lifting uh in the in the presented joint powers agreement was was done by the city of Briner. We're providing virtually all of you know all of the heavy lifting there. So, as a part of
that dialogue, I've asked city staff to kind of give us an outline of what we think that uh cost of what that burden might be monetarily so that uh when Mr. Barrows and myself, who is my other uh equal half of the PNF committee out there, sit down and kind of begin to to
formulate a a budget for next year and and kind of an ask, an initial ask for next year, we can we can do that with some some balance between uh both Crowing County and the city of Brainard. uh working together as we are both 50-50 ownership. So, um to answer your
question, uh Steven Baldwin and Associates, uh yes, they they do a lot of things, but but a big part of what they do is is they help airports uh generate not only um the the political aspirations of what it would take for a
said airport to go out into the community and and and make a pitch of why we should be supported by greater our greater community. but they also help formulate the strategy. They help formulate the message, how we get it out there and just how we bring it to fruition if we go or decide to go down
the path of an airport authority uh which would be out in the future. So, it's that whole frontend side. I think you may remember we talked about the initial investment to just see if it's possible. This is kind of that number. So, um pretty exciting. Uh it's certainly something we I think would uh like to look at at the airport out there
and uh we know we have a situation that needs to be dealt with at some point in the near future and I think there will be at least some people leveraging that uh this consulting process may very well be the the groundwork to to move forward. So we'll see. Okay. So maybe
yeah maybe potentially. Chairman Ericson. Uh just looking forward to the upcoming planning commission meeting uh second Wednesday. And then in addition to that in South Brainer, of course, last year we had the goats uh chomping up all the buckthorn behind my house. Uh work continues on
that. No goats of course this year, but I think it's a phase two as uh some equipment back there. Uh taking that second step is clearing out more of that buckthornic. It's looking great. It is. It is looking great. Um I don't have much to add tonight. I just want to remind the council to just prepare for
Thursday's meeting. Um I don't know if we've ever had a meeting between the council BPU commission and the EDA. So that should be f that should be fun. Um and it is road construction season coming up. So it's going to be just as
annoying as it always is every summer. But don't worry because this year won't be even half as annoying as next year or the year after that. So, we have that to look forward to. Um, five years. Oh, yeah. Then we have then we Well, that's a lot of backter stuff
going on in the next few years after that. That's okay. Um, other than that, uh, we are just looking for a motion to adjourn to that joint public utility meeting on May 8th at 5:30 p.m. We had a motion by Chzach,
second by Bevans. All those in favor? I again same sign. We are jjourn.