Call the meeting to order. Roll call. Mayor Reese here. Council member Osk here. Nelson here. Gilbertson here. Gardner here. Baggerly here. Davis here. Butterfield here. Enfield is here. Nine
present, zero absent. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. Proposed additions or deletions to the agenda. Council motion to approve the agenda as presented. Second. Got a motion and a second. Discussion. Hearing none. Roll call. Council member
O. I. Nelson. I. Gilbertson. I. Gardner. I. Faggerly. Hi. Davis. I. Butterfield. Hi. And Schelers. Hi. Eight eyes. Zero. Who knows? A motion passes. Consent items. I'll call on
Verne Larson, our city clerk. I'll give you some time. I'm ready. Mr. Mayor and council members, tonight for your approval, I have the city council minutes of May 19th of 2025. The planning commission meeting minutes of May 21st, 2025 is a draft. The Wilmer
Municipal Utilities Special Meeting Minutes of May 19th, 2025. The Wilmer Municipal Utilities draft minutes from May 27th, 25. Project number 251- A 20th Street Southeast improvements change order number one. Consideration of a
municipalowned prop property on sale liquor license holder permit for Spurs Corporation. City park special event by on sale liquor license holder permit Spurs Corporation and the accounts payable report from 51525 to
52825. And for your information, I have the Wilmer Municipal Utilities Financial Report from March of 2025. Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion.
Roll call. Council member Nelson. I. Gilbertson. I. Gardner. I. Davis. I. Butterfield. I. Schultz. Hi. And Osk. I.
Seven eyes's zero nos. I vote yes, too. It's okay. Somehow my list didn't give me council member Faggerly. Hi. It's not here. I don't know why. He's at the very bottom. It's not there. Well,
he's here. Yeah, it motion passes anyway. All right, we'll go on to the next item is the open form. And uh if you're going to speak, you
have three minutes. Um and give your name and address when you approach the the podium. First one is uh Andress Albertson. Good evening. I am Andres Albertson,
140519th Avenue Southeast, apartment 103 here in Wilmer. So I am here once again to speak in support of Pride and to share how it has grown in Wilmer over the past year. The proclamation signed by the governor
of Minnesota declares June as Pride Month, a time to celebrate LGBTQ plus identity, community, and resilience, and to continue the struggle for justice and equality. And that's exactly exactly
what we will be doing here in Wilmer this weekend. Last year, I told you we were planning a small pride event at Intuition Brewing. We simply wanted to show people, especially those struggling
to accept who they are, that it is okay to be LGBTQ plus. That in Wilmer, the welcoming resolution passed in 2018 was more than worth. that it was a
promise that all residents regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, or background are indeed welcome and free to live fully as themsel. We would have been happy with 20 people on June 28 last year. Some of
you were there. Instead, more than 120 came. Intuition had never been so full. allies showed up. But what touched me most were all the LGBTQ plus folks who
came out, many shy, some exuberant, all finally able to be themselves, holding hands, wearing colors, wearing makeup, and feeling safe. That night led to monthly rainbow nights at Intuition and
regular public meetings to plan something even bigger for this um year. Most of those now involved in planning this year's Pride weren't even at the first event. Somewhere weren't
even living in Wilar yet. People like Shake who will be speaking after me moved here looking for a safer place for themsel and their families. Besides planning this weekend's event with which
Sara will tell you more about, I want to highlight two things that have happened since last June. One is that we wanted to have a youth group and approached the Dream Academy. They didn't have such a
group yet, but now they have their own LGBTQ plus group um driving independently. And then we also realized that some people didn't feel comfortable gathering at the venue that serves alcohol. So we started a monthly event,
Queer Connections meetup at the community center, which has been a huge success. Let me finish. I know that I am. Let me say that I am proud and yes, I am a pastor saying that there is a pride that hurts when we use it to shame
or exclude others. But there is also a pride that heals when we celebrate the many ways we have been created, the many stories we carry, and the dignity we all share. And that's the pride we will be celebrating this weekend. So join us.
Happy Pride. All right, next speaker, Jake Hartgrove. Hello, I'm Jay Hart Grove. I live at 515 Lakeland Drive Southeast, apartment 107 here in
Wilmer. Um, so I'm definitely grateful to be able to stand here before you. I'd like to start with a big thank you for for the community and the council members here today. We at Wilmer Pride are very
happy to stand before you and convey our appreciation of acceptance. I love Wilmer and I'm proud to live here in this lovely town. The friends and community I have found have made my life a little brighter. With this month being Pride,
we are glad to share our happiness with everyone. Young and old, we long for a place that is safe and loving, a place to express ourselves with people who share our interest. This city has been that for me
and my family. From kind doctors to smiling faces at the stores around town, the general willingness to help others is abundant. Wilmer is a great melting pot of joy and culture where helping
hand isn't required but is consistently given from so many residents here. So, thank you Wilmer for being my home. Thank you to the council members for allowing us to hold our events that bring joy and community to Wilmer and the surrounding areas.
and to all here today and any viewers far and wide. Wilmer Pride is very proud of our city. We look forward to giving back to the community with love and kindness. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you.
Next to speak is Sarah Molton. Hello. Uh my name is Sarah Molton. I live at 424 Lichfield Avenue, apartment 1 here in Wilmer, Minnesota. Um, so all that said, thank you to my other Wilmer Pride members. Uh, my job is to invite
you, your friends, and your families to our Wilmer Pride events. We have organizers and volunteers who've been working very hard to put together events that we feel can reach and support people all across our community. Um, so I'm just going to give you a little overview of some of those events and
hopefully you can join us. So, Friday is when things start. Our monthly Queer Connections meet up at the Wilmer Community Center from 6:00 to 8:00 is an event where people will be gathering to do Pride Art. Um, as Andrea said, we're particularly proud of this event. We
just started it in February, so it's only been uh maybe four months. Um, but we've watched it grow every single month. Um, and one of the cool things is that people who have attended have said like, "We were just waiting for something like this in Wilmer." and
people look forward to it every month. We even have people who come from uh different places nearby to join us at this queer connections event. And so this will continue long after Pride year round. Um so that's happening on Friday. And then also for a more extroverted
start to the weekend, we have our kickoff event which is at Intuition Brewing. Um which is where it all began last year. Um, and so there will be from 3 to 9:30 there's going to be rainbow flights, prizes, trivia, uh, karaoke,
all kinds of fun stuff for people to enjoy. Then on Saturday, we have three events. Saturday is very full. So we have our Pride in the Park. We're very excited to our first Pride in the Park this year at Rice Park. Um, we're going to have a lot of things there, including a full vendor and exhibitor fair, which
we maxed out. Um, so lots of people selling things that they have created and different organizations and businesses. um having booths and then we will also have crafts, face painting, story time, food trucks and a DJ. Then we're also very excited about our Wilmer
Pride worship service which is happening at Bethl downtown at 6 p.m. Um and this is something that faith leaders from various churches in Wilmer have come together to plan a service that celebrates inclusivity and acceptance. There's going to be a pickup choir during the service and fellowship to
follow and we already have a lot of great interest in that as well. And then finally to cap off the weekend, our first annual Wilmer Pride drag show at Spurs downtown at 8:00 p.m. This is an event featuring performers from Fargo, the Cities, and right here in Wilmer. We've already sold over half of our
available tickets for this and we're hoping that we can sell out. Um, so with all of these different options, we hope that you'll join us at some point this weekend to help us celebrate what a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community we have here in Wilmer. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you. Next, uh, Bruce Schuman. Mr. mayor, members of council. That's the first time I've ever been here, so it's kind of a new experience for me. My wife and I and our family have lived out on St. John's Lake for 43
years, I think. And uh um I just wanted to express appreciation for our mayor and his leadership uh over lots of years. I don't have the exact number, but I'm just very grateful in our cities. You know, we're from St. John's
out on St. John's Lake. Uh but what happens in Wilmer and that's that's what we connect with our family wherever they are. That's kind of the center how everybody knows us. So, what goes on here uh is really important and for some of the challenges that our council has
had um over the years um it's just really a um a comfort and an encouragement to me to have the stability and the respect and um interaction uh of the council that our mayor has I think uh engendered and I'm
just here to express my appreciation to him in that regard. Thank you. Um, we have one more uh speaker, Ellery Shipman. Good evening, members of the city council. My name is Ellery Shipman
and I live at 1036 Street Southwest, Wilmer, Minnesota. and I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today about a vision I believe aligns perfectly with our city's growths, values, and long-term goals. For the past 6 years, I've
dreamed of opening my own my very own wedding venue and event center. That dream became personal 3 years ago when I was a bride myself, searching for a place to celebrate one of the most important days of my life. Around this area, options were very limited and still are. and my now
husband and I had to choose between outdated conference centers, overpriced venues, and rustic facilities that lacked basic amenities. Many spaces also didn't feel welcoming or reflective of our vibrant and diverse community we live in today. That experience sparked
the idea for Henley Haven, a new wedding venue and event center right here in Wilmer. True to its name, Henley Haven is a space where people feel safe, seen, and celebrated. Not only will it accommodate weddings for at least 250 guests, it can also
host community events such as fundraisers, school banquetss, business conferences, cultural celebrations, and so much more. The venue fills a clear gap in the local market for a fresh and inclusive space. Built from the ground up, it will
feature an open layout, both indoor and outdoor ceremony options, spacious and private bridal and groom suites, indoor and outdoor bars, a prep kitchen to support a variety of food service needs. The parcel I'm interested in is
958721050. I understand there's interest from Wilmer Municipal in using this parcel for a new building. However, I respectfully believe in this land and that it has potential to serve all residents and not just one department. Henley Haven would bring
people together for life's biggest moments and generate longl lasting economic activity. It would support local vendors, create jobs, generate tax revenue, and attract outofstate or out of sorry, out of town guests who spend
at local hotels, restaurants, and shops. It would also strengthens Wilmer's reputation as a vibrant place to live, work, and gather. In closing, this is more than just a business idea. It's a response to a real and unmet need in our
area. With a clear market gap, strong leadership, and a thoughtful vision, Henley Henley Haven is positioned for long-term success. I'm not just creating a business. I'm creating a space for the community to gather, connect, and belong.
Thank you for considering this p this proposal. I'd be honored to work with the city of Wilmer to bring Henley Haven to life. Thank you. Thank you. That's the only speakers we have for the
open form. Um, we'll go to regular business and project number 254B, Lakeland Drive trail funding, and a call on Jared Vogi, our engineer.
Good evening, Mayor Council. And closing your packets this evening is some background information um about the Lakeland Drive trail project. When we were here at the improvement hearing for the 2025 improvements, uh it was council
direction to pursue funding for the Lakeland Drive uh path improvements. And the item before you this evening is exactly that. Uh the city has successfully obtained two grants for the improvement. One is through the active
transportation program uh in the amount of $24,380. The second grant is through the transportation alternatives program which is a federally funded program in the amount of
um $895,620. The only item associated with these two funding sources is the that the active transportation program is scheduled for funding in 2026. the transportation alternatives or the larger of the two grants uh funds
become available in 2028. So what's before you this evening is a recommendation that the community investment fund tempor temporarily finance the transportation alternative
grant until those monies are received by the city in 2028. uh a resolution has been enclosed for your consideration this evening. Um and with all of the grant programs, there will be uh additional agreements and
other items that come before you. Um but in order to get back to the funding agencies and determine uh let them know whether or not the city will accept these grants um we've identified staff has identified the community investment fund as a as a means to cover that gap
until those federal funds are author or distributed to the city. So with that be happy to answer any questions that council might have. Audrey, I'm supportive of this um the Lakeland
Drive plan to do that. I think it's a necessary improvement to get um for um biking and walking and all of those things. Confused with in the documentation that we got that this project has to be completed by the by
2026, but we're talking about not receiving funding till 2028. Can you just help us to understand that gap? Yeah, absolutely. So, the active transportation funds or the approximate
204,000 that funding program requires construction to be completed in 2026. The transportation alternatives, which is the federal piece, that funding is it the project can be constructed in advance of 2028, but the funds won't be
released until 2028. So that's um where staff identified the community investment fund as the gap until those federal funds are received in 28. So if we receive those because I know that that there's been a lot of things that have been pulled back. Is there a
guarantee that if we're approved for this that we will get the funds in 2028 when Yeah. So, as part of the construction constructing it in 2026, there will be an advanced construction agreement uh through MINDOD and
FHWA that will allocate those funds. The the project the project is actually already sitting on the state transportation improvement um plan, but they're asking for city um authorization, if you will, to move that
to the next step. Okay. Yep. Tom, guess that wasn't quite clear enough for me. So, if the federal funds are not available, your mic don't. Thank you. Um, if the federal funds are are I guess clawed back or anything else, is there anything protecting the city from
not being reimbured from those funds? It sounds like the state is on board. It's the federal funds that are not dispersed until 2028. federal funds are not dispersed until 2028. So, if you're alluding to this uncertainty right now, um, at the federal
level, the all I can say is that the project has been awarded the funding. Um, and whether or not I guess I can't definitively tell you with 100% certainty that something at the federal level is not going to happen to claw the
funds back, but so far um there's been delays on other projects, but not removal of awarded funding through a um federally
authorized grant program. Anybody else? All right, we need a motion. I'll make a motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the city to temporarily finance the transportation alternatives
program grant award for project number 254B through the community investment fund until 2028 when the grant monies are available to reimburse the community investment fund. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion hearing. None. Roll call.
Council member Gilbertson. Hi. Gardner. Hi. Lee. Hi. Davis. I. Butterfield. Hi. Ches. Hi. Os. I. And Nelson. I. Eight. I's zero nos. Motion passes. Thank you
chair. Thanks councel. The last item is something that I requested staff to uh develop and it was turned over to our city attorney Robert Scott and that's the rules of decorum and the
purpose of them is to ensure respectful public discourse for all parties in a safe environment. and I'm going to turn it over to Robert Scott to address any of your questions and to run through
it. Thank you, Mayor, members of the council. Um, you do have draft rules at the quorum in your packet as well as associated revisions that would be made to the open forum uh sign-in sheet or the council to adopt these rules.
Um I won't read them verbatim but the reason to have rules of decorum which is something I don't understand the city council and Wilmer has ever formally had in place um is really to provide a tool for the city council to use to ensure that it can keep its meetings orderly so
that it's able to conduct official business as efficiently and as orderly as possible. Um obviously there's uh at times a tension between the council um keeping order and conducting its business efficiently and also
facilitating public input during city council meetings. They're not always intention but they can be in uh certain circumstances and that's true I think at every level of government. Um, so having a a policy in place like this is really intended to be a tool for
the city council, for the presiding officer in particular to have some just ground rules that everyone participating in a meeting has agreed to. That's true not just for members of the public who might be attending. It's true certainly of city staff, uh, the attorney and city
councilors themselves. Um, these would be applicable to everyone participating in a public meeting. Um, in drafting these, the intent was not to create something that's overly procedural. Uh, the intent was really just to state some basic principles, some basic concepts
that the city council will hold itself to and will hold everybody participating in its meeting to. And the focus is really on things such as uh basic steps to avoid interruptions of council proceedings
um and avoiding disruptions to city council proceedings. Um so for example in the rules that are before you there's a principle that uh every member of the city council agrees to cooperate with the presiding officer in his attempts or
her attempts to preserve order and decorum during the meetings. Um there's basic uh requirements that everybody for example disable their devices that are capable of uh providing an interruption or disruption to the
meeting. There's uh principles that uh essentially require all uh comments made by anybody during the meeting um to refrain from making offensive, insulting, threatening, uh profane,
obscene um language uh and to just keep everything uh respectful. And having said that, I should point out also that there is a provision in here that uh respects everybody's first amendment rights. In no circumstances will the
content of anybody's uh message or viewpoint itself be a cause to be found in violation of these rules of decorum. Um however, whatever the viewpoint is should be communicated in a a respectful manner and these rules reflect that. Um
there's also just some very basic uh principles that apply I think to essentially every governmental meeting which is uh that uh no person shall uh speak during the meeting until the presiding officer has recognized them.
And in the case of public comment there is also a provision in paragraph nine that would uh get to the actual kind of mechanics of how that's to work during council meetings. um which specifies that the public shall address the council from the podium which is in the
center of the room and that under no circumstances may anyone addressing the council approach the council table beyond the edge of the podium. That's something that uh law enforcement had kind of flagged for us for consideration as uh we were working on these. Um I
guess a concern anytime an individual does uh approach the council table. Um, so this uh would give the council uh again intended to be a tool that it can use um uh to return to order if there
ever are occasions where any of these principles are um violated. Um so with that said the last page of the rules of decorum uh getting to the point that this is really a tool for the council and for the presiding officer to use uh
outline kind of a sequence of I guess escalating measures that the presiding officer is authorized to take um ranging obviously from a simple uh warning or um observation that a person is acting out of order out of compliance with these
rules at the quorum um and escalating relating to if the situation is not resolved and the violation is not remedied. Um an actual order that the uh person violating the rules remove themselves from the meeting room um up
to and including uh enforcement by law enforcement if a person disobys that order. The last page of your uh packet here does indicate that some of these rules would be um stated right on the signup
sheet for anyone who wishes to address the council during the open forum specifically. They would be agreeing uh that by choosing to participate in that uh opportunity that they would be u held to and would be complying with the rules
of the quorum that I've just summarized. Um that's something that if the council were to adopt these rules or something like them I think would just be implemented. I don't think that requires a separate action by the council. So the last point I would make is uh in
drafting these I obviously uh was uh using my experience attending Wilmer council meetings for many years now. Um this should not be seen as something that is like an ongoing problem with the council. In fact quite the contrary. I think this is a great time for the council to consider adopting something
like this because it's very difficult to do so if the council has ongoing problems keeping order at its meetings. Um but with that said, this is a tool for the council. Um if the council feels that any of the rules here uh don't
strike the right balance or that they didn't cover something that the council thinks should be covered. Um, the council certainly has the opportunity to uh make note of that and we will adjust these accordingly and bring them back or if the council just doesn't want to have
these in place, that's obviously the council's choice, too. But that's the summary of what's before you. Um, I'd certainly be happy to try and answer any questions if anybody has any. Thank you, Mr. Scott, for running through that and explaining
it. And I I think of the years that have gone by, we've had understandings such as if somebody has something to give to the council that they give it to staff and the staff gives it to the council rather than them coming up to the table.
I mean it's just things like that that u we need to have it in writing so that we understand what are the rules what are the the safeguards what are the right way of doing things so I appreciate your
spending time are there any questions if not I'm going to call for a motion to approve the rules of decorum for the city of Wilmer. So moved. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion. Audrey.
Thank you, Mayor Ree. Um I just want to ask one question. Is this kind of a standard? I mean, is would you find this in other cities in this or is was it customized for Wilmer? Um you certainly many cities have adopted rules of order, rules of procedure, rules of decorum. Uh
there's a wide range. there cities that have nothing in place to cities that have very detailed sets of procedure. My so to answer your question, this is I think reflecting my judgment on what would be appropriate for this body. Um
it's I would say among cities that have adopted uh policies like this, this is on the very basic and simple range of the spectrum. um simply because I don't think the
council has u historically become overly procedural and really has established pretty strong customs uh that help it through meetings but um reducing them to some very basic principles that everyone has access to I
think could benefit this body. Thank you. Anybody else? There's no further discussion. I'll call roll call. Council member Gardner. I Lee. Hi. Davis. Hi.
Butterfield. Hi. Shoulders. Hi. O. I. Nelson. Hi. And Gilbertson. I. Eight eyes. Zero nos. Thank you, Mr. Scott. That passes um for your help. And uh thank you councel for
recognizing the value of the uh rules of decorum. Next uh announcements. Is there any announcements? Justin. Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just wanted to say um that I'm grateful that we live in a community that gets to
celebrate Pride this week. I want to say that I'm grateful for the folks that have uh brought this to us. Celebrating Pride's a newer thing for our community. What you said, this is the second year. Um and and so I'm glad that we're all learning and growing together. Um it's an opportunity to affirm that everyone
belongs in our community, that they um belong here, that they deserve to feel safe, respected, and valued. Uh just today, I was actually talking with some parents who uh were concerned about their um LGBTQ plus child, and they want
to feel proud of their child. They want they want their child to feel proud of who they are. And I think that's what we all want for ourselves and for our neighbors and for our children. So, Pastor Andre, Jake, Sarah, all of you that have worked so hard in planning this, thank you uh for working so hard
to ensure that no one feels afraid to be themselves here in Wilmer. I'm proud to share this community with you and to share pride with you all this week. Audrey, I struggle with this a little bit, but I I um I was very proud of our
community. We did this back in February 2018 when we did declaring the city as a welcoming city. And I think there's room for all of us. And I think that as an elected official, it's our responsibility to make sure that everyone feels welcome in this
community. And um if you haven't read it for a while, maybe you need to go back and read what we said when we were declaring the city of Warmer as a welcoming city. And so with that, um I hope your week goes well. I hope the the month goes well. I hope that we can
learn to respect each other for who we are and what we each bring to the table. And so um thank you, Carl. I'd just like to uh congratulate all the 2025 graduates in the area and
specifically those from Wilmer. Um so uh just job well done uh students and good luck in your future. Anybody else? We have a motion to
adjourn. So second we are adjourned.