high school. There's two high schools. We'll call the meeting to order. Roll call. Mayor Reese here. Council member Osk here. Nelson here. Gilbertson here. Gardner here. Baggerly here. Davis here.
Schelis here and council member Butterfield is excused. Eight present, one excused. Please stand for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation
under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Before we uh go any further, I'm I'm just going to make a quick comment about the
horrendous assassination of a couple of legislators. And uh if we would just uh bow our heads for a minute for those that lost their lives and for the families, right? Um,
I have a a a statement to make uh about the extraordinary rainfall that we had this last weekend. And we experienced uh an extraordinarily
huge amount of rain leading to widespread flooding across many parts of our community. And first and foremost, I want to express my concern for all impacted and my appreciation for the patience and resilience of our residents
during this challenging time. City staff rep responded diligently throughout the storm to protect the public safety and public infrastructure. And I want to recognize the wastewater department whose team manually operated
three lift stations during the night in an effort to reduce the risk of sewer backups into homes and businesses. Their prompt and dedicated work under extreme conditions help mitigate the potential for more severe impacts.
To provide context, our wastewater treatment plant typically processes approximately 4.5 million million gallons of water daily, and it's designed to handle up to 7.5 million under wet weather conditions.
Between Friday and Saturday afternoon, the plant experienced a peak flow of approximately 24.5 million gallons under wet weather conditions. Excuse me. I hit I hit my notes and I lost it.
Their prompt and dedicated work under extreme conditions helped mitigate the potential for severe impacts. to provide context. Oh, I said that already. I'm sorry. Our public works department also mobilized quickly, deploying barricades and traffic control
devices throughout the city to help identify flooding flooded or impassible streets and promote public safety. As the recovery process continues, city crews will be
assessing infrastructure, monitoring ongoing conditions, and identifying areas in need of attention. Residents are encouraged to report storm related concerns through the MyWilmer app, and that's at
wilmer.gov. We urge everyone to remain cautious while traveling, especially near low-lying or previously flooded areas. Ground saturation remains very high. Surrounding wheds and Hawk Creek continue to experience elevated flows,
increasing the potential for renewed flooding should additional rain occur. On behalf of the city council and all city departments, thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding. We remain committed to support our
community as we move forward together. Before we uh go on, um I would like somebody to propose an addition to the agenda by motion for the Wilmerfest royalty
presentation at uh just after the open forum. Mr. Mayor, I would make a motion for an amended agenda reflecting that change. Second. Got a motion and a second. Discussion.
Roll call. Council member Osk. I. Nelson. I. Gilbertson. Hi. Gardner. Hi. Faggerly. Hi. Davis. Hi. And shoulders. I. Seven eyes, zero nos. That motion
passes. Now we need a motion for uh to approve the agenda. So move. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion. Roll call. Council member Osk. I.
Nelson. I. Gilbertson. Hi. Gardner. Hi. Feel. Hi. Davis. Hi. Enshelers. Hi. Seven eyes. Zero nos. That passes. Consent items. A call on Bernie Larson
or city clerk to review them. Mr. Mayor and council members. Tonight for your approval, I have the city council minutes of June 2nd, 2025. The planning commission meeting minutes of June 4th, 2025 as a draft. The Wilmer municipal utilities draft minutes of June 9th, 25.
Consideration of a city park special event on sale liquor license by permit holder, Green Mill. Civic Center Arena special event on sale liquor license by permit holder Green Mill. Recommendations to the Candy County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
appointment of the Wilmer Housing and Redevelopment Board members, the accounts payable report from 52925 through 61125, and for your information, the monthly building report from April May of 2025, the Wilmer Municipal Utilities Financial
Report from April of 25, the finance report, and the director's reports. Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion. I'd like to pull the uh director's reports and get a first some
information only. Okay. Anything else? Roll call. Council member Nelson. Hi. Gilbertson. Hi. Gardner. Hi. Faggerly.
Hi. Davis. Hi. Shoulders. I. Seven eyes, zero nos. That motion passes. Tom, director's reports. Yeah. Um, a question for probably Rob, uh, on the parks. Uh, we've got our queen, uh,
Queens here today and we're going to have a great festivities at Robins or excuse me, at Rice Park. So, and I believe the splash pad a our systems can't handle any extra water. So, I'm glad that we have that turned off right now, but I understand that the splash
pad is not working at this time. And at what point will that be up and running again? Well, great question. Um, our splash pad controller went out. Um, we had commercial recreation come out to diagnose the problem. Um, we found out that the controller is out. It was bad.
Um, so we ordered it on June 9th and they said it would be about 3 or 4 weeks. So, we're probably at that 3 week mark now. Um, I haven't got a tracking number yet, but we can get the tracking number um from public works and see where we're at. But, it's going to be a little while. Thanks, Rob.
That's all I have. Motion to approve section. We got a motion to approve and seconded. Discussion. Roll call. Council member Gilbertson. Hi, Gardner.
Hi, Baggerly. Hi, Davis. Hi, Schultz. Hi, Osc. Hi, and Nelson. I seven eyes, zero nos. That passes the open form. Did we have anybody sign up? No. Okay. So, then
we'll go to the uh presentation of royalty. Chris, good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Council. I am not royalty, but I am here representing uh the Wilmerfest committee. And there's just a
few things that I want to say before I get these gals up here. The first thing is um we just really wanted to say thank you for the support that city council that the mayor provides for
Wilmerfest every year. Um this couldn't happen without the funding and and support from all of you. So, thank you so much. And beyond that, we want to give a especially uh grateful thanks to public works, the
police department, and the fire department. Um, you know, it's like I I used to work in the city as well, and I know that when things don't go right, um, that's when you start making a a lot of people will make a lot of noise. But what I just want to mention is that we
do so much for Wilmerfest. This is a week-long celebration and the fact that things are functioning in such a way that people don't always notice. I mean, they might seem cones and things like that, but the amount of work that public works put forward that the police department and the support of the fire
department, um, you all should be really proud. You should be proud of the city, proud of what they do. So, um, the other thing I just want to mention, uh, is a little bit about the events that we're going to have. Uh so the public events um the major public events
that we're going to have are tomorrow Wednesday we're going to have coffee with the candidates at the historical society. We're going to have in the afternoon a kids day event with uh Wilmer Kuanas at Rice Park. Uh Thursday we'll have uh story hour at Miller Park
at 10 a.m. The block party starting at 5:00 p.m. in downtown Wilmer. Saturday, we will have the parade uh at 10:30 in the morning. We'll have the Foot Lake 4 at 8 in the morning. The
car show uh at the community center uh held by the uh Candy County Rescue Department at 12:00 p.m. The beach party at 400 p.m. alongside the fireworks at 10 p.m. So, uh and the
last thing on Sunday is the fireman's challenge at Robins Island. Um that will be also at 12. We have a lot of events. We would love to see all of city council. Um and one thing that I just needed to mention um I was told that uh I had to do it this way otherwise um Mr.
Scott might get in trouble with either me or you. So I wanted to ask this officially. We provided you two Stinger Tickets and we're asking you to be there in the official capacity as city council members of the city of Wilmer celebrating Wilmer Fests. So, we would
love to see you Friday afternoon um playing Bismar. That should be a good game. Um last thing that I want to just mention is a special thank you to all of our Wilmerfest committee members. We have a number of our committee members
who have children. Many of them are brand new children. Um and they put in also a ton of volunteer hours. Uh, we haven't done it yet, but I want to try to track how many hours our committee spends in a volunteer capacity for
Wilmer. Um, I have to imagine it's in the thousands, if not um, quite a bit more. So, thank you all so much again for your support. We're so happy to be here and thank you all for the support of the city of Wilmer in general. With that, I'm going to get done be done
talking and I'm going to invite Thelma and Dena to talk about their year as our royalty here at Wilmer. Thank you very much. Hello everyone. Thank you so much for having us here today. My name is Dina Mat. I am the 2025 Wilmer Fest Aqua
Princess and I am also representing Desana Hajes, our international princess. She cannot be here today because she is mourning the loss of her brother. Hello everyone. My name is Thelma Bonitez and I'm the 2025 Wilmer Fest Queen of Festivals and we're so happy to
be here. Thank you so much for having us. Yes. So we'll first start off start off sorry by talking about what we do as ambassadors for the Wilmer community. So, we not only represent
um our community in um local events like Robins Island, um going to the hockey game, the Warhawks, and going to the community center for their various events. But we also get to represent uh Wilmer and create camaraderie between
other events. Um, as you can see as we're cheering on some other girls, we also get to develop skills like public speaking skills and small talk, which are very important in life. And we also get to make have a leadership role
for the little younger kids in our community that somehow we can be a mentor to them. Um, next we're going to talk about what's some events that we have done at in our ring. One of our first events we attended this year was the Clara City
Prairie Fest and it's definitely one of my favorites up there. We started off by going to the Ribfest which we were so happy to do. The ribs were delicious and we got to vote on which rib was like the best. And we also had our first parade,
our coronation. And we were so glad to have Clara City as one of our first like full day events because we have made such a close-knit connection with the Clara City community and their ambassadors. Um, one of my personal favorite events
other than Wilmerfest of course is the Minneapolis Aquatennial. We not only got to cheer on Malaya, the queen of the lakes, but we also got to um represent Wilmer in the torch light parade, as you can see on the top. Um which is a parade that goes all throughout Minneapolis. It
was quite amazing. We also got to represent Wilmer at the base at the uh Twins game and make so many new connections with uh towns that we usually don't see. We also went to Glenwood's Guama
Festival and that was so much because it was our first time interacting with the candidates for the full day. So we got to see what candidacy is like in other towns and like just cherries cherish how special Wilmer is. And we also got to meet another bunch of royalty that we
haven't talked to like the Miss the Sartell and Sock Rapids uh program since they're a newer program. So it was special to share that with them. Another big event we go to is the South Dakota snow queen. We traveled all the
way to Aberdine and we got to make connections with the new uh reigning snow queen and we also got to make connections within Aberdine. Um we played this fun game. It was called Frostophil where we went all throughout
Aberdine and learned about just the traditions there and the history. and we also went to the college and we went to the Aberdine Museum. Next, we're going to talk about the relationships we have built with the
communities we've visited in Silver Lake. We met the people of Silver Lake, the royalty, um, at the the Minneapolis Aquatennial torch light parade. And Desanna, the international princess, actually found out that one of
their queen, the one of their queen candidates was a was going to the same school. So we got to make and she personally invited us to go to the Silver Lake Coronation. So that's just one of the many relationships that we've built. Another close-knit relation we've
built over the year was with the Monav video ambassadors. I remember as a candidate, they were the first group of girls to come up to me and just made me feel welcome at the Stingers game. So just seeing them grow and just sharing sharing each other's stories was really cool. And we were just there this past weekend. So seeing them give off their
crown was really special. It was um another one we went to was Lichfield. That was our first coronation and we basically see them at every event which is quite amazing. Um we get to we've just built quite a bond together and
it's so amazing to be able to build such an aite tight close relationship with a town so close to us. And as Dina mentioned, we went to South Dakota and we met the South Dakota snow queens at
that event and we have been like begun such a beautiful friendship. We were just with them at Montido and we got to know them and they are so excited to come to Wilmerfest. So we're so excited to like host them. Yes. And the very last not not the last leadership but the
last one here is Minneapolis Aquatennial. We actually do see them at every single parade. um either of course we see Malayaia a lot but we also see the other one uh the other princesses Grace and Jacqueline and it's just it's
such a beautiful relationship and now we're going to talk about how being a Wilmer Pest ambassador has impacted us personally. So, from a very young age, I always I've grown up here, so I've always went to the Wilmerfest parade and I always saw
the princesses and I I really wanted to be one when I grew up. So, when I got the opportunity to be a candidate, I knew I had to jump on this. So, it's it's just so amazing to be able to come full circle and not only and get to be
that for other little girls, especially in our community, but in other communities as well. For me, I am an older sister. So, I have grown up to be a role model for my two younger sisters. And one of the goals I made after I got crowned was that I
wanted to be a better role model, not only for my family, but for my community and other communities. And I can say that I accomplished that goal because I just feel so proud of the person that I have become and grown into this year. And just being a role model is so
important to me because we have so many role models in our community. So being one of the role models that kids can look up to has been really important and it has made me a bit better role model for my family as well.
And then we're also going to talk about our favorite part about Wilmer Fest and the Wilmer community. One of my favorite events was going to the Rock and Rollins in July and August. It was so great seeing our community come out, enjoy some music, enjoy some
food, and it was the the attention wasn't on us. We got to be just join the event. And seeing all the little girls stop by and just stare at us and just want to wear a crown was so special. And growing up, I used to go to Rock and Robins all the time. So, and like stare
at the princesses. of being the princess that they look up to was really full circle for me. Um, another event that we had was Wilmer Holidays. It was so cool to be able to see uh the Wilmer community come out not only in the summer but when the winter
in the winter and also show the other royalty around that Wilmer can be fun in the winter time. And lastly, we also represented Wilmer in our community at the singers game and at the Candy High County Fair, which was
so special because we got to serve corn at the Candy High County Fair, which was really cool. And then we got to like see all the awesome pets and bunnies they had. And at the Stingers game, it was so cool to see everyone just show up to support their local baseball team.
Thank you so much for having us and thank you so much for the support that you give us. Yeah, thank you so much. Well, thank you ladies for coming. And we also have a card. It's okay if we cross over. Any questions for comments from any of
the council members? I just want to say thank you for representing Wilmer so well and being such great ambassadors to the rest of the state. So, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Justin. Just really quick, every year they um when you all come to
us and tell us about this, I'm always just amazed at the amount of time that it takes to do this. And so, you know, when we say thank you, it's it's it's for so much of what you've done. Um it's not like a one-time event. Thank you so much for all the countless hours that you've put in um to represent Wilmer.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity. It it means so much. Yeah, it's truly one of a kind like life experience and we have cherished it so much. So, thank you for that. Thank you ladies. Thank you. Next is an ordinance authorizing the
issuance of 7 million general obligation bonds series 2025 and a call on our finance director Tom Odens and Michaela Hoot Huitt. Yep.
Okay. from Baker Tilly. And uh as soon as Tom is done, I'll open the hearing. Okay. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of the city council. Tom Odin's finance director. Uh this evening, we have two items for your consideration. One would
be an ordinance and one would be a resolution. Uh in accordance to city charter section 212, any borrowing of funds requires the approval of an ordinance, which is also preceded by a public hearing. Uh just a brief overview of the 2025 improvement program. Uh it
includes a reconstruct on 20th Street Southeast as well as four million overlay projects throughout the city. Bids for these projects have been awarded and construction has already begun for the season. Uh and as Mr. Mayor mentioned, joining us tonight is Michaela Hwitt from Baker Tilly. She'll
walk us through the specifics of the proposed bond issuance and provide an overview of the timeline associated with our 2025 bonds. Good evening, mayor, members of the council. Um, again, Michaela Huitt representing Baker Tilly. I do have about three slides um for the action
items tonight, and I would be happy to answer any questions that you have related to this action item. Again, there's two um actions before you. First is the um the holding of a public hearing um prior to adoption of the ordinance that authorizes up to um 7
million of general obligation bonds pursuant to your charter. The second is to authorize the issuance of um general obligation bonds and set the date and time of the sale. There's a brief schedule of action items. Um we were here May 19th in which the ordinance was
introduced at the council meeting. Um that public hearing notice was published on May 31st. Um tonight, June 16th, is when um council will hold the public hearing and consider the the bond ordinance. And then June 28th is when the ordinance would be published. Um and
again, that's that's action item number one. Here's a summary of the um proposed financing for this year. Again, it is to finance various street improvement projects. Um this is a a um summary of the sources and uses for the 2025A bond
issue. Um if we if we look at the sources the par amount of the bonds is the 4,ion175 which is what's um being asked to consider for the authoriz authorization of the sale. There are other funding sources that will be um included with
the project. Um so looking down at the uses the total project um deposit to project construction fund is just under 8 million. So the total projects in the um in this year's budget are 8 million but then the actual bonded amount is the 4,ion175.
The timeline related to the sale of the bonds um again tonight would be the the ordinance public hearing and the bond authorization um allowing the the um set sale for the bonds. Um we do have a uh uh a call scheduled with the Moody's um
credit analyst for June 24th next week. Um following that um review of the the city's current rating um we expect the the preliminary official statement to be published and official on July 11th. Um in July 21st at 10 a.m. is when the um
uh current sale date is estimated for the project. And then um the anticipated schedule would be that that council meeting that night on July 21st would be award of the the bids and the proceeds
um would be received around August 14th. So with that I would be happy to answer any questions you have. Um again looking at um two action items for tonight. I think we'll open the hearing and let the public speak and then we'll go to
that. Thank you. Thank you, Michaela. Is there anybody here from the public that wishes to speak in regards to this ordinance? If not, um I'll close the public hearing
and I'll call for a motion. If you got questions, we can address them to council. Audrey, thank you. Mayor Reese, just a question on our rating. Are we expected to be in the same place as we were last
year or with our short of cash, is that changing our bond rating? Um, mayor, members of the council, the um city's rating last year was um double A3. Um we did receive some um preparatory questions from um from the rating
analyst in advance of our call next week. Um and the short answer is we are working through kind of the scorecard analysis to see where the city um city expects to be. um and if there's any um
considerations or items that might be um we'll we'll have time this week prior to that rating call to be able to address those questions to see um so at this point um I would say it's too preliminary to say if we have a expectation for any change
any other questions otherwise I'm looking for a motion to introduce the ordinance So moved. We got a motion. Second. And we got a second. Any further discussion? Roll call. Council member Gardner. Hi. Baggerly.
Hi. Davis. Hi. Shoulders. Hi. O. Hi. Nelson I. And Gardner Gilbertson. Gilbertson. Sorry about that. I Seven eyes's zero nos. A motion passes.
Next we need a motion to adopt a resolution providing for the competitive negotiated sale of up to 7 million in go improvement bonds. Some moved. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion
hearing none. Roll call. Council member Faggerly. Hi. Davis. Hi. Shelders. Hi. Osc. I. Nelson. I. Gilbertson. Hi. And Gardner. Hi. Seven eyes, zero nos. A
motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Tom. Next is uh I'll call on Christopher Corbett and we're going to be reviewing the with Wilmer comprehension plan
and we will have a hearing on that. All right, Mr. Mayor, members of the council, today I am seeking a supermajority approval of to adopt the with Wilmer comprehensive plan by resolution. Uh this plan builds upon our
2009 comprehensive plan uh which was adopted nearly 16 years ago to the date. As you know, we began the process last May by forming a or with the formation of an 11 person focus group. We launched
online surveys u receiving over 700 responses. Uh city staff have participated in over 30 um public events to engage with residents and understand community needs. Additionally, we facilitated two joint work sessions with
city council and planning commissioners. The draft document was open for public comment as well as the future land use map. This plan reflects a broad input of collaboration ensuring that Wilmer continues to grow strategically and sustainably.
So, I'd like to take a moment just to thank uh all of the boards and commissions, community organizations, stakeholders, city staff, and focus group members who are represented today in this room as well. and they all played a role in shaping this effort.
But this effort couldn't have been completed without our neighbors who we serve and for all their feedback, ideas, hopes and for the future of um Wilmer. It has been invaluable to guiding the vision of this document. So just a few slides that you've seen
before. Uh what is a comprehensive plan? A comprehensive plan is a guiding document. It is a policy document as well. uh it identifies some of our planning needs throughout the city as well as address some of the policies and strategies to address them.
State statute says that um it doesn't require Wilmer to complete one. However, any community outside of the metro cities who wants to make zoning regulations or any regulations to our land use will have to follow a state statute.
So who would use this plan? You know, we think about internally city staff and planning commission and city council, but business owners and other government agencies as well. We'll definitely use this plan. Um even businesses who looking to come into the city and just
to look at different land uses that we have. Um city council, I imagine this is going to be a guiding document for some of your future decision making as well. Now I'll like to highlight a few of the chapters um topical chapters um of the
plan. So we call these the plan elements. Land use and development is one of our largest um chapters of the comprehensive plan and basically it lays out the foundation in which we see development patterns happening throughout the city and future development where the use of future
development can happen. Arts and culture mobility is chapter number five. Uh in addition to the mobility chapter, we also added the appendixes of the safe streets for all um study that is in the document and feeds into the mobility chapter just to make sure that we are
having a comprehensive look at how we get around the city. Chapter six, housing, economic opportunities, natural resources and resiliency and that we collaborated with wastewater and Sarasimma um our environmental
specialists on that chapter. parks and recrecks that we collaborate with director Bungard and the implementation chapter is very much the meat of this. This is how the work that will be performed and done um it lives in the
implementation chapter. That chapter is a strategies of all of the chapters in a combination of all the chapters and their strategies. uh it lays out long-term, medium and short-term goals that we can um implement and those are
more flexible. The entire document is a living document. The implementation of it might not look just as it is written in the implementation chapter, but it's important to understand that we're looking for solutions for the needs of each chapter.
So this uh I'm going to start by sharing a story about Wilmer and what we've really learned through um through this process. So Wilmer is often described as a small rural town. We probably all can say this in unison is 90 miles west of
the Twin Cities. Um but that only speaks to the geographic location. Wilmer is a regional hub for central west central Minnesota serving as a center for business, healthc care, technology, and retail benefiting not only the residents
here within our city limits but surrounding communities as well. Wilmer is well positioned um with a strong transportation network. So think of highway connections for US71, US 12, Minnesota 23 and 40 as well.
and we have access to BNSF railway which is a key national freight corridor. This infrastructure has helped cement Wilmer's role as a regional and economic center um since its founding. To gain a deeper insight into Wilmer's
history as a regional hub, we actually enlisted the assistance of Lannigan, our city archivist. So on the screen is a picture of a plat. It is the original plat of the town of Wilmer.
We were incorporated as a city in 1901. However, the town of Wilmer, this plat is from 1869. This will become the guiding illustration for which the city is developed. Bear with me on this slide. There's a
few pictures that are cut off, but uh I think we can we can work through it. So, Wilmer stands as a regional hub shaped by engineering advancements and industrial innovation. Rail remains one of the nation's largest industries fueling developments. And right here in
Wilmer, you'll see that at the top left of the screen, there's a turntable there. That turntable was used to um reverse locomotives into um a different directions.
At the top right of the screen is um ice harvesting. At the peak of ice harvesting, Wilmer produced over a thousand tons to support refrigerated rail cars operations right
off of Foot Lake. And we did it until the 1960s. As Wilmer grew, planning needs emerged, promoting or prompting city leadership to introduce policies um for the and
prepare for the future. A few are on your screen. These are handwritten ordinances. It's not the easiest to read the curse of handwriting, but um we got the gist that ordinance number 18, it was signed in 1884. It restricted horse speeds to
10 10 miles per hour for public safety. Ordinance number 164, it was signed in 1916, regulated headlights on automobiles and motorcycles to improve road safety. And ordinance number 209 was signed in
1925 established parking rules ensuring that vehicles remained one foot from the curb and 5t apart from each other. Now, I'm not sharing this to give you a history lesson lesson in Wilmer, but in fact, I wanted to share with you that a
lot of surrounding communities look to Wilmer to enforce and to um adopt ordinances. These ordinances reflected communitydriven policy changes and shape the future of the region. At the top right of your screen, you'll
see an article for about Lars Halverson and he built a steamboat on foot lake. Wilmer is an envir Wilmer has always been an environment where entrepreneurs and innovators thrived. This steamboat attraction on foot lake
offer residents and visitors unique experiences. And a story that most of us might know is the Wilmer 8. It will became a pivotal role in social change. Starting in 1977, eight women employees of
citizens national national bank known as the Wilmer 8 fought against workplace discrimination. They demanded equal pay and career opportunities leading to a two-year protest that became a landmark moment in American labor history.
So, as the city of Wilmer approaches its 125th anniversary next year, it continues to serve as a regional hub and global economic contributor. Local industries like Novatech Engineering export poultry equipment to
over 60 countries right from Wilmer, while companies such as Geno, Turkey Store, West Central Steel, and Railco engage in international trade. And a fun fact is, and you may know this, but Minnesota is the top turkey
producing state and Candy, Ohio is the top turkey producing county. Okay, I was expecting something, but I got There you go. That's perfect. Wilmer's legacy and innovation and leadership
drives regional development while addressing local needs through planning and policy advancements. So, Wilmer is more than just a small rural town 90 miles west of the Twin Cities. It is living our vision statement that was crafted from this
plan. It is a city of possibility and opportunity, diverse, thriving, and resilient. a desired place to work, innovate, thrive, and call home. So through the with Wilmer comprehensive planning process, we have identified key
priorities to guide future initiatives. These priorities reflect collaborative efforts across departments, organizations, and residents, ensuring long-term growth and sustainability. It is important to note that the
expectation is the staff will come back to planning commission and city council to provide annual reports on the comprehensive plan. Some of our priorities, future planning priorities is to revise zoning code to align with the new future land use map.
Streamline development review processes for efficiency. Encourage mixeduse developments in key growth areas throughout departments. will be taking a look at infrastructure and transportation enhancements,
expand multimmoal transportation options like bike lanes, pedestrian friendly streets, improve road conditions, and address traffic flow concerns, enhance connectivity between neighborhoods and commercial areas. For housing community development, we
want to support housing options and diversify our housing stock um for affordability and accessibility. Promote infield development and reuse under underutilized properties. Strengthen neighborhood engagement programs for
economic growth and business support to attract new businesses and industries align with local needs. Support small business development with incentives and resources and revitalize commercial corridors downtown and
downtown spaces. So, I know I've throughout this process, this year-long process, we're usually presenting to you texts or um our findings. So, I wanted to take a second just to identify some areas throughout our city that we know might be a future
need. So to complete infrastructure from um this is souththeast of Walmart, 24th Avenue Southeast. There's a dedicated road there uh that is incomplete. And we know that this might look like in the future a public private partnership to
access um the parcels that you see just north of the yellow dashes on Pleasant View Drive Southeast. There's a city park there uh but it's not accessible. And so one thing that we'll like to do is relocate this park
and to make it more accessible. There's also a dedicated street. So, this too might look like a private public partnership and things that the city can do to improve um undeveloped land that we have right now in the city. So in closing, the with Wilmer
comprehensive plan represents a significant step forward in Wilmer's commitment to growing as a regional hub, strengthening local programs and implementing policies that contribute to the success of all who call Wilmer home.
From historic policy shaping livability to entrepreneurial and social movements driving progress, Wilmer has long been a place of innovation and leadership. As the city prepares to celebrate its 125th
anniversary next year, this plan reinforces Wilmer's identity as a thriving, resilient, and diverse community. The with Wilmer comprehensive plan ensures long-term sustainability by outlining future planning priorities,
collaborations across departments and positioning the city um positioning Wilmer as a city of possibility and opportunity. Thank you. Thank you.
Um before I open the hearing, I got question for staff. A super majority can will we is that just those in attendance? Uh it's a twothird majority of the entire council is required which means
six affirmative votes will be needed to pass the resolution. Okay. All right. Um so with that I'll open the public hearing. If anybody's here to speak, come to the pulpit with your name and
address. Mer, council members, I'm glad to be here. Hold the mic down, J. Pardon? Pull the mic down. There you go. You're suggesting I'm short. Before I do anything else, I want to thank you for approving my participation
in this process. It was a lot of fun to collaborate with individuals from way different backgrounds and way different skill sets to come up with consensus and some real deep and wonderful understandings. The focus group itself um
made this 10-year plan very different from previous ones because previous plans were made pretty much exclusively by city staff. Um and and this city department heads of course know about the city and they know
what's needs to be done and all of that, but it this one said we're going to go out and see what the community wants, what the voters want, what the you know and and they worked hard at that part of it was with our focus group. Um, but
more than that, they spent months reaching out to pe if there was a parade or a meeting or a celebration, the city of Wilmer would have a table there talking about the Wilmer comprehensive plan and asking for input. We had we got
input from sevenyear-olds and oxygenarians. It it just anybody who wanted anything and had a view to share was welcome to share it. Um, all these efforts and putting it all
together was spearheaded by staff that you should be very proud of. Christopher Corbett, Chris Frank, and Leslie. That is uh they were great leaders and and they helped to keep this massively diverse
group in line and together. It was good. Obviously, the final plan encompasses many many initiatives, but I want to talk about one key interest area that kept coming up within our focus group and that is neighborhoods.
We saw neighborhoods playing a greater role in the health of our community. proposed reszoning with some mixed use um business and and residential could affect greater interaction within the
neighborhoods and a more open feeling. Um in particular, we saw the neighborhood parks as a potential path to a more inclusive community in Wilmer. Frequently, our individual organizations serve specific ethnicities
and cultures, concentrating social interaction within their own group, so to speak. Um, we saw the neighborhood parks as a natural extension of what you city council people have already said are
priorities. safe streets, walking, biking, making the city accessible to to everyone and and thus more friendly. Um and and we saw that activities held in a in a neighborhood park, whether it's a
potluck or some kind of entertainment, could bring together residents in a fresh way and encourage friendships and greater understanding between groups. The 10-year plan requires the city council to reconsider some priorities as
well as some funding. Projects are not necessarily costly. Some of them are, but a lot of them aren't that, but they all require some seed money to accomplish. Um, lastly, I want to speak to the
efficacy of the 10-year plan. I have been in situations that included my both building plans and creating plans and on the other hand approving plans like you are about to do tonight.
I know all too well the tendency to approve a plan like this um and then store the document until 10 more years have gone on and you have to go through the process all again and you found that you didn't really pay attention to the
plan is all too all too common and so I encourage you to build progress into your into your process um and by that by that I mean share share the plan with all your departments and let them know
they're going to be held accountable to it. Place plan review in the city council agenda whether it's every month or every quarter or you know whatever you would deem appropriate determine your own priorities with the
input of this plan and hold yourself accountable to it as well. It's important to respect the efforts of the staff and the massive outreach to hundreds of citizens who participated in in putting this together.
Thank you again for letting me serve. Thank you. Anybody else wishing to speak to the plan? This is your chance. If not, I'll close the public hearing. Mr. Mayor, yeah, you I have letters to
read into the public record. Oh, you got to read them while the hearing is open. Okay. Yes. I was going to call on you after, but Okay. Well, the hearing is still open. Go ahead, Bernie. Okay. The first letter is from Jennifer Linquist. Hello. My name is Jennifer Linquist. I
am a resident of the city of Wilmer. My husband and I have raised three children in this community. I am writing to express my full support for the with Wilmer comprehensive plan. As a coordinator of several leadership programs within our community, I have had the privilege of working closely
with a diverse range of emerging leaders, stakeholders, and residents who are deeply invested in Wilmer's future. These experiences have reaffirmed the importance of having a comprehensive, inclusive, and forward-thinking plan to guide our growth. Wilmer is a uniquely
diverse city. Our community reflects a rich blend of cultural backgrounds, professional skills, and lived experiences that make us strong and more resilient. The with Wilmer plan acknowledges this strength and centers our diversity as a key asset in building
sustainable future for inclusive land use strategies to accessible housing and innovative economic development. This plan is not just a roadmap. It's a sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh shared commitment to equity, opportunity, and growth. The
leadership programs I coordinate designed to cultivate civic engagement, professional development, and cross-cultural collaboration have highlighted the need for intentional planning that aligns with the aspirations of our residents. Many participants in these programs have
voiced the importance of affordable housing, multimmodal transportation, vibrant public spaces, and opportunities for entrepreneurship, especially among under represented communities. The with Wilmer plan directly responds to these
priorities with clear actionable strategies. A thriving future for Wilmer requires us to be bold, strategic, and united. This comprehensive plan is a vital step towards that future. It reflects the voices of our community, builds our strength on our strengths,
and sets us a vision for a city where everyone can work, innovate, thrive, and call home. I strongly encourage continued support and engagement with the Wilmer comprehensive plan. Together, we can ensure that our city not only grows, but grows in a way that is
inclusive, intentional, and inspiring for all. Sincerely, Jennifer Linquist. The next letter is from M Michelle Moratsky. Thanks. From parks and playgrounds to smoke stacks and railroads, the with Wilmer comprehensive
plan was designed with visitors, residents, and businesses in mind. The planning team was collaborative, inclusive, and focused on creating a vision that reflects the diverse needs of our community. We what stood out to me most was the
genuine passion of Wilmer's leaders to make the plan a vibrant forwardthinking document that incorporates strategies that make it a great place to live, work, and play for future generations. I am proud to have been a part of this meaningful work and and I believe the
plan will serve as a strong foundation for continued progress and unity in our community. Signed Michelle Moratsky. The next letter is from Jonathan M. Marshand Marshand.
Dear mayor and council members, the document before you for consideration for adoption being the city's comprehensive plan represents a considerable effort of cooperative work between Wilmer city staff and the members of the community. from the
earliest stages of planning to public listening sessions designed to stimulate community engagement all the way through to the finishing touches and completion of the plan for final adoption. In my time as a citizen of this community, I can scarcely recall a similar effort
that has yielded such a forward-thinking result and a true endeavor to include and engage as much of the population as possible. Every effort was made to include feedback and opinion from members of our diverse community and especially to those whose voices may
have been excluded or overlooked in the past. This plan takes a broad look at Wilmer today and incorporates many social and economic determinants within a future context to guide land use for future growth and development. As you consider this plan, please keep
affordable housing in the forefront of your minds and take note of the housing plan implementation grid beginning on page 162. Thank you for all you do for your ward constituents and for the city as a whole. Respectfully submitted
Jonathan M. Michand. The next letter is from Daling Munos. My name is Daling Munos and I was part of the focus group that contributed to contributed with feedbacks and comments regarding the comprehensive plan for the city of Wilmer. I am I am unable to
attend the meeting in person but I would like these remarks to be part of the record. I would like to say the city is lucky to have a wonderful staff within the planning and development department. They were really helpfully helpful explaining gu and guiding the process for us to participate as part of the
community. This comprehensive plan articulates a vision of the city that actually considers what people think about their neighborhoods and what members of the community would like to see implemented. This was achieved with the surveys and all the data collected from that. I encourage the city of
Wilmer to adopt this plan because it addresses critical elements like land use, the environment, housing, and public safety. The comprehensive plan will provide a great framework for achieving the city's vision and it is a great way to guide future decisions
within city government. I think this is a key factor. We all know how difficult it is to make decisions particularly the city the city council members and that could affect the whole community. This plan in my opinion will help with that. Thank you for reading this and for
everyone's commitment to our city. Signed Ding Munos. The last letter I have is from uh city our county commissioner uh Steve Gardner. Dear director Corbett, I write in
support of approval by the council for the new comprehensive land use plan. When I served on the city planning commission, it became clear to me that the tools laid out in the current plan were outdated and not nimble enough to meet the needs of our community today,
particularly in entrylevel affordable housing. Decades ago, our city grew organically. There were small houses being built with options for future additions as families grew. Neighborhood stores were with living quarters attached or on a second story were
common. Neighborhoods were truly walkable, and there were even options for multi-generational living. Many of these options were outlawed by the advent of modern zoning practices. Oversized lots and parking restrictions along with new neighborhoods that didn't
allow for retail or other business development contributed to the sprawl that many cities find themselves unable to financially support. Many cities cannot afford the infrastructure they already have and developers cannot or will not make investments in infrastructure by themselves. That
leaves little opportunity for homeowners and small-scale developers to utilize their properties and their talents to make even incremental progress in addressing our affordable housing crisis. Fortunately, there is a strong vision contained within the new plan that I can support. I appreciate the
work and of the staff and all the volunteers who put their time and talents into the development of the document that will be the basis for future progress in making Wilmer a more economical, sound, and vital community with with housing for all stages of life and that enhances home ownership
opportunities across the board. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best Steve Gardner. The last letter Okay, that I'll ask one more time. Anybody wishing to speak?
If not, I'll close the hearing and call for a motion. Move to adopt by resolution with Wilmer Comprehensive Plan. Second. We got a motion, a second. Discussion. Vicki, I want to say thank you for all
your hard work. the staff did a great job and also our community members. Um, it's really good to see that. Good to see all the input from the community and I know that you you and Chris worked really hard went everywhere with this.
Good job. Thank you, Tom. Um, thank you for all your your work. I'll I'll echo that. Um, one question I have is how much room is available if we need to adjust this plan? Uh, for example, if communities or neighborhoods who wish to
participate in our great utilities and wastewater treatments, fiber systems, police departments, how much can we uh move away from this plan should we need to. I'm not quite sure I'm following. For
example, you got the urban growth boundary. For example, if if there's a community outside that urban growth boundary that wanted to be a uh part of the our community, how much do we have to follow this if we adopt this today? If you're asking about how
flexible the plan is, um you know, it was interesting hearing some of the comments today. So the plan is a livable document and this is a guide for it but it's a way to do it and identifying some of the needs if there for whatever reason was
um there's three points in the annexation part the urban growth boundary that outlines basically it needs to be the investment needs to be less than or excuse me the investment
into annexing is less than the benefit. So it needs to be a great benefit to the city to annex in. There's three um stages. It looks like it is environmental needs. It is the feasibility of it as well. So making
sure feasibility studies are done before annexing. Um does that answer your question? I think so. Okay. And capacity issue, I mean capacity uh to make sure that we have enough capacity on public utilities. uh we'll partner with WMU to
make sure that is um is feasible and that's that's part of the feasibility study. Anybody else? Audrey. Thank you, Mayor Ree. There's a lot of in the resolution there's a lot of I mean we made a simple motion to
adopt the resolution. There's a lot of whereas in the resolution and I think um I would encourage you I know it was brought up before but periodic review and some of the things that council member Gilbertson was questioning about
how do we make changes and be nimble and move with those and so it would be helpful I think for us to stay on task with this to have a a plan to have re review done and I know that's something you want to do too so thank
You're welcome. Thank you. Uh, one of the areas in our community is our our downtowns and I want to see that uh thriving here. Um, what are some of the other ways that the council can actively support uh city-led strategies?
Thanks for the question. Uh so all what I'm thinking about immediately is collaboration with city council members and making sure that uh organizations and city staff that you're collaborating with them uh constantly uh community engagement. So, speaking about
the plan and future initiatives and making sure that we're getting a lot of engagement for that and um one of the largest um ways that city council can help is to make sure that we have consistent and um policy that has a funding source to it
and just making sure that we're allocating resources so departments can actually implement some of the strategies. Anything else? Tom, are you Yeah, I got a couple more. So, I like this stuff. So, I'm a I'm a
planner. So, um um the emphasis on housing diversity and specific code updates, what things are anticipated um to support things like town homes, affordable multifamily housing, um even
single family homes? So right now our and this isn't just a Wilmer specific thing but throughout the nation you're going to see a lot of cities struggling with how to remove barriers to build affordably. Uh one way um and Steve Gardner said in his his
letter is that we kind of ruled out so right now ruled out certain zoning restrictions. Um so right now our zoning code is from 1994. uh in order to move forward and make sure that we have a diverse housing stock, we need to remove some of the barriers that's already in
place in our zoning code. And so that might look like um allowing duplexes to be built outright in certain zones. Uh and that can be accomplished through a rewrite of our zoning code. My last my last one here, thank you,
mayor. um would be and Jeannie you you said it well um with the making sure that this doesn't get set on a shelf and forgotten about um what are the realistic imple implementation and long-term adherence to this plan. Uh
what mechanisms are going to be used to make sure that um it's implemented and that there'll be either audits or or checking in between your department and the other departments throughout the city. Yeah, I another great great question.
One thing is the annual review is going to be huge, but working internally too with city leadership just to make sure that all directors are kind of taking our slice of the pie of the comprehensive plan and finding ways to implement the implementation strategy is
kind of um some tasks or strategies are ongoing and some are short-term, long-term and medium. So, we know that it won't happen overnight, but those planning needs are still there. And so, um, reviews and updates to city council, I know, will be a huge one. And then not
to wait 16 or 20 years to update the plan. And there's now we're living and working and learning um, so much faster now. And so, five to seven years is a good timeline to kind of look at development patterns and the way that the city is growing.
One last comment. Uh the emphasis on on neighborhoods. I love that idea that each neighborhood should be proud of uh that neighborhood that they're truly from. Um and and having those parks be that uh that hub where everybody uh comes together. Uh I'd love to to put an
idea out there for other communities. One thing that we did uh in in my neighborhood last year was we held a ice cream social right before the start of the school year. And so we as well as two other families uh went out and bought a bunch of gallons of ice cream
and some toppings and invited the entire neighborhood to come on out to our community park to uh and and see the kids play and have some fun. So it doesn't always have to be a city-led activity, but uh something that you can just put it together right there with a
couple other families and then invite your neighbors out uh to to meet each other. And I think that's even more and more important in in today's world where uh we don't necessarily uh we drive into the garage, close the door, and we don't see our neighbors, and we need to to
know who's who's there and and to check in on on them and and put our differences aside and to build community. So, I love the idea of getting together in the parks. Okay. Thank you. Right. Anybody else?
Roll call. Council member Davis. I should I Os Nelson. I Gilbertson. I Gardner. I And Faggerly, I. Seven eyes,
zero nos. That motion passes. Thank you. Thank you, Christopher. Now I call on you again on the uh vision zero. All right, mayor, members of the
council, a part of completing the safe streets for all plan, which was um a reimburseable grant to the city, we have to adopt a resolution um the visual the vision zero transportation safety commitment. Basically, this is a
resolution stating that we will work towards zero fatalities in um road um crashes or yeah, road crashes. Uh the this is federally mandated um from the program. It allows us to receive grant
opportunities in the future as well um by completing this plan and passing this resolution. Right. Call for a motion. Motion to approve. Second. Got a motion and a second discussion.
Rick, it's Mr. Mayor. So, you have to work with the police department then and the county sheriff. They have the accident reports. Uh, our local police department as well as the sheriff um department was
involved in the um creation of this plan and we did rely on them for data as well. Any other questions? Roll call. Council member Schelers. Hi.
Os. Hi. Nelson. Hi. Gilbertson. Hi. Gardner. I Lee. Hi. And Davis. Hi. Seven eyes, zero nos. That motion passes. Thank you, Christopher. Thank you. Next,
I'll call on uh our city engineer, Jared Vogi, in regards to the airport runway lighting system. Good evening, mayor and councel. Closed in your packet this evening is information regarding the bids that we received for the airport runway 1331
lighting system replacement. On June 11th, we did receive two bids for the project. Those bids range from an amount of $840,877 to an amount of $1,400,325. Um there are two resolutions, excuse me, in your packet this evening. The first
being approving the bid for the airport runway lighting improvements and that is being recommended to the low bidder um design electric in the amount of $840,877. Uh that is the first resolution for your consideration. The second will be
approving the asbid budget and I would be happy to answer any questions that council might have. Do we have a motion? So move. Second. We got a second discussion. Vicki, any reason why their bids are so
far apart? Um I don't have a specific reason. I have um an idea as it relates to uh the federal regulations associated with the not only the bids itself, but the
construction. Um the contractor, low bid contractor, Design Electric, has done uh numerous federal aid projects. I believe they're set up very efficiently to handle those requirements. Um that's simply
speculation. Um and it could also have to do with workload of the two companies as well. So um that's my best best estimate as to why the difference. Thank you. Any further discussion? Rick, Mr. Mayor,
I see our airport manager is here. Eric running, do you have any comments? Nope. I'm just here to answer any questions that might be there. They look like uh I mean certainly a widespread in the bid. The other thing that some uh contractors
may be doing is hedging bets on where uh you know, not all of these LED products that we're going to be putting into the airport are made right here. And so with with different trade things going on, there may be some things going on there.
The good news is a contractor knows they have the bid, they can make their order and and they don't have to, you know, they don't have to hedge that bet if they don't need to. So, uh, we think this looks good. The, uh, timeline looks good. Certainly, sooner the better for
the airport. Um, you know, we we know that we're struggling with all of our light systems out there. There's been a few times that in the last month and a half that we've had to note them a few of them out of service just because of uh of wear and again, this goes back to
the uh the water problems that we have out there. So, uh, exacerbated this week, of course, but nothing nothing's ready for 5 in in a few hours. Uh, we're we're excited to move forward with the project for sure. Thank you. Anybody
else? Oh, um, Tom, Mr. Vogy, I appreciate the with the lack of, uh, biders of only two and being so so wide apart. I appreciate the engineering estimate there uh, to give us a better perspective of this uh, this bid. So,
that's all I would say. birthday girl. Thank you, Mayor Ree. Um, I'm just curious where the two biders are from. Uh, Design Electric is from St. Cloud area and the other bidder.
Did it say maybe it said it might be in here? I'd have to get back to you on PEC solutions. That's okay. Tom says it doesn't matter. They didn't win. Excuse me, Council Member Gilbertson. Jared, I assume their their bids were
secure with the bid bond of some sort, right? So, the what they bid really is sort of irrelevant. The gap, right? As long as they're secured with the bid bond, we're good to go either way. Right. That's correct. There have been secured with bid bun. Yep.
Anything else? We have a motion and a second. Roll call. Council member Osk. Hi Nelson. Hi Gilbertson. Hi Gardner. Hi. Baggerly. Hi
Davis. Ildis. Hi. Seven eyes zero nos. That motion passes. Go ahead Jared and take us into the resolution. Sure. The second resolution in your packet this evening mayor and councel is to adopt the asbid budget. The total anticipated
project costs associated with the improvement uh is1,211,456. Of that portion, uh $30,286 is the city or the local share, which essentially is a $1.18 million grant um
through the FAA and and Mindot office of aeronautics. So, um, with that, uh, staff is recommending adoption of the resolution for the ASBID budget. Need a motion. So, move second. A
motion. Second. Discussion. Roll call. Council member Nelson. I. Gilbertson. I. Gardner. I. Baggerly. I. Davis. I. Schultz. Hi. And Os. I. Seven eyes. Zero
nos. Our motion passes. Thank you, Jared. Thank you, councel. Next, I'll call on our airport manager, Eric Grundingan. I was just walking out the door. I think we're done, aren't we? Oh, here you got. Do you have something for me? You have a proposal from Bolton. And Oh, I'm sorry.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the council. I'm glad I caught you before you got out the door. That's right. So, the last thing we have to approve here is the engineering contract uh with Bolton and Mink. And you see that proposal and the uh total dollars on the
uh back page the in your in your packet as well as a breakdown there. A total of $175,000. Uh and then you also see the engineering services that will be uh completed uh including pre um uh pre-construction
meetings uh construction supervision and uh final pay final payment at the end. Again this uh is part of our grant system. So this is under the 95% federal 2 and a half state and two and a half
local. So, we would be looking for a $4,375 contribution from the city of Wilmer for this engineering solution. And with that, I would uh stand for any questions. I'm looking for a motion. Do approve. Second. A motion, a second.
Discussion, Justin, and then Steve. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, did anyone else submit a proposal? Uh, it's a good question, Council Member Osk. Uh typically we do a request for proposals from consulting
engineers. Uh we're required to do them every 5 years uh by the FAA. When we have a company that is providing those consulting engineer uh services, typically we do not see a competitive
bid process for the projects in that 5-year period. Uh it it's not to say that it couldn't happen, but typically that does not happen. Uh the consulting engineer has put in all of the original leg work to make it happen, the original
design. And so for another company to try to come in and then um do the same work without any of the background design would be very difficult. So it is one of the reasons that the FAA has as part of their grant assurance grant
assurance process this requirement to do requests for proposals every 5 years to make sure that we are looking at the uh consulting engineer to be sure they're providing the best service for the city of Wilmer. And when was the last time that happened? Uh we just went through
this process about two years ago. Yeah. and or I'm sorry about a year ago actually with Bolton and Mink and one of the things that's still up in the air right now typically we do not do a request for proposals for consulting engineers while there's an outstanding
project and you may recall that in 2018 we diligently submitted our revised airport master plan to the FAA. Here we are in 2025 with a conditional approval of that 2018
master plan, but not a full approval yet of the master plan. We did our RFP for consulting engineers just out of an abundance of caution to be sure that the FAA would not withhold any funding as we move forward. Uh, interestingly enough,
the master plan is recommended to be updated every 5 to 10 years as well. So, as we uh get hopefully looking forward to that uh approved master plan, we'll certainly be starting to think about the next one. So, seems like really fast
work for the federal government. So, it's it it is a little bit uh difficult and I will I I don't want to throw the FA under the bus too bad. they they are kind of chronically short staffed and they're doing uh this work for a lot of
different airports in the upper Midwest, our our ADO, our airport development office. And uh so they're trying to to push it out as fast as they can. Since we turned it in in 2018, I believe we have had either three or four different
representatives representing our area from in that ADO, that airport developments office. So, there's kind of a fair amount of staff turnover and then the next staff person that picks it up kind of has to start from the beginning because they're
signing off on it. And so uh uh it is a some somewhat disappointing process for us from time to time, but we do want to give the FAA credit for doing the best job they can. One last question. Um how long has Bolton Mink been the engineer for the airport? Yeah, they were
originally selected, I believe, in 2011. I could look to Jared, maybe he remembers, but I believe it was around 2011. So uh it was they they were not the contractor or the consulting engineer as the new airport was built.
Uh but once we were kind of up and running then Bolton Mink was selected in an RFP process. So 11 or 12 I'd have to look that up to be sure. Thank you. Any other questions Steve? I have a couple. Um,
the timeline for this project, as I think I read it, is start next spring, finish construction in August, final project completion December. Am I right in that assumption? That's correct. And and that's a it's a bit of an extended outline. Uh, it should be a tighter
process than that. Uh but we'll be working around some runway closures and and things of that nature that will uh uh affect that ultimate timeline. Between now and when the project starts, are we is there things that are going to be happening or is this going to go
dormant for a while? Uh so our big thing will be the application. So we're not able to technically apply for the grant until we have actual construction dollars. So, the next step for us is the actual application of the grant with
those real construction dollars. Uh, but then it'll kind of go dormant. Uh, unless for some reason uh money is made available. So, we're using a combination of our entitlement dollars, which is about $150,000 a year, and then our
bipartisan infrastructure legislation uh airport improvement grant dollars. And so some of those uh funding mechanisms, we don't know if all that money will be available till towards the end of the federal fiscal year. And we we felt like
if we tried to stick it in right at the end of the year, we may run into construction delays. And that's why the date start date was moved into 2026. Thank you. Thank you for that. I that was set up for the next two things I'm going to ask. Sure. Okay. Um there's roughly eight months of full-time labor
built into this proposal. So in theory, Bolton make is giving us a person for eight months. I know it's going to be multiple people spread out, but that's what you're that's what's in this proposal. So just so you're aware and everybody's aware, it's we in theory get a guy for eight months full-time for
building. That seems like a lot to me for a project that's going to last for four months. All right. The second thing I have is I do it's a question of this proposal. I see I understand the direct labor rate, the direct labor cost. I want to know why the overhead rate is
225% of the direct labor cost. What goes into that 225%. That uh Thank you, uh, Councilman Garner. I don't have a good answer for you. I'd have to ask Boltman Mink.
That's a pretty standard number that I see on airport contracts. Uh, but I can get a get a better answer for you for that. I also see a 15% markup. So, in theory, that's 235 240%.
I work in construction. All right. We get told routinely 10% overhead and profit combined. So, when I get routinely told 10%, no matter what my overhead is, I get told 10%. When I see 240%
that that raises all kinds of alarm bells. So I would appreciate if we could figure out what we're paying 240% overhead for or 225% overhead for that isn't direct or labor related. I can definitely get that answer for you. Thank you. Y
anybody else? Roll call. Council member Nelson, I Gilbertson, no. Gardner, no. Baggerly, I
Davis, I should I O, no. Four eyes, three nos. Motion passes. Thank you, Eric. Thank you. Next, I'll call on uh our director of
community growth, Pablo Obergon, for uh Arts Council grant. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, members of the council. Good evening. I'm here to um let you know that welcoming week is getting organized which will be our
sixth time this um year around uh that we are hosting this event which will be on September 13. We have requested and received many donations and uh gifts from many community partners not only in the city but throughout the region and
the state. And I'm here to let you know that we have received $2,500 from Smack, which is short for Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, and I'm here to request an
approval of accepting uh those funds. Looking for a motion. So moved. Second. We got a motion and a second. Discussion. Roll call. Council member Gilbertson. Hi
Gardner. Hi Baggerly. Hi Davis. I should I Os and Nelson. Hi. Seven eyes, zero nos. That motion passes. Thank you. Thank you, Pablo.
Next, we'll call on Sarah Sitzma for PAS. Yeah. So, I've got three grants total to tell you about tonight. Um all three are related to wastewater projects and staff is requesting a resolution to be passed for each grant separately to accept
these grant funds. Um so wastewater staff worked with Boltman Bank to submit all three of these grant proposals. Um and I want to say that we would not have been able to pursue these grants and these projects without their team. So the first grant is the PAS source
identification and reduction grant. This grant is funded through the um Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the amount of the grant award is $95,200. A bit of context for this grant and for the next one. Um you may recall in late
2022 I believe it was that the city entered anou entered into anou with the MPCA uh to have four samples of influent waist stream collected and analyzed for PAS. So PAS stands for per and poly
floral alkal substances. Great. Those are what we often always refer to as those uh forever chemicals because they um have a tendency to resist to resist degradation by environmental processes. So as expected uh several of the PAS
chemicals were detected in our municipal influent. This uh PAS source identification and reduction grant will allow us to complete sampling throughout the collection system in our service area in an effort to identify those sources of the chemicals. It will also incorporate a mapping piece. so that we
can move upstream in the sewer shed and really make the most efficient use of these funds because right now running a sample for PAS is about $500 a piece. So the grant does require a 10% match and that is going to be fulfilled as an inkind match of staff time not as a cash
match. Let me know if you have any questions on this one. Wow. Uh, does the grant include any actual treatment or is it just for monitoring, planning, and design? This grant is only source identification. So,
it's only sampling, trying to identify those sources. No treatment. Um, depending on what the results are. Either staff will work with uh, you know, residents on educating them on different choices they can make about what they're bringing into their homes and therefore what's going into the
waist stream. Um depending on if we find things at industries or businesses then we'll bring in uh might be uh resources like Mintap or U ofM extension to work with those businesses on um product or ingredient substitutions to use something that would be PAS-free instead
things like that. But this grant is only source identification. So sampling mapping along with that sampling. Looking for a motion. So moved. Second. We got a motion and a second. Any further discussion?
Roll call. Council member Gardner. I. Faggerly. I. Davis. Hi. Shoulders. Hi. O. Hi. Nelson. Hi. And Gilbertson. Hi. Seven eyes, zero nos. That motion passes.
Sarah, take us to the next one. All right. This second grant is also about PAS and it is also funded through the MPCA. This is the planning and design for PAS treatment grant and this one is going to allow us to complete an on-site pilot study to determine the feasibility
of removing PAS from landfill lee that is hauled to our wastewater treatment facility for disposal. We know that landfill leech is known to contain several PAS chemicals and several landfills truck their leech to our wastewater plant for disposal right now. It's been ongoing several years. It's a
great thing. Uh this grant then is a great opportunity to determine the effectiveness and viability of a full-scale treatment system. Uh this award is for $275,100. It also has a 10% match requirement which will again be an inkind match of
staff time, not a cash cash match. This is a pilot study only. It is not the long-term potential treatment system. Move to approve. Second. A motion and a
second. Discussion. Rick. Thanks, Mr. Mayor. We still take Leeite. Oh, yeah. We absolutely. Um, so Candy County, we haven't been receiving leech from that municipal solid waste
landfill for about 18 months now. Um, because they have a treatment system that has been working. Uh we do accept landfill each rate hauled from regularly four other landfills up to seven some as far as away from Iowa depending on what flooding conditions are like and they if
they can't get to their main source or if their other treatment um facility that they normally go to is overloaded things like that. So is that different than what you'll be looking for? What candy county is treating? Oh that
you'll be treating. So, we're going to treat the landfill each that's already coming to us. Oh, okay. Yes. Whether there's an opportunity to expand that service to additional landfills if this pilot study goes well and we determine
that it makes sense to have treatment on site. That's absolutely part of the discussion. So, the state will be checking with you weekly or monthly or on the results. um they will not be checking in with us
on the results. We'll give them a final report at the end of this one telling them what what the study showed us, what the feasibility is. We're using the process that we are going to use for PAS removal to get the PAS out of the landfill each is foam fractionation. We
know that works because there have been other um projects that have been doing this including on landfill each. So we're confident that PAS is able to be removed from landfill each with this um technology. There's also going to
incorporate a destruction technology with that. Uh what this study will do will be to determine if we're removing the PAS that are present in the landfill from the landfills we're getting from and if it's feasible to put in a full-scale, you know, long-term system,
if that makes sense or not. Not to me. Yeah, that's over my head. Sarah, does the county have a system that treats leech? They do. I don't know the details of that, but they do have a system. It was
not originally designed for PAS treatment. Um, but they were able to add something in the last couple of years that they've been running tests on and apparently it has been shown to be removing PAS from their leech. Okay. It's not foam fractionation. Aside from
that, I'm not sure. Audrey, so what's the financial implications of us accepting this? Is it I mean, you said that it was good for us, but why is it good for us? Uh, for accepting landfill leate. Yeah. So, uh, Lee's
not clean, right? Um it's it's all of the liquid that comes out of the garbage that we're all putting in our landfills that can't go to, you know, just a surface water. We can't discharge that to the ditch or the stream or let it get into groundwater. So having that landfill each traditionally truck to
wastewater treatment plants, whether it's us or St. Cloud or Met Council, makes sense because then we can remove um the the typical wastewater um constituents. So the total suspended solids, the nutrients, the other things like that, that gets removed from the
water gets sent to our bioolids just like everything that's coming out of our regular waist stream. Um, and then we're able to send the cleaned water with the rest of our effluent to Hot Creek. Why why is it helpful for us to get
other cities or other communities? So it's technically is a uh financial uh benefit for we charge them based on what the loading is. Um so there is we're not making a profit on taking landfill jade but it's not costing us to
take landfill each. Uh we have the capacity both in what we can treat at the wastewater plant and just hydraulically if it doesn't rain 6 in to take landfill each. It make it it makes us more coste
effective for the rest of our rateayers. I met with staff this morning and their concern of maintaining the bugs like they said if we accept lie is that bugs.
No, that's not. I didn't think so. But our bugs can treat the landfill each just like the rest of our regular waist stream that's coming from all our businesses and our residents because they were concerned about about flushing the bugs out of the system. Yeah. With
all of with 24 million gallons coming in, it was hard to keep the biological activity in the plant and not let it wash out with 24 million gallons. Right. They closed some systems. They did. We've got really smart people working
out there, let me tell you. The way their brains were working on Friday, it was pretty fun to watch. Their problem solving was uh was pretty great. Any other questions? Audrey? Seems to me we've had a reportable spill or over or
something once before or like if we had more water than we could handle. we didn't reach that point or is that a concern that we would have to report if water was going out that wasn't being treated? Right. Yes. So,
this PAS would have no effect on that or implication on that. But as the mayor said um at the beginning of the meeting when staff were manually operating three lift stations, we were bypassing three lift stations because the pumps in the
stations first could not keep up. So then we tried to bring out larger pumps to assist um in pumping that waste water through the station faster. Uh, and when the collection system downstream of that lift station could then not keep up, we
couldn't keep pumping water into the collection system and keep it from backing up in people's houses. So then we bypass the collection system, we bypass the lift station. It ends up going into the storm sewer. Okay, that is a reportable.
So we call the duty officer, we collect more samples, we'll have to send them extra reports because there was so much uh storm water running in, ground water and sump pumps running in. That was really clean water. It was cleaner than our effluent that goes out of the plant.
Thank you. Yeah, our our employees were very efficient and they were very smart moves on their part. We had one,
see if I get this right, but we had one individual on a lift station that was out there almost all night. He was cold and wet and he was trying to stay warm off the exhaust of that was the 2016 storm. Thankfully, we uh did a little
better for our staff this time and they at least all had trucks to sit in next to the lift station. Okay. We had three staff that worked all night um Friday night that didn't go home till Saturday afternoon at some point. So kudos for sure.
Anything else? Just one other thing. So by doing this project, will we get any bonus points from MPCA? Will we get That's a great question. Um, I can say that the MPCA has been
encouraging landfills to send their leeate to a wastewater treatment plant and do this treatment. The the idea right now, and again, it's in the very early stages of problem solving of PAS and sources of PAS in Minnesota, um, but
the idea is that it probably makes more sense to treat PAS in sort of a regional way instead of individually. So, gaining points from MPCA, I mean, I guess yes, in the fact that we are willing to look at this and we're collaborating with them and with the
solid waste folks, um, it's not going to make any difference on the fact that we had a release because of what weather. But yeah, thanks. Anybody else? Roll call. Council member Faggerly. Hi Davis. Hi
Shis. Hi Os. I Nelson. Hi Gilbertson. Hi and Gardner. I Seven eyes, zero nos. Motion passes. Sarah, you can take us into the overflow and storm water. Yes. So this is the final one that I have uh this evening
for you. It's the sewer overflow and storm water reuse municipal grant. It's also through MPCA. So, this project aims to continue progress to mitigate um what's a more traditional problem facing wastewater treatment facilities and quite timely um which is the issue of
inflow and infiltration or what we often call ini. So, INI is the unintended introduction of clear water to the sanitary sewer system, whether that's groundwater or storm water, whether it's through roof drains, uh, sump pumps, foundation drains, uh, whether it's from
deteriorated older infrastructure that we know is cracked and leaking. uh based on lift station pumping data, maintenance records, um and more, we know that the downtown area continues to experience significant INI and this project will include both televising and
smoke testing of an area of downtown. And then the results of that assessment um will be used to develop future plans to repair and mitigate those sources or those areas of INI. This grant does not have a local match requirement and the grant amount or the grant award is
$91,700. INI infiltration and inflow. Mhm. Okay. Right. Move to approve. Second. Got a motion and a second discussion. Steve, it's more of a comment. Um after this weekend's event, I will say thank
you for the presentation on storm water cuz I was able to educate a lot of people over the weekend and particularly uh people that were pumping their sumps down the drain to say they are two different system. We should treat them accordingly. So thank you for educating
me so we could educate other people. I'm really glad to hear that. I appreciate your assistance in trying to get sump pumps out of our sanitary system. It only takes a handful, this is not related, I'll still make the comment. It
only takes a handful of sump pumps in a neighborhood um discharging to sanitary sewer to overflow a lift station. So, I think people need to hear that more. It's only a handful of sump pumps in an entire neighborhood that will overload a
lift station. We can prevent some of this. Anything else? Roll call. Council member Fagley. Hi. Davis. Hi. Shoulders. Hi. Os. Hi. Nelson. Hi.
Gilbertson. Hi. Gardner. Hi. Seven eyes. Zero nos. That passes. Thank you Sarah. Thank you so much. Lakeland Drive Trail Active Transportation and Alternative Grants. Jared. Yeah, thank you, Mayor Councel.
Um, just an update as it relates to the Lakeland Drive path. Uh, most of you will recall that during the 2025 feasibility improve or feasibility report process, the Lakeland Drive trail was identified as an improvement. Um,
council directed staff to pursue grant funding associated with that improvement. And um this basically provides you an update regarding two programs that were applied for. One being the active transportation um program and the second being the
transportation alternatives program. Um happy to report that the city was the recipient of both of those programs. Um the active transportation in the amount of $24,380. the uh transportation alternatives program
an amount up to $895,620. There is no resolution for you this evening. There will be numerous um agreements and resolutions associated with this funding that will be coming back before you. Uh so this is purely an update and opportunity to ask any questions that you might have regarding
these grants. Questions? Thank you, Jared. Thank you, councel. All right. Next, uh we're going to go to a Oh, announcements. I better take that
first. Any announcements from anybody? Justin, just wanted to say thank you for a couple different departments in the city. I had a couple early morning phone calls on Saturday. Um one was um uh that the police department responded so
quickly and well too. So, Chief, thank you for that. Um, you know, during this um unspeakable violence that happened in our state on Saturday and the threats that were made that impacted us locally, your department provided extra security um and did so just in a really quick and
wonderful way. So, thank you for that. And then as we were collecting all of this rainfall, I got a uh rainfall, I got a phone call from some folks down in Raymond who had been sandbagging to save their lift station and they ran out of sandbags. uh and public works provided I
think it was 2,000 sandbags to help Raymond. Um so just wonderful opportunities. I'm glad to hear that we're a city that uh responds so well in those times of crisis. Thank you to your department as well. Thank you. Anybody else?
All right. Um not this week but next week. the League of Minnesota Cities um annual conferences up in Duth and I think there's some of us that are planning to go but I would like to see and James Miller is in the room here but he was um we were asked to provide a
speaker um I'm going off the board this year and they as a board member they were asking for the city of Wilmer did we have someone who could come and do a panel discussion and so James has agreed to go up and do a panel discussion and I'm looking forward to and it's about
festivals and um activities in the community and how they work together with the police department and the and uh public works and all of those things and I think he'll be a great representative for us and so I just wanted to say thank him for being willing to do that. Good to know. Thank
you, James. Tom Mayor, I'd uh just like to uh put my appreciation out to our police force. Uh two weeks ago, I got to go on a ride along with Officer Lee and uh got to really see what they are doing on a
day-to-day basis and uh it was a a great experience uh to to see uh what they go through, ask lots of questions, and I'd encourage all the other council members to uh uh go on go on a ride along or or other folks as well. So, uh really thank
you uh chief and uh and the uh department for everything that you guys do. you're truly truly the helpers here in the community helping out uh to keep us safe um and to keep uh keep the community a better place. So, thank you.
Anything else? All right, we're going to go to a close session from here.