This transcript features **Mayor Wayne Boucher**, City Councilors **John Geissler**, **Joe Peterson**, **Grant Hauschild** (phonetically "hostchild" in the original text), and a **Councilor Nelson**. **John Mulder** (City Administrator) provides staff reports. [0:00] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: go ahead um calling this evening's city council meeting to order we are not in chambers tonight so we'll forego the pledge of allegiance roll call please [0:08] **City Clerk Alissa McClure**: counselor geisler [0:10] **Councilor John Geissler**: here [0:11] **City Clerk Alissa McClure**: nelson [0:12] **Councilor Nelson**: here [0:13] **City Clerk Alissa McClure**: us child [Hauschild] [0:14] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: here [0:15] **City Clerk Alissa McClure**: peterson [0:16] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: here [0:17] **City Clerk Alissa McClure**: mayor boucher [0:18] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: here uh announcements do any counselors have announcements to make tonight counselor guys [0:25] **Councilor John Geissler**: no announcements [0:26] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: counselor nelson [0:27] **Councilor Nelson**: nope [0:28] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: councillor peterson [0:29] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: no [0:30] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: counselor host child [Hauschild] [0:31] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: nope [0:32] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: uh the only thing i would mention is tonight without a public hearing we will have two opportunities for [0:46] public comment one during a general period at the beginning of the meeting and then each item that is up for a vote will have a time to allow for public comment we'll move on to communications mr mulder [1:05] **City Administrator John Mulder**: there are four items on the agenda there are four items on the agenda the first one is the report on the 2020 deer season that's an annual report that the chief of police provides to you next is a memo from david bolf regarding lindal bridge and then just uh two memos from our update from jim ritch regarding the building permits in 2020 [1:32] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you and we have no presentations at this meeting item eight public discussion is there any member present either online or in chambers that wishes to address the council about any item if so please state your name and address for the record um is there anyone present at the meeting that would like to address the council at this time with public input hearing none we will move on to the consent agenda do we have a motion for the consent agenda [2:12] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: motion to approve peterson [2:19] **Councilor John Geissler**: i'll second geisler [2:21] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motioned by counselor peterson second by counselor geisler roll call counselor hostchild [Hauschild] [2:32] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: sorry i'm a mute i [2:34] **Councilor Nelson**: nelson hi [2:36] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: peterson aye [2:38] **Councilor John Geissler**: geisler aye [2:39] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: mayor boucher aye motions motion to appoint beth wensloff and stephen simmons to the planning and zoning commission for three-year terms effective immediately [3:02] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: motion to approve peterson [3:04] **Councilor Nelson**: second nelson [3:05] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motioned by councillor peterson second by counselor nelson this is to fill two terms of people who could no longer be on the commission is there anything else we need to add mr mulder uh mr mayor yes [3:18] **Steve Johnson (Deputy Fire Chief)**: should it this this is steve um should it be said that [3:20] it's for the expiration of the remaining terms or is it for the for three your term starting today [3:26] **City Administrator John Mulder**: uh we're going with three year terms starting today according to our city clerk [3:31] **Steve Johnson (Deputy Fire Chief)**: okay [3:32] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: is there any comments or questions from counselors counselor geisler [3:37] **Councilor John Geissler**: no questions [3:38] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: concern nelson [3:39] **Councilor Nelson**: no thank you to both of them for volunteering for the positions [3:43] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: officer peterson ii but gloria said we are always appreciative when our residents and community members are willing to come and serve on these boards and commissions [3:57] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: and counselors no comments and i'd like to say that counselor [4:07] geisler and i interviewed both of these people and they're excellently qualified for this commission i'd like to thank them could we have a roll call please [4:18] **Councilor Nelson**: counselor nelson hi [4:20] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: peterson aye [4:22] **Councilor John Geissler**: geisler hi [4:23] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: hostchild hi [4:24] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: mayor boucher hi we have no ordinances this evening we will move to resolutions resolution 2021-13 resolutions supporting the authority to impose a local sales tax to fund specific capital improvements providing regional benefit to establish the duration of the tax and the revenue to be raised by the tax and to authorize the city to issue bonds [4:53] supported by the sales tax revenue do you have a motion [4:56] **Councilor John Geissler**: motion to approve geisler [4:58] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: second hostile [Hauschild] [4:59] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motion by councillor geisler second by councilor house child [Hauschild] mr mulder [5:05] **City Administrator John Mulder**: so this resolution is requesting um the sales tax this is similar to what we submitted to the legislature last january uh but we are being told by the league of minnesota cities that if we want our sales tax to be considered we had to uh bet so that far we're new to uh approve this and we'll resubmit this to the legislature by the um end of january [5:34] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you do we have any comments by council councilor geisler [5:38] **Councilor John Geissler**: um noah comments [5:40] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: counselor nelson [5:41] **Councilor Nelson**: um yes i will make a [5:41] comment i i really appreciate and i'm looking forward to the trail and the park projects and thank everybody for their hard work on that i am um as you all know still somewhat concerned with the amount of debt that the city would be adding on to our existing debt so with that being said um i guess that's all i'll say tonight thank you [6:10] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you council peterson [6:12] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: um i guess for me i just really want to thank the amount of community work that's being done um to look at the feasibility and the needs and um and what the opportunities are [6:27] and to go through those phases together to come up with what what the options will be it's super important that this is a great community effort um and there's no doubt that there's a need here how we get there and what that looks like we have yet to be determined that will be based on what the community provides and and supports so um i appreciate the process and hope that we can continue to get more and more people involved so thank you [7:02] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you councilor house child [Hauschild] [7:04] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: yeah i i would just say um i'm you know excited about all three of these projects and i appreciate all the community members who have been involved in planning all of this i know a lot of work has gone into this [7:12] before i even arrived um i will say i move to this community and the twin ports region because of the outdoor recreation opportunities um it's unlike really many places uh and i hope that hermantown can earn its place uh in that and i think you know these trails parks and and hockey are a big component to that um i'm cognizant of the debt and i think this is one option that we're exploring with regards to support from the legislator and the community approving a sales tax i don't think that supersedes other options and i certainly think private support is going to be really critical um if if not you know required for these projects to come to fruition so i look forward to being part of the process as an elected official but also as a community member in those private efforts so thanks [7:59] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you and i would like to comment in that this needs to be redone because this year begins at two a new two-year legislative cycle for the state of minnesota and everything that was done in the last two years cycle is gone and has to be redone if it's to continue i would also like to add and point out that this would authorize the city to put a referendum on the ballot for sales tax which would be a year from next november so the final decision on the sales tax portion of this would be up to the residents of hermantown to approve any other comments from council [8:46] is there any public comment on this matter is there anyone present at this meeting that would like to comment on resolution 2021. [9:01] is there any public input on this resolution hearing none roll call please counselor peterson [9:09] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: hi [9:10] **Councilor John Geissler**: geisler hi [9:11] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: hoss child [Hauschild] hi [9:12] **Councilor Nelson**: nelson no [9:13] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: mayor boucher hi resolution 2021-14 resolution approving final plans and specifications for road improvement district number 537 the levite junction road do we have a motion [9:35] **Councilor Nelson**: motion to approve nelson [9:37] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: second hostile [Hauschild] [9:38] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motion by councillor nelson second by [9:46] councillor house child [Hauschild] mr mulder [9:48] **City Administrator John Mulder**: at the last meeting you authorized us to start the advertising process for um the levitt junction project those ads will be in the paper um on thursday so that will start the advertising process and this is just approving the final plans now and that they're ready to go out or orbit thank you [10:14] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: uh any comments by council councillor geisler [10:18] **Councilor John Geissler**: i just have a question uh will there be plans and specs available at city hall [10:24] **City Administrator John Mulder**: yes i might stop by and take a look at them at some point so okay thank you yeah i'll i'll drop off um hard copies on thursday and i can certainly there [10:34] they'll be electronic too if you prefer that sugar [10:38] **Councilor John Geissler**: okay perfect thanks [10:40] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you counselor nelson [10:42] **Councilor Nelson**: no comment [10:43] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: counselor um i guess my only thing on this um is just all the work that went into this um both from the staff standpoint um and david's and also the the residents on that road i know that's this has been needed for a long time and i i'm very impressed with the input and um just the the amount of involvement from those residents on this project so i just think it's great and i'm i'm hoping that the end product is what everybody hopes and wants it to be so thank you [11:20] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: call for house child [Hauschild] no comment [11:23] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: and i i'm glad to see this happening this is a road that is needed to be improved along with some others longer than we've been a city and we finally come up with a way to do that it is a little hard on some of the residents with the assessment that'll be part of this project but the assessment comes nowhere near covering the total cost of the road is there any member of the public that wishes to comment on this at this time is there any public discussion on resolution 2021-14 [12:10] hearing none roll call please counselor geisler [12:14] **Councilor John Geissler**: hi [12:15] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: hostchild hi [12:16] **Councilor Nelson**: nelson hi [12:17] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: peterson hi [12:18] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: mayor boucher hi the next resolution is 2021-15 resolution receiving bids and awarding contract for old highway 2. [12:31] we've been asked to table this resolution for two weeks do we have a motion to table [12:37] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: motion to table peterson [12:39] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motioned by councillor peterson second by councillor haas child [Hauschild] all in favor [12:44] **Council**: aye [12:45] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: opposed same sign next is resolution 2021-2 resolution approving pay request number 10 pursuer improvement district number 448 to utility systems of america incorporated in the amount of 432,032.60 do you have a motion [13:09] **Councilor John Geissler**: promotion by guys third [Geissler] approved [13:12] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: second peterson [13:13] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motioned by councillor geisler second by councillor peterson mr mulder [13:18] **City Administrator John Mulder**: this is just the next pay [13:19] request um for the sewer trunk line this is work done through january 12th [13:28] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: thank you uh any council input councillor geisler [13:33] **Councilor John Geissler**: uh no comments [13:34] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: councillor nelson [13:35] **Councilor Nelson**: nope [13:36] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: culture peterson [13:37] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: no comments [13:38] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: counselor host child [Hauschild] no [13:39] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: and i have nothing is there any public input on this matter is there any member of the public that wishes to comment on this pay request hearing none roll call please counselor hostchild [Hauschild] [13:54] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: hi [13:55] **Councilor Nelson**: nelson i [13:57] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: peterson [14:04] i [14:05] **Councilor John Geissler**: slur [Geissler] aye [14:06] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: mayor boucher hi and that sums up our business for this evening at entertain a motion to recess [14:14] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: motion to recess peterson [14:16] **Councilor John Geissler**: second geisler [14:17] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: motioned by councillor peterson second by councillor geisler all in favor [14:21] **Council**: aye [14:22] **Mayor Wayne Boucher**: opposed same sign thank you all great evening [14:25] **Councilor Grant Hauschild**: thanks everyone [14:26] **Councilor Nelson**: thank you [14:27] **Councilor Joe Peterson**: thank you