Based on the context provided and the flow of the meeting, here is the transcribed text with speaker names assigned. [0:00] **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Let's call the meeting to order and stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. **All:** I pledge allegiance 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. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Clerk, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Here. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Here. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Here. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Here. Announcements? Are there any councilors that have any announcements to make at this time? Hearing none, we have no public hearings. Communications, Mr. Mulder? [0:46] **City Administrator John Mulder:** Uh, included in the packet were just the reports from Adam Schminsky, the building official, regarding uh, building permits in 2022 and then the comparison to 20 and 21. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** And presentations, Mr. Mulder? We had three at our pre-agenda meeting, could you give us a synopsis? **City Administrator John Mulder:** Yeah, so the first one was with um, and um, Italian possibility of a request to the legislature for some investment on the um, Arena and then our participation in St. Louis County days. Kevin Orme gave a presentation on just how much money we had acquired, received on the American Rescue funds um, and then kind of what we've spent to [1:32] date. Um, and then finally, Kevin gave just a very high overview of what we've been—the work we've done in a financial potential plan that will come back to you for further discussion. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions on any of that from Council? Uh, public discussion. This is the time that individuals can address the council about items not on the agenda. We ask that you limit your time to three minutes per person. Is there anyone that wishes to speak or address the council at this time? If anyone wishes to speak to the council, please state your name and address for the record. [2:23] This will be a final opportunity for general public discussion. If no one speaks up, we will close public discussion. [2:36] Public discussion is closed. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** We have a consent agenda that includes last Council meeting's minutes and accounts payable. Do we have a motion? **Councilor John Geissler:** I'll move to approve. **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Seconded. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Geissler, second by Councilor LeBlanc. Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Ordinances. We will only have one reading on this since it's a temporary moratorium. Ordinance 2023-01, an ordinance extending a temporary moratorium on edible cannabinoid products derived from hemp [3:23] within the city of Hermantown. Um, do we have a motion for approval? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Make a motion to approve the ordinance. **Councilor John Geissler:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Hjelle, second by Councilor Geissler. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So again, this is uh, we currently have a six-month moratorium on um, the sale of the edible cannabinoids. Uh, we're extending it 120 days and in that time period um, we will at a minimum create a situation where um, the sale of those—we do have a license from the city. Um, and we'll also then look at what changes might come out of the legislative session as well, but at a minimum, we will prepare uh, a licensing ordinance. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Do we have any questions or [4:09] comments from councilors? Is there any public input on this ordinance? If so, please state your name and address for the record. [4:22] Is there any public input on Ordinance 2023-01? [4:34] This is a final opportunity for public input on Ordinance 2023-01. Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolutions. Resolution 2023-07, resolution authorizing and directing Mayor and City Clerk to execute and deliver agreement for Professional Services with Northland Consulting Engineers LLP for City Engineering Services. Is there a motion regarding this? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Motion to approve. **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion from Councilor LeBlanc, second [5:20] from Councilor Hjelle. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So this is the uh, annual uh, contract with Northland Consulting Engineers and having David Ball serve as our City Engineer. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** I have my usual comment with our contracts with Northland, is that my son works for Northland Consulting Engineers, and the result of this contract has no financial benefit for my son or I. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you, Brian. Anything else from Council? Is there any public input on this resolution? [6:00] Is there any public input on Resolution 2023-07? [6:12] And last call for public input on this resolution. Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2023-08, resolution approving final plans and specifications and ordering advertisement for bids for the removal of the Lindahl Road bridge. Is there a motion on this? **Councilor John Geissler:** A motion to approve. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Geissler. Do we have a second? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor LeBlanc. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So we have been talking about uh, removing uh, this bridge since 2019 after [6:59] um, getting a report that it wasn't structurally safe anymore. So we had closed it and at one point in time um, just left it that way, but then late last year we decided to remove it. So uh, the City Engineer prepared uh, plans and specs. We'll seek advertisements and we'll hopefully award this um, in March. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Do we have any questions or comments from Council? **Councilor John Geissler:** Just the bridge, right? Not the... bridging a little bit of uh, dirt work? **David Ball (City Engineer):** Yes, so Mayor and Council, the project has two elements to it. One is the removal of the bridge and restoration of the creek, and the second is the construction of two um, what we call hammerhead turnarounds on the [7:45] um, west side of Lindahl Road on the Gordy Halverson parcel. **Councilor John Geissler:** Anything else? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Does that answer your question? **Councilor John Geissler:** Yes. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Okay. Any other questions from councils? And uh, the road's been closed for quite some time but obviously, though, the residents are aware that this is going to happen this year? **City Administrator John Mulder:** Yes. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Okay, thanks. Thank you. Anything else from Council? Is there any public input on this resolution? If so, please state your name and address for the record. [8:26] Is there any public input on this resolution to remove a bridge on the Lindahl Road? [8:38] Is there any public input on Resolution 2023-08? Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2023-09, resolution receiving bids and awarding contract for Road Improvement District number 534, Ugstad/Arrowhead Roads, in the amount of four million one hundred ninety-eight thousand four hundred seventy dollars. Is there a motion relating to this? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Motion. **Councilor John Geissler:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor LeBlanc, second by Councilor Geissler. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So this is a contract with Ulland Brothers. They were [9:24] the uh, low bidder on this project. We had four bids. It came in under the uh, engineer's estimate by about a hundred thousand dollars. Um, this work will be done in '23 and we'll work around the school calendar as best we can. Um, but this will redo Ugstad Road from Highway 53 to Maple Grove and then part of Arrowhead um, at that intersection. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? Is there any public input on this resolution? [10:04] Any public input on Resolution 2023-09? [10:15] This will be the last opportunity for public input on this resolution. Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2023-10, resolution authorizing and directing Mayor and City Clerk to execute and deliver an agreement for material testing services for Street Improvement District number 534, Ugstad/Arrowhead Roads. Is there a motion on this subject? **Councilor John Geissler:** I'll motion to approve. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Geissler. Do we have a second? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Hjelle. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** Since we're going to redo that [11:01] road, and as I said, when we do it we'll need to make sure that the material that we're putting down meets the specifications. So this is a contract with uh, Braun Intertec to do that work. We have a Master Service Agreement with them and their proposal was the low proposal between them and EPC, so we're recommending that we hire Braun to do this work. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? Hearing none, is there any public input on this resolution? [11:36] Do you have any public input on the resolution for materials testing relating to the reconstruction of Ugstad/Arrowhead Road project? [11:52] Is there any public input on the resolution in front of the council? Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2023-11, resolution authorizing a contract for Professional Services with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP for audit services in the amount of thirty-one thousand nine hundred dollars for the financial statement audit and additional money for lease calculations. Is there a motion relating to this resolution? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Make motion to approve the resolution. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Hjelle. Do we have a second? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** I'll second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Councilor LeBlanc [12:39] made it first. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So this is the contract with uh, CliftonLarsonAllen to do the um, audit for year 2022. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Any questions from Council on this? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** I could have asked earlier, but what is—what is "additional money for lease calculations"? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So they're—they're gonna have to do a little bit of extra work on—when we talk about these calculations it's um, the Government Accounting Standards Board has set new rules relative to um, how local governments lease um, property and or have leases. And so they want to make sure that we're complying with those rules. So there's going to be some additional work there and the idea there is just so that this protects and lets the public know that local governments, particularly the City [13:26] of Hermantown in this case, um, haven't entered into leases that may adversely impact um, you know, their financial position. **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** And our leases are with like the—do we have the Y? **City Administrator John Mulder:** So we have an operating agreement with uh, the Y, but we have leases with—at the um, Old City Hall with Arrowhead Builders, the BCA, and the Historical Society. We also have leases, um, ground leases for cell tower antennas—one in the industrial park with T-Mobile and then the other one is called Performance Development Group, they're south on Haedstead Road and there's a little driveway called Cameron Road, there's a tower there [14:12] um, we have a lease there, a ground lease. And then we also have two or three, depending upon how I count them, um, leases on the Hawk Circle water tower for antennas as well. So those are—and then we also have two leases um, for billboards on city property—one on Haynes Road and then the one that is right kind of uh, on 53 there right by Walmart, that's actually on city property as well. **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Um, the audit services—does this include the fire department audit or is that separate? **City Administrator John Mulder:** That's separate. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Any other questions or comments? Is there any public input on this resolution? [14:59] We are open for public input or comment on Resolution 2023-11. [15:16] Last opportunity for public input on 2023-11. Could we have a roll call, please? **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2023-12, resolution authorizing and directing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute and deliver an agreement for consulting services with The Costin Group Incorporated in an amount not to exceed eighteen thousand dollars. Do I have a motion? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Motion to approve. **Councilor John Geissler:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor LeBlanc, second by Councilor Geissler. Mr. Mulder? **City Administrator John Mulder:** Uh, because we have a fairly large uh, ask of [16:02] the legislature and because of um, the fact that we have um, new um, representatives at the state, we're proposing that um, we would have The Costin Group kind of help us with that legislative ask. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Do we have any questions or comments from Council? I just—I believe this is a wise investment on our part, it should pay back I hope. Any questions or comments from the public on this resolution? If so, please state your name and address. [16:41] We are open for public comment on Resolution 2023-12. [16:53] Is there any public comment on the resolution for consulting services with The Costin Group? Roll call, please. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? **Councilor Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? **Councilor John Geissler:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Aye. **City Clerk Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Aye. And the last item of business is a motion to recess. Do we have a motion from somebody? **Councilor John Geissler:** I'll make a motion to recess. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Geissler. Do we have a second? **Councilor Andy Hjelle:** Second. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Hjelle. All in favor say aye. **All:** Aye. **Mayor Wayne Boucher:** Opposed, same sign.