Summary of Fergus Falls City Council Meeting – July 22, 2025
- Ryan Tungseth
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
Time: 5:30 PM (started late), City Hall
Attendees: Mayor Anthony Hicks, council members (Mark Leighton, Al Kremeier, Mike Mortenson, Scott Rachels, Laurel Kilde, Jim Fish, Scott Kvamme, Laura Job), city staff (Andrew Bremseth, Bill Sonmor, Kyle Meyer, Rolf Nycklemoe), guest (Pastor Caleb Lawson), public speakers (Robin Foss, Matt Swain, Lisa Workman).
Key Items
Routine Business (0:00–8:00)
Invocation/Pledge: Pastor Caleb Lawson led prayer; Pledge followed (0:17–1:00).
Roll Call: Quorum present (1:07–1:19).
Open Forum (1:26–7:11):
Robin Foss urged review of 2013 billboard contract ($6,000/year, no taxes), suggesting taxing billboards as structures to fund projects like the aquatic center (1:34–4:43).
Matt Swain reported loose dogs near 523 Weston, citing prior bite incident (4:52–5:19).
Lisa Workman thanked city staff for supporting Shop Move and Groove event (July 10), praising barricades, stage, and park setup (5:31–6:58).
Agenda Approval: Approved with Stantech proposal confirmed and police chief appointment added (7:18–7:55).
Significance: Public input highlights contracts, safety, and community events.
Lake Alice Grit Chambers Project (PI7774) (8:00–32:35)
Actions:
Awarded bid to Central Specialties ($659,655.15) (8:14–32:29).
Approved Moore Engineering’s construction administration ($52,100, 7.5%) over Interstate Engineering ($80,000) (32:35–38:03).
Discussion (24 min):
Kyle Meyer reported bids exceeded estimate ($577,460), increasing storm sewer fund contribution to $260,000 (from $186,000) with $500,000 Lessard-Sams grant (8:41–10:04).
Job questioned budget impact; Sonmor confirmed $2.2M fund balance (10:32–11:37).
Mortenson and Leighton debated necessity, citing persistent Lake Alice issues, suggesting rebid or DNR consultation; Hicks and Alex (Interstate) emphasized step-one contamination prevention, grant leverage (11:44–31:48).
Rachels supported as first step for roads; Kvamme noted water quality improvements (17:08–25:24).
Outcome: Bid approved 5-3 (Leighton, Mortenson, Kilde opposed); Moore contract approved unanimously (32:24–38:03).
Significance: Advances water quality, balances fiscal concerns.
Standalone Garages Ordinance Amendment (39:01–50:51)
Action: Approved sending amended ordinance (154.031) to Planning Commission, correcting typos, adding conditional use permit (CUP) conditions.
Discussion (11 min):
Nycklemoe outlined draft: standalone garages in R1–R3 zones, no commercial use, 50% lot impervious limit, no farm animals, activated assessments (39:50–43:28).
Kilde clarified pet allowances; Leighton questioned apron requirement, shed rules, size limits (43:34–48:07).
Bremseth explained CUP for case-by-case review vs. variance’s stricter test (48:38–50:06).
Leighton’s motion to table failed; Job’s motion to proceed passed (40:07–50:46).
Outcome: Approved unanimously (50:46–50:51).
Significance: Progresses property use flexibility, community input.
Claims Approval (50:51–51:42)
Action: Approved $1,262,559.91 in claims; Kvamme abstained due to personal payment.
Outcome: Approved 7-0-1 via resolution (51:15–51:34).
Significance: Supports city operations.
Stantech RTC Proposal Update (56:10–58:56)
Action: Received update, no formal action.
Discussion (3 min):
Bremseth reported meeting with Stantech’s Bruce Pollson, exploring contractor cost estimates without full design/bidding ($61,900), awaiting itemized numbers (56:23–58:12).
Mortenson sought “à la carte” cost options (58:12–58:37).
Significance: Seeks cost-efficient RTC preservation approach.
Utility Billing System Update (58:56–1:09:48)
Action: Received update, no formal action.
Discussion (11 min):
Sonmor outlined new Cassel system: paperless options, recurring credit card payments, QR code portal, notifications. Noted city code change to remove one-time late fee exemption (59:03–1:04:55).
Job and Leighton discussed credit/debit card fees, paperless incentives; Sonmor to provide fee data, delay fee implementation (1:05:02–1:09:42).
Outcome: Directed fee analysis for future discussion (1:09:42–1:09:48).
Significance: Modernizes billing, enhances resident access.
Police Chief Appointment (1:09:48–1:13:13)
Action: Approved Justin Paul as police chief, contingent on background checks.
Discussion (4 min):
Bremseth recommended Paul (Bondorf, IA captain, 30 years’ experience) after national search, interviews, and meet-and-greet; background process to take ~1 month, swearing-in planned for September 15 (1:09:53–1:12:40).
Outcome: Unanimous approval via resolution (1:12:53–1:13:07).
Significance: Advances public safety leadership transition.
Council Chambers Technology Update (51:42–56:04)
Action: Directed IT to seek local vendor bids for upgrades.
Discussion (5 min):
Hicks criticized recurring failures (2016 equipment), proposed 2026 budget inclusion (51:47–52:55).
Fish and Kilde supported upgrades for remote access, public audibility; Mortenson suggested county’s desk screen system (53:04–55:52).
Outcome: Directed staff to gather bids (55:57–56:04).
Significance: Addresses operational inefficiencies.
Council Comments (1:13:13–1:14:29)
Kilde: Noted 15-year-old pool employee’s letter requesting recycling bins, confirmed bins arriving (1:13:19–1:14:23).
Significance: Highlights youth engagement, environmental focus.
Announcements (1:14:29–1:15:20)
July 29: Town hall, all council members may attend.
July 30: Committee of the Whole.
August 4: TIF policy work session (4:30 PM), council meeting (5:30 PM).
August 5: National Night Out, block party registration by August 1.
Significance: Informs public of key events.
Next Steps
Lake Alice: Explore DNR funding, comprehensive cleanup plan.
Garages: Planning Commission to review ordinance by September.
RTC: Review Stantech’s updated cost estimates (July 29).
Utility Billing: Analyze credit card fees, propose code changes.
Technology: IT to present local vendor bids for 2026 budget.
Police Chief: Complete Paul’s background checks, plan September 15 swearing-in.
TIF Policy: Conduct August 4 work session.
Disclaimer: This summary was generated by an AI system without added opinions. No claims of accuracy are made, though timestamps are included for reference. For the full context, please view the meeting video on YouTube: [YouTube Video Link Here]. This content is provided by Growth Forge Studio (formerly 4t Creative), dedicated to helping businesses grow.
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