City Council Meeting

CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM Baxter City Hall, 13190 Memorywood Drive, Baxter, MN “A Growing Community” CALL TO ORDER Mayor Olson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Darrel Olson and Council Members Connie Lyscio, Zach Tabatt, Patrick Sundberg, and Mark Cross were present. City Administrator Brad Chapulis, Assistant City Administrator Kelly Steele, Finance Director Jeremy Vacinek, Community Development Director Josh Doty, Police Chief Matt Maier, and Public Works Director Trevor Walter were present. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE All joined Mayor Olson in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. PRESENTATIONS None. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA None. PUBLIC COMMENTS - Comments received from the public may be placed on a future meeting agenda for consideration. Ron Morris, a Brainerd Resident, explained he owns residential lots in Baxter in the Wild Wood subdivision and that he would like to develop the property, but it is covered with poison ivy. Mr. Morris would like to use goats to clear the poison ivy from his property. The city’s ordinance does not allow property owners to use goats to clear invasive or unwanted weeds from property. Adam Converse explained he represents Converse Sustainable Clearing and he described the process of using goats to clear invasive or unwanted weeds. The consensus of the council was to support the process of using goats and directed staff to prepare draft rules for the process. CONSENT AGENDA - The following items are considered non-controversial by staff and are recommended to be read and passed in one motion. Any council person, staff, citizen, or meeting attendee can request one or more items be pulled from the Consent Agenda and the item will be pulled and addressed immediately after the passage of the Consent Agenda; otherwise, the following items will be passed in one motion: 1. Approve City Council Work Session Minutes from July 1, 2025 7/15/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 2. Approve City Council Minutes from July 1, 2025 3. Approve the Payment of Bills and Finance Report (Addendum A) 4. Approve the Code Enforcement Coordinator/Building Inspector Job Description and Place Position at Grade 7 of the AFSCME Pay Schedule 5. Approve the Tretter Trucking & Excavating, Inc. Partial Pay Estimate No. 1 in the amount of $62,620.65 for the 2025 Clearwater Road Dog Park Project 6. Accept the Utilities Commission Minutes from July 2, 2025 7. Accept the Pedestrian Crosswalk Request - Mary Street/Cherrywood Drive Intersection with Inglewood Drive Memorandum 8. Accept the Request for Stop Sign Placement Review – Intersection of Edgewood Drive with Novotny Road Memorandum 9. Approve the RL Larson Excavating, Inc. Partial Pay Estimate No. 11 in the amount of $10,023.33 for the 2024 South Forestview Area Improvements Project, Municipal Project No. 4138 10. Approve Pratt’s Affordable Excavating Inc. Partial Pay Estimate No. 2 in the amount of $395,976.52 for work completed on Contract B related to the 2025 Water Supply Improvements – Wells 5 & 6, Municipal Project No. 6011-45040 11. Approve the CCS Contracting, Inc. Partial Pay Estimate No. 3 (Final) in the amount of $3,000 for the Lift Station No. 15 Reconstruction Project 12. Approve the Knife River Corporation – North Central Partial Pay Estimate No. 9 in the amount of $13,948.26 for the 2024 Mill & Overlay and Full Depth Reclamation Improvements Project, Municipal Project Number 4424 13. Adopt Resolution 2025-059 for Accepting the Bid from J.R. Ferche, Inc in the amount of $2,589,186.15 for the 2025 Design Road & TH 371 Stormwater Improvements Project Municipal Project No. 4135 14. Approve the Widseth Proposal for Construction Administration Services in the Not to Exceed Amount of $440,444.00 for the 2025 Design Road & TH 371 Stormwater Improvements Project, Municipal Project No. 4135 15. Approve Amending the Budget for the 2025 Street Crack Sealing Contract in the Not-to-exceed Amount of $260,807.20 16. Adopt 2026 Budget Calendar 17. Accept Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes from July 8, 2025 18. Adopt Resolution 2025-058 approving variance to allow a deck within the required 100-foot setback to Perch Lake for property located at 6148 Highland Scenic Rd. 19. Approve City Administrator to Renew Heartland Animal Rescue Team (HART) Contract 7/15/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 20. Adopt the Revised Capital Assets Policy and the Lease and SBITA Accounting Policy in Accordance with GASB 21. Adopt Resolution 2025-061 Amending Assessments of Certain Properties for the 2018 Cypress Drive Improvements Project, City Project 4027 MOTION by Council Member Cross, seconded by Council Member Tabatt to approve the consent agenda as amended. Motion carries unanimously. PULLED AGENDA ITEMS Council Member Cross asked to pull agenda item 15, Approve Amending the Budget for the 2025 Street Crack Sealing Contract in the Not-to-exceed Amount of $260,807.20. Council Member Cross explained this agenda item came before the Utilities Commission. The Commission discussed the crack sealing contract having cost overruns due to material pricing being higher and more cracks opening up this year. The proposed amendment is to increase the cost of the budget to cover most of the streets but not all. The council consensus was to direct staff to calculate the cost to complete all streets that need to be cracked sealed. MOTION by Council Member Cross, seconded by Council Member Tabatt to Approve Amending the Budget for the 2025 Street Crack Sealing Contract in the Not-to-exceed Amount of $260,807.20 and to review the cost to complete the remaining streets. Motion carried unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS 22. Adopt Ordinance 2025-009 approving amendments to the City Code to revise the code enforcement program and Adopt Resolution 2025-060 approving amendments to the 2025 fee schedule Community Development Director Doty explained staff has been working with the city attorney to develop a code enforcement program. The proposed ordinance and fee schedule amendments are intended to provide the city with updated regulatory tools to enforce the city code. The draft amendment identifies enforcement staff, the process for enforcement, citations, and the process for contested citations. The process includes compliance letters, administratively issued citations, and appeals are addressed with a hearing with administrative law judge. The code also allows the city to use other forms of enforcement such as criminal proceedings, abatement, or other enforcement forms authorized under law. Staff is also proposing amendments to the nuisance section of the city code to bolster code language regarding the storage of personal property and clutter. The tall grass and weed section of the code is also proposed to be amended. Amendments are also being proposed to provide a comprehensive abatement code. Amendments to the city’s fee schedule are being proposed for citations. The fees collected for citations will not go back into the code enforcement program. The citations are not expected to cover the cost of the code enforcement program. The council discussed the appeal process. City Administrator Chapulis explained previously the consensus of the council was to not have citation appeals be heard by the council. 7/15/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 The council discussed tasking the code enforcement person with reviewing conditional use permits to determine if their terms are being followed. MOTION by Mayor Olson, seconded by Council Member Lyscio to Adopt Ordinance 2025-009 approving amendments to the City Code to revise the code enforcement program and Adopt Resolution 2025-060 approving amendments to the 2025 fee schedule. Motion carried with Mayor Olson and Council Members Lyscio, Sundberg, and Cross voting yes. Council Member Tabatt voted no. COUNCIL COMMENTS 23. Connie Lyscio – Council Member Lyscio explained her grandchildren gave the city’s parks two thumbs up. 24. Zach Tabatt – Council Member Tabatt thanked the council for the good conversation and ability to disagree and debate the code enforcement agenda item. 25. Patrick Sundberg – Council Member Sundberg explained skills park at the Northland Arboretum is open. There is a small fee to use the skills park to help keep the park maintained. 26. Mark Cross – No report. 27. Darrel Olson – No report. CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT City Administrator Chapulis reminded everyone of several meetings, including the special council meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 17th, MnDOT’s Highways 371/210 open house on July 22nd, and the next regular council meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 6th due to Night to Unite being held on Tuesday, August 5th. The city has also received a letter from the Northland Arboretum director that announces the Arboretum has received the designation of a regional park. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT No report. ADJOURN MOTION by Council Member Lyscio, seconded by Council Member Sundberg to adjourn at 8:11 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Approved by: Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ Darrel Olson Kelly Steele Mayor Assistant City Administrator