The Crookston City Council met on Monday, November 3 at City Hall in the Crookston City Council Chambers.
NEW CITY ADMINISTRATOR SEARCH
The City Council reviewed four finalists for the City Administrator position. After some discussion, the council was unanimous in its lack of confidence in any of the finalists and decided to start another search, possibly using a search firm this time. “We presented the council with four finalists last week for their review for this meeting. The consensus seemed to be to table this or not to bring any of those forward,” said Interim City Administrator Darin Selzler. “The next steps would be to look at what a hiring firm would cost to do that. I’m going to bring some ideas back to the council, including what it would cost to have a hiring firm come into play, and address some of the questions they have.”
Councilman Dylane Klatt said they need to put in that the City Administrator needs to reside in the city. It is in the Charter that the City Administrator needs to live in town, but the council needs to enforce it this time.
HIGHWAY 2 CORRIDOR GRANT APPLICATION
The council approved submitting a Small Cities Development Grant (SCDG) application for $600,000 to assist with the City’s portion of the main water replacement associated with the Highway 2 Corridor Improvement Project. The SCDG grant would provide $600,000 in funding to assist the City of Crookston with its portion of the cost of replacing the existing water main associated with the Highway 2 Corridor Reconstruct Project, scheduled for 2027. If Crookston were able to secure the grant, there would be no match for this grant, which would save Crookston taxpayers $600,000 on the project. “The state awarded it for the relocation of the Crookston water mains that would be associated with the Highway 2 corridor reconstruction project,” said Interim City Administrator Darin Selzler. “This grant would allow us the opportunity to utilize up to $600,000 to relocate the existing water mains when necessary for the Highway 2 corridor project.”
NON-PROFIT GRANTS
The council decided to fund four of the eight non-profit grants that were requested. The total money requested is $168,700 and the council approved $113,000. The Golden Link will receive $75,000, Tri-Valley will receive $17,000, Care and Share will receive $15,000, and Ox Cart Days will receive $6,000. A vote on the Downtown Crookston Development Partnership was held, but it was defeated 5-3, with Don Cavalier, Joseph Shostell, and Clayton Briggs voting in favor, and Derek Brekken, Dylane Klatt, Wendy Alt, Morgan Hibma, and Henry Fischer voting against. The other three organizations, Alluma Foundation, Linus’ Legacy, and Scruffy Tails Humane Society didn’t get a vote and won’t get any money. “We put $120,000 in the budget for the non-profit grants,” said Selzler. “After the votes tonight, the council awarded $113,000 in grants, so yeah, $7,000 savings, and we’ll take it; every little bit helps.” The $113,000 awarded will add about four points to the levy.
AMENDING THE ORDINANCE TO ALLOW SLAUGHTERHOUSES IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK
The council held the second and final reading of an ordinance amending the City of Crookston Zoning Ordinance to allow a slaughterhouse/processing facility in the Industrial Park, specifically B & E Meats, which will expand its operations to its current location. The council is in favor of amending the ordinance, but they had a lengthy discussion on several topics. Most of the discussion was on stipulations/restrictions they would like to see implemented with the ordinance change. Three items they seemed to agree on were that it would be a USDA-approved facility, limiting the number of animals that could be processed, and that no feedlots would be allowed. “They spoke at length about some ideas of what those conditions might be. They didn’t come to any conclusions on what they felt was appropriate,” said Crookston City Attorney Tanner Holten. “So they wanted more time to speak and discuss this at a ways and means to give me guidance to draft an appropriate ordinance for the city of Crookston.”
The next step is a discussion at the Ways and Means Committee meeting on Monday, November 17, with a planned vote at the following City Council meeting on December 1. “They are going to do some research on their own and then discuss it in two weeks, and then maybe give me some guidance at that point on how they would like to proceed with the ordinance,” said Holten. “The council needs to decide whether or not this is beneficial for the city of Crookston, if it fits into their comprehensive plan, or any other changes that have occurred in Crookston, and whether this is an appropriate change for Crookston.”
CONSENT AGENDA
The consent agenda was unanimously approved, which included the meeting minutes from October 20, bills, and disbursements in the amount of $620,729.32, as well as a donation of $26,907 from the Crookston Baseball Association for the purchase of additional stadium seating at Jim Karn Field.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
The council called for a public hearing to assess the City of Crookston for 2025, and MnDOT Municipal consent for State Project 6002-76.
RESOLUTION FOR THE MN AIRPORT FUND
The council approved a resolution regarding the state of Minnesota Airport fund agreement for the Crookston Municipal Airport Fund, specifically for the airport’s five-unit hangar.
