The Crookston City Council met Monday, July 8, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
The meeting began with Robert Haugen (pictured below with Police Chief Darin Selzler), a recent hire of the Crookston Police Department, being sworn in via his Oath of Office.
The consent agenda included approving the council meeting minutes from the June 24 meeting and the approval of bills and disbursements totaling $639,166.80.
The City Council also approved a donation from Nora Burgh and Family for Crookston Parks & Recreation and another from American Crystal Sugar Company for the Crookston Police Department.
The board discussed several resolutions, which are as follows-
- Approval of a license renewal for Palmer Masonry.
- Approval of a Special Event Permit request for Fiesta De Crookston, which will be held on Tuesday, July 9, at the Wayne Hotel parking lot in downtown Crookston.
- Approval for Best Buy Liquors/IC Muggs to sell alcohol during the Fiesta De Crookston Event on Tuesday, July 9.
All resolutions were passed unanimously. There were Public Hearings and Reports to wrap up the City Council meeting.
The Ways and Means Committee met after the council meeting and discussed the following-
WARD 5 CITY COUNCIL INTERVIEWS
The City Council interviewed two individuals, Derek Brekken and Wendy Ault, who filed for the open Ward 5 Council Member seat. “The council had an opportunity to ask them questions about why they should be on the council or what they brought. After that questioning period, the council had a consensus that the council member should be Wendy Ault.” City Administrator Corky Reynolds said, “She is a resident of Crookston and has been so for 10 years. She has four children, wants a city where her children are safe, and will want to return and raise their children.”
ANIMAL CONTROL DISCUSSION
Corky Reynolds and Chief of Police Darin Selzler have been discussing options to fix Crookston’s feral cat problem. Police Chief Selzler presented five options to the Ways & Means Committee today, but the board decided they would like to get feedback from the public via a survey before making any decision on the matter.
ALCOHOL ORDINANCE DISCUSSION
“Basically, what the consensus of the committee was this evening was to bring forth a resolution that has already had its first reading to enact the state statute regarding the manner, the method, and types of alcohol. That could be either brew, brew/pub, or tap brews here in the city and then indicating that they want that type of ordinance to come through,” said Reynolds. The city would be broadening the types of licenses regarding alcohol from seven licenses to 14 licenses.
RED RIVER VALLEY WINTER SHOW GROUNDS DISCUSSION
“The Community Development Director, Kari Kirschbaum, brought forth a proposal that would allow Community Development, the EDA, to prepare an application for a state grant that could be used to help demolish the Red River Valley Winter Shows Building if the city were to acquire it. “There is an organization that has expressed a genuine and extended interest in potentially acquiring a site in the city of Crookston,” said Reynolds. “It would be an eight to nine-million-dollar buildout, and he wants the property to develop it on. Consistent with that desire, the Red River Valley Winter Show’s building site would be perfect.”
