Crookston City Council met on Monday, July 7, at 5:30 p.m.
Approved with the Consent Agenda were Proposed City Council Minutes from the June 16, 2025, meeting, the City of Crookston Bills and Disbursements for $373,174.03, and a special event permit for Night to Unite on August 5, 2025. Donations from the Crookston Baseball Association were also approved within the consent agenda. One donation of $6,000 for the scoreboard wrapping at Karn Field, the other of $1,202.35 for a sign at Karn Field.
On the regular agenda for the meeting was a resolution authorizing the formal request to relinquish the DEED Redevelopment Grant Funds from the Red River Valley Shows Building Project. “The grant we were awarded to redevelop the Red River Valley Winter Shows property,” says City Administrator Jeff Shoobridge. “Because it was sold to another entity, obviously, we were not able to complete that process. This is notifying DEED; yes, officially, we are not going to use it, provide them with that resolution, and they can then reassign the funds that were earmarked for us to another entity.” The council unanimously approved authorizing the request to relinquish the grant funds.
The other item on the agenda was for discussion regarding the at-large vacancy in the City Council. The Council discussed their options, including leaving the position vacant until the next term, holding a Special Election, which would cost the City of Crookston an estimated $15,000-20,000, creating an Advisory Board with the current candidates, Joseph Shostell, Wendy Ault, and Gina Corneillie, creating an Advisory Board and opening the candidate pool, or voting to appoint. After some back and forth, the council decided to go the route of forming an Advisory Board and opening up the candidate pool. City staff will assemble a group of nine residents from a pool of interested parties to make up the Advisory Board. “The staff, I will not be part of it for conflict reasons, but the staff will assemble a group of nine. So, if anyone is interested in taking part, please take note, look at our Facebook page and the city webpage,” says Shoobridge. “You will see a notification that you can apply to be on that board to select our next Council member.” Shoobridges says staff will attempt, if at all possible, to have a representative from each ward within the body of that advisory board.
At the next City Council Meeting, if an Advisory Board has been established, the next step in the process will take place. “We would then open the search to anyone interested in the seat again,” says Shoobridge. “That advisory board would sift through those resumes, choose a candidate they would like to move forward, and that candidate would then move forward to the council for action. We are looking at about 30-45 days to complete that.”
The Advisory Board is expected to interview the candidate, but how it does so will be up to them. This board will be a completely separate entity from the City Council. “Whether they weed through the applications and select finalists to interview or if they interview all is going to be up to the Advisory Board itself.” More will come in the following weeks on this process and how it is moving along.
During Council and Staff reports, it was announced that Parks and Rec Director Jake Solberg had submitted his resignation. “He did submit his resignation, so he is going to be moving on, and we wish him well. He has done a lot of good things for the city. He’s really helped us move forward in the three years that he has been with us, and we really wish him well in his future endeavors.”
The next City Council meeting will be on Monday, July 21, at 5:30 p.m.
