Aberdeen City Council Meeting - December 22, 2025

The Aberdeen City Council met on December 22, 2025, to consider a range of financial, operational, and marketing matters. The meeting began with agenda modifications, approval of prior minutes, and a consent calendar of five routine items. The council then debated three old-business ordinances, a major loan application for wastewater treatment, a detailed marketing presentation from the Convention and Visitors Bureau, new business items including software purchases, vehicle acquisitions, and various agreements, followed by approval of claims and bills, a city manager’s report, and an executive session on a contractual matter.

Consent Calendar

• Approved routine items A through E unanimously without discussion.

Old Business

• Ordinance 251201 (second reading and final adoption): Consolidated financial reporting into the general fund and supplemented the 2025 budget for unanticipated projects, transfers, and activities. Approved unanimously on roll call.
• Ordinance 251202 (second reading and final adoption): Supplemented park, director, and forestry 2025 budget. Approved unanimously on roll call.
• Ordinance 251104 (second reading and final adoption): Set fees and charges for certain city services for 2026. The title was corrected previously due to a typographical error. Approved unanimously on roll call.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Leslie Ann Palmer (Northeast Council of Governments grant specialist) presented the third and final loan application for the Water Reclamation Plant. She stated the request was for $16,198,000 at 4% interest over 30 years, with an estimated average cost of $8.93 per user per month to meet DNR’s 110% debt capacity requirement. The loan includes $4.5 million in contingencies; if actual costs are lower, the loan amount will be reduced.
• Casey Wiseman (Aberdeen Convention and Visitors Bureau) gave a comprehensive marketing update for 2025. He reported 91,000 website users (vacation) and 47,000 (hunting), 16 million+ impressions from vacation campaigns, and a projected 10% increase in hotel occupancy over 2024. He noted that the occupancy rate in October 2025 reached 80%, which he described as “incredible” and suggested the city could support additional hotels. He also explained the Hotel Alliance’s role in funding events using a $2 per room fee.

Discussion Items

• Water Reclamation Plant Loan: Council member Rich asked for clarification on the rate structure and whether the loan covered only wastewater. Palmer confirmed the $8.93 per user was an average based on projected rate discussions with Banner. The loan is solely for wastewater, not water infrastructure. The project total is approximately $92 million.
• CVB Marketing Presentation: Council members asked about return on investment, use of Placer AI tracking, occupancy drivers (projects vs. events), and the potential for new hotels. Wiseman stated that Aberdeen is “prime to move to the next level” and that additional hotels would ease event scheduling. He also noted celebrity hunters (e.g., Post Malone) but said NDAs limited publicity.
• OpenGov Software: Finance Director Jordan explained the software would modernize the budget process, reduce manual spreadsheet work, and integrate operating, capital, and workforce budgets. City Manager Dave added that it would improve accountability and department head planning. Council members asked about cybersecurity, annual fees ($40,000 after implementation), and integration with existing Tyler Technologies ERP. The contract is for three years (2026–2028).
• Contingency Budget Transfer: Jordan noted the need to transfer $108,000 for police cruisers and additional funds for TIF turbo redemptions (due to higher-than-expected revenue). The transfers are from contingency, not new spending.
• Ambulance Write-Offs: Fire Chief Joel Weig presented write-offs of $202,722.10 from $1.23 million in claims billed. He reported that in 2025, $8,320.66 was recovered through collections. Council noted that the city’s collection rate (~80%) is higher than other municipalities (35–50%).
• Well Field Lease: Stu explained the Jacobs well field lease is $30,000 per year for 20 years, with a maximum pump rate and additional per-thousand-gallon pricing. The previous lease started at $25,000 and escalated to about $60,000. Council approved.
• Other Routine Approvals: Purchase of 45 desktops and 24 laptops ($77,424), two Silverado trucks (under $55,000 budget), USGS stream gauging agreement, and towing services agreement (with ~10-15% fee increase). All approved.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval (roll call votes) for all ordinances and resolutions except where noted.
• Claims and payroll bills approved with abstentions: Council member Ronane abstained on payment to Plains Commerce Bank; Foberg abstained on Dakota Bank; Nelson abstained on Banner Associates. All other bills approved.
• Executive session announced to discuss a contractual matter, with no further action taken in open session.
• City Manager’s Report: Recognized Corey Pickerell’s 20-year anniversary with the police department, reminded of city office closures for Christmas, and thanked staff working over the holidays.
• 10th Avenue Bridge update: Stu reported that pedestrian guards are up, but an excavator was present; he would follow up the next day.