Duluth City Council Agenda Session – March 20, 2025
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Duluth City Council Agenda Session – March 20, 2025
The Duluth City Council held an agenda session on March 20, 2025, beginning at 11:15 AM. The session covered consent calendar items, personnel resolutions, public works contracts, recreation and library agreements, ordinance readings, and a lengthy discussion on the interview process for mayoral appointments to boards and commissions. No formal votes were taken as this was a pre-meeting agenda session; decisions will be made at the regular council meeting on Monday, March 24, 2025, starting at 5:15 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution 187 – Approval of budget and cost sharing for the Minneapolis-Duluth-Superior Passenger Rail Alliance, authorizing the city's cost share of $18,648.
- Resolution 199 – Authorizing an agreement with J&M Displays, Inc. for fireworks purchase and display for $62,100.
- Resolutions 200, 201, 224, 225, 226, 227, 253 – Personnel items including appointments to the Housing Trust Fund Committee (Ben Van Tassel), Duluth Public Utilities Commission (Brad Scott), and Planning Commission (Kate Van Dale); amendments to civil service classifications for engineering technician, seasonal utilities labor, and senior engineering technician; and a new classification for unhoused response coordinator.
Discussion Items
Personnel Items (Resolutions 5–14)
- Resolution 227 (Unhoused Response Coordinator) – Chief Kruge explained that this is a previously created position (last year) that was vacated in November 2024. The job description has been rewritten to better reflect duties, including street outreach, needle pickup, and public training funded by opioid settlement money (10-year funding). The pay range is unchanged and has been approved by the civil service board and union. Councilor Kennedy encouraged outreach to West Duluth, particularly the Spirit Valley area, and Chief Kruge agreed to coordinate.
- Appointment of Kate Van Dale – Council President Tomonic announced that the vote on this appointment will be moved to the following agenda cycle.
- Item 13 (Mayoral appointments for boards and commissions) – Sent back to administration for further process review.
Boards and Commissions Appointment Process (Extended Discussion)
- Councilors debated whether to continue interviewing mayoral appointments (a practice started two years ago for transparency) or to streamline the process due to a backlog of nine months' worth of applications.
- Councilor Awell proposed a hybrid model: interview entire slates for each commission together rather than individual 15-minute interviews, to expedite approvals while maintaining public face time. Councilor Kennedy stressed urgency for commissions lacking quorum (e.g., African Heritage Commission, Human Rights Commission). Councilor Durwachter expressed comfort voting on applications without interviews if necessary. Councilor Randorf noted that individual interviews would take about five hours total and recommended grouping by commission.
- Councilor Nephew questioned the minimum legal requirements and whether the council has latitude to change process; City Attorney Staling confirmed council has discretion. Clerk Denham noted redacted applications are available for councilors' review.
- No final decision was reached; the council will discuss further at their retreat over the weekend.
Public Works Items (Resolutions 17–21)
- Resolution 197 – Cooperative agreement with St. Louis County for 2026 road line striping at various locations.
- Resolution 215 – Annual contract with Northland Constructors for bituminous hot mix blacktop for street maintenance, not to exceed $295,000.
- Resolution 233 – Contract with Vite & Company for lead water service replacement (high priority sites 49–52, 94–99), $363,921.
- Resolution 234 – Contract with Hoveland Inc. for lead service line replacement (Lincoln Park 4 project), $11,550,218.
- Resolution 235 – Contract with Trupani Inc. for 2025 lead water service replacement filter pitcher and test kit services, $290,900.
- Councilor Faulkner from the Public Utilities Commission provided a brief comment on the value of the filter pitcher program.
Recreation, Libraries, and Authorities Items (Resolutions 22–26)
- Resolution 210 – Agreement with LHB Inc. for a park recreation and coastal preservation plan for Park Point Recreation Area, not to exceed $129,461. Director Philippi Williams noted it is the first major reinvestment plan in decades.
- Resolution 217 – License agreement with Duluth Boat Club for use of property at Park Point through 2030 at no cost. Philippi Williams explained the Boat Club is an umbrella for six nonprofit water sports organizations; the license is being decoupled from a previous development agreement.
- Resolution 222 – Amendment to contract with Krause Anderson Construction for Spirit Mountain chairlift installation, increase of $156,722 (new total $181,722).
- Resolution 223 – Contract with Duluth Area Family YMCA for lifeguarding at Park Point Beach House, $100,883.21.
- Resolution 228 – First amendment to agreement with Arrowhead Bow Hunters Alliance Inc. extending deer management services.
Ordinances
- Ordinance 2 – Amending Unified Development Code (UDC) sections related to flood plain standards to comply with new FEMA rules.
- Ordinance 3 – Amending UDC Section 50-41.16 (principal use definitions) as part of flood standard updates.
Key Outcomes
- Resolutions 187, 199, 197, 215, 233, 234, 235, 210, 217, 222, 223, 228, and both ordinances – No objections raised; expected to be approved at the regular council meeting.
- Resolution 253 (Kate Van Dale appointment) – Vote postponed to next agenda cycle.
- Item 13 (Mayoral appointments) – Referred back to administration for refinement of interview process; no final decision on procedure.
- Resolution 227 (Unhoused Response Coordinator) – No vote taken but discussion indicated likely approval; details on West Duluth outreach to be coordinated with Councilor Kennedy.
- Friday-Saturday retreat – Council will further discuss the appointment interview process.
Meeting Transcript
We will begin our agenda session in one minute. I know. I try not to go to anything. No. Good evening. We will begin our agenda session. Uh Counselor Randorf, will you read in for Counselor Forestman? I certainly can. Thank you, President Himonic Reading, Councilor Forzman. Item two, resolution one hundred eighty-seven is a resolution approving budget and cost sharing formula of Minneapolis Deluxe Superior and Passenger Rail Alliance and authorizing payment of city's cost share of eighteen thousand six hundred and forty-eight dollars. Item three, resolution one ninety-nine is a resolution authorizing an agreement with J and M displays, Inc. for the purchase and display of fireworks for the amount of sixty-two thousand one hundred dollars. Thank you, Councillor Rondorf. Any questions on items two or three? Seeing none, Councillor Awell personnel. Resolution uh two hundred, resolution confirming the appointment of Ben Van Tassel to the Housing Trust Fund Committee. Item six, resolution two oh one, resolution confirming the appointment of Brad Scott to the Duluth Public Utilities Commission. Item seven, resolution two two four, resolution approving proposed amendments to the specifications for existing civil service classification of engine engineering technician. Resolution approving proposed amendments to the specifications for existing civil service classification of seasonal utilities labor. Item nine, resolution 226, was resolution approving proposed amendments to the specifications for the existing civil service classification of senior engineering technician. Item 10, resolution 227, resolution approving proposed specifications for the new civil service classification of unhoused response coordinator and specifying contract benefits this for for same. Item 14, resolution 253, resolution confirming the appointment of Kate Van Dale to the planning commission. Thank you, Councilor Owell. There will be two changes. We will be moving the vote on the appointment of Kate Van Dale to the following agenda cycle. And we will be sending item number 13 back to administration. Councilor Al, did you have something? Yeah, I just wanted to uh provide some clarity. Uh for the topic. Thank you, President Tamonic. Um thank you, President Tomonic, and to Mayor Reinhardt to like really talking about how we can move forward with the just I my question was I've heard from some counselors, and if um instead of doing it either after agenda session or uh before the council meeting, if it would um be worthwhile to explore having all of the appointments on one day. I was just curious what the council thinks about having all the appointments on one day. In what respect? Can you explain how that would work? Just wondering if we should have an interview day, set aside a few specific hours, have all the applicants come through. We just do all of the interviews in one go. I think you can talk to the clerk about that and let us know. Okay. Sounds good. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Durrochter. Thank you, President Tomonic. Um, I'm sorry, I lost track of item number 10, resolution 227. I have a question. I'm just curious if this is um a new role, or is this somebody replacing um a previous role? And it sounds like you got the key. Yes, thank you. Uh President Tamonic, Councillor Durwalker. Uh this position uh was actually created last year.
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