Duluth City Council Regular Meeting and Personnel Committee Interviews - August 7, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Duluth City Council Regular Meeting and Personnel Committee Interviews - August 7, 2025
The Duluth City Council convened on August 7, 2025, for a regular agenda session followed by a personnel committee meeting to fill the vacant District 2 city council seat. The council addressed a consent agenda of 19 resolutions, heard updates on the proposed Transportation Commission, discussed several items including a fire station facilities study and the King Creek resiliency project, and interviewed six candidates for the vacancy.
Consent Calendar
The consent calendar included the following resolutions (items 1-19):
- Resolution 1: Acceptance of a $70,000 crime victim services grant.
- Resolution 2: Three-year agreement with Duluth Superior Public Access Community Television for $182,000 annually.
- Resolution 3: Confirmation of appointments to the Sanitary Sewer Board.
- Resolution 4: Confirmations to city boards and commissions.
- Resolution 5: Appointment to fill the District 2 city council seat (name to be determined).
- Resolution 6: Acceptance of $2,500 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis to support focus groups on inflation impacts on low-to-moderate income households. (Councilor Nephew asked for clarification; funds will be used for gift cards to reimburse participants; feedback may be provided to council.)
- Resolution 7: Approval of DTA development agreement with OneRoof Housing and Brave U LLP for the Brave View project ($3,132,043).
- Resolution 8: Purchase of water meters ($55,000).
- Resolution 9: Amendment for Niagara Street Bridge replacement ($21,390).
- Resolution 10: Amendment for Barden's Peak Skyline Parkway ($127,050.40).
- Resolution 11: Permanent easement for road/utilities (no cost).
- Resolution 12: 50-year easement for utilities ($2,500).
- Resolution 13: Relocation agreement for highway 194.
- Resolution 14: Award contract for King Creek Resiliency Irving Park Biofiltration Basin ($425,393). (Councilor Durwachter asked about E. coli discovery; staff will follow up.)
- Resolution 15: $350,000 grant from MN DNR for Hillside Sport Court Plan.
- Resolution 16: $47,02 from Arrowhead Library System for materials.
- Resolution 17: Amendment with Brunton Architects for fire department facility planning ($26,440 increase). (Chief Krugget explained Phase 1 of station assessment nearly complete; Phase 2 will analyze heat maps and future needs.)
- Resolution 18: Amendment with MPCA for energy-efficient equipment.
- Resolution 19: Amendment with TKDA for Menard Trail design ($54,326).
(Note: All consent items appeared to be approved collectively; questions were raised on items 6, 14, and 17, but no separate votes were recorded in the transcript.)
Discussion Items
- Duluth Transportation Commission (Ordinance 14): Councilor Owl provided an update that discussions with city staff and transportation advocates are nearly complete. Edits have been received and a final meeting is scheduled for the following week. The ordinance remains tabled.
- Fire Department Facility Planning (Resolution 17): Fire Chief Krugget explained that Phase 1 of the assessment of all eight fire stations is nearly complete. Phase 2 will analyze heat maps, run types, and future needs (e.g., Amazon building, potential high-rise housing) to inform a possible multi-million-dollar investment or voter referendum.
- King Creek Resiliency Project (Resolution 14): Councilor Durwachter raised a concern about E. coli discovered at the site. Staff will investigate and report back.
Personnel Committee: District 2 Vacancy Interviews
The personnel committee interviewed six candidates for the vacant District 2 council seat: Craig Birch, Deborah De Luca, Eric Lindell, Janet Nelson, Aaron Rose, and Sam Weston. Each candidate answered standard questions covering background, reasons for applying, government experience, issue identification, budget priorities, balancing district and city needs, transparency, conflicts of interest, and personal relations.
After the interviews, councilors voted using ranked-choice ballots. The top three candidates advancing to a second round of interviews on Monday, August 11, 2025, were:
- Deb De Luca (22 points)
- Craig Birch (11 points)
- Janet Nelson (10 points)
Key Outcomes
- The consent calendar was processed (all resolutions approved collectively, with questions answered).
- The Transportation Commission ordinance remains tabled pending final edits.
- The E. coli issue at King Creek will be reviewed by staff.
- A second round of interviews for the District 2 vacancy will be held on Monday, August 11, 2025, starting at 5:00 p.m., with the option to extend until 6:30 p.m. if needed, followed by the regular council meeting at 6:30 p.m.
- The council will amend Resolution 5 to insert the name of the appointee after the second round.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. We'll begin this agenda session. Counselor Kennedy, public safety, please. Thank you, President. Item number one. It's a resolution authorizing acceptance of a $70,000 crime victim services prosecutorial grant for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs to partially fund a victim services specialist position in the city attorney's office. Counselor said any questions on item number one. Thank you, Councillor Kennedy. Is this are we on the right agenda? It's not only the one that we have up in front of us. Right. Quick Anna, do we have the right agenda? I have a different printed than on my screen. Oh, do you? Yeah, that's um that's what I thought. Like, didn't I read this before? Yeah, yeah. That's your first one is um number two. Council Forceman. Thank you, President Tomonik. Resolution authorizing uh six thirty authorizing the city to enter into a three-year agreement with Duluth Superior Public Access Community Television Incorporated for community access cable casting, training, production, and administration services at an annual net cost of a hundred and eighty-two thousand not to exceed five hundred and forty-six thousand for a three-year term. Thank you, Counselor Forzman. Counselor's any questions on item number two. Seeing none, Councilor Owl, please. Thank you, President Demonic. Item three, resolution six six uh thirty thirty-three. Resolution confirming the appointment of Carrie Schneider and Jonathan Nathan Johnson to the Sanitary Sewer Board of the Western Lake Sanitary District. Item four, resolution six three six. Resolution confirming appointments to the city of Delivered Boards and Commissions. Item five, resolution six four nine, resolution appointing blank to fill the vacancy of the second district city council seat. Thank you, Lord Councillor Owl. Questions? Counselors on items three to five. Seeing none. Vice President Nephew, please. Thank you, President Tomonic. Item six, resolution six thirty-two, authorizing the proper city officials to enter an agreement with an ex with and accept funds not to exceed twenty-five hundred dollars from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis to support the coordination of up to two focus groups with lower to moderate income households in 2025 or 2026. Item number seven, resolution six thirty-nine, approving DITA resolution twenty-five D-31, authorizing DITA to enter into a development agreement with OneRoof Community Housing and Brave U LLP for the development of the Brave View project granting an amount up to three million one hundred and thirty-two thousand and forty three dollars. And if I may, I do have a question. Please. Item number six, resolution six thirty-two. Can we just get a little more clarity on what that is and what the information will be used for? Council President Tomonic, Councilor Nephew. Uh yes, uh these dollars will be used to uh to buy um uh uh I believe like uh um gift cards uh to to reimburse families uh the who participate in the program just to just to provide their uh thoughts and insights on uh the the impacts of uh inflation on their families. Is the focus group is the information from that group going to come back to council, or is that just going to be over at workforce development? Uh there might there might be an opportunity to provide some of that feedback to the council at some point in time. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Councillor Nephew and Mr. Stealing. Uh Councilor Der Walker.
openpublica.com