Duluth City Council Agenda Meeting – August 21, 2025: Interview for Parks and Recreation Commission and Discussion of Agenda Items
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Duluth City Council Agenda Meeting – August 21, 2025
The Duluth City Council held an agenda meeting on August 21, 2025, beginning with an interview of Tim Meyer for appointment to the Parks and Recreation Commission (District One). The council then reviewed and discussed multiple resolutions and ordinances, including a collective bargaining agreement with firefighters, software purchases, fire apparatus procurement, and the establishment of a Transportation Commission. No final votes were taken; items are scheduled for action at a subsequent meeting.
Appointment Interview: Parks and Recreation Commission
- Candidate Tim Meyer (4611 London Road, Lakeside) applied for the District One seat on the Parks and Recreation Commission. He is an architect with 38 years of experience, mostly in Duluth, and has served on the HRA Commission (term ending fall 2025).
- Meyer stated that he participated in Mayor Reinert’s working group studying Lester Park Golf Course redevelopment and helped advocate for the failed levy increase for recreation. He expressed concern over the city's recreation budget challenges, noting that federal and state cuts will increase pressure.
- He advocated for public-private partnerships as the “wave of the future” for maintaining and developing recreation facilities, citing his architectural background and connections as assets.
- Councilors asked about baseline city responsibilities and scheduling conflicts. Meyer committed to full participation and would leave the HRA Commission to focus on Parks and Rec.
- Councilor Randorf praised Meyer’s thoroughness and willingness to listen. No vote was taken; the recommendation will be considered in a future cycle.
- At the conclusion of his interview, Meyer also plugged Alyssa Denim for the permanent city clerk position.
Consent Calendar
- No formal consent calendar was noted; however, items 2–3 (Resolution 669 authorizing purchase of My Civic software from Tyler Technologies for $56,874, and Resolution 664 approving collective bargaining with IAFF Local 101) were presented without objection after discussion on My Civic. The IT director explained that My Civic will replace the resident problem reporter and integrate with enterprise permitting, improving efficiency for code enforcement.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 683 (Item 4): Temporary on-sale liquor licenses and expansion applications. No questions.
- Items 5–7: CDBG fund transfer from YWCA to Divine Connections Inc. for the Spirit Valley facility (now owned by Divine Connections); sublease agreement with Northeast Minnesota Office of Job Training for Career Force space in Duluth Athletic Club building (August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2028); and a budget revision for the Regional Exchange District. Councilor Durwachter requested additional details on the CDBG project (road, utility, site improvements). Director Van Tassel confirmed the project is unchanged—affordable rental units and child care—and offered to invite Divine Connections to the next meeting.
- Item 8: Resolution 666-R awarding a contract to Ulan Brothers Inc. for the 32nd Avenue West Creek Watershed Stormwater Resiliency Improvements Project ($1,982,707, 90% grant-funded). No questions.
- Items 9–11 (Public Safety): Professional service agreement with Policy Pro 360 (5 years, $69,709.38) for police policy management; purchase of two Freightliner chassis from Boyer Trucks Superior ($252,684.78) and upfitting for two fire engines from Custom Fire Apparatus ($563,268) totaling $815,952.78; software agreement with First Due Holdings ($335,750) for fire department operations management. Fire Chief Sanoa explained Policy Pro 360 is Minnesota-based and aligns with state law. Fire Chief Cruchet highlighted that the chassis-only purchase saves about 50% compared to new fire engines, noting the fleet is transitioning to stainless steel boxes that allow chassis replacement.
- Item 12: Resolution authorizing agreement with Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores for Duluth Traverse Trail improvements (2025–2028 at no cost to city). Read in by Councilor Randorf as an example of public-private partnership. No questions.
- Item 13 (Ordinance): Ordinance amending Chapter 2 of the Duluth City Code to add Article 38 establishing the Duluth Transportation Commission (replacement). Councilor De Luca proposed an amendment to include “freight” in the list of transportation modes (after “commercial” and before “emergency vehicles”). Councilors discussed the need for coordination with existing bodies (Port Authority, railroad, trucking). CAO Staling noted productive conversations with advocates and departments; a red-line version may be provided by Monday. Councilor De Luca's amendment will be considered after consultation with Councilor Owl and the city attorney. No vote taken.
- Item 14: Ordinance granting Independent School District 709 a concurrent use permit for a guard rail near 11th Street and North 8th Avenue East. No questions.
Key Outcomes
- No final votes were taken during this agenda meeting. All items are expected to be voted on at a subsequent council meeting (Monday or next cycle).
- The amendment to add “freight” to the Transportation Commission ordinance was proposed and will be further discussed before the next meeting.
- The council agreed to invite a representative from Divine Connections to the next meeting to provide background on the nonprofit.
- Mr. Meyer’s appointment to the Parks and Recreation Commission will be considered at a future meeting.
- A plug was made by Mr. Meyer supporting Alyssa Denim for permanent city clerk.
Meeting Transcript
We will begin our interview in one minute. Good evening. Thank you for coming, Mr. Mayor. Do you want to introduce yourself and tell us what uh what board commission you are applying for? Sure. Tim Meyer. I live at 4611 London Road in Lakeside in Duluth neighborhood. I had applied for the Parks and Recreation Commission for District One. Thank you. Do you have a personal or financial interest direct or indirect with the Parks and Rec Commission, or are you engaged in any capacity whereby a conflict of interest might arise? No, we do not. Okay. Can you give a brief outline of your educational and work experience? Sure. I'm in the profession of architecture. I have was at St. Cloud State University and pre-engineering for two years. I have two architectural degrees from North Dakota State University. I've been in the practice of architecture for 38 years, most of that in the City of Duluth. Okay, thank you. How will that background experience and your personal experience be of benefit in relation to Parks and Rec? That's a good question. I actually thought about that today in preparation for the interview tonight. Through my life, I've actually participated a lot in both individual and team sports, you know, football, basketball, baseball, track, golf, tennis, uh, every sport, uh, and also at the level of coaching and managing teams. So I feel that I've got uh a lot of experience uh in recreation related activities. Um I did recently here too, had worked with uh Mayor Reinert and his working group to study the Lester Park golf course redevelopment uh and also as an architect we have done uh quite a few recreation-related uh facilities, some of those uh for the city of Duluth. Great, thank you. And Tim, why are you interested in serving on this board? Well, it's a good question. I think uh obviously Leicester Park Golf Course redevelopment uh is under the under the guise of Parks and Recreation Department. Um I do care a lot about recreation. Um I did participate in helping sell the um levy increase for recreation, which which failed by referendum a couple of years ago, so I am very supportive of our parks and recreation uh programs. Um I actually was present at Parks and Recreation Commission when our budget was presented this past year and was kind of startled to realize how serious our budget problems are. Do you want to talk a little bit more about um the um suggestions you might make in in relation to that budget? Yeah, I um it's difficult, uh especially in the climate that we're in of you know, especially the federal and state cuts is gonna be much more of a challenge, I think, for the City of Duluth to provide the level of uh recreation facilities that we've had in the past. I think too in Leicester Park, being a perfect example of the challenges the city faces. I I really believe that uh public-private partnerships are going to be the wave of the future to kind of do the work that the city has traditionally done in maintaining and developing our recreation facilities. I know that this the city's engaged in uh several public-private initiatives right now to improve our recreation facilities in the city. Um I think my background as an architect and the some of the commissions that I've served on for the city, including um our planning commission and others that uh I think I would be an asset in helping the city uh move parks and recreation forward. Thanks. Do you have any scheduling conflicts that might come up when the parks and rec meet? None that I know of, and would just state that I will make the uh commitment that needs to be so that I have full per participation with the parks and rec commission. Um I'm actually serving currently on the HRA commission, and I will leave that at the end of my term this fall so that I can focus on parks and recreation. Thank you. Um, what do you think are your personal strengths that you would be bringing to this commission? I know I I'm a very community-oriented person uh since I came I came to Duluth in 1990, and through that uh course of that time I've met most of you, I think, through some of the volunteer things that I've been involved in. Um I feel that I'm passionate about Duluth and uh improving the quality of life for the people who live here and especially for our children. Thank you. Um is there anything else you'd like to add concerning your background, the attributes you would bring or the your appointment to the parks and rec?
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