The Duluth City Council met on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations on parks funding, the 2026 tourism tax allocation process, and the city's Housing Trust Fund, along with public comments on parking rates, right-to-repair, and surveillance. The council approved most items on the consent agenda, passed several resolutions and ordinances, and tabled a resolution on short-term rental moratorium pending a future vote.
The consent agenda passed 9-0 after removing items 6 and 23.
Parks and trails also provide essential transportation links and contribute to public health, environmental sustainability, and community well-being. However, the Duluth Parks Recreation Division faces ongoing financial challenges. The 2011 park fund levy set funding at $2.6 million annually, a fixed amount that does not adjust for inflation or rising costs. Over time, this has reduced the fund's purchasing power and resulted in continual reduction in the park's budget without cuts formally being made. As a result, revenue for parks operation and capital improvements has steadily declined. Limited funding for routine maintenance leads to costly deferred maintenance. Without changes to the current budget construction, capital funding for Duluth Parks could be depleted by 2028. In passing our resolution last month, the Parks Commission respectfully asked the council and administration to treat the fixed park fund as the foundation for the parks budget. Offset increases to the expenses with the general fund or other or other sources. Otherwise, the division will effectively continue to operate with a reduction in their budget. Remember, the essenties plan actually called for an increase in park funding in line with an industry standards. The plan also called for strategic investments to decrease routine in long-term maintenance requirements. Our resolution hopefully serves as a reminder of these strategies that have already been adopted. We also hope the council will continue to work with Parks and Recreation Department, our Commission, and other key stakeholders, such as some of the folks here today with me, to explore other long-term solutions. Some of those discussed could include but are not limited to private public partnerships, alternative funding models, and asset reduction. That said, of all these potential solutions, particularly with respect to asset reduction, they all must be conducted with full public transparency, utilizing public planning processes and guiding principles of adoptive plans, including the essential spaces and Imagine Duluth 2035 comprehensive land use plans. I spoken to many of you throughout my tenure here at Parks Commission, and I know that all of you value our park system. I also know that you are weighing some very difficult and big decisions right now with respect to our budget. But I want you to know that the Parks Commission is ready to think bold. We are willing to think big. We are stewards of these lands, and they're held in trust for generations, as they always have been. The Parks Commission is here to take the long view. We know this discussion and this budget here tonight is just one step in changing the trajectory of Duluth Parks funding. Please view parks as being part of the solution. They underpin our economy and quality of life. I thank you for this time and the work that you do to make Duluth Parks a truly pre-eminent world-class park system. Thank you, Mr. Demer. Are you willing to take questions? Uh President Tolmek, I will answer questions as I can as I can within my ability. Counselors, do we have any questions for Mr. Dimer? Counselor Swenson. Thank you, Mr. Demer for being here, and you're a very strong advocate for parks and have been a great support of me as I've transitioned into supporting you guys. When you talk about public-private partnerships, have you had any conversations of what this might look like or what the goal of the Parks Commission might be on that? Thank you, Counselor Swenson. Uh in the conversations that I have you know talked with folks about, it seems like there could be potentially a couple ways to look at this. There could be the long-term, large private partnerships as well as not going to say small, but like trail segment style of types of sponsorships as well. So I think it very much depends on the nature of the sponsorship itself, but I there are models out there for large long-term private public partnerships within parks in the state that we could look at for potential support for our infrastructure. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Swenson. Counselor Awell. Thank you, President Timonic. Thank you so much, Parks uh Parks Board President Demer for being here and giving your presentation. It seems um, excuse my voice. Um slowly losing it due to the weather changes. Um quick question for you. You had mentioned um on the similar line of uh private public relationship. I know that there's a lot of entities that support uh the general programming that happens around our parks.