Duluth City Council Agenda Session: Gifts Policy, Immigration Enforcement Ordinance, and Infrastructure Projects - February 19, 2026
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Duluth City Council Agenda Session - February 19, 2026
The Duluth City Council held an agenda session on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to discuss and prepare for the regular meeting scheduled for Monday, February 23, 2026. Key topics included a resolution to authorize acceptance of gifts under $10,000, competing resolutions regarding financial assistance for families affected by Operation Metro Surge (with and without an eviction moratorium), the second reading of an ordinance regulating city resources and immigration enforcement, and multiple public works and recreation infrastructure contracts. No final votes were taken; several items were referred back to administration or deferred to the Monday committee of the whole.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda included resolutions 4 through 10 (finance items: DECC drawbridge, insurance contracts) and items 14 and 15 (Tisher Creek fish kill agreements). Councilor Derwaker pulled these items from consent for further discussion, meaning they will be considered individually at the Monday meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public testified during the agenda session. Councilors referenced emails from local landlords expressing concerns about the eviction moratorium portion of Resolution 105.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 61 – Gifts Under $10,000: Councilor Randorf, as finance chair, answered questions from absent Councilor Clana about the frequency of gifts (approximately 100 in 2025, 215 in 2024) and safeguards (standard auditing). Councilor Desitel requested periodic reporting. Administrator Staley announced that administration would rework the resolution and bring it back to council at a future date. The item was referred back to administration.
- Resolution 105 – Emergency Executive Order for Financial Residential Protection: Councilor Derwaker and Councilor Klana presented a resolution calling on the governor to issue an emergency order including a temporary eviction moratorium and rental assistance for families impacted by Operation Metro Surge. Councilor Randorf questioned why the eviction moratorium was included when local housing providers (Center City, One Roof, HRA) opposed it. Councilors Derwaker and Klana argued that the moratorium is limited (extending notice periods from 7 to 14 days and 14 to 30 days) and intended to buy time for financial assistance to be processed. Councilor Tomonic raised concerns about small landlords and noted that local schools reported about 40 affected families already receiving community support. Councilor Klana described the moratorium as an additional tool. No action was taken at this session.
- Resolution 127 – Alternative Financial Assistance Resolution: Councilors Johnson and President Nephew introduced a separate resolution requesting state emergency financial assistance without an eviction moratorium. Councilor Johnson explained that they consulted county housing providers and that the resolution aligns with state bills (e.g., by Representative Kolasowski). Councilor Tomonic thanked the sponsors and asked about entities consulted. Councilor Derwaker asked about conversations with county commissioners; Councilor Johnson had not spoken to commissioners but to direct service providers. Councilor Randorf asked for a comparison; Councilor Johnson noted the resolution clarifies that tribal communities are included and that the funding mechanism differs from Resolution 105. This resolution was also discussed without a vote.
- Public Works Items (10-19): Councilor Desitel presented multiple resolutions. Key discussions included:
- Item 10 (West Superior Street reconstruction – amendment to increase contract by $3.4M for construction administration). Councilor Desitel questioned why an amendment rather than a new contract; Director Benning explained it is standard practice to extend the same consultant through construction after a competitive design phase.
- Items 12 and 13 (lead service line replacements). Councilor Klana asked about progress: through 2026, the city will have replaced about 36% of 10,000 lines (3,600), fully funded through 2026. Director Benning noted that future federal funding is uncertain but the city is ahead of the 2027 deadline. Councilor Klana also inquired about neighborhood notifications; Director Benning said each block takes about a week, and an overlay will follow to avoid a patchwork.
- Items 14 and 15 (Tisher Creek fish kill agreements). Councilor Desitel requested that these be saved for the Monday committee of the whole at 5:15 p.m. for a presentation and Q&A. Councilor Derwaker expressed concern about time for questions but Councilor Kennedy assured ample time (45 minutes).
- Recreation Items (20-24):
- Items 23 and 24 (snowmaking pumps for Spirit Mountain Nordic Center). Councilor Derwaker asked about the 25% match ($18,750 each) given a projected $5.3M deficit. Manager Peterson explained that the match comes from remaining Athletic Venues Reinvestment Initiative funds ($1.2M approved earlier).
- Ordinance 5 – Stewardship of City Resources (Immigration Enforcement): Councilor Randorf presented a replacement ordinance (second reading scheduled for Monday). She outlined five key edits: (1) purpose language grounded in stewardship and equal treatment; (2) exception for federally required duties at maritime, aviation, and international transit facilities; (3) clarification that public safety can still participate in joint criminal task forces (e.g., Lake Superior Violent Offenders Task Force); (4) reporting tied to the Citizens Review Board; (5) severability clause. Councilor Derwaker had no questions. The ordinance will be voted on Monday.
- Ordinance 3 – Zoning Map Amendment (Duluth Heights): No questions. Final reading on Monday.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 61 (Gifts) was referred back to administration for reworking and future council consideration.
- Items 14 and 15 (Tisher Creek) were deferred to the Monday committee of the whole (February 23, 2026, 5:15 p.m.) for a presentation and Q&A.
- Items 4 through 10 and items 14 and 15 were pulled from the consent agenda by Councilor Derwaker, ensuring they will be individually considered at the Monday meeting rather than passed en bloc.
- Resolutions 105 and 127 (Operation Metro Surge financial assistance) were discussed but no referral or vote occurred; they will likely be taken up at the Monday meeting.
- Ordinance 5 (immigration enforcement) advanced to second reading and will receive a final vote on Monday.
- The council also received a reminder about the committee of the whole on Monday starting at 5:15 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
First thing is there, Councillor Randorf, item number two. Thank you so much. The first item is Resolution 61. It's a tabled resolution, a resolution authorizing the city administrator to accept gifts on behalf of the city in the amount of ten thousand dollars or less. Um if I may, go ahead. We were going to talk a little bit about this tonight. I had um gathered a little bit more information as finance chair on this. I see uh counselor Clana is not here. Do we know is he coming? Is he on his way? I think he was going to join remotely, but I don't see him up there. Okay. Um a lot of the questions were the ones that he sent in, so I'll go ahead and and if I may answer a couple of those right now for him. Yeah, we go ahead and okay. Um one of the questions was is how many of these gifts do we get um in a year? And and the answer to that is is pretty insignificant. When we look at 2025, we're talking about 100. When we look at 2024, it's 215. And so that threshold of $10,000 or less, just being able to get a gift uh in from whomever wants to send us a gift, whether it's for the libraries, whether it's for parks, people will send us a gift, and uh uh typically it'll either go to that department that's been specified or go into the general fund, and that'll be spent with our general fund money. Um his uh other question was um ha have there been any problems with this? No, we in fact this is uh there's been two other resolutions uh prior prior to this with the same language in it. So this has been something pretty common that we voted on in the past. And um what kind of safeguards are being proposed to protect the city? You know, it's really our standard auditing system. We deal with a lot of money coming in and out, and it is our standard um auditing system and our bookkeeping practices. So um those are the answers to those questions. Thank you. All right, thank you. Um the clerk has come in. Uh is that for counselor Timonic? Yes, I have a question. May I go ahead? Yes. Um, one is first uh comment when I make a donation to the library, it doesn't come in through this way. That goes direct, even though that might go send to the general fund. The donation is accepted by the library. And second, my question is you have a sister's hands arrangement, and there are guests usually get not monetary from mayor to mayor. I don't know if that's included in this gifts are usually a plaque or a platter. Um I don't know what their monetary value would be, but I just wondered how that was covered. Um I see counselor Jamonic from anywhere here, counselor Tomonik. No, those are not uh covered, those would be in kind, and those had been covered previously under agreements that were done directly with sister cities. So when those agreements were drawn up, there would be a uh attachment, showed any gifts that had been accepted, and those were accepted by sister cities, so those are not covered here going forward because we're likely not going to have these agreements with sister cities. We will address those separately. Thank you. Um next is Counselor Desitel, or did you have more, Counselor Timonic? I did not. I was just saying thank you. All right, Counselor Desital. Uh thank you, President Nephew. Uh the question is how do we then as councils see these gifts on the budget when it comes up?
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