Duluth City Council Meeting - April 13, 2026
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Duluth City Council Meeting - April 13, 2026
The Duluth City Council met on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers to conduct official business. All councilors were present, with Councilor Tomanek participating via Microsoft Teams. The council approved the previous meeting's minutes, heard public comment on both agenda and non-agenda items, and considered a consent agenda along with several individual resolutions. Key actions included approval of a five-year agreement with the HRA for a community-based police officer, tabling of a sport court contract, and approval of the Spirit Mountain budget.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the March 23, 2026 meeting (26-012) unanimously.
- Approved the Consent Agenda with the exception of item 11, which was pulled for separate consideration. The remaining consent items passed unanimously via roll call vote. These included:
- Grant agreement with St. Louis County for a facilities conditions assessment at the DECC (26-0297R).
- Lawful gambling applications (26-0299R).
- Purchase of five Ford Transit T-250 vans for $272,552.50 (26-0184R).
- Purchase of three Ford F-250 pickups for $160,921.11 (26-0185R).
- Contract awards for bituminous asphalt, totaling $429,500 (26-0221R).
- Amendment for Ideal Street Reconstruction design work, increase of $128,060 to $187,620 (26-0260R).
- 2026 Citywide Patch and Sidewalk Project contract to Hovland, Inc. for $371,774.52 (26-0270R).
- 2026 Street Preservation Project (Morley Heights) to Northern Interstate Construction for $2,180,958.31 (26-0275R).
- Lead Service Line Replacement – Denfeld 1 contract to MJ Companies LLC for $1,199,565.00 (26-0287R).
- Settlement in Taylor Cardinal vs. City of Duluth for $75,000 (26-0258R).
- Amendment to Priley Circle Restoration landscape services for $29,000 increase to $384,135 (26-0274R).
- Acceptance of a Community Tree Planting Grant of $213,705 from MN DNR (26-0293R).
- Amendment to Spirit Mountain Legacy grant agreement (26-0294R).
- Three-year agreement with Western Duluth Little League for field use (26-0295R).
Public Comments & Testimony
- First Public Comment (Agenda Items): Four speakers addressed Resolution 26-0248R (HRA community-based police officer). Julia Covert (District 1) expressed opposition, arguing that community infrastructure investments, not surveillance, reduce crime. Kärin White (55807) asked to table the resolution, citing problematic language and concerns about police culture. Andrew St. Croix (55804) opposed the resolution, listing incidents of police misconduct and systemic issues. Andrea Hanek (District 1), a former HRA resident commissioner, voiced concerns about specific job duties such as eviction assistance, knock-and-talks, and the bypass of 24-hour notice, asking for the item to be returned to administration.
- Second Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items): Roy Hamlin spoke about his research on a vape shop ordinance, requesting the council move forward with restrictions. Christy Rounds (55816), Executive Director of Duluth Sister Cities, spoke about the need for civility in public discourse, referencing recent political violence in Minnesota.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 26-0248R – HRA Community-Based Police Officer: Councilor Durrwachter pulled this item from the consent agenda. The resolution authorized a five-year agreement with the HRA to fund a police officer for $559,719. Public comment raised concerns about the officer's role in tenant evictions, monitoring, and potential over-policing. During discussion, Councilor Durrwachter offered an amendment to reduce the term to one year, citing increased funding from December's approval and the need for further evaluation. Councilor Desotelle supported the amendment, expressing interest in exploring alternatives like social workers. Councilor Forsman opposed the amendment, noting the city can terminate the agreement at any time and that HRA pays for the position. Councilor Randorf supported the original resolution, stating the program has proven effective over 8–10 years. The amendment to shorten to one year failed 3-6 (Durrwachter, Desotelle, Clanaugh voted yes). The original resolution then passed 7-2 (Clanaugh and Durrwachter opposed).
- Resolution 26-0272R – Spirit Mountain Budget: Approved the FY2026-2027 budget of $8,765,536 for the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area Authority. Passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-0300R – Various Liquor Licenses: Approved issuance of temporary and expansion licenses for events including Duluth Cider, MNJOA Conference, Duluth Air Show, Duluth Drag Races, Oktoberfest, Lemon's Reef, and Grandmas Inc. Passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-0261R – RMS Subscriber Agreement: Approved a master enterprise records management system agreement with 15 law enforcement agencies. Councilor Durrwachter expressed concerns about data access policies and the corporate provider, Tyler Technology. Passed 7-2 (Clanaugh and Durrwachter opposed).
- Resolution 26-0249R – Hillside Sport Court Park: Motion to table the contract award to Rachel Contracting ($1,369,367.50) passed 9-0. Discussion centered on unresolved water source for the community garden; councilors agreed to table for one meeting to refine the water solution.
- Resolution 26-0271R – Munger Trail Equestrian Agreement: Approved a ten-year cooperative agreement with the State of Minnesota for equestrian use on a portion of the Munger Trail at no cost to the city. Passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-0273R – Chester Bowl Chalet Reconstruction: Awarded contract to BP Builders for $3,254,735. Councilor Desotelle recused herself due to a family member on the board. Passed 8-0 with one abstention.
- Resolution 26-0232R – Appointments: Removed from table and approved appointments to the Planning Commission, Duluth Transit Authority, and Spirit Mountain Recreation Area Authority. Passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes and all consent agenda items except 26-0248R.
- Approved Resolution 26-0248R (HRA police officer) for five years, with a total of $559,719, by a 7-2 vote.
- Approved Spirit Mountain budget ($8,765,536) unanimously.
- Approved liquor licenses unanimously.
- Approved RMS subscriber agreement 7-2.
- Tabled Hillside Sport Court contract (9-0) to address water source concerns.
- Approved Munger Trail equestrian agreement unanimously.
- Approved Chester Bowl Chalet contract 8-0, with Desotelle abstaining.
- Approved appointments for boards and commissions unanimously.
- Announcements: Councilor Randorf noted a budget retreat scheduled for August 28, 2026, and Vice President Kennedy reminded of a council retreat on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
I don't know. Do you have a question? I have nothing. I know. This is very similar. So it's good to hear it. Oh, I don't think you'll be here. Here, you take this and then I'll take it. So we're already talking about it. Okay. Give it to him. Okay, I gave her mine. Thank you, sir. No, you're good. You're good. Yeah. Yeah. Did they have the blue or was it? Well, for me, it doesn't sound like the US. They asked me what they said, we've been thinking about this for a long time. We've been gardening for 25 years, and we need water, and we're trying to figure out what's the best solution. Are you close to city infrastructure? Is it well? It sounds like the desktop maybe the ones we're getting all the emails from the city was bringing out. Oh, okay. Okay. I'll watch for this. Sounds great. Sounds like that's something that you would next on. Is this better? Okay, folks. We're just at about five forty-five, and given um we started our meeting at six. I thought I would get rolling very briefly in front of our five forty-five time to say welcome to Miss Kate Ferguson. Thank you for being here and for your interest in the planning commission. I'd like to say uh thank you as well for your previous service on the Spear Mountain board, as well as a congratulations on your broomball title this year. Uh Ms. Ferguson, if you could start, please give us a brief outline of your education experience as it relates to this appointment and how your background would be of benefit in relation to the planning commission. Yeah, thanks, Chair Foreman. So I want to say first thank you. I know that you interviewed some other candidates at a different time. So thank you for setting this time aside for me as I was in Chicago for work last week. So uh education. I was educated by the University of Wisconsin Superior. I have a degree in computer information systems, another one in transportation logistics management, and then I got my MBA from the University of Minnesota Duluth, Go Bulldogs. Um 20 years of maritime industry, my background sales marketing, communications, work, a lot of work with regulators in my current role, um, and my work with the Port Authority. I also work on our airpark um property industrial park up in Air Park. That was developed by the Port Authority in the 1970s, and currently I am the person taking care of its future, which means that I have a lot of experience with uh planning and permitting and zoning and the UDC and what that means and how we can adjust things and properties and things of that nature. Fantastic. Uh let's expand on that for our second question. Just tell us a little bit more about why you're interested in serving in this role.
openpublica.com