The Duluth City Council met on April 24, 2026, in an agenda session to consider a wide range of resolutions, including consent items, planning and economic development projects (notably the Armory Tax Increment Financing district), public works and utilities contracts, recreation and library matters, and a committee of the whole update on the Wabigana/Martin Trail shoreline access ordinance. Several items were pulled for further review, and no final votes were taken on the pulled items. The meeting included extensive discussion on the Armory TIF, the Shoppers Ramp demolition change order, street preservation contracts, and the new shoreline access ordinance.
Good evening. We will call the agenda session to order. First in the queue is purchasing and licensing. Or would you like us to just get started? Okay. Vice President Kennedy, can you read in for Counselor Director while she's getting settled? She got it. Or are you good with reading? Okay. All right, go for it. Thank you, President F. Item number two. Item number two, resolution 336, authorizing a five-year lease of a mail machine and services with Pitney Bowes for a total amount of 40, 231 dollars and 20 cents. Item number three, resolution 350, authorizing the purchase of election polling pads from no inc in the amount of 68,160. All right, thank you. Um I do have a question that was sent in by Counselor Desitel for item number three. Um her question is polling pads. Are these electronic devices just for resistration and check-in? Please clarify that paper ballots are still Minnesota's backup for voting for the voting part. President Nephew, thank you. Um the polling pads don't actually have anything to do with the actual process of voting. They are simply for registration and check-in of voters. Um we um are using these to replace the paper rosters. So when you go to check-in to vote, you normally have to check in on a piece of paper. This will replace those um paper rosters. Thank you. Um counselor Klana. Thank you, President Nephew. Uh these are iPads, and they're they're at an $1,800 per unit cost. Um what is responsible for such a high cost for those? President nephew, uh, counselor Klanna. The cost of these is down to the software, and then also the cost of the iPads themselves. Um and the support that comes with them. Okay. Thank you. You're on um administration. Go ahead. It's worth the President nephew, Counselor Klana. Um we are we are uh the purchase of those iPads are dictated by the state of Minnesota in state statute. So we have certain equipment that we can purchase along with certain software, and we are um there are certain vendors that we can purchase that through. In fact, we don't even quote those out ourselves. St. Louis County has to quote those for us when we um when we state that we're interested in them, we give them a number, and then they quote those out. That equipment actually gets delivered to them. They do all of the setup and the storage of those based on election rules. Follow-up. So you said vendors. I mean is my my understanding is now no now inc. is like the only vendor in this market, niche. Is that accurate?