Duluth City Council Agenda Session and UDC Committee of the Whole - June 11, 2026
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Duluth City Council Agenda Session and UDC Committee of the Whole - June 11, 2026
The Duluth City Council met on June 11, 2026, beginning at 5:15 PM, for an agenda session followed by a Committee of the Whole on the Unified Development Chapter (UDC). No agenda or minutes were available; this summary is based on the raw transcript. No formal votes were taken; most items were prepared for council action on Monday, June 15, 2026.
Consent Calendar
- Finance: Resolutions 532 and 533 confirm delinquent assessment and utility rolls. Resolution 540 authorizes a 2026-2028 professional services agreement with the Duluth Joint Powers Enterprise Trust, accepting $441,377 (2026), $452,412 (2027), and $463,722 (2028). Councilors asked why other city entities are not in the insurance pool; staff said the JPE was formed years ago with the city, DECC, HRA, and airport, that the city makes up about 90% of the pool, and that no formal analysis of expanding the pool has been done.
- Purchasing/Licensing: Resolution 525 authorizes purchase of two Freightliner single-axle plow truck chassis from Boyer Truck Superior for $262,251.78. Resolutions 537, 538, and 541 approve gambling and liquor licenses/renewals. Resolution 558 amends the total in Resolution 24-0305 for Tyler Technologies software licensing, migration services, VPN appliances, and SaaS hosting from $1,204,823 to $2,307,676; administration stated the contract and budget were correct but the original resolution math was incorrect, preventing payment of the third year.
- Personnel: Multiple appointments/reappointments were on the consent agenda. Resolutions 544 (Matt Massman), 546 (Jerry Goldfarb), 547 (Jason P. Gresh), and 549 (Stephen Gall) were pulled from consent because those appointees will be interviewed. Massman's interview is scheduled for June 25; the others will be interviewed on Monday, June 15. Councilor Derwachter noted past practice had included interviews for new commission members; the personnel committee chair chose to interview only authority appointees.
- Public Works/Utilities: Items included a Rice Lake operations and maintenance agreement; a one-way street designation in Canal Park; purchase of cold mix asphalt from Monarch Paving for $65,000; an increase of $20,000 to the energy transfer skid for the Lakeview Project (new total $169,949); award of the Storm Sewer Improvements Project to KNH Excavation Inc. for $749,065.05; and an application to the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for up to $750,000 for a Cody Street stormwater infiltration basin.
- Public Safety: Grants accepted from Minnesota Department of Public Safety for $309,000 for an auto theft investigator, $36,966.98 to reimburse 50% of Pathway to Policing community service officer wages, and $32,926.02 from the DOJ BVP program for ballistic vests. Councilor Klana asked about community partnerships to diversify candidates; police noted work with youth providers and the school district but no grant-specific provisions.
- Recreation: Resolution 534 increases the TKDA engineering contract for Martin Trail segments 01 and 2 by $54,936 to $208,885. Resolution 543 designates dock sites along the Martin Trail; staff explained the map identifies possible sites, DNR permits docks, the ordinance regulates access and environmental protections, and property owners must avoid sedimentation and bank failure. Councilor Tomanak asked about fertilizer restrictions; staff said they would look into it.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Representatives of the Lincoln Park Business Group testified in support of the Lincoln Park Special Services District. They stated the proposed district includes 141 properties and 246 businesses; 30% of property owners signed the petition, with roughly another 20% supportive but not signing due to current property tax increases. The initial assessment is set at 2% to collect $40,000, producing about $283 per property per year with a $1,000 cap on large properties. They emphasized existing clean-and-safe services, the need to organize during the West Superior Street construction project, and their goal of establishing the district at an affordable rate.
Discussion Items
- I-35 Reconnecting Communities Study (Resolution 548): Administration described additional MnDOT/federal funding for a study of the I-35 corridor from West Duluth to downtown, examining future alignment options and neighborhood impacts over about two years. Councilor Desitel raised concerns about how federal funding limits might affect equity/DEI components; administration said the grant agreement was accepted by FHWA and MnDOT and they had no concerns moving forward.
- Lincoln Park Special Services District (Resolution 555 and Ordinance 20): Discussion covered the petition threshold, the affordability of the 2% assessment, and the city's planned $30,000 tourism tax allocation. Finance Director Nina Salinas said the district would be considered in-house (not through Visit Duluth) during the budget cycle and that staff were comfortable bringing the $30,000 forward. The service charge resolution was pulled to be tabled until the companion ordinance's second reading.
- Docks on the Martin Trail (Resolution 543): Staff clarified the relationship between the resolution, ordinance, and DNR permitting; dock locations were limited to properties directly adjacent to water and public land, with no public right-of-way or alley between, and the ordinance is intended to protect water resources and shoreline habitat.
Committee of the Whole: UDC Amendments
- Administration presented a package of zoning code amendments responding to a council resolution from June 2025 to modernize the code and increase housing supply. Topics included:
- Elimination of future RP and MUP planned districts: Existing planned districts would continue, but no new ones would be created. Staff said the lengthy planned-unit process consumed staff, planning commission, and council time; by-right development is preferred.
- Removal of the higher education overlay district: Replaced with a 0-20 foot build-to zone in MUN districts to encourage walkable mixed-use development without the extra planning commission process.
- Form district consolidation from 9 to 4: Prescriptive base/cap building types and architectural expression lines would be removed; core requirements would be building close to the street, ground-floor windows, and active uses. Rezoning: F1/F2 to F1; F3-F6 to F2; F7/F8 to F3; F9 to F4. Boundaries remain unchanged; a map amendment will be brought forward.
- Height increases: R1 heights increase by 5 feet. Downtown/Canal Park form districts would allow a 50% height bonus (up to 282 feet) for projects meeting housing goals. Councilor Randorf objected that there is no minimum number of housing units required for the bonus; staff acknowledged the affordable housing bonus was not completed and could not provide a number before adoption. Councilor Johnson asked whether existing buildings could add height; staff said few are structurally capable.
- Reduced lot sizes and setbacks: In R1, minimum lot area per family drops from 4,000 to 2,500 square feet; two-family and townhouse lots drop to 2,000; multifamily to 1,500 square feet per unit. Lot frontage drops from 40 to 25 feet (townhomes 20 feet). Staff said existing nonconforming lots remain buildable and the changes help medium-density infill and aging-in-place improvements.
- More housing types by right: Fourplexes would be allowed in R1 neighborhoods, townhome architectural standards would be removed, and certain housing types would shift from special use to permitted use. Staff cited comprehensive plan housing recommendations.
- Removal of rural clustering and connectivity index: Staff said the conservation/clustering calculation and connectivity index had not worked in Duluth's topography and were hard to administer; new standards would require trail/park connections in adopted plans instead of a formulaic road connectivity score.
- Sustainability standards update: The point-based system would be updated with new measures such as bird-safe glass. Councilor Desatel noted the code's ASHRAE citations are outdated and asked whether the Energy Planning Commission could review the table in the future; staff was open. Councilor Desatel also asked about lighting and amber/dark-sky standards; staff said lighting was not in this update but could be considered in a later deeper dive. Councilor Connell encouraged that work.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken during the agenda session or committee of the whole.
- Resolution 555 (Lincoln Park service charges) was pulled from the agenda and will be tabled until the companion ordinance reaches its second reading.
- Four personnel resolutions (544, 546, 547, 549) were pulled from the consent agenda for interviews on Monday, June 15; resolution 544 will be taken up after Matt Massman's June 25 interview.
- The UDC ordinance (Ordinance 19) is scheduled for first reading Monday, June 15, 2026, with an effective date of August 31, 2026. Staff said applications cannot be processed until that date, but property owners may contact staff for informal consultation before then.
- Staff committed to follow up on auction proceeds from old vehicles, fertilizer restrictions near Martin Trail docks, and further consideration of housing thresholds for the downtown height bonus.
- Upcoming work identified by staff includes shoreline regulations with the DNR and vacation dwelling unit/lodging code changes in the fall.
Meeting Transcript
Hello and welcome. We're going to get the agenda session started. It is 515. We are going to start with Councillor Randorf in finance. Thank you so much. During period of March 1st, 2025 to June 1st, 2026. Resolution 532 is a resolution confirming the assessment role for delinquent assessments levied against property with regard to property violations during the period of April 1, 2025 to April 1st, 2026. Resolution R 533 confirming the assessment role of delinquent utility fees during the period of January 1st, 2025 to December 31st, 2025. Resolution Resolution 540 is authorizing execution of 2026 to 2028 professional services agreement with the Duluth Joint Powers Enterprise Trust and accepting 441,377 in year 2026, 452,412 in the year 2027, and 463,722 in the year of 2028 from the Duluth Joint Powers Enterprise Trust. All right, looking for questions on items two through five. Counselor Decital. Thank you, President Nephew. I just have one question. It's more for my education than anything. That I understand that under resolution $260540 is a joint powers enterprise for the city, the deck, the HRA and the airport for insurance purposes, so that we pool together. Why isn't like the zoo and Spirit Mountain and visit to the some of these other authorities also in that pool? Because I know Spirit Mountain, you know, I would think that I was just wondering why. Council President Nephew, Counselor Desitel. My understanding of that is we had combined medical and dental benefits at the time, the four of us, and the city acted as the fiscal agent for those. The others have operated on their own for quite some time. And then it was determined that we needed to, in order to do that and pool that operate in a pool, we had to open up a joint powers enterprise, enter into a joint powers enterprise agreement. We did that several many years ago and have been operating in that way ever since, and this is renewing that three-year contract. Thank you. I was just trying to find a way for you know other folks, other authorities that are in the city, why, you know, if it's a way to save money, why they aren't in the pool. My understanding is they had their own prior to that, so all right, thank you. Do we have any other questions since items two through five? Uh counselor Klana. Thank you, President Nephew. So to follow up on that, so the this is how we've been doing it. Has there been a fiscal analysis of whether it would be advantageous to just in it enlarge that pool? Thank you for trying to move. Welcome. You're President Matthew of Councilor Kwa. Now uh no, there hasn't been a formal analysis trying to enlarge the well. I can say as Carlette mentioned, I think the JPE trust was formally established in like 2011. And I've been at the city since 2008, and it's still been the same for entities. And I think it might even go back to like the 80s or 90s. And I will say too, like our insurance isn't necessarily cheap either. You know, our family premiums and our health benefits are pretty substantial. So it these entities may have cheaper insurance that they're purchasing on their own. And we're not necessarily I'm not going to speak for the JPE board. It's not to say someone couldn't join the trust, but we're not actively looking to um expand the population. There might be, I mean, the city makes up about 90% of the JAPE trust, with the the DEC, the uh HRA, and the airport being the other approximate 10%. So even if we add another entity, it's not gonna, in theory, massively expand our population. Thank you. All right, thank you. Any last quite on uh questions on items two through five. Um seeing nothing, we will move on to counselor with purchasing and licensing. Okay, we have item number six, five to resolution five two five authorizing the purchase of two freight liners single axle plow truck chassis from Boyer Truck Superior for the amount of 262,251 dollars and seventy-eight cents. Item number seven, resolution five thirty-seven approving applications for lawful gambling.
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