The Duluth City Council convened on September 24, 2026, at 5:16 PM, to address a range of items including liquor licensing, personnel appointments, economic development funding, parks grants, tax levies, a code of conduct amendment, a franchise fee ordinance with Minnesota Power, and zoning updates for lodging. The meeting featured extensive debate on the Minnesota Power franchise fee structure and its implications.
Good evening. We're gonna get the agenda session going for the evening. It is five sixteen, so we are a minute late. Um the first item is actually purchasing and licensing licensing. Uh Councillor Randor, will you read in for Counselor Joe Rock? I sure can. Uh, President Nephew. Item two resolution eight thirty four is a resolution approving the issuance of a liquor license. Are there any questions on uh item number two? Um resolution eight thirty-five. Um see none, and we're gonna move on to personnel and counselor Randolph, would you mind just keep rolling? Um three, uh resolution seven ninety two is confirming the appointment of Muhammad Aton to the Duluth Public Utilities Commission. Resolution eight forty two confirming the reappointment of Andrew R. Straits to the Natural Resources Commission. Resolution eight forty-three is confirming the appointment of members to the Indigenous Commission. Resolution eight forty-five is confirming the appointment of Pezdevila to the Parks and Recreation Commission. And resolution eight forty six is confirming the appointment of members to the Transportation Commission. All right, thank you, Councillor Randor. Are there any questions on items three through seven? Um I have one. Oh go ahead, uh Counselor Desitel. Thank you. Uh President Nephew. I would like to um uh remove uh from the uh from the consent 26-80842. That's item number four. I will need to abstain from that vote. All right, thank you. And I believe Councilor Forsman usually pulls these um and tables them. So can we just pull all the personnel items? Uh clerk, is that correct? Oh, good idea. I think because these are President Nephew. Um I think because these are just standard appointments and uh Mr. Attan has already been interviewed. I don't believe these get tabled, but you are correct. Thank you for the clarification. So let's just pull the one 842 from consent. Um counselor Kalena. Yeah, uh just a quick question. I I mean I can appreciate Councillor Desitel's um concern about voting on an appointment of uh a relative. Um what I understand of conflict of interest law, if if that's the concern, I don't think there's necessarily a conflict of interest. Uh and uh I don't I don't know if we have legal counsel to confirm that, but uh it's just my memory of statutes in terms of so if if that matters, just to bring that to people's attention. Attorney Enslin, um, I believe it is Councillor Desatel's husband. Would it be appropriate to pull it? Yes, I'm seeing a nod. Uh yeah, President Nephew. Uh I mean there's no reason not to pull it from consent tonight, and I can take a look at the conflict of interest issue before Monday. Um I don't think it's inappropriate for her to abstain considering the relationship. Um, but I I don't think anyone suspects that there's I would prefer to abstain because of the relationship in this situation. Thank you, Councillor Desitel.