Duluth City Council Meeting – September 28, 2026

On Monday, September 28, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, the Duluth City Council held its regular meeting. The Council unanimously approved the consent agenda, passed several resolutions and ordinances, and heard public testimony on a franchise fee agreement, a proposed code of conduct, concerns about a potential animal shelter merger, and school district finances. All members were present; Councilor Clanaugh participated remotely via Teams.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of September 14, 2026 – Approved unanimously (9-0).
• 26-0834R – Liquor license issuance for Zeitgeist Arts (temporary expansion).
• 26-0792R – Appointment of Muhammet Atan to the Duluth Public Utilities Commission.
• 26-0845R – Appointment of Pez Davila to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
• 26-0846R – Appointment of members to the Transportation Commission.
• 26-0825R – Agreement with the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families for up to $73,544.50 in SNAP E&T 50/50 funds (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027).
• 26-0835R – Vacation of a retained utility and pedestrian easement in vacated 50th Avenue East (Crosley Park Addition).
• 26-0840R – Clarifying the term of interim controls on a short-term rental permit moratorium.
• 26-0841R – Conditional pre-commitment of $228,000 in Statewide Affordable Housing Aid (FY2027) to One Roof Community Housing for the Faith Haven Apartments Rehabilitation Project.
• 26-0826R – Acceptance of a one-year extension of an EPA grant to improve public access to the St. Louis River Estuary.
• 26-0827R – First amendment to a sub-recipient agreement with the St. Louis River Citizens Action Committee for public access along the St. Louis River.
• 26-0828R – Application to the Minnesota Historical Society for up to $20,000 from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants Program for a building conditions assessment at Enger Tower.

All consent items were adopted unanimously by roll call vote (9-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brandon Parker (District 4) spoke on two agenda items:
  • Ordinance 26-042-O (Minnesota Power franchise fee): Expressed support for moving from a 10-year to a 3-year agreement, noting it allows future councils to hold Minnesota Power accountable for carbon reduction commitments, rate increases, and the proposed sale to BlackRock. Praised revised fee structure but urged raising residential rates to ~4% and commercial/industrial to 6–7% to reduce reliance on property tax levies.
  • Resolution 26-0810R (Standing Rules Code of Conduct): Questioned whether the code would apply to councilors or the public, and whether it would address microaggressions among councilors or potential open meeting law violations.
• Kelsey Pettit (District 2, Animal Allies Humane Society staff): Opposed a potential merger of the city's animal control facility with Animal Allies without a city-subsidized building expansion and additional funding. Cited capacity shortfalls (over capacity for dogs by 10 kennels and cats by 45 kennels), a three-year adoption low, and a nearly 80% drawdown of organizational savings over six years. Warned that without a real plan, euthanasia for space could occur, and the shelter may close before 2030.
• Loren Martell (District 2): Discussed ISD 709's bond referendum, noting lack of media coverage in 2023 and difficulty obtaining financial information. Announced a public forum on the referendum scheduled for September 29, 2026, at 5:00 PM at The Garden in Canal Park.

Discussion Items

• Resolution 26-0842R (Reappointment of Andrew R. Streitz to Natural Resources Commission): Approved 8-0-1 (Councilor Desotelle abstained due to a family relationship with the appointee).
• Resolution 26-0843R (Appointment of members to the Indigenous Commission): Councilor Forsman moved to return the nomination to the administration, explaining the commission is under new leadership and conducting a reset. Motion carried unanimously (9-0).
• Resolutions 26-0800R, 26-0801R, 26-0802R, 26-0812R (Tax levies for 2027): These four resolutions had been tabled. Councilor Randorf successfully moved to remove each from the table (all unanimously). After brief remarks, each was approved unanimously (9-0):
  • 26-0800R – General purposes levy.
  • 26-0801R – Special Parks Fund levy.
  • 26-0802R – Housing and Redevelopment Authority levy. Councilor Randorf thanked HRA Executive Director Keppers for maxing the levy, enabling the Mission Heights and Union Gospel Mission projects.
  • 26-0812R – Duluth Transit Authority levy. Councilor Randorf thanked Finance Director Chris Beldon for a restrained budget. Councilor Klana praised DTA's utilization and encouraged social marketing of transit.
• Resolution 26-0810R (Amending Standing Rules to include a Code of Conduct): Vice President Kennedy stated the authors' intention to leave the item on the table. No action taken.
• Ordinances read for the first time:
  • 26-041-O – Taxable grant anticipation revenue notes (not to exceed $61,630) for municipal water utility improvements.
  • 26-042-O – Establishing the franchise fee to be paid by Minnesota Power.
• Ordinances read for the second time and approved:
  • 26-024-O – Revising Chapter 13 of the city code (various sections). Approved unanimously (9-0).
  • 26-040-O – Amending Chapter 50 regarding lodging (permitted uses, parking, enforcement, etc.). Approved unanimously (9-0).

Key Outcomes

• The Consent Agenda was adopted in full (9-0).
• Appointment of Andrew R. Streitz to the Natural Resources Commission was confirmed (8-0-1).
• The nominations for the Indigenous Commission were returned to the administration (9-0).
• Four 2027 tax levy resolutions (general, parks, HRA, DTA) were removed from the table and each approved unanimously (9-0).
• The proposed Code of Conduct amendment to the Standing Rules was left on the table with no vote.
• Two ordinances (water utility notes and MN Power franchise fee) received first readings; final passage will occur at a future meeting.
• Two second-reading ordinances (Chapter 13 revisions and lodging code amendments) were passed unanimously (9-0).
• Councilor Desotelle thanked staff for fiber optic solutions in District 2.
• Councilor Klana thanked citizen Parker for his comments and noted the need for equitable handling of the code of conduct.
• Councilor Johnson clarified that Standing Rule #18 (enforcement) is already in effect and urged caution on franchise fee increases that could affect supportive housing providers.