##VIDEO ID:AvM0gOT2d5s## all right we'll get this city council meeting for the city of international fall order it's 5:30 Monday December 16th if you can all join me in pledging allegiance to the flag I pled aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all all right thank you everybody our uh city council is full today so all members are present chair would entertain a motion to approve the agenda I don't know of any additions or deletions so chair would entertain a motion to approve as written we have a motion by councelor Buller second by councelor Wagner discussion hearing none call the question I all all right I and I will vote Yes motion carries 5 go down to the minutes we have the special Committee of the whole minutes from November 26th chair would entertain a motion to approve those I'll move we have a motion by councelor Kaylor do we have a second second second by councelor Buller discussion hearing none call a question I hi I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we go to the minutes of Monday December uh 2nd that was the regular city council meeting chair would entertain a motion to approve those I'll make that motion we have a motion by councelor Holden second second by councelor Wagner discussion hearing none call a question all all right I I I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we go to our uh truth and Taxation meeting which was also on Monday December 2nd chair would entertain a motion to approve those I'll move we have a motion by councelor Kaylor do we have a second second second by councelor Holden discussion hearing none call a question I I I I I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z and finally our committee of the whole meeting from last week chair would entertain a motion to approve those minutes so move Mo motion by councelor buler second by councelor Holden I'm Sorry by councelor Wagner I thought you going to get thought get I thought you going to throw a no hitter on your last I was doing really good that's probably because I thought of that and that's probably why that Happ I appreciate that yeah so we have a motion in a second the motion is by councelor Boulder the second is by councelor Wagner uh chair uh any questions call the question I I I I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we go to the resolutions for the payments and claims we have international Fall City transfers going to the 401 permanent Improvement fund of 6 666666 coming evenly out of the 601 water and the 603 sewer in the amount of $ 33,333 33 we have uh money's being transferred to the 403 reserved for Capital outlay 20,5 6725 and that's coming from the 601 water in the amount of $1 4,693 and the 603 sewer in the amount of $ 5, 8742 for total transfers of $87,200 191 accounts payable International Falls regular claims of $188,600 1547 and our airport claims of4 9855 total accounts uh payable is 6 $34,200 3 chair would entertain a motion to approve the uh payments and claims I'll move we have a motion by councelor Kaylor second we have a second by councelor Wagner discussion hearing none call a question I I hi hi and all vote Yes motion carries 5 Z we'll go to audience is there anyone in the audience that has anything to bring forward that's not on the agenda please sir if you want to come up and state your name for the record and your address I'm sorry yep Lawrence micus 9018 Street which is a corner property I'm to town and I don't wish to become Public Enemy Number One but I have pictures in the form of an email that I'd like for board anybody else to view if possible the city sidewalk the public sidewalk up until after Thanksgiving I had been shoveling That Sidewalk because I felt a sense of obligation the night that the blizzard started I was out there shoveling a lady came by walk her and she thanked me for shovel it a sidewalk and I said well that's that's fine I said I feel like it's it's my duty to do so for the people in the neighborhood she proceeded to tell me about the city city ordinance that it was my responsibility that I had by law to shovel that walk so I was out there that evening it started snowing probably after 2 2:00 I went out figured i' I'd get started on because it was going to be snowing all night the uh she had told me about how I was required to do it so I was out there till 8:00 shoveling got out the next morning I went out the next morning and there was a fresh probably 5 to 6 in on the sidewalk again I would like everybody to see these pictures I'd like to email them to you but I shoveled off the front sidewalk my front porch started on the sidewalk proceeded South all the way I probably worked for four to six hours maybe eight hours counting the night before I had just got through shoveling my last shovel out of the cleaning out the alley to clear a pathway to the next sidewalk South all of a sudden a plow goes by and I waved at him like thanks for doing such a good job I turned around looked back North and he had dumped probably close to 50 60 feet of his blades onto my freshly completely cleaned sidewalk and it's not God's snow that he dumped from the street onto my clean sidewalk ice bricks Boulders frozen snow and I I just could not believe how happy I was that I was done and now I was faced with this which is even more and heavier and different than what you initially did I I understand well the the thing was I I I called the town hall got the name of somebody from like streets and sanitation I I believe it was the department sent sent an email and I I had talked to one of the secretaries receptionist whatever the title would be and I had asked her uh what happens in a case like this I had just got through working for like close to eight hours the night before in that day with a shovel the stuff that D the the plow dumped onto the sidewalk you couldn't even take a snow plow through that unless it was about a $6,000 snow plow and my question would be where am I supposed to put the snow I was also told that it's illegal you can't put it back onto the street so the only choice I have is to do throw it all onto my property and when you're on the far side of the sidewalk if you can't throw it this way you got to throw it probably six six to eight feet to throw it back onto your own property so it it's like what was suggested to me which I was to wait for the snow plow to go by and then shovel to which I wrote back that if I did that then there's now more than twice as much snow on my sidewalk and I more or less got a response that too bad tough luck it was explained to me about 9th Street which I understand about 9th Street but it's to me that's a very wide Street and I just don't understand how anybody could be treated this disrespectfully as in in my case now I I think I think I I was out there shoveling like three times already today cleaning off the sidewalk the entire sidewalk and there's always cars that park on the west side of the street mhm so it's all that wet slush and snow sitting there now but I anticipate maybe later on this evening or tomorrow morning if those cars move that plow is going to come by and it's going to be the same type of situation where my the city's sidewalk that belongs to me now is going to be just filled with all this this ice and slush and whatever snow falls from now on into the morning so that's you know if there's an email I can send these pictures to you guys or I got them on my phone if you want to look at them right now if if you want to send them to the city administrator she will forward them to the um to The councel Bu you want to give him your your email address ready yes Betty b b e TTY y yep then the letter B then the letter B at c i b i CI for City C oh City CI CI dot International hyphen Falls pardon it's G to finish off just like that oh okay I know I should have brought my class it's such a bad email address well it's hard and I don't have a card with me either thank you well I can tell you uh from the council's perspective we we do understand we have the same issues that come up but I think that uh showing us what exactly what your your concern are and hearing what you had to say today is uh definitely something that we need to hear and bring back and have conversations with public works and make sure that we're all on the same page and see if there's something we can do to alleviate that in the future and welcome to the neighborhood I live literally a block away from you yeah I'm uh I'm here from Chicago okay and just so you guys know I'm a lifelong Dallas Cowboy fan so I've never never like the bear never like the Bears I hope that that went through because I don't see it as of yet but we'll see well thank you sir thank thank you very much appreciate everybody giving me the time and and I I can understand this the seriousness of 9th Avenue keep it open for the emergency vehicles and everything else but you know I'll accept my responsibility but if this keeps happening every time it's like you know I I didn't come up here to have a heart attack shoveling the city snow on the city sidewalk that now belongs to me all right well I appreciate it thank you thank you very much I did receive the photos and you have them check check those pictures out they're very interesting thank you anybody else have anything to bring forward please please do I need to State my name and no well I I think we I think we got you thank you mayor and Council just uh want to ask for your consideration on a couple things with the committee of the whole recommendations um four of us are going to be working together soon um the first one is under 7B which is the financial management plan for the utility funds um just please understand in no way am I contesting the water plant and what it needs or what it doesn't need I'm not an engineer so I don't know anything about that but there's such a massive price hike in those water rates over time um which is passed on to our consumers here and that affects some m one municipality outside of outside of the falls which would be rer and uh so I don't know what the answer is but we have this ambulance issue going on we talk about it all the time um we may need them for something someday and I don't know that that's the right Pathway to do it but um these are steep Pikes and so I just want to bring that up the other thing that I would ask for consideration on um for more discussion would be the rehabilitation of some of the Public Works facilities uh solely for the reason that I believe there's negotiations going on with public works right now and I think it would be the most important or the most prudent to make sure that we're going to have those workers and that they're happy before we go out and spend a significant amount of money um that's all I have so just wanted to be on the record for that Thank you Lisa and mayor council thank you anybody have anybody else have anything to bring up under audience all right hearing none there will also be an opportunity later in the meeting we'll go to Old business we have uh before us the city Levy uh final tax levy collect able in 2025 and the budget for International Falls uh as you know we had our truth and Taxation meeting and at the truth and Taxation meeting uh we had dropped the city taxes down from the 8% which was proposed down to 6.02 and there was a conversation uh at that meeting that we were going to have additional conversations to see if uh we could get it down even more uh last Monday if uh you look in the minutes that were in your packet we did have a additional conversation and there was some uh moving of um uh employment resources from Public Works being charged from the city of International Falls over to the voyagers national park because that's where they're doing uh some of their work so we were able to get the levy down to 5.81 from the original 8 that we were at so um I guess before I even ask for a motion I'll ask is there any questions or concerns that uh the council has with the um budget going to a 5.81 levy increase okay then chair would entertain a motion to approve the final tax levy at 5.81 I'll make that motion we have a motion by councelor Holden we have a second second second by councelor Wagner discussion hearing none call a question I I I I and I will vote Yes motion carries 5 Z so then we go to the city budget for 2025 chair would entertain a motion to approve that so move we have a motion by councelor buler do we have a second second second by councelor Wagner any discussion hearing none call what yes please um can you can you uh say like we're going to budget for 2025 and going to vote on that tonight yes um some of the things that are going to happen in 2025 I wasn't aware of what the changes are going to be or where the money is going to go what money we spend out tax money to go for whatever it is that was all the information that was at the uh the truth and Taxation that and and we had we opened it up for public comment at that time yes and did you have any questions at that time because to we have to have this into the to the county by next week I see so it's kind of like a rush can we why do why is it in such a rush it it it is in a rush we've been working on this since April and May we've worked it through we've had budget meetings every Monday for the past three months okay so some things some things that were changed um they were they were changed and they happen now there's this meeting here it seems like a lot a lot of the things that happened then there L changes made before this meeting started this this time is that true that that is not accurate the only change that we've had since uh last last mon or two Mondays ago when we had our uh truth and Taxation meeting was we showed the budget we said that we were willing to uh or able to bring it down from a 8% to 8.02 with the changes that came in from the airport we had a conversation um about that at the meeting that there was additional funds that came in at the airport so the city was able to save almost 2% of our Levy which is uh about 1% is about $40,000 so we were able to save that and the only change that we've had since that meeting is Public Works was able to save some money on uh their employ their uh uh employe employee costs came out of public Works uh the general public works and is getting moved over to the Eda fund which is what we utilize uh for voyagers National Park and the stuff that happens at Voyager National Park does not come against our Levy so the only thing that's changed between two weeks ago and tonight is we have found uh additional ways to save taxpayers money okay and then there between then and now I'm sorry sorry mayor and Council this is Charles C Nelson the City attorney who's ever speaking could they perhaps come up to the mic so everyone else can hear what they're saying rather than sitting in the back yelling oh I'm not yelling I'm sorry it's kind of hard to hear um yes uh my name is Joe caner I live on 16007 13th Avenue West um I've been I've been informed uh through other people that uh we are going to maybe get a salt shed uh in the works for the city that'll be coming up and it was in the budget that we had that was in in capital outlay so that was in the budget okay and then there's uh um there's going to be a Victor garage that's going to be built no not being built it's going to be it's going to be uh updated we're be updated and when we say updated we're getting it to current standards does not meet current standards right now and again that is in the budget okay and then the City Garage we're not getting a new City Garage we're getting it all fixed up we're fixing the City Garage to meet current standards well the thing is what I what I'm I'm gathering is that we're going to be spending a lot more money again this year on in 2025 and it's not sound like we're saving money but but we're spending more money than we have in taxes to pay for 2026 that's going to be coming up so basically I I I don't know our population is drowning our population is as big as it used to be our town is not as big as it used to be and I just don't see where we're going to come up with the the money to pay for our houses in 2026 I mean there it's going to be a crunch and people asking for raises and salaries and I just hear kind of stuff like that it's kind of gets annoying to hear all that when we're doing the best we can living in this town and I I don't know we're going to be able to afford it in in a couple more years I just I just don't see it I don't just I just think it's ridiculous so that's and I'm sorry if I yelled at you but you can't hear very good in the background you know but uh that's the way it is oh thank you and uh one other thing is is there some way or where can I get like you know we have salary workers that work for the city and then we have we have people that work hourly it's all public information all public information you're also you're welcome to request that from the office downstairs from who the office downstairs oh the office downstairs okay okay that's all I want to know thank you all right so we have a motion and a second on the budget for 2025 any other discussion hearing none call the question I I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we go to the consent agenda we have the approval for licenses uh for 2025 uh we have the MX Duty free shops uh gasoline pump license Carter kson snowplow license C5 a restaurant license and a theater license coffee Landing a restaurant license MW friends Incorporated doing business as friends garbage uh a garbage haulers license Pete Ham's Food Service doing business as Hardies a restaurant license the Rose Garden a restaurant license and True North properties a snowplow license would entertain a motion for the consent agenda I'll move second we have a motion by councelor Kaylor do we have and we have a second by councellor Buller no discussion on the consent agenda call the question I I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z all right we're at new business um the first item is one that I was uh requested to put on the agenda and historically they've always been able to come but they are going out of town to visit their uh grandchild so Ken Ken and Jackie Krueger are not able to make it here today but historically we have always uh supported the arrowhead 135 with the use of carry Park uh fireworks that evening police presence for the highway Crossing uh at 7:00 a.m. and a banner being hung at Smokey Bear Park so the chair would entertain a motion to approve those again this year I'll make got motion we have a motion by councelor Holden do we have a second second second by councelor Wagner [Applause] discussion well it was five years ago I found out it's the mayor's job to open up Carri park at 5:00 a.m. so I'll make sure you get the keys yeah because that's when I found out that was part of the duties um so we have a motion in a second I'll call the question hi hi hi and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we have the um approval or approval for the year 2025 license renewals that include tobacco or liquor we have um on the list border bar pizza an offsale license on sale license Sunday liquor license pool table license restaurant license jukebox license and Amusement Games license Elks Club 159 99 a club license restaurant license and Sunday liquor license espresso Lane LLC doing business as the library a Sunday liquor license an onsale liquor license and restaurant license Family Dollar LLC doing business as Family Dollar Store 300058 a cigarette license and a 32 offsale license Holiday Station Store doing business as Circle k274 6509 a 32 offsale license cigarette license gasoline pump license and restaurant license I Falls Group LLC doing business as Cobblestone hotel and sweets a restaurant license an onsale liquor license and a Sunday liquor license trm2 Incorporated doing business as chocolate mousse restaurant company a restaurant license and a wine on sale license trm5 um doing business as Samy's Pizza and Restaurant a liquor license an on sale liquor license restaurant license and a Sunday liquor license chair would entertain a motion to approve those so move we have a motion by councelor Wagner second second by councelor bowler discussion hearing none call question I I I I and I will abstain motion carries four four the Motions one exstension next we have the 2025 City License uh for Joe Napper and that is a snowplow license chair would entertain a motion to approve that I'll move all right we have a motion by councelor Kaylor second second by councelor Buller discussion hearing none call the question hi hi hi I I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we have the 2025 regular city council meeting schedule um keeping the City Council meetings on the 1st and 3rd at 5:30 and the committee the holes on the 2 Monday at 400 p.m. chair would uh entertain a motion to approve those I'll make them second we have a motion by councelor Buller we have a second by councelor Holden discussion hearing none call the question I I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we have the first reading of the shade tree Disease Control and prevention ordinance uh chair would entertain a motion to approve that I'll move motion by councelor Kaylor second second by councelor wigner discussion hearing none call a question I hi all yeah hi I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z all right lost me for a second I know I want some meeting that's what it is next uh we go go to the public works uh recommendation this would be uh uh to approve a stop sign at the intersection of 4th Street and 9th Avenue on the Fourth Street side with a uh thorough Fair of 9th Avenue chair would entertain a motion to approve that so move we have a motion by councelor Buller we have a second I'll second second by councelor Kaylor discussion hearing none call the question hi hi hi all vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we have the aw collective bargaining agreement for 2025 through 2027 for the firefighter engineers and paramedics chair would entertain a motion to approve that I'll make that motion we have a motion by councelor Holden I'll second we have a second by councelor Kaylor discussion hearing none call question I I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z the next item is the uh financial management plan for the utility funds as presented by Tammy omdal on November 4th 2024 U mayor I would I would move to table this until after the first of the year at the request of the mar okay and I agree with that so would that be a second that would be a second okay so we have a motion to table from councelor Kaylor and the second from councelor Holden discussion well I think out of respect to the new mayor coming in um he needs to take a look at this among maybe a few other things here um and he's coming in I believe January 6th uh he'll be the next mayor of International Falls um and out of respect that he should be able to look at this particular uh and there's more than one here that he probably would like to see us table so any other discussion I guess I I'm not willing to just railroad or push anything through but I guess my question would be the the timing on this it's not like we're pushing this we've been having these conversations for well over two years on this specific thing this is just where we gotten and again I'm not going to I'm not fighting anything um because I I know once we get anybody being seated get the information we're going to realize that we need to move this project forward and there has to be a way to fund it so I'm not going to fight it in any capacity but I do think that there's no reason that we can't do it today especially since everybody including the mayor-elect has had ample opportunity and meet with the folks that presented the information meet with Public Works meet with the city administrator to have these discussions but again um I'm very confident that the city's going to make the decision to move forward so I don't I don't think he's had enough time uh to look at the whole picture I think he deserves I know if I was coming in as mayor um the taxpayers here in International Falls are interested in us doing the best job we can do and so I feel that the new mayor should be able to take a a better look at this before we do any voting on it fair enough I uh yeah and I'm I'm not I agree with you there's been Apple time but I respect and con table My Views aren't going to change on it probably but give them some time it's only a couple weeks in the year so yeah please question can we put a deadline on it then his motion is to move it to the next next meeting the next meeting okay that's that's first meeting or the or the the first meeting first meeting okay okay thank you put that in the motion put that in the motion so that's in the motion yes okay that's said after the first all right so we have a motion to table from councelor Kaylor uh and seconded by councelor Holden till our first meeting in January call the question I I I I I'll vote yes motion carries 5 Z next approve the grant agreement for the design grant for the International Falls health and wellness center uh utilizing the 2023 $1 million bonding funds chair would entertain a motion to approve that so moved we have a motion by councelor Wagner second by councelor Kaylor I'm giving it to you all right Motion in a second any discussion yes I'd like to discuss it um I realiz that we got a million dollars to uh do design work on this and I realize we need to spend that money to get any more money from the state but I also want to I'll tell you this if we don't get any money from the state we got to take a real hard look at how much we're spending what we're doing with Carri Park so I would I would agree with those thoughts mate heartedly I Echo those thoughts as well all right so we have a motion in a second call the question I I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5- Z next we have the uh dsgw architecture report for the rehab rehabilitation of the VOR garage and Equipment garage to be financed and paid with budgeted Street and sanitary funds chair would entertain a motion to well first I'll open up for a motion to see if anyone wants to move forward or to table I'll make the motion to move forward move forward okay we have a motion to move forward do we have a second second we have a second by councelor Wegner we have a motion and second discussion I think that again the mayor needs to have the ability when he comes in to take a look at this before we move forward this he he brought up tonight it was B and D were big and so I think we need to give him the chance to look at every way of what's going on here with this for the taxpayers money okay any other discussion I I I would I I'm gonna say we should table this 12 that's what he asked for I know we need it I know how we're funding it um it's in the budget I know what Ted's done but if this will give um the mayor elect time to talk to Ted or some Public Works committee people about what's the plan of this is it's only a couple weeks three weeks you stay table again till the next meeting then yeah next meeting yeah are you offering a friendly amendment I am offering a friendly it's it's not hostile I can tell you that yeah be there's no rocks being you need to do BU you got to offer it up yeah offer up yeah all got to accept it oh we off for that I'll uh amend my motion to table it till the next meeting but um you know we've been without ass salt shed forever and it's totally against mpca regulations we are total out of violation there that we could end up with a big this is the VOR garage and then the VOR garage you got do uh some work on that to get the new VOR put into it because it won't go into it got to do some work on that and also the the drain in the in the blue shed doesn't work and that's getting pumped out so I we we need we need to do something here and it has to be done soon so and that's where the mayor could take a peek at it too and make sure I mean if we need to get it done we need to get it done it's right yeah anyway yeah I I'll amend my motion to uh uh wait till next meeting next meeting table table till first meeting in January all right thanks would you like withdraw my second from the first motion just just withdraw your I will withdraw my second all right so uh if he withdrew a second we have no motion on the table the chair would entertain a motion to um table to the next meeting I will make that motion we have a motion by second okay we have a motion in a second to table to the next meeting discussion on the table yep I uh again I'm only going to say I that this is something that we've had conversations about for legitimately the last two years it's came up this is money that's been set in capital outlay for years to be able to pay for this project this is not a project that is uh unfunded this is not going to directly affect the levy this is all things that have been planned for for years um so I'm I'm I'm again I'm fine with it but um just like I struggle from the national down you can't just stop doing business for two weeks waiting for the next next election but um I'm fine with it well we have a motion in a second it's two it's a couple weeks I don't I I understand what you're saying also because so we have a motion in a second to table call the question I hi hi I and I'll vote no we have a a 41 motion passes to table next we have uh proceeding with the work from Bolton and mink along with DWG or dsgw uh architecture for a lowest clean uh water partnership loan through the Minnesota uh Pollution Control agency to construct a new salt storage facility chair would I entertain a motion to approve that I'll move we have a motion by councelor Kaylor second yep and we have a second by councelor Wagner I have a question at this point if we are not moving forward with the uh Utility Fund at this time is this still one that we can uh we can move forward with do we need one for the other and I could be way off on this I'm way off perfect yeah okay okay I appreciate that yeah all right so we have a motion in a second uh call the question I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5- z uh next we have the 2025 2026 uh lobbyist agreement with Capitol Hill Associates chair would entertain a motion to approve that I'll move we have a motion by councelor Kaylor do we have a second second second by councelor wigner discussion hearing none call the question I I I I I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we go [Music] to uh the removal of a firefighter uh volunteer firefighter from the international false fighter Department due to Civil Service rule number 14 that is uh Sam Rios Jr chair would entertain a motion to accept that resignation Jo moved all right second motion by councelor Wagner second by councelor Holden discussion hearing none call the question I I I I and I will vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we have the uh removal of a casual paramedic from the International Falls Ambulance Service due to inactivity um that is Becky Brun chair would entertain a motion to approve that so moved okay we have motion by councelor wigner second by councelor Buller discussion hearing none call a question I I I I and I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z next we go to a letter of resignation from emergency medical technician uh Lynn zook chair would entertain a motion to approve that I'll move we have a motion by councelor Buller a second by councelor Kaylor discussion hearing none call the question I I I thanks I'll vote Yes motion carries 5 Z any other business come before the council hearing none we'll go to the reports of uh boards committees department heads City administrator thank you mayor council mayor first of all um as your last meeting with us I would like to take this time to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for your dedication of service as mayor and a city counselor over the past 10 years um during your time as mayor and counselor you've uh worked tirelessly to address w a wide range of issues of dur um facing our city over the years from Economic Development initiatives to infrastructure improvements you have always put the needs of our community first your leadership and vision Have Been instrumental in shaping the future of our city and ensuring that it ensuring that it remains great place to live and work and for that mayor as your term as uh mayor comes to an end I want to take the opportunity to personally thank you mayor droba for your service and for everything you've done for the city of International Falls and I wish you the best in your future endeavors well you're the best well thank you you're welcome and further I would like to thank the entire city staff for everything they've done over the year um we've gotten a lot done they are hard workers and um just want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year super cool uh City attorney uh I can't top that so ditto and nothing else perfect uh department heads anyone have anything to bring forward all right we'll go to uh in your packet you have the monthly uh police report for November the fire rescue EMS monthly report uh from November 2024 so we'll go to reports of the mayor council committees boards and commissions anybody have anything to bring forward there please yeah uh Public Safety Committee uh today we met um we're working on the security of this building and it's we've pretty much run its course in that group so we would need to move it to Committee of the whole for the next discussion for everyone to then move it forward to where we need to go okay anything else I would I would just like to Betty's words and CU I was on the council when you were first elected on the council and I've watched you grow as a counselor and a leader in our uh um RIS relationship has grown for the better since that time I think it did I think it did consider your friend now I wanted to tell you that and to everybody else Merry Christmas thanks to all the city staff and if you have youngsters and you're looking for some french toast on uh Saturday from 9 to 10:30 or 11: depending on the crowd there will be breakfast or Santa for the kids down at the El Club sorry to step on your toes that's all right all right I'd like to say something about Harley too when I first got oh now I'm scared you better be but when I first first got on the city council um I actually had a daughter that prayed that Harley and I would get along true story true story and I'll be darn if that didn't work because you and I didn't start off on the best of terms however I learned that you did all right and there's been times when I thanked you for what you've done in some hard situations um but yeah I never thought I'd be saying that never in a million years did I think I'd be saying that and actually there's a lot of areas where he's done a really good job so appreciate it thank you Mike y i i [Applause] well I I didn't even write much down I just wrote down um you know I've thought a lot over the last uh couple of weeks that tonight's going to be my last meeting and uh I remember when I first got on city council and one of the things that uh had came up is while I was running for that first term as a senator Ward city counselor the mill had just laid off 250 people roughly and the Community was really concerned and scared about what that was going to be and I was out there in the community having conversations with people saying that I wanted to be on city council and I wanted to do this and I wanted to do that and sometimes what you want to do when you get on city council isn't what you can actually get done because it's bigger than uh it's bigger and government moves really slow really slow um you know we've been look looking at uh trying to get some annexation done we have gotten some annexation done not enough we have tried to do some economic development uh we have a project that's still in the works and I'm really looking forward to seeing Felix and uh and those guys pull it off out there at the multimodal we um we've done some great stuff our downtown is very um there's not a lot of empty spaces down downtown there's there's one that really look you see it you see it a lot but our downtown is uh is doing really well our streets our roads our infrastructure it's not where we want it but it's considerably better than where it was and uh you know going back to that story about you know saying the wrong things when I was running because I I I didn't know what I know now it's so much easier to say what what's important and how we can do it do it better it's uh it it's been a wild ride and I I want to thank my first city council which was uh Pete well Pete you were over here I was right there you were over there yeah uh and uh Brian Briggs mayor Anderson myself at Center Ward and Cynthia jacksaw and since then we've had Walt Buller kesan Johnson or kesan Johnson k AA Pearson uh your mind on football might mine might be on football tonight uh Joe Krauss uh Tim Wagner uh uh Chelsea Nelson which is now our city um attorney Mike Holden and uh you know we've had a lot of a lot of things have came up in the time that I've been here I became mayor shortly after September 20th after Bob passed away uh 2019 going right into a global pandemic so that was kind of fun um I remember that it was probably six seven weeks maybe maybe a month after I became mayor I sat in this room by myself and had a city council meeting the city administrator was downstairs in his office and all the city councilors were at home but we couldn't be in a room together to have a meeting so I may be the only mayor that had an empty room meeting but we've done some great things in our community and I think my biggest my biggest thing is whatever happens starting in in January I appreciate the council uh pushing some stuff to next year so the mayor Dill will be able to look at it and move stuff forward I don't want our community to ever be fractured so whatever happens from here on out mayor Dill has my 100% support and I'm there for you if you need anything um if you have questions if you have people you need to who do I talk to for this I just want you to succeed so that we succeed as a community because the last thing we need is to go backwards so I'm looking forward to where the city goes with the city council here along with uh mayor dill and I'm very excited to see what happens because change is good I always said change is really good unless you're talking about Mayors but it might be good anyway so I just want to say thank you to all the department heads uh all of the staff of the city it it has been a wild ride and after it was all said and done I got to say the most important people that have made me got me through this are sitting in the front seats right there they've only been to two meetings couple of committees couple committee meetings but my family has been with me the whole way in the good and the bad in the the days that I leave this meeting just shaking because I'm I'm a upset nervous whatever um but then the good times too when when you come home and you want to go out and celebrate cuz you have some wins so thank you guys you're the best uh I'll tell you more about how great you guys are later so I have nothing else um got an idea you should get her flowers I bought her a flower shop all right I was going to say where did he get those he knows someone so we'll uh I have nothing else we'll go to audiences too I think uh uh for about incoming mayor mayor uh Dill I think that we all all of us here want to work with you best we can and if there's anything that we can do to help and and to work together because that's that's the only way we're going to get something done if we all work together and and I I hate when I ramble and I do ramble um that was one of the things when I came on in on city council Pete wasn't lying we didn't get along we you know but but that's the thing we we ended up getting a a tight-nit group we have disagreements me and Mike still have disagreements we still get along and that's that's the important thing to walk out of here if you have a 3-2 vote and you leave this room we're all doing what we think is best for a community nobody oh I almost said a bad word nobody's a bad guy in the situation it's just having a difference of opinion and everybody want if you have a item that is dividing your community you literally should have a divided city council that that makes a decision and moves forward but don't look back make your decision make sure it works and then uh once you once you get down the road and you see whether it works or not that's when you make the decision if if you should have done it I have nothing else I will not ramble on anymore thank you in your packet you does anyone want to come for uh AIO all right in in your packets you have correspondents from the voyagers National Park Service uh the winter Visitor Center hours and activities and the arrowhead Metro or Arrowhead Transit Metro from December 2024 reminders uh we'll be closing for the Christmas holiday it'll be a half day on Tuesday the 24th and we will be closed on Wednesday TW the 25th public offices will be closed on New Year's holiday for Wednesday January 1st there's a public hearing on January 6th for a special assessment uh wow you get a public hearing right off the bat congratulations and uh next city council meeting will be with uh mayor dill and these folks on January 6th it has been a pleasure to serve the city for the last 10 years got over there