Thursday, August 15, 2024 · 6:00 PM
One-line summary
At the August 15, 2024 work session, Council approved an amended agenda, changed City Office and Recycling Center public hours because of staffing shortages, discussed the 2025 preliminary budget, voted to increase liquor licenses and hold a public hearing, and adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
4 items as recorded in the agenda, packet, and minutes, each with a plain-English summary of what was at issue.
1Call to Order, Roll Call, Approve Agenda
Call to Order, Roll Call, and Approve Agenda.
Mayor Pilon called the work session to order at 6:04 p.m.; roll call showed Alders absent and the other four council members present. Council approved the amended agenda, and the meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
The agenda was approved as amended.
2Staffing Discussion
Staffing discussion added to the amended agenda regarding City Office and Recycling Center hours.
Because the city was short-staffed, Council added a staffing item to the agenda and approved closing the City Office and Recycling Center to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays. The office will be open to the public Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; the Recycling Center will be open Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and every Saturday, with Council Members Breyen and Rainville volunteering every other Saturday.
Council approved revised public hours for the City Office and Recycling Center, with two council members volunteering at the Recycling Center on alternating Saturdays.
32nd 2025 Budget Discussion
Second discussion of the 2025 budget.
Council discussed ways to reduce the 2025 preliminary budget, including the proposed levy increase, use of fund balance, staffing changes, the Fire Chief cost, staff retention, COLA and merit increases, Transportation Aid, revenues, and expenditures. Council also passed a motion to increase liquor licenses and hold the required public hearing; no final preliminary budget or levy adoption is recorded in these minutes.
The packet included updated capital improvement and equipment replacement plans for Council review, reflecting prior work-session changes such as reducing future road projects to a maximum of $500,000 per year, removing future park capital improvements, including a 2025 cold storage building, and planning several equipment replacements. The minutes do not record a separate vote adopting these plans at this meeting.
The minutes record discussion of the preliminary budget and a motion to increase liquor licenses and hold a public hearing, but no final budget or levy adoption at this work session.
4Adjourn
Adjournment.
Mayor Pilon called the work session to order at 6:04 p.m.; roll call showed Alders absent and the other four council members present. Council approved the amended agenda, and the meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
4 motions on the record. Split votes are highlighted.
M1MOTION BY MAYOR PILON, 2ND BY CM FLADEBO TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS AMENDED.
moved by Pilon, seconded by Fladebo
M2MOTION BY CM RAINVILLE, SECONDED BY CM FLADEBO TO CLOSE THE CITY OFFICE TO THE PUBLIC AND RECYCLING CENTER WEDNESDAY'S AND FRIDAY'S. CITY OFFICE OPEN TO PUBLIC 10:00AM - 5:00PM MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY. (ADMINISTRATOR TO MANAGE LUNCH BREAKS) - RECYCLING CENTER OPEN TUESDAY, THURSDAY BY STAFF 11:00AM - 5:00PM AND OPEN EVERY SATURDAY WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS BREYEN AND RAINVILLE HELPING STAFF BY VOLUNTEERING AT THE RECYCLING CENTER EVERY OTHER SATURDAY EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
moved by Rainville, seconded by Fladebo
M3MOTION BY MAYOR PILON, SECONDED BY CM FLADEBO TO INCREASE THE LIQUOR LICENSES AND HOLD PUBLIC HEARING.
moved by Pilon, seconded by Fladebo
M4MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BREYEN TO ADJOURN.
moved by Breyen
When someone referred back to earlier business, we found the matching prior discussion and tied it in here.
The City of Nowthen met on May 6th and July 29th to discuss the capital improvement plan (CIP) and an equipment replacement plan (ERP). At that meeting several items were discussed and changed. Staff, the mayor and the consultant also met once in March to discuss the current capital and equipment replacement plans for the next five years.
— Lori Yager
What this is about
Prior Council and staff discussions of the capital improvement and equipment replacement plans from May 6, July 29, and March 2024.
The records I searched do not contain a prior decision or meeting record matching this recollection about May 6, July 29, or March 2024 discussions of the capital improvement plan (CIP) and equipment replacement plan (ERP). The search results returned unrelated 2026 packet materials, including fee schedules, legal/prosecution service agreements, police reports, and Farmers Market support, but nothing documenting the 2024 CIP/ERP meetings or any changes made at those meetings.
The changes from the July 29th meeting have been implemented to the CIP and ERP they include:
— Lori Yager
What this is about
Changes made after the July 29 budget/CIP discussion.
The records I searched do not contain a prior July 29 budget or CIP/ERP meeting discussion matching this recollection, and they do not show a formal vote or specific list of CIP/ERP changes from July 29. The only budget-related item in the results is an April 14, 2026 email exchange about possible employee wage step increases and their projected budget impact, but that does not appear to be the July 29 CIP/ERP discussion Lori Yager was referencing.
NOT ADDRESSED AT 52 July 29 th Mtg.
— Natalie Johnson
What this is about
Budget questions that were not addressed at the July 29 meeting.
The records I searched do not contain a specific July 29 meeting record or a list of budget questions marked “not addressed” at that meeting. The closest match is the January 13, 2026 packet, which says that the City Council held four meetings between July and November to discuss and plan the 2026 budget, but it does not identify a July 29 meeting or any unanswered questions from that date. At the January 13, 2026 meeting, Financial Consultant Yager presented the 2026 budget and levy proposal, noting a final levy of $2,332,787 and an $8,645 reduction from the amount shown on Truth in Taxation notices. The records provided do not show a formal prior decision specifically tied to unresolved July 29 budget questions.
What was our operational increase last year? 8.3% 2024 - 7% for 2025 with Levy increase.
— Natalie Johnson
What this is about
Question about the prior year's operational increase for comparison to the 2025 budget.
The records searched do not contain a prior 2024 or 2025 budget discussion that directly states an “operational increase” of 8.3% for 2024 or 7% for 2025, nor a formal vote tied to those percentages. The closest related records are later financial materials. In the May 12, 2026 meeting packet, the audit materials show total General Fund revenues increased from $2,293,339 in 2024 to $2,311,596 in 2025, a 0.80% increase, while taxes and special assessments increased by $174,734 due to new assessments and an increase in the tax levy. The same packet notes the City’s 2026 tax levy would increase to $2,332,787, a 9.55% increase, primarily for debt service. At the January 13, 2026 meeting, the 2026 budget presentation similarly described the proposed final levy of $2,332,787, with the general fund operating levy increasing by $17,515 and the debt levy increasing by $185,906.
Is the Sheriffs contract complete? (2 CC members asked this question) The contract is attached - which needs to be approved, it will be on the August 20th regulare city council meeting agenda.
— Natalie Johnson
What this is about
Council question about whether the Sheriff contract was complete and its upcoming approval.
The records I searched do not contain a prior council decision approving a Sheriff’s contract or confirming that the contract was complete. The closest matches are routine Sheriff-related items: at the April 14, 2026 meeting, the council received the Anoka County Sheriff’s Department monthly report and “Meet the Deputies” presentation, but the minutes do not show a contract approval or vote on a law enforcement services agreement. The May 12, 2026 packet also includes Sheriff’s Office monthly report materials, but again no formal contract action is shown in the search results. I also do not see an August 20 regular City Council agenda item or minutes in these results confirming that the attached contract was later approved.
1\. The City regularly receives inquiries from property owners, real estate professionals, developers and proposed purchasers ("Requesting Parties" or each a "Requesting Party") in relation to
# CITY OF NOWTHEN ANOKA COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA # ORDINANCE NO. 2026-XX # AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE SCHEDULE OF FEES FOR THE CITY OF NOWTHEN, MINNESOTA WHEREAS, the City Code, Chapter 1
D. Preapplication Complex Project Review and Environmental Review. If (i) because of the size, scope, density or topography related to a particular development proposal, the City determines tha
CITY OF NOWTHEN </figure> RESOLUTION No. 2026-XX Council Meeting Location: Historic Townhall 19800 Nowthen Blvd NW Nowthen MN, 55330 # A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF THE SERVICE AGREEMENT W
CITY OF NOWTHEN </figure> Council Meeting Location: Historic Townhall 19800 Nowthen Blvd NW Nowthen MN, 55330 ## RESOLUTION No. 2026-XX ### A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE STATE OF MINNESOTA JOINT POWERS A
Documents and recordings archived for this meeting, when available.
Meeting City Council Work Session — Minutes (2024-08-15)
Minutes · Thursday, August 15, 2024
2 pages
Meeting City Council Work Session — Agenda (2024-08-15)
Agenda · Thursday, August 15, 2024
1 pages
Meeting City Council Work Session — Agenda Packet (2024-08-15)
Packet · Thursday, August 15, 2024
53 pages
The structured brief on this page is auto-generated and may need correction. The PDFs and the meeting recording remain the official record. What do the trust labels mean?