Grand Marais City Council passes second reading of public ordinance

The Grand Marais City Council met Wednesday, September 8 and passed a preliminary 2021 tax levy collectible in 2022, which if left as is would result in a 5.96 increase over last years’ levy. The property tax levy in 2021 was $990,867.39. For 2022 it is projected to be $1,049,962. Council has to the end of the year to set a final levy which can’t be higher than the preliminary levy and is usually less than the preliminary levy.

A public hearing was held to discuss amending the city zoning rules. City Administrator Mike Roth said he hadn’t received any public comments about the ordinance and no one from the public showed up at the public meeting. A recodification was held August 11 for ordinance 202-01, and this second recodification does not make any changes to the zoning rules other than renumbering.

Hearing nothing from the public, council passed the second reading of the ordinance, and a summary of the ordinance was adopted. Once the summary has been published, the new code will be formally adopted.

Council passed a resolution appointing Tracy Benson to fill the vacancy on the city council left by the resignation of Kelly Swearengen. Tracy has served on the council in the past, but her appointment will now leave an opening on the public utilities commission, which she is currently a member of. Councilor Craig Schulte is the city liaison to the PUC and two members of the city council can’t serve on the PUC, so Tracy’s position will now be open. As a new city council member Tracy will serve the remainder of Swearengen’s term, which ends December 31, 2022.

The cities liability insurance agent Ben Peters attended the meeting to give a brief overview of the city’s annual insurance renewal. Ben told the council that the city would receive a reduction in the premium of about $2,000 this year. The League of Minnesota Cities looks at a city’s expenditures and scheduled credits when it sets insurance rates, and Ben said that when the cities expenditures were looked at, some things labeled expenditures in the past were removed and the price was reduced.

Peter’s said the City buildings were insured for $31,660,000, a 2.25 increase in building values over 2020, and the city’s annual dividend return would be about half of what it normally is because of the rioting and upheaval that occurred in 2020. No one at the meeting could recall what the city normally receives for a dividend payment, which goes into the general fund.