March 17, 2025 City Council Minutes
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
March 17, 2025
Mayor Anderson called the City Council meeting to order at 6:30p.m. with the following members present: Councilor Ed Roskoski, Bradley Gustafson, Al Stanaway, Julie Buria, and Mayor Peggy Anderson. Also, present were: Craig Wainio, City Administrator; Tim Satrang, Director of Public Works; Anna Amundson, Library Director/Special Events Coordinator; Amanda Inmon, Municipal Services Secretary; Al Johnson, City Engineer; Bryan Lindsay, City Attorney; and Mark Madden, Fire Department Chief.
It was moved by Buria and seconded by Gustafson the consent agenda be approved as follows:
- Approve the minutes of March 3, 2025, regular meeting.
- That the communications be accepted and placed on file and those requiring further action by the City Council be acted upon during their proper sequence on the agenda.
- To acknowledge the receipts for the period March 1-15, totaling $374,842.30 (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
- To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period March 1-15, totaling $374,039.63 (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried (No: Roskoski; Yes: Gustafson, Stanaway, Buria and Anderson).
It was moved by Roskoski to amend the original motion to remove the Napa Christenson bills in the amount of $637.00 from the consent agenda for separate consideration. The motion failed.
Public Forum:
- Jay Haapala, AARP representative, and Cheryl Ells, St. Louis County representative, spoke regarding the City of Mountain Iron became the 965th community to enroll in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
The Mayor reported on the following:
- No formal report
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Buria to send a letter of support for Mr. Michael Jugovich to be appointed to the LCCMR Board. The motion carried.
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Buria to approve the issued proclamation declaring April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The motion carried.
City Administrator:
- No formal report
Director of Public Works:
- City Crews are clearing ice from catch basins/culverts throughout the city
Library Director/Special Events coordinator:
- 40th Annual Easter Egg hunt
- Saturday, April 19th at noon
- City-wide garage sale
- Friday, May 16th & Saturday, May 17th
City Engineering:
- No formal report
It was moved by Roskoski that on a request from Ann’s Acres residents, for the safety of the people that live there, that the City Engineer evaluate the lack of water drainage and the street crown on Spruce Dr. from County 7 east to the Aspen Lane intersection area; and come up with suggestions and costs on how to remedy the lack of water drainage in that area. A manhole and water shutoff also have to be raised up to the crown level The motion failed due to lack of support.
City Attorney:
- Suggested that since a possible quorum of the Council could be present at committee boards and/or meetings that it be posted as “work sessions” or “council workshop” for legal purposes
It was moved by Roskoski, so the residents of Mountain Iron will know what money is coming into City Hall and going out of City Hall, that a complete list receipts, bills, and payroll be included in the Mountain Iron City Council minutes published monthly in the Hometown Focus. The motion failed due to lack of support.
Fire Department:
- Canceled calls outweighed actual working calls, with a majority of calls were CO2 false alarm calls, reminded residents to check alarms and batteries
- Fire Department Auxiliary is up and running and separate entity from the Fire Department
It was moved by Roskoski to approve the Fire Department report as presented. The motion failed due to lack of support.
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Stanaway to accept the recommendation of the Planning & Zoning Committee and approve the Variance permit for Jason and Erika Strahan. The Variance permit is for construction of a building that does not meet the required 25ft setback. The property is legally described as follows:
Parcel Code: 175-0059-00050
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: PLAT NAME: VIDMAR BLOCK CITY OF MTN IRON; SECTION: -; TOWNSHIP: – ; RANGE: – ; LOT 0005; BLOCK: – ; DESCRIPTION: LOT: 0005
Address: 5429 Mineral Avenue, Mountain Iron, MN 55768
The motion carried (No: Roskoski; Yes: Gustafson, Stanaway, Buria and Anderson).
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Gustafson to accept the recommendation of the Planning & Zoning Committee and approve the Conditional Use (CUP) for Silver Spur LLC, ICS- Builds (Northland Learning Center/ICS Builds), for a Conditional Use permit. The Conditional Use (CUP) permit is for the construction of an educational facility in a commercial zone. The property is legally described as follows:
PARCEL CODE: 175-0071-00901
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: PLAT NAME: MTN IRON; SECTION: 11 ; TOWNSHIP: 58 ; RANGE: 18 ; LOT: – ; BLOCK: – ; DESCRIPTION: SW1/4 of SW1/4 of SE1/4, EXCEPT South 300 feet of West 300 feet; AND EXCEPT part commencing on the west line 650.43 feet North of the Southwest corner and assigning a bearing of N01deg02’53″W to said west line; thence N86deg59’44″E 300 feet; thence S01deg02’53″E 350.71 feet to a point 300 feet North of the south line of forty; thence S87deg02’56″W 300 feet; thence N01deg02’53″W 350.43 feet to the Point of Beginning; AND EXCEPT the Easterly 370.00 feet of the Southerly 380.00 feet of SW1/4 of SW1/4 of SE1/4.
Address: 8580 Enterprise Drive South, Mountain Iron, MN 55768
The motion carried.
Liaison:
- Councilor Roskoski announced
- Mountain Iron Public Library meeting, Wednesday, March 19th @ 4:30pm to be held at the Mountain Iron Library
- Councilor Gustafson spoke regarding the following:
- March 7th was Employee Appreciation Day – treats given to City Offices, Library and Garage as well as Fire Department
- Parks & Recreation meeting, Wednesday, March 26th @ 5:30pm
- Councilor Buria
- EDA meeting update – discussion regarding units and subsidized housing
- UAB meeting update – Public Works Director brought information regarding possible Public Works updates, will have more information
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Buria to approve Resolution #02-25; Approving Plans and Specifications and Ordering Advertisement for Bids for Improvement Number MI22-08, alleyway between Old Highway 169 and Mineral Avenue (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried (No: Roskoski; Yes: Gustafson, Stanaway, Buria and Anderson).
It was moved by Buria and seconded by Stanway to approve Resolution #03-25; Declaring Adequacy of Petition and Ordering Preparation of Report, for improvement of Enterprise Drive South (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Roskoski to approve the Access and Utility Easement Agreement between the City of Mountain Iron and Northland Learning Center as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Buria to authorize the Soroptimist of Virginia a Temporary On-sale Liquor License, for their event to be held on April 23rd at the Cinema 6 Movie Theatre. The motion carried.
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Buria to approve the resignation of Kim Koebensky, from the Economic Development Authority (EDA). The motion carried.
Announcement:
- Merritt Days Committee planning meeting
- Tuesday, April 8th at 5:00pm at the Mountain Iron Library
- 2025 Merritt days – August 4th – August 9th
At 7:27p.m., it was moved by Buria and seconded by Gustafson the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried.
Submitted by:
Amanda Inmon
Municipal Services Secretary
