May 19, 2025 City Council Minutes
MINUTES
MOUNTAIN IRON CITY COUNCIL
May 19, 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 Stanaway the consent agenda be approved as follows:
- Approve the minutes of May 5, 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 May 1-15, totaling $302,867.20 (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
- To authorize the payments of the bills and payroll for the period May 1-15, totaling $376,401.00 (a list is attached and made a part of these minutes).
The motion carried.
Public Forum:
- No one spoke during the forum
The Mayor reported on the following:
- Thank you to the city crew for the work done on the leak on Mountain Ave
City Administrator:
- Attending IRRRB meeting as representative – City receiving two million dollars for watermain replacement, Wastewater Plant improvements and Enterprise Drive NE extension
Director of Public Works:
- City acted as fiscal agent for Quad Cities Dewatering project
- Crew finishing mowing, sweeping, assisting contractor at waterline replacement
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Buria to approve Pay Request No. 2 – Quad Cities Dewatering project, in the amount of $18,217.88 to 2EZ Inc. DBA: Jola and Sopp Excavating, Inc., Eveleth, MN. The motion carried unanimously on roll call vote.
Library Director/Special Events Coordinator:
- City-wide garage sale – roughly 32 participants
- Mountain Iron-Buhl High School students performing community service projects throughout the community
City Attorney:
- Authorization to attend next P&Z meeting
- Update on reviewing city’s assessment policy, City’s policy is in line with MN Statute
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Buria to authorize the City Attorney to attend the next P&Z meeting. The motion carried.
It was moved by Roskoski the following information is from the League of MN Cities and the research department of the MN House of Representatives in regard to Minnesota’s Statute Chapter 429 and related. Special Benefit test, that the City Attorney has mentioned, special assessments reflect the influence of a specific local improvement on the value of selected property; no matter what method the City uses to establish the amount of assessment, the real measure of benefit is the increase in market value of the land/property being improved against. Under the Special Benefits test, special benefits are presumptively valid if the land receives a special benefit from the improvement; the assessment does not exceed the special benefit measured by the increase in market value due to the improvement; the assessment must be uniform as applied to the same class of property in assessed area. Because special assessments are appealable in District Court, its important that the City considers the benefit of the property as a result of the specific improvement. Councils often do this by obtaining a qualified licensed appraiser; at the hearings on the assessment, the appraiser presents a written or oral report on the increase in market value as a result of the improvement. A special assessment that exceeds the Special Benefit, is taking a property without fair compensation and violates the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Minnesota Constitution. As Courts have made clear, the Special Benefit is an increase in market value of the land as a result of an improvement, especially in regard to street improvements. It may be very difficult to demonstrate if there is any significant increase in market value as a result of the resurfacing or restructuring of a street. And going forward, that the City of Mountain Iron and our Economic Development Authority will from March 19, 2025, (today) and into the future follow Minnesota Statute Chapter 429 and all the implacable subdivisions for assessing procedures on City funded projects. Read the information from the League of MN Cities, a lot more pages that get more specific. What Councilor Roskoski is really getting at is that since he has been involved with our government since 1983, Mountain Iron has never “really” followed State procedures, they kind of just “rah a rah” and a lot of people accept it. There have been some people that in recent years that have done more in-depth study than himself, they are the ones that opened his eyes and got his ears going, some people go “what the heck.” That was Councilor Roskoski’s motion, the motion failed due to lack of support.
City Engineering:
- Mineral Ave watermain project started– possible water shutdown in downtown area
Fire Department:
- Crews responded to DNR request – staged to help with various recent fires
- Thank you to those individuals who took time away from their jobs and families to help with the recent fires.
It was moved by Roskoski to accept the Fire Department report as presented. The motion failed due to lack of support.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Gustafson to approve the Conditional Use Permit for Nous Sommes Mason, LLC, for the construction of brewing, bottling and packaging of beverages, and retail space, for one year. The property is legally described as follows:
PARCEL CODE: 175-71-01218
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Plat Name: MT IRON Section:-; Township: 58; Range: 18; Lot:-; Block: -; Description: PART OF SE1/4 OF NE1/4 COMMENCING AT SE CORNER THENCE W 458.31 FT TO E R/W LINE OF RAILROAD THENCE NW ALONG R/W 804.31 FT THENCE N 80 DEG 22 MIN 1 SEC E 162 FT TO PT OF BEG THENCE CONTINUE SAME BEARING 156.81 FT THENCE N 25 DEG 44 MIN 16 SEC W 121.46 FT THENCE NW ALONG TANGENTAL CURVE, CONCAVE TO SW WITH 25 FT RADIUS, 32.24 FT THENCE S 80 DEG 22 MIN 1 SEC W 92.80 FT THENCE S 6 DEG 59 MIN 9 SEC E 134.96 FT TO PT OF BEG
Address: 5470 Mountain Iron Drive, Virginia, MN 55792
PARCEL CODE: 175-71-01217
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Plat Name: MT IRON Section: 13; Township:5 8; Range: 18; Lot:-; Block:-; Description: PART OF SE1/4 OF NE1/4 COMMENCING AT SE CORNER THENCE W 458.31 FT TO E R/W LINE OF RAILROAD THENCE NW ALONG R/W 804.31 FT THENCE N 80 DEG 22 MIN 1 SEC E 162 FT TO PT OF BEG THENCE CONTINUE SAME BEARING 156.81 FT THENCE N 25 DEG 44 MIN 16 SEC W 121.46 FT THENCE NW ALONG TANGENTAL CURVE, CONCAVE TO SW WITH 25 FT RADIUS, 32.24 FT THENCE S 80 DEG 22 MIN 1 SEC W 92.80 FT THENCE S 6 DEG 59 MIN 9 SEC E 134.96 FT TO PT OF BEG
Address: Virginia, MN 55768
The motion carried.
It was moved by Gustafson and seconded by Buria to accept the recommendation of the Personnel Committee and extend an offer to the following individuals for the Laborer position pending physical, drug/alcohol test and background check:
Jesse Jacobsen Casey Kintner
The motion carried with Councilor Roskoski abstaining.
Liaison:
- Councilor Roskoski spoke regarding letter to Representative Warwas regarding J-turn
- Letter received from Representative Warwas no means to change outcome
- Councilor Gustafson updated
- EDA met – seeking funding to extend Woodland Estates Phase II
- Moving forward with Mountain Iron Drive N and Enterprise Drive N (north of Habitat)
It was moved by Roskoski and seconded by Stanaway to approve Ordinance #03-25; Short Term Rentals (a copy is attached and made a part of these minutes). The motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Buria and seconded by Gustafson to approve Resolution #04-25; Accepting Bids for Improvement Number MI22-08, proposed improvement of alleyway between Old Highway 169 and Mineral Avenue all located east of Mineral Avenue by Road Reconstruction, Alignment and Drainage Improvements (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 Stanaway and seconded by Buria to accept the resignation of Greg Jarvela from the Lead Journeyman Lineman, effective July 11, 2025. The motion carried.
It was moved by Stanaway and seconded by Gustafson to post internally for the Lead Journeyman Lineman position, according to the AFSCME 453 Local Bargaining Agreement. The motion carried
Announcement:
- 2025 Merritt Days Planning Committee
- Thursday, May 22nd at the Mountain Iron Senior Center at 5:00pm
- Leedrick Studios filming at West II Rivers Campground
- Meet and greet with Councilor Gustafson – looking for input and feedback
- Tuesday, June 17th at the Mountain Iron Library
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm
At 7:19p.m., it was moved by Buria and seconded by Gustafson the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried.
Submitted by:
Amanda Inmon
Municipal Services Secretary
Communications:
- MN Department of Revenue Mineral Hearing on unmined ore assessments will be May 21, 2025.
