During last week’s meeting, the Big Lake City Council declared that Big Lake would be a second-amendment dedicated city. The decision came after several individuals spoke during the open forum time of previous meetings asking the council to consider such a declaration. The resolution included four clauses, which are as follows:

1. The City Council hereby expresses its intent to uphold and protect the Second Amendment rights of the residents of Big Lake;

2. The City Council hereby declares Big Lake as a “Second Amendment Dedicated City”;

3. The City Council hereby declares its intent to oppose, through legal means, any infringement on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms;

4. The City of Big Lake, City Council does hereby take full consideration of the Constitutional rights of City of Big Lake citizens to keep and bear arms when making decisions appropriating City of Big Lake resources.

The council approved this decision unanimously.

Water Ban

The odd/even water ban is continuing for city residents. Those whose home addresses end in odd numbers may water on odd days, and vice versa. The ban has extended to include a total ban on any watering between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The ban is in response to the state-wide drought situation.

The DNR has asked the city to severely cut down on water usage, and the city asks for the cooperation of the residents to do so.

Big Lake Ambassadors

The council recognized the senior girls who will be stepping down from being Big Lake Ambassadors after graduating from Big Lake High School, and also recognized the girls who are stepping in to fill those shoes. Girls who served with the ambassadors are given a scholarship to use in their continuing education. The new ambassadors have already been hard at work after going through “Spud School” and volunteering in the community.

Finance Report

Deb Wegeleben, head of the finance committee, reported that finances were on track after the second quarter of the year. The city received its first payment of American Rescue Plan funds recently, totalling $593,000. A plan will be brought before council in the near future regarding spending this money.

Budget workshops will be held August 12 and 19, and the public is welcome to attend and voice their opinion on how the city should spend its money.

Liquor Store Report

Liquor store sales were down $5,000 as opposed to this point in 2020, but given that 2020 showed a huge boom in sales, this is still up significantly over previous years.

Store manager Greg Zurbey informed the council that he had recently filled parking lot potholes with rock, and the strip mall association had hired a gentleman to come and put some black top over the potholes. With the market the way it is, it was not feasible for the association to pay for a more thorough solution at this time.

Development Report

Department head Hanna Krebs reported on various construction projects around the city. Station Street Apartments are continuing to undergo construction. The hotly debated Marketplace Crossings will be coming to council soon for one final review before beginning their construction.

On the commercial side of the construction update, Liberty Bank has been completed, but is not yet able to open due to needing to ship in equipment from overseas. Big Lake Car Condos is beginning its second phase.