During their regular Monday meeting, the Clear Lake City Council welcomed two new faces to city staff, both of whom had just started that same day. 

Lori Ollendieck was hired as the new city clerk, and Even Johnson will be heading up the public works department. Both new employees expressed they were excited to be working with the city. 

While not a new face, Council Member Stafany Janish was sworn in after winning her bid for re-election. 

Open Forum

Jeremy (last name not given) owner of the Brickyard Restaurant, approached the board to determine their interest in allowing a billboard to be erected on his property. City code requires a 500 ft. setback from any residential area for billboards, and the location where he wished to put up the sign was only 450 ft. away from a residential area. He said there was no way to move the sign further away as it would then no longer be on his property. 

He understood a variance could possibly be done after going through official channels to get it approved, but before he started he wanted to know if the board was likely to approve such a variance, or if they would be likely to deny his request, in which case he didn’t wish to waste city resources. The council indicated they would entertain the request but made no promises whether it would be approved until they had more detail.

Sheriff Report

The Sheriff’s Office responded to 51 calls for service in December. There were several domestic calls from one particular address, but otherwise it was a quiet month. 

Fire Department

The Fire Department responded to 15 calls for service during the month, bringing the total for the year to 240. In 2024, the department responded to 15 fires, 83 medical assists, 11 vehicle accidents, and 131 miscellaneous calls. 

The council once again discussed the fire contract they spoke about during December’s special meeting. The city attorney returned the contract and said it looked good to sign, and so the council adopted it. 

The council also authorized a three percent raise for department officers, as was previously approved. 

The council also heard that the new fire engine would be ready as early as July, but there will be no news on the water tender likely until summer. 

Meeting Procedures

During the December special meeting, the council decided to hold two regular meetings per month in an effort to avoid needing to call special meetings. Their current city ordinance calls out only one meeting per month, so the council wished to change the ordinance to reflect their decision. They sent the updated language to the attorney, but when it returned Janish pointed out that more of the ordinance appeared to have been omitted than was necessary. The council agreed to table adopting it until after asking about the change. 

Other official decisions were made regarding the city’s official newspaper (Patriot News) official banks (Sherburne State Bank and American Heritage National Bank), and official committee appointments for council members (remaining largely the same from last year, with the addition of a personnel committee).

Council Member Wages

Last year, the council decided to increase the wages of the council members. They previously were paid $125 per meeting attended, and they decided to increase it to $150. However, staff never updated the fee schedule. 

Council Member Chad Nelson suggested that perhaps they shouldn’t change the fee schedule and go back to paying $125 per meeting now there are two meetings per month, but the council ultimately decided to stick to their previous decision of $150. 

In Other Business, the Council:

• Noted the 2023 financial audit was complete but there would be no public presentation of it, as the information will be made available online soon instead (there will be a public presentation of the 2024 audit when it is complete);

• Authorized gambling licences for special events throughout the year hosted by the Clear Lake Lions and St Marcus Church;

• Discussed changes to the city employee handbook to clarify when vacation time begins to accrue, which will return for approval at the next regular meeting. 

• Set the local board of appeal and equalization, where residents may come and discuss any concerns they have with their city taxes, for April 14 at 6 p.m.;

• Approved advertising for an open position for public works on online platforms and in the newspaper;

• Approved purchasing a new computer to serve staff needs.