The gallery was full for the Nov. 13, 2024 meeting of the Big Lake City Council.  Family, friends, and co-workers were present for the swearing in of three new firefighters.  A fourth firefighter, Adam Dietz, was not present.  

Joe Moraczewski, Samuel Sweat, and Jeremy Terwisscha, took turns to stand before the crowd with Mayor Paul Knier, who led them in the oath of office.  They were then joined by Big Lake Fire Chief Seth Hanson and the full council for a photo.

Canvassing Formalized

City Clerk Gina Wolbeck called for a resolution to accept the results of the Nov. 5, 2025 General Election for Mayor and two city council seats.  Their terms will begin January 6, 2025 and expire on Dec. 31, 2028.  Mayor Knier ran unopposed and received 4,618 votes.  Paul Seefeld retained his council seat with 2,461 votes and Ken Geroux won the second seat with 2,178 votes.  6,344 eligible voters in Big Lake participated in this year’s elections.  571 voters registered on election day.

City Council candidate Robert O’Leary could request a discretionary recount before Nov. 20.  He would be responsible for the cost of the recount.  If he declines, Certificates of Election can be issued to winning candidates as long as they have submitted all required financial reports and certifications. 

Wolbeck thanked all election judges, all departments in the city, and Deputy Clerk Lisa Miller for their hard work.  Wolbeck stated it was the best election she had ever been a part of.  Mayor Knier and Council Member Seefeld also acknowledged city staff and thanked them for their work.  Ken Geroux was present, but did not make any formal comments. 

Public Hearings

Three public hearings were held.  The first was to hear any public objections to a special assessment for street improvements at Harrison Drive, Independence Drive, Liberty Lane, and Justice Place.  A letter was sent to property owners on Oct. 9, 2024 and public notices were printed in the Patriot on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 2024.  The proposed assessment will be payable in equal installments extending over a period of 10 years at an interest rate of 4%.  The total proposed assessment is $158,741.14.  

Only property owners adjacent to the project will be affected by the assessment and the cost will depend upon frontage widths.  For single family units on Harrison Drive, the average annual payment based on the average assessment with 4% interest will be $240.32.  That amount was based on an average width of 78.3 feet.  About 160 feet of Harrison Drive near Terrytown Rd will be the responsibility of the adjacent HOA property and the cost will be shared equally among members of the HOA.  For 58 HOA units adjacent to the work on Independence Drive and Liberty Lane, the annual payment based on the unit assessment with a 4% interest rate will be $154.08.  The amount is lower because the cost is shared among more units. 

The second public hearing concerned collection of delinquent utility bills.  Property owners were notified by mail on Oct. 7, 2024 and have until Nov. 18, 2024 to bring their accounts current, otherwise, the overdue amounts will be added to their 2025 property taxes, bearing interest at 6% and a $20 certification fee.  As of Nov. 13, 34 accounts remained delinquent for a total of $40,844.91.

The final public hearing was for demolition of a hazardous building at 421 Eagle Lake Rd N.  A special assessment of $45,696.79 would be placed on the property owner to recoup the cities costs.  

All three resolutions passed. 

Schedule changes

Due to Thanksgiving, the Nov. 27 meeting of the BLCC has been moved to Monday, Nov. 25.  City Hall will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024.