City considers land sale, passes Climate Emergency Declaration

At the last meeting in January, the Grand Marais City Council talked about a possible sale of city land, climate change, and mask mandates. 

The last action at the council meeting was a closed session to “to develop or consider offers or counteroffers for the sale of city-owned real property located at 1800 West Highway 61,” which is a lot at the former Tomteboda Resort, now owned by the city. It is to the west of the city’s Public Works Facility.

The city council is allowed to have a closed session to discuss real estate negotiations. DeCoux said an offer has been made on the property. He told WTIP that in the closed session the council discussed appraised values and descriptions of the property and put together what the city believes is a suitable, fair, offer to the city would be. DeCoux said that information would be shared with the potential buyer and if accepted the sale would move ahead. If not, the matter will show up on another city council agenda in another closed session.

Discussion of this property was initiated by former City Councilor Tim Kennedy in July 2021. Kennedy completed his city council term in December 2020. As a citizen, he suggested that the city obtain an appraisal in case interested buyers approached the city. At that time, he said he had very tentative plans for a new business, a bike shop, and he said the city property could be a good location for that. Kennedy told the city council that if the lot came up for sale, he would be interested. Kennedy said if he was able to acquire the lot he would like to build and operate a bike repair business there.

At that July meeting, the council acknowledged Kennedy’s request and stressed that there are no plans to sell the lot at this time. However, the council directed city staff to research what needs to be done for a sale of city property to take place. In WTIP’s follow-up conversation with then Councilor Kelly Swearingen, she reiterated that the lot was not being sold at that time. Once a determination has been made of how to go about selling the lot, it could end up being purchased by anyone, Swearingen said, not necessarily Tim Kennedy.

Since that time, the only mention of the city-owned property was in a December 8, 2021 report from City Administrator Mike Roth who told the council that the city is waiting on an appraisal and engineering for sewer service before beginning the discussion of placing city property for sale.  Roth told the council the value will be based on usable space.

According to the League of Minnesota Cities, cities do have the power to sell land or buildings they no longer need to anyone, other than public officials and certain employees. The league states that generally, a city does not need to get permission from the public in order to sell land. Sales of land are usually not required to use the competitive bidding process.

City makes Climate Emergency Declaration
The meeting started with a public comment period, which included citizens speaking in favor of a Climate Emergency Declaration Resolution for the city, both in-person and via Zoom. Two community youths, Olya Wright and Naomi Tracy gave a presentation on their concerns about the impacts of climate change.

The city took up the question of whether or not to join 16 other cities that have proclaimed a Climate Emergency Resolution for the city. Mayor DeCoux said the city of Grand Marais has already taken steps to acknowledge climate change and in fact has a Climate Change Action Plan. So passing a declaration is more of a signal to state and federal government, calling for preparation for climate emergencies. DeCoux said in the event of a major fire or flooding event, there is little funding available to help small cities like Grand Marais. He shared the scenario of a massive flooding event damaging the city’s wastewater treatment plant. He said as a city of 1,300 people, there is no way the city could make those repairs.

The council had some discussion, with concerns from City Councilor Craig Schulte, who noted the cyclical patterns of weather in Cook County. He noted that growing up in Grand Marais, he had seen the ever-changing weather. A discussion of climate versus weather followed, but the city council ultimately voted to pass the resolution declaring a climate emergency in the city of Grand Marais. The vote was unanimous, with Schulte ultimately voting yes.

Citizens ask for city mask mandate
Council members reported that they had heard from some citizens asking the city to implement a mask mandate for the city in light of the recent spike in COVID-19 positive cases in the county. DeCoux said he checked in with City Attorney Chris Hood to see if the city had the authority to do this. The city’s attorney said no. To declare a mask mandate, there would have to be an emergency declaration of some sort. Hood told the city such as declaration would best be addressed by state government.
DeCoux and councilors noted that individual businesses are requesting that customers wear masks and they said they hope that everyone will consider doing so, but agreed there is no way to the city to adopt or enforce a mask mandate at this time.

In other business
The city again discussed the proposal to change zoning in the Cedar Grove Business Park to allow residential use on business park lots affiliated with a business. However, as there were still some questions on the compatibility of residential and business uses, as well as concerns about adequate infrastructure for pedestrian use, the decision was postponed. The council asked the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority to put together more information for the council.
The city also stressed the need for citizens to come forward to serve on various boards and commissions. The city needs someone to serve on the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission, the city Planning & Zoning Commission and the Grand Marais Park Board. Anyone interested in joining these boards is encouraged to contact City Administrator Mike Roth at 218-387-1848 or by email to: [email protected].

The next Grand Marais City Council meeting is Wednesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at city hall. The public is welcome to attend. City meetings can also be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence speaks with Mayor Jay DeCoux to learn more about actions at the meeting in this interview.