City sets preliminary levy, preps to talk trees at October meeting

There was a meeting of the Grand Marais City Council Sept. 11 at city hall in downtown Grand Marais. 

Among the noteworthy items is the fact the city set its preliminary levy at 3.96 percent. This means the city cannot increase the levy over this amount when it sets a final levy later this year. In all likelihood, that number of 3.96 percent could actually come down before the final levy is set, according to Mayor Jay Arrowsmith-Decoux. Related to the levy discussion, the council also discussed their 2020 budget overall and specifically the budget for the parks department.

The council also revisited the topic of calendar parking for the upcoming winter. This proposed ordinance would designate certain sides of city streets for parking during the winter so that plows can keep local roadways clear from snow and ice. As this was the second reading of this new ordinance, the council was scheduled to vote on the parking regulations during the winter months. In short, the new ordinance means that during the period from November through approximately March, when a snow event has occurred, parking is restricted in the public right-of-way to alternate sides of the roadway. For example, on odd-numbered days, such as the first, third or thirteenth,  vehicles shall only be parked or left standing on that side of the roadway having odd-numbered addresses. By contrast, on even-numbered days, such as the second, fourth or fourteenth, vehicles shall only be parked on that side of the roadway having even-numbered addresses.

Cook County Highway Engineer Krysten Foster was present during this week’s city council meeting and joined the discussion on calendar parking. After reviewing the topic once again, the council ultimately voted to approve calendar parking for Grand Marais starting in November 2019. New signs will be posted in the community to notify local residents and visitors of the parking regulations.

In addition, the council addressed the ongoing issue of a scheduled reconstruction project for Highway 61 through Grand Marais. There remains a great deal of discussion on the local level regarding the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s plans for reconstruction of the Highway 61 corridor passing through the city. A majority of the concerns continue to focus on the fact that of the 11 elm trees in the section of Highway 61 from the intersection by Voyageur Brewing to the intersection by Buck’s Hardware, nine are earmarked for removal. The removal of the elms is scheduled for November. As Councilor Kelly Swearingen was not at the meeting this week, the council agreed to table this discussion on what the city can do, if anything, regarding the removal of the trees. They will resume this discussion at their first meeting in October. That meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at city hall on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Following this week’s meeting, Mayor Arrowsmith-Decoux stopped by WTIP to talk with Joe Friedrichs about the latest news from city hall.