Little Falls City Council approves contracts, grants, personnel appointments and a clubhouse lease; introduces several ordinances

The Little Falls City Council on April 7 approved a series of routine procurement awards and grant applications, confirmed a personnel appointment in public works, amended a utility shutoff policy and approved a lease for the Little Falls Golf Course Clubhouse and Event Center with several amendments after discussion and a recorded roll-call vote.

The actions bundle together standard municipal business — vendor awards for building and maintenance work, approval to apply for grant funding on behalf of nonprofit and police training needs, a software contract renewal and an internal personnel appointment — that will affect multiple city departments and budgets.

Key approvals and outcomes included:

- Door upgrades at the golf course clubhouse: council approved a quote from Mid Central Door for $8,160 to install two doors and locking hardware; motion carried. (mover/second: motion and second recorded in minutes.)

- Boiler replacement at the public library: council awarded the boiler replacement to Saint Cloud Refrigeration for $51,948 to be charged to the equipment fund; motion carried.

- Construction observation services for the Fourth Street NE improvement project: council approved a proposal from Bolton and Mink not to exceed $130 per hour, estimated at about $65,000 for the work; motion carried.

- Renewal of online permitting software (Granicus): council approved a three-year renewal with payments of $15,040.46 for 2025, $16,093.30 for 2026 and $17,214.83 for 2027; motion carried.

- Amendment to General Policy 40 (utility shutoff notices): council approved changing the delinquent-notice threshold to a balance of $250 or more (instead of a combined time-and-amount condition) so customers meeting that dollar threshold will receive earlier notices; motion carried.

- Little Falls Supervisor Union MOU update (vacation service credit): council approved an amended memorandum of understanding to align prior supervisory credit provisions with current accrual schedules; motion carried.

- Appointment: the council accepted the interview committee’s recommendation and approved the appointment of Andrew Hegna as Assistant Public Works Director at pay grade 21, step 1; motion carried.

- Grants and fiscal-agent approvals: the council authorized submission of a Sourcewell Boost Funds application (up to $2,000) for four Simunition AR-15 conversion kits for police training and authorized submission of a Greater Minnesota Small Cities Tier 2 Housing Aid grant application on behalf of Habitat for Humanity for a school-adjacent house-build project; both motions carried.

- Planning and property ordinances: the council introduced Ordinance No. 53 (rezone request for 116 SE 8th Avenue from R3 to B2) and introduced ordinances to authorize sale of city-owned property on Limburg Drive South (Ordinance Nos. 54 and 56 introduced); introductions do not constitute final action.

- Little Falls Golf Course Clubhouse and Event Center lease: the council moved, amended and approved a lease to allow Cary (Cary’s Bar/LLC) to manage the clubhouse and event center. Council members amended the term to end Nov. 1, 2027 (shortening the original three-and-a-half-year term), required that the LLC be registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State before occupancy, and discussed prorating early access for tenant fit-out. A roll-call vote recorded five yes and three no votes and the motion carried.

Votes at a glance (selected items): - Approve agenda — carried. - Pay bills ($631,098.56 total) — carried. - Consent agenda (permits, reports, personnel resignations/retirements) — carried. - Mid Central Door, clubhouse doors, $8,160 — carried. - Saint Cloud Refrigeration, library boiler, $51,948 — carried. - Bolton & Mink, construction observation, not to exceed $130/hr (estimated $65,000) — carried. - Granicus (SmartGov) three-year renewal ($15,040.46; $16,093.30; $17,214.83) — carried. - General Policy 40 amendment (utility shutoff threshold $250) — carried. - Appointment: Andrew Hegna, Assistant Public Works Director — carried. - Sourcewell Boost Funds grant ($2,000) — carried. - Habitat for Humanity grant submission (Greater Minnesota Tier 2) — carried. - Clubhouse & Event Center lease (amended to end Nov. 1, 2027; LLC registration required) — roll-call vote passed 5–3 (Yes: Kanafua; Glaze; Wilzegren; Meyer; Silke. No: Hansen; Goseck; Lundberg).

Most approvals were routine purchases or administrative matters; the lease generated the most debate, with council members requesting a shorter term and conditions for LLC registration and clarifications about access/proration during tenant build-out. Several items were introduced for future final action (ordinances) and will return to the council for formal adoption.