Crookston council sets public hearings for Housing Trust Fund and code amendments

The Crookston City Council introduced two ordinances and approved resolutions Monday to schedule public hearings on both.

At the meeting the council heard the first reading of an ordinance to establish a City of Crookston Housing Trust Fund and then approved a resolution calling a public hearing on the measure. The ordinance, as described in the presentation, would create a dedicated fund to allow the city to seek and receive grant funding that requires a local match; council members were told the Cheetah board has already designated seed funds for the trust.

City staff said the trust fund and the related ordinance must be in place to meet deadlines tied to matching-grant opportunities. A staff presenter said the timeline is tight, with an Oct. 1 deadline for some grant applications; the council scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. and intends to consider final approval at a subsequent meeting.

Separately the council introduced a companion ordinance to amend portions of city code section 30.02(b) and (c). The code changes were described as an effort to simplify procedural requirements for agendas and closed-meeting notices so staff can prepare agendas more flexibly and avoid technical timing problems. The council voted to call a public hearing on that proposed code amendment for the same Sept. 23 session.

Both items passed the council’s resolution stage to schedule hearings; no final ordinance adoptions were taken at the meeting. Council members and staff emphasized the hearings will permit public comment and that staff will bring finalized ordinance language to the council for second readings and adoption after the scheduled hearings.

The council also confirmed the logistics for the public hearings and that staff will publish required notices under the code before the meetings.