Willmar council certifies unpaid mowing, alarm and tree-removal assessments; approves routine consent items

The Willmar City Council on Oct. 3 approved several special-assessment resolutions to certify unpaid municipal charges for county collection and passed routine consent items on a single consent agenda.

City clerk Renee Larson told the council that the city had sent notices to owners for unpaid weed and grass mowing charges for multiple parcels, and recommended certifying those costs to the county auditor under the city’s municipal code (chapter 9, article 3). The council opened a public hearing, received no testimony and voted to approve certification for collection. Larson then presented a separate hearing for unpaid fire-alarm system charges tied to a single parcel and described the city’s procedure for false-alarm billing and corrective paperwork; that assessment was also certified after the hearing closed. A third hearing covered unpaid infectious-tree removal charges under city code chapter 9, article 4; that certification likewise passed after no public comment.

Before the hearings, the council approved the evening’s consent agenda, which included the Police Civil Service Commission minutes of Sept. 25, 2024; authorization for a second scoreboard at the Blue Line Arena; a temporary on-sale liquor permit; a lawful-gambling application; and the accounts-payable report for Oct. 3–Oct. 16, 2024.

All votes on the consent agenda and the three special-assessment certifications were taken by roll call and recorded as 7 ayes, 0 nos.

The assessments will be forwarded to the county auditor for collection as certified by the council. No taxpayers spoke at the hearings.