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Laurel staff tell council the State is handling site selection for proposed mental-health facility; advise preserving public feedback
Summary
City staff told the council that the State is leading site selection for the proposed mental-health facility and that the City of Laurel currently has no property in the State process; the city attorney advised that verbal public comments should be given at public meetings and that texts and voicemails are discoverable records.
City officials advised the Laurel City Council on Dec. 2, 2025, about how to handle public feedback concerning the State’s announcement about a proposed mental-health facility.
Chief Administrative Officer Kurt Markegard told council members that site selection for the facility is a State decision and that, as he previously briefed the council, the City currently has no property in the State’s selection process and has received no annexation request. City Attorney Braukmann urged that all feedback be preserved and advised that verbal comments should be made during a public meeting if council members want such comments entered into the public record. Staff also reminded members that text messages and voicemails are discoverable records.
Council members said they had received phone calls and voicemails on the subject and asked whether those records must be preserved; staff confirmed both written and voice records are discoverable. Staff also noted that information on the State process is available at the HB5 website referenced in the meeting packet. No formal council action on the facility was recorded at the workshop.
