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Council reallocates $70,000 in housing aid to Habitat for Humanity, approves vehicle sales, hiring steps and a software subscription
Summary
The Personnel & Finance committee reported approvals including a $70,000 reallocation of state affordable-housing-aid funds to Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity for two homes, authorization to use Enterprise Fleet Management to sell two older vehicles, approval to begin hiring a public-utility director using GMP Consultants' guarantee, and authorization to subscribe to prioritized software; the 2026 debt levy was discussed as informational.
The Brainerd City Council on Aug. 18 approved several Personnel & Finance committee recommendations reported by Chair Gabe Johnson.
Council approved reallocating $70,000 of State Affordable Housing Aid (SAHA) to Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity to build two single-family homes on South 10th and 13th Avenue Northeast. Johnson said the money had been awarded earlier and the group wants to reassign the funding to those two lots.
The council also authorized Enterprise Fleet Management to facilitate the sale of two city vehicles (a 2004 Chevy and a 2006 GMC) that have reached the end of their useful life.
Council approved a revised public-utility director job description and authorized staff to begin the hiring process using a guarantee from GMP Consultants. The council recorded support for proceeding with the hire now while keeping the door open for further questions if members have concerns.
On software, council authorized staff to pursue a prioritized CivicPlus subscription after reviewing the city's software inventory; Johnson said the city spends nearly $500,000 per year on software overall, with $215,000 paid from enterprise funds in the water-and-light department.
Chair Johnson also presented an informational 2026 debt-levy update that showed an estimated $55,000 increase compared with 2025; staff discussed options such as issuing state aid bonds to manage timing of reimbursements for construction projects.
The council approved the committee motions by voice vote. Loomfest (special-event permit) was also approved later in the meeting after staff confirmed police-staffing conditions tied to ticket thresholds.
