Stewartville council approves agenda, minutes and payments; hears staff reports on growth, parks and transit study

The Stewartville City Council at its regular meeting approved the agenda, the minutes of its Feb. 11, 2025 meeting and the accounts payable listing and heard reports from city staff and commission representatives.

Mayor Jimmy John Kane led the meeting, praised city staff and highlighted recent industrial growth in town, saying the community "is growing at warp speed" and thanking the Economic Development Authority for recognizing business leadership. The mayor said the city has made a strong impression on new businesses and credited staff members — including Cheryl, Sandra, Bill, Angelie and Laurel — for the work attracting and supporting that growth.

Council member Jeremiah moved to approve the meeting agenda; Council member Josh seconded and the motion carried. Council member Brent moved to approve the Feb. 11 minutes; a second was recorded and the motion carried. The council also approved the accounts payable listing after a motion that was seconded by Council member Josh.

City officials reported on several operational items. City staff said they are negotiating a performance/partnership agreement with the city engineer connected to development near the north interchange. Finance director Bill was acknowledged during the discussion but no substantive finance presentation was made at the meeting.

Public Works Director Sean described ongoing park work and new maintenance equipment intended to reduce turf damage, noting progress on the community Frisbee golf course and that "we got the new machine." Library Director Nate warned of a planned catalog switchover in April that will temporarily affect patrons' ability to check out books and thanked Council member Josh for flagging how system changes could affect local schools and library services.

Commission and board reports noted the Economic Development Authority's continued housing-improvement work and the approval of additional houses for that program. The council also reviewed that the application period for the finance officer position has closed and that department-level reviews will precede final interviews for council later in March (dates not specified).

Regional and planning items included discussion of a long-horizon (2050) metropolitan transportation study covering the Minneapolis–St. Paul area and surrounding communities and a southeastern Minnesota transit study intended to examine needs and connections — including potential links to Rochester and employer-focused service being explored by Mayo.

The meeting closed after a final motion (the spoken motion text in the transcript is unclear); a second was recorded and the voice vote indicated approval. No formal vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.

The council adjourned after completing the listed items; next steps noted during the meeting included planning interviews for the finance officer role and continued work on the north interchange partnership agreement.