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Lonsdale council adopts parking code changes, repeals older cannabis rule and approves digital communications policy
Summary
The City of Lonsdale on Jan. 29 approved amended residential parking rules (including removal of a proposed four-vehicle cap), repealed a 2024 local cannabinoid-product ordinance to align with state licensing, adopted a digital communications policy, and approved fundraising for Founders Fest fireworks.
The City of Lonsdale City Council on Jan. 29, 2026, voted unanimously to revise local parking regulations, repeal an older cannabinoid-products ordinance and adopt a new Digital Communications Policy, part of a meeting that also approved donations for a Founders Fest fireworks display and several routine administrative items.
Community Development Planner Cory Hinz-Ibarra presented a package of land-use items that included Ordinance 2026-337, which amended residential off-street parking rules by updating recreational vehicle seasonal requirements, simplifying vehicle weight definitions and reducing the allowed count of commercial vehicles from two to one. Councilmember James Vosejpka urged caution about a proposed cap limiting households to four standard vehicles, saying many families could exceed that number; the council agreed to strike the four-vehicle maximum and grandfather existing Class 5 and gravel surfaces. The ordinance, as revised, was approved 5-0.
Hinz-Ibarra also presented Ordinance 2026-338, which repeals Ordinance 2024-327 regulating cannabinoid products. He said the Office of Cannabis Management now oversees lower-potency hemp edible licensing and that issues covered in the 2024 ordinance are addressed under Ordinance 2025-331. The council approved the repeal 5-0.
Councilmembers approved Ordinance 2026-339 updating off-street parking, loading and access regulations, including removing provisions related to snow stockpiling and downcast light fixtures; the measure passed 5-0.
The council adopted a Digital Communications Policy requested by the Economic Development Authority and drafted by staff. Planner Hinz-Ibarra explained the policy clarifies social-media and mass-notification use. Councilmember Brian Wermerskirchen described the proposal as focused on opt-in departmental email lists rather than emergency alerts; Mayor Tom Berg cautioned against diluting the emergency notification system, and Councilmember Kari Miller successfully moved to add “harassment” to the prohibited-conduct language. The policy was adopted 5-0.
City Administrator Joel Erickson presented Resolution 2026-04 to accept donations toward an $18,000 Founders Fest fireworks display; Erickson reported $3,500 in donations from the Sno Wizards and Greatwrench Auto Repair and acknowledged the Pieper family for donating the launch site. The council approved the resolution 5-0.
Other routine approvals included an LG220 lawful-gambling application from the Sons of the American Legion Squadron #586 for a March 28 raffle, and scheduling guidance to pursue a joint EDA work session in March after the council reviews timing at its Feb. 12 meeting.
Mayor Berg also reported the city received the full $182,000 requested from the Community Fund Project to purchase body-worn cameras, squad cameras and encrypted radios, and he announced Dayton Freight’s purchase of 16.2 acres in the Business Park, a move the city said could bring roughly 70 jobs with earliest development expected in 2027.
Votes at a glance: all council actions recorded in the minutes passed unanimously (5-0), including Ordinances 2026-337, 2026-338 and 2026-339, Resolution 2026-04, the Digital Communications Policy, and approval of the LG220 application.
The council will revisit scheduling a joint meeting with the Economic Development Authority at its Feb. 12 meeting; staff said a completed market study will inform that work session.
