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Mountain Lake council permits temporary police vacation accrual flexibility, approves Axon data plan discussion and VR training purchase; liquor-license change,
Summary
Chief Louis Norell told the council staffing shortages tied to Paid Family and Medical Leave have strained scheduling; the council approved a temporary lift of vacation caps for LELS officers through Dec. 31, 2026, agreed to pursue an Axon unlimited data plan and a potential 10-year contract extension, and approved purchase of Axon VR training.
Police Chief Louis Norell told the council Monday that Paid Family and Medical Leave-related staffing shortages have made it difficult for officers to schedule vacation. He asked the council to temporarily allow LELS members to exceed their maximum vacation accruals without limitation during 2026, with the accommodation to expire on Dec. 31, 2026; thereafter vacation accruals would be capped at 200 hours and any excess hours would need to be used or forfeited.
Norell also said the city’s existing five-year contract with Axon for body cameras began in August 2024 and includes 2 TB of cloud storage, which the city is nearing. He asked the council to authorize pursuing an unlimited data plan and to consider pricing for a possible 10-year contract extension through April 2036. Norell described Axon’s virtual-reality training product and provided the program cost quoted in the meeting record: $1,051.68 per year and a total contract cost of $3,943.80 over a 45-month term.
On a motion by Councilmember Darla Kruser, seconded by Councilmember Andrew Ysker, the council approved Chief Norell’s requests to temporarily allow LELS members to exceed vacation accrual limits through Dec. 31, 2026, to pursue an Axon unlimited data plan and to approve a 10-year contract extension through April 2036 and the purchase of Axon’s VR training program at a cost of $3,943.80 over 45 months. The motion carried 4–0.
In other business, City Administrator Michael Mueller reported that the owner of Uncle’s B’s Liquor is selling the business to his son and that the council approved the business’s 2026 liquor and cigarette license (motion by Kruser, seconded by Ysker; carried 4–0). The council also discussed building code violations in the community and received routine board/commission updates during roundtable before adjourning at 6:45 p.m.
