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Milroy council debates wages, health insurance refunds and open‑meeting concerns amid public criticism
Summary
Throughout 2023 the council debated employee wage increases, distribution of a health insurance refund, performance reviews and county/League advice on open‑meeting and mediation; public commenter Debbie Todd urged better conduct and transparency.
Personnel, governance and process questions were recurring themes across multiple Milroy council meetings in 2023. The council conducted employee performance reviews at a special meeting on Aug. 7 and discussed cost‑of‑living and hourly wage increases for the clerk, public works director and custodian. Votes on pay changes passed and failed in different forms: motions to increase all three employees by 4% failed on a split vote in August; a subsequent motion to increase pay by $0.25 per hour passed with a majority.
Council minutes show an ongoing exchange about health insurance refunds: council members debated how to disburse a 2023 insurance refund and whether to treat refunds as one‑time reimbursements. On Oct. 23 motions to distribute $500 to individuals on the health reimbursement plan did not pass and the item was tabled for further review; later, on Nov. 27 distribution options were discussed again with mixed votes recorded across meetings.
Meetings grew more contentious late in the year. Residents and volunteers raised procedural questions: public commenter Debbie Todd delivered a statement criticizing council conduct and requested written responses to a list of governance and personnel questions. Council members asked the city attorney, Kevin Passe, to clarify open‑meeting law questions and the mayor reported League of Minnesota Cities mediation resources are available if all members consent to participate.
Why it matters: Employee wages, benefits and municipal governance affect service continuity, municipal expenditures and public trust. Repeated public criticism and council disagreement prompted the mayor to raise the possibility of outside mediation and to request members pursue training offered by the League of Minnesota Cities.
What’s next: The council scheduled further budget work, agreed to provide written answers to a public commenter’s questions, and the clerk circulated information on elected‑official training opportunities. The minutes record continuing debate and that some personnel and insurance matters were tabled for subsequent meetings.
