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Crosslake Council greenlights July events, hires equipment operator and accepts donations
Summary
At its June 8 meeting the Crosslake City Council approved fireworks permits and road closures for Fourth‑of‑July events, hired a heavy equipment/sewer operator, accepted multiple donations by resolution, and approved donating surplus iPads to Camp Knutson.
The Crosslake City Council on June 8 approved a slate of summer events and administrative actions, including fireworks permits, a road closure for a community run, personnel hires and a resolution accepting multiple donations.
Events and permits: The council approved an application from Res Pyro for a fireworks display on Cross Lake on July 4 (Motion 06R-04-26) and approved Tracy Wright’s application for an outdoor fireworks display on Big Pine Lake on July 18 (Motion 06R-05-26). The July 18 motion carried 4–0 with Mayor Jackson Purfeerst abstaining. The council also approved closing Daggett Pine Road from CSAH 66 to Wilderness Trail from 8:10 to 8:45 a.m. on July 4 to accommodate the 29th Annual Grandpa's Run for the Walleye and authorized city assistance for the event (Motion 06R-06-26).
Personnel and administrative approvals: Council approved hiring Sean Swenson as heavy equipment/sewer operator at AFSCME Step 2, effective June 9, 2026, with a step increase after a successful six‑month probation period (Motion 06R-10-26). The council also approved a temporary $4/hour out‑of‑grade pay for the Park Director to assume Public Works Director responsibilities during a leave period (Motion 06R-09-25). Council approved the GIS Coordinator/Zoning & Code Enforcement Technician job description and its addition to the AFSCME bargaining unit, and approved the salary schedule for the position (Motions 06R-11-26 and 06R-12-26).
Donations and surplus equipment: The council adopted Resolution 26‑25 accepting donations from local organizations and individuals earmarked for benches, the summer reading program, and police and fire equipment (Motion 06R-07-26). Donors and amounts listed in the resolution included the Crosslake Area Garden Club ($200 and $900), PAL Foundation ($1,154.78), Crosslake Firefighters’ Relief Association ($468.95 and $1,883.84), Terry Zenner ($1,000), Mike & Kelly Haglund ($5,000) and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation ($3,000). Council also approved donating three surplus 2018 iPads from City Hall to Camp Knutson (Motion 06R-08-26).
Consent calendar and bills: The council approved the revised minutes of May 6 and other consent-calendar items, including May 2026 budget revenues, expenditures and balance sheet, department reports, and bills totaling $917,760.33 plus additional bills of $48,124.87 (Motion 06R-03-26). The consent calendar also included personnel updates, grant/permit items and routine meeting minutes from commissions.
Public forum and notes: Fire Chief Chip Lohmiller thanked staff for their assistance with the Flanders Fire. Resident Marcia Seibert‑Volz asked about enforcement of the proposed grass-height nuisance ordinance; Mayor Purfeerst said additional information will be available at the ordinance’s second reading. Resident Bruce Peck addressed the council regarding the Police Department but was told council could not engage because of an active lawsuit.
Next steps: Staff will post study materials and follow up on hiring paperwork, equipment distribution and the consent‑calendar actions. Several items (for example, the grass-height ordinance) are pending a second reading.
