Council approves $463,040 appropriation and contract for outdoor ice rink over objections

The council approved a resolution awarding a contract to Blue Line Sports & Entertainment for a community outdoor ice rink and passed Ordinance 27‑82 on its first reading to appropriate $463,040 from unencumbered general‑fund balance to cover the rink.

City Manager Rogers said the contract is a one‑year agreement with optional renewals tied to performance metrics and sponsorship opportunities; staff said they sought the full appropriation first and would pursue sponsorships to reduce net general‑fund costs. “We would look and seek sponsorship, support that would allow for us to draw that overall expenditure from the general fund down,” Rogers said.

Public commenter Christy Douglas (Ward 4) had asked that Ordinance 27‑82 be pulled from the consent agenda for discussion and called the expenditure “reckless,” urging a separate vote so the public could see how council members stand. The council did vote separately: the resolution and the appropriation each passed 8–1. Staff said the vendor was not able to provide resident‑participation breakdowns from last year’s rink but intended to improve data collection in the contract year.

Actions taken: the council adopted Resolution 2026‑081 (contract award) and passed Ordinance 27‑82 (appropriation) on first reading. The appropriation was coded as a not‑to‑exceed amount in contract language; staff said sponsorships would be sought to offset the general‑fund draw.

Next steps: city staff and the vendor will finalize contract details, pursue sponsorships, and report back on participation data and performance metrics.