M2025-04-29-01MOTION BY CM GLASER, TO APPROVE AGENDA AS AMENDED WITH THE ADDITION OF H (INTERNET UPDATE) AND MOVING A, B, C & E TO NEW BUSINESS.
moved by Glaser
No one seconded the motion and a vote was not completed.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 · 6:00 PM
One-line summary
The April 29, 2025 Nowthen City Council meeting opened, an agenda-amendment motion died for lack of a second, residents disrupted the meeting, and the council adjourned at 6:08 p.m. without reaching the substantive agenda.
14 items as recorded in the agenda, packet, and minutes, each with a plain-English summary of what was at issue.
1Call to Order; Pledge of Allegiance; Roll Call; Approve Agenda
Call to order, Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and agenda approval. The meeting was called to order, but the agenda-amendment motion received no second and no vote was taken before the meeting was adjourned.
The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. with all five council members present and Interim City Administrator Johnson absent. CM Glaser moved to amend the agenda by adding an internet update and moving several items to New Business, and council discussed why there was no public forum; the Mayor explained that the public forum had been removed because of the large agenda. The amendment motion died for lack of a second, residents disrupted the business meeting, and the council adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
The meeting opened and roll was taken, but the agenda was not approved because the amendment motion had no second and no vote.
2aApproval of April 8 and April 9, 2025 City Council Meeting Minutes
Approval of April 8 and April 9, 2025 City Council meeting minutes.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The consent agenda was not reached because the business meeting was disrupted and adjourned.
2bApproval of Claims and March 2025 Treasurer's Report
Approval of claims from April 2 to April 21 and the March 2025 Treasurer's Report.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The consent agenda was not reached because the business meeting was disrupted and adjourned.
2cResolution to Extend and Amend Consultant Boyles Contract
Extension and amendment of Consultant Boyles's contract.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The agenda-amendment motion would have moved this item to New Business, but no one seconded that motion and no vote was completed; the meeting then adjourned.
2dResolution Accepting Buchholz Parcel for Residential Development
Acceptance of a parcel for residential development for Buchholz.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The consent agenda was not reached because the business meeting was disrupted and adjourned.
2eResolution for Interim Administrator Johnson to Attend MMCI
Authorization for Interim Administrator Johnson to attend MMCI May 5-9, 2025.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The agenda-amendment motion would have moved this item to New Business, but no one seconded that motion and no vote was completed; the meeting then adjourned.
2fKeep Newly Purchased Projector in Historic Town Hall
Approval to keep the newly purchased projector in Historic Town Hall.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The consent agenda was not reached because the business meeting was disrupted and adjourned.
2gGive Away Excess Three-Ring Binders
Approval for staff to give away excess three-ring binders.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The consent agenda was not reached because the business meeting was disrupted and adjourned.
3Rum River Consultants Presentation of Septic Compliance Tracking and Code Compliance Program
Rum River Consultants presentation on septic compliance tracking and code compliance.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The presentation was not reached because the meeting was adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
4aOrdinance Refining Definition of Nuisance and Excess Services
Consideration of an ordinance refining nuisance and excess-services provisions.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The agenda-amendment motion would have moved this item, but no one seconded that motion and no vote was completed; the meeting then adjourned.
4bResolution Increasing Wage for Interim City Administrator Johnson
Resolution increasing Interim City Administrator Johnson's wage for increased responsibilities.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The agenda-amendment motion would have moved this item, but no one seconded that motion and no vote was completed; the meeting then adjourned.
4cResolution Accepting Quote for Fertilizer and Herbicide
Resolution accepting a quote for fertilizer and herbicide work.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The agenda-amendment motion would have moved this item, but no one seconded that motion and no vote was completed; the meeting then adjourned.
5Discuss and Finalize March 2025 Personnel Policy
Discussion and finalization of the March 2025 Nowthen Personnel Policy with Couri and Ruppe attorneys.
Because the meeting was disrupted and adjourned shortly after it began, the council did not vote on the consent agenda, Consultant Boyles's contract extension, the Buchholz parcel acceptance, the MMCI hotel authorization, the projector, the excess binders, the Rum River Consultants presentation, the nuisance/excess-services ordinance, Johnson's proposed wage increase, the fertilizer and herbicide quote, or the March 2025 personnel policy.
The personnel-policy discussion was not reached because the meeting was adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
6Adjourn
Adjournment.
The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. with all five council members present and Interim City Administrator Johnson absent. CM Glaser moved to amend the agenda by adding an internet update and moving several items to New Business, and council discussed why there was no public forum; the Mayor explained that the public forum had been removed because of the large agenda. The amendment motion died for lack of a second, residents disrupted the business meeting, and the council adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
The minutes record an adjournment motion and state that the meeting adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
2 motions on the record. Split votes are highlighted.
M2025-04-29-01MOTION BY CM GLASER, TO APPROVE AGENDA AS AMENDED WITH THE ADDITION OF H (INTERNET UPDATE) AND MOVING A, B, C & E TO NEW BUSINESS.
moved by Glaser
No one seconded the motion and a vote was not completed.
M2025-04-29-02MOTION TO ADJOURN BY CM RAINVILLE, SECONDED BY CM BREYEN.
moved by Rainville, seconded by Breyen
The minutes do not record a vote tally, but state that the meeting was adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
When someone referred back to earlier business, we found the matching prior discussion and tied it in here.
This property was part of a minor subdivision of property that occurred in 2021. At that time, the property in question was supposed to remain agricultural and not be used for residential purposes. The 2021 resolution that was recorded included a number of items that were to be done but that do not appear to have been completed.
— City Planner Nash
What this is about
Prior 2021 Buchholz/Kontz minor subdivision conditions, including Parcel C buildability and park dedication, were cited as background for the Buchholz residential-development acceptance item.
The records I searched do not contain the 2021 Buchholz/Kontz minor subdivision resolution or a prior decision specifically addressing Parcel C’s buildability, an agricultural-only restriction, or unfinished conditions such as park dedication. Based on these search results, I cannot confirm the details of the 2021 approval or whether the listed conditions were completed. The closest related records are later, general minor-subdivision materials. At the February 24, 2026 and March 10, 2026 meetings, packets included a proposed ordinance amendment clarifying that minor subdivisions must comply with zoning and subdivision requirements, may require a development agreement to ensure conditions of approval, and must comply with park dedication regulations. Those records support the general point that minor subdivisions can carry conditions, including park dedication, but they do not document the specific 2021 Buchholz/Kontz conditions being recalled.
Interim Administrator Johnson has been previously approved on April 8, 2025, to attend the Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute (MMCI) conference from May 5-9, 2025. However, according to the 2021 Personnel Policy, “ ... Lodging expenses will not be reimbursed for activities held within the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area or within a 75-mile radius of the City of Nowthen, unless it is determined to be financially feasible and approved by the City Council, prior to travel."
— Interim Administrator Johnson
What this is about
Prior approval for Johnson to attend the MMCI conference and the 2021 personnel policy lodging rule were cited for the hotel-stay request.
The records I searched do not contain the April 8, 2025 approval for Interim Administrator Johnson to attend the Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute conference, nor do they show a recorded vote or dollar amount for that prior approval. The only partial match found is in the April 14, 2026 meeting packet, which references the Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute as part of a staff advancement requirement: “Begin the Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute (MMCI) and complete Year 1.” The search results also did not include the 2021 Personnel Policy lodging-reimbursement language or any prior council determination approving lodging within 75 miles of Nowthen.
On March 27, 2025, the City Council approved Resolution 2025-26 Approving the purchase of a new projector for historic town hall. The projector was purchased for $599 rather than the $849.99 that had been previously quoted.
— Administrative Assistant Stoeckel
What this is about
The projector item referred back to the council's March 27, 2025 approval of Resolution 2025-26 and the prior projector quote.
The records provided in this search do not contain the March 27, 2025 City Council minutes, Resolution 2025-26, or the earlier projector quote. They therefore do not confirm the prior approval or the quoted $849.99 amount referenced by Administrative Assistant Stoeckel. The search results are mostly 2026 packets and minutes involving unrelated consent agenda items, development applications, and equipment purchases. One result lists Historic Townhall as the meeting location, but none mention a projector purchase for Historic Town Hall.
This is the third time that this agenda item has been shared with the City Council. The first time it was removed to determine if an interim employee who would be salaried can receive overtime if occupying a temporary position.
— Consultant Boyles
What this is about
The Johnson wage-increase item referred to prior meetings where the item had been removed or delayed.
The records searched do not contain a prior decision or minutes entry matching Consultant Boyles’s recollection that the Johnson wage-increase item had previously been removed from an agenda to determine whether a salaried interim employee in a temporary position could receive overtime. The closest related record is in the April 14, 2026 meeting packet, which notes under “Municipal Services and Operations” that an employee wage study was being prepared for 2027 and that Council Member Swenson planned to meet with City Clerk Johnson within a week. That entry reflects discussion of wages generally, but it does not show a formal vote, removal, or delay of the specific Johnson wage-increase item.
A resolution is attached that would approve the new Personnel Policy and retract any other personnel policy, including those from 2013, 2019,2021, and 2022.
— Interim City Administrator Johnson
What this is about
The personnel-policy item referred to past personnel policies that the proposed March 2025 policy would supersede or retract.
The records searched do not include the March 2025 personnel-policy resolution or the earlier 2013, 2019, 2021, and 2022 personnel policies it was said to retract, so I cannot confirm from these results exactly when those prior policies were adopted or amended. The records do show later related personnel-policy updates. At the February 10, 2026 meeting, Council approved Resolution 2026-12 updating the Personnel Policy and City Council Policy to add a complaint policy; the motion carried. The packet explains this was prompted by a recent complaint and the discovery that the personnel policy referenced a complaint process that did not yet exist. The March 10, 2026 agenda/packet also included a resolution to repeal and replace the drug policy portion of the Personnel Policy with separate DOT and non-DOT drug and alcohol policies, but the search results provided show the agenda and draft resolution, not a recorded final vote.
Name Brand Storage is our single largest example of ordinance violations with an excess of three dozen calls for service in the last three years. A second example is Bar None with a large number of tenants assaulting one another, damaging the property of others and consuming large amounts of the sheriff's time in violent pursuits.
— City Attorney's Ruppe and Allseits
What this is about
The nuisance ordinance background referenced recent service-call history at Name Brand Storage and Bar None as reasons for the proposed excess-services ordinance.
The records searched show a partial match for the Bar None portion of the recollection. In the packet for the January 13, 2026 meeting, sheriff’s/arrest data for 2025 showed 159 total Nowthen arrests, 119 of them at Bar None and 40 elsewhere. The same chart broke the Bar None arrests down by type, including 51 assaults, 23 obstruction/disorderly cases, 14 rioting cases, 12 thefts, 10 damage-to-property cases, 3 robberies, and 6 miscellaneous offenses. The records also show Bar None was before the city again in the April 28, 2026 packet in connection with land-use approvals for its residential treatment facility, including a description of its licensed 40-resident children’s residential facility and its program operations. However, the search results provided do not include a formal vote on an excess-services or nuisance ordinance, and they do not include the referenced Name Brand Storage service-call history or a prior decision specifically naming Name Brand Storage as the largest example.
DECISION: Based on the foregoing information and applicable ordinances, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval of the Minor Subdivision subject to the following conditions: 1\.
## 10-9-3:MINOR SUBDIVISIONS: ### A. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1\. Criteria. A subdivision resulting in the creation of not more than one additional lot, tract or parcel shall be considered a minor subdivi
### A. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1\. Criteria. A subdivision resulting in the creation of not more than one additional lot, tract or parcel shall be considered a minor subdivision, shall be permitted in th
# Collaborative Planning, LLC ## Memorandum <table> <tr> <td>To:</td> <td>Planning and Zoning Commission</td> </tr> <tr> <td>From:</td> <td>Cindy Nash, AICP, EDFP</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Date:
#### Collaborative Planning, LLC ##### Memorandum <table> <tr> <td>To:</td> <td>Planning and Zoning Commission</td> </tr> <tr> <td>From:</td> <td>Cindy Nash, AICP, EDFP</td> </tr> <tr> <td
Documents and recordings archived for this meeting, when available.
Meeting City Council Meeting — Minutes (2025-04-29)
Minutes · Tuesday, April 29, 2025
2 pages
Meeting City Council Meeting — Agenda Packet (2025-04-29)
Packet · Tuesday, April 29, 2025
138 pages
Meeting City Council Meeting — Agenda (2025-04-29)
Agenda · Tuesday, April 29, 2025
1 pages
The structured brief on this page is auto-generated and may need correction. The PDFs and the meeting recording remain the official record. What do the trust labels mean?