Thursday, February 1, 2024 · 5:00 PM
Agenda
Not posted
What was on the agenda.
One-line summary
The work session approved the agenda and Presidential Nomination Primary election judges, then discussed personnel policy PTO rules, 2024 COLA and merit wage proposals, and a possible voter-integrity presentation without taking final action on the personnel and wage items.
5 items as recorded in the packet and minutes, each with a plain-English summary of what was at issue.
1Call to Order
Meeting opening, including pledge and roll call.
The minutes record the call to order and attendance; no vote was required.
2Approve Agenda
Council considered whether to accept the agenda as presented.
Council accepted the work-session agenda as presented by a 4-aye vote.
Approved by 4 ayes.
3Approve Resolution 2024-XX Appointing 2024 Presidential Nomination Primary
Council considered appointment of election judges for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Nomination Primary.
Council approved Resolution 2024-XX appointing election judges for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Nomination Primary. Mayor Pilon clarified that additional judges for the August Primary and November General Election would come back later, and this action covered only the Presidential Nomination Primary.
Resolution 2024-XX was approved for the Presidential Primary election judges only.
4Review Phase 1 of the Nowthen Personnel Policy Changes
Council reviewed Phase 1 personnel policy changes, including attorney-reviewed PTO language, PTO carryover, and PTO accrual charts for existing and new employees.
Council reviewed attorney changes and PTO provisions in the personnel policy. The group agreed to include an 80-hour limit for PTO used before accrual and Attorney Ruppe’s comments, decided to allow employees to carry over 200 hours of PTO each year with excess forfeited, and left the PTO accrual schedule for further written proposals and a February 13 decision.
Council reached direction on some policy language and PTO carryover, but the PTO accrual plan was left for review and a later decision.
5Review Employee Annual Performance Ratings, Payroll Wages, Recommended COLA increase per 2024 Budget and Recommended Merit Increases
Council reviewed employee annual performance ratings, payroll wages, the recommended COLA increase in the 2024 budget, and recommended merit increases.
Council reviewed the proposed 2024 COLA and merit increases, wage spreadsheet, and performance-review process but did not approve the resolution. Administrator Lehner was directed to discuss annual reviews with staff, bring review documentation to the next council meeting, and return the COLA and merit resolution for possible approval after council questions are addressed.
No approval occurred at this work session; the minutes direct the administrator to bring review documentation back before a later motion on the COLA and merit resolution.
Topics that came up without tying to a specific agenda item.
Voter Integrity presentation request
At the end of the work session, Mayor Pilon reported that Derek Lind had asked whether the city would host a 45-minute Voter Integrity presentation for the council and residents. The minutes state council members had no objection and the mayor would reach out to set a time.
Speakers: Mayor Pilon, Derek Lind, City Council.
3 motions on the record. Split votes are highlighted.
M1MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BREYEN SECONDED BY MAYOR PILON TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BREYEN SECONDED BY MAYOR PILON TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
moved by BREYEN, seconded by PILON
M2MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BREYEN SECONDED BY FLADEBO TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 2024-XX APPOINTING ELECTION JUDGES FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY AS PRESENTED.
MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BREYEN SECONDED BY FLADEBO TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 2024-XX APPOINTING ELECTION JUDGES FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY AS PRESENTED.
moved by BREYEN, seconded by FLADEBO
M3Motion to adjourn at 8:57 p.m.
The amounts the council actually voted to approve, each with the vote that approved it. Drawn from the official minutes.
Head Judge PNP hourly rate
$16
Assistant Head Judge PNP hourly rate
$16
Election Judge PNP hourly rate
$15
When someone referred back to earlier business, we found the matching prior discussion and tied it in here.
Per 12/14 Discussion the following was determined for existing employees: · At the end of 2024, pay out up to 200 hours, up to 40 hours can be rolled over with a payout of 160. Any accrued hours above 200 will be lost effective 12/31/2024. . 2025 and beyond, all employees follow the 40 hour rollover and 40 hour payout rule. Per the 1/9 meeting: Rollover for all employees was updated to 40 hours rollover with extenuating circumstances to allow an additional 40 hours rollover
What this is about
PTO rollover and payout decisions from the December 14 and January 9 personnel-policy discussions.
The records I searched do not contain a prior council decision matching this recollection about PTO rollover or payout from a December 14 discussion or a January 9 meeting. The search results returned unrelated items, including 2026 packets and minutes about property taxes, meeting dates, development materials, claims, and code-compliance costs. They do not show a personnel-policy discussion, formal vote, or adopted PTO language addressing a 200-hour cap, 160-hour payout, 40-hour rollover, or an additional 40-hour rollover for extenuating circumstances.
Current Employees Hired prior to Nov 1st 2023: Discussed on 12/14 and Accepted on 1/9
What this is about
Prior PTO accrual chart decisions for existing and new employees.
The records I searched do not contain a prior PTO accrual chart decision matching the recollection that it was “discussed on 12/14 and accepted on 1/9,” nor do they show a PTO chart split between current employees hired before November 1, 2023 and new employees. The closest related records are about employee pay scales and step charts, not PTO. At the April 14, 2026 meeting, Council Member Swenson presented a proposed employee pay step system with six job classes and six steps, 4.2% raises per step, and an estimated 2026 implementation cost of $29,567. The minutes note discussion of placing current employees into steps based on current salary or years of service, whichever was higher, but no PTO accrual action is reflected in the search results provided.
PTO Accrual for New Hires after Nov 1st, 2023 - Discussed, approved then brought back for discussion 2-1-24
What this is about
The minutes identify a PTO accrual chart that had been discussed and approved earlier, then returned for discussion at this meeting.
The records I searched do not contain a prior decision matching this recollection about a “PTO Accrual for New Hires after Nov. 1, 2023” chart being discussed, approved, and then brought back on February 1, 2024. The search results that mention “accrual” relate to accounting basis in later financial statements, not employee PTO. One result mentions “new hires” in the context of safety training in a 2026 service agreement, not PTO. No formal vote, approval date, or earlier council discussion on this PTO accrual chart appears in the provided results.
Discussion about going forward - the council would like to have all the information in place, in writing, before calling a vote. Changing and working on the fly doesn't always create good decisions.
What this is about
Council members discussed confusion from the prior meeting and the need to have proposals in writing before voting.
The records I searched do not contain a prior Council decision adopting a requirement that proposals be put in writing before a vote, nor a minutes entry that clearly describes “confusion from the prior meeting” in those terms. The closest related records are procedural materials in the February 10, 2026 packet about agenda deadlines, adding items during meetings, and making sure members receive the same information and have time to review it before acting. Those materials appear to address Planning and Zoning Commission procedures, not a formal City Council rule change. One possibly related prior vote appears in the February 10, 2026 packet, summarizing the November 18, 2025 Council discussion on whether to fly the Minnesota state flag. A motion to not fly the state flag failed, 2 ayes to 3 nays. That record documents a divided vote, but it does not state that Council postponed action because proposals were not in writing.
In 2023, the increase was split into two (2) pots - one for COLA and one for MERIT to help move staff into a competitive wage range.
What this is about
Council recalled the prior year’s COLA and merit process while discussing the 2024 wage process.
The records searched do not contain a 2023 meeting or formal decision matching the recollection that the wage increase was split into two pots for COLA and merit. There is a partial match in later records: at the March 27, April 29, and May 5, 2025 meetings, agenda packet language described a compensation approach where a total salary increase pool is divided into COLA and merit-based components, with the City Administrator responsible for allocating increases based on factors such as inflation, financial health, and employee performance. Those 2025 materials state, as an example, that Council had authorized a 5% total salary increase pool for 2025 to be divided between COLA and merit, but the search results provided do not show the prior 2023 action or vote.
I'm going to ask in the future we put our numbers together and we table it until people get a chance to look at it and say oh I Now understand it and now I can vote because we voted but apparently we didn't understand very
— Mayor Pilon
What this is about
The transcript captures discussion that the January 9 meeting decision may not have been fully understood and that written materials should be reviewed before another vote.
The records I searched do not contain a prior January 9 decision matching this recollection, and they do not show a recorded vote where council later noted members had not understood the materials. The closest related records are in the January 13, 2026 packet, which included written staff materials for “Discussion and Decision regarding 2026 City Council and Planning and Zoning Meeting Dates” and a separate explanation of the furnace situation at City offices. Those packet items show information was provided for council review, but the search results do not include minutes or a vote outcome tying them to the January 9 concern Mayor Pilon referenced.
### 2. Property Taxes The City Council annually adopts a tax levy and certifies it to Anoka County (the "County") in December (levy/assessment date) of each year for collection in the following year.
This page was left intentionally blank. <figure> CITY OF NOWTHEN </figure> ### REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION <table> <tr> <th>Agenda Item:</t
## City of Nowthen Elected Officials and Administration December 31, 2025 <table> <tr> <th>Elected Officials</th> <th>Position</th> <th>Term Expires</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Shane Hybben</td> <td>
## INFORMATION AVAILABLE Viking Estates Preliminary Plat, dated December 16, 2025, and revised on January 20, 2026, prepared by Carlson Engineering, LLC Viking Estates Preliminary Plans, dat
### INFORMATION AVAILABLE Viking Estates Preliminary Plat, dated December 16, 2025, and revised on January 20, 2026, prepared by Carlson Engineering, LLC Viking Estates Preliminary Plans, dat
Documents and recordings archived for this meeting, when available.
Meeting City Council Work Session — Agenda Packet (2024-02-01)
Packet · Thursday, February 1, 2024
63 pages
Meeting City Council Work Session — Minutes (2024-02-01)
Minutes · Thursday, February 1, 2024
4 pages
Meeting recording
YouTube
Transcript · 674 segments · 1:47:49
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?