Monticello City Council Highlights - July 26, 2021

MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS"City

July 26, 2021

EDA Annual Update

Economic Development Manager Jim Thares presented the annual Economic Development department update.

"EDA“The 2020-2021 workplans included six components: downtown redevelopment was the top goal or priority for the EDA. Promoting industrial and commercial development was the second priority, housing development was third. The IEDC’s priorities were labor force development and business retention and expansion. In 2020 the CARES Act came to the city and money was provided to the EDA and that’s where the COVID-19 emergency response efforts were established,” said Thares.

He then elaborated further explaining that Block 52 was the top priority of the Downtown Redevelopment work plan as well as the Façade Improvement Program. One highlight was that the façade improvements to the Agosto building were completed in late 2020, with three new applications submitted this spring/summer, all of which are on Block 35.

According to Thares, there were 38 EDA CARES Act grants approved for $5,000 each. Eight additional City CARES Act grants were also approved for restaurants and microbreweries in the community.

Riverfest Recap

Riverfest 2021 was a huge success according to Riverfest City Liaison Tom Pawelk.

“Overall, it was a good turnout. Second highest gross sales that the Riverfest committee has ever seen, so that’s pretty good. Record beer sales… and duck adoptions were basically sold out, so that’s 5,000 ducks sold,” said Pawelk.

The first night [Thursday] kicked off at Pioneer Park, with a Monticello firefighter showing up strong for a second year in a row and winning the pie eating contest. Mayor Hilgart teased that may only be because he’s “not invited back” to the pie eating contest after winning twice.

“Friday night, the talent show had 22 acts and we followed it up with a wonderful fireworks display, sponsored by the City of Monticello. The Lions Bean Bag tournament on Saturday had 49 entries,” said Pawelk.

Pawelk added that while Sunday’s parade was shorter than past years, with no royalty candidates or visiting royalty; the shorter parade might have been preferable given the heat. He joked that the kids didn’t seem to mind because they still got plenty of candy.

Online Building Permits

City of Monticello is now offering online building permits for permits that do not require a plan review. Visit our website to check it out! 

Council Approval

  • Council approved Special Event Permit
    • City Council approved a Special Event Permit and temporary liquor license for the Rotary’s Taste of the Towns event. The event will be held on Thursday, September 16 in the commuter lot on Deegan Ave. 

  • Council approved new restrooms for Ellison Park
    • City Council approved the purchase of modular restrooms to replace the existing restrooms at Ellison Park. The project will also include ADA improvements in the area around the bathroom.
  • Council approved proceeding with bids for DMV relocation
    • City Council approved notifying the State of Minnesota of intent to move the DMV from its current location to the Prairie Center building at 118 W. 6th Street. Council also approved proceeding with bids for the improvements necessary to remodel the first floor of the building for the DMV. City Council will consider officially ordering the improvements at a future meeting.

WATCH A CITY MEETING

Citizens are welcome to attend City Council, Planning Commission, and Economic Development Authority meetings, but we understand that attending in person is not always an option. As an alternative, we offer the following options to stay engaged with your local government:

  • Meetings are broadcast live on cable channel 12 (FiberNet and TDS subscribers) or channel 180 (Charter subscribers).
  • Meetings are streamed live online. View the live stream on the Monticello Live Stream website.
  • Meetings recordings are available online to watch when it's convenient for you. View the meeting recordings on the Monticello Live Stream website.
  • Meetings are rebroadcast throughout the week on cable channel 12 (FiberNet & TDS subscribers) or channel 180 (Charter subscribers).

 

Mar 11

[ARCHIVED] City Council Highlights March 10, 2025

The original item was published from March 11, 2025 2:14 PM to March 12, 2025 8:42 AM

The City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, March 10, 2025. Below are the highlights of the meeting. 

To view the agenda, and minutes when available, visit the Agenda Center.

To watch the recorded meeting, stream it online or tune in on cable channel 12 (FiberNet & TDS subscribers) or channel 180 (Charter subscribers). The rebroadcast schedule is available here. 

Public Service Announcements

Food Drive

The City of Monticello is collecting non-perishable food items for the Monticello Help Center through March 23. Drop off locations include City Hall, the Monticello Community Center, Hi-Way Liquors, and the DMV.

Spring Egg Dive

Registration for the annual Spring Egg Dive is now open. Join us at the Monticello Community Center on Friday, April 4. The Egg Dive costs $10 for MCC members and $17 for nonmembers. Capacity is limited. To register, visit Spring Egg Dive.

Council Liaison Updates

Industrial and Economic Development Committee

The City’s Engineer/Public Works Director joined the IEDC’s regular meeting on March 4, 2025, to provide the committee with information on the City’s PFAS mitigation Plan. 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known commonly as PFAS, are a group of 5,000 man-made chemicals that resist oil, water, grease, and heat. The City of Monticello conducted PFAS testing at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Based on testing results, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) identified Monticello as a “medium” priority facility.

PFAS are commonly used in industrial and commercial applications, including textile manufacturing, paper processing, metal finishing, wire manufacturing, plastic manufacturing, commercial airports, and commercial printing. New state laws now require certain items to be made without PFAS.

To help reduce PFAS in our environment, the City of Monticello will be focusing on a reduction strategy with local industrial and commercial businesses. The City will conduct outreach to local businesses to explain the risks of PFAS, as well as educate residents on common household products that contain PFAS. Following the outreach this year, the City will conduct additional PFAS testing in summer 2026.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission held their latest regular meeting on March 4, 2025. The meeting included four public hearings:

  • MasterCraft, Item 2A: A public hearing was held in consideration of a final stage planned unit development and rezoning request for an industrial service and industrial self-storage use (MasterCraft) in the Oakwood Industrial Park. The lot is located on the east side of Fallon Avenue NE, just south of the Fallon Ave NE and Chelsea Road roundabout.
  • Active Adventures, Item 2B: A public hearing was held in consideration of a conditional use permit for a proposed entertainment/recreation indoor facility (Active Adventures) at 207 Dundas Road. The project repurposes a portion of an industrial building for this new use. The remainder of the building will continue to be used for building material sales and warehousing.
  • Discount Tire, Item 2C: A public hearing was held in consideration of a conditional use permit for a proposed minor auto repair facility (Discount Tire), to be located between E 7th Street and I-94, across from St. Henry’s Catholic Church.
  • Nordic Tap House, Item 2D: A public hearing was held in consideration of a conditional use permit for a cross-parking agreement for the restaurant/bar facility, which will be located at 106 Walnut Street in Downtown Monticello.

The Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of all four requests. The final applications will be presented to the City Council at a future meeting for final approvals. 

For future public hearings, please visit Public Hearings/Meeting Notices or visit Planning Commission. Current projects can be found on the Projects page. 

Department Updates

FiberNet 2024 4th Quarter Update

Arvig presented FiberNet’s 2024 4th Quarter update to City Council. The update included an overview of subscriber numbers, budget, and marketing. Currently, FiberNet will price-match other providers, so that your money stays local. Watch the presentation here. 

City Council Decisions

Water Treatment Plant Funding Updates (Item 2G)

A long-term project of the City is to build a centralized water treatment plant to assist with the removal of manganese and iron from our local drinking water. 

During routine federal water quality monitoring, the City detected elevated manganese in the water supply. While not currently regulated, the Minnesota Department of Health adopted recommended guidelines in 2018. In response to the elevated levels, the City conducted a feasibility study to determine the best approach for water treatment. The study recommended the construction of the water treatment plant, providing a community-wide option.

The current estimate to construct the Water Treatment Plant is $40-50 million. The City has secured $11 million in funding from the 2023 state bonding bill for this project. Currently, the City is pursuing an additional $10 million in state funding, along with a $10 million federal grant. The federal funding requires a 20% local match, which may be covered by the City through a Public Facilities Authority loan. 

At the Monday meeting, Council formally adopted a resolution to support the project, which is expected to assist in future funding requests. Any external funding support will reduce the impact on local rate payers to a more manageable level. This investment will provide a long-term, community-wide solution for safe drinking water.

Cornerstone Chevrolet Donates to Monticello Fire Department

The City Council accepted a donation to the Monticello Fire Department on Monday night. The Monticello Fire Department received a total of $1,325.95 in donated funds from Cornerstone Chevrolet. The donations will be used to purchase equipment and other general items for the Fire Department. 

Thank you to Cornerstone Chevrolet for their donation and support for our Monticello Fire Department!

Tag(s): Water Treatment Plant, Water Treatment Facility, Water Treatment, Water, Planning Commission, Monticello Fire Department, Meeting, Food Drive, Egg Dive, City Council Highlights, City Council