The City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, July 14, 2025.
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
Music on the Mississippi
Join us for another evening of Music on the Mississippi at West Bridge Park, featuring Bad Habits Brass. Food and beverages are available for purchase starting at 6 p.m. with live music from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
PoP Kids Club
The Power of Produce Kids Club is back at the Monticello Farmers Market! Thanks to our generous sponsors, children ages 3 through 17 can get a $2 token each week to buy their own fresh produce. Each child will also receive a free market token pouch. To join, sign up at the information booth at the Farmers Market.
Christmas in July at the Market
It might be the middle of summer, but we're bringing a little holly jolly fun to the Monticello Farmers Market on Thursday, July 24! Join us for Christmas in July, a festive mid-season celebration complete with decked-out vendor booths and plenty of cheer! Come shop, listen to live music, and say hi to Santa from 3:30 to 7 p.m. in the Monticello Public library parking lot.
Department Updates
Annual Public Works Update
The City of Monticello’s Public Works Director/City Engineer provided the annual update for the Public Works Department.
Public Works consists of administrative, facility maintenance, streets, water, fleet, and engineering departments. Together, they maintain:
- 81 miles of streets and right-of-way
- 75 miles of watermain
- 73 miles of storm mains
- 109 stormwater ponds
- Over 108 vehicles and equipment
- More than 40 City facilities
- Water and sewer services to 4,700 utility customers.
Some of the project highlights from the past year include converting a retired plow truck into a full-time asphalt truck, overlay of 2 sections of 85th Street Northeast, installing an anti-icing system on both of the City’s John Deere loaders, updates to City facilities, lead and copper water testing, School Boulevard Improvement Project design and construction, and the Downtown Roadway and Pedestrian Improvement Project.
An update on the Safe Streets 4 All (SS4A) Action Plan was also part of the presentation. The SS4A program provides grant funding for initiatives that prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The City of Monticello’s SS4A Action Plan identified several improvement projects, which staff are working to incorporate into future City, County, or State capital improvement projects. An annual summary of crash trends within the City is required by the SS4A Action Plan and was provided during the update.
Construction Update
- The School Boulevard Improvement Project continues as scheduled. The project is currently in Phase 3. Contractors plan to pave the gravel sections by next week. Current detours and road closures are available on the Project webpage. Work is expected to be complete by September.
- MnDOT will be closing a portion of Broadway Street for the I-94 Gap Project. Starting on Friday, July 18, at 10 p.m., Broadway Street, east of Fenning Avenue, will be closed for the partial removal of the I-94 bridge structure for the lane expansion. The street is expected to reopen by Monday, July 21, at 5 a.m.
City Council Decisions
Accepted Donations
The Council accepted donations for the following:
- $128.72 from Donna Dunkerson for flowers for East Bridge Park
- $100 from the Bevier family to sponsor a City planter.
- $59 from the Monticello Girl Scouts for trees.
- $6,020 in donations from multiple donors for Walk & Roll 2025.
Thank you for your donations!
Coalition of Utility Cities (CUC) Membership
The City of Monticello is a member of the Coalition of Utilities Cities (CUC). The CUC is made up of communities that host nuclear and coal powered electric generation facilities in Minnesota. By combining resources, the host communities maintain a coordinated, unified voice at the State Legislature on issues of common concern.
The City Council approved the payment of membership dues for 2025-2026. Membership dues include a base fee of $2,500 for all members, plus a percentage of the market value of the power plant in the community.
Accessory Retail Sales of THC Beverages in Downtown Monticello
The City Council approved an amendment to the City’s zoning ordinance to allow the sale of lower potency hemp edibles, like THC beverages, in the Central Community District (CCD) (Downtown Monticello).
In November 2024, the City Council adopted Ordinances 835 and 847 to regulate cannabis-related and lower-potency hemp edible uses within the City.
In May 2025, the City Council supported allowing THC beverage sales at Hi-Way Liquors, as well as local restaurants. THC beverages fall under the classification of lower-potency hemp edibles within the state Cannabis statutes. However, the existing ordinance does not allow these products to be sold as a secondary (or accessory) product in the Central Community District (CCD).
This latest amendment allows for the sale of lower-potency hemp edibles (like THC beverages) as an accessory use in commercial areas where it’s already allowed as a main business activity. It also expands the allowance into the CCD and Pointes at Cedar District (PCD).
The amendment also allows lower-potency hemp edible accessory sales to any location which holds the following:
- A current on-sale liquor license
- A Brewer Taproom or Brewer off-sale license
- A 3.2 off-sale license
- A municipal liquor store
- A current tobacco sales license from Wright County
The amendment also exempts lower-potency hemp edibles from the distance buffer from schools, childcare facilities, youth recreation facilities, and residential treatment facilities. The removal of the buffer is necessary to support the accessory retail sale within the CCD.