This house on Nicollet Street has had two sump pumps running almost continuously for many months. One of them empties on the driveway, shown above.

At the regular meeting of the Blue Earth City Council on Monday, Nov. 18, a question of what to do about residents on Nicollet Street having water problems became a contentious issue.

Two homes on the street have been having to run sump pumps almost continuously for months. They have said they never had this issue until a street and utility project was done on Nicollet Street three years ago.

Previously the council had authorized digging trenches in one of the yards to study where the water was coming from.

City engineer Ben Rosol said they had investigated and the problem was not due to a broken main, but was excess groundwater building up in the area.

A possible solution proposed by Rosol was to build a new pipeline from the houses to a drainage area to the west. It would include constructing a trench-less pipeline and some open cut areas and would need to have five easements from other property owners.

Cost of the project was estimated to be $75,000. Rosol said it was the best choice of any possible solutions. But, he added there were no guarantees it would solve the issue.

Mayor Rick Scholtes spoke against the plan, saying if the city paid for the work, it would create a precedence for any future issues.

“This is a ground water issue, and that is what sump pumps are meant to take care of,” Scholtes said. “If we were to do this for you guys, then anyone with a water issue could come to the city to have it done for them, too.”

Homeowners Linda Steinhauer and the family of Mary Trenary said they never had this issue until after the Nicollet Street project was done. They said they wanted something to be done to solve this issue.

Rosol said there was a sewer line that had been abandoned in 1949 that was filled with sand during the Nicollet Street project. It may have been draining area ground water.

“That is standard procedure when old pipes are found,” he explained. “To keep them from causing any issues if they collapse.”

City council member Mike McNerney said he felt the city did need to help the homeowners.

“This is not the city’s fault, and it isn’t the homeowner’s fault,” he said. “But we need to help solve this problem.”

Council member John Huisman agreed and made a motion that the city go with the proposed project and add the cost to the Linton Street Project that will be done next year.

With a motion on the floor, there was still a lot more discussion on whether to proceed with the project or not.

Mayor Scholtes reiterated that it could cause others to come forward three years after a project was completed and want an issue fixed for them, and that the council would be setting a precedence doing this now.

Council member Stephanie Walter said that the council needs to take care of issues like this one for the citizens of Blue Earth. Council member Jacqui Drew asked the homeowners if they understood there was no guarantee that this would work.

“What if it does not fix the problem,” she asked. “Before I vote on this, I want to know if you will live with it, if it does not work.”

The homeowners said they would, but added that something needs to be done now.

In the end the council voted to proceed with the work and add the cost to next year’s street/utility project. The vote was 6 to 1, with all the council members voting yes, and mayor Scholtes voting no.

The Blue Earth City Council has spent time at several work sessions working on a new Cannabis Ordinance, and Monday night, Nov. 18, was no different.

The work sessions are held for a half hour before the regular meeting starts at 5 p.m.

At the work session on Monday, city administrator Mary Athey went through the latest version of the proposed ordinance, noting changes that had been made due to input from the council at their previous work sessions.

There were also a few decisions which had yet to be made, including whether compliance checks on cannabis retail businesses would be required, buffer distances between businesses and schools, parks and daycares, as well as how many retail businesses would be allowed.

The council decided on allowing just one cannabis retail business, other than if the city operates one out of the municipal liquor store.

Other items included hours of operation, limited areas a business could be located and other items.

The original sample ordinance was provided by the state’s new Office of Cannabis Management. Businesses will first apply to the State OCM for a license, and the state will then send the application to local governments to see if they comply with local ordinances.

“I will have a final version of this ordinance prepared for the next council meeting,” Athey told the council. “That will be a first reading of the ordinance, with the second reading at the second meeting in December.”

The council could then adopt the new ordinance after the second reading.

In other business at the meeting, the council:

• Agreed to a request to up the amount of the annual Blue Earth Fire Relief retirement payments by $100. The money comes from the fire relief fund and not the city budget. Mayor Scholtes said the increase is usually $75, but last year it was only $50, so this balances it out.

• Looked over a revised fee schedule for 2025 that will be voted on at the next meeting.

• Heard an update on a body worn camera audit that is done every two years. Two issues were found during the audit, but Blue Earth police chief Tom Fletcher said those issues had already been dealt with before the end of the audit.

• Approved a request from two council members to attend a League of Minnesota Cities training session. Some members of the public who were present questioned why these were being considered when some requests from city departments were denied. Council members and the mayor explained these sessions are the only way council members can learn what they need to know.

• Went into closed session to discuss the union contract for law enforcement officials. When they came out of closed session the council voted to accept the new contract which included a three percent increase in pay for each of the next three years.