The Blue Earth City Council held a combination of four meetings and public hearings during a three hour period on Monday night, Dec. 2.

Besides their regular meeting, the council also held a budget work session, a public hearing on the proposed 2025 street/utility project and also held their annual Truth in Taxation public meeting.

With all that going on, the Council Chambers at the City Hall was once more filled to overflowing with citizens and was standing room only.

During the public hearing on the proposed 2025 Linton Street Project city engineer Ben Rosol gave a detailed presentation about the project, including the costs.

Several citizens also asked questions that dealt with such things as private water lines being replaced, removal of trees, and whether driveways would be open at all during the project.

Rosol also explained the timeline for the project, which would take place from May to October next year, if the council approved moving forward.

After the public hearing on the 2025 Linton Street project came to a close, and the council went back into their regular meeting, they voted to proceed with the project which is estimated to be at a cost of $3.39 million, with $752,686 being assessed to the local property owners in the project area.

However, the council voted to not include the far west block of Eighth Street in the project after city engineer Rosol said it had been determined to be better that this block not be included in this project at this time, and be added to a project in the future instead.

Rosol said that would knock off approximately $375,000 from the project’s estimated cost.

During the regular meeting on Monday night the council:

• Passed motions to accept the first readings of two new ordinances and one ordinance change. They dealt with a new zoning ordinance, new cannabis ordinance and one renaming of an ordinance section that will now contain both alcohol and cannabis ordinances.

The council will have the second reading of the new ordinances at the next meeting on Dec. 16, after which the council can then pass motions to accept the new ordinances.

• Passed six motions that had to do with canceling a purchase agreement for two lots in the Prairie View Addition, and instead complete the sale of just one of the two lots.

“In essence, the buyers decided they did not need two lots and just wanted one of the lots,” city attorney David Frundt said. Sale price of the lot was $5,000.

• Passed a motion that adopted the city fee schedule for 2025. Many of the fees the city charges were increased from the current 2024 schedule.

• Passed a motion that decertified a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) District that dealt with the property that once was the site of Coleman Hall.

• Passed a motion that allowed the Blue Earth Fire Department to proceed with the purchase of a new Jaws of Life rescue equipment.

• Passed a motion to appoint Ryan Milbrandt to the city’s Economic Development Authority board.

• Went into closed session to go into labor negotiations with the AFSCME union. The council voted to approve the contract with a three percent increase each year for the next three years.