Several housekeeping items were dealt with at the Winnebago City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, along with a public nuisance declaration and discussion about potential cleaning services for 2026.

Police chief Nathan Goette presented the council with an inspection report for the property located at 141 Southwest Fifth Avenue, with a request to declare the property as a public nuisance.

“The photos I’ve provided in the packet don’t really do the situation justice, but the property is a mess,” Goette shared. “There are vehicles and trailers parked everywhere, the backyard is full of junk, and it all needs to get removed. We’ve talked to the property owners about this before, and they’ve made a little progress each time, but by the time we come back to check again, it’s worse than it was before.”

“That property doesn’t currently have water or electricity going to it, and I haven’t seen a meter anywhere,” council member Chris Anderson commented. “That leads me to believe that the current owners don’t really have any motivation for cleaning it up. I agree that it should be declared a public nuisance.”

Council member Calvin Howard raised the question of what the next steps would be for the city after declaring the property a public nuisance.

“Our first step tonight would be issuing an order for abatement,” city attorney David Frundt replied. “Following that, if the property owners fail to take action, then the city can proceed with legal action so that the city can perform the abatement itself. If the property owners start cleaning up, then they don’t have to worry about us coming to do it for them.”

Hearing no further discussion on the issue, a motion was made and seconded to declare the property at 141 Southwest Fifth Avenue a public nuisance and issue an order for abatement. The motion was passed unanimously.

City administrator Judi Hynes presented the council with the bids for the 2026 cleaning services contract.

“We received two bids for our cleaning contract; one from STEP, who we currently work with, and the other from Legacy Cleaning,” Hynes explained. “STEP’s rate has increased slightly from last year, with a flat rate of $281.13 per month. Legacy Cleaning has a base rate of $433 per month, along with additional charges for floor care services.”

“I think STEP has done a very good job with cleaning thus far, and I’m wary of the extra charges that Legacy Cleaning might add to the bill, especially since we haven’t worked with them before,” Howard remarked. “I’d prefer to stick with STEP for another year.”

Following discussion, a motion was made and seconded to accept the bid from STEP for 2026 cleaning services. The motion was passed unanimously.

Other business discussed at the Winnebago City Council meeting included:

• A public hearing was held for the second reading of Ordinance No. 2, Second Series, Section 1 increasing the salaries of the Mayor and City Council members, which would go into effect Jan. 1, 2027. Following the hearing, a motion was made and seconded to pass Ordinance No. 2. The motion was passed unanimously.

• The council entered a closed session to discuss labor grievance negotiations with a union spokesperson from IBEW. After the meeting was reopened to the public, Frundt provided a summary of the closed session. No action was taken at this time, but an agreement was reached to extend the union contract an extra 50 days, to account for the absence of council members Paul Eisenmenger and Tony O’Donnell during the closed session.

• The 2026 engineering services contract with Bolton & Menk was unanimously approved.

• The 2026 legal services contract with Frundt Lundquist & Gustavson was unanimously approved.

• The 2025 Faribault County Hazard Mitigation Plan was unanimously approved.

• Resolution 894-2026 designating the Winnebago Municipal Center as the polling place for the city of Winnebago was passed unanimously.

• Resolution 895-2026 designating Carolyn Neinhaus, Darlene Fretham, Sara Murry, Amber Patten, and Julie Kuehl as election judges and Alandra Eisenmenger and Judi Hynes as head election judges for 2026 elections was unanimously approved.

• Resolution 888-2026 approving PERA for part-time police officer Michael Sharp was unanimously approved.

• Resolution 896-2026 approving PERA for part-time police officer John Kopp was unanimously approved.

• A request from Rick Mauris to attend the MRWA Technical Conference on March 3-5 was unanimously approved.

• A request from Judi Hynes to attend the Municipal Clerks and Finance Officers Annual Conference on March 24-27 was unanimously approved.

• A gambling exemption permit request from genesis Classical Academy to hold a raffle at their upcoming Spring Fling event was unanimously approved.

• A motion to accept the bid from More Than Mowing for 2026 mowing services was unanimously approved.

• A resolution accepting donations in the amount of $25 to the 890 Winnebago Ambulance Fund, $50 to the Winnebago Swimming Pool, and $500 to the Community Trust Fund for the Winnebago Hearts project was approved.