The regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council was called to order by Mayor Joseph Arnzen at 7:00 pm on the 14th day of April 2026 in Council Chambers. Council members present were Brad Johnson, Brian Hollenkamp, Roland Ahrendt and Chris Browen. No council members were absent. Also in attendance was Beth Ramacher and guests: Jeremy Freudenrich, Lance Chase and Tim Draxten.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the agenda. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the minutes of the March 10, 2026 meeting. A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
Tim Draxten was present to discuss a possible donation to the City. The donation would be an 85’x200’ hockey rink which he purchased from the Gustafson-Phalen Ice Arena in St. Paul. Discussion was held on the maintenance of a rink. The council would like more time to think about this and has tabled this for the time being.
Jeremy Freudenrich presented the monthly water and wastewater report. The lift station pumps were pulled, inspected and cleaned on April 1st. This should be done annually for preventative maintenance issues and insurance claims. The water tower was cleaned and inspected; a report will be provided from KLM Engineering. The ridge cap was installed on the water treatment plant on April 7th. Sewer ponds will be discharged in a few weeks.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the final plat drawing for the Toy Box garage condo development project at 327 State St. W. A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the quote from Core & Main for the curb stops and standpipes at 327 State St W. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve closing Main Street from 7am-4pm on September 6, 2026 for a car show. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The following first quarter 2026 reports were reviewed: Todd County Sheriff and Utility Transaction History. A motion was made by Brad Johnson to approve the 1st Quarter Utility Transaction Report. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve the quote from the City of Sauk Centre for street sweeping. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The council would like to see quotes from Terrain Aesthetics for spraying weeds and fertilizing the parks, cemetery and city grounds.
The council reviewed a quote from Maguire Iron for annual service on the water tower – internal cleaning and inspection. No action was taken.
The fire service contracts for our service area have not been updated since 2009. The contracts are valid but the city attorney suggests updating these to provide better indemnification language. A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to have Joe Krueger update the fire service contracts. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to start the process of certifying unpaid utilities to the taxes for the property at 317 Woodman St N and to do so quarterly. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Melrose Implement to give the city a replacement mower from MK Martin. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to have both the John Deere X730 and Kubota scheduled for service. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. A service log will be started on all mowers, trucks and the tractor. The council would like to see a log of service done and also a log of maintenance work performed which should include mileage.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve Resolution 2026-09: Resolution Setting a Public Hearing on an Ordinance Regulating Shipping, Cargo & Storage Containers. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
A RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING ON AN ORDINANCE REGULATING SHIPPING, CARGO AND STORAGE CONTAINERS.
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the existence of shipping, cargo and storage containers is not desired within the City limits; the proposed code would read as follows:
Section – Shipping, Cargo and Storage Containers.
13.30 Definitions.
Subd. 1: Shipping Container: Any six-sided steel unit originally constructed as a general container used for the transport of goods and materials by ship, rail, or truck including but not limited to any shipping, cargo, or storage container.
Subd. 2: City Limits: All land that is geographically situated within the City of Grey Eagle, Todd County, Minnesota.
13.31 Prohibition. Any Shipping Container within the city limits of the City is prohibited and is a violation of this section.
13.32 Exceptions.
Subd. 1: An individual may apply for a temporary building permit, for up to 90 days, for the storage of personal property in a Shipping Container, while the individual is constructing, remodeling or repairing a permitted building within the City Limits or moving to a building in the City Limits.
Subd. 2: The prohibition does not apply to any existing Shipping Container for which the owner has been granted a building permit under Chapter 14 by the City prior to adoption of this ordinance.
13.33 Permit Application.
Subd. 1: The permit application shall state the purpose for the Shipping Container, describe its contents, include contact information of the applicant, list the address of the building that is being constructed, remodeled, repaired or moved into and list the address where the Shipping Container will be located during the duration of the temporary permit.
Subd. 2: Any individual whose permit application is approved shall be permitted to maintain a Shipping Container within City limits for no more than ninety (90) days at the address located on the application.
Subd. 3: Any Shipping Container approved by a permit shall abide by the setback requirements in Chapter 14 of the Grey Eagle City Code.
13.34 Enforcement.
Subd. 1: The City, through its adopted agents or employees, shall administer and enforce the provisions of this Section and are authorized to cause inspections on any Shipping Container when reason exists to believe that a violation of this Section has been or are being committed. Inspections shall be conducted during reasonable daylight hours.
Subd. 2: Violations of this Section are a misdemeanor offense.
Subd. 3: The City may also seek any and all civil remedies available to it, including but not limited to, injunctive relief. Costs and attorney fees incurred by the City enforcing this Section shall be assessed against the Applicant’s property where the Shipping Container is located or the building is being constructed, remodeled, repaired or moved into pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 429.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GREY EAGLE, MINNESOTA AS FOLLOWS:
The City Council will consider the adoption of a comprehensive ordinance regulating shipping, cargo and storage containers and a public hearing shall be held on such proposed ordinance on the 12th day of May, 2026 in the City Hall located at 202 Woodman Street South, Grey Eagle MN 56336 at 7:00 pm, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk is hereby directed to give published, posted and mailed notice of such hearing as required by law.
Passed by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of April 2026.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve Resolution 2026-10: Resolution Allowing City to Submit a Community Benefit Funding Application to Sourcewell for Financial Support. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
A RESOLUTION ALLOWING CITY OF GREY EAGLE TO SUBMIT A COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUNDING APPLICATION TO SOURCEWELL FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FY 2025-2026
At the Council Meeting of the City of Grey Eagle on April 14, 2026, the following resolution was proposed and approved:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Grey Eagle City Council fully supports the City of Grey Eagle in implementing the Phase 2 of Playground Equipment (Rainbow C6 Play Village Pod, Swing Set and Benches). The Grey Eagle City Council of the City of Grey Eagle further supports the City of Grey Eagle in submitting a Community Benefit Funding application to Sourcewell to request financial support for the Phase 2 Playground Equipment.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of April 2026.
The council was given information for the Annual League of MN Cities Conference held in Rochester in June.
The council reviewed a quote from Grey Eagle Electric for work at the library due to the new desk and location of the desk. A motion was made by Brad Johnson that the City will not pay for the electric work at the library. A second was made by Roland Ahrendt and upon vote, the motion carried with Joe Arnzen opposed.
A quote from Level Ground was reviewed to fix the cement under the south overhead door of the city shop. The cement under the north overhead door needs to be addressed also. The City will ask for an updated quote. The City will also contact Greater MN Gas to have a gas line brought to the shop and a meter installed.
The council would like to see a log of maintenance work performed and should include mileage.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to approve Resolution 2026-11: Resolution Accepting $500 Donation from Swanville Dollars for Scholars for the Grey Eagle Fire Department. A second was made by Chris Browen and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried. The resolution is as follows:
A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING $500 DONATION FROM SWANVILLE DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS FOR THE GREY EAGLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, money has been donated by Swanville Dollars for Scholars; and
WHEREAS, the City Council feels that the donation will benefit citizens of the area;
1. That the City Council of the City of Grey Eagle formally accepts the donation from Swanville Dollars for Scholars for the Fire Department.
2. That the City Clerk is authorized and directed to make the appropriate revenue and expenditure budget adjustments as needed to reflect this donation and its intended use.
Adopted by the Grey Eagle City Council this 14th day of April 2026.
A motion was made by Brian Hollenkamp to approve payment of Claims #3739-3767, totaling $18,959.21 and include additional payments of the following: MN Dept of Natural Resources $7000, MN Power $2308.64, State of MN Dept of Public Safety $100.00, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension $15.00, Preferred Controls $368.00 and Timothy Huston $480.48. A second was made by Brad Johnson and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
A motion was made by Roland Ahrendt to adjourn the meeting at 8:06 pm. A second was made by Brian Hollenkamp and upon vote, with all members voting in favor, motion carried.
The next regular meeting of the Grey Eagle City Council will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 in Council Chambers.
Beth Ramacher, Clerk/Treasurer
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