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A nearly all- new Wyoming City Council presided over the Monday night meeting in new quarters, setting the theme, as the mayor stated, of doing things differently in Wyoming.

Incoming Mayor Sheldon Anderson remarked that the council will “do the best we can do up here.” Looking at the couple dozen or so people in the audience, he added...”I hope (residents) continue to attend these meetings.”

Council meetings are now being held in the community room of the city hall.

The council also changed its meeting date to the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The next Wyoming City Council session is January 18.

In business for 2005 the council heard that the Parks Board had selected a new chair, Jennifer Hegstad.

The planning commission meeting for January was canceled. February 7 will be the next regular Planning Commission session.

City Administrator Jill Teetzel announced that Wyoming Township has contributed $20,000 to the city for the new library project.

The city also has officially received a federal grant for $1.5 million from the Economic Development Authority in Washington to go towards constructing a new wastewater line to hookup to the Chisago Lake Joint Sewage Treatment Commission system.

Reserve program opens

Police Chief Tony Pangal is taking applications for the Police Reservist Program he is starting in conjunction with the Washington County Sheriff’s Dept.

Chief Pangal said he has space for four candidates and encouraged any interested people to apply. Council unanimously approved the chief’s resolution authorizing the reserve unit.

Training will begin January 18 so interested applicants need to contact Chief Pangal during office hours as soon as possible. Reserve candidates must be 18 years old.

According to Pangal the use of reservists will supplement staff in a number of areas. Reservists can transport certain inmates, do vacation and welfare of citizen checks, and work traffic and crowd control at community events. He plans to raise the estimated $1,000 in program budget expenses through donations and can also shift funds out of the city snowmobile patrol budget easily if this winter continues as snow-free as it has been.

During the public comment portion of the meeting the two principals behind the Stars & Strikes entertainment complex development-- Nancy Immel and Betsy Rud--asked if council would put their project onto Monday night’s agenda to consider the city fees for the water and sewer access charges or WAC and SAC.

The developers have balked at paying $320,000 in fees. The two have argued in earlier council meetings that other fees have been “negotiated” by the city and they are asking for nothing extraordinary. Monday night Rud stressed that in refusing to talk the city is acting in an arbitrary manner in dealing with herself and Immel.

Council consensus was no, the issue would not be added that night for consideration. Stars & Strikes was requested weeks ago to submit a proposal to staff on what level of fee the project can support or if they propose some form of an installment payment schedule. Staff has received nothing.

Rud explained that she wanted to wait and meet with the three new council members and the new mayor once they were officially sworn-in.

Council member Ted Phillips explained the city has a “chain of command” and he wants staff to be able to make a recommendation on Stars & Strikes, and council concurred.

Rud then stated, “Stars and Strikes is fed up...we’ll no longer waste our time with this city.”

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