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The Chisago City Council on Nov. 12 moved swiftly through a busy agenda but applied the brakes when the public works department requested a $644,760 vactor truck.

In making the request, Public Works Superintendent Jason Lind explained that Chisago City had purchased a ten-year-old vactor truck in 2009. The 25-year-old vehicle is past its useful life and has significant maintenance issues. Lind said public works staff identified a new vactor truck as the department’s number one priority.

A vactor truck combines a powerful vacuum system with high-pressure water jetting and is commonly used for cleaning sewer lines, catch basins and storm drains but can also excavate soil without damaging underground utilities.    

At Lind’s request, his staff researched their preferred model for a new truck.They chose a vehicle manufactured by Macqueen, and learned the demonstration model could be purchased with the cost spread over several years. They recommended repayment over seven years, which would bring the total cost of the vehicle, with interest, to $790,711.

Finance Director Cassie Gemuenden reported that Chisago City’s debt service on the joint municipal sewage treatment plant will be reduced significantly in 2025. This would allow the city to cover annual payments on a new vactor truck. 

Council Member Marie Rivers said, “It sounds pretty essential, especially when we have deep wells.” Council Member Nikki Battles asked about the maintenance costs for the existing truck. The council asked whether buying a used truck had been explored.

Mayor Jeremy Dresel said he had envisioned that sewer funds freed up in 2025 would be used to catch up on sewer and water projects that had been delayed because of the city’s large commitment to the sewage treatment facility. 

Superintendent Lind estimated that a new truck would last 25 to 35 years, and could be paid off in seven. He said that maintaining the old truck would be difficult and expensive. “There’s a lot of work coming up on the truck we have in order to make it last for another year,” Lind said, “and parts can no longer be obtained for the water jetting system.”

Dresel told him, “We don’t want you to keep running that old truck, but is there something available for another 10 years—another truck to get by with so we can do a little work to see how this purchase would affect our other sewer and water projects?”

Councilman Craig Meyer moved to table the issue to the council’s Dec.10 meeting. This gives the city time to consider what other projects might be in need of the sewer and water funds when they become available, and public works staff time to look into the price and availability of a used vactor vehicle. 

In other business, the council:

- canvassed ballots and certified results of the 2024 general election in Chisago City declaring Jeremy Dresel officially elected mayor, outpolling challenger Travis Petchl 1,873 to 922 with 37 write-in votes cast.

Incumbent Marie Rivers and former Council Member Mark Anderson were declared elected to the two open city council seats. Anderson garnered 1,567 votes, Rivers 1,373, and challenger Grant Prentice 1,048 with 42 write-ins.

This was the first time Chisago City residents voted in more than one precinct. Administrator Pechman said it went smoothly compared to the last general election where voters waited in long lines at the single polling place. Pechman reported 110 new voter registrations were received on Election Day and that early voting helped eliminate crowding at the polls. He said that more than 50 percent of voters in Precinct B had voted early and close to 40 percent of voters in Precinct A cast their ballots in advance. 

- placed a moratorium on massage establishments and massage therapists licenses in Chisago City for a period of six months while it studies how massage establishments should be regulated. The vote followed a very brief public hearing where no members of the public came forward. Chisago City currently does not have a licensing process for massage establishments.

- extended final plat approval for Lake Martha Overlook First Addition on the condition that Developer Don Skelly enter into a development agreement and record the approved plat within 12 months.

- approved 2025 cigarette licenses for Marathon, Caseys, Lindstrom Vape, and Highway 8 tobacco; and off-sale liquor and cigarette licenses for Chisago Warehouse and MGM liquor; Off sale and cigarette for Kwik Trip; On-sale, Sunday and Off-sale liquor for Scooter’s and Smitty’s; On sale and Sunday liquor for The Northern Lake Tavern and Grill, Don Julio’s, The Stone Inn and Wine Haven Winery, and on sale taproom, micro distillery off-sale and Sunday licenses for Uncommon Loon Brewery. License fees range from $100 a year for cigarette and off-sale 3.2 beer to $2,500 a year for an on-sale liquor license.

- certified $133,595 in delinquent water and sewer bills for more than 100 properties in the city to the county auditor to be applied as an assessment on the owner’s 2025 real estate taxes. The total amount assessed includes the delinquent sewer and water bill plus a 10 percent penalty and 5 percent administrative fee.

Finance Director Cassie Gemuenden told the council that this year’s total dollar amount is higher because the city increased sewer and water rates. The bills are considered delinquent when no payment has been received for four preceding quarters or if the delinquent amount exceeds $300. Property owners had until Nov. 15 to pay the bills and avoid assessment.

- assessed two properties $400 each for mowing of unkept yards. Paradise Outdoor Services was hired to brush mow the properties with a skidster after the city received complaints from the public.

- after some discussion, agreed to decrease the amount Verizon Wireless pays to lease the city water tower for its cell tower equipment. Starting next June, Verizon will pay $2,850 a month with a ten percent increase every five years for the next 25 years instead of the $3,200 a month it currently pays. 

Verizon stated the change is the result of a “dramatic shift in technology” that calls for more high-speed internet for smartphones using “backpack size antennas” installed on telephone poles and streetlights. This has devalued use of tall towers. Administrator Pechman said the rent paid by Verizon is transferred to the general fund to help offset the need for additional property taxes.

- on petition of Gail and John Partlow, 29923 Karmel Ave., agreed to rezone 34.5 acres currently zoned Agricultural as Rural Residential. Located in a Shoreland Overlay District, more than half of the acreage lies below the ordinary high-water mark of School Lake. 

- approved the design review for six 6,000 sq. ft. mini storage buildings submitted by Dylan Rybak, representing Gopher State Storage & Minnesota Built Chisago LLC.  The new facility, Gopher State Liberty Lane Storage, will be built at 10595 Liberty Lane under terms of a conditional use permit. Conditions call for a berm and 26 trees to separate the light industrial use from neighboring residential properties. Trees must be planted at least seven feet inside the property line. A six-foot high wrought iron fence is planned along the front of the six buildings. 

- approved spending $2,879 from Fund 23 (charitable gambling proceeds) to purchase nameplates and decals for the self-contained breathing apparatus recently acquired for the volunteer fire department. Each firefighter’s breathing equipment is individually labeled.

- established an employee recognition plan and allocated $100 per city employee for logo clothing, plus $1,000 in the general fund budget for employee recognition events.

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