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The Taylors Falls city council was confronted this week with the trifecta of hot topics—the reality of active shooter concerns, the controversy over Flock license plate reader use and persistent rumors over a potential data center in town.  

Firearm worries were expressed in a letter signed by city hall staff, who had a scare when an armed citizen entered city hall recently.  The appearance of the gun coupled with the man’s mental state, had staff asking about ways to restrict access to city hall, and requesting council to look into physical safety measures.

A representative for Indianhead Glass in St. Croix Falls spoke to the city council about related products and installation.  He said the company is very busy retrofitting everything from small town government offices to schools and has a variety of services Taylors Falls should consider.  The price range was from a few thousand to upper double digit thousands.

Council member Tim Grote commented that “this is a legitimate issue,” and chastised some of the comments he saw on Facebook belittling the serious reaction to the gun showing up in city hall.

Council unanimously directed (with member Lee Samuelson absent) Indianhead to develop a cost effective proposal, and asked staff to look into other aspects for security improvements. Suggestions included an automatic locking system, door cameras, and fortified interior access points. If the public finds entry doors locked during regular business hours, be patient and someone will let you in.

Council also approved action to disallow Flock camera use on city property/streets.  Mayor Brandon Weiberg said the city is surrounded by other jurisdictions that have installed the roadside license plate readers and Taylors Falls would like to take pause until an ironclad agreement can be developed and/or finances improve to where the city can afford the system.

It was also noted the camera placed in Heritage Park (overlooked on the north end of town) is for vandalism security and is not associated with license plate readers.

The ban on Flock installation is for 12 months.  Council will gather information and revisit the pros and cons of the devices at that time.

Dealing with a data center was described as a non-issue by City Attorney Fritz Knaak.  He explained Taylors Falls “bottom line” has data center prohibitions in city ordinances.

Council member Robert Bayer stated data centers were eliminated by code because “they are not what we are...we are historic charm and scenic beauty.”

There is a “fact sheet” on the Taylors Falls data center conditions and definition that will be posted on the city website for those who want specific details. 

In other business, council gave Gary Borglund the go-ahead to keep seeking outside funds for planning on improvements at the Community Center (old depot.) Borglund was paid $5,500 as the start of a process to renovate the building and create an up-to-date useful destination site.  Borglund said he has the state historical society, St. Croix Valley Foundation,  and railroad history preservation organizations interested but he needs more finalized project plans and a budget to submit with funding applications.

Council had agreed to cap another consultant, Mike Darrow, and his ongoing expenses at $2,000 per month in extra efforts to put together a downtown revitalization plan, and Borglund was advised to await results of a recent inspection done of the Community Center and see what issues are identified.

There is an on-going review of creating administrative penalties for non-compliance with the city nuisance and hazardous storage ordinances.

The city zoning administrator has no power to levy penalties when there are violations, and many unsightly parcels go unresolved.  Code violations are not at the top of the prosecutorial process Taylors Falls receives from the county attorney, according to Knaak.  

Taylors Falls, like all of the cities in Chisago County, does not have a criminal legal department and criminal cases land in the county attorney’s office.

Council asked the city attorney to work on a draft with zoning staff, for a legal tool creating a set of fees and fines that can be reviewed later in a public hearing and adopted.

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